Thursday, March 3, 2011
Are they really all that different?
Amanda is going to hate me for this, but am I the only one seeing the similarities here?
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Guilty by Reason of Stupidity
So, what do we do? The answer hinges on who we, as Christians, are ultimately subject to and controlled by: God and his grace, or people and their perceptions (and inherent lack of grace). For the true Christian, the answer should be obvious. Those of us who understand the doctrine of total depravity know and understand that there is no amount of "goodness" we can accomplish to convince God of our righteousness. We also understand how ridiculous it is to judge the actions of others as either righteous or unrighteous and try to brow beat or guilt-trip others into being more righteous.
Lately I've been reading through the gospel accounts and my attention has been drawn to the ridiculous level of legalism in the Pharisees and scribes juxtaposed with the utter lack of legalism in Christ. Jesus turned water into alcohol (taboo in certain Baptist circles to say the least), healed on the Sabbath, and hung out with the worst of sinners. I particularly liked his response to the Pharisees when they questioned his healing of the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1-6). Before the Pharisees could even get the question out, Jesus asked, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" With that one question Jesus declared the Pharisees to be guilty by reason of stupidity.
Are you guilty of stupidity? I have been on occasion. Is it possible we're making Christian living way more difficult and complex than it should be? Jesus lived righteously AND exercised common sense. He wasn't bound up in the letter of the law, which if exercised in some situations would have completely gutted the spirit of the law. As Christians we need to trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Of course, this will result in a big fat "legalist" label being slapped on us, but that's certainly better than the alternative of actually being a legalist. I challenge you to examine yourself and your motives and make your own determination about who or what you really are. Just a thought.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Warning: This is a Rant
If you read the title to this post, consider yourself warned. There is so much crap going on right now that I really just need to vent some things. So please excuse the stream-of-consciousness style of this post.
I check out the Drudge Report on nearly a daily basis because I like to keep up with what's going on in the world. Almost every time I do I get so mad I just want to throw something. If you're a regular reader of Drudge, you know exactly why. Our current government is made up of the most incompetent, selfish, morally defunct, pieces of excrement on God's green earth. No, I'm not just talking about Democrats, although they are in power (and have been since 2006) and therefore are mostly to blame for the mess we're in. I am so sick of agenda-based decision-making. Case in point--the Gulf oil spill. One company screws up and Obama stops all off-shore drilling for 6 months to try to "figure out what went wrong." BP has a strong history of killing people and causing petroleum crises in this country. Why is anyone surprised that this happened? The 6 month moratorium will have the effect of raising energy prices and putting 10s of thousands of people out of work. All because the administration doesn't like fossil fuels!
Almost every day I read an article where a prominent Democrat is still blaming President Bush for the economic collapse, the Gulf oil spill, or the plight of the black man. I'm sick of it. Why can't anyone take responsibility for anything anymore!?! President Obama is 18 months into his administration. The Democrats have controlled Congress for almost 4 years. How in the world is all this stuff Bush's fault? Even if it is, Bush no longer has any power to do anything. Current elected officials do, but they choose to do nothing while blaming others who can't do anything about anyting.
Nancy Pelosi thinks handing out welfare checks is the fastest way to create jobs. Obama waited 70 days to accept help from foreign vessels to help clean up the oil spill. Obama is suing the State of Arizona for passing a law that allows state law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws that the federal government refuses to enforce. Obama campaigned on a platform that demonized small businesses for having the audacity to want to make a profit. This is the President who made the comment of some CEOs that "at some point, you've made enough money" less than a year after he himself made over $5 million off the sale of his book! His entire political party continues to demonize the financially successful in this country. Apparently individuals should take on enormous financial risk and work really hard to build businesses for the sole purpose of handing out jobs to people. I don't know what fantasy land they live in, but it's certainly not reality. Rather than offering tax incentives and freeing up credit for small businesses--tactics that have a long history of creating jobs and strengthening the economy--this administration is hell-bent on finding ways to punish entrepreneurs. Our government is more concerned with giving refuge to and granting amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants because if those folks are given the right to vote, they'll vote for Democrats. Never mind the fact that illegal immigrants are a huge drain on our social system and civil services. Never mind the fact that if you truly have a medical emergency you'll have to wait hours in the ER while illegal immigrants use ER docs as primary care physicians on the dime of the taxpayer, knowing full well that the ER can't turn them away on the basis that they can't pay. Nevermind the fact that illegal immigrants can claim injuries and sue American businesses for damages even though they are here illegally--and lawyers cannot ask them if they are here legally!
As a struggling small business owner, I'm sick and tired of taking responsibility for myself and being punished and demonized for it. I really feel like the more you try to take responsibility for yourself, the more this government tries to place the burden on you to take responsibility for everyone else too lazy to do so. When are people going to wake up and see what's happening. Quit blaming Bush, Fox News and entrepreneurs and get off your lazy butt and do something! If you don't like your life, no one is responsible for making it better except you!
Ok, that's all for now. Sorry to yell so much but I actually do feel a little better.
I check out the Drudge Report on nearly a daily basis because I like to keep up with what's going on in the world. Almost every time I do I get so mad I just want to throw something. If you're a regular reader of Drudge, you know exactly why. Our current government is made up of the most incompetent, selfish, morally defunct, pieces of excrement on God's green earth. No, I'm not just talking about Democrats, although they are in power (and have been since 2006) and therefore are mostly to blame for the mess we're in. I am so sick of agenda-based decision-making. Case in point--the Gulf oil spill. One company screws up and Obama stops all off-shore drilling for 6 months to try to "figure out what went wrong." BP has a strong history of killing people and causing petroleum crises in this country. Why is anyone surprised that this happened? The 6 month moratorium will have the effect of raising energy prices and putting 10s of thousands of people out of work. All because the administration doesn't like fossil fuels!
Almost every day I read an article where a prominent Democrat is still blaming President Bush for the economic collapse, the Gulf oil spill, or the plight of the black man. I'm sick of it. Why can't anyone take responsibility for anything anymore!?! President Obama is 18 months into his administration. The Democrats have controlled Congress for almost 4 years. How in the world is all this stuff Bush's fault? Even if it is, Bush no longer has any power to do anything. Current elected officials do, but they choose to do nothing while blaming others who can't do anything about anyting.
Nancy Pelosi thinks handing out welfare checks is the fastest way to create jobs. Obama waited 70 days to accept help from foreign vessels to help clean up the oil spill. Obama is suing the State of Arizona for passing a law that allows state law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws that the federal government refuses to enforce. Obama campaigned on a platform that demonized small businesses for having the audacity to want to make a profit. This is the President who made the comment of some CEOs that "at some point, you've made enough money" less than a year after he himself made over $5 million off the sale of his book! His entire political party continues to demonize the financially successful in this country. Apparently individuals should take on enormous financial risk and work really hard to build businesses for the sole purpose of handing out jobs to people. I don't know what fantasy land they live in, but it's certainly not reality. Rather than offering tax incentives and freeing up credit for small businesses--tactics that have a long history of creating jobs and strengthening the economy--this administration is hell-bent on finding ways to punish entrepreneurs. Our government is more concerned with giving refuge to and granting amnesty to 12 million illegal immigrants because if those folks are given the right to vote, they'll vote for Democrats. Never mind the fact that illegal immigrants are a huge drain on our social system and civil services. Never mind the fact that if you truly have a medical emergency you'll have to wait hours in the ER while illegal immigrants use ER docs as primary care physicians on the dime of the taxpayer, knowing full well that the ER can't turn them away on the basis that they can't pay. Nevermind the fact that illegal immigrants can claim injuries and sue American businesses for damages even though they are here illegally--and lawyers cannot ask them if they are here legally!
As a struggling small business owner, I'm sick and tired of taking responsibility for myself and being punished and demonized for it. I really feel like the more you try to take responsibility for yourself, the more this government tries to place the burden on you to take responsibility for everyone else too lazy to do so. When are people going to wake up and see what's happening. Quit blaming Bush, Fox News and entrepreneurs and get off your lazy butt and do something! If you don't like your life, no one is responsible for making it better except you!
Ok, that's all for now. Sorry to yell so much but I actually do feel a little better.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Quit Blaming Bush
For the last year and a half plus, we have continuously heard that President Bush is to blame for this and that. You know, I kind of expected that during Obama's campaign, even though I personally believe the blame placed on Bush for the economic disaster was completely unfounded. But, politicians don't really do a whole lot of fact checking before talking, especially the ones backed by the main stream media.
But now, Obama is almost 18 months into his presidency and he's still blaming Bush for his own failures. Bush wasn't the one that created a debt that will take a couple of lifetimes to pay down. Bush wasn't the one who went on a world apology tour that has caused every terrorist organization and sponsoring country in the world to lick its lips at the thought of striking a blow to the US. Contrary to popular belief, Bush didn't cause the Gulf oil spill. In case you're wondering who did, it was BP. It's their well, their rig, their operation. Bush had nothing to do with it. Bush isn't responsible for the double digit unemployment we see now. As a matter of fact, Obama told us his massive injections of cash into the economy would cause unemployment to stop at 8%. What a load of crap that was! And finally, Bush isn't responsible for Obama's approval rating dropping below 46%.
Yesterday, I got really tired of reading news reports about Bush being blamed for everything, including the Gulf oil spill. So I formed a Facebook group called Quit Blaming George W. Bush for Everything. Honestly, I did it as kind of a joke just to let off some steam, but it seems to have sprouted wings. More than 2/3 of the people who have joined the group are folks I've never had the pleasure of meeting, so apparently it's not just me and my friends that think this way.
So, if you are tired of people blaming W for everything, join our Facebook group and contribute some thoughts. Or, if you're a liberal who thinks Bush is to blame for everything evil and bad thing in the world and want to express your opinion, join the group and let us rip you to shreds. Your call.
But now, Obama is almost 18 months into his presidency and he's still blaming Bush for his own failures. Bush wasn't the one that created a debt that will take a couple of lifetimes to pay down. Bush wasn't the one who went on a world apology tour that has caused every terrorist organization and sponsoring country in the world to lick its lips at the thought of striking a blow to the US. Contrary to popular belief, Bush didn't cause the Gulf oil spill. In case you're wondering who did, it was BP. It's their well, their rig, their operation. Bush had nothing to do with it. Bush isn't responsible for the double digit unemployment we see now. As a matter of fact, Obama told us his massive injections of cash into the economy would cause unemployment to stop at 8%. What a load of crap that was! And finally, Bush isn't responsible for Obama's approval rating dropping below 46%.
Yesterday, I got really tired of reading news reports about Bush being blamed for everything, including the Gulf oil spill. So I formed a Facebook group called Quit Blaming George W. Bush for Everything. Honestly, I did it as kind of a joke just to let off some steam, but it seems to have sprouted wings. More than 2/3 of the people who have joined the group are folks I've never had the pleasure of meeting, so apparently it's not just me and my friends that think this way.
So, if you are tired of people blaming W for everything, join our Facebook group and contribute some thoughts. Or, if you're a liberal who thinks Bush is to blame for everything evil and bad thing in the world and want to express your opinion, join the group and let us rip you to shreds. Your call.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Writer's Block and Spiritual Growth
Ok, so I don't know what's happening to me lately. I just can't find anything that's worth writing about and that's not like me. Most of you know I started a new blog that is specific to my love for technology (Tech Consumption) but I can't seem to find anything to write about there either. Despite the total lack of material, I still feel like there's something I need to write. So, when all else fails, write about something God has been working you over about, right?
Amanda and I both have the spiritual gift of giving. We love to give and there have been so many times in our marriage where God has moved on both of us to give to a particular person or cause and has given us the exact same dollar figure to give. That is so cool! We look for opportunities to give because we find so much joy in it.
Lately we've felt led to give, but this time God hasn't told us where or how much. This might be because I've been neglecting daily time with my Lord and have therefore closed down the communication channels. I honestly don't know what the deal is but I'm excited about the prospect of God once again using us to further his kingdom.
Around the beginning of this year I went through a season of feeling like God was stripping away everything I was holding on to too tightly. I lost my job and my family immediately took about a 75% pay cut. It was almost as if God was telling me he doesn't need my earning power or accomplishments in order to use me effectively. In my heart I know that, but I don't think I was acting that way.
So, without the ability to simply write someone a check, I've had to be purposeful about looking for opportunities to give to people without giving them money. This has opened my eyes to a whole new level of need, which as an introvert, I have always ignored. Giving can consist of mowing someone's lawn so they can rest and spend time with their family. Or help someone plant a garden or do some landscaping, or just have lunch with someone and be available to listen. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant or extremely creative. Just be available and willing to lend a hand.
I know there isn't much structure to this post. After all, I am in the middle of a writer's block. But it feels good to get some things down in writing. My hope is that you'll read this and feel the need to be purposeful about serving others. Now, get out there and serve someone!
Amanda and I both have the spiritual gift of giving. We love to give and there have been so many times in our marriage where God has moved on both of us to give to a particular person or cause and has given us the exact same dollar figure to give. That is so cool! We look for opportunities to give because we find so much joy in it.
Lately we've felt led to give, but this time God hasn't told us where or how much. This might be because I've been neglecting daily time with my Lord and have therefore closed down the communication channels. I honestly don't know what the deal is but I'm excited about the prospect of God once again using us to further his kingdom.
Around the beginning of this year I went through a season of feeling like God was stripping away everything I was holding on to too tightly. I lost my job and my family immediately took about a 75% pay cut. It was almost as if God was telling me he doesn't need my earning power or accomplishments in order to use me effectively. In my heart I know that, but I don't think I was acting that way.
So, without the ability to simply write someone a check, I've had to be purposeful about looking for opportunities to give to people without giving them money. This has opened my eyes to a whole new level of need, which as an introvert, I have always ignored. Giving can consist of mowing someone's lawn so they can rest and spend time with their family. Or help someone plant a garden or do some landscaping, or just have lunch with someone and be available to listen. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant or extremely creative. Just be available and willing to lend a hand.
I know there isn't much structure to this post. After all, I am in the middle of a writer's block. But it feels good to get some things down in writing. My hope is that you'll read this and feel the need to be purposeful about serving others. Now, get out there and serve someone!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Pulling Weeds
Yesterday while Zachary was sleeping I decided to go out in the back yard and pull some of the weeds that had sprung up over the winter. Amanda and I have been working to make our back yard a retreat of sorts and I take a lot of pride in how my grass looks. I wanted to get rid of the crab grass and clover that had taken over various segments of the yard so that all you see when you come over is nice, beautiful St. Augustine grass.
I love yard work because it's a time for me to plug in my iPod and listen to podcasts. Lately I've been listening to Matt Chandler sermon series, so I began listening to a three-part series called Games People Play. The theme of the series is a look at religious people who followed Jesus in an effort to look religious and pious, but who had no intent whatsoever to commit their lives to him. They talk a good talk, but refuse to submit their lives to the Lord if that submission seems uncomfortable to them.
I don't often pull metaphors from ordinary tasks, but as I was pulling weeds out of my yard, it dawned on me that I often talk a good talk but then do things to mask the sin in my life so that I can give an appearance of righteousness. Looking a little deeper into the weed-pulling metaphor, sometimes it's easier just to break the weed off at the surface of the ground rather than pull the root up. It takes much more time and effort to find the root and make sure you get all of it. Sometimes when I get tired, I'll just break the weed off to give the appearance that there are no weeds, but if the root is left in place, the weed will be back very shortly.
I've been examining my life to find the areas where I'm masking sin rather than pulling the root up. How about you? Have you taken the time to examine your life in the same manner? I encourage to find the root of your sin and remove that root. Don't just break the weed off and pretend it's gone.
I love yard work because it's a time for me to plug in my iPod and listen to podcasts. Lately I've been listening to Matt Chandler sermon series, so I began listening to a three-part series called Games People Play. The theme of the series is a look at religious people who followed Jesus in an effort to look religious and pious, but who had no intent whatsoever to commit their lives to him. They talk a good talk, but refuse to submit their lives to the Lord if that submission seems uncomfortable to them.
I don't often pull metaphors from ordinary tasks, but as I was pulling weeds out of my yard, it dawned on me that I often talk a good talk but then do things to mask the sin in my life so that I can give an appearance of righteousness. Looking a little deeper into the weed-pulling metaphor, sometimes it's easier just to break the weed off at the surface of the ground rather than pull the root up. It takes much more time and effort to find the root and make sure you get all of it. Sometimes when I get tired, I'll just break the weed off to give the appearance that there are no weeds, but if the root is left in place, the weed will be back very shortly.
I've been examining my life to find the areas where I'm masking sin rather than pulling the root up. How about you? Have you taken the time to examine your life in the same manner? I encourage to find the root of your sin and remove that root. Don't just break the weed off and pretend it's gone.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
New Venture
As some of you may know, December of 2009 was a crazy time for me and Amanda. The same day Zachary turned 2 weeks old, I found out I lost my job. This was just a couple of weeks before Christmas! Many people have asked me how the job hunt is going. Just to set the record straight, there is no "job-hunting" going on in the Camp household.
For those of you who know us well, you know that Amanda and I have wanted to work together for quite some time. This little turn of events puts us in a great position to do just that. Amanda has operated restyle by herself for 2 1/2 years and done a fantastic job. The vast majority of small businesses fail, but ours has thrived under her direction. Now, I finally have the time to take some of the load off her shoulders and let her concentrate on the things she loves to do--interacting with customers and consignors and developing new relationships to grow our business. I'll be taking over the nerdy tasks of finances, legal and marketing. It's a perfect fit for us!
While working on "store stuff" does keep me pretty busy, it doesn't take up all my time. I actually now have more time to do what I have always loved doing--writing. I have done some major brainstorming to come up with ideas on an outlet for my love of writing and I have settled on a new blog that I want you guys to know about. After surveying various topics, I have decided to write about the use of technology in small business. I considered writing about politics, but I just end up getting mad. Technology makes me happy, so I'm going to stick with that.
So, today I am announcing the launch of Tech Consumption as my new venture. In this blog I will write about how small business owners can use various forms of technology to grow their businesses while simultaneously satisfying their technology cravings. If this topic interests you, I would encourage you to follow along. If you know some small business owners that might be able to profit from this content, please pass this along to them.
In the meantime, I'll continue to keep this blog up so you can keep up with the Camps. More to come shortly!
For those of you who know us well, you know that Amanda and I have wanted to work together for quite some time. This little turn of events puts us in a great position to do just that. Amanda has operated restyle by herself for 2 1/2 years and done a fantastic job. The vast majority of small businesses fail, but ours has thrived under her direction. Now, I finally have the time to take some of the load off her shoulders and let her concentrate on the things she loves to do--interacting with customers and consignors and developing new relationships to grow our business. I'll be taking over the nerdy tasks of finances, legal and marketing. It's a perfect fit for us!
While working on "store stuff" does keep me pretty busy, it doesn't take up all my time. I actually now have more time to do what I have always loved doing--writing. I have done some major brainstorming to come up with ideas on an outlet for my love of writing and I have settled on a new blog that I want you guys to know about. After surveying various topics, I have decided to write about the use of technology in small business. I considered writing about politics, but I just end up getting mad. Technology makes me happy, so I'm going to stick with that.
So, today I am announcing the launch of Tech Consumption as my new venture. In this blog I will write about how small business owners can use various forms of technology to grow their businesses while simultaneously satisfying their technology cravings. If this topic interests you, I would encourage you to follow along. If you know some small business owners that might be able to profit from this content, please pass this along to them.
In the meantime, I'll continue to keep this blog up so you can keep up with the Camps. More to come shortly!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The Reliever
It was the top of the 7th inning. The home team was down by two runs and the bases were loaded. It had been an up and down year for the home team. They had started the season off like gang busters, putting winning streaks together and making things look easy. Then all of a sudden, with about a quarter of the season left, things began to tank. Maybe all the arrogance began to catch up. Maybe the opposition had finally figured out the secret to knocking the home team down a notch. Whatever it was, winning was not quite as easy as it had once been. Blow out losses were becoming all too familiar and the fans were smelling blood in the water.
If the season ended today, the home team would not make the playoffs, but they were not yet mathematically out of it. All they had to do was win out--5 more games. They had put together many 5 game winning streaks earlier in the season, so the task didn't seem too far-fetched. But winning 5 in a row started with today's game and they were down by two in the top of the seventh inning.
While the team was struggling, the fans began clamoring for the brass to call up their star reliever from the minors. This reliever had been all-everything in college and had moved his way up through the minors with blazing speed. He was charismatic, confident and the fans adored him. He had a way of putting everyone at ease when he took the mound, no matter what the situation was. Although the reliever had no major league experience, the fans had made their desires known--call him up to save the season!
So, shortly before today's game, the front office called up the reliever. The fans turned out in record numbers in hopes they would get a chance to see the reliever work his magic. In the local press the reliever had jockeyed for this opportunity, promising the fans he could work his way out of any mess, including the downward spiral the home team was currently in. All the home team needed was new blood and a new style. All he needed was a chance.
The reliever was finally getting his chance. With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the 7th inning, the manager walked out to the mound and signaled for the lefty. The fans exploded in jubilee, high on the promises made by the reliever that he would be able to deliver the home team from any mess and resurrect them into a playoff contender. All he needed to do was get a strikeout, fly ball or grounder to end this inning and give the boys with the bats a chance to put some runs on the board. All he had to do was get one out to keep the game close.
The manager handed him the ball and told the reliever, "I'm depending on you to get us out of this mess. But even more so, all those fans in the stands are depending on you to deliver on your promises. You're getting your chance--now do something about it!"
The reliever took the ball, toed the rubber and to the tune of 40,000 fans cheering him on, delivered his first pitch. The batter put wood on the ball and lined a single up the middle plating a run. The crowd noise died down a little, but realizing the home team was only down by 3 runs and a grounder could still easily end the inning, they forgave the reliever and began cheering for him again. He toed the rubber, got the sign from the catcher and delivered his next pitch. As if he were able to read the reliever's mind, the batter stepped into the pitch and launched a double off the right field wall, plating 2 more runs.
The crowd grew eerily silent and then began grumbling a little. This was the guy who had promised he would deliver the team from it's downward spiral. He had convinced the multitudes that he was the answer to all the problems. Then he comes into the game and immediately turns a 2 run deficit into a 5 run deficit. This is not how this was supposed to go down. This is not the guy the fans wanted called up from the minors. The reliever thought he was ready for the big leagues, but apparently he wasn't.
Not to be fazed by the disappointment he had delivered so far, the reliever decided he would show what he was made of and blow a fastball right by this next batter. That would convince the fans they had vouched for the right guy. He toed the rubber with 2 outs, a man on third and a 5 run deficit. He repeatedly shook off signs from the catcher until the catcher gave up and gave him the sign to throw whatever pitch he wanted to throw. The windup--the pitch--the crack of wood hitting leather reverberated throughout the entire stadium. The white ball became a speck against the blue sky and sailed over the left field fence.
As the batter trotted around the bases, the crowd erupted, but this time in a chorus of boos. The reliever for whom they had incessantly campaigned to be brought up not only failed to live up to the hype, but had instantly turned into a monumental failure. Rather than keeping the game close so the rest of his teammates could do their jobs, he had put the home team in such a huge deficit that there was no way they could climb out of it in time to win this game. The 2 run deficit that was bad, but not quite daunting, had turned into an insurmountable mountain--a 7 run blowout.
As the boos continued, the fans began streaming out of the building, unable to tolerate this any longer. The manager plodded out to the mound and called for the righty. As he took the ball from the reliever, he gave the reliever an exasperated look and told him to hit the showers.
At the post game press conference, a reporter asked the reliever, "What happened out there? For months you have been telling every reporter who would listen to you that you were the answer to the home team's woes. You could salvage this season and put the home team back on the winning track. Instead you have destroyed any hope of this team reaching the playoffs. What do you have to say to all the fans who campaigned for your call up?"
The reliever looked into the cameras with fire in his eyes and said, "It's not my fault! I inherited this mess and I know I said I could pull us out of this tailspin, but the tailspin was greater than anyone could have imagined. None of this is my fault. I know the team called me up for precisely this situation, but if the starting pitcher had not loaded the bases, I could have gotten us out of the jam. It's all his fault, not mine! Things are always going to get worse before they get better and you can't blame me for that, even though I told you I would be able to turn things around immediately."
The fans at home, upon watching this press conference, banded together and began calling for the reliever to be cut from the organization. How dare he promise to do something, fail, and then blame it on his predecessor! Isn't a reliever's sole job to come in when the team is in a bind and get them out of the jam? Even more so when he spent months telling the fans he was capable of just such a feat, causing them to throw all their support behind him resulting in his meteoric rise to the big leagues. Otherwise, what's the point of calling in a reliever in the first place? If the fans had only known this popular reliever would point the finger and blame his failures on everyone else around him, they never would have begged and pleaded for his promotion. Now their only course of action is to band together once again and plead with the establishment to send this reliever packing. If he can't do the job he promised he would be able to do, there's no sense in paying him to do it.
If the season ended today, the home team would not make the playoffs, but they were not yet mathematically out of it. All they had to do was win out--5 more games. They had put together many 5 game winning streaks earlier in the season, so the task didn't seem too far-fetched. But winning 5 in a row started with today's game and they were down by two in the top of the seventh inning.
While the team was struggling, the fans began clamoring for the brass to call up their star reliever from the minors. This reliever had been all-everything in college and had moved his way up through the minors with blazing speed. He was charismatic, confident and the fans adored him. He had a way of putting everyone at ease when he took the mound, no matter what the situation was. Although the reliever had no major league experience, the fans had made their desires known--call him up to save the season!
So, shortly before today's game, the front office called up the reliever. The fans turned out in record numbers in hopes they would get a chance to see the reliever work his magic. In the local press the reliever had jockeyed for this opportunity, promising the fans he could work his way out of any mess, including the downward spiral the home team was currently in. All the home team needed was new blood and a new style. All he needed was a chance.
The reliever was finally getting his chance. With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the 7th inning, the manager walked out to the mound and signaled for the lefty. The fans exploded in jubilee, high on the promises made by the reliever that he would be able to deliver the home team from any mess and resurrect them into a playoff contender. All he needed to do was get a strikeout, fly ball or grounder to end this inning and give the boys with the bats a chance to put some runs on the board. All he had to do was get one out to keep the game close.
The manager handed him the ball and told the reliever, "I'm depending on you to get us out of this mess. But even more so, all those fans in the stands are depending on you to deliver on your promises. You're getting your chance--now do something about it!"
The reliever took the ball, toed the rubber and to the tune of 40,000 fans cheering him on, delivered his first pitch. The batter put wood on the ball and lined a single up the middle plating a run. The crowd noise died down a little, but realizing the home team was only down by 3 runs and a grounder could still easily end the inning, they forgave the reliever and began cheering for him again. He toed the rubber, got the sign from the catcher and delivered his next pitch. As if he were able to read the reliever's mind, the batter stepped into the pitch and launched a double off the right field wall, plating 2 more runs.
The crowd grew eerily silent and then began grumbling a little. This was the guy who had promised he would deliver the team from it's downward spiral. He had convinced the multitudes that he was the answer to all the problems. Then he comes into the game and immediately turns a 2 run deficit into a 5 run deficit. This is not how this was supposed to go down. This is not the guy the fans wanted called up from the minors. The reliever thought he was ready for the big leagues, but apparently he wasn't.
Not to be fazed by the disappointment he had delivered so far, the reliever decided he would show what he was made of and blow a fastball right by this next batter. That would convince the fans they had vouched for the right guy. He toed the rubber with 2 outs, a man on third and a 5 run deficit. He repeatedly shook off signs from the catcher until the catcher gave up and gave him the sign to throw whatever pitch he wanted to throw. The windup--the pitch--the crack of wood hitting leather reverberated throughout the entire stadium. The white ball became a speck against the blue sky and sailed over the left field fence.
As the batter trotted around the bases, the crowd erupted, but this time in a chorus of boos. The reliever for whom they had incessantly campaigned to be brought up not only failed to live up to the hype, but had instantly turned into a monumental failure. Rather than keeping the game close so the rest of his teammates could do their jobs, he had put the home team in such a huge deficit that there was no way they could climb out of it in time to win this game. The 2 run deficit that was bad, but not quite daunting, had turned into an insurmountable mountain--a 7 run blowout.
As the boos continued, the fans began streaming out of the building, unable to tolerate this any longer. The manager plodded out to the mound and called for the righty. As he took the ball from the reliever, he gave the reliever an exasperated look and told him to hit the showers.
At the post game press conference, a reporter asked the reliever, "What happened out there? For months you have been telling every reporter who would listen to you that you were the answer to the home team's woes. You could salvage this season and put the home team back on the winning track. Instead you have destroyed any hope of this team reaching the playoffs. What do you have to say to all the fans who campaigned for your call up?"
The reliever looked into the cameras with fire in his eyes and said, "It's not my fault! I inherited this mess and I know I said I could pull us out of this tailspin, but the tailspin was greater than anyone could have imagined. None of this is my fault. I know the team called me up for precisely this situation, but if the starting pitcher had not loaded the bases, I could have gotten us out of the jam. It's all his fault, not mine! Things are always going to get worse before they get better and you can't blame me for that, even though I told you I would be able to turn things around immediately."
The fans at home, upon watching this press conference, banded together and began calling for the reliever to be cut from the organization. How dare he promise to do something, fail, and then blame it on his predecessor! Isn't a reliever's sole job to come in when the team is in a bind and get them out of the jam? Even more so when he spent months telling the fans he was capable of just such a feat, causing them to throw all their support behind him resulting in his meteoric rise to the big leagues. Otherwise, what's the point of calling in a reliever in the first place? If the fans had only known this popular reliever would point the finger and blame his failures on everyone else around him, they never would have begged and pleaded for his promotion. Now their only course of action is to band together once again and plead with the establishment to send this reliever packing. If he can't do the job he promised he would be able to do, there's no sense in paying him to do it.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Google Buzz
Most of you know I'm a bit of a techno-geek, so imagine my amazement when I woke up this morning to crazy news about Google Buzz coming out of nowhere. Literally I had no idea what this was, so I started reading all the articles. Apparently Google is still on track to dominate the world through the internet. Google Buzz is like Twitter, only integrated with your Gmail account as well as other Google products like Picasa Web, YouTube, Flickr, Blogger, etc. You can also integrate with your Twitter account to post your Buzz updates to your Twitter stream.
What differentiates Buzz from Twitter, and the reason I think I'm going to like it so much, is its seamless integration with Google products--particularly Gmail. For those of you who already have Gmail accounts, once you sign up for Buzz (you can do so here), you'll see a label just under your inbox called "Buzz". You can go in there to see friends who have posted updates, comment on those posts, or post your own updates. You can do all this with Twitter, but Twitter doesn't do as good of a job bringing the conversation to you. For example, if I post an update on Twitter and a friend @replies me, I won't see that reply unless I go into Twitter and look through my stream. Or, I can use a third party app and look at my mentions. The point is, I have to go searching for those replies. Buzz, on the other hand, will let you know when someone comments on your update by showing up in the Buzz label and your Gmail inbox. From right there within Gmail, you can comment back.
It's day 1 of Buzz, but I'm already pleased with what I see. In fact, if you're following me on Buzz, you'll get this blog post in your Buzz box and can comment on it from there. Pretty sweet if I do say so myself.
For those of you holding out on getting a Gmail account, I would encourage to quit fighting the Google domination and join in on the fun.
What differentiates Buzz from Twitter, and the reason I think I'm going to like it so much, is its seamless integration with Google products--particularly Gmail. For those of you who already have Gmail accounts, once you sign up for Buzz (you can do so here), you'll see a label just under your inbox called "Buzz". You can go in there to see friends who have posted updates, comment on those posts, or post your own updates. You can do all this with Twitter, but Twitter doesn't do as good of a job bringing the conversation to you. For example, if I post an update on Twitter and a friend @replies me, I won't see that reply unless I go into Twitter and look through my stream. Or, I can use a third party app and look at my mentions. The point is, I have to go searching for those replies. Buzz, on the other hand, will let you know when someone comments on your update by showing up in the Buzz label and your Gmail inbox. From right there within Gmail, you can comment back.
It's day 1 of Buzz, but I'm already pleased with what I see. In fact, if you're following me on Buzz, you'll get this blog post in your Buzz box and can comment on it from there. Pretty sweet if I do say so myself.
For those of you holding out on getting a Gmail account, I would encourage to quit fighting the Google domination and join in on the fun.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The Ultimate Under-Estimation
Ok, so I severely underestimated how much free time I would have for blogging after having a child. But after several friends commented that they missed my political commentary, I think it's time to jump back in the game. I am honored that anyone would like to hear my opinion, so the least I can do is resume spouting my rhetoric on this forum for my 2 or 3 loyal fans. Nothing in mind tonight, but just wanted to let you know I'm back.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Fountain of Youth
As evidenced by the hysterical writings of one Mark Lackey, I'm sure this will be the first of MANY hilarious experiences with my son. And so it begins...
After only a couple of days with our little man, Amanda and I had to run up to the store to get some paperwork so Amanda could pay her employees. Being that we're both brand new at this parenting thing and really wanted to get out of the house for a while, we loaded up Zachary and took off.
When we got to the store, the little man dropped a load in his diaper, so we laid him up on the counter to change him. I opened up the dirty diaper and was fishing around in the diaper bag for a fresh diaper when up sprung a fountain. He wet down an entire jewelry rack and a lot of the counter. I was laughing so hard that I physically could not continue the diaper changing process and Amanda had to take over.
Before any of you call the health commission, we did get the jewelry cleaned up and Lysol'd, so everything is good now. But the moral of the story is, never leave a baby's water hose unattended.
After only a couple of days with our little man, Amanda and I had to run up to the store to get some paperwork so Amanda could pay her employees. Being that we're both brand new at this parenting thing and really wanted to get out of the house for a while, we loaded up Zachary and took off.
When we got to the store, the little man dropped a load in his diaper, so we laid him up on the counter to change him. I opened up the dirty diaper and was fishing around in the diaper bag for a fresh diaper when up sprung a fountain. He wet down an entire jewelry rack and a lot of the counter. I was laughing so hard that I physically could not continue the diaper changing process and Amanda had to take over.
Before any of you call the health commission, we did get the jewelry cleaned up and Lysol'd, so everything is good now. But the moral of the story is, never leave a baby's water hose unattended.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Zachary Has Arrived
Let me just say right off the bat--I have missed blogging the past several weeks. Life has just been entirely too crazy to sit down in front of the computer and try to weave my thoughts into a pattern coherent enough for people to read. Since it's been a while and A LOT has happened over the past couple of months, you'll have to excuse the length of this post.
As some of you may (or may not) know, Amanda and I have been interested in pursuing a child through adoption for some time. About 3 years ago we went to an orientation meeting at an agency in Dallas, but God never gave us peace about pursuing it further. We then went through the entire application and approval process with Depelchin, but quickly discovered that also was not God's calling on our lives. So we kind of gave up hope for a while.
In January of this year we felt the yearning again, so we requested some information from an agency that some of our friends have adopted through. It's called New Life Pregnancy Center and is located in Tomball, TX. If you click on the link, there is a bar at the bottom with photos of families. The couple to the far left are our friends Dave and Alicia. They're the ones who originally told us about New Life. I won't go into all the detail here, but our experience with New Life has been absolutely amazing. If you are considering adoption, please talk to us and we'll get you all the information we have about New Life.
In February we turned in our initial application and were told it would be June before we would do the next phase. June came and we interviewed with New Life and received the big application (30 pages or so). But every time we started working on it, we just got depressed and couldn't do anything. In September, we got a call from New Life saying there were 2 birth moms that looked to be a good match for us and we were asked to step on it and get our application done. One of these birth moms was due in November! We completed the entire process, including home study, in the next few weeks. How's that for motivation!
On Wednesday, October 14, we found out we had been chosen by a birth mom...and that she was due November 16! Words couldn't begin to come close to adequately describing the emotion we felt. I was having lunch with my mentor and friend, Rene Rivera, when I got the call from Amanda and it was so cool that he was there when I got the call because he had been praying through all of this with me for some time (thanks, Rene!).
Then the reality settled in that we had a month to prepare for this baby. While we were unbelievably excited, we didn't want to tell too many people because a birth mom can easily change her mind. Nothing is certain until you take that baby home. So in order to protect our emotions as much as we could, we chose not to tell many people.
We got to meet with our birth mom 4 times before the placement which was an absolute blessing. She is a wonderful young lady and we are so blessed to have gotten to know her. Unlike some adoptive parents, we will not have to candy-coat who she is with our son. We can tell him the full truth about her and not feel like we have to hide anything.
So we frantically spent the next month preparing our home for a baby. We knew it was going to be a boy, so that was good. We slowly started telling more people the more certain we got that this was actually going to happen. The due date came and went and we were told the doctors would induce on November 23 if the baby had not come by then. The wait was excruciating but worth it because we got to spend a lot of time praying for the birth mom and our son. Zachary Bradon Camp was born at 11:18 AM on November 23, 2009. He was 7 lbs, 4 ounces, 20 1/2" and perfectly healthy.
We gave him the name Zachary and the birth mom gave him the name Bradon. We chose Zachary because it means "the Lord remembers"--very fitting for our journey through this process.
On November 25, we went to the hospital and spent a couple of hours with the birth mom and her family. She placed Zachary in Amanda's arms and while crying told us how happy she was that we were going to provide a loving home for her son. We cried together for a while, said our goodbyes, and left the hospital.
I know I've said a lot, but I would also like the summarize this whole post and the whole experience. God is a great and graceful God. He is our Redeemer who has adopted us as His own and I have such a greater understanding of that now. Zachary will be a constant reminder that the Lord remembers.
More posts will be coming soon, but you have no idea how good it feels to be able to talk about this openly now. Here are some pictures of our new little man and a very happy new mom and dad!
Friday, November 13, 2009
More to Come Soon
Sorry for the delay in cranking out new posts but it's been a bit hectic lately in the lives of the Camps and not likely to calm down any time soon. Work has been a beast lately and restyle has been performing so well recently that it's almost more than we can handle.
We were able to find Bailey a new home which is great. We miss her, but we don't miss the havoc she brought to our lives. The couple that took her have a 5 year old weimeraner with an energy level that matches Bailey's. They go swimming in a pool and wrestle until they both pass out. It's the perfect match. And, it looks like Bailey will be trained to hunt which is really cool. The couple and their 15 year old soon will be moving to Beaumont soon and when that happens, Bailey will have 2 1/2 acres to run on and get her energy out. I couldn't have dreamed up a better scenario for her.
Some crazy life changes are headed our way that you'll hear more about in the coming weeks. Just pray that God will equip Amanda and me to handle these changes and that we would rely solely on Him for guidance, direction and wisdom.
Talk to you soon!
We were able to find Bailey a new home which is great. We miss her, but we don't miss the havoc she brought to our lives. The couple that took her have a 5 year old weimeraner with an energy level that matches Bailey's. They go swimming in a pool and wrestle until they both pass out. It's the perfect match. And, it looks like Bailey will be trained to hunt which is really cool. The couple and their 15 year old soon will be moving to Beaumont soon and when that happens, Bailey will have 2 1/2 acres to run on and get her energy out. I couldn't have dreamed up a better scenario for her.
Some crazy life changes are headed our way that you'll hear more about in the coming weeks. Just pray that God will equip Amanda and me to handle these changes and that we would rely solely on Him for guidance, direction and wisdom.
Talk to you soon!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
God's Grace from a Contrarian Point of View
A couple of weeks before we got the phone call saying we had been chosen by a birth mom, Amanda and I made the difficult decision to try to find our dog Bailey a new home. Many of you have kept track of our adventures with Bailey. If you haven't, check out my other posts and this will make a lot more sense to you. When this decision was made, we had absolutely no idea what was about to happen on the adoption front. Anyway, we contacted a brittany rescue organization (who shall remain nameless) to help us find a home for Bailey.
As it turns out, the birth mom that chose us was due November 16 giving us right at 1 month to prepare. That's when our world got turned upside down. Not only did we need to find Bailey a new home, but we needed to do so pretty much immediately. For those of you who know Bailey, you understand this. She's not mean but is very energetic and could easily hurt an infant without intending to.
So, I contacted the rescue organization to let them know we would be welcoming a baby into our home shortly and we needed to find Bailey a home very quickly. Seems reasonable, right? You would think the rescue organization would be happy for us and that they would put in some extra effort to help us find a home for Bailey, right? WRONG! I received an email from the person I was working with basically condemning me for choosing to adopt a baby if that meant we would no longer be able to care for Bailey. Here is a short excerpt from that email:
I am sorry you are in a position that sets Bailey up for losing on this one. There is tremendous responsibility that goes along with caring for and loving a dog... it does not end with the beginning of a new adventure no matter how "inconvenient" the dog becomes.
I just about blew a gasket! How dare this person spit upon our decision to care for and raise a child by elevating the value of our dog above a human!
I spent the next couple of days fuming and dreaming up everything I wanted to say to this person to set the record straight. I even typed out a vicious email in response and thankfully sought Amanda's advice on whether to send it before I actually sent it. During that time I cooled down and decided sending the email was not the Christ-like thing to do.
Also during this time, it dawned on me that I do something very similar to God all the time. Jesus offered me salvation through His death and resurrection and I accepted this free gift of mercy and grace. However, I continue to snub God through my sin. Though I continually spit upon the gift God has given me and the sacrifice of His Son to pay my debt, He still loves me and shows me grace. He doesn't sit up in heaven dreaming up ways to punish me for my less than graceful actions toward Him.
The rescue organization's attitude toward me was less than graceful, but it helped me have a deeper understanding of God's grace toward me. In that light, I'm kind of glad it happened. I love how God can take the good and the bad and teach us about His character.
And for those of you who are curious, I did send an email to the rescue organization politely telling them I no longer desired to work with them and that we would find Bailey a home ourselves. We did so in less than 2 weeks.
As it turns out, the birth mom that chose us was due November 16 giving us right at 1 month to prepare. That's when our world got turned upside down. Not only did we need to find Bailey a new home, but we needed to do so pretty much immediately. For those of you who know Bailey, you understand this. She's not mean but is very energetic and could easily hurt an infant without intending to.
So, I contacted the rescue organization to let them know we would be welcoming a baby into our home shortly and we needed to find Bailey a home very quickly. Seems reasonable, right? You would think the rescue organization would be happy for us and that they would put in some extra effort to help us find a home for Bailey, right? WRONG! I received an email from the person I was working with basically condemning me for choosing to adopt a baby if that meant we would no longer be able to care for Bailey. Here is a short excerpt from that email:
I am sorry you are in a position that sets Bailey up for losing on this one. There is tremendous responsibility that goes along with caring for and loving a dog... it does not end with the beginning of a new adventure no matter how "inconvenient" the dog becomes.
I just about blew a gasket! How dare this person spit upon our decision to care for and raise a child by elevating the value of our dog above a human!
I spent the next couple of days fuming and dreaming up everything I wanted to say to this person to set the record straight. I even typed out a vicious email in response and thankfully sought Amanda's advice on whether to send it before I actually sent it. During that time I cooled down and decided sending the email was not the Christ-like thing to do.
Also during this time, it dawned on me that I do something very similar to God all the time. Jesus offered me salvation through His death and resurrection and I accepted this free gift of mercy and grace. However, I continue to snub God through my sin. Though I continually spit upon the gift God has given me and the sacrifice of His Son to pay my debt, He still loves me and shows me grace. He doesn't sit up in heaven dreaming up ways to punish me for my less than graceful actions toward Him.
The rescue organization's attitude toward me was less than graceful, but it helped me have a deeper understanding of God's grace toward me. In that light, I'm kind of glad it happened. I love how God can take the good and the bad and teach us about His character.
And for those of you who are curious, I did send an email to the rescue organization politely telling them I no longer desired to work with them and that we would find Bailey a home ourselves. We did so in less than 2 weeks.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Capitalism and the Opinion Police
Recently rumors have been swirling about Rush Limbaugh joining a group of investors interested in buying the St. Louis Rams NFL franchise. Rush quickly confirmed his desire to take part ownership and also confirmed that he was to be a limited partner in the venture (no responsibilities in the day to day activities/decision-making). So it's not like he would be the face of the St. Louis Rams like Jerry Jones is the face of the Dallas Cowboys.
As soon as the rumors started, everyone from Chad Ochocinco to Sheila Jackson Lee to the head of the NFL Players Union began expressing their opinion that Rush should not be allowed to buy into an NFL franchise because he is a divisive personality who has made some racially motivated comments. Since when has a person's desire to invest in a private enterprise been subject to the approval of people who have absolutely no interest involved?
Most of the objections are coming from comments Rush made regarding Donovan McNabb during his brief tenure with ESPN. Most people have construed his comment as a stab against McNabb because he's one of a few black quarterbacks in the NFL. I don't have the exact quote, but the gist of it was that Rush felt McNabb was a very overrated QB who was being overly hyped by the media who only wanted to see a black QB succeed in the NFL. I heard the comment when it was made and it never crossed my mind that Rush meant McNabb was overrated because he was black. He genuinely thinks McNabb is overrated as an NFL QB and his comment was aimed more at a fawning media who, Rush felt, had over-committed to the desired success of McNabb rather than taking an unbiased stance. Rush said that he thought all the media hype focused on McNabb was because he was black.
Did you catch the difference there? Rush never said McNabb was not a good QB because he's black. Rush never said he hoped McNabb didn't succeed because he's black. What he said was he thought the media was overplaying the situation because McNabb is black. His comment was meant to slam the media, not McNabb. And if I remember correctly, after everyone blew up about this and ESPN even fired him over it, Rush repeatedly explained that he had nothing against McNabb personally and that McNabb himself was not at all responsible for all the hype. It was the media blowing everything out of proportion. And honestly, is anyone really going to debate that the media has a tendency to blow things out of proportion?
So recently I saw a headline that Rush has been dropped from the group of investors wishing to buy the Rams. My question is, when did it become the business of the general public to decide who is or is not worthy of buying into a private enterprise? What would happen if Michael Moore tried to buy into an NFL franchise? That guy hates capitalism even though he's made millions because of capitalism. Everyone involved in the NFL--owners, players, union reps, etc.--are capitalistic. They sign contracts and make business deals for the sole purpose of making more money. Since Moore is fundamentally against capitalism, would he be railroaded the same way Rush was? I doubt it. Is Michael Moore any less polarizing of a public figure than Rush is? No.
Or how about this scenario. Should people who think tobacco products are harmful and bad be prohibited from buying stock in Phillip Morris? Should loyal patrons of Lowe's Home Improvement stores be prohibited from buying stock in Home Depot? Of course not. Free speech is a two-edged sword giving people the right to have opinions even if others disagree with those opinions. I don't agree with a single thing Michael Moore, Barack Obama or Sheila Jackson Lee believe or say, but I wouldn't have the slightest problem if any of them, in their individual capacity, wanted to buy into a private venture. Why? Because that's their decision and my like or dislike of their values and opinions is wholly irrelevant.
I'm so sick and tired of tolerance of opinion being a one-way street. If Rush wants to buy the St. Louis Rams, he should be allowed to do so if he is able to offer the best deal to the current owners and the current owners want to sell it to him. Everyone who doesn't think Rush should own the Rams should shut up and try to outbid Rush to keep him from doing it. That's how capitalism works.
As soon as the rumors started, everyone from Chad Ochocinco to Sheila Jackson Lee to the head of the NFL Players Union began expressing their opinion that Rush should not be allowed to buy into an NFL franchise because he is a divisive personality who has made some racially motivated comments. Since when has a person's desire to invest in a private enterprise been subject to the approval of people who have absolutely no interest involved?
Most of the objections are coming from comments Rush made regarding Donovan McNabb during his brief tenure with ESPN. Most people have construed his comment as a stab against McNabb because he's one of a few black quarterbacks in the NFL. I don't have the exact quote, but the gist of it was that Rush felt McNabb was a very overrated QB who was being overly hyped by the media who only wanted to see a black QB succeed in the NFL. I heard the comment when it was made and it never crossed my mind that Rush meant McNabb was overrated because he was black. He genuinely thinks McNabb is overrated as an NFL QB and his comment was aimed more at a fawning media who, Rush felt, had over-committed to the desired success of McNabb rather than taking an unbiased stance. Rush said that he thought all the media hype focused on McNabb was because he was black.
Did you catch the difference there? Rush never said McNabb was not a good QB because he's black. Rush never said he hoped McNabb didn't succeed because he's black. What he said was he thought the media was overplaying the situation because McNabb is black. His comment was meant to slam the media, not McNabb. And if I remember correctly, after everyone blew up about this and ESPN even fired him over it, Rush repeatedly explained that he had nothing against McNabb personally and that McNabb himself was not at all responsible for all the hype. It was the media blowing everything out of proportion. And honestly, is anyone really going to debate that the media has a tendency to blow things out of proportion?
So recently I saw a headline that Rush has been dropped from the group of investors wishing to buy the Rams. My question is, when did it become the business of the general public to decide who is or is not worthy of buying into a private enterprise? What would happen if Michael Moore tried to buy into an NFL franchise? That guy hates capitalism even though he's made millions because of capitalism. Everyone involved in the NFL--owners, players, union reps, etc.--are capitalistic. They sign contracts and make business deals for the sole purpose of making more money. Since Moore is fundamentally against capitalism, would he be railroaded the same way Rush was? I doubt it. Is Michael Moore any less polarizing of a public figure than Rush is? No.
Or how about this scenario. Should people who think tobacco products are harmful and bad be prohibited from buying stock in Phillip Morris? Should loyal patrons of Lowe's Home Improvement stores be prohibited from buying stock in Home Depot? Of course not. Free speech is a two-edged sword giving people the right to have opinions even if others disagree with those opinions. I don't agree with a single thing Michael Moore, Barack Obama or Sheila Jackson Lee believe or say, but I wouldn't have the slightest problem if any of them, in their individual capacity, wanted to buy into a private venture. Why? Because that's their decision and my like or dislike of their values and opinions is wholly irrelevant.
I'm so sick and tired of tolerance of opinion being a one-way street. If Rush wants to buy the St. Louis Rams, he should be allowed to do so if he is able to offer the best deal to the current owners and the current owners want to sell it to him. Everyone who doesn't think Rush should own the Rams should shut up and try to outbid Rush to keep him from doing it. That's how capitalism works.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Reality Check: Money Does NOT Grow on Trees
We've all seen numbers like billion and trillion thrown around recently and unless you own a billion or trillion dollars, the reality of it probably doesn't set in. I saw a graphic not long ago that puts these numbers in perspective and I couldn't remember if I had posted it anywhere. In case I didn't, I'm doing it now.
Pagetutor.com, using Google Sketchup, created a graphic showing the progression from a $100 bill to $1 trillion. Eye opening to say the least. As a follow up, Pagetutor created a graphic showing the size of the US debt ($11 trillion when the graphic was created).
I tried posting the graphics themselves, but they are too big to fit on my blog, so you'll just have to click on the links to see them for yourselves.
Now that I've gotten your attention, let's get to work.
The US economy, measured in terms of gross domestic product, was worth about $14.4 trillion in 2008. GDP is a basic measure of a country's economic performance and is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a nation in a year.
In July of this year, the US national debt was measured at $11.6 trillion. So, logically you might assume the US has a net worth of $2.8 trillion, except that you'd be wrong.
If you are alive and breathing, you are well aware of the debate over reforming the health care system. As most of you know, the US already has government run health care in place for certain portions of the population, namely Medicare and Medicaid. And everyone has heard that these programs are in the hole. What you may not know is by how much these programs are in the hole.
According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, the 2009 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports show the unfunded liability of Medicare has reached more than $89 trillion in today's dollars! The unfunded liability is the difference between the benefits that have been promised to current and future retirees and what will be collected in dedicated taxes and Medicare premiums. I wish Pagetutor.com had a graphic for this, but I couldn't find one. Just take the $11 trillion graphic above and multiply it by 8 in your mind.
The question is, if the government has run Medicare into the ground to the tune of $11 trillion in unfunded promises, should we trust the government with health care for all? I think the answer is pretty clear.
Pagetutor.com, using Google Sketchup, created a graphic showing the progression from a $100 bill to $1 trillion. Eye opening to say the least. As a follow up, Pagetutor created a graphic showing the size of the US debt ($11 trillion when the graphic was created).
I tried posting the graphics themselves, but they are too big to fit on my blog, so you'll just have to click on the links to see them for yourselves.
Now that I've gotten your attention, let's get to work.
The US economy, measured in terms of gross domestic product, was worth about $14.4 trillion in 2008. GDP is a basic measure of a country's economic performance and is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a nation in a year.
In July of this year, the US national debt was measured at $11.6 trillion. So, logically you might assume the US has a net worth of $2.8 trillion, except that you'd be wrong.
If you are alive and breathing, you are well aware of the debate over reforming the health care system. As most of you know, the US already has government run health care in place for certain portions of the population, namely Medicare and Medicaid. And everyone has heard that these programs are in the hole. What you may not know is by how much these programs are in the hole.
According to the National Center for Policy Analysis, the 2009 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports show the unfunded liability of Medicare has reached more than $89 trillion in today's dollars! The unfunded liability is the difference between the benefits that have been promised to current and future retirees and what will be collected in dedicated taxes and Medicare premiums. I wish Pagetutor.com had a graphic for this, but I couldn't find one. Just take the $11 trillion graphic above and multiply it by 8 in your mind.
The question is, if the government has run Medicare into the ground to the tune of $11 trillion in unfunded promises, should we trust the government with health care for all? I think the answer is pretty clear.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Weekend to Remember
This past Saturday (Sept. 26) was one crazy weekend. Let's start from the beginning. We got up and took Bailey to the kennel because we were going to be gone all day. We left from there to go to a 5 hour seminar in Tomball. We got a 2 hour break in there, so we went and hung out with the Peschkes for a while and then headed to the church for the second annual High Altitude Olympics. Amanda and I competed in events where she poured water on my face (a slight modification of water boarding), I threw foam balls at her, and she led me around an obstacle course blind folded. At the end, there was a three way tie for first, so we competed with the Peschkes and Weenases in a newlywed style game for the gold and all the glory. After two rounds we were all tied so we went to sudden death and Amanda and I won because I knew her favorite book of the Bible was Leviticus (I love my wife)!
Solely by the grace of God, and with the help of a UH student who works for Amanda, I was able to get my hands on some tickets to the UH v. Texas Tech game that night. Because of the extended High Altitude Olympic finals, I got to the game about half way through the first quarter. Colin Sproule went with me.
For those of you who don't know or don't care to keep up with college sports, this game was unbelievably good. For about 20 minutes, Colin and I were standing next to Moses Malone, which was pretty cool. The Cougars were trailing by 5 points in the 4th quarter when they stopped Tech on a 4th and goal from the 1 yard line. With 5:37 to go in the game, the Cougars had to drive the ball 95 yards for the go ahead score. They did just that and the largest crowd in Robertson Stadium history erupted. When the game was finally over, the students rushed the field. What a game! Because it was a nationally televised game that didn't start until 8:15, I got home at 1:00 a.m.
Pretty good weekend if I do say so myself!
Solely by the grace of God, and with the help of a UH student who works for Amanda, I was able to get my hands on some tickets to the UH v. Texas Tech game that night. Because of the extended High Altitude Olympic finals, I got to the game about half way through the first quarter. Colin Sproule went with me.
For those of you who don't know or don't care to keep up with college sports, this game was unbelievably good. For about 20 minutes, Colin and I were standing next to Moses Malone, which was pretty cool. The Cougars were trailing by 5 points in the 4th quarter when they stopped Tech on a 4th and goal from the 1 yard line. With 5:37 to go in the game, the Cougars had to drive the ball 95 yards for the go ahead score. They did just that and the largest crowd in Robertson Stadium history erupted. When the game was finally over, the students rushed the field. What a game! Because it was a nationally televised game that didn't start until 8:15, I got home at 1:00 a.m.
Pretty good weekend if I do say so myself!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Bailey's Most Glorious Journey
Just thought I'd take a few minutes to update everyone on Bailey's new found unquenchable desire for freedom from the confines of our estate. On Saturday evening as Amanda and I were headed out the door to go to a friend's birthday party, Bailey saw her opportunity and bolted out of our gate and into the streets of our neighborhood. No big deal--she does this all the time. I got the car keys from Amanda and my neighbor from across the street (he's 14 years old and a very good sport!) and we set out to chase Bailey down. I will go ahead and tell you that at this point I'm wearing shorts, a t-shirt and am barefooted. Just remember the barefooted part.
Here is the route we took. I apologize that the maps start in the same spot in teh middle of the route. I couldn't figure out how to make it start in different places. You'll have to click and drag to the right to find the start (at our house on Dawson Road) and then click and drag each map to follow the route.
View Bailey's Journey in a larger map
The route started out normally and I usually catch up to her somewhere on Freestone because she has never left the neighborhood before. But this time was different. She got to the end of Freeport and made a brief stop at the house on the right corner where Freestone intersects with Kirby. When I saw her leaving, there was a large Boxer by the name of Oscar following her. I knew his name was Oscar because his entire family was chasing after him yelling, "Oscar, Oscar!!!" So I got back in the car and headed out onto Kirby while the rest of the entourage headed out there on foot. About 100 yards down Kirby, Bailey and Oscar hooked a left and ran out into an open field. I chased Bailey and Oscar through the open field (still barefooted) until I finally caught up with Oscar about 200 yards in. However, Bailey kept running until she nearly reached the houses in Southern Trails. At this point, Oscar's family had caught up and I told them I was looking for a new home for Bailey anyway and she had just made the job a lot easier. I had resigned myself to let her go.
So my neighbor and I walked back to the car (which I left in the middle of Kirby with the hazards on) through the open field (still barefooted, although it hurt a lot more now than it did at first!) and drove down Kirby to the mall to turn around. When I started driving back toward the neighborhood, there was Bailey standing near the road. So I sped down there, jumped the curb with the Murano (sorry Amanda, but I didn't want to leave it in the middle of the road again) and made another effort to lure Bailey into the back of the car--to no avail.
Bailey took off down the side of Kirby going toward the mall. But instead of staying in the grass, she zig-zagged her way back and forth across Kirby causing numerous cars to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting her. I really wish one of them had hit her because it would have cut this journey in half!
So, we chased her down Kirby where she crossed over to the right and took a brief dip in the pond. While she was enjoying her swim, the neighbor and I were parking at Goodyear so we could get out and chase her on foot. We nearly had her at Goodyear, but she took off around the parking lot going behind the mall. As I was going back to get the car, she started coming back toward us only to veer off to the right and start heading toward Dillards. We quickly got back in the car and continued our pursuit.
This is where it got a little scary. As she rounded the corner near Dillards, she was trotting behind the landscape bushes headed toward the front entrance of Dillards. And of course, like most big retail shops, Dillards has automatic doors. And it being a Saturday, numerous people were entering and exiting leaving the doors open for the most part. I decided then and there that if she ran inside Dillards (dripping wet since she recently went swimming in the pond) that I would take advantage of the fact that she had no collar or tags on and just leave. No one would ever know she belonged to me!
Thankfully she did not go into Dillards. I think she may be more of a Bass Pro Shops/Academy girl. But she did continue on her way. The neighbor and I were still following her in the car yelling at every person along the way to grab her if they got the chance. Finally we came to a back alley were the dumpsters are kept for the mall. Someone had left the gate open and we saw this as our chance to corner her. Unfortunately they had left the gate open on the other side which had the effect of funneling her into the mall! At least it's an outdoor mall so she was just walking alongside the people on the sidewalks.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention--as she was trotting down the corridor between the dumpsters and the mall, there was a guy standing near the restrooms. I called out to him to grab her if she came near. He looked at me, then down at Bailey who was standing right next to him sniffing him, then looked back at me as Bailey left. It was all I could do to not punch him in the gut when I walked past, still in pursuit of Bailey, and still barefooted.
We rounded the corner to the left where she was walking down the sidewalk in front of Barnes & Noble. There were some people sitting at a table outside and I called out to them to grab her if she came near and not let go of her. The guy reached over to pet her and grabbed her. I almost kissed him when I caught up.
So, I thanked him profusely, scooped Bailey up in my arms (40 pounds of wet dog) and walked back out to the car. I'm sure I looked perfectly normal walking barefooted with a wet dog in my arms through the mall. No embarrassment there at all. I put/threw Bailey into the back of the car and headed home. I marked this spot on the map with a volcano which is a pretty close indication of my blood pressure level at this point.
When we got home, I put Bailey in her crate, quickly took another shower and headed to the birthday party which we were now approximately 1 hour late for. The next day I found 7 or 8 splinters in the bottoms of my feet from the run through the field.
After all this, I can't say there wasn't anything good about it. Any sadness remaining in me about having to give Bailey up is now completely gone!
Here is the route we took. I apologize that the maps start in the same spot in teh middle of the route. I couldn't figure out how to make it start in different places. You'll have to click and drag to the right to find the start (at our house on Dawson Road) and then click and drag each map to follow the route.
View Bailey's Journey in a larger map
The route started out normally and I usually catch up to her somewhere on Freestone because she has never left the neighborhood before. But this time was different. She got to the end of Freeport and made a brief stop at the house on the right corner where Freestone intersects with Kirby. When I saw her leaving, there was a large Boxer by the name of Oscar following her. I knew his name was Oscar because his entire family was chasing after him yelling, "Oscar, Oscar!!!" So I got back in the car and headed out onto Kirby while the rest of the entourage headed out there on foot. About 100 yards down Kirby, Bailey and Oscar hooked a left and ran out into an open field. I chased Bailey and Oscar through the open field (still barefooted) until I finally caught up with Oscar about 200 yards in. However, Bailey kept running until she nearly reached the houses in Southern Trails. At this point, Oscar's family had caught up and I told them I was looking for a new home for Bailey anyway and she had just made the job a lot easier. I had resigned myself to let her go.
So my neighbor and I walked back to the car (which I left in the middle of Kirby with the hazards on) through the open field (still barefooted, although it hurt a lot more now than it did at first!) and drove down Kirby to the mall to turn around. When I started driving back toward the neighborhood, there was Bailey standing near the road. So I sped down there, jumped the curb with the Murano (sorry Amanda, but I didn't want to leave it in the middle of the road again) and made another effort to lure Bailey into the back of the car--to no avail.
Bailey took off down the side of Kirby going toward the mall. But instead of staying in the grass, she zig-zagged her way back and forth across Kirby causing numerous cars to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting her. I really wish one of them had hit her because it would have cut this journey in half!
So, we chased her down Kirby where she crossed over to the right and took a brief dip in the pond. While she was enjoying her swim, the neighbor and I were parking at Goodyear so we could get out and chase her on foot. We nearly had her at Goodyear, but she took off around the parking lot going behind the mall. As I was going back to get the car, she started coming back toward us only to veer off to the right and start heading toward Dillards. We quickly got back in the car and continued our pursuit.
This is where it got a little scary. As she rounded the corner near Dillards, she was trotting behind the landscape bushes headed toward the front entrance of Dillards. And of course, like most big retail shops, Dillards has automatic doors. And it being a Saturday, numerous people were entering and exiting leaving the doors open for the most part. I decided then and there that if she ran inside Dillards (dripping wet since she recently went swimming in the pond) that I would take advantage of the fact that she had no collar or tags on and just leave. No one would ever know she belonged to me!
Thankfully she did not go into Dillards. I think she may be more of a Bass Pro Shops/Academy girl. But she did continue on her way. The neighbor and I were still following her in the car yelling at every person along the way to grab her if they got the chance. Finally we came to a back alley were the dumpsters are kept for the mall. Someone had left the gate open and we saw this as our chance to corner her. Unfortunately they had left the gate open on the other side which had the effect of funneling her into the mall! At least it's an outdoor mall so she was just walking alongside the people on the sidewalks.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention--as she was trotting down the corridor between the dumpsters and the mall, there was a guy standing near the restrooms. I called out to him to grab her if she came near. He looked at me, then down at Bailey who was standing right next to him sniffing him, then looked back at me as Bailey left. It was all I could do to not punch him in the gut when I walked past, still in pursuit of Bailey, and still barefooted.
We rounded the corner to the left where she was walking down the sidewalk in front of Barnes & Noble. There were some people sitting at a table outside and I called out to them to grab her if she came near and not let go of her. The guy reached over to pet her and grabbed her. I almost kissed him when I caught up.
So, I thanked him profusely, scooped Bailey up in my arms (40 pounds of wet dog) and walked back out to the car. I'm sure I looked perfectly normal walking barefooted with a wet dog in my arms through the mall. No embarrassment there at all. I put/threw Bailey into the back of the car and headed home. I marked this spot on the map with a volcano which is a pretty close indication of my blood pressure level at this point.
When we got home, I put Bailey in her crate, quickly took another shower and headed to the birthday party which we were now approximately 1 hour late for. The next day I found 7 or 8 splinters in the bottoms of my feet from the run through the field.
After all this, I can't say there wasn't anything good about it. Any sadness remaining in me about having to give Bailey up is now completely gone!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Bailey Needs a New Home
Over the past several months since I started this blog, many of you have grown accustomed to the occasional sprinkling in of Bailey stories to lighten the mood in here. Well, it's with great sadness that I'm telling you we need to find a new home for Bailey.
I know what you're thinking--how can you give up a dog with such great entertainment value? The honest answer is that it's going to be best for all involved to find her a new family. We simply don't have the time, energy, sanity, space or yard size to accommodate a dog with her energy level. In the nearly two years we've had her, she has eaten or otherwise destroyed two pairs of eye glasses, several plants, several pairs of underwear, dozens of pens and clothes pins, my new wallet and I'm pretty sure she ate a $5 bill. That's just a small random sampling of the havoc she has brought to our lives. Happy and well-adjusted dogs who are content in their environments are not that destructive.
On top of that, she will do anything to escape from our back yard including digging under the fence and jumping over the fence. She has been really creative in her escape tactics including moving plastic chairs to the fence so she can get over and getting a running start and catapulting off the grill. And as you have probably seen from a previous video I posted, she has successfully jumped a six foot fence to escape the friendly confines of our back yard.
The only way we have found that even comes close to dissipating her energy build up is to attach her to the bicycle and let her drag us through the neighborhood on a dead sprint for a couple of miles. She barks the whole way and scares the bejeezus out of everyone. I think she nearly gave a jogger a heart attack the other night.
So, Amanda and I have decided that we would like to preserve what is left of our youthful sanity and accordingly have sent her information to a Brittany rescue to try to find her a new home. You can view her profile here (she's the 4th one down under Texas):
Please feel free to forward this link to anyone you know who may be interested. We think she would make a great hunting dog or even a great family dog if she had a large yard to play in and probably another dog or two to play with. Sorry for the sad news, but it needed to be said.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Go Coogs!!!
I need to take a moment to congratulate and brag on my alma mater, the University of Houston Cougars. For those of you oblivious to the college football world, UH defeated the #5 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys this past weekend 45-35, in Stillwater. This is the first time UH has beaten a top 5 team since 1984 and they have achieved their first top 25 ranking since 1991 (currently ranked #21). This kind of play is a far cry from when I attended UH (1998-2002). The best record the Coogs achieved while I was there was 7-4 in 1999. In 2001, they went 0-11. So you can understand my excitement at seeing my beloved Cougars not only winning games, but beating really good teams.
Here is a little highlight video for your enjoyment.
Here is a little highlight video for your enjoyment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
