Shut up and go to my church!

I often hear people complaining about their church. I have heard friends and family say that their church is dead or boring or even Biblically incorrect and I wonder why they still go there. I'm not talking about the sham that Obama is trying to pull with that church in Chicago, I'm talking about people that go to the same church every week and leave feeling, acting, and living the same as they went in. Maybe they are going for the wrong reason to begin with. I understand that some people go to church out of habit or because they feel pressured to by someone or some thing or because it makes them look good or feel good just to go somewhere.



To be honest, I didn't really want to go to church this morning. I have alot of things going and I had several semi-valid reasons for not getting up, getting dressed, getting in the car and driving thirty minutes to church today. I'm sure everybody has days like that but as soon as I got there I was glad I made the effort. I know my church is not for everyone. Being the youngster that I am, I like to have my music pretty lively. I also like my pastor to be pretty lively and I like a Bible Fellowship or Sunday School that is not afraid to tackle hard questions (even if the teacher could be better at asking them sometimes). But even if my kind of church is different than your kind of church, you need to find a church that fits you.



Sometimes finding a church that fits is difficult and I am not promoting leaving the church you are in just because some little thing has made you uncomfortable. No church is perfect because it is filled with imperfect people and that includes the pastor and staff. It breaks my heart to find out somebody left a church because somebody sat in their seat or the pastor didn't smile big enough when he said hello or that music director talks too much! It's time to get smooth over that piddly stuff and start worshipping in spirit and truth like the Bible says. But you have to realize that your pastor is not the one that is being worshipped and, yes, sometimes the pastor has to realize that too. Pastors make mistakes like all of us do but they also have incredible responsibility and I love and appreciate my pastor for being who he is and what he does day in and day out. It has to be difficult sometimes.

As I looked around in our worship time this morning and I saw my close, dear friends and I saw faces I had never seen before, I felt God's presence in a real way. I saw friends who were hurting deeply and lifted them up in prayer. I had other friends tell me they were praying for me. I opened my Bible and learned more about who Jesus is and not once was I bored. I never once felt intimidated, embarrassed, or pressured. I left that place different than when I went in and I know others did as well.

Again, I know that my church is not for every one. People like different things or are accustomed to "doing" worship different and ours is not necessarily the best way but I love my church. I look forward to next Sunday already. Maybe you don't feel the same way. Maybe you dread going to church. I hate that for you. It shouldn't be that way. Your relationship with Jesus Christ deserves better than a dead church so if that is the case with you then quit complaining and put out a little effort and find the church that is right for you. I hope it is Hulen Street Baptist Church but if not, I pray you find the church that is right for you. It will be worth it, I promise!

Condi comments

I started to do the usual "I read Todd's blog 10 times a day" caption but I know there are better ones. Here's a couple to get you started:

Aw, C'mon, George, just one more game of patty-cake!

Everybody now! Put ya hands in the air like ya just don't care!

Push 'em back! Push 'em back! Waaay back!

Eight little, nine little, ten little Native Americans...

Please Governor Spitzer, I said No!

The better to see you with, Part II

I never noticed it before but I think Chelsea has my eyes!

Two wrongs make a Democrat

I know! I know! When his pastor was found out to be a racist, bigoted, anti-semitic , anti-American hate-monger, Obama should have just said, "I have a different memory about him than that" and that would explain everything!

Her time to go...

Just so you don't have to look at my whopping eyes at the top of the page, I'm posting this webpage and my thought that this is pretty much God leaning down and pointing His finger at you and saying, (use your best God voice here)"Time's up!"

The better to see you with, my dear!

Forgive the light posting lately, for some reason I have a pretty good headache! Could be because the doctors removed some bone around my eyes. Or it could be work stress!

Terrorists are funny!

I couldn't keep a straight face and try to write this. There are just too many things that make me laugh! First, what exactly is a "bycott"? And "religious violation"? Is that what the two guys on the far right are doing? Can't you just hear them all singing, "Put your hands up and SHOUT!"? Little bit louder now. Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Classy!

I only wear it for the articles!

Just say "NO", Moses!

The truth has finally come out this week about the embarrassing drug habit of one of our religious founding fathers. I am sad to admit that the 12-step program Moses was in (yes, that Moses) could only take him so far and that to really have several of his other-worldly experiences he turned to smoking the Biblical equivalent of a doobie. We now realize the burning bush was really a burning blunt and that his mountain top experiences were trips provided by his dealer Aaron. It is sad to have to acknowledge the reason God provided manna in the desert was just because Moses had the munchies and the millions of people following him just wanted a sample of that sweet Canaanite Gold. So remember: Friends don't let friends get 10 commandments!

I'm #2! I'm #2!

Hey, Hillary how many chins do you have and how many times a day do you read "Blog? I thought you said dog"?

It's already happening!

Is it just me or has anybody else noticed that during the hottest part of summer is when the global warming theorists talk the most but now that winter is here they are already saying this! I mean, these "scientists" are aware of the seasons aren't they? Hotter in summer and colder in winter! Which one will kill us first? Probably old age. Or zombies. It could be zombies. I'm just saying.

**Update**

I had no idea how close I was to right when I posted this yesterday! Looks like it may not be zombies after all but, get this, "killer robots"!!

***Updated Update***

Have no fear. Just buy the insurance! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-191388800018857925

50 Years!!

Today, Valentines Day, is an important day in the life of my family. My parents have been married for 50 years today and I learned something as to the secret. Our whole family got together for lunch after church Sunday to celebrate and as we all sat in the restaurant talking, eating and laughing, I asked my Dad the question. "So, Pop, what's the secret?", I asked. My Dad, who was sitting across the table and down a few chairs didn't answer. He just kept eating. "Pop! What's the secret?", I asked a little louder. Still nothing. I asked him one more time and still he didn't hear me. Finally, my brother-in-law, who was sitting next to him replied, "Evidently, the secret is not being able to hear very well!"
I'm sure that is a big part of it sometimes but I know there is more, not the least of which is both putting Christ at the center of the marriage and leaving divorce out of the question from day one. Thanks, Mom and Pop, for your example and if anyone sees them, please congratulate them on putting up with each other for so long. Just say it loud!

How do you know?

My question is, "How does anybody know it's that cold?", because shouldn't anybody who's smart enough to look at a thermometer have moved away from there by now?

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080211/D8UO9P3O1.html

Flag Etiquette

I was at an event this evening and realized we all needed this reminder:

During the ceremony of hoisting or lowering the flag or when the flag is passing in a parade or in review, all persons present except those in uniform should face the flag and stand at attention with the right hand over the heart. Those present in uniform should render the military salute. When not in uniform, men should remove the headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Aliens should stand at attention. The salute to the flag in a moving column should be rendered at the moment the flag passes.
Section 6
During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform shall stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.

Evidently, the woman in front of us knew of the optional position for your left hand to be squarely and firmly on your husband's buttocks.

From: Public Law as amended July 7, 1976 by the 94th Congress of the United States.

Not exactly Pamplona

Walking slowly with the bulls...

in the Fort Worth Stockyards today.

Pathway to what?

What could these people possibly talk about on Sunday morning, the weather?

http://www.pathwaysuu.org/

Speling

Hay, pa, yous the best speler in tha familee. Go put a sine on tha frunt dor so peeple will kwit tryin to use are batroom.

Similar thinking

Eli Manning said something interesting the other day and credited it to his brother Peyton. Eli, quarterback for the Super Bowl winning New York Giants, said his brother told him before the Big Game that it was better to go into the last few seconds of the game down by four points than three points because it made you fight harder knowing you had to go for the touchdown to win instead of a possible field goal for a tie. Maybe it is that type of thinking that makes a great quarterback: very "Type A", "left-brained", "all or nothing".

Some conservatives are saying or at least implying that John McCain winning the Presidency would be the worst-case scenario for the United States in the long run. The thinking is that if the country goes to hell on a sled it would be better that it happen on the Dems watch and not ours and then the nation would wake up in four years and elect a real conservative to drive down the field the rest of the way. If that happens, one has to hope that the game is not too far over to win.

***Update***

Dr. James Dobson was on the Glenn Beck Show this morning.

GLENN: Okay. Can you vote for John McCain?

DR. DOBSON: No. No, I can't. And people are livid about that and I understand it. I mean, I have always voted. Ever since I've been an adult I've voted. But this time, I'm telling you I'm backed up against a wall.

He specifically said he would vote for the other positions on the ballot but not for the Presidency. Does he really think not voting at all is the best way?

So many jokes

When I tell you that I am home sick today it will become funnier to you in a moment when I tell you what I just saw on the news. I am sitting on the couch watching the channel 5 news and in the middle of all the news stories, the female newscaster comes on and apologizes for the story they ran yesterday that said, "a man's health could be improved by looking at womens' breasts", and how it turned out to be untrue. She apolologized and assured the viewers they made every effort to verify the stories before they aired them.

Please keep comments rated G.

Tuesday

So is today more "Super" or more "Fat"? And being from Texas, should I really care? I don't understand either one well enough to care. I mean, I understand Valentine's Day which is coming right up and I understand President's Day which is also right around the corner. I have enough to think about with those days on my calendar. Valentines cards and a nice dinner, deciding on appropriate lingerie to honor our past presidents, and also, what to get my wife? I have alot to think about.

What if it's silent but deadly?

If I think this story is funny does that mean I still think like an 8th grade boy?

Finetune

Ok, I saw this at this website and I want it on my blog. Can someone please tell me how to do it? I have tried to "embed playlist" in my HTML but it's not working. It just doesn't show up. If Mr. Big White Hat can listen to Bob Wills, then I want to!

http://www.finetune.com/

Achmed

Achmed's version of the Madonna song "Like a Virgin" loses something in the translation.

I'm not responsible

If my windshield gets hit one more time from a rock out of the back of a truck like this I am going to start wearing a sign that says Not Responsible for Punching Truck Drivers and then I'm gonna go push the back of his truck!

Where did this McCain from from?

Just a month or so ago I was telling someone how I have my favorites for the Presidency but I could be very happy with almost any of the Republican candidates. The Democrats are way out there for me and I don't necessarily agree with all of the Republicans but I could throw my support behind any number of the Republican candidates. In fact, more so at this point than I could ever remember, we were sitting pretty good with our choices. Romney, Thompson, Huckabee, even Guiliani would be pretty good! Now all of the sudden this John McCain guy is THE front-runner! Thompson and Guiliani aren't even running anymore and now it looks like the least conservative guy in the pack is liable to be our guy! What happened? Or, a better question is: What can we do to keep it from happening in 2012 when I move back from Switzerland?

At least half of Bill Maher is stupid!

Where do I begin? I do not know much about Bill Maher. His show does not come on any station or time that I watch so I have never seen it. He did seem to come off very arrogant and ignorant at the same time. This video clip is a small round table of an eclectic group of people mainly discussing the Bible. It is offensive and sad at the same time and yet, at the end it made me laugh. I am hardly a Bible scholar but none of these guys have any idea about what they are talking!

It is offensive because Maher purposefully tries to make Bible-believers look ignorant. It is sad because I believe his ignorance of the Bible will be costly to him as well as others with whom he has influence. I have to wonder what that discussion would have sounded like had there been someone there with more than a passing knowledge of scripture. I appreciate Trace Adkins and D.L. Hughley trying to make their cases and stand up for what they believe in but Maher probably could have said almost anything and they would not know how to respond. I do not know what I would have said either, necessarily, especially on nationwide TV, but with the benefit of some time I have some thoughts about what was said.

The Old Testament especially seemed to be taking the most hits that night with the obviously gay Dan Savage saying it was full of "ancient desert prejudices" and saying people had used it to justify slavery. My Mother says one can justify anything and I suppose one could use even the Bible to do it but it does not make it right, legally or morally. Just because a situation is found in the words of scripture does not mean it was Divinely condoned. For one thing, there is a progressive revelation found in scripture starting with Adam and Eve in the garden. God did not explicitly reveal his will or what He expected of man at the beginning of time but chose to draw out His plan through His providence in His own time that continues even today. That is to say that man did not necessarily know from the beginning that things like slavery and polygamy were not what God wanted and even if they did they could justify their wrongs to themselves in the same way we justify our wrongs today.

Also, as one reads through scripture, and again, especially the Old Testament, one sees the benefits of obedience and the consequences of disobedience. Maher said he would put the Bible close to last of the things he would use to teach his kids morals and that is a shame. It is a wonderful book of history among other things; a book that vividly shows what happens to people when they do not put God first in their lives and mistreat others. In fact, despite the panel's errors regarding the Ten Commandments (twenty commandments?) they are all about putting God first and how to treat your fellow man and if one follows those ten, one does not need any other rules about rape, incest, bestiality or slavery.

Maher said one thing in particular that made me wince. His comment about people believing in a "magic person" was not so much hurtful as it was sad. It is sad because if Maher had read the Bible he would know that there is a big difference between magic and omnipotence; between a magician and a holy, sovereign and loving God who chose to reveal Himself through this love note of a book to a bunch of inherently un-Godlike people like Maher, Savage, Atkins, and me. So, call it "doing the God thing" if you like or even the opiate of the masses but to me I will always be a Bible fan and a Jesus-following, God-lover no matter what Maher and the others think.

Wesley Snipes

Wow! This Wesley Snipes continues to prove his irrelevence and meaninglessness in the real world with his continued problems with the Internal Revenue Service. Never a big fan of Snipes, I have done my best to ignore him and his I.R.S. problems that pop into the news every now and then but the headline about his threats of "increased collateral risks" to the I.R.S. agents caught my attention.

As a tax collector myself, I have heard similar threats. Bodily harm and mental regret and anguish are promised pretty regularly as well as name-calling and other mainly testosterone-induced harmless chest-pounding and rarely is it cause for real concern. I did have a man threaten to shoot me one time but he cooled off quickly when it was reported and he spent the night in jail. Something about threatening a public servant makes the police frown. Most of the time, though, the threats basically go in one ear and out the other.

Tax problems are embarrassing for people. They do not want people to find out what dead-beats they are and when trouble invariably comes they try to hold on to some semblance of control. Those two reactions can cause problems and it nearly always is worse for the taxpayer. Threats, excuses, crying, and promises will never take the place of responsibility. Forgetfulness and procrastination are disastrously poor excuses, not to mention the ridiculous race card that Snipes threw down! Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and pay what you owe and get over it even if you consider yourself to be famous.

So, Wesley, here's my advice, coming from one rebel to another so I know it is difficult: File it, pay it, and get on with it. The only collateral damage is going to come from your bank account and it will just get worse tomorrow. Now if you would spend as much time and energy on your movies as you did avoiding taxes you would probably win an Oscar!

What does she mean?

I don't even understand what she meant by this. Did she just get caught up in the moment, or what because surely even Hillary doesn't believe that no woman is illegal?

Kids

I hear people all of the time lamenting the fact that they cannot get pregnant. "We have been trying so hard to get pregnant but we just can't", they cry! A couple of things come to mind when I hear this. First, is it such a bad thing to be trying to get pregnant?! I mean, is that not about like trying to break the world chocolate-eating record? How much more fun could a job get? Oh, don't throw me in that briar patch, says Blair Rabbit! Yes, they are not going to get much sympathy from me! Second, have these people who cannot get pregnant ever been around kids? Have they spent any time with children of any age? Maybe they think that having kids is going to be as hard work as conceiving the little suckers. I hate to break it to them but raising kids is not near as much fun as trying to have them.

Seriously, when is the fun part in child-rearing? I need to know. I need something to look forward to. I know that the first few months are very difficult. No sleep, diapers, spit-up, cholic--sounds like me soon. Then comes the "Terrible Twos" that last for a couple of years, acting up in pre-school, and before you know it you have parent-teacher conferences more often than you used to have sex! With Middle School comes their first cuss words and learning more from their friends than you would ever want them to know. High School means they are going to try acting out all those things they learned while the only thing you are doing in bed is wondering where they are and what they are doing and if your insurance is going to cover it.

Oh, sure, there are times when they make you laugh but it is usually just because you can either laugh or cry and laughing takes less energy. Pretty soon you realize that they are having all the fun and yet they still have a worse attitude than you do and they seem to have no greater joy than when you are all miserable! I am sure glad I was never like that and I cannot understand why anyone would want to have one in the house! Mark Twain said, "Familiarity breeds contempt - and children." You are better off with contempt!

How was your Christmas?

It's a question one can expect to hear often for the next few weeks. "How was your Christmas?" You will be expected to say that yours was good or great and it is probably true. Mine was very good. We did everything we were supposed to do: gifts, eating with relatives, time with the kids, the whole thing. Yet somethings not quite right. Almost, but not quite. I think with all the wrapping and cooking and even relaxing that I just did not pay enough attention to Jesus. I did not ignore Him at all. I even read the Christmas story in Luke chapter 2 and also read some Old Testament passages predicting the birth, life and death of the Christ but it just wasn't enough.

You know, I don't think the Devil gets too worried when we go to church. I am sure he would rather we didn't but how many times have you been to church and your mind been a million miles away?

What about Bible-reading? Important, yes, but still I don't think Satan gets too concerned when we read scripture. I am probably not the only one who gets lost and confused by the words, old-timey customs and meaning of some of the stories in the Bible.

But I know what does scare the Devil. It is something I believe one cannot do half-hearted and do it right. That's the problem. Unlike going to church and reading my Bible, I find it impossible to truly pray and do anything else. Sure I pray when I am driving or at work and I pray before meals and I pray lots of "God help me" prayers but when I really pray, whether it's on my knees or walking around or sitting in a chair, it doesn't matter, I really have to concentrate and that is the part that I know scares Satan more than anything. Not because I am thinking it or because I am sincere or anything that I do or don't do.

James 5:16 says that the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. I love that verse. The first time I read it I thought "Well, now if I could just find a righteous man!" but I realized that God, because of what His son Jesus did, considers me to be righteous! So my prayers are more than sweet words meant to comfort myself and others. They are a powerful tool. The King James version uses the word "fervent prayer" and when I researched further that word "fervent" has the same meaning as a horse jumping over a fence or a baseball player stretched out to catch a ball. It takes some effort but the rewards are huge.

My Dad told me one time that he asked my Grandfather about how prayer works. My grandfather said he didn't know how prayer worked but he knew it did. That's interesting to me for several reasons. Both Godly men, both very smart and well-educated and both proving time after time their belief in something they did not know much about. That makes me feel better to know I am not the only one who does not understand prayer but it also concerns me. You see, I know upon reflection that the thing that was missing this Christmas for me was not something under the tree or on the dinner table but my own fervent prayer to the reason for this season. So, how was your Christmas?

The Eagles Ain't Country

OK, so what's the big deal with these guys? Have they just been around long enough that they have good connections? Is there a cult following underground somewhere? The Eagles were on the Country Music Awards the other day with Vince Gill gushing all over them like a chubby little schoolboy. They were singing their latest single about well...I don't know what it was about but the song held no attraction for me nor did the band. Now I'm not against the Eagles. They were good back in the day. Back in the 70's. I can appreciate Hotel California as much as the next guy. It's just that they aren't country. Vince Gill supposedly said the Eagles have done more for country music than Ernest Tubb. Exactly what have the Eagles ever done for country music Vince, you deep dish has-been? Get off the crack pipe and go buy a George Strait cd or Brooks and Dunn or Allan Jackson-all of whom were at this award show--not to mention the Tubbs, Waggoners, Williams and Cashs who are turning over in their graves thinking about the state of country music.

It could have been worse!

I heard Barbara Streisand once and thought I was going to die.

http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/gunsnroses.scares.teacher.2.610016.html

Why men are happier...

I never forward emails but this is pretty good. Ever since I was a little boy I have been glad to be male.

Your last name stays put.The garage is all yours.Wedding plans take care of themselves.Chocolate is just another snack.You can be President.You can never be pregnant.You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park.You can wear NO shirt to a water park.Car mechanics tell you the truth.You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay.Wrinkles add character. Graying hair adds attraction.Wedding dress~$5000. Tux rental~$100.People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.You know stuff about tanks.A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend. Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public.You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.You only have to shave your face and neck. You can play with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips. One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.No wonder men are happier.

Senator Joe Biden

Senator Biden, how many times a day...is that a...What is that on your fingertip?

Terrorists are funny!

http://www.imao.us/archives/cat_lolterizt.html

Mike Huckabee

Hey, Mike, how many times a day do you and your friends read this blog?! Also, what is the chance in a million that you will get the Republican nomination?!

How offensive!

As most know by now, Gillian Gibbons, a volunteer schoolteacher in Sudan, was sentenced to jail but pardoned today for the crime of letting her seven year old students name the class teddy bear "Mohammed". Evidently the "real" Mohammed was offended by this and many of his followers wanted Gibbons to die for the crime. I am shocked at her lack of political correctness as is my dog Bohammed.

San Francisco thinking

Having been to San Fran lately, I am pretty sure fireplaces are the least of their worries. It's a shame some place so blessed with natural beauty can be so mentally and spiritually dead.

Old Memory...

OK, you will not really appreciate this like I do, I am sure, but please indulge me (Hey, it's my blog). I don't know why, really, but this memory just came back to me as I was thinking about Thanksgiving and all the family reunions we used to have around this holiday. I guess there is just too many of us now and too many places to go and things to do and blah, blah, blah, but my whole extended family used to get together every year, usually at my uncle and aunt's house in Houston. We always had way too much food, people and fun but the thing I remember most vividly was standing around the piano as Aunt Billie would play song after song and we would sing and sing. Sometimes just the aunts would sing or just the uncles and they always had their favorites: mainly old hymns that I am afraid nobody sings anymore. Then one of the aunts would beg all the cousins to come sing our song. We would finally all drag up there and sing "Eliezer Call". You can find the story of Eliezer and Isaac and Rebeccah in chapter 24 of Genesis but this is the song we would sing:

ELIEZER CALL

(1) 'Twas a day in early spring time by an ancient wayside well, Eliezer paused to rest his camel train. He had found a bride for Isaac, 'ere the evening shadows fell, For his weary journey had not been in vain. So, he took the fair Rebekah, decked in jewels rich and rare, Back to Abraham and Sarah far away, Where Rebekah loved her Isaac, and he loved Rebekah fair, Oh, it must have been a happy wedding day.

CHORUS

Oh, get ready. The evening shadows fall. Don't you hear the Eliezer call? There's going to be a wedding. Our joy will soon begin, In the evening when the camel train comes in.

(2) So the blessed Holy Spirit from the Father God above, Has come down to earth to find a worthy bride, For our Isaac over yonder has prepared our tents of love, For He wants His fair Rebekah by His side. We have left our kinfolks gladly, we have bade the world good-bye. We are going to a land beyond the sky. We shall soon behold our Isaac in that blessed eternity. What a happy, happy meeting that will be!

Thanks for the indulgence and maybe you just had to be there to appreciate it. I'm glad I was.

Is Gun Control hitting what you're aiming at?

I am very conflicted about this. Is it murder or self-defense or just protecting the neighborhood? What concerns me is that I am afraid that our confidence in "The System" (whatever that is) has degenerated to the point that we are rooting for the guy who just killed two people.

Salute to a Veteran

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, November 11, 2007. Most parades and celebrations and speeches will be today and today I want to thank all veterans with a salute to just one hoping I can honor all of them with his example. George E. "Bud" Day joined the Marines when he was seventeen years old and spent his career in the military. One can read his story here and here but beware it is a graphic re-telling of some of his more than five years in a Vietnamese prison camp.

Asked many times what sustained Americans in this environment, Colonel Day answers: "I am, and have been all my life, a loyal American. I have faith in my country, and am secure in the knowledge that my country is a good nation,responsible to the people of the United States and responsible to the world community of nations. I believed in my wife and children and rested secure in the knowledge that they backed both me and my country. I believe in God
and that he will guide me and my country in paths of honorable conduct. I believe in the Code of Conduct of the U.S. fighting man. I believe the most important thing in my life was to return from North Vietnam with honor, not just to return. If I could not return with my honor, I did not care to return at all. I believe that in being loyal to my country that my country will be loyal to me. My support of our noble objectives will make the world a better place in which to live."

Thank you, Colonel Day! I hope our children and our leaders read your words.

Short people

This explains all my problems!

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23417115-details/Shorter+people+

I'm with Dr. Gray!

http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/gore-gets-a-cold-shoulder/2007/10/13/1191696238792.html

Mark this day on your calendar.

For once, I agree with Whoopi Goldberg!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dd0_1192025762&p=1

Hilloween

Scary!!

Hillary's Socialism

Wikipedia says: Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to control by the community[1] for the purposes of increasing social and economic equality and cooperation.

Hillary says: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8S5R35O0&show_article=1

and: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8RULMJO0&show_article=1

and: http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1662655,00.html

Why I do this...

If you haven't figured it out yet, I think I like writing this blog just to read the comments y'all post afterward!

Thomas Jefferson

As to the species of exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body, and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks.

What is he talking about?

I really don't understand what Obama means by saying, " I am confident that we can create a Kingdom right here on Earth." Somebody please tell me. And while you're at it, explain why someone would vote for this guy to be president!

Don't tell my boss I posted this!

This is a copy of an email that my big boss who offices in Austin wrote to the entire workforce (thousands of people). Nifty and Special?? International Food Day? Historical Character Friday?? Hahahahahaha!! That's funny!

Okay, here's a thought.  It has been suggested that we might
want to do
something pretty nifty and special one Friday a month.  One group
suggested a kind of Football Friday.  I don't know, since
we have so
many dedicated LongHorns and Aggies - will we come to blows?
Could we
actually be disciplined enough????
I'd love to hear suggestions about something to be fun and
look forward
to one Friday each month - but not requiring any work!  That is the
whole point- to be fun.



So, ran this idea by the Directors, and boy, did I get a
ton o' ideas.



College sweatshirt day

A who's that baby contest - as well as other ideas
around babies

Picnic Friday- everyone brings sack lunch and
eats outside

Bingo in the cafeteria  (for cookies etc)

Hawaiian shirt day

Crazy hat or tie day

And of course the various holidays
throughout the year

Red White and Blue Day

50's day (I wasn't sure if that referred to age
or to the decade)

Tailgate Friday (bring stuff)

Ice Cream Friday

Keep Austin Weird

International Food Friday

Hippie Friday

Historical Character Friday

Karaoke

Survivor Competition

Treasure Hunts

Cutest Pet Contest (pictures)

Picnic on the Lawn

Physical Field Day (sack races
etc etc)

Cupcake or Cookie Decorating Fun Day

Wear your colors day - for your team etc

Opening day of hunting season- wear camo

Wrap your bosses car in toilet paper (I'm not
going to tell you where
that one came from!!)

Scavenger hunt

Cube decorating contests for the holidays

Holiday open house



AND LOTS MORE - but I ran out of typing
energy.....sorry.  But this just shows you the
range of great
ideas...and I would love to hear your ideas too.

Quick and Interesting

I have everything else. This is probably next.

Also, who wouldn't want to be #9?

The day after I blow the whistle on global warming!

Edwards Quote

First question: Is Presidential candidate John Edwards extremely racist or extremely stupid or both?

Quote: "we can't build enough prisons to hold all of the criminals or eventually there will be no black people left because they would either be in jail or dead."

Second question: Where are the "Reverends"? Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, where are you and why have you not started your march? Did your bullhorns get clogged up?

woo hoo

I know what you are thinking: "Gee, he doesn't look a day over 55!"

Even with the Ambien, I couldn't sleep. I have too much on my mind. Yes, it's my birthday but that's not really what is keeping me awake. Without going into great detail, I have found out lately that, as my doctor says, I'm just falling apart physically, and as my wife says, mentally. I'm just here trying to hang on spiritually! That is what is dogging my sleep.

I have had thoughts all week about different things that, on the surface, do not relate but I lay there this morning trying to go back to sleep but realizing they all fit together. Romans 12:1 says to present your bodies a living sacrifice. How does the music I listen to affect me? What is the best way to prevent my kids from making the same mistakes I did? David was running toward Goliath when he reached into his bag and took out a smooth stone and loaded his slingshot. What will heaven be like?

You try going to sleep with all that running through your head! I'm gonna take another Ambien! Wake me up when there is cake!

A Random Quote...

"If I had to chose between having Born Again Redneck as a neighbor or a vegetarian hippie peacenik, I'd pick the gun-totin' Redneck anyday even if he is a bit queer."

-- Anonymous

OK, here goes.

I am not the smartest person in the world or even the room for that matter but I am about to tell you something that I do not hear the smart people saying. Some people may choose to agree with me on this but I expect us to be in the vast minority. That is fine with me since nobody now is ranking me very high on the smart ladder, won't I look good when what I say turns out to be true? And if I'm not right, well, nobody expected it anyhow. You can choose to believe what I say or not but let me warn you, I have no facts, evidence, or even real intelligence to back this up. So, believe me at your own risk.

I believe what I believe and wish I could prove it or even make a good case but I cannot. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut and this is one of those times for me. I am very hesitant to acknowledge this publicly since I cannot prove it but I have to tell how I feel. I will look foolish now but my hope is for the future when I am proved correct.

Here it is: Global warming is a scam!

Al Gore would laugh. Countless books "prove" me wrong. Even the President of the United States is finally on the bandwagon. Who am I to say it's not happening? And why? I have never gone to the arctic or the desert or anywhere else for the purpose of measuring the temperature nor have I studied charts and graphs illustrating what the temperature was hundreds or thousands of years ago. How do I know then that global warming is a scam? To me, it's like saying there are too many fish in the sea. OK, now what? Number one: I cannot prove you wrong unless I start counting fish and so I have to take your word for it. Number two: so what if there are too many fish in the sea? Can you really do anything about it and should you do anything about it?

So how much warmer is the planet getting? One degree? Two degrees? I have heard seven-tenths of one degree is the increase. Are you kidding me? Not even one degree? Who cares? In fact, a little warmer weather sounds pretty good to me even in Texas! Also, I would think that warmer weather would be good news for places up north like Canada or Russia or Greenland. Longer growing seasons, better working conditions, and more time working on your tan all seem like good things to me! Also, if it is warming, are you really conceited enough to think man could change it one way or the other? As I understand it, the earth warms and cools in cycles and explains why most scientists thirty years ago thought we were heading for a global cooling crisis!

The real question, though, is why would everyone want to make a big deal out of a small amount of warming (if it is even warming at all--who was taking the temperature one hundred years ago and how accurate were their thermometers?!!)? I will tell you the reason people are making a big deal out of it and it is the reason anybody does most anything anymore. Money. Think about it. I guarantee you big business, government and Hollywood do not care about how the earth is being treated unless it makes them some money somehow and the more people are sucked into this lie the more money comes out of their pocket either in taxes or donations or through higher prices.

I am all for being responsible citizens on this planet God gave us. Saving our air and water and resources will save us money in the long run but I refuse to believe the inconvenient trash that pervades our society now and this is my stand against it. Prove me wrong. It might take five or ten or twenty years but until then I stand against the "facts" of global warming. But then again, what do I know?

We don't have any gays in Iran

What you need to know about me...

I shared with some friends the other day something of which I now think this audience should be aware. I shared a fact that I believe is important to knowing the "real" me. In the interest of complete disclosure, and so you can decide if anything else I write is worth reading based on your knowledge of my character, I want to reveal something here.

Ok, it's not really that big of a deal. It's just that I really enjoy milk! I'm not talking about enjoying milk in my cereal or in a cup of coffee, I mean I love to drink milk and I drink a lot of it! There is nothing better in this world than a cold glass of milk. It's good with breakfast, lunch and dinner and it's good for or with a snack. I love milk even when I go out to eat. Milk goes well with steak, hamburgers, chicken, not the greatest with pizza or tacos but good with french fries.

Something I will admit to that I am not very proud of is the fact that I sometimes drink milk right from the jug. It's hard to tell your kids not to drink from the jug when your lips are on the rim of the gallon container but it's hard not to do it! It satisfies like no other drink. I was taking a long swig of delicious milk the other day and had my mouth full so I set the jug down and my wife was looking at me. "You didn't make your noise", she said. I didn't understand. "What noise?" She said, "That noise you always make when you drink milk...You know...MMMMMMMMMM".

You are going to think I'm crazy when I tell you that I was drinking some milk the other day and was enjoying it so much it was almost a religious experience. Seriously! I had the jug tilted back with that smooth, white nectar flowing down my throat and I thought how much milk is like God. Now don't stone me before you hear me out. Milk is so satisfying. Have you ever been with God and left feeling satisfied? Have you ever realized that you needed to be filled with and filled up by God? It is scientifically proven that people who believe in God live longer than people who do not. God is good for you like milk! The slogan should be "Got God?".

I was hesitant to tell my comparison of God and milk until I read something in the Bible to back it up. Yes, it's true, and it's not a joke. Read Isaiah 55:1 and 2 where it says:

1 "Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

"Come buy milk" it says, and you will be satisfied! Milk is being compared here to God and I love it! God really is good all the time!

Theodore Roosevelt

When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer "Present" or "Not guilty".

Don't Taze Me, Bro!

Pot Calling the Kettle Black

For the life of me I do not understand how Jesse Jackson can have even one single follower when he is such a hypocrite. He has somehow made a career out of railing against racists and continues to prove how racist he is with statements like this. Am I missing something? Oh, and forgive me for not calling him "Reverend"! Pulllease!

Patriots Day

My computer crashed over a week ago and I have not been able to post anything but I had to borrow a computer today for Patriot's Day. I cannot imagine how it might have felt and still feels to have lost a relative on that horrible day in September six years ago but I know how I feel and the word is not "terror". In fact, mixed with my hate for radical Islamist terrorists (that's a mouthful!) is some absolute, well, "scorn", I guess is the word. On the heels of Osama Bin Laden's latest video tribute to the hijackers, I just have one question.

Hey, Osama, after how many seconds after you die will you be face to face with the only true God?

JD

Several people lately have asked me about JD and so I thought I would introduce you to him. It seems strange that I have not talked about him before as he was my best friend and confidant for nearly sixteen years. Like most Australian Shepherds, JD was very intelligent and was as close to human as a dog could be, showing almost human characteristics including shame, mischievousness, confidence, self-control, patience, and above all, friendliness.

I used to say that JD was like Will Rogers in that he never met a man he didn't like. He liked people and people loved JD! JD spent a lot of time with me when we worked at a feed store many years ago. He went with me every day and most of the time it was just the two of us. I remember a regular customer came in one day and I asked her, as I always would, if there was anything I could help her with and she told me, "No, thank you. I'm just here to see JD". She explained that sometimes when she had a bad day at work she would go get her hair done but other times she just came to see JD and he would make her feel better. I watched as she loved on JD for a while and then she just left. Just another day at the office for JD!

There are hundreds of stories about JD so bear with me as I remember him with a few more, most of which occur at that same feedstore in Arlington. A feedstore is a pretty good place for a friendly dog to be as he got lots of attention and more than his share of treats from people who wanted to give him "just one". That was fine with him and he would follow them around the store patiently. Many times people would sneak him a biscuit out of the open wooden bins, effectively stealing from the store, but what do you say when they just fed your dog?

That building did not have any kind of air conditioning so we always kept all of the doors open including the front, back and side overhead doors. JD was free to come and go and he always hung around close by, sometimes chasing a squirrel or a bird out the back door or laying under the big tree out back but one time I started to notice that JD was not around and would stay gone for several hours. He always came back, though, so I was not too worried but one day it came closing time and JD was not back yet. I locked the doors and got into the truck and went looking for him. I was starting to get pretty worried about him. I knew he was very smart and would even look both ways before crossing a street but this was not like him. I drove around the neighborhood for awhile and I saw this boy riding his bike so I stopped and asked him if he had seen a gray and white dog running around. He thought for a second and asked, "You mean the one at Accent Tire?" The owner of Accent was a good customer and I knew he did not have a dog like that so I drove the three blocks down to his store and went in. As I went through the door, I saw JD and he saw me. He was laying in the air conditioned office asleep! He gave a look and then laid his head down again and then jerked it back up as he recognized me with the double-take and came sheepishly over to me. I asked the owner why he let him stay here when he knew he was my dog. He said, "Well, he just loves these jelly donuts and we like him here!" No wonder he wouldn't eat his dog food.

The joy of JD's life was chasing cats and he was good at it. We once lived on a little horse ranch and the barn had cats in it. He would see one of those cats and stiff as a board and as slow as he could, he would turn around to me and look at me waiting for me to give the all clear. The "all clear" signal was "skit 'em!" and rarely would I get out more than "sk" and he would be a gray streak looking like his legs were hardly touching the ground. He monitored that barn like a sentry on lookout duty and nothing got passed him but he always waited for permission.

JD was the toughest dog I've ever seen. I used to kid him that when he died I was going to make a pair of boots out of his hide because he was so tough. One morning on that horse ranch we were getting all of the horses out of the gate and JD got too close to one and the horse kicked him right in the side of the head. He fell over dead as a post as I ran over to him. I just knew he could not have survived that blow and I was devastated. I got to him just as he woke up, stood up, shook himself off and with the most ticked off look on his face he ran after the horse that kicked him and barked and snapped at him until he was halfway into the pasture. It wasn't smart to make JD mad.

JD was a gentleman. He knew how to act when guests came over and he knew how to be gentle with little kids. He wasn't hyper but he had plenty of energy and loved to jump up into your arms when you would invite him. He loved to go to work and couldn't wait to jump into the bed of the truck to go somewhere. He would run back and forth between the wheelwells not wanting to miss anything. A friend gave JD to me when JD was four months old and he lived sixteen good, full years dying about two years ago of old age. He went everywhere with me including inside the bank and several times to church. He had a lot of friends and I appreciate it when they mention him. I wish you could have known him.

This just in...

You may want to be sitting down for this next announcement: Siegfried and Roy have announced they are gay! Thank goodness we still have role models in this world like Elton John and Rosie!

Great! Now I can't wear my white tiger print long-sleeved, open-front shiny shirt or people might think I'm gay.

What bugs me...

I'm not talking about things that are wrong or things that make me furious with a white hot heat, this is just a list of some things that, well, bug me. Some bug me worse than others. Some I could just do without and some are so stupid I just have to mention them. For example, people who talk during a movie are mildly annoying if they are on the other side of the theater or it's my wife sitting on the couch next to me but people who talk while I'm talking are moving in on the danger zone! Somewhere in the middle of these extremes lie some pretty stupid stuff.

Church signs are some of the worst and come immediately to mind. I'm not talking about the ones that say the name of the church and the time when Sunday School starts. I mean the catchy sayings in changeable letters that say "Seven days without prayer makes one weak" or "God answers knee mail". Does this really do anybody any good? Does it make you laugh? If so, I really have some jokes to tell you!

Commercials, to me, deserve their very own place in Hell and commercials that say, "Buy our product because you deserve it!" should be burned at the stake and then have their charred remains buried in a landfill! Oh, sorry, I said I wasn't talking about things that make me mad but this one just slipped in like the slimey, worthless, putrid, stinking, waste of snake skin that it is. How do you know I deserve it? What if an axe murderer sees your commercial? Does he deserve your bubble bath after a long, hard day chopping up people? And if he does deserve it why should I buy something that even a blood-thirsty maniac deserves? C,mon people, think about it!

Who was it that gave doctors the right to keep you waiting for a scheduled appointment? You know what I'm talking about. Your appointment is at 10:00. At 10:20 the nurse invites you back to the exam room. At 10:50 the doctor rushes in like Kramer on crack, asks one question while he washes his hands and then yells over his shoulder at the nurse to write something down as he rushes out. You co-pay is $20. The time is 10:53. Two and a half minutes with someone you assume is the doctor after waiting for nearly an hour. I once complained to the nurse and she told me that the doctor was just over-booked. I'm sure he was but he was also over-booked yesterday and the day before and he has been for the last 27 years so you would think by now that they would know about how long it's going to take to see each patient and schedule the appointments appropriately. Naw, just cram 'em in and let 'em wait! And doctors are the only ones. Your lawyer, your pastor, even the tv repairman will at least give an approximate time. Man, I should have been a doctor. I bet even the classes to become a doctor start late.

Have you ever noticed how many commercials A.M. radio has? As I have gotten older and have become my Dad, I listen to talk radio a lot more. The problem is that since I refuse to listen to commercials and I change the station when one starts, I miss out on part of what Rush, Sean or Glenn has to say. F.M. radio has far fewer commercials, comes in clearer and has many more options. A.M., you're making it hard to be an old dude!

1) If you want to borrow something of mine, just ask. Chances are very good that it won't be a problem. 2) Put it back where it belongs when you are done. It greatly increases the probability that it won't be a problem next time.

Why is it that I am the only one that can start the lawnmower and keep it running?

Why does my neighbor refuse to use his weedeater?

Why do so many things bug me that did not used to?

I was complaining to a dear, sweet friend of ours the other day about some things that I didn't even mention in this list. I went on for a while saying that there are all these things that are problems and taken individually, they are not a big deal, but when added all together it was causing me a lot of stress. She sweetly listened to me gripe about one thing after another and I will always be indebted to her for letting me vent and for her kind words of wisdom. After I had spoken my heart, she gently spoke hers.

"Todd, I think what's bothering you is not so much the things you have related here, but maybe something else. Maybe you are coming to the age where you begin to really wonder about your life and where you are right now. Maybe that's what is frustrating you and not so much this other stuff."

Definition of mid-life crises by Wikipedia: A mid-life crisis is an emotional state of doubt and anxiety which usually begins between the ages of 35 and 50, in which a person becomes uncomfortable with the realization that they are likely to have reached the mid-point of their life. It commonly involves reflection on what the individual has done with his or her life up to that point, often with feelings that not enough was accomplished. The individuals experiencing such may feel boredom with their lives, jobs, or their partners, and may feel a strong desire to make changes in these areas. Physical problems may include tremors, eye-bulging or swelling, insomnia, heart palpitations, weakness, irritability, distraction, weight loss, hyper-active thyroid, arthritis, bags under eyes, loss of hair, acne, hair growth in strange places, shrinkage of rear end and manboobs . OK, I made up that last part but that could describe me!

My daughter asked her mother the other day what was wrong with me. My wife asked her if she thought I was mad at her and my daughter said that she and even some of her friends had noticed that it wasn't that I acted mad - but bored. Wow! I thought I was a better actor than that!

What I'm feeling is a complex combination of things and I don't like it! I think a big part of it for me is the physical. It seems like just two weeks ago that I was named Most Beautiful in the high school Miss Catastrophe contest. Now I look like a combination of a Pug and a Basset Hound. I tried to do some push-ups the other day and wound up crying in the fetal position. I used to admire a pretty woman walking down the road but now I admire her husband's lack of wrinkles and well-groomed eyebrows!

Mentally, I've been better. The funny thing is that I enjoy my job, I love my pretty wife and my kids, my church is everything I need, I have three dogs that make me laugh and I have some great friends. And what am I complaining about? Oh, pretty much everything. Nothing seems to be good enough for me lately. I've always had a propensity to get bored easily but it wasn't a problem when I was a kid.

The good news is that I do have great friends, family and church and everyone is being very patient with me, so that's good. So, I'll tell you what. In response to your kindness, patience and sometimes just giving me a wide berth, I will make you some promises. I promise to never cheat on my wife. I promise to never take for granted my good friends. I promise that I will grow out of this. I'll probably go into a nursing home the next day but I will grow out of it just as sure as I grew out of my Wranglers.

Good question, better answer

Exactly why is the U.S. deployed in Iraq, according to you?

Fine.

Let's stop mincing words.

We're in Iraq because Muslims have stated over and over and over that their only goal is to kill all non-Muslims.

After 9/11, we started taking them at their word, and since we didn't want to be killed, our only choice was to start killing Muslims before they killed us.

Iraq had Muslims in it, so it was as good a place to start as any. In fact, better than most, because it was in the heart of Muslim country, and having troops there gives us a credible force-projection threat throughout the entire putrid, corrupt, murderous Muslim region. It's easier to kill Muslims in other countries from Iraq than it is from Kuwait.

And now Muslims have two choices:

They can reform their vicious, degenerate religion so that it allows for peaceful co-existence with other religions and - after embracing this enlightened, live-and-let-live philosophy whole-heartedly - they can become productive members of the civilized world, much like post-WWII Germany and Japan.

OR

They can be exterminated like vermin.

All the rest of this junk about WMD's, and mass graves, and liberation, and oil fields, and insurgents is just so much political window-dressing. America is fighting for its life against an insidious, deadly ideology. The people who cling to that sick, 7th-century belief system must either change their minds or be killed.

I wish with all my heart that we had enough manpower to conquer every last Muslim nation on earth and root this virus out once and for all, but we don't. So we'll start in Iraq, dragging these barbarians kicking and screaming into the 21st century. After that, hopefully the rest of the Muslim world will get the point. If not, there will be further examples, nation by nation, until they do.

Then, when the Muslim world is either civilized or dead, the war will be over.

I hope that answers your question.

Dirty Harry

"Now that our troops are mired in a dangerous effort to defeat the insurgency and are also trying to help rebuild the country, Americans of all political persuasions simply want the United States to succeed and our troops to be as safe as possible." -- Harry Reid

"I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything." -- Harry Reid

Get over it!

Is Don Imus an idiot? Yes! Does he deserve to be sued by Kia Vaughn for being called a name? No! Kia Vaughn responded to being called a silly, schoolyard name in the worst possible, most detrimental and most opportunistic way. Did being called a "nappy-headed hoe" really hurt you, Kia? Did it really do damage to your character? Are you really afraid that because some DJ called you a name that people are going to say, "Oh, I guess Kia really is a nappy-headed hoe"? No, you are not afraid of that. The only thing you are afraid of here is that the opportunity to make a few cheesy bucks is going to slip away without you being able to glob onto it! Grow up instead of sinking to his level!

Gore was right before he was ever born. Or maybe not.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/20070814/NATION02/108140063

Somewhere in Afghanistan

Last week about 20 guys were going to a range, so they took some school supplies and toys with them. They said once the stopped and started to get out of the vehicles about a half dozen little kids came running to see them. So they loaded them up with as much as their little arms could carry.

The soldier that was telling me about it had a smile on his face the whole time. Said the kids all took off with their arms full of their new treasures, but one little guy was having a hard time carrying his stuff and running as fast as his little legs would carry him to keep up. He said they watched him run behind a little dirt hill and hide all his new stuff and than he came racing back to get some more.

Because of the generosity of people like you they had more than enough stuff so they gave him another armful. Well of course the other kids were intently watching this and when they saw he was getting more toys they sat their stuff down and came running back for more. From what I heard everyone seemed to have a great time. There were also some Afghani Army out there so we gave them some stuff for their families.

Recently, I learned that another South Dakota Soldier who is deployed in Iraq is going to continue Operation Caring Hands there. I know I have told some of you where OCH came from, but for those of you that don't know, it wasn't an orginal idea of mine. When the 842nd (my home unit and the unit my brother was in when he was in Iraq) was in Iraq they took school supplies and toys to a local school. So before I came here I asked if I could do it here, using their same name. So I am really glad it is being continued in Iraq with another South Dakotan Soldier, since it began there. As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a 1000 words" As you can see our guys and the kids had a great day. So thank you again for everything....

Sincerely,

Brandy (last name removed for PERSEC)

Bagram Afghanistan

President Thompson

He's a Southerner. He looks Presidential (even without the usual President hair). He has a good, solid, easy-to-say name. He plays a good leader on TV. What more can you ask from a candidate? Well, except that he become a candidate! Run, Fred, run!!

Rubber-faced Fan

Hey, Jim Carrey, how many times a day...What?...You read Don's blog but not mine? Freak!

Far Out Fan

Hey, Toy Story toy thingee, Don wants to know how many times a day you read Blog? I thought you said Dog!

An Eastern fan

Hey, Sum Na So Yung Guy! How many times a day do you read Blog? I thought you said Dog?