Cowboy Blob was kind enough to judge me second place winner in his photo captioning contest. I read his site all the time, so I thought the least I could do was add him in. It's always good entertainment.
Check it out.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Noir
Flying over Dallas/Ft. Worth, I noticed the residential neighborhoods lit by their security and street lights, appearing almost as oases of light against the encroaching darkness. The lights appeared to be tiny, perfect circles of brightness and warmth, surrounded by the sinister blackness that pushed all the way to their borders. It was almost as if the light was the barrier keeping the darkness at bay. It appeared that if the light were to fail at any moment, the darkness would flow in, like barbarians breaching the gates of an ancient city. Once the protection of the wall had fallen, the inexorable force would swarm the city, destroying everything it touched. The walls of light appeared to be holding, each little security light a tiny barrier.
I can remember night lights as a child. The light pushed back the darkness, leaving a red-tinged warmth in its wake. But in every corner the light didn’t reach, I could feel an almost malevolent cold. Toys assumed nightmarish shapes in the shadow-light. Furniture that appeared harmless in the daylight took on sinister, jagged silhouettes in near darkness. The familiar, friendly world became something scary and cold. The sterile brilliance of a flashlight just illuminated the target area briefly. But when the clean light was switched off, the darkness returned, and the objects that I could only dimly perceived re-assumed their frightening identities. My family still remembers me avoiding the main living room at night, convinced the china hutch became a monster in the dark. And it did, at least to me.
I heard something on the radio today that described darkness as simply a shadow cast by something blocking the light. However, looking at the siege of darkness over the city, it didn’t seem there were any shadows cast. It was the complete absence of light that I was observing. Perhaps there isn’t a technical difference in describing the darkness. Maybe all darkness is simply a shadow cast. But it didn't seem that way to me. It wasn't blocked light that caused the creeping blackness. There was no light to be found.
There is a difference in the darkness that I perceive, and perhaps in the darkness that you perceive as well.
I can remember night lights as a child. The light pushed back the darkness, leaving a red-tinged warmth in its wake. But in every corner the light didn’t reach, I could feel an almost malevolent cold. Toys assumed nightmarish shapes in the shadow-light. Furniture that appeared harmless in the daylight took on sinister, jagged silhouettes in near darkness. The familiar, friendly world became something scary and cold. The sterile brilliance of a flashlight just illuminated the target area briefly. But when the clean light was switched off, the darkness returned, and the objects that I could only dimly perceived re-assumed their frightening identities. My family still remembers me avoiding the main living room at night, convinced the china hutch became a monster in the dark. And it did, at least to me.
I heard something on the radio today that described darkness as simply a shadow cast by something blocking the light. However, looking at the siege of darkness over the city, it didn’t seem there were any shadows cast. It was the complete absence of light that I was observing. Perhaps there isn’t a technical difference in describing the darkness. Maybe all darkness is simply a shadow cast. But it didn't seem that way to me. It wasn't blocked light that caused the creeping blackness. There was no light to be found.
There is a difference in the darkness that I perceive, and perhaps in the darkness that you perceive as well.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Holy Pilgrimage to Mecca....err, Tulsa
If some pinko-commie Democrat would have set off a bomb at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall this past weekend, they would have probably killed at least 40% of the conservative movement in the South in one fell swoop. You laugh, but I had visions of Janet Reno busting through a wall in an APC, torching everything she could see.
My dad and I made the holy pilgrimage to Tulsa, Oklahoma this last weekend, to witness the awesome spectacle of the Wannamaker Gun Show, which purports to be the largest gun show in the world.
I’m a believer. That thing was awesome.
In the past, the largest gun show that I’ve attended was the Dallas Market Hall show, which is held about once a quarter. It’s big. Wannamaker is 11 ACRES worth of gun goodness. It’s phenomenal.
Plus, it does not have the petty little knick-knack crap that fills up some gun shows. This was purely guns and gun-related stuff.
Rightly fearing a Communist President, gun buyers were grabbing AR’s by the truckload. Along with that, all sorts of AR add-ons were being sold. Also upper receivers, lower receivers, etc. Plenty of AK-47's, SKS’s, FN-FAL’s HK-90's, and other evil black rifle goodies were going like hotcakes.
It was a fun trip, to say the least. Tulsa is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. It’s very forest-y, and has lots of neat old homes. There’s a river running right through the city. It reminds me a bit of St. Louis and Portland rolled into one. Except there was a fairly low number of whacko liberals. This is still the South, after all. Even if Oklahoma wasn’t a state on the right side in the War of Northern Aggression. We’ll forgive them. They weren’t even a state at that point.
It was good to be out with my Dad. We haven’t spent any time together since my Mom passed away, a fact that tears both of us apart. The ordeal of my Mom’s illness has torn him up, physically and emotionally. He’s lost weight. His Parkinson’s is much worse. His breathing is awful, and he smokes more now than ever, despite the fact that lung cancer is what took his wife and my mother away from us. While I want to enjoy the time with him, it’s somewhat bittersweet, with the knowledge that his health declines each passing day, all because he cannot quit a habit that will kill him. What’s worse, he denies that smoking causes any problems, and gets angry when I ask him not to smoke around me, or in my car.
I guess God equips all of us with our own personal Achilles’ Heel that will cause our undoing. Lord knows I could stand to drop the Dr. Peppers.
It was still good to see him, and spend time with him doing something that we both love. It used to be that golf brought us together, and allowed us to spend time with one another. I’m thankful for the opportunities that I had to spend so much time with him on those occasions.
My dad and I made the holy pilgrimage to Tulsa, Oklahoma this last weekend, to witness the awesome spectacle of the Wannamaker Gun Show, which purports to be the largest gun show in the world.
I’m a believer. That thing was awesome.
In the past, the largest gun show that I’ve attended was the Dallas Market Hall show, which is held about once a quarter. It’s big. Wannamaker is 11 ACRES worth of gun goodness. It’s phenomenal.
Plus, it does not have the petty little knick-knack crap that fills up some gun shows. This was purely guns and gun-related stuff.
Rightly fearing a Communist President, gun buyers were grabbing AR’s by the truckload. Along with that, all sorts of AR add-ons were being sold. Also upper receivers, lower receivers, etc. Plenty of AK-47's, SKS’s, FN-FAL’s HK-90's, and other evil black rifle goodies were going like hotcakes.
It was a fun trip, to say the least. Tulsa is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. It’s very forest-y, and has lots of neat old homes. There’s a river running right through the city. It reminds me a bit of St. Louis and Portland rolled into one. Except there was a fairly low number of whacko liberals. This is still the South, after all. Even if Oklahoma wasn’t a state on the right side in the War of Northern Aggression. We’ll forgive them. They weren’t even a state at that point.
It was good to be out with my Dad. We haven’t spent any time together since my Mom passed away, a fact that tears both of us apart. The ordeal of my Mom’s illness has torn him up, physically and emotionally. He’s lost weight. His Parkinson’s is much worse. His breathing is awful, and he smokes more now than ever, despite the fact that lung cancer is what took his wife and my mother away from us. While I want to enjoy the time with him, it’s somewhat bittersweet, with the knowledge that his health declines each passing day, all because he cannot quit a habit that will kill him. What’s worse, he denies that smoking causes any problems, and gets angry when I ask him not to smoke around me, or in my car.
I guess God equips all of us with our own personal Achilles’ Heel that will cause our undoing. Lord knows I could stand to drop the Dr. Peppers.
It was still good to see him, and spend time with him doing something that we both love. It used to be that golf brought us together, and allowed us to spend time with one another. I’m thankful for the opportunities that I had to spend so much time with him on those occasions.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Aw, Crap.
Well, this election comes as no surprise to anyone with more brains than a turnip. I voted for McCain to try and keep Obama out. I didn't actually like the guy. I just had to choose the lesser of two evils. We're going to see at least the attempt to institute socialism on a scale unimaginable to our Founding Fathers. I can tell you honestly that I was not going to vote for him until he nominated Sarah Palin. Truthfully, I was hoping McCain would win it and then die, leaving a real conservative at the helm. Okay, that's harsh, but I'm just saying what most of us were probably thinking, even if the rest of us weren't prepared to say it out loud.
Ann Coulter says pretty much what I'm thinking.
Here's the message that I want Republicans to hear, loud and clear: If you're conservative, God-fearing right-wingers, this is your party. Stay here. Be what you are, be proud of what you are, and don't compromise for an instant on what you know in your heart is right. If you're John McCain or his ilk, go somewhere else.
I think McCain lost because he had no enthusiastic base support from the beginning. Conservatives didn't like him, and like it or not, that's the base of the Republican party. That's as it should be.
Diversity in a political party is a load of crap. If we don't have common ideals, goals, and basic ethical and moral harmony, we aren't a party. I don't like to hang out with people who don't share at least the core principles that I believe in. We can differ on some issues, sure. But if we aren't basically alike, we aren't going to be friends. And we sure don't have the unity of purpose that it takes to win elections and foster our beliefs in the world.
We need a conservative party in America. One that is not afraid of what it is, and is in fact proud of it. Here's a good checklist to see if you're conservative or not. More than one point qualifies you as a conservative.
The checklist is as follows. If you: Think the Second Amendment is good, one point. Think socialism is a bad idea, one point. Think abortion is murder, one point. Think high taxes are a bad idea, one point. Think the Constitution is a binding document that spells out black and white what the government cannot do, one point. Think our form of government should be based on the Judeo-Christian ethic and what God ordained, one point. Think even if you don't buy completely all of the stuff this checklist has on it, but believe you should have the right to live free with your beliefs and everybody else should be allowed to do the same under the great structure the Constitution provided: two points.
Pretty easy, isn't it? So if the Republicans aren't going to be conservative, that's fine. We'll go elsewhere. But to dilute conservative principles and ideals just to get elected is madness. I think this election proves it.
Ann Coulter says pretty much what I'm thinking.
Here's the message that I want Republicans to hear, loud and clear: If you're conservative, God-fearing right-wingers, this is your party. Stay here. Be what you are, be proud of what you are, and don't compromise for an instant on what you know in your heart is right. If you're John McCain or his ilk, go somewhere else.
I think McCain lost because he had no enthusiastic base support from the beginning. Conservatives didn't like him, and like it or not, that's the base of the Republican party. That's as it should be.
Diversity in a political party is a load of crap. If we don't have common ideals, goals, and basic ethical and moral harmony, we aren't a party. I don't like to hang out with people who don't share at least the core principles that I believe in. We can differ on some issues, sure. But if we aren't basically alike, we aren't going to be friends. And we sure don't have the unity of purpose that it takes to win elections and foster our beliefs in the world.
We need a conservative party in America. One that is not afraid of what it is, and is in fact proud of it. Here's a good checklist to see if you're conservative or not. More than one point qualifies you as a conservative.
The checklist is as follows. If you: Think the Second Amendment is good, one point. Think socialism is a bad idea, one point. Think abortion is murder, one point. Think high taxes are a bad idea, one point. Think the Constitution is a binding document that spells out black and white what the government cannot do, one point. Think our form of government should be based on the Judeo-Christian ethic and what God ordained, one point. Think even if you don't buy completely all of the stuff this checklist has on it, but believe you should have the right to live free with your beliefs and everybody else should be allowed to do the same under the great structure the Constitution provided: two points.
Pretty easy, isn't it? So if the Republicans aren't going to be conservative, that's fine. We'll go elsewhere. But to dilute conservative principles and ideals just to get elected is madness. I think this election proves it.
Monday, November 03, 2008
The Ballot of Josey Wales
Clever alliteration, no? You get it: fighting against impossible odds for a lost cause, with only our guns and wits to overcome what appears to be an inevitability. All we lack is a crazy old Indian.....I digress. I was too caught up in my cool title.
I haven't written much. Life has kept me a bit too busy. I also have no internet at home, so I steal time whenever I can. However, I thought that I needed to weigh in on the election.
When I started this blog, it was originally for political stuff. It's turned into my own cathartic ramblings, and I don't think anybody really wants to read that crap anymore. I don't like writing it, honestly. It just helped to get it off my chest. I'm done whining.
Nevertheless, I've been remiss in the original purpose of this blog. Here we are, on the eve of one of the most important elections in our history, and the future looks a bit grim. I haven't done my part to get the conservative side of the story out, and for that I'm sorry. For those of you who haven't voted yet, and are undecided, I'll tell you what my key issues are, and why I voted the way I did. And perhaps that will help. I doubt it, but it's worth a shot.
I voted McCain/Palin. That's out of the way. Here's why:
1. I believe a large government is tyranny de facto, if not de jure. Government does not produce anything on it's own. It is not self-sustaining. It creates no product. It exists only off of what it takes from its subjects. In other words, what it takes from a person in taxes. The bigger it gets, the more taxes it must have to sustain itself. Thus, the less of their hard-earned money its subjects get to keep.
When a government takes money from one group and gives it to another, it is socialism at its best, and communism at its worst. Neither can exist in a society without completely trampling individual freedom.
Obama has said that he wants to spread the wealth around. He wants to bankrupt an American industry. He doesn't think the civil rights movement went far enough in terms of wealth redistribution. That's a communist, folks. His proposed ideas about tax reform will force America into a recession, and hit the middle class harder than ever. In other words, taxes will be raised, the government will expand, and we'll all suffer that much more.
2. If a society does not have the right and the ability to defend itself by owning firearms, then the government can do anything that it wants to its subjects. Weapons in the hands of private citizens simply empowers them, and keeps the government honest. Obama and all the Democrats are against this. Illinois is one of the worst states for so-called gun control. We know what he's about on that issue, his
3. Obama has voted consistently to extend so-called "abortion rights" to include partial-birth abortions, amongst other things. When a person is in favor of killing the unborn, I'm against him. A just, noble society should never condone the slaughter of innocents, no matter what it's disguised as.
4. Obama is weak on national defense. We haven't been hit by terrorists since 9-11-01. There's a reason for that. He's also been wrong about the surge in Iraq, and pretty much everything else regarding our military.
5. I firmly believe Obama is a racist. He sat in the church of Jeremiah Wright for 20 years, and didn't believe in what the man was saying? Wright is a white-hating, America-hating rabble rouser of the first order. Plus, if Obama was part of his congregation, he's not a Christian, no matter what either of them would like to say or think.
6. Obama's political career was launched in the home of William Ayers, one of the most notorious domestic terrorists from the Vietnam era. Once again, people don't associate with folks with whom they have nothing in common. At least, not normal people.
That's all I needed to vote for McCain. Don't get me wrong: I'm not the guy's biggest fan. However, he deserves my respect, and my vote, simply because of his service and captivity during Vietnam. That's my idea of a leader.
I might be the biggest Sarah Palin fan ever, though. She's what we conservatives have been praying for. I have hopes she'll take over if McCain has to step down for some reason. I think she's married, though, and I don't have a chance with her....oh well. She's still my political soulmate....:)
That's my reasons for voting the way I did. If you are undecided, ask yourself where you stand on abortion, on the Second Amendment, on taxes, on the war on terror, and on socialism/communism versus capitalism. Whatever you come up with there should pretty much settle your indecisiveness.
And you protest voters who are going to vote libertarian because you couldn't stand either? If Obama wins, this is going to be partially your fault.
The only thing in the middle of the road are yellow stripes and road kill.
I haven't written much. Life has kept me a bit too busy. I also have no internet at home, so I steal time whenever I can. However, I thought that I needed to weigh in on the election.
When I started this blog, it was originally for political stuff. It's turned into my own cathartic ramblings, and I don't think anybody really wants to read that crap anymore. I don't like writing it, honestly. It just helped to get it off my chest. I'm done whining.
Nevertheless, I've been remiss in the original purpose of this blog. Here we are, on the eve of one of the most important elections in our history, and the future looks a bit grim. I haven't done my part to get the conservative side of the story out, and for that I'm sorry. For those of you who haven't voted yet, and are undecided, I'll tell you what my key issues are, and why I voted the way I did. And perhaps that will help. I doubt it, but it's worth a shot.
I voted McCain/Palin. That's out of the way. Here's why:
1. I believe a large government is tyranny de facto, if not de jure. Government does not produce anything on it's own. It is not self-sustaining. It creates no product. It exists only off of what it takes from its subjects. In other words, what it takes from a person in taxes. The bigger it gets, the more taxes it must have to sustain itself. Thus, the less of their hard-earned money its subjects get to keep.
When a government takes money from one group and gives it to another, it is socialism at its best, and communism at its worst. Neither can exist in a society without completely trampling individual freedom.
Obama has said that he wants to spread the wealth around. He wants to bankrupt an American industry. He doesn't think the civil rights movement went far enough in terms of wealth redistribution. That's a communist, folks. His proposed ideas about tax reform will force America into a recession, and hit the middle class harder than ever. In other words, taxes will be raised, the government will expand, and we'll all suffer that much more.
2. If a society does not have the right and the ability to defend itself by owning firearms, then the government can do anything that it wants to its subjects. Weapons in the hands of private citizens simply empowers them, and keeps the government honest. Obama and all the Democrats are against this. Illinois is one of the worst states for so-called gun control. We know what he's about on that issue, his
3. Obama has voted consistently to extend so-called "abortion rights" to include partial-birth abortions, amongst other things. When a person is in favor of killing the unborn, I'm against him. A just, noble society should never condone the slaughter of innocents, no matter what it's disguised as.
4. Obama is weak on national defense. We haven't been hit by terrorists since 9-11-01. There's a reason for that. He's also been wrong about the surge in Iraq, and pretty much everything else regarding our military.
5. I firmly believe Obama is a racist. He sat in the church of Jeremiah Wright for 20 years, and didn't believe in what the man was saying? Wright is a white-hating, America-hating rabble rouser of the first order. Plus, if Obama was part of his congregation, he's not a Christian, no matter what either of them would like to say or think.
6. Obama's political career was launched in the home of William Ayers, one of the most notorious domestic terrorists from the Vietnam era. Once again, people don't associate with folks with whom they have nothing in common. At least, not normal people.
That's all I needed to vote for McCain. Don't get me wrong: I'm not the guy's biggest fan. However, he deserves my respect, and my vote, simply because of his service and captivity during Vietnam. That's my idea of a leader.
I might be the biggest Sarah Palin fan ever, though. She's what we conservatives have been praying for. I have hopes she'll take over if McCain has to step down for some reason. I think she's married, though, and I don't have a chance with her....oh well. She's still my political soulmate....:)
That's my reasons for voting the way I did. If you are undecided, ask yourself where you stand on abortion, on the Second Amendment, on taxes, on the war on terror, and on socialism/communism versus capitalism. Whatever you come up with there should pretty much settle your indecisiveness.
And you protest voters who are going to vote libertarian because you couldn't stand either? If Obama wins, this is going to be partially your fault.
The only thing in the middle of the road are yellow stripes and road kill.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Tragedy
I know that it seems that I've all done lately is post links to others stuff. Well, that's exactly what I've done, now that you mention it.
This piece is far too powerful not to link for you.
How anyone could deliberately harm a baby is beyond me. It brings tears to my eyes even thinking about it. I think about my son, and the overwhelming, indescribable love that I have for him. How could somebody abuse that perfect, innocent trust that he has in this world? How? Why?
My child is the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me. He's truly a gift from God. My life would be so much poorer without him. He's taught me so much about my life. He's a reason for me to be a better man. He's everything that is good and right in this world. He's happiness and innocence, and a reminder of the time when the world was new, exciting, and wonderful. How can any parent not think that about their children?
This is absolute, pure evil.
This piece is far too powerful not to link for you.
How anyone could deliberately harm a baby is beyond me. It brings tears to my eyes even thinking about it. I think about my son, and the overwhelming, indescribable love that I have for him. How could somebody abuse that perfect, innocent trust that he has in this world? How? Why?
My child is the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me. He's truly a gift from God. My life would be so much poorer without him. He's taught me so much about my life. He's a reason for me to be a better man. He's everything that is good and right in this world. He's happiness and innocence, and a reminder of the time when the world was new, exciting, and wonderful. How can any parent not think that about their children?
This is absolute, pure evil.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)