Happy New Year!!!

Of course it's not the New Year yet... I can't remember the last time I actually did stay up past midnight... I must be getting old... :)



Hope everyone has a GREAT New Year though!! I'm about to go to bed while most are just getting started!! :)

I hope they have a great time!!

Postsecret...

I know I've posted about this before, but I liked this one, because it is so true...



Postsecret site...

Hope everyone is having a Happy New Years Eve!!! I've been finishing projects today, but have stopped now... :) We don't really have any plans though, we'll crack open a bottle of champagne later, but I can't remember the last time we stayed up until midnight... :)

Father and Son Day...

So we decided to have a father and son day (it was supposed to be a mother and daughter day as well, but Taylor decided to go with our new neighbor somewhere, so they are going to do that later)... Chance, Tanner and I went to see the movie "Blood Diamond"... Excellent film... Kind of graphic in a way, but I do not think we should shield our children from issues that are going on in the world, I think most do, but I don't... I think you should let your children know what is going on, teach them about it, and then tell your children that they should thank the Almighty God each and every day that they live in the United States of America... Maybe that will raise up people who will actually try to protect our Great Nation, rather than raise up people who have no clue, don't care, or are simply not interested and who continually try to destroy it...

We had a good time though, then I took them to U.S. Play, which is a bowling alley/video game/fun place... That's what Chance and Tanner call it actually, 'The Fun Place'... :) So we had fun there, then got a bite to eat and headed back to the house...

We don't have big plans for New Years Eve, of course we never do... I can't even remember the last time I was still up at midnight on New Years Eve... We always have a little 'family' toast though, and try to do something constructive...

I do hope everyone has a great New Years Eve and a fabulous New Year, we intend to...

A Look At One Of Our Allies...

Stephen Colbert - Palau

Here's a look at one of our "allies" in the war on terror...

Global Warming...

I was going to have some lengthy expose on this topic, but then came across this little piece that Neil Boortz wrote on it, and I think it pretty much says what I was going to say:

"It looks like global warming is quickly moving to front and center as the big story right now. Magazines, newspapers, movies, television ... all full of specials on the grave threat to all mankind posed by the horrible global warming that is consuming our planet even as we speak. I read one column over the weekend warning the Wall Street financiers of New York City to become really involved in the global warming menace because, after all, their precious Wall Street will be under water within 40 years if they don't.

Since the media is relentlessly harping on the global warming theme, we're going to go ahead at the Boortz show and do our homework. We'll read as much as the available material as we can get our hands on, and will make sure that we get information from scientists who actually work in this field and who do not work for the government. Those of you who listen to the show know that I'm skeptical of this whole global warming frenzy .. but I'll try to keep an open mind here.
In the meantime ... here are just a few little factoids for you to play around with, factoids that cause me to doubt that whatever global warming we're experiencing can be blamed on the actions of man.

1. The sun is hotter. Period. This fact cannot be denied. The sun is going through a lengthy period of increased activity that causes it to radiate more heat into space. Is it really that hard to believe that a hotter sun would lead to a hotter earth?
2. Our polar ice caps are melting? Sure looks like it. But .. the polar ice caps on Mars are melting also. So, are we to believe that this is caused by man on the Earth but by the hotter sun on Mars?
3. And while we're talking about ice caps melting, it's worth noting that the ice pack in the heart of Antarctica is actually getting thicker!
4. Scientific data clearly shows that the Earth has undergone warming and cooling cycles for millions of years. Why, all of a sudden, does a warming cycle just have to be caused by the actions of man?
5. Scientists who work on government grants are more inclined to blame global warming on the actions of man than are scientists who do not depend on continued government (political) funding.
6. And just how much warmer has our atmosphere become in the last 100 years? One degree. That's it. Just one degree.
7. Many of the people who are so involved in promoting the man-made global warming theme are people who are also involved in anti-capitalist movements. So, what is their true goal? Do they want to solve the global warming problem, or do they want to cripple the capitalist systems they so hate?
8. The U.S. Senate snubbed the Kyoto treaty by a vote of 99-0. This was during the Clinton years! What did these 99 senators know about the Kyoto Accords that we don't know?
9. Speaking of the Kyoto accords, they would severely impact the U.S. economy, but would leave China absolutely alone! China has one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Since a huge number of Kyoto proponents can also be called anti-American, could this cause you to wonder what the true goal of Kyoto is?
10. And just how many years ago was it that these very same scientists were warming us about the earth getting cooler?"

So that little piece saved me from writing it, now I just have to comment on it and add my own two cents... :)

I think all of the "global warming" fanatics are just that, fanatical, raving lunatics who hate capitalism so much, that they intend to use the whole "global warming" platform to destroy our country... We can start with Al Gore, this nut is SO pissed that Georgie "stole" the election, he has nothing else to do... According to this psycho, we have 9 years and 31 days left before the earth is a frying pan...

"The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false-face for the urge to rule it."
~ H.L. Mencken

The very idea that man could bring about climate change is so ludicrous you can hardly make it up... It's pretty simple really, the cyclical nature of the sun brings about cooler periods and warmer periods... We have VERY little data to sift through as it is, we have recorded temperatures since what? 1850? What about the supposed 'Medieval Warm Period' from 800-1300 AD? I think that most of the people who are 'Global Warming" fanatic psychos have an agenda...

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." ~ H. L. Mencken

There is virtually ZERO 'proof' that anything we do or have done has caused this whole 'Global Warming' thing... These idiot "scientists" and activists who promote the whole thing are just that, complete and utter idiots! The so-called "scientists" can't even figure out whether or not eggs are good or bad for us, salt, milk, fat, on and on it goes, these morons change their mind every few years about whether or not these things are good or bad for us, and most of the time they all agree... They can't even figure out whether or not eggs are good or bad for us and they have SO much data to sift through on that topic, and everyone is just going to blindly follow these fools when they have virtually NO data about what causes "Global Warming"???

I'll stick with the cyclical nature of the Sun...

What?

What do you want to hear about? Global warming? Iraq? The economy? Do you want me just to post family pictures? Of course I'll continue to post whatever I want, but I have something to say about all of those things... :) How about the stupidity of some Americans:

$200 Bill...

I know that happened a while ago, but still... I think I would be more interested in doing something with the moron who accepted it and gave change than the one who passed it off... Wow!

I think that the American people are becoming so stupid that there is little hope that we will remain a Superpower for much longer, I give it 20 years... When I went to lunch today, the computers were down and the people had to manually calculate my bill, it took 10 minutes... Stunning... I had a coupon over the weekend to buy a pack of cigarettes and get one free (yes, I still smoke), and the clerk fussed over it for 5 minutes, then said that will be 19 cents... I tried to explain to the clerk that it was 'buy one, get one', but she was so dumbfounded, I finally just gave her 19 cents... Was that wrong?? Who knows... I can't believe how stupid the average American has become, but it will surely be our downfall, of that, you can be certain...

Will...

Do you have a will? Did you know that 70% of Americans die without one? I know it's Christmas, but I'm sitting here listening to the Vince Gill album my wife bought me for Christmas, and I was thinking for some reason, who would I want to tend to my children if I died tomorrow... Well, I don't have a will, and that really got my brain cranking... So I decided to make a will. I have one now, thanks to the Internet! Whew! There are some people in my family who I would NOT want to raise my children! I DID ask, but went ahead and presumed they would say yes. I could NOT imagine my children being raised by some of my family... So thankfully that is done, I hope! :)

Merry Christmas Continued...

I'm not sure why it won't let me post more than 4 photos at once... :)

Cory and Jessica...

Joshua came over as well....

Carolyn got what she wanted as well!!

Merry Christmas All!!

I trust everyone had a fabulous day! We had a wonderful day, I woke up early thinking the kids would beat me to the punch, they didn't... :) I made coffee, started a fire, got ready, and they still were not up... Finally Taylor got up and I told her to go wake the boys up... So once everyone was up, we all emptied our stockings and then decided to tear into the presents... After we had opened a few presents, Uncle Joshua knocked on the door bearing gifts of his own... So we continued on with Joshua... Once all the gifts had been opened, we had as Chance calls it 'our Christmas feast'... It's kind of funny, because during the meal, Chance said, "This is just like Thanksgiving, I love it!"... He cracks me up with some of his comments... Later Cory and Jessica arrived with yet more gifts, so there was more eating, gifts, and socializing... A fabulous day was had by all... Here are a few pics of our day:

Tanner had a great day!

Taylor did as well!!

Chance has been wanting a watch for a while, he finally got one.... :)

Joshua got this for Carolyn and I... We loved it! It was great having Joshua over to celebrate Christmas!

The Stockings Were Hung...

By the chimney with care... Last step completed!! Taylor had told me before she went to sleep that she was going to sneak and see what we had put in her stocking, but they are all passed out, I'm sure I should go to bed though, because morning will come early!!

Christmas Eve...

I LOVE Christmas Eve... The kids are SO excited and it is a great time of year! We went to the service tonight at our church and my children were able to have their first communion, it was kind of funny, because I was trying to explain to them what was going on while the pastor was talking... Chance was worried about what he was supposed to do, I finally told him, just watch what everyone else is doing and do that... The way the church we are going to does communion, is they break bread, then everyone comes forward and takes a piece of the bread, dips it in the 'wine' and eats it... It all went smoothly, I explained to them what it was symbolic of, but I think I'll need to review that with them tomorrow when I tell them the Christmas Story before we open presents...

We always let the kids open a present on Christmas Eve, so here they are with the present they have chosen to open....

Tanner tearing into his present...

Taylor tearing into hers, Chance looking on... The picture I took of Chance opening his present was way too blurry... :)

Table is ready for, as Chance calls it, our Christmas Feast! He cracks me up...

I trust everyone is having a GREAT Christmas! Best wishes to all!! Merry Christmas!!!

The Curtains Cont'd...

Like I commented earlier, I'm not sure why I chose to actually start a new project two days before Christmas, but I hated those curtains so much, I did... :)

Yeah, I know, most people on Christmas Eve are busy doing other things... :) Not me however, I'm trying to get those two windows done.. I started back on them right after we got back from the Christmas Eve church service this evening...

Finally done, however, the middle piece that I did not think I needed, it turns out I do! :( Oh well, can't pick it up until Tuesday... Yes, I do realize that the curtains do not match the couch... That was also intentional, I HATE those couches... So now we have to get some to match the curtains... :) Carolyn insisted btw on being the one who had the honors of throwing the old curtains and rods in the garbage... I'm not sure why we EVER bought them in the first place... :)

Curtains...

If anyone saw those curtains I had up in a previous blog where I had a picture of our Christmas tree... I hated those curtains, so today I decided to do something about it... I tore them all down, went and bought replacements, and have spent all day getting ready to replace trim, etc... I'll post pics later... So I have pretty much spent all day painting trim, getting curtains etc (in between responding to Marci's ridiculous comments on a previous blog)... So hopefully I'll have them done tomorrow, we'll see... I think I'll have them done though... :) Hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas season, we are!

Blogging...

There were so many things I was going to blog about tonight... Yet here I am, sitting here listening to 'Take it Easy' by Delbert McClinton again, I LOVE that song! I just put the kids to bed, plus the one who is sleeping over, Taylor is sleeping over at our new neighbors house with her new friend Sarah... I saw an article about how Atlanta is the 4th worst commute in the country, and that's the route I take every day, so I can vouch for that, it sucks... The Duke case irritates me, the DA I think just does not want to be made out to be a loser, and he is trying to save his career... Here's a memo for him: "You lost, get over it, the media is going to crucify you, have a nice life doing something else"... People scrambling to get their "Christmas" stuff done, it kills me... There was a poll on MSNBC detailing how many were done, etc... Everyone should do what we do... We buy ALL of our paper, lights, decorations, tape, etc in January for 10 cents on the dollar, and many times a lot less... We start buying gifts also in January, so when December rolls around all we have to do is ship, buy for the kids, and plan dinner... We're done btw, so all we have to do now is get ready for the, as Chance calls it, "The Christmas Feast"... He is so funny... That was something else I was going to blog about, I guess all parents reach the point where their kids are past the 'kids meal' menu when you go out to eat... I've reached that point... Ugghh! We all went out to Longhorn this evening, the kids all wanted what I was having, which just happened to be a ribeye... So I guess the days of the kids meals are over for me... I bought them all one, but learned a lesson, lets start off with 'splitting' an adult meal... NONE of them ate more than half of the meal (we had taken Nate who is spending the night)... So the next few times, it will be a ribeye and an extra plate... Live and learn... :) Hope everyone who is still scampering around trying to buy crap is getting it done... I'm going to listen to "Take it Easy" again... :) Merry Christmas to All!!!

A Different Perspective...

I think that if you really want to get a sense of what's going on in Iraq, you really can't listen to any of the news outlets, I don't think any of them report it very accurately... I did find a few interesting blogs though by Iraqi's...

IraqI RockeR...

This guy's "Ten Things I Hate and Twelve I Love About America" is kind of interesting...

24 Steps to Liberty...

There are actually quite a few Iraqi's who have blogs, it has been interesting to read some of their views on the war and on America...

Great Song!

Delbert McClinton - I've Got Dreams to Remember...

Check it out! You can listen to a 30 second bit of it on iTunes... :)

Family Yearbooks...

We had this idea for a gift for my wifes father about creating a book of photos, we ended up liking it so much, that we are going to do it every year... It was our first one, so it's a little crude, but now we are going to do one every year... We ended up sending them to a lot of people, and we of course ordered enough so our kids can each have one when they get older... It's kind of like a 'family yearbook', therefore the title to this post... :) Everyone we have heard from who has received it has loved it... If you want to check it out, here is the link...

Goodling Family Yearbook 2006...

Technology, you have to love it... :) I'm sure that in a year or so, we'll all be able to do this on our home PC's...

Christmas...

I LOVE this season!! The kids are SO excited you can't hardly make it up... Of course we always wrap presents and put them under the tree because the kids a few years ago saw me wrapping presents and wanted to know what was up, so they all know I am Santa and that Jesus is the REAL reason for the season... I find myself getting excited about waking up on Christmas morning and telling my children the story of Christmas and then sharing gifts... Quite exciting, particularly if you have children... I don't normally like shopping, but today I spent nearly 3 hours at the mall, which is a place I avoid like the plague, today it was exciting though... I hope that everyone is having a joyous holiday!! I also hope that everyone remembers the REAL reason that we celebrate this holiday!! Merry Christmas to all!!!

Pictures...

Most of the people who read my blog will not know these people (from Boyd's side of the family), but I am posting them for my siblings... I wouldn't have recognized these people if I had passed them on the street, but they are my uncles, aunts and a cousin... I still would like to know why we never interacted with these people growing up, but I guess I'll never know the answer to that little question...

This is Uncle Tom and Aunt Esther with one of their sons, Terry. I do actually know Tom and Esther, only because they made a point to get to know us. They went out of their way to come to our wedding, they have come to our house before, and now we e-mail... Very nice people... Funny thing about Terry is that when we first moved to Atlanta, Terry lived in the same subdivision that we lived in, yet we never knew it... We found out after we moved (Aunt Esther told me the other day that when she realized that we lived there, she went and knocked on the door, but we had already moved to the home we currently live in). I have been in contact with Terry recently via e-mail though, and another ironic thing is he does the same thing I do... Small world...

Uncle Ray and Aunt Tressa... They are the Uncle and Aunt I know the LEAST about... I didn't even know Ray's name, and had to ask Aunt Esther what it was sadly... Other than that, I know nothing about them, I hope to learn more about them in the future...

Uncle Paul and Aunt Marie... I do remember them from years and years ago, but I've not seen them in probably 25 years... I know they have three sons, I do remember being at their home as a boy, other than that, I know nothing about them... I hope that changes... It will...

It's funny about relatives, we have so many, yet so many of us rarely if ever interact... Seems a little bizzarre to me... I'm just now catching up though, so hopefully that changes... :)

Dave Ramsey...

Not sure if anyone has heard of this guy, but seems like he gives sound financial advice and is a Christian. He recently took over for the guy I used to listen to on my way home from work (which I didn't care for)... Anyway, I bought a book from him yesterday and you can check out his Total Money Makeover for free for 30 days if you want to:

Link Here...

Coupon Code: 30DGIFT

His site is here if you want to check it out as well, that Identity Theft insurance he talks about looks like something to have in this day and age...

daveramsey.com

The Day After Christmas...

Is likely the day a huge number of people in America dread the most... Why you may ask? Because it's stunning the statistics you see on how many run up credit card debt or tap into home equity to 'finance' their gift buying... I read this one article titled: 'Christmas debt is hard to avoid'... It's also stunning the number of people who run up so much debt that it takes until May and for some right up until the next Christmas to pay off the debt... Here's a novel idea, how about not going into debt at all? If I didn't have money to buy Christmas presents, then I'd either make something or do something for them, all the while making sure everyone understood the actual reason for the season! Too many don't though, and it's stunning...

The Devil Wears Prada...

I don't watch movies often, but I do like Merryl Streep... I stopped at Krogers today and they had a machine there where you could rent a movie for a $1... So I rented the movie, 'The Devil Wears Prada', only because it had Merryl Streep in it.. What an excellent movie... It's a classic example of the situation that tore my family apart... Greed! I'm sure everyone has read about Goldman Sachs, and that the average person who works there made over $622K last year... Great! What they don't tell you is that these people literally work 24/7 and their family lives are usually either non-existent or are destroyed because they literally 'marry' their work! Money does not make people happy, never has... I'm not sure why people think that money WILL make them happy. I would rather live with my family in a trailer park than work 24/7 and disregard my family and have millions of dollars and live in a penthouse... Some obviously would rather the penthouse... People that would rather the penthouse over family nauseate me and make me sick to my stomach... I would encourage everyone to watch the movie and tell me what they think... There are some in my own family who prefer the cash and the destruction of the family...

Falwell on Imus...

May not be for everyone... :)

Jerry Fallwell Appears On Imus

You know...

I was going to blog about this ridiculous article on MSNBC.com about how some people decided that if every African male was curcumcised it would help the AIDS epidemic in that country, but changed my mind... Are they nuts?? It's about behaviour, not circumcision... You read some of the comments, and it's like "Wow!"... Circumcision is not necessary, it's behaviour... That's probably enough said on that topic, if the people who live in Africa continue to have the types of sexual behaviour that they do, HIV will be an issue... Circumcising all the males in Africa will not help... I wonder how much of our tax dollars went to that study...

I wonder why I even blog anymore... No one else does... I know, I deleted my own blog at one time, I'm not sure now why I started it back... Sure, people are 'busy' for the holidays... When people say they are busy though, are you too busy to spend a few minutes?? If you are that busy, you need help... Not just help, but a program of some sort to help you get control of your life... I could not imagine being "too busy" to take 5 minutes to type a few lines... If I'm ever 'that busy', someone shoot me...

I have a lot going on too, yet I have plenty of time to take a few minutes here and there... If anyone is SO busy that they cannot take the time to type a few lines, they likely need to rethink their lives and priorities... Amazing...

I had a lot more to say, but just got called, so think about it....

An Early Christmas Present Perhaps??

Story here:

South Dakota Senator Hospitalized

He's a Democrat, so if he dies or resigns then the Republicans have control of the Senate again... Well, the Governor, who gets to name his replacement, is a Republican, so I guess it really depends on him... I'll bet he is a VERY popular guy right now... His phone has been ringing off the hook I'm sure... If he is only incapacitated though, then he could be bed ridden and useless, but he does not have to resign, there have been several Senators in our history who have been incapacitated and they did not resign... I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall in the rooms two people are currently in: Pelosi and Reid... :) This will be an interesting story to follow...

Merry Christmas!!!

How about the people that use Xmas? Huh?? I see people use it who claim to believe that Jesus is the reason we celebrate this holiday... It nauseates me... I don't care if you are marking boxes to store, addressing cards, whatever, to use Xmas is appalling to me... Yet many do... This whole thing with saying Holiday, Winter, whatever... I don't get it... It's a Federal holiday! My cousin has a good post about it:
Have Yourself a Neutered Little Holiday

Speaking of Music...

Not that anyone was... :) A must have album is: "Kickin' Out The Footlights...Again" by Merle Haggard and George Jones... Of course I'm sure it's not for everyone... I don't like all of the songs, but I like most of them... Most people wonder why I listen to classic country artists, not sure... I think though that most people who I turn on to it like it though. I guess I like it because I've lived most of the scenarios in most of the songs... So I guess it has been my life... I love it though, and it is a hell of an album... :)

Pigeon Forge...

We spent yesterday afternoon and all day today at Pigeon Forge. The kids of course LOVE it there! Carolyn and Betty hit the Outlet Malls there and the kids and I went off to do other things as we were not interested in shopping... :)

There is a new helicopter museum in Pigeon Forge, the kids wanted to ride this simulated helicopter machine. Tanner was in the driver's seat, but the guy told him he could pass control to Chance if he wanted to. So the guy explained all the controls, told them they could go upside down, sideways, whatever... Then he pointed to that red button between them and said, "Now if you get sick to your stomach, or get scared and want out, just hit that red button and the ride will stop." Then he closed the hatch and started the ride. A few seconds after the ride started, Tanner managed to turn the thing upside down, the guy looked at me and said, "Someone hit the red button." So the ride stopped, and it had been Chance. The guy I guess felt guilty that I had spent $20 for 3 seconds and offered to take the boys with himself at the controls, they refused. Or rather, Chance said, "No way man." I then tried to talk them into going up in a real helicopter, but they would not have any of it... :)

The kids 'had' to go to the NASCAR rides/shop/entertainment thing... We did not stay long though because no one was there and Tanner was starting to not feel well...

All of the kids wanted to ride the race cars, but Chance was the only one who was tall enough to ride, I could have taken one of them with me, but that would have meant leaving one of the kids by themselves... Something I would never do, particularly in this day and age... So Chance rode by himself... We did all get to ride the bumper cars, but I took no pics of that...

So that is essentially how we spent our day in Pigeon Forge, we did end up going shopping a little as well, because Carolyn and Betty were still shopping after all the things we did... I bought me a new Bible at one of the stores, they are like 50% cheaper at the outlet store there than what they are here... I had a new Sidney Sheldon book I was going to read, but Betty wanted something to read last night, so I gave it to her as she loves Sidney Sheldon, so I bought myself another one because I still want to read it... :) I'm glad to be home though, the kids have school tomorrow, Carolyn has school tomorrow, so I am home alone as I do not have to go back to work until Wednesday, maybe I'll go check out that new Mel Gibson film... Hmmm.... I wonder when the last time I went to a movie by myself was? Years ago I guess... We only go to about 1 or 2 movies a year as it is... Hope everyone is having a great Christmas season thus far!!

We're Back!!!

You know, I don't mind going out of town periodically, but I am always SO glad to get back home!! Amazingly enough, I did not take that many pictures, even though I had two digital cameras with me and a video camera... Never thought to snap a picture until it was too late, I did take a few though... Mainly of the kids in the cabin we rented in Pigeon Forge...

At the wedding Rex and Penny (Uncle and Aunt) gave the kids their Christmas presents, so that's the first thing they wanted to do when we got to our cabin in Pigeon Forge... In case you are wondering who that other person is, it is Betty, and old friend of Carolyn's from when she worked at UT, she's almost a part of the family, the kids love her to death, she went with us to Pigeon Forge (obviously)...

Kids in front of the fireplace...

Taylor decided she wanted to play Monopoly by herself... I'm not sure how you do that, but she sure had fun doing it... :)

The boys of course brought their game system, and set it up in their 'bedroom' right after we opened the presents...

A Few Pics...

Here are a few pictures from the wedding today, in case you haven't read any of the previous posts, my sister-in-law got married today in Knoxville, TN...

All of the kids on my wife's side of the family...

Us, obviously, during the 'photos' after the wedding...

All of my wife's siblings and their families...

Cory, Chance, Tanner and Taylor...

You Know...

I've only been in this town since about 5:30 and I'm ready to go home... I don't like staying in hotels unless my company is paying for them and they are expensive and cater to your every need... No, this one doesn't... The phone doesn't work, not that I need one, I've got a cell phone, but still... The pool and the spa have 30 times as much chlorine as needed, well, maybe not, judging from some of the people I've seen in the lobby, so scratch that complaint... I hate this town... I can't believe I used to live here... Tis life I suppose. The wedding is tomorrow at 4, what to do till then? The kids want to go swimming, I'm sure they'll talk me into it, luckily I brought a Sidney Sheldon book I haven't read because it's way too much chlorine for me... They do have free Internet access, so that makes me happy... So who knows what tomorrow will be like, we'll see... :)

Hiatus...

Well, I'm headed to Knoxville tomorrow for my wife's sisters wedding... Then we are going to take the kids to the tourist trap, I mean Pigeon Forge... So I may or may not blog... Depends on the Internet connection where I am... Unlike most, I take my computer with me everywhere I go, and yes, I do have the occassional few minutes to check in and blog and comment... :) It only takes a few minutes... So maybe you'll hear from me, maybe not... If I never find an Internet connection, I'll be back Tuesday...

The Iraq Study Group...

What?? There isn't a member among them who know anything about warfare... You might as well call it the Jim Baker Opinion... I'll admit that in the beginning, the war seemed like the thing to do, but so did EVERYONE else in the world... That's a little fact that most people overlook!! We ALL saw all the evidence, MOST of the world agreed that it was the thing to do, yeah, I know, years later when it's a failure everyone forgets that, but whatever, it is what it is, and it's a mess...

It boils down to the people, the Iraqi people obviously have no desire to band together and fight these people... This would NEVER happen in America, we might have our differences, but we would, I believe, band together and fight no matter what! The Iraqis don't seem to want to. Well, there is the problem... I say stop spending money on trying to figure out how to get these worthless people who will not stand up for themselves out of the mess they are in... They would not be in this mess if they would just stand up for themselves... We've given them the chance, I say we give them an ultimatum...

You have 60 days to stand up for yourselves, bottom line, we will not allow Iran to take over your country. If within 60 days they have done nothing and the violence continues:

Let Saddam Hussein out of jail, buy him a new suit, apologize for his sons, and tell him, you are in charge again, get control of these barbarians by any means necessary. You have our full support, there is only one condition, you don't allow Iran to influence you and you allow us to have a base in your country so we can deal with Iran and Syria if we have to... Problem solved...

Toast...

You know... The average American is so stupid, you can hardly make it up... Does everyone think that we will continue to be a Superpower?? Does anyone study history?? History always repeats itself... I get about 30 publications a week (thanks to Sky Miles) and the media is SO biased, they have no interest apparently other than to destroy America... The average American though is so wrapped up in their personal lives, they could give a damn about the big picture... Does everyone think that we will sit here and be the Superpower forever?? EVERY country in the world wants to knock us off that pedestal, they WILL succeed! When will everyone in this country wake up though, when it happens?? Maybe, maybe not... Idiots... I detest stupid people... "Let's just go about our lives, everything will be fine"... That mentality makes me ill... I doubt that George Washington or any of the other founding fathers had that mentality... "We're busy, and we can't be bothered"... That IS the mentality of the average American though... How much longer? I used to think I gave it 20 or 30 years, but now I'm thinking 5, maybe... Does anyone remember Rome?? Oh yeah, I forgot, everyone is too stupid to study history... Mind Boggling...

Race to the White House...

You know... A lot of people jumping in the ring, but I think the Dems have it, we'll see... Name one Republican who can win it... I almost think that Hillary will take it... Who can beat her? How about this scenario: Hillary/Obama? They win for sure. Romney? The Republican base doesn't like it that he is such a devout Morman. Guliani? The Republican base hates the fact that he is okay with abortion and gays. McCain? The Republican base doesn't like him. I say the Republican base are a bunch of idiots! We saw that in the 2006 election... They are so freaking stupid, they would rather hand over control of the House and Senate than cave on a few issues... We're not talking about Salvation here, we are talking about control of our Country!!! We need a new party! What to do?? It almost reminds me of sitting in a Baptist church meeting, to hell with the consequences, most of the people are too damn stubborn to do anything because of conflict... Welcome to America... Amazing!

Is It Just Me??

Carolyn's sister is getting married on December 9th, so we're obviously headed to Knoxville... Of course the boys have outgrown their dress clothes they wore for Easter, so off we went to buy everyone new outfits for the wedding... I decided to buy myself a new pair of dress pants as well... Didn't work out... We have been to every store around, including all the stores at the mall, and no one has a pair of black dress pants size 30 x 32... After a while I just went to someone in the men's department and said any 30 x 32? "Umm, no, but you can look around and try to find one if you want, when we get pants in there is usually only one or two in that size" is always the reply... Ugghh! So I guess I'll go to the mall by my work tomorrow (I hate going to the mall)... So I've spent two days looking for a pair of pants, and still don't have any... :( Of course I can always go to the Men's Warehouse, but I HATE paying $100 for a pair of pants that fit, but it has been necessary in the past... Hopefully there will be a pair at the mall near my work tomorrow...

Music...

Funny... The different tastes everyone has in music... I LOVE music, most people I meet though think what I listen to is ridiculous... Of course I think the same of what they listen to... :) I've never personally met anyone who had the same taste in music that I do... My wife HATES the music I listen to. I listen to Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Gene Watson, John Conlee, Mickey Gilley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dwight Yoakam, Vince Gill, etc... I think my wife's issue is I listen to the same stuff over and over and over... :) Whatever, I like it, I'm listening to it now. I have zero interest in any of the music out today. I like my music, leave me alone is what I say... :) I love Jerry Lee Lewis's new album, my favorite is "Couple More Years"... I LOVE that song...

Jerry Lee Lewis

Secrets...

I wasn't aware that anyone had any these days... Of course I'm referring to the whole "There was a boy named Matthew" thing... I thought everyone knew about that ongoing episode, but I was wrong... I know these people though, so I guess I should not have been surprised. 'Sweep everything under the rug, wait a bit, and all will be well' was and is I guess the mentality, but that was then, this is now... That is no longer the case...

Boyd's sister called me today and we had a long talk, she said she had talked to him and was talking about me, yet he never indicated that anything was wrong. She however told me that she could tell that something was amiss... I told her the entire story in detail. Why do people want to pretend that there is nothing wrong when there is? That's my question. It's ludicrous.

I was just talking to my stepson Cory about this same thing. We were talking about how people hold grudges, have hatred, etc... I told him my philosophy. My mentality is this, never go to bed with hatred, grudges, etc on your mind. It will destroy your life. Say what you have to say, no matter what it is, then get on with your life. I haven't always taken that approach, but the times I didn't, it caused issues. These days, that is the only approach I take. I say what's on my mind, if you don't like it, I don't care. I think everyone should take that approach...

I do hope that those people get over the whole "If we just don't talk about it for a few months, everyone will forget it mentality"... That was then, this is now...