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The Last Post

It's true...

This is my last post...

At least for two years...

I had planned before I left to basically tell all of my thoughts and feelings on Politics, the Economy, and life in general, but I could never quite do it. I've started a few of the posts, but none of them felt right. Anyway, I'm going to lay out my thoughts on everything in list form. I know it doesn't leave room for much expansion, but at this point any post is better than none.

1. Barack Obama: He is a politician to the core. I know the media and his PR department like to portray him as the crusader for the people, but he is just as power hungry as any corrupt politician. Example: Fairness Doctrine. It is a section of the media he doesn't control, so he wants to get it.

2. Martin Luther King Jr's Dream: It has not been fulfilled. Because I know that people only voted for Obama because of the "color of his skin," and not his "character." People don't realize that what King wanted was for people to vote purely on the issues rather than color. America gets a FAIL on this one.

3. Socialism: BAD, BAD, BAD, oh and did I mention BAD! Look at it's track record. It had ruined economies and it will ruin ours. I see this as a grab for power by the government. For some reason they think they know what should be done with money and resources rather than letting it be done by the market. A market driven system is not perfect, and it never will be, but these economies thrive compared to others.

4. Fishing: Everyone should do it. These days people want instant entertainment and action, but when is it ever enough? Sure thrill sports give adrenaline bursts and such, but then you have to try something new until that gets old and then something newer. Does this cycle ever end? No. Fishing on the other hand is calming and soothing. I can't tell you how many good days of fishing I've had and not caught anything. It is a break from the fast paced world. We as a people need less thrill and more soothing activities.

5. BYU: I know my sister is totally going to roll her eyes at this one, but I'm going to do it anyway. There are reasons that I am a BYU fan other than that's what I've always been. BYU is an amazing place. I think going to school there can change your life. It did mine. The whole school, and that includes football, stands for something. They let the gospel into everything even athletics. A lot of people really don't like that, but isn't that they way it should be. No God does not make anybody win, but the team can carry itself in a way that represents the Church in a good way. At any other school kids can go get drunk and do what they want because nothing is expected of them, but at BYU you can't do that because you represent things more than yourself. Anyway, that's why I love BYU sports. These are, for the most part, good kids and it's easy for me to cheer for good kids.

6. Bear Grylls: I wish I could be him, except for some of the things he eats. I define this as a man crush. Man crush is nothing romantic, but is really just wanting to be someone. Yes I have a man crush on him. Some of the things he does just rock. Have you ever tickled trout? Have you ever killed a wild chicken with a stick, or bow fished for piranha? I didn't think so.

7. George W. Bush: I started political, so I'm going to end political. He was not a bad president. I think he will be one of those that history will vindicate. You could argue that Iraq was a bad war, but this president led us out of recession after 9/11 and gave tax cuts. Sure we went into another recession, but that wasn't his fault. That was because people were stupid and took stupid loans, and banks were stupid enough to give out those loans. He had no major scandals! That's amazing considering the media outlets were scouring for any sort of anti-Bush news.

Anyway that's my opinions on a few things. I could keep going for a while, but I've got to start packing. For those of you in Michigan, look out here I come!

P.S. I'm giving control of this blog to my sister, so any new posts will be her doing and not mine. Blog you in two years!

A shout out to my alter-ego

Literary Monday: The Christmas Sweater

Title: The Christmas Sweater





Author: Glenn Beck





Copyright Date: 2008





Summary: Eddie is a boy in small town Washington. He has lost his father to cancer, and his mother is raising him by herself. She works four jobs just to provide. Nearby lives his mother's parents. They spend time there a lot. One Christmas all he wants is a bike. When all he gets from his mother is an "ugly" sweater he is ticked. Due to his attitude he ends up wanting to go home rather than sleep over at his grandparents. On the ride home his mother falls asleep and they crash. From that moment onward he lives at his grandparents house. His attitude is very negative and ornery. What could turn him around?





Chaddy's Rating: 4 out of 5 (in the Christmas book department)





Chaddy's Comments: I loved the book. Glenn Beck is a very good writer in that he is able to bring the scenes to life. The deeper part of the book is what really got me though. Eddie's attitude was making the difference and he had to make the choice on what he was going to get out of life. Good message. Great Christmas read.





P.S. Chaddy will try to get Literary Monday going again, but no guarantees.

Lincoln on Thanksgiving

"It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.
Know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?
We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.
But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."
- Abraham Lincoln

A cry for help!

Ok people I need help!

I'm having problems with food!

No I have enough!

I just eat junk all of the time!

So I'm crying for help!

Help me get some recipes that are healthy and fast! I'm talking about 30 minutes for the whole meal and something that I can at least say is healthy. I'm calling to my loyal female readers for help! Don't let me down!

couragecampaign.org goes too far!

The Church that I belong to, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, (commonly known as Mormons) has recently thrown it's favor behind proposition 8 in California. Of course whenever a religion gets involved in politics they are bound to get attacked.

But CourageCampaign.org goes too far. I will not show the ad here on my blog because it is highly offensive and completely wrong. Just let me explain that they attack missionaries of my church. In the ad they basically depict missionaries going into a lesbian couple's house and going through their stuff until they find a marriage license. Then they rip it saying that they are taking away all rights.

My problem with that is the way missionaries are depicted in the video. I have several friends and I am soon planning on becoming a missionary, and these young people are there to serve. Basically we believe that homosexuality is a sin. We believe in loving the sinner, but not the sin. As members of the Church we "love all men" as Christ taught. Just because we love them does not mean that we love what they do.

As missionaries we serve everybody. Two years of our lives are dedicated to the Lord. We preach to those who will open their doors and are willing to listen. In no way do we force our beliefs on anyone. These young men/women are giving up two years, so please don't tear down these people. All they do is serve.

The interesting thing about this ad is the point it tries to make. It seems to be saying that my Church wants to limit personal rights. This is far from the truth. It almost always stays out of political debates. In this case the Church gets involved because this is about the degradation of the family in our society. To us the family is very important. We believe that every family consists of a mother and a father. When this pattern is not followed society breaks down. The break down of society limits freedom.

Please stick to the facts rather than stooping to taking swipes at personal character. This is not about the integrity of our missionaries, which is impeccable, it is about political and ethical beliefs.