Thankful and Other Things

Catching Up
It's been a while since I posted anything; I've been tied up with stuff at work, i.e. end of year inventory stuff and catching up welding procedures that have been sent in by customers that require editing/revising before they can be approved for fabrication (boring, I know).

On the home front, I'm finalizing the floor plan for cabinets in my office. We built a 14' x 16' office on to our bedroom this past summer. To date, we've got the walls painted, wood floor installed, and I built shelves for the closets for Dana's preschool supplies. In the meantime, we painted the entire exterior of the house--new base and trim colors. Oh yeah, and I built some new shutters for the front of the house.

One of the things I have always wanted to do to the exterior of the house is get rid of the gutters. We took all the guttering down on the front of the house and replaced them with Rainhandler "gutters." No downspouts, no cleaning, no maintenance, no kidding! I still need to do the back of the house. What I really like about them, is you really don't see them unless you're looking for them. If you look real close at the facia boards, you can see the "guttering" running right along the bottom. Pretty cool stuff.

Road Trip
Yesterday, the "fam," along with our oldest son's girlfriend, went to Pops for lunch. Pops is a unique restaurant located on Route 66--"the Mother Road"-- in Arcadia, Oklahoma. The modern architecture is fascinating, but the big draw is what they call the "Soda Ranch." Pops boasts having over 500 different flavors of pop (soda) to choose from! One entire wall of the restaurant is a massive cooler filled with every brand of soft drink you can imagine and many you've never heard of. You can select one of the many varieties to go with your meal; you can also mix and match 6-packs to go. We left with a couple of sixes ourselves.

The food at Pops is mainly burgers and fries--good old fashioned road food. They also have chicken fried steak and a few other sandwiches. If you're not into "pop," they serve GREAT malts and shakes.

We drove Route 66 from Sapulpa to Arcadia--about a two hour drive with all the stoplights in the small towns along the way. We passed several Route 66 attractions that we'll have to go back and see another day--probably me and Dana by ourselves since our teenagers don't do sight-seeing stuff all that well.

Thankful
Today is Thanksgiving. In a couple of hours, we'll load up in the car, and drive the eight miles or so to Dana's parent's house. They still live in the town where we both grew up. Her sisters and brother, along with their families will be there, and maybe an aunt whose husband died last year. There will be LOTS of food and we will eat WAY TOO MUCH of it. We all get along pretty well, so it will be a good day...I may even get to take a nap after dinner!

In spite of the current economic situation here in the U.S., and the fact that we've elected probably one of the most liberal presidents in our nation's history (had to get the political dig in there), there are lots of things I'm thankful for. I'm thankful:

• that I woke up this morning. God in His grace toward me has allowed me another day of life. Every day is a gift. I pray that I will use this one in ways that bring honor and glory to Him.
• that God is in control.
• that I have a job.
• for a warm home, food, clothes, etc. --also gifts from God. Everything has its beginning with Him.
• for a church that unashamedly preaches the Word. No fancy gimmicks or "hooks." Just the Bible. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
• for my family, especially, Dana and the boys. I couldn't imagine life without them. They encourage me, they frustrate me, they make me laugh, they make me mad (sometimes), they belief in me, look to me to provide and protect them, and most of the time...they think I'm an "alright guy."
• for my health. It could be better (weight-wise; I need to work on that one)
• that I live in the United States. In spite of itself, it's still a great place.
• for the men and women who bravely and unselfishly serve in our armed forces. They and their predecessors are the reason we have the freedoms we cherish today.
• (on a lighter note) that I am NOT married to that gal on John & Kate Plus Eight! That woman drives me nuts. When Dana and Alex watch that show, I have to put on headphones or leave the room. John deserves a MEDAL!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Rated PG?

I guess I going to have to clean things up around here.

The Importance of Tithing

Two men crashed in their private plane on a South Pacific island. Both survived. One of the men brushed himself off and then proceeded to run all over the island to see if they had any chance of survival.

When he returned, he rushed up to the other man and screamed, "This island is uninhabited, there is no food, there is no water. We are going to die!"

The other man leaned back against the fuselage of the wrecked plane, folded his arms and responded, "No we're not. I make over $250,000 a week."

The first man grabbed his friend and shook him. "Listen, we are on an uninhabited island. There is no food, no water. We are going to die !"

The other man, unruffled, again responded. "No, I make over $250,000 a week."

Mystified, the first man, taken aback with such an answer again repeated, "For the last time, I'm telling you we ARE doomed. There is NO one else on this island. There is NO food. There is NO water. We are, I repeat, we are going to die a slow death."

Still unfazed, the first man looked the other in the eyes and said, Do not make me say this again:

I make over $250,000 per week...
I am a Baptist and I tithe...
"MY PASTOR WILL FIND US!"

Truth

It's not a lie as long as you believe it's true -- Jerry Seinfeld

Thanks to the Underminer for the cartoon.

Incredible

On a completely different "note" than usual, I'm not a fan of "the opera," but this is amazing. Enjoy.

All You Need Is Love

I saw this on a billboard yesterday--advertising for a church in the area. Wonder where they're going with this?

A Busy Week / Friday Photos

A Busy Week
A busy week at work; I installed a major re-write of an application I wrote several years ago that generates our "bill of material/parts" for the shop. So far no major glitches. The database that is generated by the program feeds our purchasing, receiving, and non-destructive testing departments. Not much time to do anything else.

I went to the funeral of a Sunday School member's father Thursday. I didn't know the father, but after the service, I wish I had. He and his wife had been married over 55 years! He finished well. "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Friday Photos

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago in downtown Tulsa, near a construction site. It looks like they just got tired of painting the wall and quit.

First Corinthians 1:21. One of my favorite verses. God chose to save people through the preaching of His Word. I don't know why He chose that method over any others; but He did. I don't know "how" He saves; but He does.

flickr: Friday Photo Group

Good Gravy!

Man, I really got some people's BVD's in a twist!!!

God is Sovereign, I've Been Tagged

God is Sovereign
The National Founders Conference was at our church (Bethel Baptist- Owasso) this past week. Timmy Brister "live-blogged" the event; the Pyromaniacs were also there "dead-blogging." You can read their perspectives on the NFC here and here.

On Thursday evening, we were informed that wildfires in Florida were threatening the home of Founders' Director, Tom Ascol. In fact, the fire was about a block away from his house. Bill Ascol, Tom's brother and pastor of Bethel, led us in prayer as we asked God to intervene and spare the Ascol's and their neighbor's homes. Brother Ascol appealed to God's sovereignty in the situation; he appealed to God to exercise His power over heaven and earth, acknowledging God's ability to calm storms, wind, etc...and even a wildfire hundreds of miles from our meeting.

Tom reported later that evening in a post to Timmy Brister's blog:

...we received a phone call near the end of the evening session tonight informing us that a brief deluge fell to "knock down" the fire and bring it under control. The following was posted at 9PM Eastern time on a local TV station’s website:

From Connie Barron, City of Cape Coral: "About 10 minutes of heavy rain helped knock down the fire. We will be sending engines home and keeping brush trucks on scene for a few more hours as needed. Burnt Store Road will reopen at 9pm. Residents are being allowed back in their homes."

I live just off of Burnt Store Road. Some church members have told us they have never seen it rain that hard. According to my calculations, that rain began to fall about 45 minutes after your post went up and shortly after the conference prayed.

We are very grateful to the Lord for His mercy in this.

Our God is AWESOME!

I've Been Tagged"Baxter" at Let My Meditation be Pleasing to Him honoured me with a Blogger Reflection Award. Baxter and I met when we began exchanging comments on each other's blog over the past months. The purpose of the "award" is two-fold:

1. Baxter has selected mine as a blog that has "been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted [her] in some way, and [has] been a Godly example to [her]."
2. I am to select five bloggers who have done the same/similar for me, write a paragraph about them, and notify them of my bestowing of the Blogger Reflection Award.

I am humbled by Baxter's accolades. I'm not so sure what part of my blog has been an encouragement...and I'm afraid that I have not always been a Godly example, but I appreciate her kind words. I don't have that many readers/commentors on my blog. That's OK. This is more of a place for me to vent and just put some thoughts and some of my amateur photos "on paper." Many thanks to those of you that stop by from time to time--especially Baxter. I enjoy reading your comments and your blog as well. I like the fact that the NASB is your favorite book! In addition to Baxter, I bestow the Bloger Reflection Award on the following blogs:

1) Joe Thorn is a pastor in the Chicago area. He's younger than me, sees some things differently than I do, but he obviously loves God, his family and his church. I appreciate his honesty and his passion. Plus, he's gotten me interested in photography. I'm still learning. I had the privilege of meeting Joe this week at the National Founders Conference.

2)Happening Cheatwoods is a blog about "a regular family with one purpose: To love Jesus and share him with the world!!" I stumbled on this blog when Jessica commented on a post I'd written about Christians and tattoos. We had an interesting conversation. She has too very cute little boys and a very talented husband. They are a great family to "watch" grow in their love for God and family.

3) Like "Baxter", I read Joel's Thoughts. I'm not sure how I found his blog, but I go there farily regular to read about his wife's battle with cancer. She was recently diagnosed with stage 2 malignant breast cancer. She began chemo back in April, I believe. They would appreciate your prayers. Joel also has a Flickr photo blog that I recently discovered.

4) Slice of Laodicea is a blog I visit most every day. Ingrid Schlueter writes this blog about current trends in the church today, i.e. "seeker-sensitive", "emergent", etc. Some pretty sad stuff sometimes. I am encouraged that there are still people that will stand up for truth found in the Word of God.

5) Founders Blog by Tom Ascol. Tom is the Executive Director of Founders Ministries. I have been encouraged by Tom's gracious spirit and passion to see true, Biblical reformation within Southern Baptist Churches.

A few "honorable mentions":

• FIDE-O Bret Capranica, Jason E. Robertson, Scott Hill, and Gene Cook, Jr. contribute to this blog. Lots of good links on their blogroll. Plenty of interesting/thought-provoking posts.
• Calvinist Gadfly Although no longer being updated, a great place for resources related to Reformed theology.
• Pyromaniacs is a daily stop for the wisdom and wit of Phil Johnson, Dan Phillips, and Frank Turk. Great graphics, too!

Katie Couric/CBS News 20-Year Low Ratings

"Leslie Moonves, CBS chief executive, on Tuesday suggested that sexist attitudes were partly to blame for the faltering performance of Katie Couric, the news anchor he recruited to the network with a $15m annual pay package...I’m sort of surprised by the vitriol against her. The number of people who don’t want news from a woman was startling,” Mr Moonves said of the audience’s reaction to Ms Couric, who this month brought ratings for the CBS Evening News to a 20-year low."

Has anyone at CBS ever considered that maybe--just maybe--people just don't like Katie because she comes across as an angry, snotty, anti-Christian, feminist? Naaahhh!!!

I'm Bored at Lunchtime

Obituary
Some days, I check the obituary section of our daily paper to see if my name is there. It wasn't today...which means there are probably some really disappointed people at work.

Divorce
I work with a guy that has been married and divored twice...to the SAME woman! The way I figure it, if he lost half of his stuff the first divorce, then half of his stuff the second divorce, he only owns one-fourth of his stuff!!! Are you ready for the kicker? They're dating! No wedding plans at this time.

$54 Million Pants
Administrative law Judge Roy Pearson claims to have suffered severe "mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort" because his local cleaners lost his favorite pair of pants. Now he is suing the Korean immigrant couple who own the cleaners for $54 million...even though they have found the pants and have tried to return them to this idiot. Story here. Maybe they'll counter-sue for $75 million!!!

Lame Duck
I'm almost ashamed to admit I voted for "Dubya"...twice!

It's Saturday

Catching up on the News
I've been a slackard this week--blogwise and picture-taking-wise (is that a real term?), that is. Busy week at work. Catching up on a few things:

• Andrew Speaker - idiot TB carrier. STILL a self-centered jerk.
• Paris Hilton - big, cry-baby. Who cares?!
• "Amnesty bill" - died on the Senate floor. Rest in peace!
• Mary Winkler - Tennessee preacher's wife who killed her husband apparently has only about a week to serve of her sentence.¹ There's a story that we'll probably never hear.

Obadiah
On a more serious note, we've began a study last week in our Sunday School class that will take us through most of the "Minor Prophets" during the next three months. Last week, we covered the book of Joel--yep, whole book in one lesson. This week we're looking at Obadiah. I'll be honest, I've never really given much time to the Minor Prophets, so this study will be a learning experience for me as well as the class I teach.

A couple of things that I was not aware of or hadn't really connected.

• The Edomites were direct descendents of Esau, twin brother of Jacob (son of Isaac).
• The name "Edom" refers to the time when Esau asked Jacob for some of the "red stew" he had prepared. (See Genesis 25:29-30)
• The descendents of Jacob (Israel) and Esau (Edom) were perpetual enemies. The Edomites fought with Israel/Judah during the reigns of David, Solomon, Jehoshaphat and Jehoram.
• Around 5 BC, they were forced from an area just below the Dead Sea to an area of southern Palestine where they became known as "Idumeans."
• Herod the Great was an Idumean.
• The Edomites were wiped out in 70 AD, fighting along side the Zealots, when Rome destroyed Jerusalem

The book of Obadiah is God's pronounced judgment on Edom—denouncing their crimes against Judah and foretelling their total destruction. It is also a detailed description of God's sovereignty in exacting judgment. In His time, God avenged Judah and punished the Edomites for their "crimes of war" against God's chosen people. If you want more details of God's judgment...read the book. Fascinating 21 verses.

Obadiah is a solemn reminder to us, that God, in His sovereignty, rules over ALL nations, never forgetting those who are His...and punishing those who dare come against them.

---

¹ Mary Winkler was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter. She was sentenced to three years in prison, but will be eligible for probation after serving 210 days and gets credit for the 143 days she has already spent in jail. The judge in the case said that up to 60 days of the remaining 67 days could be served in a facility whre she could receive mental health treatment. (Source: AP)

Memorial Day

"How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!..." --2 Samuel 1:25
 
Three years ago, we spent our Memorial Day weekend/week in Washington, DC. The World War II memorial was dedicated that same weekend; we visited Mount Vernon, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam and Korean War memorials. We spent some time at the National Archives. On our way home, we stopped at Atietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, MD. ¹

As we visited each of these national monuments, I was in awe of the sacrifices the men and women who founded and fought for this country had made; I am still amazed at the insight and wisdom of the founding fathers as they laid the foundations for this great country we call The United States of America. And I am humbled by the fact that many lives were and are still being given for the privileges we enjoy. This is STILL the best, the GREATEST country on the face of the earth! I am proud to be an American, especially on this day when we pause and consider the price that has been paid for our freedoms. To those who serve in our military and to their families...THANK YOU!

As I think about those great Americans of the past, I am also saddened by the actions and apparent attitudes of our current day lawmakers/national leaders. I don't see the same love of country and fellow man. I see greed and deceit, and it makes me very sad and angry. Lawmakers are more interested in being re-elected than doing the "right thing." Consequently, we get "bridges to nowhere" to the tune of $450 million dollars. We have millions of dollars in low interest loans being doled out under the Terrorist Relief Act to businesses like Dunkin' Donuts in Essex Junction, VA. (The owner claimed the 9/11 attacks affected his business). Medicaid spends millions of dollars on Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs...all at taxpayers expense and all under the "watchful eye" of our dedicated lawmakers (heavy sarcasm). Rather than being men and women of integrity and honesty, we get "public servants" that give us lines such as: "I never inhaled" or "That depends on what the definition of 'is' is" or "This is not amnesty." A far cry from the days of men like Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln.

Today, I am grateful there are still men and women that believe in America. They serve in our military, selflessly giving their time away from home and families, and sometimes giving their lives.

Thank God for "mighty men" (and women).

¹The bloodiest one-day battle in American history, 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862.

Time Stands Still

When you're away from home on vactaion, etc., do you get the feeling that time stands still? I spent last week at my parents house in Florida. I know, it's tough, but someone has to do it. They live in a little town is in the panhandle, about an hour east of Pensacola, and about 45 minutes north of Destin. The town is pretty small; my mom was raised there and my grandparents were founding members of the church my parents attend. The whole time I was there, it was like -- "when I get back home, I'll just pick up where I left off." Doesn't work that way, does it?

Actually, it was a very busy and tiring week; I went to visit my dad who is very ill and to do some things around the house that my parents are no longer physically able to do. It was a good time of just visiting, reminiscing, etc. And after I got the "yard" (2.5 acres!) mowed and trimmed and pressured washed the entire house, I have to admit, the place looked really good.

I wish I'd had time to do some other things around the house, but I only had a week. One of the things I'd really like to have done was clean out the barn. My dad is a PACKRAT with a capital "P!" He saves anything and everything. Nothing gets thrown away. "I might need that someday" or "I'm saving it for parts." He has FOUR old riding lawnmowers (click the photo on the left for a better view) in that barn, none of which will start; two are the same model--none of them identical in make or model to the current working mower (number five)...but he's "saving them for parts." Right.

Sometimes, I really do wish time could stand still. My dad is very sick; he has cancer and other physical problems on top of that. I wish he had more time, but I don't think he does. Time just keeps on--it never stands still--for anyone. No matter where you are.

Idiot Lawyer, My Dad, Friday Photos

Idiot Lawyer
Roy L. Pearson Jr. is an administrative law judge in Washington DC that apparently has a conscience the size of a pea! This guy is a JERK! Seems Judge Pearson dropped off some dry cleaning at his local cleaners back in May 2005. When he went to pick up his laundry, he discovered a pair of suit pants was missing. Pearson demanded the owners of the dry cleaning business--Korean immigrants, Jin Nam Chung, Ki Chung and their son, Soo Chung--replace the suit at the full price of $1000. Several days later, the pants were found, so the owners refused to pay. Although the inseam of the pants matched his measurements AND the ticket on the pants matched his receipt, Pearson claimed the pants were not his. He has filed a lawsuit against the owners to the tune of...are you ready?...$65 MILLION!!! You can read the entire, STUPID story here.

My Dad
My dad and I have never really been close. Maybe it's the difference in our ages...who knows. There was a lot of arguing and yelling growing up. He didn't like the way I dressed, my friends, the way I wore my hair (I think I'm paying for that one now--my hair is getting VERY thin to the point I wear it in a "burr." I'm tired of fighting it.) Funny, I've had similiar discussions with my own children, but none to the extent my dad and I did. I made a vow to myself that I wouldn't talk to my kids the way my dad did, that I wouldn't "exasperate" (see Ephesians 6:4) them the way he did me. I've done OK, I guess. Ryon, Alex and I seem to get along pretty well.

In recent years, my Dad and I have been trying a little harder to get along. He and my Mother live about 800 miles away, so we don't see each other very often, but we talk on the phone from time to time. He is 76 years old...and he has cancer. He was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma around 1998. From what I read and understand, there is no cure for NHL. Dad has fought it back into remission twice, but his body has suffered the effects of the cancer as well as the sometimes aggressive treatments. Recently, he contracted a virus/infection that got into his kidneys and brain. There was some permanent damage to the kidneys; he was hospitalized for approximately two months. Shortly after his release, he had a blood clot in one of his lungs and spent another week in hospital. This have been a very rough year for him--and my Mom.

I'm heading out Sunday after I teach my School School class to spend the week with them. Dad's already got some "chores" lined up for me to do; he walks with a cane now and can't do the outdoor work he used to do. In fact, this is the first year since 1965 he has not planted a garden. For him, that's big deal. I'm looking forward to the time to just sit and visit--to mend some fences and make some memories before the inevitable occurs. He told me when I was talking to him on his 70th birthday: "The Bible says I get 'three-score and ten years', so I guess any time I live beyond that is a pretty good deal." I guess that's not a bad way of looking at it. My Dad knows the Lord; loves His Word. That is comforting to know. I'd appreciate any prayers for safe travel--and say a prayer for my Dad while you're at it.

Friday Photos

Alex is our youngest son. He is our inquisitive child--which can be aggrivating some times. One thing he has going for him, he got his mother's looks.

I'm still playing with this "photography thing." This is my first attempt at shooting "foliage"; it had just quit raining and I took this shot in our front yard. We have some yellow irises planted in the back yard. You can see those on my Flickr page here.

flickr: Friday Photo Group

Let Me Get This Straight

Let me get this straight...rappers and comedians are hereby on notice to clean up their acts because a cranky old white man in a ridiculous hat lost his job??!!! Uh-huh... Could I see a show of hands?

That's what I thought.

I was commenting last week about a guy at work that rubs me the wrong way. Well, as God would have it -- and believe me, HE does -- we've been studying the book of 1 Peter in our Sunday School class while, at the same time, our pastor has been going verse by verse through Ephesians on Sunday evenings. As divine providence would have it, the study in Peter fell at the same time the Pastor was covering Ephesians 6:5-9, applying the passage to work relationships.

I have loved and hated it. I am encouraged as I see God working in my life; I've hated the "side" of me that this study has exposed. I have made a commitment--and with God's help I will succeed--to not allow this man or anyone else or any circumstance dictate how I feel or how I respond to others. So far, God has been very gracious; the past week has been much less stressful. He has given me MULTIPLE opportunities to speak and act kindly when my more human tendency would be to lash out. ("Count it all joy when you face trials of variuos kinds...") My wife has even noticed a difference.

I'm not naive enough to think I've got this thing licked, but so far, it's been a good start.

Some People Just "Grate" On You

There's a guy at work that really rubs me the wrong way. He knows EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING. No matter what you do, he knows a better way to do it. And your way is just dumb. "Why are you doing it THAT way?" He seems to spend more time reviewing, critiquing, and belittling the way everyone does their job instead of doing his own...and the aggravating part is that the president of the company thinks this guy is the greatest thing since sliced bread! The "irritant" is constantly in the president's office bragging about his latest idea or discovery of someone else's mistake (my office is across the hall from the president's, so I hear quite a bit). He is rude, arrogant, deceitful, manipulative, and condescending.

I don't like him...and yet, I am commanded to pray for him and show him the love of Christ.

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:12)

"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..." (Matt 5:44)

Scripture is pretty plain. I'm going to pray for the guy at work...if you're reading this, will you please pray for me?

Busy Week and Illegal Immigration

It's been a very busy week. We sold a huge file for a major refinery project that will keep us busy (along with all the other work) through August 2008. My job entails gathering all the required welding information, and creating "weldmaps" (assigning weld locations) for all the components. I know, it doesn't sound all that exciting, but it pays the bills.

The remainder of the week (evenings) was spent helping my youngest son with a school assignment: building a bridge out of toothpicks. The bridge will be entered in an "engineering competition"; first prize is $100 which is awarded according to the amount of weight the bridge supports before failing i.e. collasping or deflection of the road bed of more than 2 inches. It was a fun project and he thinks he's got a winner...and that's all that really matters.

Call me a "hate-monger." I'm really not, but I'm sure people will think I am. Before I begin my rant, I have to say that one of my best friends is Hispanic (he and his family are here legally). He and I have discussed this topic—we probably don't agree on all the aspects, but we both agree in general that "illegal immigration" is a BIG problem. That said…

The Oklahoma House recently approved a bill (HB 1804) that would address some of the problems we face in our state due to the influx of illegals. The bill must now be approved by the State Senate before being sent to Governor Brad Henry for his signature.

A key element of HB 1804, the Basic Pilot Program, uses federal databases to determine work eligibility. Oklahoma would be among the first in the nation to enroll in the program, and employers would be required to use the database system to confirm employees' legal status.

The bill's author, Rep. Randy Terrill (R-Moore), says there are five major components to the bill:

• Ending identity theft by restricting access to government identification and information
• Stopping voter fraud by requiring proof of citizenship
• Ending taxpayer subsidies for illegal aliens
• Enhancing law enforcement so that state and local law enforcement will be able to detain and hold illegal aliens
• Penalties for employers who knowingly employ illegal aliens.
• Enhancing law enforcement so that state and local law enforcement will be able to detain and hold illegal aliens.
• Penalties for employers who knowingly employ illegal aliens.

The Center for Immigration Studies reports that, in 2002, illegal aliens cost the federal government (i.e. taxpayers) more than $23.6 BILLION while paying in only $16 billion in taxes! Where are those tax-payer dollars going? According to the study, $2.5 billion went to Medicaid; $2.2 billion to treatment for the uninsured; $1.9 billion to food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches; $1.6 billion to the federal prison and court systems; and $1.4 billion to federal aid to schools. A billion here, a billion there...and pretty soon we're talking REAL MONEY!!! Granted, SOME taxes were paid by illegals, but the amount going OUT is way more than what is coming IN! (And keep in mind, these are 2002 figures!)

Some people will argue that we should give amnesty to the illegals, which would then (they believe) eliminate some of the costs since they would supposedly be paying more of their "fair share" of taxes. However, according the CIS: "...[when all] costs are considered, illegal households created a net fiscal deficit at the federal level of more than $10 billion in 2002. We also estimate that, if there was an amnesty for illegal aliens, the net fiscal deficit would grow (emphasis mine) to nearly $29 billion." For more of the CIS study, click here.

So what can be done? If you live in Oklahoma, contact your State Senator and urge him/her to support HB 1804. If you don't know who your Senator is, VoteSmart.org can help.

Additional information on HB 1804:
Jurist Legal News and Research
HB 1804 actual text of bill

Thanks, Al

I am indebted to Al Gore for inventing the Internet. Because of this amazing technology, this morning:

• I was able to read email from a couple of family members that live out of state.
• I also went to an electronics store's website and checked the availability of some "earbuds" I'm wanting to buy today.
• I went to a local bookstore's website and checked the time for a book signing they are hosting this afternoon.
• I checked out a couple of blogs that I hit on a regular basis (Another candidate has thrown his hat into Presidential ring. He gets my vote.)
• I can look up general information on sites like Wikipedia, or if I'm looking for something more specific, such as a sermon by Charles Spurgeon, I can find that here.

Thanks, Al.

Saw a very disappointing thing on the news last night: a man I used to be associated with was arrested for allegedly making sex proposals online (an obvious down-side to the Internet). He was charged in a county court for attempted abduction of a minor for lewd purposes. Authorities say he thought he was chatting online to a 13-year-old girl. (Turns out it was a concerned citizen posing as a child to lure predators. Police call them "cyber vigilantes.")

I don't get it--what was this guy thinking? I guess he's never seen Dateline's "To Catch a Predator." Now he's been publicly exposed as a predator and lost his job. This will probably destroy his marriage. All because he decided to "talk dirty" to a child and then made the stupid decision to meet the teenager for the purpose of having sex with her. Part of me is glad he got caught--maybe now he'll get some help. (By the way, I think he should be punished; he DID break the law.) Maybe his story will scare others and they will think twice before acting out their "fantasies." Another part of me feels pity for him--I'm praying for him to repent and turn to God.

Justice

Had this story occured in the USA, the muggers would have been granted immunity in exchange for their testimony, while their victims were jailed and more than likely sued by the families of the attackers because their "civil rights" had been violated.