Voice of Volition

Who's Behind The Oil Game

2006-04-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

O'Reilly says "You Are Being Gouged by U.S. Oil Companies", while I agree with much in his article, I'm not really sure about the U.S. Oil Companies part. I do believe they are making solid profits and companies should be allowed to do so in a free market economy. The real culprits O'Reilly nails in his piece:

Every time the commodities speculators bid up a barrel of oil, the price of a barrel of oil, every time they bid it up, you pay more at the pump. It has nothing to do with supply and demand. It's all about exploiting fears about Iran, terrorism, what might happen down the road.

And their are the culprits - the commodities speculators. I've felt for some time that these are the guys really making the most money off of the American people. The price of gas has absolutely nothing to do with cost of production and delivery. It's that third man part that I don't understand, but intend to find out more.

I've heard the arguments about gas being cheap when you factor in the value of the dollar vs what it was in 1980's, 1990's etc. But my wages have certainly NOT kept up with the price of gasoline. For me it's not an issue of I can't go to the movies or the lake or take that big vacation - I literally can't pay my bills. My budget is based off of income that hasn't moved up in the last 6 years, but all of my expenses do increase and nothing compares to what has happened in the area of fuel and energy costs.

While I adamantly oppose Sen. Durbin's proposal, I do feel that something needs to happen to reduce the speculating market. This is a drain on real earned dollars in the economy and basically it's a small number of people consuming and controlling large amounts on dollars in our economy. This can't possibly be healthy. I know it's not for me.

Follow Mexico's Lead

2006-04-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

Since Mexico wants to tell us how we should handle immigration, I think we should follow their lead. Actions speak louder than words, so let's follow their example. AP News reports:

TULTITLAN, Mexico (AP) -- Considered felons by the government, these migrants fear detention, rape and robbery. Police and soldiers hunt them down at railroads, bus stations and fleabag hotels. Sometimes they are deported; more often officers simply take their money.

I'm sure there's some reason that Mexico should be exempt from it's own arrogant demands, but I doubt it will be much more than a lame excuse.

Mental Illness - What mental illness?

2006-04-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

Over at the post-trib.com as linked by Drudge, there's an article "Bush death threat tied to PU student". Seems that a teaching assistant/student was posting messages over at Yahoo wanting to kill Bush, Cheney, and all Republicans. He suggested people should attack and rape American and British women. Of course his lawyer says, it was just talk - he didn't mean it - he didn't want to really follow through with it. The student, Buddhi from India, had this to say:

Buddhi was arrested Friday and told investigators he is not suffering from any mental illnesses nor is he taking any illegal or prescription drugs.

Yeah, right. RATIONAL people who disagree don't want to kill each other - it's called communication. I can understand being frustrated with the government, that's part of being in a democracy, but it's NEVER a reason to resort to suggesting this type or any type of violence. I understand the anonymity of the internet can empower people to say things they wouldn't during "normal" conversations, but come on guys - how 'bout some sanity.

Success is color-blind

2006-04-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

What a great story from the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, "Black business owners on rise"; here's an excerpt:

The report, "Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Firms: 2002," says that between 1997 and 2002, the number of black-owned businesses in the United States rose 45 percent to 1.2 million, while the combined revenue increased 25 percent to $88.8 billion.

The fact that the report is specifically highlighting black advances in economic terms speaks volumes and gives a great light of hope that there are many in the black community who are throwing off the victim mentality and taking control of their own futures. It's also great news for our country that citizens are realizing they can't depend on a corporation or the government to provide for them. We have an economy that allows you to set your own goals and with some tenacity and enginuity, we can all contribute to a stronger nation and society.

The Truth Would Help

2006-04-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

In an AP report on Yahoo 'Moussaoui: No Regret, No Remorse', there's an interesting line:

At several points during his afternoon testimony, Moussaoui acknowledged that he has lied when it has suited his interests throughout the course of his four-year case.

At LittleGreenFootballs, they have a blog 'CBS Poll: Sinking Perceptions of Islam' - nice post and worth a read. Seems like theirs is a take on Robert Spencer's article at Jihad Watch, but I'd like to add another suggestion to improve Islam's image:

6. STOP lying

Maybe it's acceptable in Arab-Muslim countries to lie and say you are a follower of God, but it doesn't fly here in the west. If you are going to lie to server your own self interest, then we assume that you will always put yourself before others regardless of what you say with your lips. When lying becomes acceptable behavior, then those who accept it will never be believed.

Failure To Grasp The Language

2006-04-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

The continued coverage of the illegal alien marches really makes me realize that the mainstream media just doesn't get that their job is to communicate facts, not sway public opinion. Last night on CNN, I think it was the 360 report, did a "feature" on an illegal alien family and how they were the Cleavers but just spoke spanish. I mean, who wouldn't want these people to be your neighbors - right?!

But look folks, words mean things. If you steal something, you are a thief - doesn't matter if it was one item or a hundred. The term thief doesn't differentiate between accomplished thiefs or just beginning thiefs. If you tell a lie - you are a liar. The term liar doesn't differentiate between white lies and purple lies and green lies.

If you are driving down the road and you hit someone else's car - you will receive a ticket for "failing to control speed to avoid and accident". You can argue the other person was driving dangerously, the weather impeded your view, a cat jumped across your windshield - whatever - the FACT is that you've hit someone elses car and if you had been driving at a speed in which you could have stopped, you would have avoided the accident. It's not a defensable ticket 99% of the time.

If there is a law that says you can't enter our country without a visa and once that visa is expired you must leave - and you ignore, object to, hate the thing, protest the issue - whatever - you have still broken the law. You are in effect a law breaker, i.e. a CRIMINAL. Criminals are people who break the law. If you have to avoid the police to do what you are doing, then you are a criminal. That is the FACT of the matter - if you don't want to be considered a criminal, then don't break the law. Argue your point, tell us why you should be given an exception or why we should change the law - but arguing about whether you are criminal is a waste of breath. If it hurts your feelings to be called that, then don't break the law.

There are LEGAL ways in which to come into this country and the U.S. liberally allows true IMMIGRANTS to come to this country every year. They are immigrants. People who come here by avoiding the police are illegal aliens, criminals, and fugitives of justice.

For those caring the signs demanding immigrant justice - here's how YOU can get justice without having to march and demand it. Take a bus, taxi, car, train, or just walk to the nearest INS office and tell them that you are an illegal alien in this country and that you demand that they apply the law to you as they would ANY legal citizen in this country. You will be taken before a judge whereby upon determing that you are in this country illegally, they will ensure the law is enforced for you and deport you on the next plane or bus to your home country. That sir is justice. Justice is justice when it the law is applied to and enforced with everyone. When I get ticket for breaking the law by speeding, I have to pay a ticket. I don't march for my right to speed because I don't like the law and it inhibits my pursuit of my need for speed. When you break the law by illegaly entering this country, you receive a free ticket back to your country of origin.

What you SHOULD be ASKING for is MERCY. Mercy is NOT receiving what you fully deserve. The law demands that you be deported, that is what you deserve. Freedom is not free. Earn the privilege to become a citizen by first and foremost showing respect for the law. If you are going to try and nuance the term criminal - I'm simply not going to trust you. Then ASK, ever so kindly to be considered for entry into this country. Follow the proper procedures, show respect for those who in charge of those procedures, learn to speak english, learn about our country and don't call everyone in our a country a racist because we simply want you to follow the law. If you don't respect our laws, then why do you want to be here?

Words mean something. English words mean something. Make sure you know what they mean BEFORE you start using them.

Rights Rallies

2006-04-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why the news media is portraying these demonstrations as "Rights Rallies", they are anything but. Since illegal aliens don't have any rights it's rather absurd to demand what you quite literally don't have a right to. Considering how much the U.S. has already given to those who have broken our laws - free healthcare, free education, a better life than they could ever hope for in their real homeland - you would think they would be out expressing gratitude instead of making demands.

Truth be told, I'd probably been willing to live with a compromise - but after having seen the demonstrations and heard all the ingratitude and the demands; well forget it. Lock down the border and take action against the employers of the illegal alians. They can write "We are NOT criminals" on their signs all day, but if you break the law you ARE a criminal.

Liberals and the Law

2006-04-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Ann Coulter's article on the liberals and how they abuse the law when they can work it to their advantage and despise it when it's used against them. Great biting satire!!!

Phantom Bush

2006-04-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

David Limbaugh has a great article on the insanity of the left and how they can't decide whether Bush is a maniacal genius or a dimwit puppet.

Democrats, like senators Leahy and Feingold, keep warning about a breakdown in our constitutional checks and balances. But the truth is: They still work just fine. What they're really mad about is that they're out of power as a result of democratic elections, and it is they who are seeking to upset the constitutional distribution of power.

I've always thought that the lefts characterization of Bush is a direct insult on the American people. Basically, they've turned me off to any hope of voting for them because they think I'm stupid. I'm sorry, but I don't give the time of day to people who don't respect me. But what can I expect from the party of disrespect and no ideas.

Immigration IS a National Security Issue

2006-04-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

Great undercover work by Vital Perspective attending a meeting of the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition.

The cries of racism, cultural pride, chasing the American dream - it's all a farce. If these people, who DO NOT LOVE OUR COUNTRY are allowed to make immigration policy, our country is in great peril. If we give them victory here, it will only embolden them to demand more. Once you capitulate to criminals, they keep coming back for more.

Democracy is not, and never can be - mob rule - or it will not survive.

I don't believe all illegal immigrants subscribe to the rants of A.N.S.W.E.R., but by working with them they are supporting their cause. When we dance with the devil, sooner or later he comes to ask for payback.

If those illegals who are marching in the streets would take that same passion back to their own countries and march against corruption, sane economic policy, and true monetary reform - they could bring about a revitalization of their own countries. Don't come here demanding what you do not demand from your own government. How can you march in "pride" of your culture, when your culture has left millions in poverty while continuing to support corrupt and inept governments. After seeing who you've put into power in your own countries, I don't want you to have the ability to elect officials here - you just don't have a good track record. It's not an issue of race, it's an issue of fact - history does not lie. Fix your own countries issues, before you come preaching to us about how immoral and wrong we are.

Contact Your Representatives

2006-04-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone is listening - listening, listen....

You can find your U.S. Representative from here: http://www.house.gov/
And you can find your U.S. Senator from here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Immigration doesn't need reformation, it needs enforcement. It's not a race issue, it's a security issue. It's not a human rights issue, it's a legal issue.

Don't let the cries of racism and the cries of humanitarianism drown out the wisdom of secure borders and respect for the law. The U.S. HAS a humane immigration policy and a mechanism by which guest workers could be allowed in - we don't need additional laws, we need them enforced. If industries need more workers and qualified americans cannot be found, then they should lobby congress for additional visas just like the computer industry and the engineering industry. Just because people might be manual laborers doesn't mean we should give them a different standard.

Bloggers Views on Romney's Health Care State

2006-04-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

I've been quite surprised at the conservative blogosphere's reaction to Romney's Health Care State. Looking at AnkleBitingPundits, BulldogPundit writes:

Healthcare will likely be the most important domestic issue in the 2008 race, and if this law proves successful, it will give Romney a huge advantage.

Maybe for BP - but not for me. Of all the issues this middle-income person has to deal with, this is NOT my major presidential concern. I DON'T WANT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TAKE CARE OF ME. I will NEVER vote for a presidential candidate who advocates FORCING me to spend my dollars like this.

So, as I say, I don't know one way or another if this law will work out or not, although I'm skeptical of government getting involvement in almost anything. But, at first blush it doesn't appear to be 100% bad, and politically it can only help Romney.

Per my above comments, I can't disagree more. I have even LESS respect for Romney after this move than before.

I do like the idea of making everyone purchase some type of health insurance because the cost of treating uninsured people is one of the factors drives up the cost for everyone else, as reflected in the annual premium increases.

The primary reason health care costs go up is because of lawsuit abuse which needs IMMEDIATE attention from capital hill. This is the very thing the federal government could do something about. Why the state governments haven't dealt with this, I do not know. ANY state which would pass tort reform in medical malpractice would become an instant magnet for physicians who want to focus on practicing medicine and making a decent profit.

For the record - I do NOT have health insurance. I make too much to qualify for any state or federal assistance and not enough to be able to afford it and actually be able to put groceries on the table and gold - I mean gas - in my gas tank. I do not STICK my medical bills on the physicians I use, I pay for my services as I go. If it was critical care and way beyond my means, they might not get paid in lump sum, but they'd still get paid. There is certainly a risk of medical care needs beyond my means, but then again - the type of insurance I could probably obtain wouldn't help then either would it @!?

I also like the part about having to pay a premium for non-critical emergency room care. Too many people use the ER as their main source of health care, something that drives costs way up.

I've had to go to the ER before and I would never go unless it was an absolute emergency. Anyone using the ER for colds and such is just an idiot. If they don't have insurance, they should be looking into health clinics or finding a local physician who can actually see sick people. I think many people use ER's because it's almost impossible to see a physician when you are actually sick - you have to have an appointment. I don't usually schedule my sickness, I'm not sure why physicians think you should. Regardless, the cost of ER service is already astronomical - adding a premium for the service should be a decision by the private business running the hospital NOT the government.

At any rate, using the ER isn't the biggest issue driving premiums up. Doctors and hospitals are negotiating for payment of services. Obviously those people want to get paid for ALL of their services so just like retail stores with theft, you spread your losses over the people who actually pay for goods and services. Those of us WITHOUT insurance pay an INORDINATE amount of that cost because we don't have the ability to negotiate fee schedules. So, those least able to pay a premium are stuck with the premium while those more able to absorb it get off with incremental increases.

So BulldogPundit - I just don't get your take on Romney's position. If I lived in Mass. I'd be renting a moving truck right now. As long as there's a state which rejects socialism, I'll avoid the one's who embrace it.

Islam is NOT a Religion

2006-04-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

I've come to believe that Islam is not really a religion anymore. It's really just a political tool for those in power to control the masses and for those not in power to manipulate the masses. In breaking news from CNN:

Three suicide bombers on Friday struck a Baghdad mosque affiliated with a major Shiite political party, killing at least 40 people and wounding 130 others, police said.

There should be LOUD cries of outrage from all over the Muslim world that attacking innocent citizens is against Islamic teaching. But I suspect it will be extremely quiet. In this incident it could have been Al Queda trying to create a civil war in Iraq - which, by the way, wouldn't last very long since the Sunni's are EXTREMELY outnumbered. It's an idiotic idea anyway - think about it. If you start a civil war and the Shiite's win, then they Sunnis are eliminated, the new government forms without any opposition and then all of the governments resources and energies can be focused on knocking off Al Queda. At the end of the day Al Queda is run by idiots, but then again this should not be a surprise because criminals are stupid regardless of what country they live in.

Another option is that this is Sunni revenge on Shiite revenge, which again is just plain stupid. The Shiite way outnumber the Sunni and they really don't stand a chance and their ONLY hope is to help form a SECULAR government so that a different interpretation of Islam can't be used against them.

I think ultimately, this is why the Muslim world remains silent. All of them want to be able to use violence to eradicate the other side whenever they want. So, if they speak out, then they would take that option of the table for themselves. In the end, it doesn't matter whether this was Al Queda, Sunni's or just personal vendetta - it's all about power and NOT about religion. The Sunnis, Shiites and Al Queda are all apostates of their own "faith" because they use the name of their god to destroy people who don't agree with them. They'd make it all simpler if they'd drop the religious overtones and just duke it out like all the other criminal despots of the world.

Iraq, Iran, Syria, Indonesia, Sudan, Al Queda - congratulations, you guys have joined together to prove to the world that Islam has no answers for what ails mankind. You just made my job that much easier.

Jesus - Ice Walker

2006-04-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, so was this a government funded study?

A drop in temperature below freezing could have caused ice -- thick enough to support a human -- to form on the surface of the freshwater lake near the western shore, Nof said. It might have been nearly impossible for distant observers to see a piece of floating ice surrounded by water.

This Reuters report makes me wonder why people can have faith in everything they cannot see except GOD...

Nanny State

2006-04-04T17:44:00.000-07:00

In this AP report Mass. Lawmakers OK Mandatory Health Bill,

If all goes as planned, poor people will be offered free or heavily subsidized coverage; those who can afford insurance but refuse to get it will face increasing tax penalties until they obtain coverage; and those already insured will see a modest drop in their premiums.

I can't believe ANY citizen would want this; the government FORCING you to spend your money a particular way. I would hope the citizens of Massachusetts will be up in arms and fight this ludicrousness - but somehow I doubt that.

When Mitt Romney signs this bill he signs away his chance at being a Republican President - this is political suicide. Talk about governmental intrusion. Almost as scary is this:

One goal of the bill is to protect $385 million pledged by the federal government over each of the next two years if the state can show it is on a path to reducing its number of uninsured.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has threatened to withhold the money if the state does not have a plan up and running by July 1.

Somehow, I don't think this is what the federal government had in mind when they wanted the state to reduce the number of uninsured. I don't think the government should be in the business of taking away people's rights.

Setting Up Blogs

2006-03-31T19:25:00.000-08:00

Wow, I started this earlier in the day and now it's almost 9:30pm cst and I'm just now finishing up. While I haven't been at this non-stop, it still took some time. Besides the standard blogspot stuff, I also setup a Technorati account, Blogrolling account, a FeedBurner account, and a HaloScan account.

Technorati is like a giant blog search engine like google to the web.

Blogrolling let me setup an easy to manage list of blogs I keep an eye on. This is much easier than editing the BlogSpot template every time you want to update your link list.

FeedBurner lets you setup RSS feed/subscription from your site. It has a smartfeed(tm) program which senses the type of reader you are using and gives you the appropriate feed.

HaloScan is basically an enhanced comments system which lets you have better control over posting and it gives the added feature of trackbacks which are not natively supported in BlogSpot.

A lot of work, so I'll have to figure out a way to pay myself for the effort :)

2006-03-31T18:42:00.000-08:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

McKinney Redefines Excessive Force

2006-03-31T16:25:00.000-08:00

Oh, the power of words!!! Fox News is reporting on McKinney's press conference and her lawyers suggestion that the police used excessive force:

"Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, like thousands of average Americans across this country, is, too, a victim of the excessive use of force by law enforcement officials because of how she looks and the color of her skin," James W. Myart Jr. said.

Ok, so now we are going to redefine "excessive use of force" to include just stopping her by grabbing her arm/shoulder?

McKinney is quoted as saying:

"This whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and stopping of me, a female black congresswoman."

Which of course, redefines "inappropriate touching" which is usually a phrase to suggest something of a sexual nature. A police officer can grab you and stop you and this is not inappropriate. Just because you are a female black congresswoman doesn't mean you are exempt from the law.

This is really foolish on both accounts. First off, if we are going to say that police grabbing your arm is excessive use of force, then what will keep police from just cracking you over the head with a baton instead. I mean if you're gonna get rapped for doing something so little as this - then make sure you make it count. Secondly, if we are going to call this inappropriate touching, then every male in America is guilty. Just the other day I touched a lady to get her attention because she dropped something and last week I put my hand on a guy's back because he was blocking the aisle at the store - I guess you should lock me up too.

If they could only understand how silly and foolish they look when they say these things and how they make a mockery of the very men and women working to protect them on the hill. Even more than that, they make a mockery out of legitimate cases of "inappropriate touching" and "excessive force". Will the people in Georgia see Ms. McKinney for who she really is and send her packing in the next election? I hope so. I also hope that the capital police follow through and file charges.

Folks you can only cry "wolf" so many times and people just stop listening...

Racism Invasion

2006-03-31T15:13:00.000-08:00

Michelle Malkin says McKinney Plays the Race Card, which is putting it very politely.

This is an example of my Death of Racism rant I blogged earlier. The racism problem in this country is so bad, we must have backslid 200 years! If you can please explain why members of congress of particular skin color are exempt from following security procedures, then I'm sure I can understand how this is racism. If ANYONE dashes past a security checkpoint at capital hill and the police did NOT do something, then heads would be rolling. You can't have exceptions. If you have a meeting, don't be late and if you are late, just be late and don't blame other people for you lack of planning. She had a cell phone, she could have called her office and had someone contact whoever the meeting was for.

Save the racism charges for something worth fighting for.

Illegal Immigration and National Security

2006-03-31T12:42:00.000-08:00

In my previous post on the Death of Racism, I talked about how the word "racism" has lost is power because of it's abuse. What does that have to do with illegal immigration? Well - because the Latinos, their lobbyist, and the politicians who want to purchase their votes are attempting to squash legitimate debate by throwing down the "discrimination" and "racism" cards.

In my opinion it's not an issue of discrimination or racism - in fact, no one on the "enforce the law" side of the debate is concerned about the nationality of illegal immigrants. The point is to enforce the law REGARDLESS of the immigrants race - they are breaking the law. Whether they are Haitian, Cuban, Mexican, African, Chinese, or Russian doesn't matter.

Ed Morrissey at Captains Quarters has a post "Illegals to Americans: We Hate Americans" that has links to the extremist views held by some Mexicans who want to take back the southwestern U.S. Maybe I'm missing something, but people who want to take over American land are not immigrants, they are invaders. That means this is a national security issue.

The argument that we can't export 11 million illegal aliens masked the very issue - why did we allow them to get here in the first place. Who was NOT enforcing the laws to create the issue. But if we would simply enforce the existing laws and fine the companies that hire illegals, the illegal immigrants would leave on their own accord. If the statistics are correct, they are here for the jobs - the money - so they can send it back to their relatives in whatever country they are from. If there is no money to be had, they will go elsewhere to find work.

The argument that we need a responsible process is bogus. We DO have a responsible process, the problem is the 11 million who think they are above the law and don't have to follow the rules. The immigrants are not the ones who should be determining how many people our economy can absorb, that should be our own elected government.

The real issues in the debate should be national security and the economy - the racism and discrimination camps should simply be laughed off the national stage. It belittles those who are truly fighting actual racism and discrimination and makes their jobs even harder in convincing people that racism needs to be addressed.

Death of Racism

2006-03-31T07:45:00.000-08:00

Racism

The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
Discrimination or prejudice based on race

American Heritage Dictionary

Words are extremely powerful tools which are able to move large objects or stop large objects depending on your intent. Because we use words so frequently we often forget the ramifications of words hastily uttered or words used in wrong context or many other foot-in-mouth scenarios. When you want to affect change, inspire people, demotivate people or the like, you have to consider the powerful impact words can have.

Consider the term "release" used most recently by the Christian Peacemakers Team upon the rescue of their own from Iraqi terrorist criminals. A small word, but it spoke volumes about what they believed and how they viewed the soldiers who freed them. The backlash was swift and their attempt to smooth over the issue was seen as the half-hearted gesture it was.

Today, I suggest that the word "racism" is for the most part - dead. At one time it truly meant something significant as the American Heritage Dictionary suggests. However, it's become just another discarded empty word - filler if you will such as ummm, or uhhh, or just fill in your favorite or not so favorite four letter word. I'm not suggesting that racism itself is dead - it will forever live on as long as there are races on this planet. So, here are the reasons why I believe "racism" the word is dead.

First of all, when a word no longer means the same thing when different people use it - then the word has lost its meaning. If the purpose of words is communication, then everyone in the conversation should understand the words being used or communication doesn't occur. For many people, the term "racism" has its historical meaning - but these days the word is used to stifle dialogue when it benefits the one side (generally the minority). It's a fear tactic to silence logic and reason in what should be a rational debate.

Secondly, a word loses its meaning when its use is expanded to an extreme. If every time a minority is offended by someone of another color calls it racism, then racism simply means to be offended by someone of another race. If every time a minority doesn't get their way in a political argument its racism, then racism simply means to not have sufficient votes to have my way. If every time there's a sports event and a minority is not represented on the field it's racism, then racism simply means the best athletes competed at the expense of diversity.

I'm sure there are more ways a word can lose its meaning and thus its value, but these two are more than sufficient to put the nail in the coffin to any word. We are at a place in American society where we are willing to defame individuals in order to obtain our own personal political agenda. Whether we feel like we are "owed" something by those we are at odds with or not, such short-sighted tactics have a long-term price we are surely not willing to pay. If every time we go to discuss topics of immigration, welfare, healthcare and a host of over issues, the "racism" charge gets thrown onto the table - then constructive dialog will never occur. Rather than being a term which should evoke personal introspection, racism has become a term of personal attack which throws up a wall preventing anything constructive from occurring.

For those who have been victims of racism, I am genuinely saddened by such heartless acts of humanity. But the reality is that those experiences of REAL racism are made even worse by the death blows to the word when it’s used so liberally and without thought. The term used to bring shame on its target, now it’s used so often it simply brings shame on its user. No one believes it anymore. And that's the real shame, because once a word dies - what it stood for is believed to be dead. The short-sided abuse of the term will ultimately lead to the long-term resurgence of racism because people just get tired of being beaten for no reason. Any hope of genuine dialog on the issue is gone because of the disingenuous nature of those who've abused the term.

My First Post

2006-03-31T07:19:00.000-08:00

For a while I've been an avid blog reader - mostly in the political spectrum - but today I decided I needed a venue to at least voice my personal convictions and my own take on the world around me. So, I headed to blogger to setup my own blog.

I'll be remaining anonymous, NOT because I'm embarrassed of my own opinions or because I'm fearful of someone - but because of my position in the community. I am a Pastor somewhere in the great midwest and I would never preach politics to my congregation, although I do preach personal responsibility for civic involvement. Because I do NOT want my opinions to be viewed as the endorsed view of my denomination or the church I pastor, I will take on the cloak of secrecy and take any condemnation that ensues.

If anyone reads this blog - great - if not, it'll be my personal way of walking outside and yelling and then returning to my daily responsibilities while maintaining my personal conviction of political neutrality as I perform my sacred duties.