eeeeEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

-

Cate recently posted on her blog about her infatuation with the new MacBook Air. (there was also a fun quiz concerning addiction to products that are distinctly Apple...I was only 16% addicted...she was 86%....Daniel was 81%...very amusing that she's more addicted than Daniel)

The MacBook Air's cheapest model starts at $1799 (from Apple's online store). Not only that, it's not significantly powerful when compared to other computers out there. (the catchy thing is that it's ultra thin)

I, in the meantime, have an infatuation with something slightly different:

The Asus Eee

Now, the top of the line model of the Eee can be found for about $399 over at NewEgg.com. The lower end model is only about $299. That means that you can get 4 top of the line Eee's or 6 low end Eee's for the cost of one MacBook Air. (Not including tax!) Now, of course, the Eee is nowhere near as powerful or even quite as thin as the MacBook Air, but it is a lot smaller. Also, the Eee natively runs a Linux OS (the Xandros distribution apparently), but it comes bundled with XP drivers and instructions on how to install Windows XP if you want. It can even handle compiz-fusion without difficulty!

It's a pretty cool little computer. It's no laptop or desktop replacement and the keyboard's pretty tiny, but it's got a lot of cool potential. Apparently, it's already shipped around 350,000 worldwide, and they're expecting to sell 3 to 5 million this year. There are even rumors of a touchscreen model in the works!! (that would be pretty cool)

At any rate, it's a toy. A pretty cool toy. I have to admit, I've been a little infatuated with them since I first heard about them. I even conned Daniel into buying one for himself. (That's where I got the above picture) He's working on turning it into his mail server. In the meantime though, when I go over to his place, I'm totally stealing it to play with. I'm almost afraid of the crazy things I might try to do with one... I really want to set it up with a remote desktop interface to my Mythbox. Maybe even add some sort of IR broadcaster, and make it an all in one living room remote control device. (I would try to make it a portable combination video skype phone, web browser/email checker, All-In-One Remote Control, guest computer living room device)

Unfortunately though, there is something else that is about $400 dollars that I want more that stands in its way: an iPhone. (Lilly and I are trying to save up to buy ourselves each one of those...hehe) Until that problem is remedied, I'm afraid I will be Eeeless.

It's another nice thing to wish for though, right up there with the double 21+" flat panel monitors for my desk, the house, or the trans-fryer truck I want to buy. (the trans-fryer truck is a diesel based Avalanche modded for vegetable oil...unfortunately, Chevy apparently doesn't make a diesel based Avalanche...doh! I'll end up having to just settle for some other kind of diesel SUV or truck to convert to running vegetable oil...) Of course, the Eee is a lot less expensive...and therefore much more likely. hehe... I'll have to go into the vegetable oil thing another time...

At any rate, I've ranted long enough now, and, so, I'm off. 'Night!

** UPDATE **
I just found a good Asus Eee review over at Tom's Hardware. Here's the link.

"The diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and would help considerably in the development of agriculture of the countries which use it."

- Rudolf Diesel - 1911 (source: wikiquote.org

The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time.


- Rudolf Diesel - 1911 (source: wikiquote.org

"My wife, Annie, came to me and said, 'Hey, I want to buy this car that runs on vegetable oil,' and I was a little skeptical naturally," he said. "But she did. She bought a [diesel] Volkswagen Jetta. It ran so well on vegetable oil - clean running, good gas mileage - I bought a [diesel] Mercedes. I was sold."

- Willie Nelson (source: Willie Nelson's biofueled bus - CNNMoney.com)
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A Well Written Article on Real ID

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In case you haven't heard about it, Real ID is an act congress passed about (I think) 3 years ago that mandates the creation of a standardized, centralized, drivers license and database.

Proponents argue that it's necessary to fight illegal immigration and terrorism. (We're losing our Constitutional rights one by one in the name of both) Opponents argue that it's a National ID card in disguise, and that there are severe privacy concerns. 17 states have already passed legislature rejecting it, and 22 others are considering or in the process of passing such legislature. Some are doing it because of the cost. Others because they might actually care about their citizen's privacy. (I don't really see that as a motivating factor though because I don't think the politicians in our country actually do care about that...) At any rate, this article is a pretty good summation of the situation.

Incidentally, presidential candidate, Ron Paul, has written an article (in May, 2005) about the evils of it as well.

Terrorism is the excuse given for virtually every new power grab by the federal government, and the national ID is no exception. But federal agencies have tried to create a national ID for years, long before the 9/11 attacks. In fact, a 1996 bill sought to do exactly what the REAL ID Act does: transform state drivers' licenses into de facto national ID cards. At the time, Congress was flooded with calls by angry constituents, and the bill ultimately died.

Proponents of the REAL ID Act continue to make the preposterous claim that the bill does not establish a national ID card. This is dangerous and insulting nonsense. Let's get the facts straight: The REAL ID Act transforms state motor vehicle departments into agents of the federal government. Nationalizing standards for drivers' licenses and birth certificates in a federal bill creates a national ID system, pure and simple. Having the name of your particular state on the ID is meaningless window dressing.

- Ron Paul (source: Article by Ron written in May, 2005)

Rambo......FOUR

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I want to start this post by saying first that, until tonight, I had never seen a whole Rambo movie. I think I've seen the end of one, and a few scenes from others before, but that's about it. Tonight though, that changed...

We went and saw the latest installment of Rambo. It was bloody, and it was gory. The acting wasn't anything special, but, all in all, it was exactly the kind of movie it was supposed to be. There's a perfect word to describe such a movie: craptacular

It was certainly all of that.

It was probably the most gory film I've ever seen. That includes The Passion of the Christ. The most horrible part about it though is that, in those parts of the world, these things are real. Sure, there's probably no "John Rambo", but the horrific things that the Burmese soldiers were doing to the villagers were not overstating things. Apparently, this was Stallone's intention going into the filming of it.

Having read some of the material in the news over the last few months concerning Burma, I knew as we watched it (and Lilly also) about the horrible truth it was showing. That's hard. It's one thing to watch a movie where there's fake blood and fake killing. It's something totally different to watch a movie where the violence is rendered as accurately as possible. Rambo was a really good medium for telling that kind of story. Personally, I think it was done pretty well.

I don't want to spoil the ending, but I would like to add that it was not anywhere near as cheesy as Independence Day or some other movies we see. It was good.

Anyways, that was our evening, with the exception that Daniel bought us and Brian steaks out at Outback afterwards. Good times and good food were had by all. (Daniel was buying us steak as a thank you for helping with his move...)

Now, I'm off to bed though. Good night.

William Wilberforce: "No one of our age has ever taken power."
Pitt the Younger: "Which is why we're too young to realize certain things are impossible. Which is why we will do them anyway."

- Amazing Grace

"Many have puzzled themselves about the origin of evil. I am content to observe that there is evil, and that there is a way to escape from it, and with this I begin and end."

- John Newton source, wikiquote.org

"The love I bear Christ is but a faint and feeble spark, but it is an emanation from himself: He kindled it and he keeps it alive; and because it is his work, I trust many waters shall not quench it."

- John Newton source, wikiquote.org

The Exploding Water Pump...

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The title probably makes our event of the day seem a little more dramatic than it actually was. More accurately, it should be "The Leaking All Over the Inside of the Engine Compartment Water Pump". I though the one I went with would be shorter...

As you may have figured out by now though, we had car problems today. It started with a "Low Coolant" light about a block away from where Lilly works. I dropped her off, figuring I could probably nurse the car (assuming it was a mild leak) all the way from downtown Garland to Mesquite where I work. About 2 blocks later, the steam coming out from under the hood said, "Not so fast!", and I was quickly nursing the poor Pontiac back to Lilly's workplace.

A few phone calls, and about 30 minutes later, Rob came and picked me up to bring me to work. It wasn't until after work that my dad came and towed our car (after picking both Lilly and I up) back to Big D. (Dallas) We ended up spending the rest of the evening working on the car. We didn't even make it home until almost 1 AM. It's working though now, and that's good.

It seems that it was a bad water pump. We had also been planning to replace the belt, and so we ended up doing both at the same time tonight. Did I mention it was cold? I've been home, in the heat, for about an hour now, and I still feel chilled... (It's supposed to get down to 26 Fahrenheit tonight (that's about -3.3 degrees, Celsius, btw).

That's pretty cold for Texas. Things actually freeze for once!! There's even rumors that we might see wintery weather tonight. We'll have to take a wait and see approach to that though.

In the meantime, here are a couple of pics from our adventures this evening.


My Dad and I


Also My Dad and I


Even Lilly was helping...


Actually, she helped quite a bit.

"Don't leave me here! I'm in hillbilly hell! My IQ's dropping by the second! I'm becoming one of them!"

- Lightning McQueen - Cars

A Really Super Long Bible Study

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Tonight was probably the longest bible study I've even participated in. I think, all told, we ended up going for something like 3 1/2 hours. (Although, the first 1/2 hour was kind of warm up...)

We had pizza, and fun. The crazy thing though is that we only made it through about half of Romans 2. Sean stopped us at that point, and we ended up discussing the text and things peripheral for probably about 2 hours. (Maybe even 2 1/2) Good times.

I wish Dan could have been there. I am curious as to how it might of gone if he had been there. John (a.k.a. Tree-In-Forest) did a pretty good of sitting in Dan's chair while he was gone though (literally), and he seemed to enjoy it. (I always like it when Tree-In-Forest speaks his mind about theological issues) All in all, it was good times for all, I think. I kind of came out of left field bringing up an issue which I think all Christians wonder about from time to time. Namely, the question of salvation and how it relates to people who are completely ignorant of the gospel, etc. It's a tough one, and John (a.k.a. Tree-In-Forest) reminded us (especially me) that we should be careful in speculation on that topic with so little (or none that he knew of...or that we could think of) scripture to go on. A very valid point, and we all decided that, ultimately, it's all a matter of God's authority, and that He can save whomever He wants. A reminder of Romans 9:15 (and the corresponding Exodus 33:19) came in handy here.

For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."

Romans 9:15

John raised the question of: If it's God's will that all the people who didn't know him on this Earth (and were ignorant of him as such) went to Hell, would I be able to accept God's righteous judgment. (This was a big part of our central conversation...) The answer from me is, "yes". It is God who has the authority to decide what is and what is not righteous.

That all started because of us reading the following verses:

All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

- Romans 2:12-16

We were trying to discern what the various meaning of it might be, and what it might mean. In the end though, we all ended up on the same page and in agreeance with each other.

It was a good evening of discussion.

One last thing though before I go to bed. (and this is the main reason for posting this.) Sean asked me if I could look through all of my blog posts, and compile a list of the books I mention throughout them. Honestly, I don't think I can do that. It would take a really long time. However, I can attempt to compile the list from memory...

So, Sean, this is for you:

• Spirit of the Rainforest: Mark Andrew Ritchie


• How To Pray: R.A. Torrey


• The Sensitivity of the Spirit: R.T. Kendall


• The Anointing: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: R.T. Kendall


• Doctor of the Happy Landings: Julia Lake and Eugene Kellersberger


• Doctor Not Afraid: E.R. Kellersberger, M.D.: Winifred Kellersberger Vass


• Every Man's Battle: Stephen Arterburn


• Screwtape Letters: C.S. Lewis


• Mere Christianity: C.S. Lewis


• Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold : C.S. Lewis


• Out of the Silent Planet: C.S. Lewis


• Perelandra: C.S. Lewis


• That Hideous Strength: C.S. Lewis


• Orthodoxy: G.K. Chesterton


• Jesus Among Other Gods The Absolute Claims Of The Christian Message: Ravi Zacharias


• The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus: Lee Strobel


• The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity: Lee Strobel


• An Amazon Search for Frank Peretti books...


• This link is to a post that has a link to a whole bunch of (mainly secular) books...

Sorry, Sean, that that list gets so sketchy there towards the end... I think what you were wanting is really everything above: Jesus Among Other Gods.

"'Are the gods not just?'
'Oh no, child. What would become of us if they were?'"

- Orual & The Fox - C.S. Lewis - Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold

"Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders. Gott helfe mir. Amen."
[translation: Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen.]

- Martin Luther - Speech at the Diet of Worms (April 18, 1521)

"If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign."

- Martin Luther - Letter 99, Paragraph 13. Erika Bullmann Flores, Tr. from: Dr. Martin Luther's Saemmtliche Schriften

"But since the devil's bride, Reason, that pretty whore, comes in and thinks she's wise, and what she says, what she thinks, is from the Holy Spirit, who can help us, then? Not judges, not doctors, no king or emperor, because [reason] is the Devil's greatest whore."

- Martin Luther - His Last Sermon in Wittenberg ... Second Sunday in Epiphany, 17 January 1546

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Dry Tea!!

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Is it silly to be wishing my blog, on my blog, a happy 2nd Anniversary?

This is it though. It is now two years since I started this place (with these three posts: post #1, post #2, & post #3), and I'm still writing. (Albeit at a somewhat slower pace than at the beginning...)

I made a connection last night that I hadn't made before about this date, too. Today is also the birthday of one of my best friends. We've known each other for over 10 years now. We've even driven across the west together. (He was with me for the picture of the Grand Canyon that's in post #2.) He's only a few months old than me, and it is an especially significant birthday for him this year. The big "Three O".

He seemed a bit dejected last night as we watched it roll in. I can understand that. As we become older, each birthday stops being quite an achievement, and becomes instead a scary reminder. We're aware more and more each year that we are going to die. We can't outrun this life. It's one fate we all have in common: death. So, as we grow older, we stop wanting to celebrate our birthdays so much when we begin to realize that each birthday is a forced reminder that our time here on Earth is one year less. We don't even know how long it will be from the beginning either!!

Of course, as a Christian, the mindset can (and should be!) a little different. Instead of thinking about how much less life we have here, we can be thinking about how much closer we are to eternal life with Christ. Because of that, we can rejoice still on our birthdays. How awesome is that!?

Not everyone believes as Christians do though. To my knowledge, my friend doesn't. So, his birthday becomes a depressing reminder to him. I pray that this will change. And I know you can lift him up in your prayers, too. Especially on today, his 30th birthday. I know he doesn't read this, but, if he ever does, "Happy birthday, yo! We're prayin' for ya!"

In the meantime, Dry Tea is also having a birthday. It is now 2 years old. Who knows if it will ever reach 30? (If it does, won't that be crazy!?!) I hope that it brings hope, joy, and the message of God's good news to people in its time to come. If even one person were to read this site and come to know Christ better through it or, better yet, come to know Christ at all through it, then this time spent writing is totally worth it. We can pray for that, too.

Here's to year number three!

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

- Philippians 1:21-22

Our Privacy

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This is crazy bad.

In it's 2007 report on the leading surveillance societies in the EU and the World, Privacy International gave the U.S. the worst place it could in regards to a citizen's privacy.

For the record, that places us on par with Great Britain, where it is estimated that there are something like 4.2 million (and growing!) cameras watching the public 24/7... (source: George Orwell Was Right: Spy Cameras See Britons' Every Move - Bloomberg.com

Here are some of the reasons they cited:

• No right to privacy in constitution, though search and seizure protections exist in 4th Amendment; case law on government searches has considered new technology
• No comprehensive privacy law, many sectoral laws; though tort of privacy
• FTC continues to give inadequate attention to privacy issues, though issued self-regulating privacy guidelines on advertising in 2007
• State-level data breach legislation has proven to be useful in identifying faults in security
• REAL-ID and biometric identification programs continue to spread without adequate oversight, research, and funding structures
• Extensive data-sharing programs across federal government and with private sector
• Spreading use of CCTV
• Congress approved presidential program of spying on foreign communications over U.S. networks, e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, etc.; and now considering immunity for telephone companies, while government claims secrecy, thus barring any legal action
• No data retention law as yet, but equally no data protection law
• World leading in border surveillance, mandating trans-border data flows
• Weak protections of financial and medical privacy; plans spread for 'rings of steel' around cities to monitor movements of individuals
• Democratic safeguards tend to be strong but new Congress and political dynamics show that immigration and terrorism continue to leave politicians scared and without principle
• Lack of action on data breach legislation on the federal level while REAL-ID is still compelled upon states has shown that states can make informed decisions
• Recent news regarding FBI biometric database raises particular concerns as this could lead to the largest database of biometrics around the world that is not protected by strong privacy law

- Image taken from: Leading surveillance societies in the EU and the World 2007 - Privacy International

Aaron Russo: Do you think America is going deeper and deeper into becoming a police state?
Ron Paul: Yeah, I think we're moving in that direction, because there's not much we can do without permission. The absence of a police state is that people are free, and if you don't commit crimes you can do what you want. But today, you can't open up a business, you can't develop land, you can't go to the bank, you can't go to the doctor without the government knowing what you're doing. They talk about medical privacy, that's gone. Financial privacy, that's gone. The right to own property, that's essentially gone. So you have to get permission from the government for almost everything. And if that is the definition of a police state, that you can't do anything unless the government gives you permission, we're well on our way. This is something that people eventually, I hope, will get sick and tired of, and say enough is enough.

- America: Freedom to Fascism, 2006

A Good Ron Paul Quote (or Eleven + One From Someone Else About Him)

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It's not enough to just tell someone about something, it helps to show them that something. Likewise, it's not merely enough to say, "Hey, this candidate rocks!" It helps to also show where that candidate stands through quotations and official statements. Therefore, I would like to share with you one of the most significant quotes Ron Paul, my favorite candidate, has said about the office of the presidency.

"How can I run for office and say I want to be a weak president? We need a strong president, strong enough to resist the temptation of taking power the President shouldn’t have."

- Ron Paul - New Hampshire Liberty Forum, February 25, 2007

Here's a couple more quotes from him that I like. Various issues:

America was founded by men who understood that the threat of domestic tyranny is as great as any threat from abroad. If we want to be worthy of their legacy, we must resist the rush toward ever-increasing state control of our society. Otherwise, our own government will become a greater threat to our freedoms than any foreign terrorist.

- Ron Paul - Freedom vs. Security: A False Choice, May 31, 2004

Liberty once again must become more important to us than the desire for security and material comfort. Personal safety and economic prosperity can only come as the consequence of liberty. They cannot be provided by an authoritarian government... The foundation for a police state has been put in place, and it's urgent we mobilize resistance before it's too late... Central planning is intellectually bankrupt – and it has bankrupted our country and undermined our moral principles. Respect for individual liberty and dignity is the only answer to government force, force that serves the politically and economically powerful. Our planners and rulers are not geniuses, but rather demagogues and would-be dictators -- always performing their tasks with a cover of humanitarian rhetoric... The collapse of the Soviet system came swiftly and dramatically, without a bloody conflict... It came as no surprise, however, to the devotees of freedom who have understood for decades that socialism was doomed to fail... And so too will the welfare/warfare state fail... A free society is based on the key principle that the government, the president, the Congress, the courts, and the bureaucrats are incapable of knowing what is best for each and every one of us... A government as a referee is proper, but a government that uses arbitrary force to direct every aspect of society threatens freedom... The time has come for a modern approach to achieving those values that all civilized societies seek. Only in a free society do individuals have the best chance to seek virtue, strive for excellence, improve their economic well-being, and achieve personal happiness... The worthy goals of civilization can only be achieved by freedom loving individuals. When government uses force, liberty is sacrificed and the goals are lost. It is freedom that is the source of all creative energy. If I am to be your president, these are the goals I would seek. I reject the notion that we need a president to run our lives, plan the economy, or police the world... It is much more important to protect individual liberty and privacy than to make government even more secretive and powerful.

- Ron Paul - Video Address Announcing 2008 Presidential Exploratory Committee, February 19, 2007

The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people.

- Ron Paul - Freedom Under Siege, 1987

Ron Paul: [The draft] should be called slavery, involuntary servitude.
Howard Phillips: It violates the 13th amendment, which prohibits involuntary servitude.
Ron Paul: Yeah, and the argument that I've always resented the most was, if you're 18 year old you owe it to your country. I've always wondered why the guy who's 58 and had a million bucks and hadn't served, why doesn't he owe more to this country, maybe he should be on the frontline. 18 year old didn't get anything yet, and he has to go and risk his life.

- Ron Paul - Conservative Roundtable, May 1997

Legal issues aside, the American people and government should never abide the use of torture by our military or intelligence agencies. A decent society never accepts or justifies torture. It dehumanizes both torturer and victim, yet seldom produces reliable intelligence. Torture by rogue American troops or agents puts all Americans at risk, especially our rank-and-file soldiers stationed in dozens of dangerous places around the globe. God forbid terrorists take American soldiers or travelers hostage and torture them as some kind of sick retaliation for Abu Gharib.

- Ron Paul - Torture, War, and Presidential Powers, June 15, 2004

A paper monetary standard means there are no restraints on the printing press or on federal deficits. In 1971, M3 was $776 billion; today it stands at $8.9 trillion, an 1100% increase. Our national debt in 1971 was $408 billion; today it stands at $6.8 trillion, a 1600% increase. Since that time, our dollar has lost almost 80% of its purchasing power. Common sense tells us that this process is not sustainable and something has to give. So far, no one in Washington seems interested.

- Ron Paul - Paper Money and Tyranny, September 5, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I once again find myself compelled to vote against the annual budget resolution for a very simple reason: it makes government bigger. [...] We need to understand that the more government spends, the more freedom is lost. Instead of simply debating spending levels, we ought to be debating whether the departments, agencies, and programs funded by the budget should exist at all. My Republican colleagues especially ought to know this. Unfortunately, however, the GOP has decided to abandon principle and pander to the entitlements crowd. But this approach will backfire, because Democrats will always offer to spend even more than Republicans. When Republicans offer to spend $500 billion on Medicare, Democrats will offer $600 billion. Why not? It’s all funny money anyway, and it helps them get reelected. [...] The increases in domestic, foreign, and military spending would not be needed if Congress stopped trying to build an empire abroad and a nanny state at home.

- Ron Paul - Oppose the Spendthrift 2005 Federal Budget Resolution, March 25, 2004

The American people have been offered two lousy choices. One, which is corporatism, a fascist type of approach, or, socialism. We deliver a lot of services in this country through the free market, and when you do it through the free market prices go down. But in medicine, prices go up. Technology doesn't help the cost, it goes up instead of down. But if you look at almost all of our industries that are much freer, technology lowers the prices. Just think of how the price of cell phones goes down. Poor people have cell phones, and televisions, and computers. Prices all go down. But in medicine, they go up, and there's a reason for that, that's because the government is involved with it... I do [think that prices will go down without government involvement], but probably a lot more than what you're thinking about, because you have to have competition in the delivery of care. For instance, if you have a sore throat and you have to come see me, you have to wait in the waiting room, and then get checked, and then get a prescription, and it ends up costing you $100. If you had true competition, you should be able to go to a nurse, who could for 1/10 the cost very rapidly do it, and let her give you a prescription for penicillin. See, the doctors and the medical profession have monopolized the system through licensing. And that's not an accident, because they like the idea that you have to go see the physician and pay this huge price. And patients can sort this out, they're not going to go to a nurse if they need brain surgery...

- Ron Paul - Interview by Laura Knoy on NHPR, June 5, 2007

One day I walked into an operating room, to just be an observant, which we would do generally, as a medical resident. They were performing this hysterectomy, which was a caesarean section. And they lifted out a fetus that weighted approximately 2 pounds, and it was breathing and crying. And it was put in a bucket and set in the corner of the room, and everybody in the room just pretended that they didn't hear it. And the baby died. And I walked out of that room a different person... Roe v. Wade is a reflection of the moral climate of the country, because the law was being defied, and then the law was changed, the law sort of caught up with the culture. So even though we work in the legal area, and work politically, ultimately I believe it's an issue of personal morality, and is a reflection of the country, more so than just the lack of laws. Just changing the laws won't be enough, we will ultimately have to have a society that's moral enough, where the fetus deserves legal protection.

- Ron Paul - National Right to Life Convention, Kansas City, Missouri, June 15, 2007

Christ came here for spiritual reasons, not secular war and boundaries and geography. And yet, we are now dedicating so much of our aggressive activity in the name of God, but God, he is the Prince of Peace. That is what I see from my God and through Christ. I vote for peace.

- Ron Paul - Values Voter Presidential Debate, September 17, 2007

...does not our Lord tell us that our yea is to be yea and our nay is to be nay? In other words, genuine believers are to be true to their word. How, then, could a true Christian make a promise before God and the American people to preserve, protect, and defend the U.S. Constitution and then turn around and ignore that promise? Ron Paul lives his Christian faith and takes his oath to the Constitution seriously.

- Chuck Baldwin, November 6, 2007

All quotes taken from the Wikiquote page on Ron Paul.

Ron Paul on Leno

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Apparently, last night, Ron Paul was invited to make a guest appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. After being snubbed by Fox News for a Republican debate, it really became a stellar opportunity for Ron to showcase some of his policies and viewpoints before the American public.

It was a pretty damn good interview. It doesn't seem realistic, but I'm totally for Ron Paul for president in 2008.

At any rate, here is the interview, in two parts. Watch it. It's pretty good stuff.


Part 1


Part 2

Leno Leans in: "We don't REALLY want that much change, do we?"

Ron Paul: "I think the American people want change."

Audience: [BIG APPLAUSE].

- Ron Paul on The tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jan. 7th, 2008

We're back!

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It's pretty cool to be home. We had fun in Germany, but it was also stressful due to our rather full docket of things to do. So, we are very glad to be home!!! (Even though it also means we have to actually work again!! hehe) At any rate, we made it safely, and, if I have time, I'll try to post some photos. (If I have way too much time, I'll try to make another video...that was fun)

Faithful
Hey God, i want to thank you
Hey Lord, I want to seek your face

for you are faithul
i know you are
for you have mercy
mercy on me

i want to thank you
for who you are
oh please have mercy
mercy on me

- Obajda - Faithful (From the album, "Unforced Rhythyms of Freedom")
Incidently, there's an old english blog for them here.
You can download that particular song from it. The page with that link is here. (It seems to still be working, too!)
Their official site is here, where they have a triplet of links for downloading the whole freaking album!! Unfortunatly, those links don't work, so use the ones above...