Summertime

I know that parts of the country are having cold snaps and even, gulp, snow! But, here in Arizona, its starting to warm up.  Tomorrow's forecast calls for 90 degrees!  Those who know me, know that I'm not originally from Arizona. I moved here from Illinois when I was 19.  For all that Arizona has, Illinois has two things that Arizona does not - Spring and Fall.

In Arizona, it starts to get hot around mid-April and stays that way until mid-October.  From there, it "get's cold" with temperatures hovering in the mid-60s with periodic dips to the 40s.  Of course, this is only in the Valley. Northern Arizona gets nice and cold.

Anyway, my point is that its starting to get hot again here in the ol' Valley of the Sun.  And hearkening back to my youth when you had a "summer haircut" and a "winter haircut", I decided it was time to break out the "summer haircut".

Before:

 

After:

My new Facebook profile picture.

Become a 9-12er

Anyone remember how we felt on 9/12/2001? The entire country seemingly banded together to show a level of support and love for this country. Such an outpouring of patriotism hadn't been seen for many years before.

But what has happened to us since then? We, as a country, are more divided than we've been for a long time. The elected leaders of our country seem to grow more and more out of touch with their constituents and care only about their own agendas. The media constantly blares doom and gloom about war, the economy, illegal immigration and border violence, and climate change. Its not difficult to see how some people can become disenfranchised with their government.

Its because of this that radio and television host, Glenn Beck, has set up The 9-12 Project. In his words, it is a "place for you and other like-minded Americans looking for direction in taking back the control of our country. It is also a place to find information that will assist you in navigating the rough waters we face in the days, weeks and months ahead."

Before you think this is a Republican/Democrat thing or whatever, you should know what this project is based on. Mr. Beck has listed 9 founding principles and 12 eternal values (get it, 9-12?) that, if you agree with most of them, then you are a "9-12er". The principles and values are listed below:

9 Principles
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the center of my life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law, you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

12 Values
1. Honesty
2. Reverence
3. Hope
4. Thrift
5. Humility
6. Charity
7. Sincerity
8. Moderation
9. Hard Work
10. Courage
11. Personal Responsibility
12. Gratitude

The idea behind the website and the "movement" is not a national centralized movement to boycott or whatever. The idea is to read and discuss the principles and values with your family and friends and decide what you can do. I believe this is a good cause and we can do a lot of good within our communities. And remember, We Surround Them.

Election 2008

I am a Mitt Romney fan. I voted for him during the Republican primary and was disappointed when he stepped down. I still firmly believe that he may have won the nomination had he a) stayed in the race longer and b) emphasized his position in the race as the true Conservative. I think his strong suits (executive experience and economic acumen) are exactly what this country needs at this time. I fully expect to see Mr. Romney play a large part in the future of the RNC. I also believe he would have been an excellent choice for McCain's VP pick. Imagine McCain's strong national defense with Romney's economic policy. The two most important issues of voters, according to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll.

All that being said, I cannot be happier for John McCain's announcement today. I believe Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska is one of the best choices for VP he could have made. I first heard about Sarah Palin a few months ago as people started floating names for John McCain's running mate. I didn't know much about her, but what little I did know was very enticing. She originally got into public life in the PTA for her kids' school. From there, she moved to other public positions and each time, she took on the "establishment" from a reformer perspective. She has battled against special interests, turning down earmarks from federal pork spending. She brings youthfulness, ambition, and a no-nonsense attitude to the GOP ticket. She is the mother of 5 children, one with Down Syndrome. She has stayed true to her convictions during some of the most difficult times in her life. One of my favorite attributes she has is that she has not been "tainted" by the cynicism of politics. She's a "regular person".

There are those who will say that she doesn't have any foreign policy experience. That's true. She doesn't. But she is the 2nd name on the ticket, John McCain is the first. And there is no doubt about John McCain's foreign policy experience. On the other hand, Barak Obama has zero foreign policy experience and he is the presidential nominee. Sure, she probably has some skeletons in her closet, one of which is the ex-brother-in-law trooper firing. But I can't imagine anything as devastating as Obama's issues, including his stance on abortion, his flip-flopping on almost all campaign issues (either that, or he's guilty of pandering to the crowds. I'm not sure which is worse), and his associations with confessed domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, anti-American preacher Jeremiah Wright, and convicted fraudster Tony Resko.

I'll try to keep up with this thing for awhile now and they won't all be political posts. But I'll leave by relaying a quote I read the other day. When I read it, I immediately thought of Sens. Obama and Biden and their propensity for bloviating.

The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.

George Orwell, "Politics and the English Language", 1946
English essayist, novelist, & satirist (1903 - 1950)

I'm not saying. I'm just saying.