What housing crisis?

I am not one that likes to see the government interfere with our daily lives but there comes a time when there is a greater good in assisting those in need over meeting out the justice and punishment of some assumed slothful lifestyle as the root source of potential poverty. I have sought to understand why the government would need to do something about our current "housing crisis". Being in real estate by trade I know quite personally how this current state effects not only home owners but of the many Americans who make their living through the buying and selling of real estate.

Why does the government need to interfere? To me, there is this need to define at which point, if there is one, that the government is allowed a role in our "saving" us as Americans. I think I have found that line, and guess where I found it? In the Constitution. Go figure. What a beautiful inspired document! When the right to home ownership is being threatened and it is being done by circumstances that effect the nations ability as a whole to enjoy this constitutional right the government then becomes obligated, not simply allowed, to make corrections. In fact it is the governments job to protect and uphold the constitution and the various rights it affords; not compromise them. So Bush has singed the housing bill. But is this new housing bill a good thing? Perhaps that will continue to remain to be seen in the coming months. For now I choose to think that it will do some good. Perhaps not all the good it can be, but some good is better than no good. Nothing comes of nothing, and for the government to be faced with the challenges it currently has and to do nothing would be considered criminal and a failure in their charge to seek the good of the people.

Irony or hypocracy? You decide.

I found this picture to be worth a good laugh. I'm not sure if this was meant out of good fun or if they were being serious. In either case it would seem to me that there are a great many things in this world that confuse the daylights out of me. How is it that Liberals can be for gun control but also claim that they seek to preserve constitutional rights? How is it that MTV shows everything but music? Do as I say, not as I do, right?

Is this paradox just an outward expression of societies growing trend to slowly abolish the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do; or treat others as you would want to be treated)? Are we as a people asking more of others than we are willing to do ourselves? At what point do we inherit the same condemnations as the Scribes and Pharisee's of old? In any case I wonder who the National Association of Telemarketers use for their long distance service and if they would like to switch.

Shame on Kirby?

Kirby Heyborne is kind of an LDS pop culture celebrity if there is one. He is known for his roles in several low budget yet somehow popular "LDS" based movies such as the "R.M." and "The Singles Ward" series, and is also gaining some ground as musician (if you call what he does music). There was one acting role (in Saints and Soldiers) where he smoked cigarettes. After talking with the producer of Saints and Soldiers I became aware that they were fake "fags" so I guess we can let that slide (please note the sarcasm there). However, it appears as if Kirby has made a mistake that has finally upset some of his fans. Correct me if I am wrong but I thought we were to avoid the appearance of evil, not promote it.

Kirby must have missed that Sunday School lesson because he went and decided to do a beer commercial. That's right. There are some however that feel his actions are okay because he never drinks the beer and "hey, it's a job". There has even been the suggestion that he is reaching out in a missionary type fashion. Put the crazy talk away people! This is what happens when the natural man moves to Hollywood. Trust me; I've been there and not done that. The way things look from my Rameumptom, Kirby's temple recommend should probably be in question.

Is Hillary the Anti-Christ?

I'm not sure if I should agree with crazy talk. By association that would make me crazy. But this gentleman has a "unique perspective" which I only marginally endorse. He felt that Hillary in the white house would be signals of the second coming and predicted apocalypse. I don't think that Hillary is the Anti-Christ, or if the world would end if she was president. Hell would freeze over - that I can say. I have even heard a prediction that if Obama is elected and if he chooses Hillary as VP that he would be signing his own death warrant. By this it is implied that, as with many of the other people who have gotten in the way of the Clinton's, Obama will meet with mysterious death/assassination under their direction. Pretty serious allegations I know, but is it crazy talk? In any case I had fun with photoshop making this picture. Feel free to share it with your friends.

As a point of discussion however, what do we know about this rumored Anti-Christ that is going to come prior to the second coming of Christ? Is it a woman? Is it Bin Laden? Is it Rosie O' Donnell? Give me your prediction... I mean prophecy.

When will they take thier ball and go home?

At what point will governments get the fact that raising taxes does not actually help the state/country in the end? I read this article from the Wall Street Journal and was completely dumfounded. One of the beautiful things about the state system that we have in this country is that we can watch what happens in other states and then either duplicate the successful ideas or not follow the lead on less successful ventures. Case in point, California. Here is a state that just doesn't get it, as they try to stumble over themselves to become the most "progressive state" in the union they are slowly but affectively showcasing why socialism doesn't work. The legislature there has proposed a $9.7 billion tax increase on business and of course the "evil rich." The result, business is are fleeing the state. AAA is one of the latest refugees looking to relocate all of their call centers to places where heaven forbid, they can make a profit.

Of course we know why politicians do this sort of thing but why is it that people do not get that they can kick sand in the face of the people that provide them jobs only so long before they get up off the beach and head home? I personally feel that the rich in some situations think they actually deserve the beatings they take as some sort of unspoken guilt that they have to atone for. I tell you what though once M.Galt gets where he is going after years of hard work I plan on keeping as much of my money out of the hands of the government as possible. I have no problem with charity and paying my tithing because after all it all comes from the Lord, but rather it is the forced re-distribution of my income to those who have not earned it by those who have evil designs that gets me.

Perhaps the best part of this story is that the Toyota Prius plant outside San Francisco is moving to a more progressive state to create their Eco-friendly cars. That's right, they are Mississippi bound. that has to great on the nerves of all those California do-gooders.

Wrong is spelled "P.E.T.A."

There is a laundry list of things wrong with PETA, the "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals". In case you haven't heard there is a new ad campaign that could make you just wonder how far stupidity can go. I'm not sure all the reasons PETA felt like this was a good idea, but lets just chalk this one up to bad taste. Watch this ad, drop your jaw, and then comment. I laughed, but not because I thought it was funny.

Utah AKA fashion vortex.

So in Texas a school board is trying to force a kid and his parents to cut his long hair. The school claims it is against dress code, the parents claim it is a religious thing because they are native American. I claim they should cut the kids hair off in the name of fashion and good style. I know the clear answer here is that the school board should have no right to tell this kid what to do in this particular way, but that's what the parents get for sending him to a public school. I know your kids public school is the exception to the rule that they all suck, but lets get back to the point of cutting this kids hair.

As a survivor of a older siblings style disaster I can tell you they want to save this kid from the torment that WILL come his way. As a youth I was convinced my sister who was ten years my elder was the coolest thing around. Anything her or her friends said was cool was cool and there was no convincing me otherwise. So around the age of nine she told me it would look cool if I grew a rat tail on the back of my head. That abomination stayed with me until I was eleven. It wasn't until I moved out of that black pit/fashion vortex known as Utah that I realized how lame it really was. To this day the friends I made in the new state remind me of the rat tail and I am sure it will live with me forever.

So it is in the best interests of the child that I say hold him down and cut that mop off. He may not appreciate it today, he may not appreciate it tomorrow, but there will come a time when he will.

As far as it is translated correctly...

I will keep this short so you can read this article and comment.

Can you say ridiculousssssss? I'm not sure if there is any way to punish someone who is obviously using our legal system as a promotion for the sale of a book, but to me this seems like a waste of resources and (if possible) an embarrassment to the homosexual community. I wonder.... just because there is a slight possibility in todays society... if this guy won his case? These are the last days after all.

Kudos Obama, Kudos.

I know there is the possible lynching on the horizon for this blog post but give me a minute to explain before you pass sentence. If this is true, it is reason number three that makes Obama a "better than Hillary" choice for president. For reason one, visit our earlier posting on the death penalty, and for reason two read this.

Now I am not saying vote for the guy. After all it seems like the points I like about Obama are ones he shares with McCain; and there is more I disagree with Obama then with McCain. But I believe in giving credit where credit is due. I think he deserves getting a pat on the back for this one.

The future of racism.

So the scientific term "black hole" is now apparently a raciest term. That's news to you? Well me too but apparently the scientists exploring the depths of the universe are the actual harbingers of racism that must be thrown down. Who knew these well educated individuals are actually plotting the holding down of the African Americans by creating terms that have a negative connotation using the word "black" as a way to further repress all people of color.

No seriously watch the video on this story from a Dallas city council meeting where the unsuspecting white guy stumbles into offending all the brothers in the room by calling a part of the city's collection department a "black whole." At the least the white devil had the gumption to stand up for himself and not fold like a deck of cards to the angry and oppressed minorities in the room.

After you have watched the video I have one question. Do you think these people actually get anything accomplished in a given day other then be offended? How big does that chip on their shoulder have to be?

In case of Rapture this computer will be unmanned

For our "Friday morning light" topic I found this to be worth a chuckle . This website is an email and storage service. While that might not sound unique, how about this little twist:

It is a born-again Christian based email and storage company that is set up in a way that 6 days after the "rapture" it will send emails out to your designated list informing them that you have been "taken up".

For those of you who aren't familiar with the concept of "rapture", it is an Born Again Christian belief that rapture will occur prior to the destruction of the world and the second coming of Christ where the righteous are taken up to heaven for protection from the Armageddon. There are some humorous things implied here.

In the case of rapture where there is going to be the destruction of the world and you are called up, what is to say that during the Armageddon to follow that people will be checking their emails? Additionally what purpose would this serve? If they weren't called up these are not good people right? Are the emails supposed to be an "I told you so" to the wicked?

Not only that, what a great scam! Because what if they don't fulfill their services? Meaning, if you die or are in fact "caught up" are you going to sue them if they never send out your emails? How can you?

For those of you that read this blog I would recommend reading the "why?" section of their web page. It seems enlightening to think that we as Mormons get flack for practicing baptisms for the dead, a practice done in hopes of the future progression of those who have passed on without hearing the gospel. We are treated as loonies sometimes for believing something that is talked about in the bible. But an email service that is "rapture triggered" in effort as being your posthumous attempt at converting those that have not yet accepted the gospel.... well I am sure that is how Christ would want it. Sounds like someone didn't do their missionary work on earth and might consider this some heaven insurance.... wait Heaven Insurance.... why not! It's brilliant! For a small premium we will enlist the services of a group of predetermined group of "Christians" to pray for your soul after you pass on to ensure your safe passage to the pearly gates. Wait, Ahhh too late. Someone already did it.

Interesting to note, it seems like "Mormon's" were kept off their list of religions they cover.

More blood in the water for all you republicans out there.I went onto MSN.com today and saw this article. the title reads "What is all the illegals went home?" An interesting proposition that I have contemplated many times, what would i do if my neighborhood was left as a ghost town? Well my dog would have less people to bark at that's for sure. The air would be quieter because all that ranchero music wouldn't be pumping through the air. ( I never have figured out why every illegal thinks the rest of the world wants to hear their music.) Then there is the thought of all the broke down vehicles out of peoples yards would be cool I guess. So far the picture I am painting sounds pretty much like the actual suburbs where they have HOA's. Not exactly my cup of tea.

The article is aggravating though because it claims that the hardest hit segment of society would be the middle class because apparently we depend on the illegals cheap labor to enjoy the fruits of our life style. ( I am being generous including myself in the middle class.) they claim there would be a labor shortage to wash dishes, mow lawns, pick crops in the field and so on, or in other words all the jobs teenagers used to do. Think about it, how many teenagers do you know these days with actual jobs? How many of them are actually working over the summer? All the jobs kids used to get are taken by illigals now. I think the people who will really be affected by this is the youth of this country growing up with an entitlement mentality where they think they are too good for certain jobs.

Of course the scare is out to the middle class that we better keep these people around or we will pay more for our strawberries next year. What gets me though is MSN doesn't even have the decency to hummer us with numbers or statistics to back up their claims. Apparently they think people are so stupid we will just accept the dire predictions they prophecy without any proof. Kudos on the balls that takes, it will probably work.

I say not so fast though, how much would our insurance rates for health and cars go down without all the uninsured running around mooching off the system? How much would property values go up when the ghetto actually becomes a viable place to live? What will happen to working wages which are being kept down artificially by under the table dealing is gone?

We face a two fold battle when it comes to illegal's. Republicans, like McCain who want cheap slave labor to stay, and socialists who need "oppressed minorities" to get elected. Both the republicans and democrats are against the rest of us on this one.

Prepare to be "enlightened"

Now I am never going to say that an LDS person should be a certain political party or that simply because a majority of church members seem to lean Republican that, by common consent, good LDS people should be republican also. That is very unreasonable and not inline with the apostolic endorsement on how we should consider issues in the voting process. Republicans certainly don't get everything right. But after seeing this video (bottom of the posting) I wanted to vote republican for the worst reason of all.... SPITE!

Spite for the morons who think that this video is supposed to be a convincing piece of logic. This video is the biggest display of ignorant morons attempting to manipulate and tangle the conscience of Americans into thinking that there is nothing more dysfunctional, greedy, and misguided than a republican. If there is anyone who feels that this video carries any message worth listening to then they are the so sadly misinformed that I would consider you beyond hope. I don't care if you vote democratic, libertarian, republican, or green party, as long as you do your research and make up YOUR OWN MIND! Never in the history of political propaganda have I seen such a poor attempt at slander. I can't think of a sadder social commentary on America than to think that there are a group of "US" in this country that believe for a second that there is any merit to what this video presents. If anyone of the over 3 million people that have viewed this video believe an ounce of what it presents than they deserve to have a crappy country. Anyone who follows the implied message of this video is an idiot. Period, and I make no apologies for that.

PREPARE TO BE ENLIGHTENED! If watching this video doesn't prompt you to comment, you are dead inside.

Black National Anthem? What?

So in case you haven't heard this story, perhaps this article will catch you up to speed (must read first). I cannot think of anything that is more promotional to the separating of us as American's than to think that we are a divided group of citizens in our own sub-country with a different national anthem. Is it that I don't believe that "blacks" should have the ability to express themselves, their culture or their history? Or that the song is a bad song.... not hardly. However, when you are invited to sing the national anthem of THIS country, I suggest not surprising everyone with a racist demonstration (not in the anti-white sense, but the promotion or separation of a race sense) .

The song is called "Lift Every Voice and Sing." The song itself is a really nice song. Quite beautiful actually. The one thing I like the most about it is how reliant and respectful it can be toward God and the spirit of unification it was originally intended to embrace. It was never really written to be the "black" national anthem. Guess who dubbed it thus? You guessed it, the NAACP. Way to screw up a good thing! Even back in the 1920's they didn't know how to "advance" colored people (stop calling them colored people for starters). Originally, it was a heartfelt poem set to music like many other songs. However, I wish to make clear, a national anthem is the song of a nation or country, not a race.

Was it bad timing for singer Rene Marie? Well she gets her moment of fame I guess. Too bad she is now labeled as an unprofessional, unreliable, disrespectful performer. Whether it was bad timing or not it certainly was bad form.

For those that haven't heard the song, below is a favorable video clip of a performance of the song (not the performance in question). You can read the lyrics and learn the history here on wiki.

Would the real lesbians please show their faces?

So I know I was shooting fish in a barrel last week with the gun talk but I have an even better article guarantied to get red blooded conservatives going. We are going to combine two great subjects, gay marriage and illegal immigration. O-yea, this is the perfect storm of liberal/socialist lameness. I recommend that you watch the video as well as read the article. The poor girl whose student visa has run out and has to return to Germany keeps her back turned the entire time as if they are hiding her identity from the watchful eye of the government. We get the tears of the citizen because she will have to be a "refugee form America" because of gay marriage and illegal immigration.

Here it is ladies, if you want to avoid deportation and keep your family together then just move to my neighborhood here in Mesa. All my neighbors are illegal and no one does a thing to deport them. Heck they all even own their own homes so your wife can start turning around to face people when she talks.

This is such an obvious put on. How long do you think it took them to think this one up in the news room? I can hear them now.

"Well guys we want to change Americans minds about immigration and gay marriage, what can we do as far as a human interest peace goes to sway their cave man opinions?"

Then the up and coming supper sleuth pipes up from the back with "Hey Boss lets find a lesbian couple with a kid who is facing deportation because one of them is not from the country. Then we can ask them leading questions and make them cry all the while one women will have her back turned as if she is actually hiding from some one."

The obstinate guy in the office then chimed in with "Why should we have her back turned? I mean wouldn't people figure out that if they wanted to deport the illegal they could just find out who the one talking is? I mean maybe having two lesbians would be better because that will get men's attention."

Then smart guy puts an end to the debate with "We have to have the ones back turned, we are after all talking about real lesbians and not the porno kind."

And so they ran with it and will most likely get national coverage with it. It took me and my mighty intellect all of reading the title of the article to realize it was a put on. Unfortunately as limited as I think my intelligence is I am sure I am in the upper 90% of critical thinking skills in the population.

O yea I think I found a way I could vote for McCain. I may run into problems with the church but so far it is the only way I see it happening for me.

When is the death penalty justified?

Heavy topic I know, but this article seemed to be a tough subject for me. On one hand I agree that the punishment must fit the crime and that the death penalty is not the answer to every crime. I also believe that the spirit of repentance calls for, in part, a restitution for the wrongs that were committed which becomes justification for the death penalty where another life has been taken. In the case of murder it is much clearer. However, is Rape equal to murder? or more poignantly, "Is raping someone taking away their life wherewith the death penalty is justified?"

The quote from article that states, "There has not been an execution in the United States for a crime that did not also involve the death of the victim in 44 years" seems to allude that 44 years ago there was some common rationale that changed the way things were done in this country with regard to the death penalty. Was this a case where the liberal supreme court justices were right in keeping rapists from the death penalty? Perhaps we should consider if it is justified in repeat cases or when it involves rape of a child?

You tell me because I am still making up my mind on this one. Obama had a surprising stance that you can read here. As well the New York Times posted an interesting question in this article, "Does the death penalty save lives?" My answer is, there is more to the death penalty than saving lives or detering crime. Sometimes it serves as part of the repentance process, other times it serves as closure for the families for those who are suffering loss from the crime committed. I am leaning towards the stance that the death penalty is justified when done in repeat convictions or when it involves a child. But I could really use your help on this one.

Guess what Tom, your not that important.

I like movies just as much as the next guy but can we all agree that life would go on without them or the TV? I am sure it would and I would miss going to the multiplex and watching movies with the crowed. But when I hear about the actors guild threatening to go on strike I kind of want it to happen. I realize that not every member of the guild is not a multimillionaire in fact the vast majority are not but I think actors make a couple vial misjudgments regarding their place in the world.

Misjudgment #1 Movies and TV are not vital for life so if they strike the rest of us just keep doing what we always do...make the world work. When electrical engineers go on strike then we got a problem. These people actually provide something to the world, electricity. So when they decide to let the machines stop then we all have a real problem. What happens when the actors strike? We all read a book? Spend more time actually interacting with our families? All of the alternatives to watching TV sound way more productive then the alternative.

Misjudgment #2 We all do not think actors are great. Those people that hang around actors are paid to tell them how great they are so of course they are going to tell them to strike. The rest of the world just doesn't care. Sure there are those so board with their own life that they read gossip rags but the rest of us have life's to live, jobs to work and mouths to feed.

Misjudgment #3 Actors make a living playing make believe. They literally get paid to pretend to be people who have actually accomplished something in their life's other then playing pretend. I think they play make believe too much and are actually thinking they are the ones who are great not the ones they pretend to be so of course we should all care what they have to say. News flash to all actors I don't give a rip what you think. All of your supposed help to the world actually makes it worse. Who gets hit the most when fuel prices go up due to your constant harping on "global climate change?" Not you guys but those who poor already and can not match the rise in price. Thanks Leonardo, you just screwed poor people hope you sleep well tonight.

This last one is just more of a beef with actors in general. Have you ever seen a group of people that congratulate themselves so much? How many stinking awards shows do these people throw for themselves? Do we publicize doctors awards shows? How about awards shows for truck drivers who bring the food and materials we need to live into our towns?

So to an actors strike I say bring it. Entertainment of this type is one modern conveyance I am sure we can all actually do better without.