There's a great op-ed in the New York Times today called, "Is Hillary Clinton the New Old Al Gore?" The title itself is enough to make you enjoy it. The article touches on the inevitability factor and whether or not that is a good thing for the Democratic party. Definitely worth the read.

I'm kind of getting worried about Fred. He's not doing as well now that he actually jumped in the race. But my hopes are still up. I really don't want to have to settle for Giuliani or McCain. Oh, I don't want to think about this right now. It's giving me a headache.

My dad sent me an article this week that I found interesting and worth sharing. I don't believe that America is on the brink of self-destruction, but I have long felt that if we are reduced to insignificance, whether by nuclear attack or something else, we will have brought it on ourselves due to apathy, ignorance and God-forsaken political correctness. Perhaps there's a lesson to be learned from the Greeks:
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About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."

"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury."

"From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."

"The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years."

"During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage"

Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:

Number of States won by: Gore: 19; Bush: 29
Square miles of land won by: Gore: 580,000; Bush: 2,427,000
Population of counties won by: Gore: 127 million; Bush: 143 million
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Gore: 13.2; Bush: 2.1

Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country. Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare..."

Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the "complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.

If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegals and they vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.
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Obviously there are some stretches in Professor Olson's conclusions. Certainly more people voted for Al Gore than those living in government-subsidized housing. It's quite a myth that all rich people vote for Republicans. And clearly the author of this article has an agenda against illegal immigration. But there are still some interesting points to be made.

Again, hear me say that I am more optimistic than this. I don't enjoy living in a state of doom and gloom. However, we do have serious enemies out there with our destruction in mind. Heck, we just let one of them come into the country and traipse around in his Members Only jacket making remarkably Democrat-like speeches about our President. (He actually mentioned Hurricane Katrina. Holy Cow.)

But I do think that the state of ignorance of most Americans, fueled by a politically-motivated media with only one agenda, to give power back to the liberal Democrats, spells potential disaster for our nation. I hope that Osama sends us some more tapes, preferably as close to election day as possible, to remind our brothers and sisters of the red, white and blue that we face a greater enemy than each other. Otherwise, I believe we are definitely in danger of national fratricide.

Perhaps it's just me, but that doesn't appear to be a look of love and admiration on Mr. Gore's face for his former employer. Can you imagine what might have been said during this exchange yesterday?

This is not a posed picture. My little baby boy loves books. I'm so proud!

Tonight he picked out this book off the shelf and it was upside-down. I started to flip it over for him and then figured it didn't really matter. As I was thinking this, he flipped it over himself to the right way. I was so impressed! He really understood that at least the pictures were upside-down. It was awesome.

I put him in the bed with the book and peeked through the door to see what he would do. He started "reading" it, so I ran downstairs to get the camera. When I got back up there, he was still engrossed. What a little smartie.

He's 18 months old today. We are so blessed to get to share life with these beautiful people.

Happy half-birthday, buddy!

Jon Stewart apparently asked Bill Clinton on his show last night how he would cope with going from being the leader of the world's remaining superpower to the husband of the first woman president. Mr. Clinton said he might not handle it well, even joking that he may slit his throat.

I know they want Republican cross-over votes, but that's taking campaign promises a little far, don't you think? :)

"Mom, I have to tell you what happened today."

"Oh, really? What happened?"

"We broke up."

"You did? How did that happen?" (At this point I'm totally picturing her singing "Gotta Go My Own Way," from HSM 2, since it's her favorite on the soundtrack.)

"I broke up with him. I told him I didn't want to be his girlfriend anymore."

"What did he say?"

"He punched me."

I wish I could say I didn't laugh. Think we should seek expulsion for sexual harassment?

While this still seems to be low on most Americans' radar, things are heating up to a volcanic level in the Middle East. Israel is almost certainly going to launch some type of preemptive strike against Iran if they feel that the point of no return is approaching with their nuclear program.

Today, the deputy commander of the Iranian air force said that they have a plan in place to bomb Israel if such a preemptive strike occurs. They have several targets in range and will be more than happy to take this action.

Meanwhile, there's an article on the Islamic Republic News Agency today reporting that an Iranian spokesman said that supporters of Israel would receive the final response to Secretary Rice's current visit to Palestine on World Qod's Day, the final day of Ramadan, which this year is on October 12.

I don't know about you, but that sends chills through my body. Perhaps it means nothing more than more rhetoric from President Crazy. I sincerely hope that's all it means.

But we need to wake up as a country and listen to what they are saying. A completely insane man is running a country full of people who would like nothing more than to see everyone in Israel and America disintegrated, and he is surging forward in his efforts to obtain nuclear capability. They are threatening us on an almost daily basis. We MUST do something about this.

It's not a matter of whether people around the world hate us. This is a matter of national security. This is a matter of what happens to the world in which we live, and more importantly, in which our children live. I believe this is one of our President's top priorities right now. I know he has very little political capital, but Congress has less. If this turns into a battle of the parties (which it undoubtedly will) we will become less and less safe by the day.

Next year, very little will happen outside of the campaign. The candidates will talk big, but have no power to do anything. It's up to you, W. Don't quit. You still have 15 months to go on your watch. We desperately need you to be strong.

I'd like to rent a mob and go protest Jessie Jackson. In what I consider a highly offensive and damaging statement yesterday, he criticized Senator Obama for acting like he's white.

Can anyone imagine what kind of an outcry we might be hearing from Jesse Jackson today if a white political activist criticized a white presidential candidate for acting like he's black? I mean, seriously, just imagine the media frenzy.

Why couldn't Jesse have been with OJ in that hotel room? Wasn't he one of his biggest fans?

What a hypocrite.

Okay, I've read this article three times now, and I'm still not sure I understand. This senator is trying to make a point about frivolous lawsuits by filing one? If he was trying to make a point that we need to get rid of them, that would make sense. But it sounds like he's trying to make a point that anyone should be able to sue anyone, including God.

I don't understand, but I admit I am fascinated by the premise. The senator claims to have attempted to contact God several times and has been unable to do so. But being omniscient, he assumes God will know that He is being sued. Interesting point.

I'm thinking the senator may not be looking for God in the right places. Maybe he should step down off of this little pedestal he's built for himself and quit daring his Maker. Somehow I think He's more likely to answer a humble seeker than a threat.

No word on how the judge will respond. This could be interesting, to say the least.

First of all, I apologize for the lack of paragraph breaks. My past two entries have not had them for some reason. They show up in edit mode, but not when I post. Which is why I posted the entry before last about five times. My apologies if you receive an e-mail from Google reader when I post. I'm sure you didn't want to read about High School Musical on Ice five times. Hopefully they will magically reappear, but I wanted to apologize up front for the non-aesthetic nature just in case.

Now, the reason for the post is because I just realized something pretty interesting while doing my Bible study. This semester we are doing "Jesus, the One and Only" by Beth Moore. I did this study about six years ago, and really felt led to go back and do it again. This decision has already been confirmed many times, and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us. There are almost 15 ladies coming to my house on Tuesday nights to study the Word together. What a blessing!

Anyway, I was doing my lesson a little while ago and it was talking about when Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple to present him to the Lord and make their sacrifice. If you are familiar with the story, there was a man there named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ. So when Mary and Joseph came in to the temple, Simeon took him in his arms and said,

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

What caught me about this was realizing that Mary and Joseph heard from the time Jesus was an infant that He would be a "light for revelation" to the Gentiles. The very next verse says that they "marveled at what was said about him."

I looked back through the proclamations made to both Mary and Joseph, and even Zechariah, to see if anything was said about Jesus having anything to do with Gentiles. There isn't anything. I know there are prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament that do mention Gentiles. And it's highly likely that Mary spent some of those months of pregnancy doing some research on what had been prophesied about her son. I'm sure Bible Gateway would have come in particularly handy for her.

But it just made me wonder if this was the first time they realized that their son was not just going to be the Jewish savior. I wonder if they understood at all the kind of eternal, world-wide impact their baby boy would have. How could they have ever gotten their sleep-deprived brains around that?

Imagine, being the earthly parents of the Christ child. It blows my mind to even try and grasp. I know I struggle with feelings of inadequacy as a mom. What must that have been like?

What a crazy plan God had. I'm so thankful for it.

Apparently Gidget put on quite a show last night.

From the Los Angeles News: Accepting her Emmy on Sunday night for lead actress in a drama series ("Brothers and Sisters"), Field stumbled halfway through, lost her train of thought, screeched at the audience to stop applauding so she could finish talking -- and then was bleeped by Fox censors as she stammered through an anti-war rant.

Why should I waste energy being disappointed?

Sally, next time just accept your award. When will you guys understand that you are not famous for your political opinions? Being a good actress does not make you a role model. In fact, it's more often than not just the opposite.

Now, Fred, on the other hand...

Downtown Nashville experienced that attack of the little girls on Friday night. What seemed like millions of them turned out for Disney's High School Musical on ice at the Sommet Center. I went with a group of six little ones and their moms, and we had a fabulous time.

The show was actually quite good, and worth the cash if it comes to your town and you're into that kind of thing. Watching a bunch of guys attempt to play a basketball game on ice was really impressive!

We already have tickets (although the kids don't know) to High School Musical when it comes to TPAC in January. I am really excited about going as a family, sans Bryant, of course. We've never been to the theater together, and I'm hoping it will begin to create a love in them for my favorite art form. At least I hope they stay awake.

I love this little girl.

My daughter got off the bus today someone's girlfriend. Yes, my 6-yr-old.

"Mommy, guess what! I'm a girlfriend now!"

"You're what?"

"I'm somebody's girlfriend. He asked me if I wanted him to be my boyfriend and I said yes!"

"Who IS this boy?"

"I don't know his name."

"Don't you think that would have been good information to get?"

"I don't know. But he kissed me right on the forehead when I got off the bus!"

I think I'm going to be sick. This is not cute. This is my daughter. I am very, very afraid.

I thought we had a few years before this hit. Bradley gave me a 10-minute litany tonight about who likes who in the 3rd grade. But they're 8 and 9. Not 6.

I'm seriously thinking about homeschooling again. Or at least carpooling. You may think I'm over-reacting, but I know how she thinks. I've been her. I'm getting nauseous just thinking about it.

Lord, teach me to pray.

I've had a revelation. I think that the reason you are not allowed to anonymously donate to a political campaign has very little to do with keeping dirty money from coming in. Obviously that doesn't work too well, right Hillary?

I think that the reason we are not allowed to give anonymously is so that if you EVER give to a party or candidate, they want to know exactly who you are. This way they can call you every other day for the rest of your life and ask for more.

Yesterday I got a call from what looked like a cell phone. Since Bible study was beginning and there were some people coming who have never been here before, I answered it. It was Friends of Fred with a "special message" for me.

Now, I had been planning on making a political contribution to the campaign of Fred Thompson, so I stayed on the line, figuring this was as good a time as any to do it. The girl on the line sounded so young and innocent, I didn't have the heart to tell her to skip to the part where she asks for a donation, so I let her ask me all of her silly little questions designed to manipulate me into wanting to give money.

When she finally got to the end, I said, "Here's the deal. I've been planning on giving money to Fred because I do support him in this run. But I do NOT want you to call me every week asking for more money, nor do I want to get a letter a day asking the same." She just kind of sat there in stunned silence. She asked, "So, would you like to be put on our no mail or limited mail list?" I said, "Yes, absolutely!"

As I am writing this, my caller ID is showing a call from Washington, D.C. They've been calling for months, at least once a day. Wonder who that could be?

I have such a love/hate relationship with politics. I love the thrill of the game. I detest most of the players. It's quite a conundrum I'm in.

Anyway, at least I'm getting a lapel pin for my trouble.
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Yesterday I saw something that blew my mind. It's still weighing on my heart.

I went to my church to drop off a friend's child at Mother's Day Out for her. In the parking lot was a Lexus SUV. Now, I go to church in a very affluent area. This is not an uncommon sight in this ZIP Code. But what caught my eye was the magnet on the back. It said, "Like what you see? Dial 1-800-YOU-WISH!"

Now, there is a very good chance that this person doesn't go to my church. There are people from all over the area that send their kids to our preschool program. But what if they do? What if this person claims to follow Christ and yet lives their life with such an attitude of superiority?

Jesus was all about being poor. Over and over he talked about how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of Heaven. I'm not saying that there aren't believers out there with a lot of money. I know a lot of them, and they are incredibly genuine people who give, give, give. That is using the gifts they have been given wisely. Driving around with a "bite me" bumper sticker? Not so much.

My heart is hurting for the owner of that vehicle this morning. What kind of void must you feel in your soul in order to find it so necessary to flaunt your wealth? I'm thinking it's not done much to make her happy so far.

"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'" Matthew 5:1-10

There he is in the middle. Can you see him? That would be Nick Sabin, the new head coach of Alabama. I got to see him live and in living color yesterday. The man is like a rock star.

So, let's see. Alabama wins. Tennessee wins. Auburn loses. A good day all around. (Meanwhile, Appalachian State is 2-0 in case anyone cares. Lisa, when was the last time Lenoir Rhyne's score was posted on ESPN?) It's a crazy year for football.

I can tell you this. If Tennessee can't do anything but kick field goals, next week will not be pretty. I'm actually hoping for this, personally. I want them to have a bad enough year to put the nail in Fulmer's coffin. It's time for the man to go.

Bradley asked Jeff on Friday, "Daddy, when are you going to take me to a football game?"

"Well, let's see. When do you think you can sit still for about four hours?"

"On second thought, maybe I'll wait a while longer."

Okay. I didn't have a chance to actually watch the whole interview on Jay Leno until last night. I am now officially giddy.

If you didn't see it and you are wondering what all the hype about Senator Thompson is, I definitely recommend watching. He was awesome.

What I like about this man is he is conservative and he is unashamed of that fact. He doesn't try to hide it. He comes across as being a very real, genuine, I-am-what-you-see kind of guy. And I like what I see.

I just can't imagine that in a one-on-one race against Shrillary Clinton that Americans would want to put her in office. I have been wrong before, I realize. But Bill got in because he came off as likeable, a good-ole-boy, somebody you would want to play golf with. Can this be said of his wife?

I'm so looking forward to the season now. I had very little to get excited about before. Now, I'm all in.

Watch your back, though, Senator. You have just become a moving target against a pretty threatening enemy. I hope you eat her alive.

It's about time, dude. Now maybe I can get one of those super-cool Fred '08 bumper stickers.

Please don't screw up.

last thoughts on larry craig

I agree with all of you about media bias. That is just a no-brainer. It is what it is.

What is bothering me much more about this story is the moral relativism. We have come so far down this partisan road that many of us are willing to overlook the fact that Larry Craig's character is just a little too questionable to belong in a place of leadership over our country. Yes, the same could have been and was said of Bill Clinton. He should have resigned too. But the fact that he didn't doesn't mean that our guy should get a pass.

Now I sound like a Republican who eats his own, I know. But it has blown my mind to hear people defending Mr. Craig on the basis that he wasn't caught in the act. They are making excuses for him based on the circumstantial nature of the evidence and the fact that the other side has screw-ups too. This has become about partisanship, not common decency.

Whether he was caught with his pants down or not, the fact is that Mr. Craig went out of his way to go to a restroom that was nowhere near either of his gates. A restroom that just happened to be listed on some whacked-out website listing a bunch of places you can find gay sex in this country. Upon arriving there, he just happened to follow a behavior pattern that is described on this same website as a way to signal your desire for gay sex. Call me crazy, but where there is smoke, there is usually fire.

Please don't hear me judging the former Senator. I know my earlier posts probably sounded like I was. That is not my place. My problem is with his judgement. If you are willing to engage in this kind of risky and reckless behavior in your personal life, I don't want you in a place of power where you potentially will make decisions that affect my life.

But watching this play out in the media as a Republican vs. Democrat fight for the moral high ground is very troublesome. There is a compelling argument to be made that the reason Democrats aren't accused of hyprocrisy when they are caught in scandals is because they never take a moral stance against anything. If you don't stand for anything, then you can't be accused of being a hyprocrite, I guess. How sad is that?

Anyway, I don't plan to talk about this anymore. The man has resigned, as he should. Yes, it frustrates me that Democrats don't do this. But it doesn't surprise me. And it doesn't make me think we shouldn't elect Republicans just in case one of them goes bad. The entire party is not tainted by the actions of a few.

Can we please try to remember this next election?

Happy Birthday, Bailey!

September 2, 2001

September 2, 2007
Happy birthday, baby. I could never have imagined how beautiful, smart and fun you would be. You may feel like you should be six, but I can't understand how fast the time has gone.

I can't wait to see you become the woman God made you to be. I love you so very much.