Oh F?&k!

  Last year I braved the cold, the wind and the rain to venture down to Charlotte to enjoy the two day revelry of the Carolina Rebellion rock festival. Even though I had the foreknowledge of what to expect, as I had attended the festival before, I was still caught off guard the language - principally the use of the terms “fuck,” “fuckers,” and “mother-fucker.” Now I’m not going to sit here and write and pretend I’m some holier-than-though Christian as I myself have on occasion used the singular term “fuck” myself from time to time, generally as an expression of pain or anger and I have even begun to police the vocabulary I use at such times when I am under duress, but the commonality which accompanied the words at the festival was bothersome.
    As I reflect upon that weekend I realize how infantile it actually sounds these days. As a youth and among those of my age it was rare I heard those words, and when they were said it was generally by those who were trying to sound tough, by those I often associated with being bullies. Among adults the “F” words were mainly spoken by the enlisted military on the bases where we were stationed and among civilians by those on the lower rungs of society. As an adult myself I’m not naive enough to think that was the norm, rather the result of my parents trying to shield us from that part of life.
   Now though I live in a world where any level of society and any form of entertainment is subject to be a source of foul-mouthed language. It is a society and nation filled with people who on one hand fill up their Facebook pages with words of condolences and prayers for their friends in need, but on the other hand will spew of a slew of profanities in public and sometimes on Facebook and other social media. The hypocrisy of this isn’t lost on me. How can a person offer a prayer to God in one breath and the next be boisterous with vulgar language? It lends me to believe these people are either uneducated and don’t understand what they are doing or they are simply hypocrites. I chose to believe the former for I truly believe most people are inherently good. The Bible tells us specifically in the book of James that we should not have both foul language and good language come from our mouths: “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:10). But the writer also speaks specifically about those who cuss and at the same time profess to be religious: “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless” (James 1:26).
   Make no mistake about it - cussing is a sin. One sin is as destructive as another (James 2:10) so using foul language is just as sinful as adultery or murder or stealing. We try to justify our sins by the consequences of them. Saying “fuck” is not going to have the same consequence as murdering your neighbor, but God will not look upon sin in any form so in the spiritual sense cussing is just as evil as murder.
   “Well,” you say, “no one can go to heaven then if that is the case.” This is where repentance and grace come into play and those are big subjects to tackle in one blog entry so for now let it suffice to say that a person who is truly repentant of a sin will actually turn away from the practice of that sin in their life. Is it easy? Absolutely not. You may repent for cussing on one moment and say a bad word an hour later but the difference will be in the heart. You will realize immediately you cussed and be sorrowful for it and again ask God for forgiveness and start again trying to live a cussing-free life. A sincere heart will continue this process until one day you realize you haven’t cussed in a while. God knows our heart and while we are going through this process his grace will cover us… but only if our heart is sincere throughout the process.
   Obviously there is a lot more to salvation than just having a pure heart and not cussing but everyone has to have somewhere to start and it might as well be with our words.

_________

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Let Me Be Clear 2

  Political Correctness - the wussifucation of America.

  There are many things that cause me to bow my head and close my eyes in disgust but one of the most destructive trends of the past 20-30 years is the desire of Americans to sugar coat any and everything they can in order to not potentially offend someone. This trait is called "Political Correctness." 

  On the surface being "PC" (as in Politically Correct) seems innocent enough. We don't want to hurt someone by being mean or offensive. Our country has been weighed down by the pretext that everything we say must be toned down in order to make it acceptable to everyone. Or to be more accurate we try to be politically correct because the majority of Americans (and people worldwide for that matter) don't have the common sense or the desire to understand that some things, like using the word "man" is not sexist or derogatory but rather inclusive of all mankind - men AND women. Likewise people today have lost the ability to let words just roll off their back. Instead we CHOOSE to be offended, to give those who use offending words credibility. That's right, by being offended we give power to those who offend. Thus by being PC you encourage those who use offending words and stereotypes to continue doing so. 

  I can only think of a very few instances where something is so heinous that it should be banned (except in use in intellectual discussions such as this). Words such as "nigger" and "faggot" are filled with extreme hatred and have absolutely no place in any society. 

  As Americans we have the right to say what we want. As human beings we have the responsibility of choosing our words so as not to hurt others but we should also have the maturity to know and understand that we share a responsibility to not let the words and actions of others offend us. 

  To sum it up my motto is "Screw Political Correctness... But be nice about it."

Let Me Be Clear...

I want to be clear...

  There are several issues I would like to be clear on but I’m going to start with this one, and because I don’t want to make my writings laborious to read I’m also going to separate them into different entries.
  That said let’s begin.

  I don’t believe homosexuality is ok.
  I believe in the Bible. I believe the Bible is truth. Truth does not change, ever. The Bible decries homosexuality as a sin. Period.
  But what so many people fail to see is what else the Bible says. The Bible says no sin is greater than any other sin in God’s eyes. That means if I steal something it is just as sinful as someone engaged in a homosexual act as far as God is concerned. But let’s not stop there. The New Testament is all about Love. Love of God, love of family, love for our neighbors, love for our enemies and love for sinners.  
  So how does that all tie together? Like this. You see I have friends who are gay, but that doesn’t stop me from being friends with them. Instead I try to let them know what I believe God says in the Bible about homosexuality and yet God loves them still even though he doesn’t love the sin. What can I do but follow God’s example and love them as well. And since I believe the Bible is God’s word and it is truth then I believe it is also true today because a truth does not change. Ever. Hate has no place in my life. So I do not hate homosexuals and believing homosexuality is wrong does not mean I am homophobic, it simply means I have a belief that God has said it is wrong - then, now and forever. Just as stealing something was wrong in Bible times so then it is wrong now and forever because it is a truth that stealing is wrong and a truth never changes.

Biblical passages on homosexuality:

Leviticus 18:22

I Corinthians 6:9

Up or Down?

  A friend of mine expressed something on Facebook the other day about men leaving the toilet seat up that got me to thinking - why do women feel they are better than men and touching the toilet seat is beneath them? As a matter of cleanliness men generally will lift the toilet seat to pee instead of just leaving it down. I suppose we could just leave it down all the time but none of us have perfect aim so we lift it up because we don't want our ladies to have to come in and sit down on a pee soaked seat. You see, it's a matter of curtesy - we're thinking of the ladies when we lift it. And it is a matter of fairness that we allow the ladies to put it down. I mean is there any really good reason why only the men should have to touch the seat? 

  There is however an answer that would satisfy everyone... Install a urinal. As a matter of fact I think it should be against the building codes to build a new construction home and not include a urinal for the men (actually there are some women who are jumping on the bandwagon to pee standing up so they could benefit too).

  Of course the easiest, cheapest and most beneficial way to solve this age old problem is for the guys to just go outside and pee! Going out behind the house and peeing on the ground at the base of the house is a sure fire way to keep the weeds (or grass) at bay so you don't have to weed-eat. And since you're not installing a urinal or flushing the toilet when you're done your saving money and water. Guys, just be careful to not pee on your wife's prize petunias!

The Path to a Communist America

  I am increasingly reminded of a prophecy we were taught in school way back during the days of the cold war (and probably before) that the communist leaders promised to destroy America, not by waging war but by just sitting back and letting American destroy itself from within. To whit we were taught the Soviets believed we would destroy ourselves as outlined in former FBI agent Cleon Skousen's book "The Naked Communist" published in 1960:

• Infiltrate and take control of one or both political parties in the U.S. 
• Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming that their activities violate civil rights. 
• Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers associations. 
• Infiltrate the press. Get control of book review assignments, editorial writing and policy-making positions. 
• Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 
• Eliminate laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press. 
• Break down standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV. 
• Eliminate prayer and any form of religious expression in schools on the grounds that it violates separation of church and state. 
• Discredit the U.S. Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned and out of date with modern needs. 
• Discredit America’s founding fathers by presenting them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the common man. 
• Infiltrate and gain control of labor unions and big business.

  Each of these tenants are firmly ensconced in our society today and the result is our society is increasingly melding into a morass liberal idealism set on crushing conservative American values and eventually the American way of life. It is time for American's to get off their collective asses and stop making excuses and letting liberal ideals tear down our nation. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for liberals and I certainly don't believe they are evil people. I do believe they are greatly misguided and do not understand the dangers of setting the course for America they and our liberal government have plotted out for us.
  We must not allow our rights as Americans to be infringed, especially right now our first and second amendment rights of free speech and right to bear arms. To allow these rights to fall only opens the door wider for a communist takeover one day.

Gun Rights Are The Difference Between Liberty and Tyranny

 

   In the past year it seems there has been a quickening of the death of America. I listen to people talk, read peoples Facebook posts, tweets and blogs and I watch and read the news everyday. What I see happening is deeply disturbing and the division within our society is even more troubling.
   The liberal (and I use that term politely - not with malice) segment of our populace is vehemently decrying the right which the Second Amendment affords to all legal law abiding American citizens to bear arms. I can't help but feel our educational system should take the brunt of the responsibility for failing to teach and impress upon these countrymen the cause and reason for each right endowed by our founding fathers in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These were highly intelligent men - judged so not just during their time but also through the ages. Did these men envision machine guns and assault rifles? No. Did they foresee a day when children and mentally challenged citizens would wantonly kill their families, their neighbors or strangers? I dare say they did not. But our learned founding fathers did know tyranny. They knew what liberty was, what freedom meant. They knew once they achieved liberty and freedom that those ideals must be protected at all costs. That protection is the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and to take away those liberties and freedoms would be the first plunge into a crevasse so deep and dark that the price to escape would be far greater than any nation has ever endured.
   There was a time not so very long ago when the general populace owning an assault rifle or machine gun was generally relegated to collectors. But it was also a time when parents took a more active role in their children's lives and for children who were interested in guns were taught how to use and more importantly when to use them. When I was in high school the guys all had gun racks in their trucks and rifles in the gun racks. No one ever threatened another, no one ever pointed a gun at another. As far as our right to bear arms we were ALL taught about our history, the tyranny our founding fathers escaped from (the pilgrims and early settlers) and later the lengths they went to and the personal sacrifices they endured to assure the inviolability of those freedoms and rights they secured. It is shameful to see and hear of my countrymen who would spit on those freedoms and rights and the men who secured them 200+ years ago but also the men and women of our armed forces who stand at the ready to die to secure them today.
   Our right to bear arms in these United States of America are never to be taken lightly and my liberal friends (and a few conservatives as well) would do well to stop and reflect on what it would be like to live in a nation-state where they have no control of the government and that same government bullies its citizenry. Ask any survivor of the Night of the Long Knives or the later Holocaust or the many thousands of people in any number of African countries facing annihilation by their government what tyranny is like. Yes, it can even happen in America and to think it couldn't is the equivalent of a pig being led to the slaughter.

So now you've won…

To my fellow Americans who voted for Barack Obama…
It is great and wonderful that you want the government to give everything to you. I'm so glad for you that the government will be paying for children's shows, paying the bills for those who choose not to work, paying for your condoms and abortions. For those of you who voted for Obama because he is black, because he is "hip," or just because he was the Democratic Party nominee - I am happy for you that he won.
To my fellow Americans who voted for Mitt Romney…
My heartfelt condolences. Not because Romney lost but because the choice was made by a contingent of Americans who do not understand the necessity of prioritizing. Citizens who feel they are entitled simply because they are American. Citizens who are like spoiled children - they want what they want no matter the cost and have no comprehension of the cost or that there even is a cost. These citizens are like the Lost Boys of Peter Pan, who run wild with no responsibility for their actions because they have had no authority figure in their life to hold them responsible. Unfortunately in real life the stakes are way too high and left unchecked these entitlements will cause the American way of life to come crashing down around our heads. Sooner or later someone will have to pay the piper. Sooner or later that someone will be you and me. Left unchecked, liberal policies will cause the elderly to be cast aside because there will be no money to pay for them, liberal policies will cause other countries to crumble to fanatical regimes because there will be no money to place our military where they can act as a deterrent. Liberal policies will bankrupt our savings, retirement and pensions (if they haven't been already). Liberal policies will destroy our educational system and scientific endeavors. Our energy dependency on foreign countries will increase, further incapicitating the stature of America in the world and weakening our ability to stave off foreign encroachment upon our soil and financial stability.
So what is the answer? How can we stop these insidious inevitabilities? The only way is to elect conservative representation in Washington. Specifically, maintain conservative control of the House of Representatives and elect conservative candidates to the Senate. The priority of our government representatives must be to reverse our nations financial woes. To do that they must cancel funding for non-necessary programs such as the arts and the sciences, and cease funding grants. They cannot bail out companies that are financially dire (such as the auto industry), instead businesses must be allowed to go through the process of bankruptcy which should leave them stream-lined and financially secure if they are a viable business. The size and scope of government itself must be reduced.
We all must sacrifice to become a stronger nation. For myself the environment and the arts are extremely important but I would rather sacrifice them temporarily in order to save them permanently. We must, as a nation, put our priorities in proper order. First and foremost is national security and that can only come with financial security. We have dealt our country a tremendous blow by electing a president who subscribes to policies that weaken our nation. It is past time to hold our leaders feet to the fire and make them responsible, it is OUR responsibility to put forth viable responsible candidates in the next mid-term election and send them to Washington. We as a nation, not "we as a Republican" or "We as a Democrat" or "We as a conservative," but we as a nation must be responsible Americans even in the face of so many non-responsible Americans. Seek out and endorse responsible candidates NOW!

Fear and Loathing in America

  Recently I purchased the 4 DVD set of Billy Jack movies. For those of you younger generations the name and character of "Billy Jack" may not phase you but for my generation the character symbolized the essence of what freedom means as an American. Billy Jack was cool and hip. He wanted to do his own thing and encouraged you to do your own thing as well. He fought prejudice at all levels of society but he hated violence and only used violence as a means of self-defense or for justice when the system broke down. The films spanned the sixties and seventies and dealt with the very real issues America faced at the time - racial and sexual prejudices, political corruption, the stigma of a questionable war and societies intolerance of any movement deemed radical by society. Sound familiar? As I watched those movies I became aware of how much the world we live in today is the same as the world of that time. Only now the vile rhetoric and violence seems much more instantaneous due to the internet, smart phones and satellite TV.
  Today in America we spread vicious cartoons and photos via Facebook of issues we each deem to be a radical departure from what we believe the world should be. The America founded in the 1700's on the basis of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness no longer exists. We are labeled liberal or conservative and to each group the other group is not to be tolerated and their voice is to be shut down and silenced. Tolerance is no longer a bastion of a free American democracy and has become not just a dirty word but a filthy word. We no longer have the assurance of freedom of speech in America. The liberal left hatefully assault the conservative right for wanting to be fiscally responsible in government, and for being intolerant of sexual ideologies while the right also eschews intolerance of the left for the liberals abasement of biblical principles and their desire to obliterate the border between the US and Mexico.

  No longer can an American voice his or her opinion or belief without suffering persecution from some faction who possesses an opposing view. Each day I listen and watch the news broadcasts, I read posts on Facebook and listen when I'm out in public and every day I get sick to my stomach because of the hate and intolerance we as Americans have for each other. A watched a video of a man berating a Chick-fil-A worker and it made me nauseous. The next day I hear he was fired from his job for his actions. Why? Does he not have the right to say what he wishes to? I certainly don't agree with his action or what he said but he has the right to say it no matter how stupid or foolish it made him seem. Kudos to the young lady he berated however, she showed great poise and professionalism under fire.

  A writer at a Florida paper had his blog removed from the internet supposedly because of the position he takes against conservatives who do not believe in gay marriage. If that is truly the reason for his blogs removal then the paper should be ashamed of itself. I believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman but I do not have the right to force my beliefs on others who don't feel the same and they should not have the right to belittle me for my stand. It is alright to believe in something different, it should be our strength as a nation that we can work together for common goals despite our differences. Sadly though we as a nation have degenerated into a morass of undignified, hateful bullies and it has to stop or we are doomed to follow the paths of the great world empires of history and vanish. It is time we stood up as a nation and love our neighbor. If we find ourselves on opposite sides of the same fence we need to still show good grace and poise and not hate and spite. The answer is to love. It is not an easy answer and to many it is cliché but that does not negate it as the solution.

Mothers Day

My Mom - Charlotte Wiggins

I am fortunate that at the time of this writing my mother is still with us (though it is amazing to me how that can be after riding around town with her driving!). I am more fortunate still that after 21 years of living alone in Virginia since dad passed away that she has finally sold her home and moved to the same town my brother and I live in. I no longer have to worry about her stroking out while cutting her grass as her homeowners association takes care of that now. I no longer have to worry about her being alone all the time or being a target of a break-in (the house she sold was right behind a 7/11 store). When she had minor surgeries I couldn't be there to help her out at home, now I can. Having my mother nearby is indeed a blessing.
But I would like to address this blog entry mainly to my dear friends who's mothers are no longer with us and in particular those who are going through their first Mothers Day without their mother. Mostly what I have to say is nothing they haven't already heard or known but sometimes it helps to be reminded of what a blessing of having a mother really is.
For you, Mothers Day (this year in particular) should be a celebration of the life of the wonderful woman who gave you life. It is a celebration of the values she passed on to you in your youth, a celebration of someone who soothed your ills, fed you, took you places even when she didn't feel good, taught you manners, listened to you spill out your heart when it was broken, cheered the loudest at your ball games or other special events. Mother's Day is a celebration of the love she showed you her entire life - even during those low times when in retrospect you think you didn't deserve to be loved. It is a celebration of the example she set for you that helped mold you into the adult you are today.
The Bible says in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3 "To every thing there is season and a time to every purpose under the heaven." The remaining verses further illustrate that there is a time for everything, a time to mourn and a time to weep. But it also reminds us there is a time to rejoice (a time to laugh and a time to dance). Being human means there will be an element of mourning for you this Mothers Day because your loss is heavy, but this day is meant for rejoicing so while you mourn be sure to take time to rejoice and celebrate the wonderful woman who gave you life as well. Take time to celebrate Mothers Day!

ADDENDUM: it is now 2014 and days away from Mothers Day again. In the two years since I wrote the above my mother was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer for which she had to have her right jaw removed and a bone from her leg removed and installed in place of the jaw. She endured days upon days of grueling therapy, lost her ability to talk clearly (although she is understandable) and eventually got the cancer free proclamation which was short lived when the cancer returned a few months ago. Once again she is enduring the chemo treatments and thankfully the doctor is pleased with her progress and treatment. Time and again in the past two years I have considered how fortunate I am to still have her with us (even though she may not feel the same when I'm driving her around! Lol). Time and again I marvel at her tenacity and determination in fighting the cancer and also to not let it make her depressed. She is strong of mind, will and faith as well as an anchor in my life. Yes, I am indeed fortunate to not only have her still with us, but also to have her as my mom.

ADDENDUM #2: Today is Mother's Day 2015 and it is the first without mom who passed away last month on April 6th. I was so privileged to be able to move in and take care of her for the last six months of her life. I learned so much more about my mother than I could have dreamed possible and I re-realized things about her I had often taken for granted simply because she was there. I was fortunate enough to eulogize her at two different memorials for her. Life goes on and each day I must get out of bed and go about my day, but always there is a void where once there was my mother. That void is just in my mind though because she is not physically here, in my heart it is a different story. My heart has no void, it is filled with love and thanks for having been blessed to have the wonderful mother I had and knowing one day I'll see her and my father once more. But as I stated when I first wrote this blog entry - today I will remember my mother and I will rejoice in the love that she had for me and the example she set for me as well. Happy Mother's Day mom.

Pet Peeves, Volume 1

I say Volume 1 cause I know just as soon as I publish this I'll think of a dozen more pet Peeves I had forgotten about. So with that in mind I'm going to just periodically post five things that irritate me and get under my skin.

1. People who can't count. You know who I'm talking about. You need to run to the store for a single item only to find the line for 10 items and under line has one lady with a cart filled high with groceries. I've been known to ask them if they ever made it out of first grade. They don't like it when you do that, but I really don't care cause I don't like it when they get in the short line either.
2. People who don't use turn signals. I get so irritated sitting at a stop light or sign and can't go because of an oncoming vehicle with no turn signals on and then they turn. Meanwhile I've been sitting there burning about $5 worth of gas when I could have driven on had they indicated they were going to turn. USE YOUR SIGNALS PEOPLE!
3. Businesses that require a minimum purchase for you to use your debit card for the purchase. Really? Who carries cash anymore? All I wanted was a 2 liter or a bag of chips but you're going to make me spend more money to purchase it? No way! Not only am I going to walk away and leave the merchandise on the counter and make you restock the shelf with it but you have also just lost money because I will no longer patronize your business - even if I plan to buy a whole case of sodas and spend much more money, I'm going to spend it at your competitor.
4. WHISPERERS! I despise whisperers. You know who I'm talking about. They'll stand right in front of you and whisper an entire conversation to each other just loud enough that you can catch a word or two but not loud enough to get the full story. So very rude! If you need to speak to someone in private - do it in PRIVATE!
5. Drivers who don't use the zip rule. Well that's what I call it anyway. The zip rule is when two lanes of traffic merge into one the vehicles should merge together alternately - one from the left lane, one from the right, one from the left, one from the right and so on - they merge like zipping up a zipper. Today though people are just too rude and in too much of a hurry and don't want to take the time to be safe and as a result they all try to be the first one at the head of the line. Which leads me to another pet peeve (but we'll still consider it part of this one) - people who drive on the shoulder of the road to get ahead of everyone else when the interstate is backed up. Do like I do and just pull over onto the shoulder a little bit, enough so no one can get by - you'll enjoy pissing the idiots off… I do. :)

Well, that's all for now. I'll come up with more shortly and post them in a month or so. Have some of your own? Feel free to comment on this blog and share with everyone!

Losing Sight of the Point

 A few things have come across my scope of events and happenings in the world in the past few days that just beg for me to indulge and write an opinion on. Here is one of them.
  I came in late on the whole Rush Limbaugh fiasco that happened last Wednesday (Feb. 29, 2012). With all the uproar about what he said I just had to do some research and get the facts. Now I'm not a Rush advocate, though I do agree with him on an occasional issue as well as disagree from time to time and to be honest I just don't care enough about him to listen to what he has to say and follow him like so many do and I feel he is a loudmouth arrogant bully.

  As I understand it, during his broadcast that day he was commenting on the testimony of a Georgetown law student, Sandra Fluke, at a Capitol Hill hearing. Fluke, who is an advocate for government funding of contraception had submitted a written testimony to the committee (House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform) in which she "argued in favor of requiring all private insurance plans to cover contraception coverage, even religious institutions." She further argued that in the course of three years of law school, student birth control could cost $3000 in some instances.
  Fluke's statements in her testimony drove Limbaugh to make the following statement on his show:

"What does it say about the college co-ed Fluke, who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex, she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex." Rush Limbaugh as quoted by CNN.com

   The sad part of Rush's statement is that his point was lost amid the derogatory slurs at Ms. Fluke. His argument would have been profoundly more persuasive if he had left out the colorful name-calling and stuck to the facts. Fluke's position is she wants the government to require insurance companies to cover the cost of contraceptives. This position dictates that sex is a necessary, even required, activity which must be undertaken in order to graduate. Now I'm all for sex, in fact I think the world would be a much better place if everyone could have all the sex they wanted but it is not the governments role to intervene in the sexual life of the citizenry. Participation in sex is not necessary in order to enroll, attend or graduate from any school or university and for Ms. Fluke to assert that the government should impose upon insurance companies to provide coverage to allow students to have safe sex is ludicrous. If students are going to have sex then yes, they need to practice safe sex - and they should pay for it out of their own pocket rather than cause insurance rates for everyone else to go up in order to pay for it. At some point we each must be responsible for the things we do or don't do and we should be mature enough to take responsibility for our mistakes, be it the result of sex or some other decision we make which results in a mistake or problem of some kind.
  Rush was right in his position on the matter but the words he chose to use to relay his position were in extreme poor taste. I don't believe Rush should be taken off the air but I do applaud those advertisers who have chosen to remove their advertising dollars from his show and in effect force him to take responsibility for his immature remarks.

Men love flowers too!

  Now I like to think of myself as a manly man. I like the outdoors, sports, Jack Daniels, westerns, action films and fast cars. When I'm in the department store I head straight for the tool department. If it's more upscale and doesn't have a tool department but does have a sporting goods or outdoors department I'll hang there instead. In other words I have absolutely no doubts about my masculinity. Even so there is a part of me that enjoys things normally associated with those of the fairer sex. For instance, there are some chick flicks I like such as When Harry Met Sally or Thelma and Louise. There is however one area where I think women are totally lacking in understanding about many men when it comes to Valentine's Day - flowers. Believe me, men love to get flowers on Valentine's Day and more specifically they love to get them at work. Actually men love to get flowers on any day but just like women, Valentine's is special. It's not the flowers themselves we like so much as the attention we get in the office when they are delivered, or when you're seated at the restaurant waiting for her and she walks in with a big bouquet for you. Oh, sure there will be those guys who are snickering about you getting flowers, but those are the same guys who are probably going to be going home to an empty house at the end of the day and in all likelihood haven't slept with a woman they didn't have to pay for in eons. Getting that flower arrangement is a statement for men, just like it is for women, a statement that says "yes I have a wonderful person in my life who knows how to treat me right and that makes me a very lucky man (or woman)."
  So, ladies, take pause and consider the value and benefits you'll reap this Valentine's Day when he discovers the flowers left at the receptionists desk has a card with his name on it! You can thank me later :)

Three little dots...

  One of the the great loves of my life contacted me last night on Facebook. Twenty-four years have passed since we last spoke, not because of any bad feelings though, our lives just followed different paths. During the course of our chat on Facebook we caught up as best we could through that forum. She's happily married with three beautiful kids now. Trying to fill her in on my life over these many years was difficult because for some strange reason I wanted her to be proud of me. I have enjoyed life but have little to show for my years and quite a few less than happy events so I worked around those parts as best I could, often using the common notation of three dots (you know - "..." ) to indicate there is more information. She made the comment  "those three dots can cover a lot more than can be typed on fb." That simple statement really packed a punch for me. How true it is! There was so much more I wanted to tell her and hear from her and yet all I could do was type three little dots.

  I believe those three dots are indicative of how we are losing our ability to communicate in an informative and meaningful way in the 21st century. Several times I've had arguments with female friends over something I texted or didn't text in a message. We try to shorten and abbreviate just about everything we do and it only serves to make life more complicated - especially when I'm dealing with my female friends (sorry ladies it's true - my guy friends could care less about a deeper or hidden meaning behind my emoticons and abbreviations). As a result I try not to live by my phone anymore. I answer fewer and fewer text messages and when I do I keep it to short simple answers, questions and statements. Of course that has it's drawbacks to as a couple of my lady friends want to know why I'm being so curt when I text them! It seems I can't win!