Dorseyville Daze

Impatient and Mind-Boggled

"It should only take about 30 minutes... tops," Donny told Trey as they drove to the DMV in Terrell. It was, after all, in Terrell. Not exactly a hotbed of activity. And it was 2:00. Before the school's let out their hoards of newly minted drivers hoping to take their driving tests. "Only 30 minutes and then we can go by Walmart and still get home before Noah does." Famous last words.

I do not really understand why the government, any government, has to be so blasted inefficient. As we stood there for 1 1/2 hours watching the 4 ladies doing the work of 1 1/2 ladies I could not help to think what our country will be like when the government takes control of the banking system and health insurance. What is this country thinking? Those ladies (who I am sure all very nice and proper ladies) were moving in slow motion. One would have an issue with some form and they all would stop what they were doing and go over to "help" her. They would leave occasionally to go to the other room to "make copies" and not return for 15 minutes. Were they hand writing those copies? As the line grew longer and the people that had been there earlier to take driving tests or had other problems kept jumping back in line in front of us my patience grew very thin. I was waiting until we got up to the counter to be told that Trey didn't have the necessary forms. But that would be only after the ladies disappeared - I guess taking their long awaited break. And I guess they deserved that break because they had worked so hard. Yeah, right!

We finally reached the counter and Trey did indeed have everything he needed so now he is a full-fledged adult driver. Oh... we did not make it home before Noah did even skipping the trip to Walmart. Thank goodness for cell phones and the call to the school to alert him that he would be locked out of the house until we arrived.

Just another example of our fine government bureaucracy at work. It boggles the mind.

Will everyone just please calm down!!

Well, it's done. As I looked around I saw everyone crying. Some were tears of elation that the first black president had been elected. Some were tears of frustration and regret from the losing side wondering what could have been done differently. And there was some anger. Trey was freaking out. "The whole country is doomed", he said. (Being fair to him, it is the first election that he has cared anything about. Unfortunately, he was a few months shy of being eligible to vote.) Okay! Will everyone just calm down. Please! Just calm down and let's take a look at what just happened.

Although, I didn't vote for the President-elect, I do acknowledge the history of the outcome. It is significant and a great day for people of color everywhere. This is not to imply that any perceived (or real) inequity between our respective races has been achieved. Maybe that inequity has taken a giant step forward. Maybe not. From the looks of things, more racial tension may be the result. If you were watching anything on television, you might think that Jesus himself had returned. There were people talking about "a new dawn". What is that supposed to mean? Oprah was hootin' and hollerin' on her show. ( I saw it on the news - no... I do not watch her dribble.) Then there was Martin Luther King Jr's son saying that his father's dream wouldn't be realized until everyone has healthcare. Really? I don't remember that in that speech. Is that equity? The government taking care of everyone? The media is just ecstatic that "their" guy won. This even though they are now admitting on air that they don't really know that much about him. It is all kind of strange to me.

As for the Republican's, I can't say that I thought we had a great chance to begin with. I have written before about the choice of Senator McCain and the general malaise of the party faithful until Governnor Palin was added to the ticket. But even then, McCain seemed to be only half-hearted in his attempt to sway people's hearts and minds to his way of thinking. Maybe he did the best he could as the slope of the hill worsened. It was clear from the beginning of the campaign that the media was against him after being in love with him during the primaries. In my opinion, his campaign was just not well ran. He came too late to the whole issue of the tax cut for 95% of people when only 60% or so people pay income taxes. He came too late to lots of issues like this. And what that campaign is now doing to Sarah Palin is unconscionable. In the bigger picture, the Republican party has some identity issues that need to taken care of before the next time around. Are we going to be the party of smaller government, less taxes, more individual responsibility or are we going to slide closer to the center? Is the country really moving to a center/left position? I don't think so. I hope not. But only time will tell.

So there I was, this morning, as I was walking/jogging thinking about all of these things. I pray a lot when I walk in the mornings while listening to my tunes. I was reflecting on what the country would be like in a few years after the far-left leaning congress and, now, administration get some of their policies through.

The song on my iPod changed and a Ginny Owens song came on.

My thoughts? What will happen to our Supreme Court? What will happen to the economy after taxes go up? What will happen when the government takes over healthcare? What will happen regarding national security? So as these questions were bouncing around inside my head something interesting happened. God spoke to me...

It's not your problem, God replied
And the rest is history

’Cause there's a bigger picture you can't see
You don't have to change the world, just trust in Me
'Cause I am your creator, I am working out my plan
And through you Obama I will show them, I Am

So whatever happens, we can just calm down and be assured that none of this has caught God, the creator of everything, by surprise. He is working out his plan and this is obviously a part of it. I don't know how. But just like the song says, I am going to trust in Him and just see what He does with all of this. Will you join me? The next few years are going to be interesting to say the least.

Can you believe it?

I took this a bit earlier today. Amazing the difference a few months can make. Hope it stays this way for awhile.

Politics As Usual?

With just a month to go who will win the presidency is anybody's guess. This election season has not been the typical roller coaster of past election years. My guy, Fred Thompson, got into the race too late and then couldn't excite anyone. I have followed Thompson from the days when he was a Senator from Tennessee having been swept in the conservative (and Republican) tidal wave in 1994. He was probably the closest Reaganesque conservative in the race this year. He was even an actor(love that DA Arthur Branch!) What more could you want? Well, I did want him. But as the chads fell and the digital bits were counted McCain came out on top.

Honestly, McCain was probably fourth on my list. He has some stances that I do not agree with from immigration to the now massive bail out. I have not been energized at all but decided that he would get my vote because his views on defense and fiscal responsibility are important and correct. (The bail out keeps jumping out as a big, big missed opportunity for him.) I think that Mr. Obama must be defeated. It is that simple. But then things changed on August 29. Sarah Palin.

What a breath of fresh air! Suddenly, the conservative base was energized. The polls took a bounce and all was looking up. Her strength is that she seems to be just like you and me. She told Biden the other night that those middle class people that he talks about is her. (The highest she has earned, even as Governor of Alaska, is $170K). So she is like us. At least, closer to the folks than any of the other candidates. Rhonda was actually able to meet and shake her hand last Friday. She met with T. Boone Pickens, who offices in one of the buildings that Rhonda manages, and after going through the requisite background check and instructions was given a small pin to wear that gave her access among the Secret Service. Rhonda was thrilled to meet Governor Palin. I was envious.

I am weary of all of the campaign ads and debates. We are hearing nothing new and the debates, quite frankly, have been quite boring. There have been no "sound bite" moments. No "You are no John Kennedy", or "Well, there you go again..." This is a problem because bored people change channels. I was tempted to a few times during the debate last night. But I think, in most cases, the people that actually watch the debates are people that largely have their minds made up already. Those that do not care or that just try to jump in at the last moment are the ones that will cast an uninformed vote and who knows what direction it might fall. I try to not vote on emotion but on an intelligent assessment of the issues. But with the current state of the economy and the campaign ads I would bet that there will be a lot of emotional votes cast. That is probably bad for the McCain/Palin ticket. And bad for the country.

Don't look behind the curtain.

The olympics are well underway and have proven to be pretty exciting. I have loved seeing Michael Phelps and following along on his journey to become the most decorated olympic athlete in history. I have been on the edge of my seat while watching the men's and women's gymnastics. All in all, it has been pretty entertaining.

The opening ceremonies were just incredible. However, I found myself thinking about the people involved the whole time. I guess I don't really know what it is like to live under communism. What I know about it is largely anecdotal. But as I was marveling at the precision of the drummers and the sheer size of the production in general, I couldn't help to think about how long it took to get it as perfect as it was. It was really remarkable. How long did these people practice? I heard somewhere that they practiced hours and hours for days and days. Do they have jobs? Did companies sacrifice productivity for the sake of the state? How much do these people get paid? One of the segments said that the vast majority of Chinese people get by on $2/day. Did I hear that right? The ruling class is VERY wealthy. Everyone else just survives. If that is so, do these people realize that? Even the Chinese athletes are taken from their families at very young ages to train. They rarely see their families. Are all of these sacrifices made voluntarily? I guess everything is done for the good of the state. I don't get it.

So, even as I was impressed by the expansive scope and technology of the opening ceremonies I had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. It might have been the lunch that I had eaten earlier but I suspect it was the realization that China, a country often vilified for it's disregard for civil rights, had spent billions of dollars so that people like me would sit in amazement at their spectacular job. We will probably never know how much this Olympics cost them or how much debt they are left with.

Later, I heard on the news that the sweet little girl in the red dress was not singing but lip-syncing. Also, the fireworks on television were not the same fireworks that were experienced live. They had been enhanced with computer-generated graphics for the television viewers. I understand, I suppose, China's desire to look good to the world. But this is a perfect example of what communist regimes try to do. Let's make it look perfect and maybe they won't notice what is behind the curtain. It makes me wonder how much of the ceremony really was computer controlled. That would explain the precision. Whatever you do, ignore that man behind the curtain.

Live Out Loud

There are so many times when we are blessed and just go on about our lives without giving thanks or praise for the blessing. Only one of the ten healed lepers returned to Jesus to praise Him for what He had done. Are we so preoccupied with our own lives that we cannot acknowledge His greatness and His ultimate sacrifice for us? We need to live life to the fullest every day. We never know when our appointed time is. That is so evident with the passing of Chynna Zmolik. This year's D-Now at church will forever be remembered not for the great teaching, worship, and fellowship but as the weekend when many of those students first tasted the bitter root of death and mourning. It is really sad. It just doesn't seem right to lose someone at age 17. But God is sovereign. We can trust that He knows what He is doing. So we need to live life in the moment. We need to thank continuously. We need to praise constantly. We need to worship relentlessly. We need to pray ceaselessly. We need to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord. Without end.

When you are finished reading this, please say a prayer for the Zmolik family. Ms. Zmolik,17, was a student at Forney High School who died after a 23-hour surgery to repair a valve in her heart. This family is a pillar of our community and loved by many.

Is Oprah for real?

I guess much has been said about the video below. In the past, I have liked Oprah... respected her really. She is so wealthy and has done much good for lots of people. But recently she has really made me wonder. I have never assumed that she wasn't liberal. The majority of that industry is. That doesn't really surprise me. But when she came out for Senator Obama in more than just a vocal way she lost my infrequent viewership and my respect for her started waning. Then there was this video. I got it in an email and while I usually don't watch stuff sent in emails I did take the time to watch this. I can't say that I am shocked. I am just really disturbed by this.

Although this video is obviously put out by someone trying to sell a book, it does seem to show Oprah in a less than favorable light. She admits growing up in a Baptist church but she has really been led down the wrong path. I believe what the Bible says. Yes... there is only one way to salvation. It is Jesus. The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it. What is disturbing is that she is espousing all of the New Age nonsense and people are listening and falling for it. This isn't the first time she has done this. She switches from time to time to whatever the "current" philosophy is. It is ridiculous! It is sad. It is ridiculously sad. This woman needs our prayers.

What a Crazy Day!!

Forney High School was evacuated Friday morning after a bomb threat was called into the sheriff's office, a representative at the Forney ISD said.

Authorities swept the campus and reported at 11:40 a.m. that no bomb had been found, said Jennie Moore, a school district spokewoman.

Students were relocated to the middle school as authorities swept the campus, Ms. Moore said.

Parents who picked up their children will return them to classes, and remaning students will be transported back to high school for the remainder of the day, Ms. Moore said.

About 1,700 students attend the high school.

[From Students returning to Forney High after bomb threat | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News ]

Trey called me this morning about 10:00am. When I saw his name on the phone I thought, "What did you forget this time?" But it was a different kind of call. He told me about the bomb threat and how they evacuated the school and taken them all to the Middle School. And now they were told if they had phones to call their parents to come and get them. So I said okay and promptly left to do so. I drove to the Middle School before being told that I had gone to the wrong one. We have two now. The newest one will officially open in August. That is the one where they were held and was, of course, clear on the other side of town. After sitting in line about an hour on the only road that goes by the school, I was able to park and join the throng of parents waiting for their kids.

And wait we did. We were instructed to write our child's name on a list which would be used to inform the student that their ride was present. The problem was that the kids were in two different locations and were really loud and not able to hear their names when they were called. I was standing outside in the wind and constantly dropping temperatures for two hours. It was starting to get ugly. People nerves were shot, they were cold and most (including me) could not understand what the huge hold-up was. These kids were 14-18 years old. How about letting the out on the football field and let parents find their child and then verify ID with someone as they leave? Anything would be better than what actually happened.

I don't really have the answer. It seems that the school did a great job evacuating and getting the kids to safety. With that many kids - not a easy job to say the least. I am thankful that they had a plan and the plan worked. But did they have a plan for the release of the students. I don't think so. At least, it didn't seem well thought out. Maybe that should be the next thing they work up.

The article appeared in the Dalls Morning News but is not exactly correct. I seriously doubt anyone who picked up the child took them back to the school. I know I didn't. Not after standing in the cold for two hours. Happy Bomb-threat Day, Trey. You have the rest of the day off. By the time we actually left the Middle School there was only 2 hours of school left anyway. It seemed kind of pointless to me.

Same Auld Lang Syne

Here we are again at another New Year's Eve. When I walked this morning I was thinking about the last year and ways that my life is better now than last year at this time. If you believe the media and the Democratic candidates we are so much worse off than last year. Consumer confidence is down and there were concerns about the "worst Christmas buying season in 5 years." Rhonda and I don't see it. But I digress...I have been thinking some about personal goals for next year. If you have been with me through the years you know that I am not one that makes New Years resolutions. I think they set yourself up to fail. So, even though I am really not much of a "goal setter", this year I am going to call them "goals." It isn't really the same thing, is it? Regardless of what you want to call them, here is a list of my personal goals for next year:

1. Continue my weight loss (currently at 54 lbs.) and arrive at my goal weight by in time for youth camp next year. I have about 35-40 more pounds to lose. I started losing at camp last year when they walked and ran me to death.
2. Give blood as often as they will let me.
   
3. Find new ways to show my love for my wife. In the busyness of our lives, we sometimes forget that we need alone time together. Whether it be something as simple as monthly dates or a weekend away, or a cruise (just 24 more days for that one!) we need to make time for each other.
   
4. Alone time individually with my boys. A few years ago, I started what we called "dates" with my boys. It was just a chance to spend time alone with them. For a while, I would take one of them and Rhonda would take the other and we would just enjoy each others company. It was great. In fact, there is no one, other than Rhonda, that I would prefer to spend my time with. We stopped doing it at some point. I don't know why. Every so often Noah asks when we are going to go on another date. I really want to start that again. It obviously meant a lot to them.
   

So there they are. Kind of short and simple, really. What do you have to work on?

A Real Dilemma

I got this email a few days ago from the American Family Association that asked the question:

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the only Republican candidate for president who supports abortion and homosexual marriage. Will Republican voters vote for a candidate for president who supports abortion and homosexual marriage?

I am having trouble with this one. Although every fiber in my being says, of course I wouldn't vote for someone that is for issues that I am wholeheartedly against. However, what is the other option? I won't vote for Hillary or Senator Obama. What if the Republicans nominate Rudy? He might be the only person that can beat Hillary. I think we agree on other issues. I don't know. Personally, I am keeping an eye on Fred Thompson. I guess we will have to wait and see how this pans out.