What do you believe?

35,000 adults were surveyed earlier this week and they think that their religion isn't the only way to get to Heaven. Now, there are a couple of ways to view this. One is that people see past their Christian Denominational beliefs, I agree that you don't have to be Methodist, Presbyterian or Baptist to get to Heaven. The other thought is that perhaps some of these people think Buddhism or Islam can get you to Heaven.

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam claim that Jesus Christ was a good man and great prophet but not the Son of God. That's ridiculous, either Jesus was who he proclaimed to be for 32 years or he was a complete lunatic and idiot. There are many references to this absolute truth but I will leave you with the most obvious one:

Jhn 14:6

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Scientology is Awesome

Check him Out

I See Stupid People

Just when I think people can't get any dumber someone comes up with a "kid-friendly" sex store. Watch the moron in this video try to justify her trade. The article is also ridiculous, I mean really let's picture a trip with a kid to this store.

Child: "Daddy, what's that long purple thing on the shelf?"

"Ummm, a neck massager??" Dad says

Child: "Wow, that person has a big neck"

Really, it's that ridiculous. Look at the book titles in the video "The Guide to Getting it On" who actually needs a guide for that that isn't in junior high? Here's the bottom line, stuff that's made to be used in the dark and/or behind closed doors cannot be put on display tastefully. I am not condemning the existence of these stores or the things they sell, just saying they can't be made kid friendly not matter what color you paint the walls. At some point you have to face the facts that crotchless underwear and leather gags are what they are no matter where you put them.

Idiots!

Well Said

The man pictured is John Howard, former Prime Minister of Australia. I like him, read the following and you'll see why.

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia and her Queen at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his Ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown. Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard, hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular state, and its laws were made by parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you", he said on National Television

"I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia : one the Australian law and another Islamic law that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country, which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option", Costello said.

Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual citizenship could possibly be asked to move to the other country. Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want to accept local values should "clear off. Basically people who don't want to be Australians, and who don't want, to live by Australian values and understand them, well then, they can basically clear off", he said.

Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote: "IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians."

"However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the 'politically correct' crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia ." "However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand." "This idea of Australia being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. And as Australians, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle."

"This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom"

"We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!"

"Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture."

"We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us."

"If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like "A Fair Go", then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. By all means, keep your culture, but do not force it on others.

"This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,

'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'."

"If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted."

Here is the snopes reference for anyone who thinks that was conjured up. You will find that the above is not an exact quote but the point was made nonetheless.

Church Stuff

Man I am getting tired of some of the church stuff I hear. I wish people would just get some joy out of their Sundays every now and then. I feel like everywhere I go people think their music has to be a certain way or it doesn't honor God, or their denomination is this or that. I am not totally enjoying my current church, but instead of whining I am meeting with the pastor and music minister to see how I can help and where God wants me. As for your denomination and music styles, it all goes back to scripture. Back it with the Bible or back your argument out of my face and no, it doesn't have to be the King James Version.;)

P.S. I am fine with different denominations and different music styles since everybody can't like the same things or always interpret scripture the same way.

Band Stuff

For the past few days I have been really wanting to play music with some old friends. Really only two of them are actually old, the rest are younger dudes. Getting together for grown-ups is hard and I don't know if all this will work out, but so fare it seems promising. I even have 7 songs to start with. I heard this in my You Tube subscriptions today and it became the seventh song. Seems like an awesome song to end any worship set with.

My Babies

Movie Review (Miami Vice)

Pros: Good gunfights.

Cons: Nudity seemed gratuitous, the language was also sometimes gratuitous, this is perhaps the worst action movie ever. Colin Ferrel cannot act so I just didn't get his performance and he was completely overshadowed by Jamie Foxx.

If someone asks you to watch this shoot them in the face.

Awesome Concert

This isn't the show I went to, but they were awesome just the same.

Gay Nudist Colony in Roane County

Yeah, the Rosebud Lodge is trying to get built just outside of town. Once people found out what they were doing, they changed their website once the locals learned it was specifically for ghey people. Now they owners are trying to be more inclusive as they see their zoning probabilities slip away. Anyway, there are a bunch of articles about the place out there, and the website has been stripped down to a real basic framework since it was drawing negative attention.

Firestorm brewing over alternative lifestyle lodge



By DAMON LAWRENCE
rclawrence@bellsouth.net

A quiet rumble. That's the way zoning officer Kay Christopher
described the public firestorm that's starting to brew over a plan to
bring an adult resort to Roane County.

"You know it's about to hit," Christopher said.

Christopher said her office has been bombarded with phone calls over
the Rosebud Lodge.

The proposed resort and campground will cater to the gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender community. Pictures on the Rosebud Lodge Web
site --www.rosebudlodge.com -- show same-sex couples, including two
men kissing, two men sitting in a bath tub and one person who appears
to be dressed in drag.

The Rosebud Web site doesn't mention Roane County by name. Riverfront
property just west of Knoxville is the description given about the
location, but a phone number on the site belongs to Gary Foster of
Kettering, Ohio.

He is also listed as the applicant on a zoning request form that was
filed with the county zoning office. When contacted Tuesday, Foster
seemed confident that the resort, described as clothing-optional three
weeks of the month, will come to fruition. He said the location is the
perfect spot for it.

"It's between Nashville and Knoxville and not far from Chattanooga,"
Foster said. "It's a high-traffic area. A lot of people come in there
for the Smoky Mountains, Dollywood and things like that. It's a very
good area, especially for fishing and boating."

According to the county zoning office, the property that would be home
to the resort is located at 920 Skyline Drive. The property, about 60
acres, fronts the Clinch River and is next to Cedar Lake Retreat.
According to county property records, the land is owned by Robert F.
Whiteside Jr., and its appraised value is $704,500.

There are plans to put a health club, pool and dorm-type housing on
the resort. Foster said if the rezoning is approved, the resort could
be open by August.

"I've already been down there several times," Foster said. "My Realtor
is handling everything right now."

Foster said the resort would be for adults only.

"If you go into a lot of campgrounds, you'll see that they have things
going on for just adults without the kids," Foster said. "This will be
a place where we don't want the kids, so the adults can just enjoy
themselves."

The property is currently zoned A-2 (developing agricultural) and
would need to be rezoned to C-1 (general commercial) in order for the
Rosebud Lodge to do business there. That's where public opposition
could come into play. The county commission has the final say on
whether or not to rezone the property. Christopher said people
representing several local churches are among the many who called her
office to inquire about the proposed resort. No one has expressed a
positive opinion, Christopher said.

They will have the opportunity to voice their opinions formally.
Christopher said the request to rezone will be on the planning
commission's agenda for its May 21 meeting and appear on the
commission agenda for its June 9 meeting. Both meetings will be held
at the courthouse.

"I don't think the courthouse is going to be big enough to hold all
the people," said Warren Kocher, a member of the planning commission.

Old Music

I was listening to something on the radio the other day by a popular new artist and couldn't believe how much it sucked. I miss the hair bands, they looked super cheesy but they could at least play and sing:

American Idol Gives Back

I missed the show as I am doing a small research project but when I got home, Mrs. Dude shared a story with me. She let the girls stay up and watch the show that night and over the course of the evening the impact of what they were seeing began to settle in. My oldest (8) is quite emotional and started crying when she learned that these people were starving to death and not getting basic medical care. Both girls have banks that are divided into three categories Church, Store, and Savings. When they learned that $12 would feed a child they each donated $12 from their store fund. This is the money they use to buy the stuff they want, that makes a daddy proud.

Cool Video

This is a friend of my Mother's:

Oprah Winfrey (The Most Dangerous Person in America)

My 1978 Guild F-512SB

This guitar was being repaired for almost a year. I really like the way it looks and it sounds pretty good even with my very limited playing ability (disability). Clayton from Broadway sound here in Knoxville Tennessee did all the work and I am pretty pleased. I think one of the cleats has come loose inside, but with seven or eight of them something like that had to happen. I will get that repaired as soon as I obtain the right pick-up. I also just acquired an OLP MM3 bass that I may trade for a good pick-up for the 12-string.

The latest on Dr. J

This is long but good:

Dear Pray-ers,

I apologize for not getting back to you much quickly after last night's successful debate with the Dean of Sciences out at UnivNevLasVegas, but I was out late with some young bro's & sis' and needed the rest-up time and some other catch-up work time here in the hotel room.

Well, soon there should be some reports from the students who were present at the debate, but I can summarize some to you Pray-ers from my perspective.

Dr. Yasbin unfortunately spent 20 minutes going over a downloaded "statement of faith" from my website, and going through a great deal of talk about Hebrew translations and how untrustworthy he thought the Bible was, and how much he was such a good Jew and how much beliefs like mine led to the deaths of millions of Jews and Muslims during the Crusades. Wow. The topic which he agreed upon and which he himself selected was "Does Molecular Biology Support Evolution." He did talk about the philosophy of science some, and then eventually got a little bit into molecular biology. He also went about 10 minutes over his allotted 30 minutes of time, all the while ignoring the Campus Crusade guy in the front row who was giving him the "5-minute warning" signals. (By a miracle ... Dr J only went one minute over his time -- ha, ha! -- even without a watch or a time-warning!)

I started out by telling the audience that I had no degrees and no credentials in Biblical Studies nor in Hebrew, Greek, or Latin ... and that I was credentialed in Biology and was given to understand that the topic for the night was "Does Molecular Biology Support Evolution" ... which I then proceeded to speak on to the audience. I let was "letting the other shoe drop" to them that of course ... neither did Science Dean Yasbin ... have any such credentials either.

Afterward, the Q&A was very hostile ... some suggesting that Nature was not an important nor credible peer-reviewed journal, and neither was Science nor Discover. One of the evo-profs had to shut up the young sith-apprentice since he was embarrassing them all by saying these things. I later quoted from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and I think that also shut the misguided lad down some. Dr Yasbin made many assertions of truth, but did not document a single one of them with any kinds of references at all ... which I then pointed out at this time to the evo-audience. Somehow they were not ashamed of this (sigh).
The audience chided me for only cutting down evolution and not presenting any positive proofs of creation. I told them I thought the agreed-upon topic was indeed for me to show how molecular biology did not support evolution ... which was what I then did ... but that I could certainly come up with positive proofs of creation. I gave the mitochondrial Eve & Y-chromosome Adam proportional evidence from molecular biology. I was later told that I hadn't given any positive evidence for creation again, and so I brought up the St Peter Sandstone and the Mars Flood. I was later told that I needed to present some positive evidence from molecular biology in favor of creation (which I indeed -- had -- already done in Q-A) so I brought up the goat and sheep DNA findings that restrict all living goats and sheep to the gene pools present on the Ark, and even after Noah had sacrificed a few of the Ewes and she-goats to God in gratitude to Him. They still didn't seem to be able to admit that I'd answered their questions. When the discussion wasn't going well for them, an evo-prof stood up and said this wasn't going anywhere and we should take another question, which we did. One strapping evo-lad hassled me on a point and we interchanged a few times and then he sat stone-silent after I'd responded to him. I let that silent moment hang in mid-air for like 10 seconds and said "so are we done with that?" -- he had to concede that we were. One young lady asked about human embryo "gill slits" and about "whale legs," to which I answered and she seemed quite receptive.
It was all basically a shameful fiasco of non-science philosophy and nit-picking on the part of the evo-believers there, and of salient data-driven documentations of the failure of evolutionary theory in the light of the newest molecular evidence (mostly from between 2003 and 2007). Some self-identified evo-believers came forward after and said they were extremely impressed with the presentation of the creationist side to the material -- including both young and mature members of the audience.
One evo-prof was forced to admit to the audience that whichever way you went on this issue was totally then a matter of "which faith you choose to believe in." He later in a small-group admitted that evolutionists also have a "visceral" negative reaction to creation (which he accused me of having toward evolutionists ... after he himself had admitted that he could never have debated me without losing his temper quite badly -- to which I told him that since he was a molecular biologist and would have been more likely to stick to the topic, that I'd actually wished I'd been debating him instead of Dr. Yasbin and his Bible-critique ... and that I would not have lost my temper -- what he really said was that it would've gotten "ugly", to which I responded that I would've remained "pretty" and so I wouldn't have minded it at all !!).
Many students were around. Many saw the evolutionist weakness and shamefully unprofessional attitudes and tactics. Many saw the lucid and well-paced well-heeled response of the truth from the creation science perspective. And all who wished to see it ... saw the wisdom of God in action, through His human vessel so graced with the surrender of the moment to do so.

All glory to God in the Highest. "Through our God ye shall do valiantly. He has put down the enemy." Amen. He brought glory to Himself, put down the blasphemers, and vindicated His Word by the known facts of science. I am very grateful to Him, and happy & blessed to have been used by Him as His mouthpiece.
And also quite glad that it is over ... as this is a very difficult place to minister the Truth, because of the evil presences that are so active in a city that is truly known the world over as "Sin City."
But then ... there are those wonderful Christian youth who live here on this campus ... who must make their stand for Christ among their peers every day ... who must be the bearers of the Light of the Gospel in every situation here. They are the real modern-day Biblical superheros! And I love them with all the love of Jesus that He's put into my heart toward them. He has gifted them and they are beautiful in His sight (and mine!).
Love to you all in the Savior of All Living. Thanks to you all for your faithful, fervent -- and most of all effective prayers !! I can not do this kind of ministry without you !! I can not do this in my own power !! I can not do this without Him. I love Him and I love you. He and the Body are one. And it is beautiful. Thank you all again.

Say a quick prayer now for the JrH/HS group at the church tonight (maybe up to like 100 kids). I'll be doing like a 20-min thing on lies in the textbooks and then a 20-min Q&A thing. They need your prayers too. But it's a very different kind of prayer ministering at a church ... than ministering in the hell-pots of UNLV. Thank you all so much ... for both of these kinds of prayers !!

I'll be forwarding you young Nick's perspective on the debate when his student-work schedule permits him to write it and send it to me.

Love in the Savior, an extremely grateful Dr. Jackson :)

Is there really a recession?

I say no based on my experience.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,343671,00.html

Let's try something

I have had Google AdSense ads on my blog for a little over a year now. I don't pay much attention to them but I wanted to see what gets generated if they few regular readers of my bog click the links every day. So, if you don't mind, during the next thirty days whenever you visit Captain Dude's blog please click one of the links from AdSense.

Application Layer Attacks (Apple Sucks)

I saw this today and loved it:

Apple Is Loser in Three-Way Hacking Contest

Linked by Thom Holwerda on Fri 28th Mar 2008 20:39 UTC, submitted by irbis

"An Apple Mac was the first victim in a hacker shoot-out to determine which operating system is the most secure. A former US National Security Agency employee has trousered USD 10000 for breaking into a MacBook Air at CanSecWest security conference's PWN 2 OWN hacking contest. The MacBook was lined up against Linux and Vista PCs - which have so far remained uncracked. Nobody was able to hack into the systems on the first day of the contest when contestants were only allowed to attack the computers over the network, but yesterday the rules were relaxed so that attackers could direct contest organisers using the computers to do things like visit websites or open email messages. The MacBook was the only system to be hacked by Thursday. Miller didn't need much time. He quickly directed the contest's organisers to visit a website that contained his exploit code, which then allowed him to seize control of the computer, as about 20 onlookers cheered him on. He was the first contestant to attempt an attack on any of the systems." There is more bad news for Apple: "If you have Apple and compare it to Microsoft, the number of unpatched vulnerabilities are higher at Apple." Update: The contest is over. Vista got hacked using Adobe's Flash, Ubuntu was left standing.

10 86 Comment(s)

Can

My friend Mike sent me this today. I watch these guys every year when they run the Ironman in Hawaii.

Awesome!

American Idol

Last night I sat down and my wife turned the show on. I haven't watched this program since Daughtry was sent packing a couple of years ago, but I am glad I caught this. Who would have thought you could do this with Lionel Richie.

Barack Obama e-mail forward

I got this today, and I thought it was funny:

A PAID POLITICAL ANNOUNCEMENT


BY SENATOR BARACK OBAMA (D-IL)






My fellow Americans,

As your future president I want to thank voters of all political
stripes for their mindless support, despite my complete lack of any
legislative achievement, my pastor's ties with Louis Farrakhan and
Libyan dictator Moamar Quadafi, and my blatantly liberal voting record
while I present myself as some sort of bipartisan agent of change.

I also like how my supporters claim my youthful drug use and criminal
behaviour somehow qualifies me for the presidency after 8 years of
claiming Bush's youthful drinking disqualifies him. Your hypocrisy is
a beacon of hope shining over a sea of political chicanery.

I would also like to thank the Kennedys for coming out in support of
me. There's a lot of glamour behind the Kennedy name, even though JFK
started the Vietnam War, his brother Robert illegally wiretapped
Martin Luther King Jr., they both slept with Marilyn, and Teddy's
negligence caused the death of a young girl. I'm not going anywhere
near the Kennedy cousins, especially Michael Skakel.

And I'd like to thank Oprah Winfrey for her support. Her love of
meaningless empty platitudes will be the force that propels me to the
White House.

Americans should vote for me, not because of my lack of experience or
achievement, but because I make people feel good. White people who
vote for me get some relief from their racist guilt.

I say things that sound meaningful but don't really mean anything
because Americans are tired of things having meaning. If things have
meaning, then that means you have to think.

Americans are tired of thinking. It's time to shut down the brain and
open up the heart.

So when you go to vote in the primaries, remember don't think, just
do. And do it for me.

Thanking you in advance.
Barack =

Berkeley California (Bezerkeley)

Cool

That's me

Is Barack "Patriotically Challenged?"

Ok, first there was the flag pin thing where he refused to wear one. I could almost stomach that if his excuse wasn't so weird.

Lapel Pin Story

Second, he has refused to put his hand over his heart when he hears the National Anthem. This is just completely lame.

During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. -- United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171

National anthem story here.

Now, there is apparently a Cuban flag in his Houston headquarters.

Cuban flag story here.

Maybe all of this is nothing, but it sure seems like this guy doesn't like America. What kind of change does he actually want? So far, he has said he wants the Bush/Cheney administration to change but that a given no matter who wins the election.

Travesty

Check out the links and the video below. I can' t believe this could happen in this country.
Link 1
Link 2

Dr. J is coming to town

Dr. Jackson will be speaking next week at the Darwin Day celebration. Information on the celebration can be found here. I would encourage everyone to attend no matter which side of the debate you are on. I am a huge fan of hearing both sides of every argument and letting people present their cases. Dr. J is amazing and you'll be shocked at his depth when debating. FYI he won't mention the Bible once so be ready for pure science.

The Clark Borthers (next great american band)

Incase you missed the show; it was awesome!

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson doubts the official reports of 9/11. I mean really, either the government is a bunch of stupid idiots, as he normally claims, or they are incredible Lex Luthor-type evil geniuses with Democrats and Republicans working in complete harmony behind the scenes. I am all for people choosing a political party and picking on issues but try not to be a complete idiot Willie.

AUSTIN — Texas icon Willie Nelson said on a nationally syndicated radio show this week that he questions the official story of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

"I certainly do," Nelson said Monday when asked by talk show host Alex Jones if he questions the official story.

"I saw those towers fall and I've seen an implosion in Las Vegas, there's too much similarities between the two. And I saw the building fall that didn't get hit by nothing," the singer-songwriter said. "So, how naive are we, you know, what do they think we'll go for?"

On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 men hijacked planes, crashing them into each of the World Trade Center's twin towers in New York City, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.

Nelson, who turns 75 this year, said if he were president, he would "stop the damn war, it's just that simple."

"The way I heard it, the 15 people from Saudi Arabia hit us in New York and we go jump on Afghanistan," Nelson said. "I never could figure that one out in Iraq."

Nelson's publicist would not comment on the remarks.

Jones, an Austin-based talk show host on the Burnsville, Minn., Genesis Communications Network, is sometimes described as a "conspiracy theorist." He regularly rails against globalism, the United Nations and World Bank on satellite and Internet radio.

A friend in need

So, I have some friends and family members who are missionaries. These people serve their beliefs in the most self-sacrificial way you could ever imagine. I am glad that God has not yet asked me to be a missionary when I see how hard these people work.

All that aside, my family tries to make it a point to support several different groups of these people. It is often amazing that whenever we have a little bit of extra money one of our groups has a special need. We were recently blessed with a little extra money and when the time came to choose who to give it to I told Mrs. Dude "Just wait, someone will need it within the next few days." True to form, we received a request from one of our friends in Malaysia. They have the, very legitimate, need for a car and are trying to raise $5,000. The vehicle they are wanting to purchase is the Proton Wira pictured above, let's see if we can't help them out.

I don't normally ask for money but if you have it to give, now is the time.

To learn about Nick and Rosie, click here.
To donate to their cause, click here.

Spread the word!

The Super Bowl

This was the worst Super Bowl ever. I didn't really care who won, but I did kind of want to see a perfect season. I also think Tom Coughlin is a jerk so it was hard to watch his team win. That said the game was hugely boring an don top of that Tom Petty has to be the worst "performer" ever. Is that guy even alive? He barely moves and the microphone was so big I couldn't tell if he was even singing. To make it worse my wife invited over some friends and non of their husbands came with them but all their kids did. This means that ten feet from my tv three women were yelling and cackling for hours. Meanwhile, upstairs the five kids over the age of four were tearing the sheetrock of the walls down to the studs and then putting it back. At least it sounded like a construction project. The two babies decided to throw elmo toys and blocks at me downstairs while this was going on.

I hated yesterday.

Adventure Race Update

We finished 5th out of 28 teams in the beginner category. Here are our "stats":

Place: 5th
RACE NUMBER : 48
Beginner or Advanced: Beginner
Team Type: 3 coed
TEAM NAME: Vamos
Finish Time: 5:36
Penalty: 4:00
Total Time: 9:36

Running around in the woods and water for six hours is fun.

Whitestone Country Inn

Some friends of mine have a "small" place in Kingston that I would like to encourage people to visit. The Whitestone Country Inn is a beautiful place to get away and relax for a bit. Check out their website and go see them.

Candidates on The Issues

Do you know where your favorite stands on some of the hotbutton issues?

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Adventure Racing

This past Saturday I decided to attempt my first adventure race. One of my co-workers asked if I would be interested and I foolishly replied with a yes. The race consisted of three disciplines including canoing, biking, and trail running. You were allowed to do any order with the goal being to grab checkpoints, 20 or so for beginners, along the way. The weather was a beautifully overcast 36 degree at the start of the race and 41 when we finished. The canoe section was 3 miles downstream, collecting four checkpoints, and three upstream. The trick here was that you had to take your canoe to the bike drop, 1 more mile upstream, in order to take your bikes and start riding. We carried our canoe a good bit of that mile through mud, overgrown brush and very cold water. FYI, canoes are heavy. The biking was 4 miles on gravel/paved roads and 2.5 miles of singletrack. While this distance is not of concern, the terrain we had to traverse was quite steep. The first gravel road was .4 miles and very steep, there was then a brief reprieve as we took a paved road downhill almost a mile to the trailhead. The singletrack trail was very steep with switchbacks in order to climb to the summit of Pine Mountain. The summit of Pine Mountain is 1562 feet, I don't know the elevation at the trailhead but I felt like we earned every foot. One of my teammates seemed to have not trouble with this steep terrain and pedaled almost everything except the switchback sections, truly amazing. I mostly sat and cried beside the trail and rode when I could, running the rest while pushing my bike. My other teammate reminded me to eat during this portion which helped tremendously. If you haven;t done this stuff it may be hard to understand that you must eat and drink even though you will likely not feel hungry or thirsty. Your body will push all of your blood to the muscles you're using and not completely shut down but "hibernate" some functions. So, you need the food/water but don't feel like you do. After the summit we had a nice ride downhill that was super fun with some equally killer switchbacks over alternating muddy and rocky terrain. Then a quick bike back uphill on the paved road, which felt like nothing after the singletrack, and down that brutal fire road. We went about one mile past the bike/canoe transition zone to grab a checkpoint, that had a one hour penalty if you missed it, which gave us about a one mile trail run in bike shoes. Running in bike shoes feels goofy. After this we got back in the canoe, for two more water checkpoints, and spent a good bit of time struggling back to the canoe drop. This was some paddling but mostly wading and portaging the canoe through the cold water since the river was quite shallow. The reason for this is as follows, Your bike and canoe must be back where they started when you finish the race or you are disqualified. Once the canoe was back we headed for the run with one hour left, you have six hours to complete the course. As soon as we began running my legs started to cramp badly but I felt the pain was manageable. Once we hit the trailhead for the run and began the very steep climb I knew I was in trouble. My left quadriceps stopped hurting completely and I knew then that I was dehydrated badly. I started to drink and eat another PowerBar in between trying to get my lungs to quit burning. At one point I rested against a tree and that leg locked completely stiff. Since there was no pain I decided to push the back of my knee against the tree I was leaning on to unlock that muscle and just make the leg work on muscle memory at that point. We obtained one checkpoint on that portion and my body was definitely finished. I think one of my teammates could have continued on but not me. We ran back and checked in 15 minutes prior to the race finish.

I don't know how we did, but it sure was fun. I will update this post with details as they become available.

Who is Hillary Clinton?

I had no idea! Read on.

Subject: Dick Morris take on Hillary
By Dick Morris, former political advisor to President Bill Clinton

If you happen to see the Bill Clinton five minute TV ad for Hillary in which he introduces the commercial by saying that he wants to share some things we may not know about Hillary's background. Beware. As I was there for most of their presidency and know them better than just about anyone, I offer a few corrections; Bill says: "In law school Hillary worked on legal services for the poor." The facts are: Hillary's main extra-curricular activity in law school was helping the Black Panthers, on trial in Connecticut for torturing and killing a federal agent. She went to court every day as part of a law student monitoring committee trying to spot civil rights violations and develop grounds for appeal.
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Bill says: "Hillary spent a year after graduation working on a children's rights project for poor kids."

The facts are: Hillary interned with Bob Truehaft, the head of the California Communist Party. She met Bob when he represented the Panthers and traveled all the way to San Francisco to take an internship with him.
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Bill says: "Hillary could have written her own job ticket, but she turned down all the lucrative job offers."

The facts are: She flunked the DC bar exam, yes, flunked, it is a matter of record, and only passed the Arkansas bar. She had no job offers in Arkansas, none, and only got hired by the University of Arkansas Law School at Fayetteville because Bill was already teaching there. She did not join the prestigious Rose Law Firm until Bill became Arkansas Attorney General and was made a partner only after he was elected Arkansas Governor.
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Bill says: "President Carter appointed Hillary to the Legal Services Board of Directors and she became its chairman."

The facts are: The appointment was in exchange for Bill's support for Carter in his 1980 primary against Ted Kennedy. Hillary; then became chairman in a coup in which she won a majority away from Carter's choice to be chairman.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill says: "She served on the board of the Arkansas Children's Hospital."

The facts are: Yes she did. But her main board activity, not mentioned by Bill, was to sit on the WalMart board of directors, for a substantial fee. She was silent about their labor and health care practices.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill says: "Hillary didn't succeed at getting health care for all Americans in 1994 but she kept working at it and helped create the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that provides five million children with health insurance."

The facts are: Hillary had nothing to do with creating CHIP. It was included in the budget deal between Clinton and Republican Majority Leader Senator Trent Lott. I know; I helped to negotiate the deal. The money came half from the budget deal and half from the Attorney Generals' tobacco settlement. Hillary had nothing to do with either source of funds.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill says: "Hillary was the face of America all over the world."

The facts are: Her visits were part of a program to get her out of town so that Bill would not appear weak by feeding stories that Hillary was running the White House. Her visits abroad were entirely tourist and symbolic and there was no substantive diplomacy on any of them.
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Bill says: "Hillary was an excellent Senator who kept fighting for children's and women's issues."

The facts are: Other than totally meaning less legislation like changing the names on courthouses and post offices, she has passed only four substantive pieces of legislation. One set up a national park in Puerto Rico. A second provided respite care for family members helping their relatives through Alzheimer's or other conditions. And two were routine bills to aid 911 victims and responders, which were sponsored by the entire NY delegation. Presently she is trying to have the US memorialize the Woodstock fiasco of 40 years ago
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Here is what bothers me more than anything else about Hillary Clinton. She has done everything possible to weaken the President and our country (that's you and me!) when it comes to the war on terror.

1. She wants to close GITMO and move the combatants to the USA where they would have access to our legal system.

2. She wants to eliminate the monitoring of suspected Al Qaeda phone calls to/from the USA.

3. She wants to grant constitutional rights to enemy combatants captured on the battlefield.

4. She wants to eliminate the monitoring of money transfers between suspected Al Qaeda cells and supporters in the USA.

5. She wants to eliminate the type of interrogation tactics used by the military & CIA where coercion might be used when questioning known terrorists even though such tactics might save American lives.

One cannot think of a single bill Hillary has introduced or a single comment she has made that would tend to strengthen our country in the War on Terror. But, one can think of a lot of comments she has made that weaken our country and makes it a more dangerous situation for all of us.

Bottom line: She goes hand in hand with the ACLU on far too many issues where common sense is abandoned.

So I thought I’d go through all of Hillary’s qualifications to be our next President, and come up with some bumper sticker slogans. I really racked my brain on this one and eventually…came up with…twenty-five. Probably seventy or eighty percent of which are too long to fit on a bumper sticker. But I really couldn’t think of any more than this, or polish up the ones I had any better. When her primary qualification to be President is that her husband cheated on her, it’s not like you’re working with a lot of material. I thought I did pretty well.

As a service to her, for the good of the country, I thought I’d post them.

Vote for Hillary…
1. She’s superior to you
2. Or else you’re a male chauvinist pig
3. We need a President who is condescending and cranky ALL THE TIME
4. It’s alright, she isn’t really a woman you know
5. Because wives who make their husbands unhappy deserve representation, too
6. She can find a villain in any issue. Any issue. Any at all. Just watch her.
7. We’ve tolerated capitalism and free enterprise long enough
8. It’s not like she’s the one who cheated on Bill…so far as we know
9. Isn’t it time we lost that unfashionable, out-of-style right to bear arms?
10. So John Paul Stevens can give Rosie “fire doesn’t melt steel” O’Donnell his seat
11. So we can punish all the rich people. For being rich. Except her, of course. And George Soros.
12. And no one will ever accuse you of sexism again. Ever. Well, for about thirty seconds.
13. Because it isn’t fascism when women do it
14. Because that other guy is kinda-sorta black…and the OTHER guy is kinda-sorta gay…we don’t need that
15. She’s just supposed to be President. C’mon, everybody knows it. It’s hers. Give it to her!
16. You want to see pantsuits in style, you know you do
17. Because as soon as women are in charge, we can really change things…like, I dunno…outlaw booze again
18. And Canadians will never barge in for their emergency medical care ever again, why would they want to?
19. Because Bill cheated on her, and that’s all the qualification she needs
20. She targets all the right dirty-rotten-scoundrels, and you know she’ll make them pay
21. Let’s do whatever it takes to get Bill back in there…they’ll start living together again, we’re pretty sure
22. This “pay some actual attention to terrorism” stuff is, well, pretty boring
23. Because electing a woman President doesn’t count, unless she’s unpleasant
24. Anybody who cackles like that deserves to be President
25. That “first woman House Speaker” thing worked out really, really well

Witty E-mail forward

I got this from a co-worker, I say send the guy a donation:

http://www.casadice.com/

















I got this from a co-worker:

What is Barack Obama really about?

I learned yesterday the Barack Obama's home church has taken down their website, undoubtedly at his request, because it shows their true colors. Trinity United Church of Christ is a racist bunch of people who want to be more proud of being black than of being Christian. Let me prove my point by posting some excerpts from their webpage that I had to retrieve from archive.org. Feel free to verify what I am saying by researching this yourself:
http://web.archive.org/web/20070702195546/http://www.tucc.org/

alternatively you can use Google's cached pages also to view whatever you want.

Please note how many times they mention being black vs. being Christian. Also note their order of priorities. Sadly, none of this really surprised me.

The Pastor as well as the membership of Trinity United Church of Christ is committed to a 10-point Vision:

1. A congregation committed to ADORATION.
2. A congregation preaching SALVATION.
3. A congregation actively seeking RECONCILIATION.
4. A congregation with a non-negotiable COMMITMENT TO AFRICA.
5. A congregation committed to BIBLICAL EDUCATION.
6. A congregation committed to CULTURAL EDUCATION.
7. A congregation committed to the HISTORICAL EDUCATION OF AFRICAN PEOPLE IN DIASPORA.
8. A congregation committed to LIBERATION.
9. A congregation committed to RESTORATION.
10. A congregation working towards ECONOMIC PARITY.

	Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System, written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee, chaired by the late Vallmer Jordan in 1981. Dr. Manford Byrd, our brother in Christ, withstood the ravage of being denied his earned ascension to the number one position in the Chicago School System. His dedication to the pursuit of excellence, despite systematic denials, has inspired the congregation of Trinity United Church of Christ. Prayerfully, we have called upon the wisdom of all past generations of suffering Blacks for guidance in fashioning an instrument of Black self-determination, the Black Value System. Beginning in 1982, an annual Black Value System – Educational Scholarship in the name of Dr. Byrd was instituted. The first recipient of the Dr. Manford Byrd Award, which is given annually to the man or woman who best exemplifies the Black Value System, was our brother, Dr. Manford Byrd. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They consist of the following concepts: Commitment to God. “The God of our weary years” will give us the strength to give up prayerful passivism and become Black Christian Activists, soldiers for Black freedom and the dignity of all humankind. Commitment to the Black Community. The highest level of achievement for any Black person must be a contribution of strength and continuity of the Black Community. Commitment to the Black Family. The Black family circle must generate strength, stability and love, despite the uncertainty of externals, because these characteristics are required if the developing person is to withstand warping by our racist competitive society. Those Blacks who are blessed with membership in a strong family unit must reach out and expand that blessing to the less fortunate. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education. We must forswear anti-intellectualism. Continued survival demands that each Black person be developed to the utmost of his/her mental potential despite the inadequacies of the formal education process. “Real education” fosters understanding of ourselves as well as every aspect of our environment. Also, it develops within us the ability to fashion concepts and tools for better utilization of our resources, and more effective solutions to our problems. Since the majority of Blacks have been denied such learning, Black Education must include elements that produce high school graduates with marketable skills, a trade or qualifications for apprenticeships, or proper preparation for college. Basic education for all Blacks should include Mathematics, Science, Logic, General Semantics, Participative Politics, Economics and Finance, and the Care and Nurture of Black minds. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence. To the extent that we individually reach for, even strain for excellence, we increase, geometrically, the value and resourcefulness of the Black Community. We must recognize the relativity of one’s best; this year’s best can be bettered next year. Such is the language of growth and development. We must seek to excel in every endeavor. Adherence to the Black Work Ethic. “It is becoming harder to find qualified people to work in Chicago.” Whether this is true or not, it represents one of the many reasons given by businesses and industries for deserting the Chicago area. We must realize that a location with good facilities, adequate transportation and a reputation for producing skilled workers will attract industry. We are in competition with other cities, states and nations for jobs. High productivity must be a goal of the Black workforce. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect. To accomplish anything worthwhile requires self-discipline. We must be a community of self-disciplined persons if we are to actualize and utilize our own human resources, instead of perpetually submitting to exploitation by others. Self-discipline, coupled with a respect for self, will enable each of us to be an instrument of Black Progress and a model for Black Youth. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness.” Classic methodology on control of captives teaches that captors must be able to identify the “talented tenth” of those subjugated, especially those who show promise of providing the kind of leadership that might threaten the captor’s control. Those so identified are separated from the rest of the people by: Killing them off directly, and/or fostering a social system that encourages them to kill off one another. Placing them in concentration camps, and/or structuring an economic environment that induces captive youth to fill the jails and prisons. Seducing them into a socioeconomic class system which, while training them to earn more dollars, hypnotizes them into believing they are better than others and teaches them to think in terms of “we” and “they” instead of “us.” So, while it is permissible to chase “middleclassness” with all our might, we must avoid the third separation method – the psychological entrapment of Black “middleclassness.” If we avoid this snare, we will also diminish our “voluntary” contributions to methods A and B. And more importantly, Black people no longer will be deprived of their birthright: the leadership, resourcefulness and example of their own talented persons. Pledge to Make the Fruits of All Developing and Acquired Skills Available to the Black Community. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions. Pledge Allegiance to All Black Leadership Who Espouse and Embrace the Black Value System. Personal Commitment to Embracement of the Black Value System. To measure the worth and validity of all activity in terms of positive contributions to the general welfare of the Black Community and the Advancement of Black People towards freedom.

I was unable to get their membership page but it said you had to be black to join. That is so racist and ridiculous!

Iowa

How can anyone act surprised about the results from Iowa? I have to say Fred has really disappointed me with his being so quiet while campaigning. It almost feels like he thinks his star power will do it for him. I would love to see him or Huckabee get the nomination, so the results from Iowa pleased me. John Edwards second place finish was also encouraging and just goes to show that no one really likes Hillary no matter what all these liberal media outlets try to shove down your throat about her popularity. Even better was her shrugging off the loss as inconsequential even though she was trounced. She said it was because so many people who work nights are disenfranchised; whatever. I want to see Fred and Mike do well, so far so good.

Stupid Utility Companies

I went and got the mail the day after Christmas and received notices from the Gas, Electric, Phone, Internet and Cable companies that all of my rates were increasing. Don't get me wrong here, I understand inflation and how it works so rate increases are ok. Let me qualify that cable companies, satellite too, suck with their ridiculous overcharging for what they provide. I am really just complaining about the timing of the notices.
Good job you jackasses.