Oh my, oh my, oh my...for those of you that don't know, I am a huge soccer fan. Always have been, always will be. So, watching Team USA defeat number one ranked and European Champion Spain was astounding, amazing, and just plain pleasurable. Can USA soccer really be this good? Man, I hope so. We either play South Africa or Brazil in the finals of the Confederation Cup on Sunday. Please, please, please let it be Brazil.
Take a look...
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Barack Obama Superhero?
You know, it was never my intent to turn this blog into my own personal, political bull horn. I really have so many other interests besides politics that I would much rather blog about. It's just that...you know, when you come across some of this stuff you can't help but post it because it's so creative and funny.
On a more serious note, I continue to shake my head in disbelief as more and more people cling to the notion that Obama's charisma is what sets him apart from the typical politician, or world leader for that matter. It seems that as more people realize Obama can't deliver on his campaign promises, it is his charisma that keeps their faith in him alive.
History is full of charismatic leaders whose philosophies of socialism, communism or totalitarianism regulated every aspect of public and private life.
Charisma can be an important tool used to keep a society complacent and misdirected.
Adolf Hitler is an excellent example of charismatic oratory. He fooled a whole nation into believing they were the elite of the world, that they were destined to rule, and while speaking all of this propaganda from the pulpit, he was robbing his own citizens of their rights, liberties and freedoms. One night you go to bed believing you're a citizen of the supreme race, then get up in the morning with the Gestapo escorting you, your wife and children out the door for destinations unknown.
Other examples can be found in the Book of Mormon. Check out Alma Chapter 47 and read about how a very charismatic leader named Amalickiah - a Nephite and an enemy of the Lamanite people - used charisma as a means to become King of the Lamanites in a few short years. Oh, and what about the Adversary? Was he not so charismatic in the Pre-existance that he took one-third of God's children with him when he was expelled from God's presence?
Charisma can be a tremendously positive trait in a leader, but only when it is coupled with the adherence to, and promotion of, gospel standards and principles. I point out examples such as; Joseph Smith, Gordon B. Hinckley, and our current Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S. Monson. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan would be other examples.
Anyway, if this video brings a chuckle to your day, I've done my job.
On a more serious note, I continue to shake my head in disbelief as more and more people cling to the notion that Obama's charisma is what sets him apart from the typical politician, or world leader for that matter. It seems that as more people realize Obama can't deliver on his campaign promises, it is his charisma that keeps their faith in him alive.
History is full of charismatic leaders whose philosophies of socialism, communism or totalitarianism regulated every aspect of public and private life.
Charisma can be an important tool used to keep a society complacent and misdirected.
Adolf Hitler is an excellent example of charismatic oratory. He fooled a whole nation into believing they were the elite of the world, that they were destined to rule, and while speaking all of this propaganda from the pulpit, he was robbing his own citizens of their rights, liberties and freedoms. One night you go to bed believing you're a citizen of the supreme race, then get up in the morning with the Gestapo escorting you, your wife and children out the door for destinations unknown.
Other examples can be found in the Book of Mormon. Check out Alma Chapter 47 and read about how a very charismatic leader named Amalickiah - a Nephite and an enemy of the Lamanite people - used charisma as a means to become King of the Lamanites in a few short years. Oh, and what about the Adversary? Was he not so charismatic in the Pre-existance that he took one-third of God's children with him when he was expelled from God's presence?
Charisma can be a tremendously positive trait in a leader, but only when it is coupled with the adherence to, and promotion of, gospel standards and principles. I point out examples such as; Joseph Smith, Gordon B. Hinckley, and our current Prophet and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S. Monson. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan would be other examples.
Anyway, if this video brings a chuckle to your day, I've done my job.
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Sunday, June 21, 2009
The Death of the San Joaqin Valley
I grew up in Fresno, CA, the heart of the San Joaquin Valley located in central California. For those of you who don't know, the San Joaquin Valley is quite often referred to as the "Bread Basket" of the United States and the "nation's salad bowl" due to the amount of fruits and vegetable crops produced there. The San Joaquin Valley is quite possibly the most fertile farmland in the world.
Geographically, the San Joaquin Valley extends from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the north to the Tehachapi Mountains in the south and from the Coastal Range in the west to the Sierra-Nevada Mountains in the east. That's over 300 miles in length and 80-120 miles in width. All told the San Joaquin Valley covers 42,000 square miles.
For years, even decades, I have frequently heard and read about a small minnow-like fish called the Delta Smelt. It is about two inches long and has a lifespan of about one year. The Delta Smelt primarily inhabits the waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that intertwines itself for over 700 miles between Sacramento, Stockton and the San Francisco Bay area. It is a fish that has been on the decline for decades. Environmentalists claim that this decline is due in large part to the volume of water that is pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta into a large canal system that feeds the farmlands of the San Joaquin Valley. The canal system includes aqueducts, canals and irrigation ditches.
If left to the whims of mother-nature, the San Joaquin Valley would never be the food producing resource that it is today. Over the decades the bloodline (aqueducts, canals and irrigation ditches) that feeds the valley is dependent upon the Sacrament-San Joaquin Delta and the many man-made reservoirs that dot the landscape throughout the region. Without these water resources, the San Joaquin Valley would be nothing but an arid region of the state producing nothing in the way of crops.
Due to the declining population of the Delta Smelt, environmentalist groups have long sought federal protection for this fish. In August of 2007, a California Federal Judge, Oliver Wanger, declared the Delta Smelt a protected fish and ordered significant reductions in water delivery to the San Joaquin Valley from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In essence, all water resources from the delta have been shut off to the valley.
In addition to crops, the San Joaquin Valley is home to large cattle and sheep ranches that are depended on this same water supply. It is also the state of California's largest petroleum production region.
My grandfather worked and retired from Getty Oil while living in Coalinga, CA. My uncle's family has farmed land outside of Tranquility, CA for decades. My family has lived in Fresno, Clovis, Sacramento, Coalinga, Dos Palos, and other San Joaquin Valley communities even before I was born.
Now, don't get me wrong here. I am not insensitive to the environmental issues of the day. I do believe in conservation and caring for what God has blessed us with on this planet. I do believe that proper management and laws need to be in place to safeguard our environment and natural resources. I do not believe in global warming, but do not excuse our individual and collective irresponsibility when it comes to pollution and waste.
However, when weighing the pros and cons of the need to maintain the population of the Delta Smelt at the expense mankinds needs for food, employement...basically the livlihood of tens of thousands of valley residents and millions of people who benefit from the goods produced in the San Joaquin Valley, I truly believe that a tragedy is occurring here. One that is unjust and detrimental to the very lifeblood of the people who live in central California. Whole farms, even whole regions of farmland have become nothing but arid dust bowls producing nothing becuase of this federal intervention. Crops have died, water is gone, farmers are going bankrupt and our nation is going to suffer at the checkout line, suffer through higher unemployment and unemployment claims, which is paid for by the American taxpayer.
Following is a video from Fox new - Shaun Hannity - regarding the issue. The guest is Paul Rodriguez, celebrity comedian and actor, and son of San Joaquin Valley farmers. He of all people knows the dramatic effects of this issue...namely, the lack of water to our farmlands, and how it's hurting people, famalies, whole communities. The two communities mentioned in the video - Firebaugh and Mendota - are communities I know quite well. Both are within an hour of where I grew up. Unemployment in those communities is 41%. Can you imagine 41% unemployment??? It's absolutely ridiculous and it doesn't need to be.
Environmental issues have their place, but in this case the government is wrong.
This video takes it outside the scope of the Delta Smelt, but this Congressman gives a straightforward presentation and makes it easy to put into perspective.
Geographically, the San Joaquin Valley extends from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in the north to the Tehachapi Mountains in the south and from the Coastal Range in the west to the Sierra-Nevada Mountains in the east. That's over 300 miles in length and 80-120 miles in width. All told the San Joaquin Valley covers 42,000 square miles.
For years, even decades, I have frequently heard and read about a small minnow-like fish called the Delta Smelt. It is about two inches long and has a lifespan of about one year. The Delta Smelt primarily inhabits the waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that intertwines itself for over 700 miles between Sacramento, Stockton and the San Francisco Bay area. It is a fish that has been on the decline for decades. Environmentalists claim that this decline is due in large part to the volume of water that is pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta into a large canal system that feeds the farmlands of the San Joaquin Valley. The canal system includes aqueducts, canals and irrigation ditches.
If left to the whims of mother-nature, the San Joaquin Valley would never be the food producing resource that it is today. Over the decades the bloodline (aqueducts, canals and irrigation ditches) that feeds the valley is dependent upon the Sacrament-San Joaquin Delta and the many man-made reservoirs that dot the landscape throughout the region. Without these water resources, the San Joaquin Valley would be nothing but an arid region of the state producing nothing in the way of crops.
Due to the declining population of the Delta Smelt, environmentalist groups have long sought federal protection for this fish. In August of 2007, a California Federal Judge, Oliver Wanger, declared the Delta Smelt a protected fish and ordered significant reductions in water delivery to the San Joaquin Valley from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In essence, all water resources from the delta have been shut off to the valley.
In addition to crops, the San Joaquin Valley is home to large cattle and sheep ranches that are depended on this same water supply. It is also the state of California's largest petroleum production region.
My grandfather worked and retired from Getty Oil while living in Coalinga, CA. My uncle's family has farmed land outside of Tranquility, CA for decades. My family has lived in Fresno, Clovis, Sacramento, Coalinga, Dos Palos, and other San Joaquin Valley communities even before I was born.
Now, don't get me wrong here. I am not insensitive to the environmental issues of the day. I do believe in conservation and caring for what God has blessed us with on this planet. I do believe that proper management and laws need to be in place to safeguard our environment and natural resources. I do not believe in global warming, but do not excuse our individual and collective irresponsibility when it comes to pollution and waste.
However, when weighing the pros and cons of the need to maintain the population of the Delta Smelt at the expense mankinds needs for food, employement...basically the livlihood of tens of thousands of valley residents and millions of people who benefit from the goods produced in the San Joaquin Valley, I truly believe that a tragedy is occurring here. One that is unjust and detrimental to the very lifeblood of the people who live in central California. Whole farms, even whole regions of farmland have become nothing but arid dust bowls producing nothing becuase of this federal intervention. Crops have died, water is gone, farmers are going bankrupt and our nation is going to suffer at the checkout line, suffer through higher unemployment and unemployment claims, which is paid for by the American taxpayer.
Following is a video from Fox new - Shaun Hannity - regarding the issue. The guest is Paul Rodriguez, celebrity comedian and actor, and son of San Joaquin Valley farmers. He of all people knows the dramatic effects of this issue...namely, the lack of water to our farmlands, and how it's hurting people, famalies, whole communities. The two communities mentioned in the video - Firebaugh and Mendota - are communities I know quite well. Both are within an hour of where I grew up. Unemployment in those communities is 41%. Can you imagine 41% unemployment??? It's absolutely ridiculous and it doesn't need to be.
Environmental issues have their place, but in this case the government is wrong.
This video takes it outside the scope of the Delta Smelt, but this Congressman gives a straightforward presentation and makes it easy to put into perspective.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Freedom Isn't Free, but Socialism is a Whole Lot More Expensive
The Sun, or Sol, heats our planet and provides life to every creature that exists upon the earth. It is an amazing creation that sits 93 million miles from the earth. Light, which travels at 186,000 miles per second, takes eight minutes to reach our planet from the sun. It's circumference is so large that 2 million planets the size of earth could fit within it. By itself, the sun makes up 98.6% of the Solar System's total mass. It's surface temperature is almost 10,000 degrees F. All of this is astounding to say the least.
So, how many Americans ever take the time to learn this information for themselves? How many Americans go about their lives, business as usual, and never give any thought to how the sun effects them? For the most part, the majority of us just take the sun for granted. We do that with so many things in our lives. In essence, most Americans are apathetic towards many things they should be attentive to, or appreciative of. That's just kind of the natural man, or natural attitude, in us all.
So what does it take to get an American citizen thinking about the cause and effect of certain things like...government spending, stimulus packages, bailout, financial ruin, state and/or national bankruptcy, or even borrowing unimaginable amounts of money from a financial institutions like...China?
I think it takes understanding. Once we begin to understand something then we can act. We have the responsibility to act when faced with a trial or challenge. You can't just continue to mosey on down the road of life and pretend that the ills of society, or the ills of government, don't exist. Every man and woman has a duty to act, and to do so responsibly.
So yes, I am talking about the financial direction our country is heading. It is scary, even downright terrifying. Yet, many Americans don't seem to care one bit about it. Maybe that's because terms like, 'millions', 'billions', and 'trillions' of dollars are bantered about so much in the media that we become desensitized to what they actually mean.
Take a look at the following video and see what you think. A word of caution though. Once you watch it, you will then be informed. What you do with it is your responsibility.
So, how many Americans ever take the time to learn this information for themselves? How many Americans go about their lives, business as usual, and never give any thought to how the sun effects them? For the most part, the majority of us just take the sun for granted. We do that with so many things in our lives. In essence, most Americans are apathetic towards many things they should be attentive to, or appreciative of. That's just kind of the natural man, or natural attitude, in us all.
So what does it take to get an American citizen thinking about the cause and effect of certain things like...government spending, stimulus packages, bailout, financial ruin, state and/or national bankruptcy, or even borrowing unimaginable amounts of money from a financial institutions like...China?
I think it takes understanding. Once we begin to understand something then we can act. We have the responsibility to act when faced with a trial or challenge. You can't just continue to mosey on down the road of life and pretend that the ills of society, or the ills of government, don't exist. Every man and woman has a duty to act, and to do so responsibly.
So yes, I am talking about the financial direction our country is heading. It is scary, even downright terrifying. Yet, many Americans don't seem to care one bit about it. Maybe that's because terms like, 'millions', 'billions', and 'trillions' of dollars are bantered about so much in the media that we become desensitized to what they actually mean.
Take a look at the following video and see what you think. A word of caution though. Once you watch it, you will then be informed. What you do with it is your responsibility.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
"Love Story meets Viva la Vida"
O.K., for all you Jon Schmidt fans out there check out this fabulous compilation instrumental that has just become the number one music video of all time on YouTube. This guy is brilliant.
You Just Gotta Love Bob Hope.
OK, so I'm not looking to offend anyone by posting this video. It's just that it was hilariously funny and I couldn't help myself. It is titled:
Bob Hope and a Truism
Bob Hope and a Truism
Obama's Concerned About Illegal Immigration? Is This Another Letterman Joke?
Hallelujah, the man can do more than read from a teleprompter. It's surprising to see how many Bush administration policies Obama now supports when during the campaign he made so many promises to end them.
The last thing I expected from our new President is an aggressive stance on Illegal Immigration or any part thereof. As of this past May, the following news report was made by MSNBC - that's surprising in of itself - regarding Obama's plan to implement a Bush era program that would identify Illegal Aliens upon arrest for criminal activity.
The last thing I expected from our new President is an aggressive stance on Illegal Immigration or any part thereof. As of this past May, the following news report was made by MSNBC - that's surprising in of itself - regarding Obama's plan to implement a Bush era program that would identify Illegal Aliens upon arrest for criminal activity.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Are we a Demorcracy or a Republic?
The United States of America has a history of providing military and economic aid to foreign countries in need. That tradition has been symbolic of what makes this country and her citizens so special. It has also been given at great cost and sacrifice.
As our top leaders, and in particular our President, refer to this aid in public forums (news media), they quite often make the comment that, "...it is done to help spread and/or establish Democracy in these lands..." (Paraphrased).
Both Republican and Democratic Presidents have used that same term, "Democracy", in describing the efforts the United States is making to bring "freedom" to the citizens of foreign lands.
However, a Democracy is not what the United States is. At least it was not intended to be by our Founding Fathers. The country created by those inspired men was a Republic. There is a big difference between the two.
This 10 minute video provides an excellent summary of those differences. It speaks to the challenges our government is facing at the present, and provides a warning of sorts that could be realized by this nation if steps are not taken to put us back on the correct path.
As our top leaders, and in particular our President, refer to this aid in public forums (news media), they quite often make the comment that, "...it is done to help spread and/or establish Democracy in these lands..." (Paraphrased).
Both Republican and Democratic Presidents have used that same term, "Democracy", in describing the efforts the United States is making to bring "freedom" to the citizens of foreign lands.
However, a Democracy is not what the United States is. At least it was not intended to be by our Founding Fathers. The country created by those inspired men was a Republic. There is a big difference between the two.
This 10 minute video provides an excellent summary of those differences. It speaks to the challenges our government is facing at the present, and provides a warning of sorts that could be realized by this nation if steps are not taken to put us back on the correct path.
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