RE:think

The Internet is Boring

Has anyone else notice how the luster is gone from the Internet? While there are a few things that still interest me (the blogs I read being at the top) the Internet has become as close to a pure "utility" as you get.

I can check sports scores, yay. I can read the news, awesome. I can google lyrics to crappy 70's one hit wonders, yippee. Email is handy, sweet.

I remember when the web first hit the masses over a decade ago. I actually worked for a large online company back then called Prodigy. Many of you may remember it and may have even owned an account. It was exciting back then. Now it's like that DVD you bought a year ago that was good when you got it, but you aren't going go too far out of your way to watch it now. Or that girlfriend you had in high school that was knock out, but now you can't stand to hear her talk. Or maybe like McDonald's hamburgers. They were a staple when you were younger but now, while you can get full on them, they make you want to hurl even smelling them. Ok, maybe it's not that bad.

But it kinda bums me. I used to be excited by what all was out there. Now I feel like I've seen it all.

So come on people, tell me what still turns you on out there on the interwebs. What do you find entertaining? What is worth our time?

So What Did I Do?

We bought a new vehicle. It is so against my nature to take on a car payment, but I felt my family needed this and will make them more comfortable out on the road. The rear facing seat in the wagon just wasn't cutting it anymore.

So here is our newish Chrysler Town and Country.

It's a real dream as far as minivans go and it was more than worth it when I got home and Ricky's first words were a very sincere "Thank you Daddy". Evette was pretty happy too. We've been going with one vehicle for most of the last 2 years now. And that has been very unfair to her being stuck at home everyday while I am at work.

I Did Something CRAZY Today

More tomorrow, with pictures...

Politicians and Charity

I know that politicians of every stripe can be stingy, but I am about to pick on one in particular. I am picking on him because I see a little hypocrisy and he happens to be in the news.

Barack Obama talks a lot about the poor and the disadvantaged, as does his wife. He is quick to cite his "community activism". He is a champion of the oppressed. We can do it!

Well, it seems when it comes to charity, I guess we can't do it. It turns out that he and his wife haven't been so charitable in spite of doing very well for themselves.

From 2001-2004 he and his wife made about a million dollars. Not bad. However, their charitable giving over that period was about %1.0. Yes, about $10,000 of their million dollars went to charity.

They did give more after he sold a fortune in books over the following 3 years and that average jumped all the way up to %3.8.

Can anyone really respect a guy who wants to take more of our hard earned money and give it to the needy when he can't even do it out of his own pocket? This is one of the problems with proponents of socialist policies. For the most part they are not generous people.

And as an aside, this shows us the difference between socialism and the system we see the early church set up in the New Testament. It was based on freely giving to one another. Socialism on the other hand, in most every form we have seen, is based on taking from one to give to another. And that just doesn't work. The spirit of giving is essentially destroyed.

In this respect, Obama is just living up to who he is. He has no more inclination to "share all things in common" than the richest, tightest, conservative oil tycoon. He just wants the rest of us to do it via taxes.

Unfortunately, we'll never hear liberals own up to the fact that Obama's giving record is a problem. And that shows us who many of them really are...

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama

Money Spent by Presidential Campaign's

I was curious about how much Obama, Clinton and McCain are spending. It's not strange to hear the Obama and Clinton camps talk about how much they care for poor people and those without healthcare. They talk a lot about the money spent by the government for things other than these often. I wonder what their combined $290 Million+ dollars could have done if used for charities as opposed to their campaigns. That is a staggering amount of money. When you throw in McCain's it's in the $345 Million+ range. Wow, just to get elected President. It's so sad we can't raise that kind of money for the really important things. Anyway, here is a chart with the stats. You can click to enlarge it...

 

Link: 2008 Presidential Election

Technorati Tags: John McCain,Barack Obama,Hillary Clinton,2008 Presidential Race

Obama's Boy Leads Up Firm

The hypocracy continues...

I think it is completely hilarious that when Obama's passport was snooped that he immediately made comments that implicated the current administration. Now we find out the guy running the firm who handles that info is one of his advisers and contributors.

Obama can't go more than a few days without something coming back to haunt him. Looks like Clinton and McCain should be the ones raising hell...

Link: Chief of firm involved in breach is Obama adviser - CNN.com.

Spring is Here...

Spring is here and I thought I'd get away from the black background. Same theme, different colors. Enjoy.

Blogging...

I had coffee with my good friend, pastor and church planter Chris today. We talked about lots of things, but one thing we touched on is blogging. We both have multiple passions and agree that some of them are hard to cover in just one blog. The biggest thing is that they don't always fit together. That was one reason I moved the political stuff to another blog (which I might add is getting about a 1000 hits a day dwarfing the stats of this blog).

So here is the deal. I haven't blogged a whole lot here lately and part of it is that there are so many subjects I'd like to cover it gets overwhelming. I feel like I am throwing to many things out there to my few readers. I like to blog about church stuff, family, sports, music, TV, movies, culture, etc.

So I have some questions I hope some of you will help answer in the comments.

Is that too much?

If it's not, do you feel a flow in what I post about? Or to rephrase, do my various posts seem to fit simply because they flow from the same place (my brain)?

Do I think about this more than I should?

Aren't you glad I don't talk about work? :)

You get the picture I think. When you write because you and can and like to do it and you aren't a great writer, you worry about what you're putting out there. I go through this about once a year it seems.

So tell me what you think. Be honest. I'm a big boy.

Race, I Have to Talk About It

I know most of us have seen the videos. Some of us have seen them over and over. We've heard the pundits debate them. And no matter what you think of him, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama's former pastor has opened up the race conversation yet again. To me that is the one good thing about this situation.

It's a very important topic to me and my family. The state of race relations is something that concerns us on a daily basis. I am in a fairly unique situation as a white male. I am married to an African American woman and our four children are four different shades of beautiful browns.

We have had our oldest daughter come in from school after being called n----r and  told she needs to go back to Africa.

We did not get an apartment just before our marriage because we are an interracial couple.

IF we pay attention in public, and we really don't anymore, we still get ugly looks and whispers from time to time.

As my kids grow up, I will hurt with them when racially motivated comments are made to them.

So here is what I think about Jeremiah Wright, his comments, and some of the reactions that have been in the news for the past week.

• I understand his anger. Institutional and systemic racism is alive and well. We've made progress, but have a ways to go.
• Some of the things he said are true. Hillary doesn't know what it is like to be called n----r and to be judged by the color of her skin. The country IS run by rich white people and this is a huge problem for non-whites. Our foreign policy has not always been on point.
• Some of what he said is not true, the most heinous case being that the US Government created AIDS to wipe out black people.
• The worst thing about these tape is his hateful tone. It is not helpful to racial reconciliation.
• He does not represent the Black church or Black Theology with many of his statements like I heard from lots of people. I have been in and out of Black churches (and married in one) for the last 18 years. There is a lot of talk about oppression and overcoming in Christ and the occasional warranted angry comment but I have rarely if ever witnessed the hate and vitriol that we have seen with Rev. Wright.
• No matter what anyone says, he is anti-American. But guess what, it's his right. But it's not his right or anyone else's to escape being called to the carpet on it.
• His attitudes on Israel are as unhelpful as the other side's attitudes about the Palestinians.
• I am sick and tired of white people who are not and never have been involved in the black community thinking the know enough to comment (whether they are on the right or the left) I realize that may be very arrogant of me to dismiss them, but they come across as disingenuous when all they really know comes second hand. If you aren't involved, then just don't talk.

And that's all just for starters. I think I'll camp here for a bit. I'm not that great of a writer and I am sure I will need to clarify, add to , and subtract  from the things I am saying. I like to post the same way I'd talk about things in a live environment.

Feel free to add your comments...

Moving the Political Posts...

I like to talk politics. I really like to debate politics.

My wife? Not so much., And apparently, my frequent posts during this election cycle are getting on her nerves. That made me think that some of you are probably annoyed too. And it being an election year, I will probably comment often.

So, I am moving that stuff to another blog. Occasionally, I'll post on the subject here when I think it is important enough, but most of that junk will be somewhere else. Sorry if you have been "bugged".

If you are interested, you can get to the new blog HERE and add it to your feed reader or favorites.