This was written by Lori Borgman (www.loriborgman.com)
Three yards of black fabric enshroud my computer terminal. I am mourning the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense.
His obituary reads as follows: Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure at the brink of the millennium. No one really knows how old he was, his birth records were long ago entangled in miles and miles of bureaucratic red tape. Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare, whooping and hollering. Rules and regulations and petty, frivolous lawsuits held no power over C.S.
A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, the discovery that the early bird gets the worm and how to take the bitter with the sweet. C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and prudent dietary plans (offset eggs and bacon with a little fiber and orange juice). A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, the Technological Revolution and the Smoking Crusades, C.S. survived sundry cultural and educational trends including disco, the men's movement, body piercing, whole language and new math.
C.S.'s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus. In the following decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state rules and regulations and an oppressive tax code. C.S. was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, criminals received better treatment than victims and judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional baseball and golf.
His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch, girls suspended for possessing Midol and an honor student expelled for having a table knife in her school lunch were more than his heart could endure. As the end neared, doctors say C.S. drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding regulations on low-flow toilets and mandatory air bags.
Finally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last. Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery.
C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit. Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Institute for Rational Thought. Farewell, Common Sense. May you rest in peace.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Diary of an Unborn Child
OCTOBER 5:
Today my life began. My parents do not know it yet, I am as small as a seed of an apple, but it is I already. And I am to be a girl. I shall have blond hair and blue eyes. Just about everything is settled though, even the fact that I shall love flowers.
OCTOBER 19:
Some say that I am not a real person yet, that only my mother exists. But I am a real person, just as a small crumb of bread is yet truly bread. My mother is. And I am.
OCTOBER 23:
My mouth is just beginning to open now. Just think, in a year or so I shall be laughing and later talking. I know what my first word will be: "MAMA."
OCTOBER 25:
My heart began to beat today all by itself. From now on it shall gently beat for the rest of my life without ever stopping to rest! And after many years it will tire. It will stop, and then I shall die.
NOVEMBER 2:
I am growing a bit every day. My arms and legs are beginning to take shape. But I have to wait a long time yet before those little legs will raise me to my mother's arms, before these little arms will be able to gather flowers and embrace my father.
NOVEMBER 12:
Tiny fingers are beginning to form on my hands. Funny how small they are! I'll be able to stroke my mother's hair with them.
NOVEMBER 20:
It wasn't until today that the doctor told mom that I am living here under her heart. Oh, how happy she must be! Are you happy, mom?
NOVEMBER 25:
My mom and dad are probably thinking about a name for me. But they don't even know that I am a little girl. I want to be called Kathy. I am getting so big already.
DECEMBER 10:
My hair is growing. It is smooth and bright and shiny. I wonder what kind of hair mom has.
DECEMBER 13:
I am just about able to see. It is dark around me. When mom brings me into the world it will be full of sunshine and flowers. But what I want more than anything is to see my mom. How do you look, mom?
DECEMBER 24:
I wonder if mom hears the whispering of my heart? Some children come into the world a little sick. But my heart is strong and healthy. It beats so evenly: tup-tup, tup-tup. You'll have a healthy little daughter, mom!
DECEMBER 28:
Today my mother killed me.
-Author unknown
Today my life began. My parents do not know it yet, I am as small as a seed of an apple, but it is I already. And I am to be a girl. I shall have blond hair and blue eyes. Just about everything is settled though, even the fact that I shall love flowers.
OCTOBER 19:
Some say that I am not a real person yet, that only my mother exists. But I am a real person, just as a small crumb of bread is yet truly bread. My mother is. And I am.
OCTOBER 23:
My mouth is just beginning to open now. Just think, in a year or so I shall be laughing and later talking. I know what my first word will be: "MAMA."
OCTOBER 25:
My heart began to beat today all by itself. From now on it shall gently beat for the rest of my life without ever stopping to rest! And after many years it will tire. It will stop, and then I shall die.
NOVEMBER 2:
I am growing a bit every day. My arms and legs are beginning to take shape. But I have to wait a long time yet before those little legs will raise me to my mother's arms, before these little arms will be able to gather flowers and embrace my father.
NOVEMBER 12:
Tiny fingers are beginning to form on my hands. Funny how small they are! I'll be able to stroke my mother's hair with them.
NOVEMBER 20:
It wasn't until today that the doctor told mom that I am living here under her heart. Oh, how happy she must be! Are you happy, mom?
NOVEMBER 25:
My mom and dad are probably thinking about a name for me. But they don't even know that I am a little girl. I want to be called Kathy. I am getting so big already.
DECEMBER 10:
My hair is growing. It is smooth and bright and shiny. I wonder what kind of hair mom has.
DECEMBER 13:
I am just about able to see. It is dark around me. When mom brings me into the world it will be full of sunshine and flowers. But what I want more than anything is to see my mom. How do you look, mom?
DECEMBER 24:
I wonder if mom hears the whispering of my heart? Some children come into the world a little sick. But my heart is strong and healthy. It beats so evenly: tup-tup, tup-tup. You'll have a healthy little daughter, mom!
DECEMBER 28:
Today my mother killed me.
-Author unknown
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Please Pray For Pastor Greg Laurie
I listen to Pastor Greg Laurie in the morning on the radio. His sermons and books have been a blessing to me and thousands of others. This week, Pastor Laurie's son was tragically killed in a car accident. Please pray for the Laurie family during this time of grief. Below are two articles I encourage everyone to read.
Good Articles To Read
I ran across some good reading scanning the net. Here are some of the articles I found interesting.
Foxx Co-Sponsers American Energy Act
The following is from a press release from NC Congresswoman Virginia Foxx.
Foxx co-sponsors groundbreaking American Energy Act
Legislation increases energy supply, improves conservation, promotes new energy technology
Washington, DC—Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) today joined House Republicans in introducing a comprehensive energy bill to reduce the price of gas. The legislation, the American Energy Act, aims to increase the supply of American-made energy, improve conservation efforts, and promote new technology that will help bring down the cost of gas.
“High gas prices are hitting North Carolinians hard and we must take bold action to wean America off foreign sources of oil,” Foxx said. “This legislation offers a broad set of solutions, with everything from new drilling to new investment in the fuels of the future.”
The American Energy Act tackles high gas prices in three key areas: increasing supply, reducing demand and investing in alternative energy sources.
It increases supply by opening deep water resources, the Arctic coastal plain and shale oil resources and by reducing the bureaucratic hurdles blocking construction of new refineries. It is estimated that these sources hold the potential to provide an additional 6.5 million barrels of oil per day.
The legislation aims to reduce American demand for oil by improving energy conservation and efficiency. It provides tax credits for the purchase of fuel efficient vehicles, home-based solar power and biomass, energy efficient buildings, and energy efficient appliances. The American Energy Act also offers a cash prize for the development of the first mass-produced car that gets 100 miles-per-gallon.
By way of promoting renewable and alternative energy, the American Energy Act creates a renewable energy trust fund with federal revenues from deep sea and Arctic coastal plain oil exploration. Additionally, it repeals the “Section 526” prohibition on government purchasing of alternative energy and promoting coal-to-liquids technology. It also makes the expiring tax credit for alternative energy production—including wind, solar and hydrogen—permanent.
Foxx co-sponsors groundbreaking American Energy Act
Legislation increases energy supply, improves conservation, promotes new energy technology
Washington, DC—Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) today joined House Republicans in introducing a comprehensive energy bill to reduce the price of gas. The legislation, the American Energy Act, aims to increase the supply of American-made energy, improve conservation efforts, and promote new technology that will help bring down the cost of gas.
“High gas prices are hitting North Carolinians hard and we must take bold action to wean America off foreign sources of oil,” Foxx said. “This legislation offers a broad set of solutions, with everything from new drilling to new investment in the fuels of the future.”
The American Energy Act tackles high gas prices in three key areas: increasing supply, reducing demand and investing in alternative energy sources.
It increases supply by opening deep water resources, the Arctic coastal plain and shale oil resources and by reducing the bureaucratic hurdles blocking construction of new refineries. It is estimated that these sources hold the potential to provide an additional 6.5 million barrels of oil per day.
The legislation aims to reduce American demand for oil by improving energy conservation and efficiency. It provides tax credits for the purchase of fuel efficient vehicles, home-based solar power and biomass, energy efficient buildings, and energy efficient appliances. The American Energy Act also offers a cash prize for the development of the first mass-produced car that gets 100 miles-per-gallon.
By way of promoting renewable and alternative energy, the American Energy Act creates a renewable energy trust fund with federal revenues from deep sea and Arctic coastal plain oil exploration. Additionally, it repeals the “Section 526” prohibition on government purchasing of alternative energy and promoting coal-to-liquids technology. It also makes the expiring tax credit for alternative energy production—including wind, solar and hydrogen—permanent.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Reagan Article Worth Reading
I found a good article entitled "God Bless Ronald Reagan." Here's a brief excerpt:
"Ronald Regan showed us it was still possible to believe in America. He did not agree that our best days were behind us at all. He dared to believe our best days still lay ahead of us, instead of buried in the past. And he not only believed, he inspired the rest of America to believe along with him."
Take a few moments and read the entire article here.
"Ronald Regan showed us it was still possible to believe in America. He did not agree that our best days were behind us at all. He dared to believe our best days still lay ahead of us, instead of buried in the past. And he not only believed, he inspired the rest of America to believe along with him."
Take a few moments and read the entire article here.
McCain/Obama on Patriotism
Parade Magazine published articles by both candidates on their views on patriotism. You can read the article here.
According to an online poll, most readers found McCain's view of patriotism closer to their own views than Obama's.
I read both articles and would have to agree.
According to an online poll, most readers found McCain's view of patriotism closer to their own views than Obama's.
I read both articles and would have to agree.
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