Oct 27, 2008

I love my ISP.

Know why?

Speed Test to L.A

Speed Test to San Diego

Speed Test to San Jose

And even clear across country:

Speed Test to Washington DC

Nuff said.

Time Warner Business Class Cable, ISP, Internet Connectivity

Oct 21, 2008

If The World Could Vote - Oct 21, 2008 1:08AM PST

It used to be that people from all over the world would flock to the United States to seek a better life.  Oh wait, its still that way!  Even as screwed up as we are, people are still beating down our doors in search of what they couldn’t find in their own countries.

They left their country to come here.  I don’t have time to research this, but I’d bet that the immigration phenomenon has been stronger to the US than in any other country in the world.  Call it jingoism if you’d like, but its all the folks from the rest of the world that are voting with their feet and trying to move here.

Speaking of voting, check out how the rest of the world would vote in our election.  I touched on this in a prior rant, and this new information seems to support my original point.

87.4% of the World would vote Obama.  Has there ever been a better reason to vote McCain?

People come here because it is (was) DIFFERENT than where they were.  Some would say, BETTER.  I’ll leave that question up to the large number of immigrants to our shores, as I’m unbelievably biased on the question.

If we continue to vote they way the rest of the world does, we will be just like them.  We are headed there already.  Obama will bring us that much closer.  If the world thinks this way, chances are we should be going in the exact opposite direction.  Being a citizen of the world sounds nice, but when you come down to it, I’d pick being an American any day.

Please: Remain American.  Vote McCain!

Oct 14, 2008

We’ve had two Compassion International kids for over a decade, and the experience has been fantastic.  They are a great group with a real heart for children.  Their work makes a material difference in the lives of the kids.

My cute CI Kids.

I love my 2 kids!  Uwimana is from Rwanda and a sweet, sweet girl.  She has struggled in school and hardship at home, but has come a long way from when we first sponsored her.   Helio is a handsome boy from Brazil who loves soccer and art.  He lives with his Grandmother and every letter from him comes with a beautiful picture.

Emily thinks of them as being a sort of brother and sister and sometimes plays with their pictures, making them talk as if they were really with her.  She mentions them often enough to let us know that their lives and struggles have had an effect on her, even at 4.

For a few bucks a month, its a great way to make a personal difference in the lives of people who really need it.

Compassion International

Oct 13, 2008

I took these about a week ago, when our pool was still open.  I so enjoyed swimming with Emily this season.  It was like watching pure joy every day.  I didn’t want to forget a single detail, so I bought an Underwater Housing for my wife’s Canon IS700 camera.  The results were pretty fun!

I can’t wait until next year!

Emily, Canon IS700, Underwater Photography

Oct 13, 2008

In the last 7 years in CA, we have been on fire for 5 of them.  I’ve never sustained any direct damage, but the cleanup is always dreadful.

God bless the men and women who fight these things, and Lord help the people in direct danger.  I hope we are not one of them soon.

This was the view from my house:

UGH.

California Wildfires, Chatsworth, Simi Valley

Oct 12, 2008

Oct 08, 2008

I really hadn’t given this much creedence until just recently.  While I disagree with Obama politically, I didn’t think that the connection to Bill Ayers would actually be true.  I figured it was just political mud slinging during a nasty election.

But, according to CNN, turns out the connections ARE true.  Disturbingly true.  Watch for yourself.

This is just one more example of how Obama will say anything to get elected.  Want more examples?

• Running against Nancy Pelosi for minority leader in the Republican lead congress, Obama played himself off as a centrist and someone willing to reach across the aisle.  He did this to differentiate himself from Pelosi who, as we all know, is extremely liberal.
• Running against Hillary in the primary, Obama played himself as the liberal choice and being more with the spirit of the Democratic party than Clinton was.
• Now, during the election, he is playing himself as the centrist again, trying to appeal to voters on both sides of the fence.

So Barack, which is it?  Centrist or Liberal?  Oh, depends upon the situation, right…  In selling, we call that the “spin” - the truth is as you “spin” it.

The sad thing is that this could have been so much simpler for Obama.  All he needed to say was, “Yes, I was associated with Bill Ayers.  He and I did a lot of good work together in Chicago.  I disagree with a lot of his philosophies, and certainly deplore the violence that he espoused, but also know that the man has done a lot of good in his life.  In politics, you don’t always have the luxury of choosing who you have to work with.  A lot of times, you end up working with folks that you disagree with.  That shouldn’t come as any surprise.  Ultimately what matters though, is how you handle that situation, and how you work to get something done DESPITE your differences.  I think my record shows that we did some good things there.  I disagree with a lot of my fellow legislators as well, but I’m willing to work together to get something done.  Next question…”

Why didn’t you just say that Barack?  If it was true, I’d think that he’d just say that.

The only other options are that he was actually very aware of Ayer’s background and agreed with more of his philosophies than he disagreed with them.  Or, the last possibility is that he just didn’t CARE about them.

My opinion is that it is the latter.  Obama is human and, like most people, he will overlook a lot in the face of his own personal gain.  Obama just didn’t care about Ayer’s past.  If Ayers could help him climb the ladder of success, it really didn’t really matter who he was or what he did.  The ends simply justifies the means.  Yup, that would be in keeping with his “say whatever it takes” to win attitude.

I’d bet that the truth of the matter simply kept them from being able to see a better way to spin the issue.

Another thing that disturbs me about this new information is the realization that the majority of Obama’s limited leadership role experience primarily consists of handing out other people’s money.  Oh great.

So, there is ample proof that Obama will say anything to get elected.  His past is riddled with very unsavory characters - first Jeremiah Wright, now Bill Ayers.  And, he’s tremendously inexperienced - even more so than SarahPalin.  The experience he HAS had, he’s been responsible for spending other pepole money.

Really?  This is who half of America (maybe more???) wants as president?  What the hell is wrong with us?

Ayers, Obama, CNN, Anderson Cooper