The Fetzer Files

Governors Race

2010-07-13T17:12:00.003-04:00

With tonight being the last debate and only a few weeks left I thought I would post something on the Governor's race. Here is the list of the Republican candidates and their endorsements. Please note that a couple groups endorsed more than one and several groups have stayed out of the race altogether. I may have forgotten a few and if so, let me know and I will add them to the list.

Pete Hoekstra

Candice Miller

Mike Rogers

Vern Ehlers

Mitt Romney

Newt Gingrich

Gary Bauer

James Dobson

Lansing Chamber of Commerce

Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce

Citizens for Traditional Values

Michigan Credit Union League

Michigan Forest Products Council

Michigan Agribusiness Association

Teamsters Union

Mike Cox

Dick and Betsy Devos

Dave Camp

Thad McCotter

Mike Huckabee

Michigan Chamber of Commerce

Right to Life

Citizens for Traditional Values

Shooters Alliance for Firearm Rights

Wayne County Chiefs of Police

Gun Owners of America

Michigan Gun Owners

Rick Snyder

Bill Milliken

John McCain

Joe Schwarz

Bill Ford, Jr.

Dan and Pamela Devos

Detroit Chamber of Commerce

Michigan League of Conservation Voters

Republicans for Environmental Protection

Mike Bouchard

Terri Land

Brooks Patterson

Michelle Engler

Jane Abraham

Elizabeth Dole

Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce

Detroit Chamber of Commerce

Fraternal Order of Police

Police Officers Association of Michigan

Home Builders Association of Greater Kalamazoo

Home Builders Association of Greater Grand Rapids

Citizens for Traditional Values

Praying for myself

2009-11-28T09:38:00.004-05:00

The past month my church community group has been talking about prayer. Last week's topic was on intercessory prayer or simply praying for other people. One of the comments during the discussion was how hard it was to pray for others since most of our prayers are focused on our self. After this was said, most people nodded in agreement but I felt distinctly at odds with that statement. For me, it is much easier to pray for other people than to pray for myself. In fact, 95 percent of my prayer time is going down my list of people to pray for. I would much rather for someone Else's needs than my own.

At first, I thought that praying for others instead of myself was sort of a badge of spiritual maturity. I am putting other peoples needs ahead of my own. But upon further review, there is conclusive evidence that my prayer life is just a deeper reflection of how I treat all my relationships. When I am talking to someone, I would much rather listen to their ideas or problems than talk about my own. If they don't want to share themselves, then I focus the conversation on talking about other people we know. Basically, anything to avoid having to talk about myself. In fact, the only way I generally reveal things about myself is if I am asked specific direct questions. I started this approach years ago under the guise that it made me less selfish but in reality I simply prefer my privacy. A great irony is that I often times will use the very public means of blogging to provide a small glimpse into my life and this is one of those occasions.

As you might expect, this lack of self revelation has been a hold up in many of my relationships. This would explain why several of my romantic endeavors have failed. And this hesitancy towards intimacy is a hurdle I am trying to jump over with Erin. I am making improvements but it still remains a potential barrier between her and I.

Unfortunately, this same pattern is now spilling over into my prayer life and my relationship with God. I would much rather read about him in the bible or talk to him about others than talk to him about myself. This revelation is quite startling and explanatory. No wonder my relationship with God is stale and impersonal considering I don't like sharing too much about myself with him. It scares me too think of why I would be so cautious with a God who unconditionally loves me.

This Christmas seems like a good time to become more intimate with God. I am not going to ask him to reveal himself to me but instead my goal is to trust him more and more as I reveal more and more of myself to him.

Obama the weak

2009-09-28T08:12:00.003-04:00

Regardless of party, I was really hoping that Obama would succeed as president but it is becoming increasingly obvious that he is a weak leader and not ready for the job. Forget the fact that his primary domestic goal of health care reform is DOA, the bigger problem is his terrible foreign policy. It's like Jimmy carter left him his playbook in the oval office and Obama thought hey it's 30 years later, maybe appeasement will work this time.

He has basically given Russia a green light to bully any of the former soviet states when he agreed to dismantle our weapons shield in Europe. The Russian's view this as weakness and know that they can now do whatever they want and we will back down. If I was Georgia I would be very, very worried.

Iran is brazenly moving ahead with the nuclear weapons and Obama can't even get economic sanctions against them much less a military option on the table. I heard his advisor say this weekend that they wouldn't even confirm that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. Can you say Naive?

The war in Afghanistan is headed in the wrong direction and Obama looks to be folding his cards instead moving all in. He should never have changed the focus to Afghanistan before counting the cost. Now we are left with either pulling out and giving terrorists the same home base they had before 9/11 or we have to commit a lot more soldiers to fight in a part of the world that is known for outlasting their attackers.

We now have dictators freely acting abroad and a foreign policy that is afraid to confront them. What is driving this lack of confrontation? It is rooted in Obama's lack of resolve that America is right and that our enemies are completely in the wrong. He is nuanced and likes to point out our faults while giving our enemies the benefit of the doubt.

This naivete is not what the American people voted for in 2008. Many people were tired of Bush's black and white world view but frankly our enemies laugh at shades of grey. Obama has to realize that Iran, Russia, China and North Korea don't respect him. In fact, they trust that he will not respond with force. That's a bad signal to rest of the world who look to America for leadership.

Michigan football

2009-09-01T17:50:00.002-04:00

Well if wasn't tough enough to be Rich Rod before this week, things just got a whole lot worse for him and for Michigan fans. The Free Press ran a hit piece this weekend accusing the program of violating the number of practice hours. Frankly if this were the whole story, I think the school would be ok and that they would take whatever penalty faces them for the violations. Just for the record, the limited practice hours are a joke and every football program realizes it and probably pushes the envelope on this issue. Michigan just happens to be the one that got caught.

But worse than the allegations is that the story was based on anonymous football players either on the team last year or still on the team. This is bad news for the coach. It shows just how little control and respect he has from some of his players. My best guess is that these are disgruntled holdovers from the Lloyd Carr era and they simply don't like Rodriguez. The preferred the country club mentality instead of having to compete for their playing time. But I wish they would have handled the matter with dignity by going to the coach or the AD instead of to the newspaper.

After a terrible 3-9 season last year, I was hoping to have a redeeming season to help forget about the past and lay the groundwork for future success. I am still in Rich Rod's corner and unlike many Michigan fans, I think he was the correct choice and can restore Michigan to a football powerhouse. But unless he gets his whole team on board, I can foresee a very long season ahead. If that long season includes several losses, it is hard to imagine Rodriguez keeping his job. And unfortunately it is easy to imagine the old guard bringing in a Michigan man like Ron English to replace him.

Surprised

2009-08-29T08:17:00.005-04:00

This Wednesday was my birthday. Leading up to it I wasn't all that thrilled with yet another birthday and turning 36 seemed like nothing special. As it turned out, this birthday was one of my favorites. It started last week when Erin surprised me with my very first Ipod. I had heard of such a magical invention but I am technologically unsavvy. One week and 700 songs later I love how much fun it is.

Tuesday night my parents took me out for dinner. Jake, Dave and Vince joined us as well. The food was good and I really like it when the whole family is together. Logan's steakhouse by the way has incredible deals as I think we all ate for less than $60. My parents got me some new cooking utensils which seems kind of practical yet I was thrilled to get them. It must be a sign of getting old.

Wednesday began with a call from my Grandpa and it was a great way to start the day. Then my coworker Derek's wife baked me a cake and I had several people stop by to wish me happy birthday or more likely to grab a slice of the cake. I also had tons of happy birthday posts on my facebook page which reminded me of just how many friends I have.

That night Erin took me out for Sushi. We sat on the floor and had to take our shoes off which was cool. The sushi was good and we experimented with several new types. Most of our experiments were successful and it felt hip to be sitting on the floor of a sushi bar.

If my birthday had stopped there I would have been very happy. But unknown to me Erin had been planning a surprise party for months. We went to our friends Sam and Carrie's for what I thought was a small get together after dinner. I was instead surprised with a large group of my friends and family. It was great to see the people who are important to my life gathered in one place. It was even better to realize just how lucky I am to have a woman in my life who would organize the party. I thought that the Ipod was my favorite gift but just having Erin in my life is the best gift of all.

Bye Sarah, We hardly knew you

2009-07-06T17:36:00.007-04:00

I was in Traverse City Friday when I got a call from my friend CJ asking what I thought of Palin's announcement. Since I hadn't seen the TV I had no idea what he was talking about and I was shocked when he told me she was resigning. Her actions have created quite a buzz in Republican circles ranging from criticism to praise. Here is my take:

Sarah Palin is most concerned about Sarah Palin. In her speech she talked about Alaska and how her resigning was good for the state. The reality is that she is no longer having fun being governor and therefore moving on. Granted she has received a lot of bad publicity but unfortunately, like her resignation, she mostly brought it on herself. She was the one who agreed to run for VP while knowing that her teenage daughter was pregnant. Did she not think that the media would care about that? She is the one who reportedly refused to prepare for her interview with Katie Couric which ended in a disaster. And now this.

Did she really think she would get positive coverage for quitting in the middle of her term? And the way she framed her announcement was preposterous and pretentious. If she was intent on resigning, the least she could have done is make the announcement with dignity and class. Most people would give her some slack if she simply said I am tired of the spotlight and being dragged through the mud and I want some time away to rebuild my family. Instead she turned her resignation into a badge of honor and noted how she was inspired by her visit with the troops. I am sorry but those troops don't quit when the going gets tough. They don't go home halfway through their deployment. If anything, her visit with them should have inspired her to stay the course. After all, wasn't her claim to fame that she was tough minded and could take on the establishment? Apparently not.

If she was really interested in helping Alaska, she should have dropped the pretense of running for president and focus on accomplishing reforms before she left office. Instead with dropping poll numbers and a tumbling economy to contend with she somehow decides it's in the best interest of Alaskans for their leader to give up and go home. It doesn't make any sense. As for her presidential aspirations, as my New York friends would say "forget about it".

One of the criticisms of her last year was that she was untested and not ready to be President. Quitting the one job that will give her the necessary experience and skills to become President is not the right plan. If she can't take the heat of Alaskan politics how is she going to handle being the leader of the free world? Leaving the Governor's office early does little to inspire confidence or build her already thin resume. She could have used her time in office to learn the issues and sharpen her ability to govern. She could have demonstrated the type of leader she would be for the country by her actions in Alaska. Well maybe she just did that.

Now what is she going to do? Write a book or join the talk radio/Cable TV circuit. Yes they pay more but they don't help prepare someone for the presidency. In the end her demise is hardly a disappointment. Less than a year ago most people in the lower 48 states had never heard of her. And outside of the first few weeks of the campaign her performance was less than impressive. With Sanford's trouble and now this, somewhere Mitt Romney is smiling.

The Pistons

2009-07-02T11:58:00.002-04:00

I have been a Pistons fan for a long time. I grew up cheering for the bad boys and enjoyed the past several seasons and the 04 championship. That's why it is so painful to watch what is happening to the team.

Joe Dumars is making a lot of suspect decisions lately; from hiring Michael Curry last year to passing over Dejuan Blair to draft a 6'11 kid who weighs less than I do and wasn't even the third best player on Gonzaga. Now he thankfully dumped Curry who was the worst coach in the league but then to counter that smart move he just signed two middle of the road players to expensive long term contracts.

When the Pistons unceremoniously shipped off Billups it was supposedly to free up cap space so they could sign a big time free agent. Did anybody have Ben Gordon in mind as that premier free agent? Yes he is a scorer but he is also a ball hog and a terrible defender. For every three he jacks up he gives up two layups. But that isn't the worst part, he plays the same position as Rip Hamilton and let's face it Hamilton doesn't much like sharing his minutes. Just ask Curry and Iverson.

In addition to Gordon the Pistons signed Charlie Villaneuva who is a lackadaisical forward who even Milwaukee didn't want. And the Bucks are not exactly overflowing with all stars. Yes the guy has talent and it's tempting to think he might put it all together but he hasn't done it so far and there is no reason to believe he will ever reach his potential. To me he is a younger, less talented Rasheed Wallace but without the defense.

After these two signings, the roster is now officially a mess. They have three shooting guards because Stuckey is not a point guard no matter what they say. Then they have two small forwards in Prince and Villanueva plus the last 5 draft picks who may or may not work out. But there is no proven point guard and our big guys consist of only Maxiel and Kwame Brown. It might be the worst front court in the league. Add to the mix that the defense and rebounding that has been a hallmark of the Pistons is virtually gone. This reminds me of when the Steelers tried to become a passing team and skimped on the running game. That didn't work out and neither will this.

The best hope for Pistons fans is that they deal Hamilton for a big guy like Chandler or Okafur and both are realistic possibilities. I have been down on Hamilton for several years. Mostly because he complains every time something doesn't go his way but also because he is easily replaceable. There are a lot of guards who can hit a mid range jump shot. I would even consider tossing in Prince if they could land a better big man like Bosh or Stoudamire. Prince has been solid and I like him but he has capped out his potential and simply put; he is not an all star.

Hopefully I am wrong and Joe D's moves will pan out. But I am not optimistic.

Another one bites the dust

2009-06-27T14:06:00.005-04:00

So Gov. Mark Sanford fled the country for a liaison with his mistress and then lied about what he was doing until the press found out the truth. And this was supposed to be the Republican up and coming star who was going to take on Obama in 2012?

If you google 2012 Republican presidential candidates you begin to realize the complete dearth of leaders within the party. From Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney to Sarah Palin and Haley Barbor, the list is a mix of has beens and nobodies. That's why Republicans were so anxious to promote Sanford to the top of the list. This despite the fact that nobody outside of South Carolina either knew or cared about him just over a year ago. His rise and fall is similar to Sen. George Allen who was supposed to be the conservative choice in 2008. Too bad he couldn't even win re-election in his home state.

This desperate yearning for a presidential candidate is a sign of how misguided our party has become. It won't matter who leads us as long as the party's only answer to every question is less taxes and a ban on gay marriage. Whether you agree with those issues or not, they still don't address the main concerns of most Americans.

Rather than constantly jumping from one supposed hot candidate to another who will hopefully lead us out of the wilderness we would be better off to do some soul searching and rediscover what the Republican message should be in the future. A message that addresses concerns over rising health care costs, sustainably managing our natural resources and rebuilding the nation's infrastructure. No one candidate is going to do that for us; even the ones who haven't cheated on their spouse.

Too Much Michael

2009-06-27T13:31:00.005-04:00

It was quite unexpected to learn that Michael Jackson died earlier this week. He was definitely a tragic and fascinating person who seems to have spent the last 40 years of his life trying to reclaim his first 10 years of childhood. However, after the initial shock wore off, I am ready to move on. Unfortunately, The 24 hour cable/entertainment industry simply can't turn off the Jackson spigot. And while I am mostly just bored with the story, I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the over exuberant praise that is being heaped upon the self proclaimed king of pop. Yes, he was a great musician, creative artist and innovative dancer but he hasn't been musically relevant since the mid 90's. But not only is the news coverage heavily focused on the 1980's version of Michael Jackson but it is almost completely lacking any attention to the child abuse allegations. Regardless of the court case dismissing the charges, I remain convinced that he molested several children and I wonder how those kids and their families feel watching the coverage this week. Too bad nobody in the TV business seems to care.

Back by popular demand

2009-05-28T08:33:00.000-04:00

So I have had a couple friends suggest I write more. To be honest, since the beginning of the year, I find myself spending more time on facebook than here. But as summer approaches I am going to begin writing more.

Now my thoughts on Sonia Sotomayor being nominated for the Supreme Court. First, let me say that I really don't care what race or gender she is. To me that kind of stuff should have nothing to do with whether or not a person is qualified to be a judge. But obviously Obama picked her because she is a Hispanic woman. To make matters worse is that she actually thinks that her "rich heritage" will make her a better judge than a typical white guy. Since when does heritage matter in interpreting the law? I thought the law was supposed to be color blind. And if I have to hear one more news story talking up her personal life story as some sort of qualification I am going to throw something at the TV. Nobody talked up Clarence Thomas' personal life story nor should they have. What truly matters in how someone views the law.

As for Sotomayor judicial record I am a little ignorant on it . The two biggest cases I know of both dealt with sports. She ruled against the baseball owners thus ending the lockout in the mid nineties and she ruled against Maurice Clarette and his bid to turn pro after only one year at Ohio State. I probably agree with her on both instances but does that make her a good judge?

I have seen the clip on YouTube of her saying that the appeals court is where the law is made. It sounds to me like she is just stating a fact and it is hard to tell if she condones that or not. My suspicion is that she does but it is hard to prove just based on that clip.

I write all this to say that Republicans are in a box on this one. Hispanics are the new swing voters and attacking the first ever Hispanic nominated to the Supreme Court spells trouble for Republicans seeking those votes. Additionally, while we can all assume she is a liberal who will create the law rather than apply it, there isn't a ton of proof to that point. We won't know the answer to that until she is already on the court and by then it's too late to do anything about it.

Personally, I wouldn't have appointed Sotomayor as I am sure most Republicans wouldn't have. But making this appointment is the president's prerogative and they should defer to his judgement. That's how it was always done until the Democrats decided to block Robert Bork back in 86. He was imminently qualified but they blocked him for purely political reasons. That unfortunately has politicized the court but it doesn't mean Republicans should sink to that level.

Besides, practically speaking I don't think Republicans can win this fight even if they wanted to so why waste what little political capital they have left. They should save it for issues they can actually win like opposing cap and trade. But then again, I am not Rush Limbaugh so they probably won't listen to me.

Good Friday

2009-04-10T08:56:00.003-04:00

Good Friday is always a hard day for me. The whole idea of Jesus suffering makes me uncomfortable. As a pessimist, you would think that I would be attracted to the darkness of Good Friday and the Cross but instead I would just as soon skip over it and get to Easter Sunday and the joyful celebration. I much prefer to sing "he's alive" on Sunday morning than to meditate on the beating he endured on Friday.

Last year I went to a Good Friday service and I was forced to remember all that Jesus endured on the Cross. It was a difficult but needed reminder for me. It seems it is easier for me to sin and to do my own thing when I think of God as only loving and forgiving but Good Friday reminds me what it cost him to forgive me. I don't like that so much. It is much harder for me to turn my back on God when I am faced with the grim brutality of the cross. I am sure this is why I have never been able to watch The Passion of the Christ. I fear that it might permanently negate my selfishness.

Good Friday and the cross also provides a glimpse of what is expected of those who call themselves Christians. I have always thought that the American church culture is much more an Easter celebration faith than a sacrificial Good Friday faith. We like the good times and benefits but when the going gets tough we get going back to our safety and comfort zone. Yet if we claim to be Christ like are we not supposed to pick up our cross as well? This doesn't mean we all have to be martyrs but I do think it means that we are supposed to follow Christ's example of being sacrificial. We are called to give our time, money, goals, talents and opinions over to God for him to do what he pleases with them. How can we say no to that request on Good Friday?

March Badness

2009-03-30T16:29:00.003-04:00

I love March. It's my favorite month of the year. I love the longer days, the warming weather and college basketball. There is just something about filling out a bracket that gives me great pleasure. This year I filled out several and as of yesterday I was officially elimated from winning any money. My picks were so bad that I am currently in 167th out of 170 people in my work pool. Even the interns who picked the winners by colors and mascots are doing better than I am.

Growing up I won a lot of bracket pools or would at least place in the money. Now I am the laughing stock of my friends and family pool where I am dead last. My buddy Jason who couldn't name you 5 starters in all of college basketball is going to win it. Meanwhile I am up watching the 6 OT big east tournament game until late in the night. I know all the bracket statistics and trends and yet I still bomb out. Now I remember why I gave up internet wagering on football a few years ago.

Despite this year's debacle, I still do love March. Even without winning, it is still the best sporting event of the year. Watching MSU reach the final four has been fun and it was especially sweet to see Michigan return from their self imposed ban. Besides I am only a little over 11 months from getting my shot at redemption.

Ash Wednesday

2009-02-26T08:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to the Ash Wednesday service at the catholic church in downtown Lansing. It was packed. When I mentioned how crowded it was to my friend he wittingly replied that there are a lot of sinners. The homily was very good. It was about rendering our heart to God and what motivates us during lent. That this was more than just a time to sacrifice something but it was a time to reflect on our sin and to recommit to the Gospel.

As the service wore on I realized that I wasn't really in a penitent mood. I was more interested in trying to keep up with the liturgy or looking around to see who I knew. It was wasn't until a little girl behind me started crying bitterly that it sunk in as to why I was there. Her cry full of anguish seemed like the only fitting response to acknowledging the sin in our lives.

By contrast, I was simply going through the motions not really taking into account how much my sin has angered and disappointed God. If I knew just how offensive it was I would sob uncontrollably just like the girl behind me. Unfortunately, I have learned to make excuses for sin and have justified it to myself and to others and made it seem like no big deal. This lent season I am hoping to recapture just what it cost to have Christ go to the cross for me.

The year of jubilee

2009-02-24T08:14:00.001-05:00

In the Old Testament the Jews used to observe something called the Year of Jubilee. Every 49 years all the people's debts would be forgiven and their land returned to them. The idea was to keep them from enslaving their own people via huge crushing debt. As I watched how pitiful the stimulus debate played out, I kept hearkening back to this idea of paying off our debts and how it would help spur our economy. I wondered if it was possible for the federal government to pay off the public's credit card debt thus freeing them to spend more money on goods and services, catch up on their mortgage or to buy a new car. I checked and found out that the total amount of U. S. credit card debt is $971 billion which is in the same ball park as what the stimulus plan just cost us.

I know that many people will say that the idea of paying off everyone’s credit cards only helps those who have made bad financial decisions. My reply is that we are a country of second chances but just as importantly it makes economic sense. What would help the working poor and middle class more than freeing up several hundred dollars a month to spend how they please? Families could do what they wish with their money that was once tied up in debt. Some would save it, some would invest it, and many would spend it. The money would flood into the economy directly rather than through some government programs that may or may not create jobs. On top of that, the banks would get a shot of cash to help keep them solvent and allow them to make new credit available.

One added advantage is that it would also help reassure the public and improve the overall mood regarding the economy. Currently, the main drag on the economy is the fear and uncertainty that many people are experiencing. Even those with jobs and money to spend are reigning in their consumption until they are confident that we are headed in the right direction. This lack of spending just adds to the recession and thus leads to more economic anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle and something that the recent stimulus plan failed to address. Eliminating their credit card debt would be a psychological game changer as much as an economic boost.

I realize my plan may never happen and obviously the idea has to be fleshed out. Some checks and balances would need to be in place to deter people from simply running up huge debt again. Maybe there would be a cap on how much each individual gets paid off or a requirement to go without credit cards for certain time period. Regardless of details, the Year of Jubilee makes more sense than the typical big government spending that just passed under the guise of stimulus.

Tired of the blame game

2009-02-22T12:43:00.002-05:00

This weekend I received updates from both the Republican and Democratic state conventions. One update that particularly grabbed my attention was by Lt. Gov. John Cherry who mentioned in his speech to the Democrats that they didn't get us into this mess but they will get us out of it. Really? I like John Cherry personally but his comment while not surprising was extremely disingenuous.

Michigan's economy is a mess and while a great portion of that is due to the demise of the auto industry, the government has not been effective in addressing the growing turmoil. And who has been in charge during this time? Not the Republicans. No it is Jennifer Granholm and John Cherry. To say that this is not their mess is more of the same blame game they have been playing for years. I fully expect to see on Granholm's tombstone "it was all Bush's fault".

The people of Michigan didn't elect Granholm to blame Engler or Bush or anybody else. They want her to lead and take on the problems facing the state. Instead she and Cherry are good at talking about reform but doing nothing and then blaming Republicans for their lack of results. It's getting very tiresome.

In the state of the state Granholm announced that she was appointing Cherry to study how to reorganize state government. She has been on the job for over 6 years and she has to have him study the problem? The Governor should already know what needs to be done and just do it. We don't need another study or task force, we need leadership. We need a decision maker who will make the tough choices and not blame others. I was hoping that maybe Cherry would be that guy on the Democratic side but I was obviously wrong.

Salsa

2009-02-08T01:46:00.004-05:00

Due to my love of tacos, pisco sours and siestas I have always felt a fondness for Latin American culture. However, tonight's adventure in salsa dancing reminded me of my very white ethnicity.

I went with my friend Gwen and her friends to a salsa club. I took dance lessons a couple years ago so I figured it would be fun to get out of the house. Unfortunately nothing stuck from my lessons. I would have better recalling 10th grade algebra than anything I learned about salsa dancing.

To call me rhythmically challenged is like calling the pope moral. Don't get me wrong, I do like to dance now and then But salsa is a little too structured for me. I prefer a more freestyle approach. Tonight, I realized that my dancing is similar to my life in general. Having a partner does not agree with me for some reason. It is way too hard to keep in sync with someone else so I dance to my own beat.

Change we can believe in?

2009-02-04T09:51:00.009-05:00

Yesterday Tom Dashcle withdrew his name for consideration for Secretary of Health and Human Services because he hadn't paid several hundred thousand in taxes. His withdraw marks the third person Obama has nominated to have had "trouble" paying their taxes in the past. Nancy Killefer was supposed to be his chief performance officer for the federal government, whatever that is, but she didn't pay her taxes either. The only one to get away with it is the new Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, who was inexplicably confirmed despite being a tax cheat himself. I guess this explains why Democrats don't mind raising taxes because they have no intention on actually paying them.

Does anyone else wonder why it takes a Senate investigation to uncover all these unpaid taxes? Isn't that what the IRS is for? Apparently, they aren't worried if you are either rich or politically connected. How much more money is out there in unpaid taxes that could be used to help pay down some of our ballooning budget deficit? Maybe we should have Obama randomly appoint people so the Senate can dig into their past and see how much they owe in taxes.

This is not a good start for the Obama administration. The entire scenario reeks of hypocrisy. Not only has there been a pattern of not paying taxes by his nominees but this is the second well known nominee to withdraw because of ethical concerns. Anyone else remember Bill Richardson? I thought Obama was supposed to usher in an era of good government and restore confidence in our leadership. Instead, we get the same old, same old; attempts to reward political allies with plum government appointments despite their ethical lapses. Obviously, he was full of change we can't believe in.

It will be interesting to see how quickly the media can sweep this under the rug. I guarantee you by next week, there will not be one story printed connecting the dots and pointing out this pattern of appointing unethical people. It just doesn't fit into their make believe Camelot storyline.

What a game!

2009-02-01T23:51:00.005-05:00

I realize I am impartial because my Steelers won but that was a great, great game. I watched with a couple fellow Steelers fans and we never relaxed the entire game. We all knew that not getting touchdowns inside the red zone was going to come back and bite us.

I give the Cardinals a ton of credit for coming back in the fourth quarter. Kurt Warner is an amazing QB and I kind of like Fitzgerald as well. But I was happy that they scored so quickly and that Big Ben would have a few minutes left to pull out a miracle. He always does his best when his back is against the wall. And Holmes definitely moved up on the list of great players in Steelers history.

Has there ever been a greater play than James Harrison's interception return just before halftime? What an incredible turn of momentum. How he stayed in bounds and scored is beyond me. I was also impressed they didn't get called for clipping. It might have been the only play that the refs didn't throw a flag on.

It's truly fun to be a Steelers fan. I love that we win but I love that we do things the right way. We have a classy owner, we have good guys that play for us and we play sound football. Now we just have to rebuild the offensive line and we should be back for number 7 next year.

Titanic

2009-01-25T07:43:00.009-05:00

Yesterday, I finally watched the movie Titanic. I skipped it in the theaters several years ago and it wasn't really on my wish list. But I have been sick and couped up all weekend and decided I had the prerequisite three hours to spend watching it. Frankly, I doubted I would like it, since I typically dislike big blockbusters. However, I really enjoyed it. For some reason, I found my cynicism for love melted as I rooted for Jack and Rose. In fact, it got me to thinking of my own life and how I wished I had someone to fall in love with. I want to meet someone and have that instant chemistry that bonds us together. Of course, I don't want to have to go down with the Titanic to find that soulmate. Although some of my most recent dating experiences have felt like a sinking ship.

I keep thinking to myself, what I am doing wrong. Then I remember that my life is not a Hollywood movie. But I see many of my friends happy and in love. I am not sure what their secret is but I definitely have not discovered it. Many people have suggested that my expectations are too high. But settling for someone less than my soul mate doesn't excite me. I have experienced the real work that it takes to invest in a relationship and it isn't worth it unless I have that emotional spark. Unfortunately as my desire to fall is love is piqued, I simply haven't met anybody that ignites my desire to throw caution to the wind. I want to want to call her every night not out of duty but because I need to hear her voice. I want to have my entire day justified simply because I get to spend a few minutes with her. I want to share everyday experiences and transform them from ordinary to favorite memories simply because we spend time together. Is that too much to ask for? Or maybe it just happens in movies.

The real national champion

2009-01-03T08:53:00.006-05:00

I watched a little bit of the Utah - Alabama game last night and Utah was very impressive. They ended the season 13-0 and the only unbeaten team. Unfortunately, the idiots that control college football didn't allow them a chance to win the national championship. Yes, the only team to go unbeaten doesn't even get the chance to play for the title while two one loss teams get to play for it. This is why college football is a joke.

Utah is not the only team to get screwed this year. Texas beats Oklahoma and has the same record yet Oklahoma gets to play for the title simply because a bunch of coaches voted for them. And I agree with Pete Carrol at USC that his team could probably beat anybody and should have had a chance to play for a national title as well,. However, Utah actually has a better argument than USC considering they beat Oregon State while USC lost to them.

Thankfully, the AP poll is free to vote whoever they want as the national champion and I sincerely hope they reward the kids at Utah. They played a tough schedule and beat many quality opponents. In fact, they beat Alabama more handily than Florida did. It's time to send a message to the corrupt rulers of college football that they cannot simply deny a championship to a team because they don't play in a BCS conference. This year you could make the case that the Mountain West Conference was comparable to most of the BCS conferences.

So while there are still a couple games left to be played. In my mind it doesn't matter who wins between Oklahoma and Florida. The national championship is already settled. Congratulations to the Utah Utes.

Two Friends and a Leather Jacket

2008-11-27T12:50:00.007-05:00

I have two friends of mine who are very dear to me and whom I have known since junior high school; Don and Jason. When we were seniors in high school the three of us decided to go to Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids to buy new leather jackets. Jason and I bought a brown leather bomber jacket and Don bought a black motorcycle jacket. They were a hundred bucks a piece and we spent nearly all our money on them.

Rather than simply being satisfied with our purchase we decided to show them off and celebrate how cool we looked in our new jackets. So we hopped in my old Honda Prelude and drove 3 hours to Chicago on a total whim. It was exhilarating being on the open road with two of my closest friends and ready to hit the town. Unfortunately, as soon as we hit Wacker Street in Chicago my car died. The alternator belt went out and we were stuck in Chicago with very little money and no way to get back home.

We decided to call my Mom because she was most likely to help us out of our predicament. She was not too happy for sure. After the initial shock wore off she wired us enough money to tow the car, find a hotel and buy train tickets back to Michigan. The three of us ended up having a fun evening. We ate at Ed Debevic's and stayed at a posh hotel in the city. The trip had offered us more than we could have hoped for. Our fun however was halted when my parents picked us up at the train station the next day with a look of complete disappointment.

As I was cleaning up my house last week I found that same leather jacket. It was hiding in my basement and doesn't fit anymore. Even so, I have been dragging it from city to city and house to house all these years because I so cherish that first memory with it. Every time I see that jacket I am reminded of my two friends and our youthful indiscretions.

What's intersting is that in the past week I have had the opportunity to visit both Don and Jason. Don flew in from New York last weekend for the closing of Studio 28 and we were able to catch the new James Bond movie. He and I are now famous as we were shown on TV 13 talking about our favorite movie memories. On Tuesday, I flew to Denver to visit Jason and his family for Thanksgiving. We took a hike in the mountains earlier this week and drank out of a mountain river we discovered. It was amazing.

What I am learning is that I don't need an old jacket, no matter how cool it is, to remind me of my friendships. I am so blessed to still have those relationships. And as much as I love that memory of our ill fated Chicago trip, I am making new memories with both Don and Jason. While I outgrew the jacket years ago and it doesn't fit me anymore, my friendships have grown and still fit even better today than back in Chicago. That is why I finally decided it was time to donate the jacket to our church's clothing drive and allow somebody else to make great memories with it. Hopefully, they have as good friends as I do to share it with.

Last week's sermon

2008-11-19T17:02:00.001-05:00

As many of you know I have the privilege to preach at my church from time to time. It's been a great opportunity to learn about God's word and how to communicate it effectively. This past week I spoke on Romans 12:1-2 and how we are supposed to sacrifice and have our minds renewed in order to test and approve God's will. Here is the link for those that would like to listen to it.

Auto Bailout

2008-11-19T08:55:00.002-05:00

In September I was willing to give some slack to the government to help bailout the banking industry. Unfortunately, the first roll out of that bailout has been a complete debacle and there are stories coming out that we don't even know who is receiving the money. This is quickly becoming one of the largest public lootings in our history. Now the big 3 automakers want another bailout. Talk about bad timing.

Living in Michigan I have the unfortunate perspective of watching the decline of the American automakers. Their demise has been a long time coming but laughably they are now arguing that they are "turning things around" and that the reason for their troubles is the bad credit markets. It's ironic because I thought the first bailout was supposed to loosen up those markets.

But let's be honest, the problem isn't solely that the big 3 can't get loans it's that they are poorly run companies who sell products that the public doesn't want to buy and they pay their employees more than they can afford. No amount of government handouts are going to change that. In fact, it will probably only protect that failing culture by insulating them from the consequences of their poor decision making.

The problem is that the bailout floodgates have been opened and once you give one industry money, how can you say with a straight face that another industry doesn't deserve the same thing. Well I guess you can say that if you are Paulson and your only interest was in protecting your fat cat friends on wall street.

To completely understand why there is so much pressure on the Democrats to pass a bailout for the automakers you have to acknowledge the elephant sitting in the room: the unions. If the big 3 go bankrupt all those union contracts will be voided and the democrats will lose their control on a huge sector of voters. If the government bails them out then the unions can continue to go along as they please and the workers will be forever indebted to the Democrats.

But a bailout will not solve the long term economic problems of the big 3. They simply cannot continue to pay the high wages and benefits the unions demand and be competitive in the market place. The built in disadvantage for car makers who have unions vs those who do not have unions is $2000 per car. That's not going to change with a bailout but it might change if they go through bankruptcy court.

Finally, there has been a lot of talk lately about Gov. Granholm leaving Michigan to become part of Obama's administration. Some even speculate that he will name her "auto czar". If he does that he is dumber than Republicans suspected as Granholm has been fiddling for 6 years while Detroit burned. Instead of Granholm, Obama should back up his bipartisan talk by appointing Mitt Romney as the auto czar. He just wrote an excellent column in the NY times and has the business experience that is needed to turn around the automakers. But somehow I doubt the unions will go along with that idea.

Studio 28

2008-11-15T07:43:00.006-05:00

I just read in the Grand Rapids Press that Studio 28 is closing. This came as quite a shock. I recall as a kid going there often and at one time it was the largest movie theater in the country. How times change. I have many memories of that place including my first time sneaking into an R rated movie. It was exhilarating getting past the ticket person and into the forbidden theater. The movie was running scared and not all that great but it was fun watching something that we weren't allowed to. One summer my co-workers and I would leave straight form work to catch the matinees. I think we watched The Firm and Jurassic Park that year.

Back then going to the movies was a big event. Now I suppose people just wait for their netflix to come in the mail and watch it at home. One thing I always remember was the parking lot being super crowded but I guess today you could park near the front and that's the problem. I get a little sad when I think of all the changes to my home town. Showcase Cinemas is now a Home Depot or something and the Quad closed years ago. I guess kids have their new hangouts but mine are definitely vanishing.

I read in the article that they are having a special event to close the theater on November 23rd. Anybody from GR want to go with me?

Maybe I should take up walking

2008-11-15T07:40:00.003-05:00

I just read this in the Lansing State Journal. It's about a man who, while walking around the world, meets a woman and falls in love and gets married. How incredibly adventuresome and romantic. I think it time to renew my passport.

Liberal Tolerance?

2008-11-12T22:48:00.002-05:00

This past weekend a group of gay activists decided to ransack and disrupt a local church service here in Lansing. I guess when the left talks about being tolerant, it only means tolerating those that they agree with. Here is the story that appeared in our local newspaper. I hope that the church is able to forgive the offenders and will pray for them.

Why I am not a conservative

2008-11-10T18:08:00.005-05:00

This is totally plagiarized from my friend Keith's blog. The only difference is the context. He was writing about conservatives within the church but as I was reading I kept nodding my head thinking that it applies equally to political conservatives. The following were his five reasons he dislikes conservatives:

1) Conservatives specialize in name-calling and labeling.
2) Conservatives get their following through negativity and fear.
3) Conservatives take a single issue approach.
4) Conservatives refuse to compromise.
5) Conservatives will go down with the ship to stay pure.

This just about sums up why Republicans got creamed last Tuesday. A majority of people share his view of conservatives and the ironic thing is that most conservatives can't believe this is how they are perceived. The question to my conservative friends is do you care that this is how you are viewed? If so, how do you change that perception? Or maybe you are fine with simply being "right" and to heck with those who don't agree with you.

Winners and Losers

2008-11-06T21:28:00.005-05:00

I thought I would give my post election winners and losers:

Winners

1. Obama - He ran a great campaign with very little mistakes. All he has to do know is live up to the lofty expectations that are set for him.

2. Howard Dean - His decision to expand the Democrat party into traditional Republican states was ridiculed but it laid the groundwork for Obama's victories in places like N. Carolina and Indiana.

3. African Americans - They should take great pride in Obama. His election provides hope that anything is possible for them.

4. Young voters - I admit I was skeptical that they would really show up at the polls and vote. But they did come out in force and future campaigns will now court them more vigorously.

5. Bobby Jindal - If McCain had won, Palin would have been the leading candidate in 2012. Now with her less than stellar performance, Jindal emerges as the future star of the party.

6. Liberals - Unlike when Clinton won office, Obama ran as a center left candidate and he has a huge majority in congress to pass his agenda. It will be interesting to see if they overplay their hand but as of right now liberals are in great shape.

Losers

1. George Bush - Obviously he was the main player in this election, maybe even more so than Obama, and the voters rejected him enthusiastically.

2. Joe Lieberman - He went out on a limb for his friend McCain. It was a decent thing to do but it definitely cost him with his Democrat colleagues.

3. Talk Radio - They first tried to get a conservative nominated in the primary and failed. then they shifted gears and tried to smear Obama which didn't work either. Their influence is waning.

4. Hillary Clinton - She missed her once chance to be President and with it her chance to be the first woman to break the glass ceiling. I bet she still wonders how she lost the nomination to a one term senator with no experience.

5. Sarah Palin - By being thrust into the spotlight without the proper preparation she lost her chance to make a good first impression. To run in 2012 she will definitely have to remake her image with a lot of voters.

6. Race hustlers - Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and the like just lost their power grip on the black community. Black youth can honestly say "who needs them to succeed?". Hopefully, we are truly becoming a post racial country.

A few thoughts

2008-11-05T09:49:00.000-05:00

1. Who would have ever predicted that France would have a more conservative president than we do?
2. So much for America voting for war heroes. The last three have all lost by wide margins. This is not our Grandpa's country.
3. So much for using the anti tax issue. In Michigan, the House Democrats voted to increase taxes and gained their largest majority in thirty years.
4. Does anybody really think we are still a center right country?
5. Now that Bush is out and they run everything, who will the Democrats blame when things go wrong?
6. How come none of the so called campaign finance groups are complaining about Obama buying the election? After all he did spend more than any candidate in history.
7. Can we now please stop calling America a racist nation?
8. I listened to some conservative talk radio hosts and they are saying the exact same thing they said after 2006: Republicans weren't conservative enough. They obviously still don't get it.
9. How long before Israel decides to take matters into their own hands with regards to Iran's nulcear weapons? A month?
10. Join the bandwagon now: Jindal 2012

Now What?

2008-11-05T07:28:00.002-05:00

Well this was a terrible night for Republicans. Quite simply we got our ass kicked. We didn't win any contested races or ballot proposals in Michigan and it looks like all the swing states nationally swung toward Obama. The question now is how do we go about changing our prospects in the next election. Apparently whatever we supposedly changed after 2006's debacle didn't work. Yes we can blame Bush and the poor economy but at some point we have to look in the mirror and take responsibility for ourselves.

Here are some early suggestions:

Target Hispanic voters
Recruit more minority candidates
Welcome the moderates back into the party
Dump the current crop of political consultants
Utilize the Internet more effectively
Find a central theme to the party that is not simply anti-tax and anti-government
Be bold in our policy ideas instead of just tweaking around the edges
Focus our tax policies on the working class instead of the business class
Create more affordable higher education to attract young people and working families
Develop a real plan to address the health care crisis and make it our issue

I welcome any ideas you might have.

My prediction

2008-11-02T17:07:00.005-05:00

Since I won't be able to write tomorrow I thought I would share my predictions for the election on Tuesday. I'll be frank, it is going to be a bad year for Republicans. I suspect that Republicans will lose 27 seats in the House and 8 seats in the Senate but thankfully Democrats will not pass the magic number 60 and Republicans will maintain the opportunity to filibuster. In Michigan the scenario is just as bleak. The state house will see Republicans lose 9 seats bringing the total 67 Democrats to 43 Republicans. Fortunately for me, the Michigan Senate is not up for reelection this year.

Now onto the Presidential race: It will be closer than most polls suggest. The national percentage will be Obama 51 - McCain 48. However, the electoral college will not be as close. I predict a final total of 307-231 in favor of Obama. Basically McCain's only hope is to win both Ohio and Pennsylvania and while it could be very close I don't see him winning either one.

The critical voter group that decides this election will not be young voters or religious voters flocking Obama. They might see a modest increase in both totals but the swing group this year will be exurban voters. These are educated, middle to upper class whites who live 20-30 miles outside of the city in newer neighborhoods. I predict they will side with Obama overwhelmingly because of the loss in their home values, the stock market collapse and the high cost of gas.

Here is my state by state breakdown:

Obama states
Maine
Vermont
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Massachusetts
New York
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland
Virginia
DC
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Illinois
Michigan
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Iowa
Colorado
New Mexico
Nevada
California
Oregon
Washington
Hawaii

McCain states
New Hampshire
W. Virginia
Kentucky
Indiana
N. Carolina
S. Carolina
Tennessee
Georgia
Florida
Alabama
Louisiana
Arkansas
Mississippi
Missouri
Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Kansas
N. Dakota
S. Dakota
Montana
Wyoming
Idaho
Arizona
Utah
Alaska

A bit overwhelming

2008-10-24T14:40:00.003-04:00

This week I have the privilege of being in North Carolina at a conference sponsored by World Relief. My church has been donating money to their efforts in Darfur and they invited our pastor and I down to learn more about World Relief and the opportunities available for us to partner with them as a local church.

The conference started last night and continued this morning. Thankfully we are on a break where I can rest and have my mind catch up on what I am learning. I will be honest, I am quite overwhelmed with the needs of the world at this point. World Relief is involved in 18 countries most of which are in conflict or just emerging from conflict. We have heard stories of poverty, displacement, slavery, violence, health epidemics and the like. When I think about my own life and resources and weigh it against the enormous needs in the world, my first instinct is to ignore the problem and hurriedly get back to my safe, middle class life where I am not confronted with the injustice of the world.

However, there is a biblical principle: To whom much is given, much is expected. I usually apply that to money in that I am wealthier than 95 percent of the world so I am expected to give back more. But today I am thinking that this applies to my knowledge of what is happening around the world. I have been given this knowledge and now I am expected to use this knowledge and not waste it.

The preacher this morning was from Kenya and he shared the story of how his church responded to the thousands of people who were chased from their homes during the political unrest at the beginning of this year. He said that they had no strategy but love and were completely overwhelmed by the need. It was more than they could handle. This may sound strange but this is encouraging to me in that I am not the only one overwhelmed.

My temptation is always to wait and help when I am ready or when I have all the answers or resources or money or time. Yet his church was involved and didn't have any of those things. They were dependent on God to provide the resources and made do with what they had.

There is much, much more that I could write but I am still in the midst of processing everything I am learning. I hope to write again tonight and over the remainder of the weekend.

The Whole Story

2008-10-22T20:10:00.003-04:00

My friend CJ has been laying out the case that the Democrats are mostly responsible for the housing collapse and thus the need to bailout the credit industry. Well finally a journalist is following his lead and written a great article. The article also takes on the all too willingness of the press to misreport the story. It is definitely worth the read.

Why you shouldn't give money to politicians.

2008-10-22T12:25:00.003-04:00

This just came across the drudge report. This kind of crap is why politicians are viewed so poorly by the public. Do you really think Joe six pack spends that kind of money on his wardrobe? They should have used the money to buy her an interview coach instead.

Politics and the church

2008-10-20T19:12:00.003-04:00

My church is taking on the task of discussing politics. The sermon this week focused on how our political views can get in the way of the gospel. It was a very good reminder of how we tend to get caught up in politics and forget the real reason the church exists. In light of the upcoming election, I would encourage people to listen to the sermon.

As if ACORN wasn't bad enough

2008-10-17T08:08:00.000-04:00

I just read this article about a mentally challenged man whose vote was stolen by the Obama campaign. Apparently, some liberal do gooder took him to vote without his family's permission and then had him vote for Obama even though he told them he supported McCain. First ACORN and now this. It's frustrating that there is so much voter fraud going on this year. I bet you won't hear how he was disenfranchised in the media. They are too busy calling the McCain campaign angry and racist.

Scoring the candidates

2008-10-15T08:49:00.001-04:00

The reasons to vote for someone are hard to quantify. Sometimes it's the issues. Sometimes it's based on the person. Sometimes it is just a gut feeling. I am going to try and break down my top 10 issues and award points to both McCain and Obama and see where they end up compared to each other. The most they can get is 5 points per issue.

1. Abortion - McCain is solidly pro life. Obama is pro choice and even voted to protect infanticide simply because it might undermine Roe V Wade. I'm not fooled by Obama's rhetoric on this issue.
McCain 5
Obama 0

2. Health care - Obama wants to bring the uninsured into the federal system or provide help to low income families to purchase private insurance. McCain wants to tax health benefits and give a tax credit to cover some of the costs for individuals. I like Obama's plan while McCain's plan flat out sucks and will lead to more uninsured.
McCain 0
Obama 5

3. Iraq - McCain was right about the surge and wants to keep our troops there for many years to come. Obama wants to get out as soon as possible. I hate the war as much as the next person but I also want a stabilized Iraq when we leave.
McCain 4
Obama 0

4. Taxes - Obama is promising a tax cut to those making under $250,000. McCain's tax plan helps those making more money while also raising the deduction per child. That doesn't help me at all. I am better off under Obama's plan, assuming that he is serious about his plan. That's a big assumption.
McCain 0
Obama 4

5. Darfur - Both have similar voting records when it comes to Darfur but Obama has been a much more consistent champion of the cause. He also is willing to have the country take a more active role in the peacekeeping missions. McCain on the other hand sees it as another Somalia and is less likely to commit money and or troops.
McCain 1
Obama 5

6. Energy - Both claim to support renewable energy. McCain wants to drill for domestic oil and supports nuclear power but unfortunately doesn't support ethanol. Obama is more committed to wind and solar and less so to drilling. He also wants to raise fuel mileage standards.
McCain 4
Obama 4

7. Economy - Neither one has a whole lot of credibility in fixing the economy. Both voted for the bailout which ended up as nothing but a give away to wall street and other special interests. One good idea from Obama is allowing early withdrawals from 401ks without penalty. McCain wants to cut business and investment taxes while Obama is more likely to infuse the economy with government cash.
McCain 0
Obama 3

8. Terrorism - McCain has a lot more experience in foreign affairs and will be more forceful in combating our enemies. Obama wants to bring other countries together to help our cause. Unfortunately, he also wants to revert back to the old days of treating terrorism as a crime instead of an act of war.
McCain 5
Obama 1

9. School Choice - McCain has been a long time supporter of school vouchers and charter schools. Obama is in bed with the teachers unions which means he wants more money and little reform or accountability.
McCain 5
Obama 0

10. Character and Experience - McCain has built up a lot of good will and trust over the years. However, it appears he is willing to compromise some of his integrity in order to win the race. Nothing that can't be repaired but it does undermine his image of putting principles above politics. McCain also has years of experience fighting the system but few results to show for it. Obama has virtually no track record of accomplishments or reform. None! And I truly don't know if he believes every thing he says or not. What is his moral compass? His association with ACORN and Jeremiah Wright scare the hell out of me.
McCain 4
Obama 0

Total out of possible 50 points:
McCain 28
Obama 22

Mom's Birthday

2008-10-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend my Mom turned 60. I decided a couple months ago to throw her a surprise party. My Mom's friend Brigid, my Stepdad Mike, my Aunt Nancy and I have been exchanging covert phone calls and emails planning the party for over a month. I thought for sure she knew ahead of time but everybody kept the secret. My Grandpa even had to lie to her and tell her that he was going away for the weekend with a lady friend to deter Mom from going to Pittsburgh for her birthday.

Saturday night the party finally occurred and it was a smashing success. We had 35 friends and family at the party including several from out of town. Mom was totally surprised. It was great to see the look on her face when she walked through the door. It was a look of profound appreciation and amazement that so many people were there to celebrate her.

We had several old pictures of her growing up and some of us shared a favorite memory with Mom. I tried give a really moving toast but ended up crying halfway through it instead. Mom received lots of gifts but I think the best gift was having so many of her loved ones gathered in one place.

It was a great night. A night where everything just felt right. A night when family all got along and old friends caught up with each other. A night of showing just how much Mom means to us.

Negative Attacks

2008-10-10T08:04:00.003-04:00

Lately there has been an awful lot of attacks on Obama by the McCain team. They are desperately trying to link to him William Ayers who is a former terrorist. The hope is to discredit him by association and when they tested this attack in a poll I am sure it scored quite well. While I think Obama and Ayers do have a relationship I have no faith that this line of attack will actually work.

There are a couple main principles to effectively attacking your political opponent. First, the attacks have to be believable to the average voter. On the surface I would say that people could believe that Obama has allied himself with less than reputable people. After all, he is a product of the Chicago political machine. But the McCain people have made the mistake of pushing this too far by implying that Obama endorses Ayers terrorist acts. Most people are simply not going to believe that. How many people can honestly say that Obama condones acts of violence against the country? Maybe some radical, fringe voters will buy that but to the typical voter it doesn't really pass the smell test.

The second principle is that the attacks have to be relevant. Here is the larger problem for McCain. Quite simply, when the stock market is in free fall nobody cares whether or not Obama knew William Ayers. To be effective the attack has to fit into the overall theme of the campaign. For instance 2004's campaign was predominantly about the war and who would be a better commander in chief. Attacking Kerry for his flip flopping undermined his image as a strong leader and played into fears over whether or not he could be President in a time of war. The 2006 campaign was all about corruption. In that year I think Obama's shady associations might have resonated with voters. But this year the election is all about the economy.

To beat Obama this year, they have to undermine voter confidence in his ability to handle the financial crisis. Ironically, just the opposite has happened as McCain has appeared erratic and reactionary the last few weeks while Obama has been calm and poised. This is why Obama is gaining and McCain is losing ground.

Instead of going after Obama for being friends with Ayers, they should aggressively argue that Obama has no experience dealing with the economy at any level. He has never run a government or private agency and never had to balance a budget or make hard economic decisions. McCain should pin him down on specifics in the bailout package and ask him to explain it in detail at the next debate hoping that he will not be able to explain it. Make the case that if he can't understand what's in the bailout package then how can he understand how to fix our economy.

He should also use Obama's calmness against him by saying that he doesn't really care about the stock market crash because has plenty of money already. Paint him as out of touch with the average voter. Ask this question: If he feels the same unease about the economy as you do, why isn't he much more visibly upset over it?

While this line of attack might not be enough to beat Obama, at least it plays into the campaign narrative and into the minds of the voters.

The Problem with Politics

2008-10-06T12:06:00.002-04:00

I just read a very interesting article in the NY Times about Congressman Tom Davis and his reason for leaving congress. The article does a great job highlighting the problem with our current system; A system that drives out pragmatic problem solvers and replaces them with power hungry ideologues. No wonder the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Ballot initatives

2008-10-06T11:48:00.003-04:00

I just recieved this from the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency. It is a non partisan explanation of both ballot proposals facing the Michigan voters this fall. It's a little wonkish, but I thought it might be helpful to provide information to others as they decide how to vote. For what it's worth I am voting no on both proposals.

The Lions

2008-10-05T16:09:00.003-04:00

The worst thing about living in Michigan is that every week we are compelled to watch the Lions on Sundays. Everybody, I know was ecstatic when the team fired Millen last week but unfortunately they couldn't fire all the coaches and players as well. Today's game was the worst performance I have seen in quite some time and that's saying something considering the Lions' history of getting completely dominated. The team today completely quit and it's embarrassing that people get paid millions a year are so unprofessional and incompetent. The worst thing about today is that I was going up against Chicago's defense in two of my fantasy leagues. Thanks to the Lions I am now trailing both leagues.

So what can the average fan do now that we no longer get to take out our emotions by chanting "fire Millen"? The first thing is to boycott the games. I realize that people have paid good money for the tickets but that is just the point. It's not worth paying 50 bucks to see them give up. I think an empty arena would send a great statement that the fans will only care when the team cares about winning. Another benefit is if the games don't sell out then they have to black out the game in their area sparing the people of Detroit from having to watch this mess.

Another thought is to simply stop buying team merchandise. But a more visceral idea is to organize a demonstration where fans can bring their Lions gear and burn it in a huge pile. The season is already going down in flames, the least fans can do is use that fire to disinfect themselves from the team.

Lastly, instead of calling into the local radio stations to complain about the team, just ignore the Lions all together. Talk about the upcoming Red Wings or Pistons seasons. Heck even bring up the Bears or the Colts. In fact, maybe every fan could adopt another team to cheer for instead of the Lions.

The final word: Since the Lions have given up on the season, it is time for their fans to give up on them.

The debate

2008-10-03T08:57:00.002-04:00

My friend Tameshia came down this morning and wanted to talk about the debate. She is a liberal and not surprisingly Palin annoyed her and she thought Biden won handily. I on the other hand, thought Palin gave a folksy, reassuring performance. It's funny how one's political lens really does influence how we see things in real life.

So admitting my bias and the fact that I was rooting for Palin to have a good night here are my initial thoughts. I thought Biden was strong, intelligent, gracious and presidential. But he was also irrelevant as every one watching the debate wanted to see how Palin would handle herself. He could have showed up naked and nobody would have noticed as Sarah Palin was the story. The public wanted to know if it was going to be the Palin from the convention or Palin from the Katie Couric interview. Thankfully for Republicans it was a return to the convention mostly.

Yes she was a little weak on substance sometimes and didn't answer every single question head on but that really wasn't her job. Many pundits thought her goal was to demonstrate again to the public that she is a credible leader who could take over the presidency if McCain dies. In fact, there was a question on that very topic. Instead she saw her goal as connecting to what you might call "middle American voters" with her charm and use of common vernacular. She didn't try to come off as a policy expert but instead ran as an outsider against an unpopular Washington DC culture and I think it worked fairly well.

Scoring debates is always hard because voters are unpredictable. Al Gore bashed Bush in their first debate but lost votes because he sighed a lot. To use a betting term, my gut tells me that Biden may well have scored more points last night but as the underdog she covered the spread. And as those who gamble know, covering the spread is what wins the money.

Hail to the Victors

2008-09-28T22:20:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I had the privilege of watching the greatest comeback in Michigan stadium. My step dad, stepsister and my friend Ray drove to Ann Arbor yesterday expecting very little. Wisconsin was a top 10 team and Michigan is in a rebuilding year. And the first half Michigan gave us what we were expecting tenfold. Plainly put, they were downright awful. They couldn't run the ball, couldn't throw the ball, couldn't catch the ball and couldn't hold on to the ball. They were so pitiful that they had more turnovers than first downs and passing yards combined. The only saving grace was Wisconsin's ability to continue squandering opportunities and our defense holding them to only 19 points when it could have easily be 28 or 35 points.

At halftime we were joking that the seeing Michael Phelps get honored before the game was probably going to be the highlight. But thankfully, the second half was a completely different game. It took them most of the third quarter but they finally started moving the ball and scored with a couple minutes left in the quarter. I'll admit that I was happy they scored but didn't have any sense for what was coming. All of the sudden Wisconsin's offense was bogged down and we scored again with about 10 minutes left in the game bringing it to 19-14. Suddenly the crowd began to buzz with optimism. The very next play Michigan intercepted the ball and returned it for a touchdown to take the lead. It was an amazing play and frankly I was so stunned that we actually had the lead. I think I surprised Ray when I gave him a big bear hug to celebrate the score.

Michigan scored one more touchdown thanks to an unlikely 58 yard gallop by our slow white QB. Now clinging to an 8 point lead we gave the ball back to Wisconsin with just over a minute to play. Before we knew it they scored with only 13 seconds left. It was like a big kick to the stomach. The crowd was in shock. But there was still hope because they had to score a two point conversion to tie. They converted the pass and we all were expecting overtime wondering how we blew an 8 point lead like that. But there laying on the ground was a beautiful little yellow flag. Wisconsin had been called for a penalty and they had to do it over again. Talk about an emotional roller coaster. Once the second try failed, it was time to finally celebrate our great comeback. Whew!

It was so much fun to experience the highs and lows of the game in person. It was the second great comeback we've seen as they came back to beat Virginia on a last second catch to win Lloyd Carr's first game. I remember that game fondly as it was my first in the big house. Now I get to say I was there for the greatest comeback in their stadium. It was also Coach Rodriguez's first big win. Let the new era in Michigan football begin.

Facebook

2008-09-26T20:40:00.005-04:00

Today I just reached 400 "friends" on facebook. My list of friends is a real hodgepodge with people from all walks of life. I have high school and college friends, friends from my old church or old jobs, ex girlfriends, potential ex girlfriends, and coworkers. Even my Mom joined recently. I didn't realize how many circles of friends I had until the numbers started adding up.

But I will be the first to admit that many people on my list are not truly friends but more like casual acquaintances. Some relationships are even more distant than that. I have received numerous friend requests from people I have never met or can't remember and I feel bad turning down their requests. Lately, it has been helpful that many women are now including their maiden name so I have some clue who they are.

What's interesting about Facebook is how non committal and shallow these relationships are. To be some one's friend on facebook requires no real effort or commitment except maybe the additional wall post to wish them happy birthday. I like this laissez faire approach to relationships as who has time to invest in 400 people.

Perhaps my favorite thing about Facebook is that you can "de-friend" people. I didn't realize this option originally but once I found it I went through and ended my relationships with several people. With one click of a button I was done with several people with whom I no longer had a particular interest. It was liberating.

I wish real relationships were so easy to end. So long to that woman I dated only a couple times but for some reason keeps stalking me. Good riddance to that crazy relative that does nothing but cause grief and stress in the family. See ya later to the lazy co-worker who doesn't pull their weight at the office. No longer would I have to put up with the annoying person who always wants to talk and considers me their closest friend.

But alas life is not Facebook.

The Bailout

2008-09-24T21:30:00.002-04:00

I have been asked lately what my take is on the Government bailout. I find it ironic that people want my opinion since my knowledge of finance is severely limited. I don't balance my own checkbook and my personal 4o1k is a complete mess so it is tough for me to say with any real credibility what should be done.

Having said that, here are my initial thoughts. A complete bailout without strong oversight is a bad idea. Simply bailing out wall street is only a temporary measure. It doesn't really address the root causes that lead to the bad loans being made in the first place. Without consequences what incentive is there for firms to change their ways? Why should tax payers bail them out for their mistakes especially when so many people are struggling just to get by themselves? By taking these firms off the hook, I worry that they will not learn from their mistakes.

On the flip side, I realize that many businesses are cash strapped and without a healthy credit industry these companies will basically starve to death and could go out of business due to no fault of their own. I also know that many people are highly invested in the stock market and the one thing market fears most is uncertainty. If nothing is done many people will lose much of their life savings as the stock market takes a dive.

My suggestion to Congress is to provide a portion of the money upfront to keep enough money flowing into the market so as to avoid a complete economic collapse. This will buy some time to design a new regulatory scheme to assure improved lending practices. They should also demand more accountability on behalf of the banks. Only after the people responsible for this mess are removed and the firms agree to certain thresholds in reforming their practices, then give them the rest of the money.

socks

2008-09-17T17:21:00.003-04:00

I hate socks. One of my favorite things about summer time is wearing sandals and not having to wear socks. Now that fall is upon us and the Senate is back in session I unfortunately have to wear them again.

This morning I had an early breakfast and I woke up late and as I am rushing to get dressed I realized I had no matching dress socks. I had 12 individual socks laid out on my bed in various shades of blue, grey and black and none of them matched in size or color. After careful deliberation I chose the two darkest colored ones and tried to hide my ankles under my desk all day for fear of somebody noticing.

To think that somewhere there is a lost partner to all my lonely mismatched socks. Yet without that match all my current socks are useless.

Politcal Love

2008-09-15T08:59:00.004-04:00

I am amazed at the amount of buzz and attention Sarah Palin continues to receive from both Republicans and Democrats alike. A month ago, she was not on the national radar screen and probably had 3 percent name ID nationally. Now she is either the savior of the Republican Party or an apostate to woman depending on which side of the ideological fence you sit on.

While I admit that I was excited when she was picked and believe her to be a good political choice, the amount of fervor for her among conservatives has me a little worried. Yes she gave a great convention speech and yes I agree with her on many issues but the public still doesn't know much about her. There are some inconsistencies being raised between her statements and her record on both earmarks and her management of Alaska. Her interview with ABC revealed her to have a somewhat shallow knowledge of foreign affairs. Last of all, she lacks the normal experience to be president but isn't willing to even partially admit it. While none of these things are deal breakers or reasons on their own to not support her, it is odd to see every conservative basically ignore these issues completely and get downright offended if someone brings them up.

This situation reminds me of going on a first date with someone. The date goes great and you fall in love at first sight. You share a romantic first kiss and you decide that night that they are the one for you. However, a week later you begin to see that they are not quite as perfect as you thought. They don't always smell as good as that first date. They may have embellished themselves to impress you and they certainly didn't tell you everything about their history and their dysfunctional family. Before you know it your friends and family begin to raise a few concerns about your new relationship.

But instead of seeing the person for who they really are and listening to others, you have already made up your mind and are committed to that idealistic person you met on the first date. I fear this true of my conservative friends with Palin. They were so desperate to fall in love with a true conservative and now they have finally found her. The convention speech was that first kiss and it was a good one. But their infatuation is causing them to close their eyes and avoid seeing any of her flaws. And like teenagers in love, the more anybody objects the more they cling to their relationship.

This is not just a Republican thing as this is exactly how the Obama supporters felt at first sight. Now look at what's happening to them as their romantic feelings are beginning to wear off. They are just now seeing what the rest of us saw several months ago: A deeply flawed candidate who can't possibly meet the lofty expectations place upon him. Do conservatives want to have that same feeling about Palin 9 months from now?

feckless predictions

2008-09-07T13:00:00.003-04:00

Before the season officially gets on the way, I figured I would present my annual predictions on how the NFL season will play out. I am always an optimist for my Steelers but I have deep doubts about their offensive line and they have the toughest schedule in the league. Still I expect them to at least make the playoffs and have more wins than the Eagles. Otherwise I will owe Noah and never hear the end of it. So without further ado:

AFC playoffs
Patriots
Steelers
Jaguars
Chargers
Colts
Jets

It will be the Chargers over the Jaguars in the championship game

NFC playoffs
Eagles
Packers
Saints
Cardinals
Cowboys
Giants

The Saints will beat the Giants in the championship game

The Chargers over the Saints in the Superbowl.

League MVP - Drew Brees
Rookie of the year - Darren McFadden

McCain's speech

2008-09-05T18:57:00.004-04:00

Ugh! As much as I thought Palin hit a home run on Wednesday, McCain looked liked an aging Gary sheffield who can't get around on a fastball anymore. He had plenty of opportunity to build on the momentum but instead ended the convention with a big thud. I realize that rhetoric is not his specialty but he was even worse than I expected. Frankly the biggest complaint I have about Bush is how poorly he speaks in public. Now I am a little scared that McCain may not be much of an improvement.

My partisan friends all thought he did well but any unbiased person cannot be inspired by the flat delivery and meandering nature of the speech. The problem McCain has is that the most important issue facing the voters is the economy and he really has no plan to reform it. The portion of the speech last night dedicated to the economy was weak, boring and half hearted. There were no innovative ideas, no emotion and no connection to the working class.

It will be interesting to see where the polls go after the conventions. Will McCain get a bounce based on the enthusiasm for Palin or will they stay virtually tied? All things considered, being tied at this time of year is not that bad for Republicans but with a good speech last night McCain could have opened up a lead.

The Media and Sarah Palin

2008-09-03T08:18:00.000-04:00

I am fascinated by just how overly negative and aggressive the media has been towards Governor Palin. At first I thought it was just because she was a Republican. Lately I think there is more to it.

First, I don't think they like being surprised. They like to be in the know and to plan accordingly. Picking Palin caught them off guard and now all the pre-packaged stories about Romney or whoever have to be thrown out and now they have to learn all about her. This does not sit well with people who think they have great sources and pride themselves for being "in the know". Much of their treatment is a way of taking out their anger for being hoodwinked by the McCain campaign.

Second, the media likes people inside the beltway. They feel more at home with the Washington DC crowd than with middle Americans and in this case a woman who is an entire continent away from them. First of all, they have no frame of reference for people who live different lifestyles than they do. Sure they think being hockey mom is cute but most reporters have no idea how to relate it other than passing it off as a small town quirk. The media like most of us are a little afraid and unsure of people that don't act and think like they do. Thus they are automatically suspicious of just about everything different about her. The problem is, that most of America has more in common with Palin than they do with the establishment media.

Finally, one quick example of just how outrageous the media's treatment of her has been. Compare the number of stories covering her daughter's pregnancy and the negative slant to those stories with the coverage of John Edwards affair and his illegitimate child. The news media couldn't stay far enough away from that story and only mentioned it in passing once it became so obvious that they could no longer ignore it. Unlike Palin's daughter who they couldn't wait to report even though her daughter is not running for any public office. This just highlights the media's double standards once again.

Governor Palin

2008-09-02T08:36:00.000-04:00

Well I was wrong. I thought for sure McCain would play it safe and pick Romney. Instead he pulled a rabbit out of his hat and picked Gov. Sarah Palin. While none of us have ever really heard of her, what I do know about her reveals her to be a good choice.

Yes, she is a little thin in her political experience but she makes up for it in life experience. Her story reads like a compelling novel and she has a sort of every day woman appeal to her. She has run a business, managed a city and a state, took on the corrupt party establishment, and is raising a large family. If she can handle all these jobs, I would say she can juggle the responsibilities of the Vice Presidency. Besides being a long time politician doesn't necessarily make you a good Vice President. In fact, this is the perfect time for some outside blood to come and shake things up.

From the harsh response on the left, I get the sense this pick scares the heck out of them. They were ready to run against an all white male ticket but McCain changed the story. No longer does Obama have a monopoly on "change". When I heard Eleanor Clift this weekend say "this wasn't a serious choice for VP" even I was offended by that. Let alone what millions of woman might think who view having a woman on a national ticket as a very serious breakthrough.

If the Democrats continue their attacks they will backfire. Do they really want a debate on experience? First, it will only serve to highlight just how inexperienced Obama is and make them hypocritical overlooking his remarkably shallow list of accomplishments. Second, it will reinforce the idea that sexism is alive and well. When Tim Kaine was being discussed a Obama's VP nobody on the left was critical of his lack of experience yet he and Palin have the same amount of time in office. When they suggest she can't handle raising a family and running for office, do they forget that Obama has children as well? It seems there really is a double standard.

But back to Palin herself, She fits very well on the ticket. She has a background in oil and gas issues which is the most important domestic issue of the day. She will be a big help in crafting energy policy. She also has a history of fighting political corruption. This ties in nicely with McCain's theme of reforming the current system. Who better to help him than someone who has already done that back home? Obama can't say that and neither can Biden. I think that independent, good government streak is what most attracted Palin to McCain.

One final note, this pick has really excited the base of the Republicans. They like her conservative credentials and finally feel they have someone on the ticket they can rally behind. McCain was already making great headway solidifying his base with the Saddleback forum but this seals the deal. Now he can go full throttle after the independents in the final two months.

Repubican prediction

2008-08-28T13:32:00.002-04:00

Well since I was dead on picking Joe Biden as Obama's VP, I thought I would quickly go on record and predict McCain's VP.

The story today is that it could be announced as soon as tonight. I am going to play it safe and say it will be Mitt Romney. He does bring a good economic resume to the table and having Michigan ties definitely helps. Personally I am not thrilled with Romney but he will be disciplined and on message.

My guess is that McCain really wanted to pick Lieberman but his advisers will have talked him out of it. And they are probably right. With the race beginning to trend in McCain's favor why take such a risk? We will soon find out if McCain is really a maverick or if he is being forced into a more conventional Bush style campaign of shoring up base.

Fantasy football

2008-08-21T20:57:00.006-04:00

Fantasy football season is a great time of year. This year I am in four different leagues and I am anxiously awaiting my drafts to begin. I have one with college friends, one with high school friends, one with work friends and one with church friends. There is a little overlap but not too much.

This year will be a year of firsts. I am in my largest league ever with 16 teams. Our teams are going to be pretty thin but I think it will benefit me since the larger the league, the more it helps to have experience and time to commit to the league. Rookies and part timers will have a hard time competing in that league.

I am also participating in my first auction draft which I have wanted to do for a long time. I am nervous because I don't know what to expect. My biggest fear is over spending on a couple players leaving the rest of my team lacking.

As I am preparing for my first draft Monday night I have been reading about the death of the running back, running back strategy. Basically this means that you take running backs with your first two draft picks. The "experts" say that this is the year to draft a WR or QB in the first two rounds but I couldn't disagree more.

In my most competitive league, the first two rounds contain 24 players and typically 20 or more at Running backs. The reason why everybody takes them early is because there is such a lack of depth at that position and it is usually more predictable. I made the mistake of picking Manning one year in round 1 and was left with a huge hole at RB all year. I don't want to be that guy again this year.

Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers are typically a dime a dozen and tough to predict from one year to another. I will go out on a limb and say that Tom Brady does not finish the year as the top QB. And maybe Randy Moss will catch 20 plus touchdowns again but I doubt it. I hope all the rookies in my leagues follow the experts and leave all the good RBs for me while they are drafting Jehuu Caulcrick in the middle rounds trying to fill their second RB spot.

My prediction

2008-08-19T14:26:00.003-04:00

It looks like Obama is going to pick his VP very shortly. My hunch is that it is Joe Biden. He needs to shore up his foreign policy credentials with stories of Georgia and Pakistan dominating the headlines. Biden fits that role perfectly. Plus the main role for a VP candidate is to attack their opponent and Biden will do very well at that task. All in all, this pick would make sense. I could be wrong but we will be reading all about Joe Biden within the next 24 hours.

Wow

2008-08-16T22:02:00.004-04:00

I just watched the "debate" at Saddleback Church on CNN. Let me start with saying, I liked the format much better than the type of debates we have seen in recent political elections. It was relaxed, informal and gave both candidates the chance to speak in prose rather than soundbites. I also realize that many of the questions were Republican leaning but not all. Having said all that I was shocked at how well McCain performed and how dreadful Obama was. Anybody watching this debate realized the differences between McCain and Obama both in substance and style. Obama is a talker who lives in shades of grey. McCain is a leader who tells it like it is. It was as simple as that.

Obama went first and was hesitant, uneasy and not surprisingly non committal. I expected much better from him considering he should be refreshed from his vacation. The biggest problem was how long winded he was and how couldn't get around to answering the questions directly. He no doubt realized that he was not in agreement with many in the audience but instead of simply acknowledging that disagreement and staking out his position, he tried to awkwardly find grey areas of agreement with them. This approach did not work and made him look weak, calculating and feckless. I cannot think of one answer that expanded his appeal beyond the democratic base let alone his appeal to evangelicals.

McCain by contrast hit a home run. This is obviously his type of format and he flourished. Every answer was direct, concise, confident. He was even able to tie in stories and anecdotes with a strong since of poignancy and humor. Frankly, he appeared much more secure in himself and his positions than Obama. You might not have liked every answer he gave but you had no doubt where he was coming from and why. He looked like a guy ready to be president.

I hope they have another debate in this format. To be fair, they could host it by a liberal group instead of a church to make it easier on Obama. But I am fairly confident that Obama's handlers are working overtime tonight to try and limit joint appearances and debates after seeing their man's pitiful performance.

Picking Joe Lieberman

2008-08-16T20:40:00.004-04:00

This past week McCain floated the idea of picking Tom Ridge as his running mate. Ridge is the former governor of Pa and the first director of homeland security. He is also pro choice. In McCain's interview he states that his being pro choice wouldn't necessarily prohibit him from being Vice President. My guess is that they are using Ridge's name as a Trojan horse trial balloon for Joe Lieberman. If they don't get much kickback from the right on Ridge they can feel emboldened to pick Lieberman. If they get a huge uprising from conservatives against Ridge, who is at least a Republican, then they can all but forget about Lieberman.

I had a friend of mine ask me what I thought about Ridge and suggest that I blog about it. To be honest I could care less about Ridge but picking Lieberman piques my interest. Choosing Ridge would be a somewhat risky choice but the reward is not as high as choosing Lieberman. Having Lieberman on the ticket would daringly break down the political barrier by running as a bi partisan ticket.

The risk of course is that he is not fully in line with most Republicans on a number of important issues including abortion. Republicans want someone who will work to prevent abortions and who will stand up for the innocent babies. Lieberman does not meet that criteria but McCain does. Does choosing a partner who disagrees on such a fundamental issue reveal a lack of commitment on McCain's part to the pro life movement? Does it weaken his opportunity to enact pro life laws as President? One could reasonable argue yes on both questions and that poses a problem for him and a bigger problem for those pro life voters who want to vote for him.

The reward for picking Lieberman would be expanding McCain's appeal to independents and Democrats. But more than that it would put Obama's words of change into action. Instead of talking about being bi-partisan and changing the status quo in Washington, selecting a Democrat to run on the Republican ticket would actually do it. I have often thought that McCain's best chance is to highlight how bipartisan he has been in the past and contrast that with Obama's empty rhetoric on the issue. Picking Lieberman would be effectively doubling down on that strategy.

Finally, and maybe most importantly choosing Lieberman would allow McCain to be McCain. McCain enjoys his maverick persona. He is most comfortable swimming up stream and taking on the status quo. He even enjoys taking on members of his own party that he disagrees with. That's what makes McCain so unpopular with his colleagues but very popular with the American people.

My best guess is that there is an internal battle within the McCain camp between picking Romney and Lieberman. His handlers no doubt want to make the safe choice and pick Romney while he is lobbying to pick his friend Lieberman. It will be interesting to see who wins that argument.

Interfaith Dating

2008-08-14T17:05:00.000-04:00

The issue of dating someone who does not share your Christian faith continues to pop up both in my own life and in the lives of my friends.

Just recently I met a woman that lives in Grand Rapids. She is attractive, smart, funny and just the type of woman I am interested in. But she isn't a Christian. We had a couple of dates and I asked about her experiences with the church and they were not positive. (The awful way her church acted needs a post entirely on its own.)

After that discussion it became clear that even though there was chemistry between us, the relationship was not going to work because we had differing world views. She did not feel comfortable dating someone so Christian and I did not feel like I could commit to someone who didn't understand the importance that my faith plays in my life.

This experience makes it both easier and more difficult for me to understand how easily other Christians can date non Christians. I know how hard it is to find someone you click with, someone who is date worthy and that actually finds you date worthy as well. And when you find somebody you enjoy spending time with and who makes you feel good, it is easy to ignore the differences you have.

Having said that, my Christianity defines me and there is no way that a non Christian would ever be able to understand me without sharing a similar frame of reference. It isn't just about not sharing the same religious view but it's more about not being able to share my entire self with that person.

It can also be very tempting to start putting my dating relationship ahead of my faith because that person is real and tangible and sometimes Jesus seems a little distant and mysterious. I don't ever want to walk down that road too far. I have seen way too many friends of mine follow that path and their Christian faith is almost always mired in mediocrity.

Another lesson I am learning from observation is that it is better to get out too quick instead of too late. I only had a couple of dates and therefore didn't really have much invested emotionally. A friend of mine on the other hand has a much harder time. She is a Christian who has been involved with a non christian for a long time. They were even talking about getting married. Instead, they are now in the process of splitting up because of their differing religious views. While I support her decision, it is messy and not easy on either one of them. In fact, her relationship with him will most likely make it that much more difficult for him to accept the truth about Jesus as he will always blame her Christianity for ending their relationship.

The idea of not being in a relationship with someone just because of a different faith can seem restricting. It appears to limit our options as Christians and trust me the options are limited enough already at this age. But the reality is that I think only dating people of similar faiths is a protective measure. It protects our faith from being dragged down and it also protects our heart from having to choose between our romantic interests and the religious core of our identity.

Affordable housing

2008-08-13T11:31:00.004-04:00

If you want cheap real estate, Detroit is the place to be. I just read a funny story in the Detroit news. Apparently somebody just bought a house for $1. And I thought the houses in Marion IN were cheap. My favorite part of the story is that it still took 19 days to sell.

What a weasel

2008-08-10T05:19:00.005-04:00

I have always disliked John Edwards. He always struck me as a sanctimonious phony. Claiming to be a champion for the poor while charging $50,000 to speak about it. Then changing his political persona from moderate southern democrat to fire breathing liberal, it's a wonder even he believed what he was selling. But now we learn he is even sleazier than I thought.

While using his sick, dying wife as a political prop, he was sleeping with a woman hired by the campaign. Does it get any worse than that? And this is the person who said the Bill Clinton "had shown a remarkable disrespect for his office, for the moral dimensions of leadership, for his friends, for his wife, for his precious daughter. It is breathtaking to me the level to which that disrespect has risen."

Well he might not have respected his action but he sure did emulate it. In fact he even decided to follow Bill's example to lie and cover it up. When the story first ran he lied right into the camera calling it "tabloid trash". But when finally caught sneaking out of her hotel room visiting her and the baby I guess he finally had to come clean.

But even his so called confession is lacking in honesty. He says he did sleep with her but ended it long ago and isn't the father of the baby, as if that makes it okay. But the question remains if he ended it so long ago why was he still sneaking into her hotel room in the middle of the night just a month ago?

Furthermore, to justify his earlier denial of the story he said the following: "When a supermarket tabloid told a version of the story, I used the fact that the story contained many falsities to deny it," Edwards said. "Being 99 percent honest is no longer enough." So it's okay because he only lied a little bit. When he denied it he was being honest because they didn't get every detail right, only the fact that he was cheating on his wife. What a jackass!

The only redeeming thing to come from this story is that hopefully the country will be spared having to listen to this vapid man speak at the party convention. But then again it is the Democratic party so maybe they will give him a primetime slot to talk about family values.

Kwame Fricken Brown

2008-07-29T22:59:00.002-04:00

Are you kidding me? I woke up this morning to learn that the Pistons were interested in Signing Kwame Brown. This is the big move that the Pistons have been waiting to make all summer? This signing makes the Darko draft debacle look almost respectable in comparison.

This summer began with Joe D promising to shake up the roster. To most of us we thought he was referring to trading one of his starting five for a premier player. First their were the Carmello Anthony rumors and then the Baron Davis and Tracy McGrady stuff for a couple days. Heck, even Ron Artest's name had been floated. Now I didn't really like all those potential moves but at least they were getting some talent back.

Now instead they get a 7 foot stiff who wouldn't be in the NBA if he were three inches shorter. The guy cannot score, doesn't rebound very well for his size, is inconsistent at best on defense and yet the Pistons are paying him 4 million a year. This is the kind of move I expect the Clippers to make, not the Pistons.

This move also puts a strain on developing our young big men like Samb, Maxiel and Johnson. There simply won't be enough minutes to go around and I would much rather give one of them a chance to play and develop instead of watching Brown steal money for being big, slow and out of shape.

The very worst part of it is that I have always been able to mock Michael Jordan for drafting Kwame with the first overall pick. Now the Pistons are going to equally share in over reaching on Brown. I do give Joe Dumars credit for turning around the franchise but this one is certainly a head scratcher.

McCain's Veep?

2008-07-21T18:08:00.002-04:00

I just read that McCain might name his Vice Presidential selection as early as next week. The idea is to take some of the spotlight away from Obama and give McCain a couple weeks of free publicity before the Summer Olympics.

I am torn on this idea. I like that announcing early is a bit unorthodox as I think McCain is at his best when he is acting against the status quo. However, I am worried that the actual person being selected is going to be Mitt Romney which would be a big mistake.

The Romney people have been pushing hard to get him the position. Their argument is that he is already vetted, has a background in business and can help raise tons of needed money. There is also some thought that he helps put Michigan in play.

Frankly he is a terrible choice. McCain needs to choose an unconventional partner. Romney is hardly unconventional. The biggest problem is Romney doesn't really help with the general electorate. He is a cookie cutter Republican in a year that is not trending Republican. He ran a lackluster campaign despite outspending all his other opponents. Finally, his fund raising prowess doesn't really help because McCain has already stated he is taking the federal campaign money which limits the amount he can spend.

It looks to me like the McCain camp is a little nervous. The see their poll numbers slipping and are desperate to change the tone and course of the campaign. A better approach might be to announce a major economic policy. Furthermore once you make the VP announcement you only get one bounce and it might be a little too early to use it. Especially while not many people are paying attention.

I'm back

2008-07-20T00:06:00.003-04:00

As many of you noticed and commented upon, I have not posted in some time. Too be honest, I haven't really had much to write about and needed a little break I guess. But today I thought I would get back in the saddle again, so to speak.

Tonight I went to a going away party of sorts for my friend Dan. It was his second going away party this week. He is moving to Indiana Monday morning. The party was fun as it usually is, when he and I are together, but it is also very sad to me. I first met Dan two years ago when I started going to Barefoot. He is one of the founding fathers of the church. I remember it vividly as we spoke in the kitchen and talked politics. I knew at that time that he and I would become friends. Then he moved in with me back in January while he was going through some tough times and we bonded even more.

Truthfully, it really sucks that he has to move away just to find a job. I am sick of the crappy economy in Michigan. I am sick of Lansing be such a transient town. I am sick of losing good people in my life. I am sick of having to make new friends. I am sick of having to fill the gap in my life that is left by their absence.

A few days ago I started counting up all the good friends that have moved away since I moved to Lansing 10 years ago. During that time period, I have had to say goodbye to over 20 friends of mine. You'd think I would get better with practice but it never gets easy saying goodbye.

Missing Tim Russert

2008-06-15T00:32:00.003-04:00

I was sitting in the hotel bar in Washington DC when I heard the news of Tim Russert's death. It came as a sudden shock. This will sound strange but I felt a sense of loss when I heard the news. Despite having no personal relationship with him, I recognized a unique bond with him simply by watching his show and by sharing his love of politics. I have always respected and admired him for his work on Meet the Press. He was an exceptional interviewer. He was tough but fair and he respected his guests. In fact, I would bet that very few other journalists are thought of as highly among both sides of the political spectrum.

My first and only encounter with Russert occurred several years ago at a breakfast in Washington. My friend CJ and I were attending a political conference and were running late for the breakfast portion. When we arrived, we noticed two empty seats at the front of the room and sat down. A few minutes later Tim Russert and Ted Koppel walk up and inform us that we were sitting in their seats. It was a little embarrassing having to stand back up in front of the packed room and walk to the back of the room. But both Russert and Koppel were very gracious about it and I have liked him ever since.

As the political campaigns continue to drag on, I am sad that Tim Russert will not be a part of it. His wisdom and insight into the elections will be surely missed.

Saving American Idol

2008-05-18T19:32:00.000-04:00

Is anyone else bored with American Idol? This season has been a total snoozefest regardless of which David wins. I have read that overall ratings are down and that the producers are worried about the show's long term future. Here are some suggested changes to improve the show:

Guest Judges: They desperately need some new blood and since the current judges are all under contract they are stuck with them for a while. After several years we all know exactly how each judge is going to respond. The next best thing to replacing them is to bring in guest judges. These could be famous musicians, actors, sports stars or even have a contest to allow a fan to be a judge one week.

Half hour result shows: This is my biggest pet peeve with the show. They drag out the results show and it is insufferable to watch. I usually end up changing the channel intending to get back just in time to see who is voted off but get engrossed in another program and miss it.

Limit the number of votes: They should really limit the number of times someone can vote. Otherwise you end up with a gaggle of 10 year old girls voting 100 times each and the results skewed toward a small targeted audience. If one vote per person is good enough for democracy it should be good enough for American Idol.

Announce voting results: They should reveal the number of votes for each and every contestant every week. This would give more credibility to the results and also allow fans to see how their particular favorite was doing week to week.

Allow voters to pick themes: The worst part of this season was watching back to back Beatles themes. It was a disaster brought on by a lack of imagination when it comes to picking themes. The themes also tend to favor one singer over another and I've always thought this was how they manipulate the results. The public would do a much better job picking fair, creative themes.

Allow voters to pick specific songs instead of producers: I found it strange that the producers picked lousy songs for all three contestants last week. It's like they hadn't listened to any of them sing before. Surely the fans have a favorite song they want their contestant to sing. Have them vote on line for it.

Exemption: Give each of the 12 one exemption to use. They would have to decide to use it before the voting started. This would protect contestants who have one bad week or who struggle with a particular theme. It might also lead to more unexpected results.

These are just some ideas to help keep the show from jumping the shark. Hopefully, the producers read this blog and will take my advice.

The Republican Brand, part two

2008-05-09T17:01:00.000-04:00

I just read an interesting article by David Brooks, who by the way is becoming my favorite columnist, that discussed how the conservative party is redefining themselves in England. This is a timely article as Republicans here at home are trying to define the "Republican Brand". I am hopeful that we will follow their example and avoid the decades in the political wilderness they had to endure before realizing it was time to make changes.

They are onto something as they are moving away from focusing on the role of government and instead emphasizing community and quality of life issues. This is a brilliant strategic shift as it helps connect the dots between political theory and real life solutions that people want. Let's face it, most people could care less about the size and scope of government so long as it's competent and their community is thriving. We need to reexamine our policies in light of how well they provide services and how they impact people's quality of life.

For instance, it is not enough to say government should stay out of health care simply because we don't like big government. Instead we have to offer actual solutions that make health care more accessible and affordable. Instead of focusing on hot button social issues like gay rights and gun rights, we need to pay more attention to improving government services like transportation, our schools and the corrections system. Now ,there is a lot of room to debate how to improve these services but these areas should be our priorities.

It's not enough to be against government and for free market anymore. In some cases this approach works but not all the time. As a party we need to offer real solutions to improve the quality of life in our communities. These solutions might come from the free market but they also might include more government to fill in the gaps left behind by the market place. Without taking this approach, we will continue to lose elections and more importantly the public's confidence.

The Republican Brand, part one

2008-05-09T07:43:00.003-04:00

It is obvious that this year is going to be a bad year for Republicans up and down the ticket. The overwhelming frustration and fatigue with Bush coupled with the war, a faltering economy and high gas prices has led to the perfect storm against Republicans.

The response to this problem from our party leaders is that we have to be true to the "Republican brand". This message was especially strong last year during the budget debate here in Michigan. This argument believes that the voting public wants a clear choice between the parties and that by allowing moderation in the party we are watering down our brand, making it more difficult for voters to understand what we believe in.

Our party leaders could not be more wrong. The fact is that most voters understand the Republican brand too well and they are resoundingly rejecting it. Anybody who doesn't know what Republicans stand for is either an idiot or not interested in politics. The problem isn't that we are ideological impure and therefore confusing to voters but rather that we are too tied to the same tired dogma of blindly cutting taxes and focusing almost exclusively on being against abortion and gay marriage. If that's the brand the party wants to continue selling, good luck because the people are not buying it. In fact, by pushing out the moderate voices of the party we are shrinking instead of expanding the party.

It's not only happening here in Michigan but in Minnesota as well. A group of 6 Republican legislators voted to override a veto of the gas tax increase. The money raised by that gas tax is going to fix Minnesota's infrastructure including roads and bridges. As you may recall, it was a bridge in Minnesota that collapsed last year killing 13 people. One could make a solid policy argument that raising the gas tax is a good idea. Yet, these lawmakers are now being targeted in Republican primaries by anti-tax candidates and the Republican party is supporting the challengers. To quote one Republican from Minnesota "What's even more dangerous than having Democrats is having Republicans that you can't count on." This type of thinking is going to kill the Republicans in November.

I had hoped that the defeat in 2006 would serve as a lesson to the party that we were headed down the wrong track. But apparently it will take additional losses to wake up our party leaders or better yet get new leaders in place.

Audacity of Hopelessness

2008-05-08T16:47:00.003-04:00

I don't know about you but I am enjoying watching the Democratic primary continue to unfold. I almost laughed out loud when I read that party insiders are hoping that Clinton will quietly drop out and endorse Obama. These same people must have never met her as they would otherwise realize that she is never going to drop out prematurely. One thing that Republicans learned all too well during the nineties is that the Clintons are anything but quitters. We also learned that they do not care about the greater good of their party but are merely infatuated with their own political agenda. I suspect the Obama people recognize this which is why she will never be the VP nominee.

My guess is that even when all the votes are cast on June 3rd, Clinton will still have a strategy in place to steal the nomination. She will keep changing the bar by which to measure victory until she arrives at some "plausible" scenario that has her winning. She still has Florida and Michigan as a last resort because I don't see how the party cannot seat their delegates without risking alienation in those states. It will be interesting to see just long she can continue before she faces a significant backlash from her own supporters. Only when her supporters and donors say enough is enough will she drop out. And maybe not even then. Regardless, it is fun to watch and I hope it continues all summer long.

More Stupidity

2008-05-01T06:23:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately the BCS will be with us for a few more embarrassing years. The conference commissioners had an opportunity to bring respectability and common sense to college football's post season but apparently they are more interested in protecting their conferences and their paychecks. There was an offer on the table to create a "plus 1" game after the bowls that would pit the top two teams together for a true national championship. But they rejected this watered down playoff because it would take away from the regular season. So settling the championship on the field of play instead of in the polls take away from the regular season? What about every other sport? Does this mean we should stop playing the final four or even all the football playoffs in Division 1a? Are they admitting that the regular season means nothing in those sports? And what about the league championship games for the SEC, Big 12 and ACC? Don't they take away from the regular season champion? Oh wait, those games make lots of money for the conferences so they justify taking away from the regular season. I am so sick and tired of the sanctimonious jackasses running college football. All other sports resolve their championship on the field of play but for some reason they still believe they know better. Basically by sticking with the BCS they are saying "screw you" to the 95 percent of us fans that support a playoff. Well right back at you!

Do they think we are stupid?

2008-05-01T06:14:00.003-04:00

I just read a humorous article on global warming. The only problem is that it was supposed to be serious. According to some scientists, America is set to experience colder temperatures over the next decade due to ocean currents. But they warn us not to let this dissuade us from believing in global warming. Just how stupid do they think the public is? I am not a scientist but I can see through the tired propaganda of the global warming community. Their logic is if it gets warmer it's global warming and if it gets colder it's still global warming. Give me a break. Finally, by admitting that water currents effect temperature they undercut their arguments that so called "climate change" is determined by human activity.

Early morning thoughts on evangelism

2008-04-26T08:01:00.006-04:00

I recently spoke with a good friend of mine who shared her thoughts on evangelism. She is a Christian but doesn't like the idea of sharing her faith with others. At first, I was tempted to rebuke her which is usually my fallback position when people disagree with me. As Christians we are called to share the message of God's desire to restore our relationship with him. Instead of being afraid or considering this a burden we should be thrilled to offer this hope to the many people in our lives who are struggling and hopeless. As Barack Obama might say this is hope you can believe in.

But rather than try to convince my friend I decided to examine my own obstacles to evangelism. My biggest roadblock to sharing my faith is my own walk with the LORD. I often have the same fear, anxiety and addictions that non Christians have. This makes me feel almost guilty telling them I supposedly know the truth that can set them free from these very struggles. My first instinct is to try and get my crap together first as a demonstration of Christ's power to transform lives. This is my desperate attempt to prove to others and to myself that Christianity "works". But frankly, what if that never happens? I am never going to be perfect examples to others.

I used to be worried that people would hold my sins against me if I witnessed to them and think I was a hypocrite. However, If I am honest my deeper concern is that my faith doesn't really seem to be the answer to life's problems. I begin to doubt the power of the gospel because it hasn't completely transformed me yet so how can it change the lives of others. Rectifying this attitude is difficult because my nature is to focus on the negative.

My best is answer to this problem is realizing that the true power of the Christ's message is the change that God has already made in my life and not the lack of progress in other areas. When I think of the person I would be without Christ in my life and how he has refined me in so many ways, that's when I realize the true message of hope I have for others. That realization gives me motivation and confidence to share the gospel with others. The fact, that I still mess up daily only reinforces the fact that I am no different that anybody else. It fact it demonstrates that if God's grace can help me, it can help anybody.

God's message of hope and reconciliation is not dependent on us or how we live. We can never prove to people to accept Jesus based on our example no matter how compelling it is. The power to transform lives rests solely on God's shoulders. Our only duty is to tell others the good things he has done in our lives. Remembering those good things is up to us, the rest is up to him.

In the news

2008-04-24T23:28:00.003-04:00

The City Pulse has an interesting article on evangelicals and politics. There are some exceptional people quoted in the article. It is well worth the read.

Weekend with Grandpa

2008-04-15T17:13:00.003-04:00

I wanted to update you on my weekend in Pittsburgh. While I was certainly nervous beforehand, I thoroughly enjoyed taking care of my Grandpa.

He was scheduled to leave the nursing home Saturday morning but was so bored that he convinced them to let him out early Friday night. My cousin and I arrived late because of traffic and we found him sitting in his chair with his bags packed, ready to go. His transition home went very well. The only problem was his mattress. The doctors want him to sleep on a pulsating air mattress but he says it's like sleeping on a bed of rocks. He has another more comfortable bed that he wanted to sleep on. We made a deal that he would sleep on the bed of rocks at night but could take naps on the comfortable bed during the day. This seemed to work for both of us although he still doesn't sleep well at night.

Grandpa is actually still very independent despite his hip surgery. The first day I went out for maybe an hour to pick up his prescription and check my email. When I returned I found him doing the laundry. I laughed out loud when I saw that. He is stubborn as well. My Aunt fought with the insurance company to make sure he received the top of the line walker for when he came home. But wouldn't you know it, he wouldn't touch the thing, instead relying on the borrowed walker he already had.

At first Grandpa was a little uncomfortable having me around. He was so used to being on his own that he didn't know how to respond to having someone else take care of him. Plus, he wants to recover his independence so strongl. Having me around only reinforced the idea that he wasn't quite fully recovered. However, by the end of my visit we had our routine down and he was both proud and appreciative of my help.

One of my favorite moments came Monday morning as we were waiting for the physical therapist. We had spent much our time the previous days either reading or watching the Penguins and Pirates play. Those times were fun but that morning he began to tell about growing up in Friendship and taking the bus across town to visit his cousins. We talked about his memories and our family, many of whom I don't know other than by name. My only connection being Grandpa. I just really enjoyed hearing those stories. Halfway through I began to realize that with his age I can't take these times for granted and so I simply sat and soaked in the moment.

I also realized this weekend that I enjoy serving other people. The feelings I had were similar to when I traveled to Mississippi post Katrina. It's a feeling of contentment and purpose that I very rarely find other times in my life. Having the privilege to take care of my Grandpa after years of receiving his support only added to those feelings. It's an opportunity that I will treasure for a long, long time.

Women Masters

2008-04-13T15:00:00.004-04:00

So I am watching the Masters this weekend thinking about how unsuccessful Martha Burk was in her attempt to force Augusta National to allow women to join their club. If we were to have believed the media women membership was an inevitability yet here we are several years later and it is still an all boys club. Now I think that eventually they will let a woman join but I am just not sure when or who. And that's the bigger question. Who will be the first female to join the hallowed club? Here are a few potential candidates:

1. Oprah Winfrey. She would definitely bring a lot of positive attention plus she meets their standards for success and income.

2. Sandra Day O'Connor. Her resume as first woman supreme court justice is appealing and I hear she is a golfer.

3. Condaleeza Rice. As one of the highest ranking females in government she has the credentials to fit in with the rest of the members.

4. Annika Sorenstam. Considered by many to be the best woman golfer she would be considered an asset to the club that likes to be among the best.

5. Pat Summit. She is a southerner and very well respected for her accomplishments as a basketball coach.

These are just a few suggestions. I would like to hear if you have other famous, successful women that would fit in at Augusta.

Live from Pittsburgh

2008-04-10T15:04:00.002-04:00

I have taken the Fetzer File on the road this week. I am in Pittsburgh to help my Grandpa as he recovers from hip surgery. I am a little nervous about helping and my Mom and Aunt gave me a laundry list of things to do.

I just made it to town and he looks great. I expected him to be a little more frail following the surgery but he seems to get around pretty good with his walker but I can tell he gets worn out easily. He still has his sense of humor and doesn't seem nearly as worried or concerned as my Mom or Aunt Nancy. Funny how others worry about us more than ourselves sometimes.

I am writing this post from a coffee shop near my Grandparents old house. It was a place my Grandma took me to over 10 years ago. I love the fact that is still here for me. And that they have wi-fi. Another thing that hasn't changed is the nursing home he is staying at. It is the same one my Great Grandmother lived in and the last time I went there was in 1991 maybe. They still have the same decorations and everything. I even think I saw the same few lonely women perched in the wheel chairs by the elevators to watch all the action.

My trip this morning was exactly what I needed. As I was surfing through the radio channels I came across a religious station and it reminded me to take the time and pray. It's amazing how cleansing it is to spend 45 miles in prayer. It was great to release some stress and to pray for others and well generally I am in a good mood because of it.

Tonight I am meeting up with my cousin to grab dinner. I haven't seen him since Christmas time so it will be nice to catch up. I'll write more later this week.

Tradition

2008-04-07T08:00:00.002-04:00

This weekend my nephew David came to Lansing to watch the NCAA basketball games. He and I have made it a tradition to watch the final four each year. A couple years ago we went out to some backwoods bar to watch the games with my buddy Jason Feltz. We all three took turns hitting on our poor waitress. As you might have guessed, none of us got her phone number. Then two years ago I was in Las Vegas with David and my brother's entire family for the final four. We all made wagers on the game and David was the only one to win money. Hopefully next year we can get final four tickets since the games are being played in Detroit.

David is turning into a really fine young man. As we spent the weekend together, I was impressed with how grown up he has become and how well he handles all the drama in his life. I warned him ahead of time that this year I had church on Saturday night but he didn't complain about having to go or missing most of the first game. Because he works at a coffee shop, he was put in charge of making coffee for the service. He also haul chairs and speakers to help set up. After church we went to Trippers and watched the second game. Even though the game was a blowout, I still enjoyed spending time with him. We finished the night by heading home and playing cards.

He and I haven't seen each other as often this past year as I would have liked. By sharing March madness as a tradition it was a good excuse to make seeing each other a priority. When he and his brother were younger, we made it a tradition to get root beer floats at A&W when they would come to visit. I remember when my parents would take Vince and I out for root beer floats and it was a great time and I wanted to pass that along to them. As he's gotten older we now have our new basketball tradition. It's really fun to hear his enthusiasm for college basketball. It gives us something to share and I appreciate that. It's nice to know that we have at least one weekend a year set aside regardless of how the rest of the year is going. I look forward to watching many more games with him in the future.

Culture of Corruption

2008-04-04T08:26:00.001-04:00

This week yet another political scandal broke, this time involving Sen. Debbie Stabenow's husband. Apparently, he was involved with a hooker and was discovered as part of a sting operation. I truly feel bad for Sen. Stabenow as she has to listen to this play out among the media. But lately it seems like every week, another Democratic politician is in the news regarding some type of scandal.

First it was Gov. Spitzer from NY and his affair with a prostitute and possible money laundering. Then his Lt. Gov. admitted his own affair, cocaine use and misuse of campaign funds. Next was the dishonorable Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, and his indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice. And unlike Spitzer who at least had the dignity to resign, Kilpatrick seems ready to drag the city through months of bad publicity and an expensive, racially sensitive trial.

These recent events give modern credence to one of my favorite Abraham Lincoln quotes: "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
Obviously, many of our current leaders are failing that character test.

What I find frustrating about these scandals is how they have been covered by the mainstream media. Two years ago when the Republicans were rightly being exposed for their wrongdoings, the public got bombarded by the "culture of corruption" line. This message hit home by making all Republicans look crooked and helped pave the way for the Democrats victory in 2006.

Yet here we have several high profile Democrats engaged in scandal after scandal and no one in the media is making that same connection. They want to report each story as their own separate incident without the underlying theme of Democratic corruption. Is the media so myopic that they cannot see a pattern of corruption this year? Or are they just trying to protect the brand image of Democrats in an election year?

I was reading the comments of a Democrat who posted a response to the Stabenow story making the case that these scandals are not a big deal because Democrats are not the party preaching moral values and therefore they are not hypocrites like Republicans. But isn't that argument basically just an admission that unlike Republicans, Democrats have no morals and therefore can't be held accountable?

Maybe we should hold those who espouse moral values to a higher standard, but does that really excuse everybody else from their moral shortcomings? Regardless of parties or their particular views of morality, we should expect more from our leaders. Unfortunately, we live in a society where even obvious scandals become opportunity for partisan politics instead actually holding the person accountable for their actions.

A good start

2008-04-01T08:34:00.001-04:00

Well baseball season is finally upon us and my beloved Pirates are leading their division. What I liked most about last night's win over the Braves is the number runs and hits they managed. The last several years, their offense has been abysmal. If they continue to show signs of life, we could be headed to a 75 win season which for the Pirates would be remarkable.

But I will not let a good start lure me into making another foolish wager like I did last year. Which reminds me; I still owe Noah a free movie since his Reds finished ahead of the Pirates in the standings last year.

Oh and for all you Tigers fans, don't buy your world series tickets just yet. Losing to the Royals is never a good way to start any season let alone one that has such high expectations.

Finally, I don't want to brag or anything but my Pirates have more wins than the Tigers and Yankees combined. What a great season so far!

Good Friday

2008-03-22T08:51:00.002-04:00

Last night I went to a church service at Blacksoil. This is the church that we almost merged with last year and I still try to maintain a strong connection with them. It was a very creative service that was held in separate stations that focused on contemplating the human elements of the cross. I'll be honest, it was difficult for me. I don't usually enjoy attending a service where I have to be so engaged. I prefer safe, less interactive services but I think my lack of comfort was the whole point. My discomfort grew at the last station where we had to paint a picture of what we were feeling. Due to my dislike of art, I really struggled to put what was I feeling on paper. I share all this not to say it was a bad service. In fact, it was exactly what I needed to make me focus on the cross.

At the very end they had a sheet hung up where they showed a slide show followed by the words "It is finished". Then they tore the sheet in half and the lights went out. It was pretty dark at this point and I heard a kid's voice ask nervously "Dad, where are you?". It was a poignant moment as I could hear Jesus' voice on the cross asking the exact same question. Those very words are stuck in my mind this morning as I remember the humanity of Jesus.

Women

2008-03-17T22:45:00.006-04:00

Last weekend our pastor preached on the role of women both in marriage but also in the church. It was a risky sermon but he handled it well. Before he started he had us break into groups and share our thoughts on the subject. Surprisingly, I held the most progressive view of women in my group. In fact, the women at my table were the most traditional. I chalk up my view of women to being raised by a strong, single Mom and having several women friends who are in ministry.

The sermon focused on several key points but the one I want to focus on is the role of women within the church. He spoke from Corinthians and Timothy where Paul instructs women to be silent in the church. These passages seem out of place compared to countless other passages in the bible which seem to elevate women's status in society. To help explain this dichotomy my pastor prefaced Paul's instruction with 1 Corinthians 9 19 -23. Here is what that passage says:

"19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its
blessings. "

These verses instruct us to contextualize our message and our actions to fit different cultures in order to share the gospel more effectively. Using that idea to interpret Paul's instruction to women suggests that women were to be silent not because they weren't worthy of being involved but because that was what the culture expected. Paul did not want these churches to alienate their potential converts by having women participate in the church service despite their being nothing inherently improper about their participation.

I am not entirely sure if this was the sole reason Paul wrote what he did but let's assume that is the case. How should we apply this principle today? Should we adapt modern church practices to fit the broader culture? I know many women, both Christian and non-Christian, who are repelled by the way the church has traditionally treated women. Rightly or wrongly, they view church as relegating them to second class citizenship due to lack of leadership opportunities or an emphasis on submitting to male leadership. These practices and attitudes can be a big stumbling block to the message of the gospel. In fact, you could make the case that barring women from real leadership roles in the church is the modern equivalent of having women speak in church in Corinth or Ephesus; both were culturally unacceptable.

If we were to apply Paul's principle today, the church would be at the forefront on gender equality issues setting an example to the rest of society that women are important and equal in God's eyes. This would mean women as senior pastors instead of being pigeonholed in children and women's ministries. It would mean allowing women to chair the board of elders. It would mean viewing single adult women with careers as equally important as married, stay at home mothers.

At this point, several of my more traditional friends are beginning to feel uncomfortable as they read this and will argue why we shouldn't change our views just to appease the culture. But I will say it is at least possible that Paul instructed the early church to do just that. My point is that we should acknowledge that the church's traditional role of women in ministry and leadership is a barrier to many modern women. Saying "if they don't like it tough, it's in the Bible" isn't a legitimate answer for these women. We need to have a more thoughtful and respectful answer for them. And just maybe that answer will lead to changes concerning the role of women in the church.

Initial thoughts

2008-03-16T19:15:00.004-04:00

This is my favorite time of the year. They just announced the NCAA brackets on CBS and frankly could they draw the announcement out any longer. I wish they would speed things up but I guess they want to build the anticipation. Here are my initial thoughts:

The committee had no respect for the Big 10. Maybe this is deserved but how is Wisconsin, who won both the regular season and tournament, not at least a 2 seed. MSU surprisingly has the second best draw of the conference as a 5 seed but they have a tough match up with Pitt in round two. But the real injustice was moving Purdue down to a 6 seed and IU to an 8 seed.
The east coast bias is alive and well as the Big East gets 8 teams despite being ranked as the 5th best conference by the RPI. Villanova did not deserve to be in. I really don't see what the hype is all about and the conference will probably disappoint again.
Duke gets over seeded again. How many years in a row can they over seed the same team? They didn't win the regular season and didn't even make the tourney finals in a conference with only 4 total bids yet they are still a 2 seed? I realize Coach K has a lot of tourney wins but he owes many of them to the committee who annually give him the easiest schedule to sweet 16.
The big conferences get richer while the little guys get stiffed again. Of the 34 at-large bids only 6 went to mid majors. You would think that George Mason's run would have opened the eyes of the committee members to the mid majors place in the tournament but apparently not.
Tennessee got screwed big time. Not only do they lose the 1 seed, they get the 2 seed in N. Carolina's bracket. Then they have potential tough match ups in both rounds two and three. Tennessee deserved much better; like say Duke's draw.
UCLA appears to have the easiest road of all the 1 seeds while Memphis has probably the toughest bracket. If UCLA doesn't get to the final four I'll be stunned. On the flip side having to play Texas in Texas will be no picnic for Memphis.
There are no obvious sleepers yet. Usually one mid major stands out above the rest but not this year. A lot of people say Davidson but having Georgetown in the second round keeps them from being a major threat. And no 12 seeds look like winners this year. Which of course means all of them will win. I may pick Temple over MSU just to spite all the Spartan fans.

Big Chocolate

2008-03-15T08:45:00.001-04:00

Lately it is easy to become angry at large corporations and industries who are making millions in profits while the general US economy teeters on the brink of depression. But one company deserves credit for being a good corporate citizen as they compete in the global economy. The company is Cadbury Schweppes and they are one of the largest candy makers in the world.

I first learned about their partnership with cocoa farmers in an article that appeared in the Economist. Cadbury has agreed to spend 87 million over the next ten years to help farmers in Ghana increase their cocoa production as well as diversify their farms by planting red peppers, mangoes and coconuts. They are also investing in drinking wells, schools, teachers and libraries that will be used by the entire village.

Now I realize that their gesture is not solely philanthropic as they are reliant upon these farmers for a large majority of their cocoa production. But their commitment to improving the lives of their partners, makes good sense from both a business and humanitarian perspective. Cadbury can now depend on a long term, steady supply of cocoa while the farmers receive new skills, improved health conditions and increased educational opportunities for them and their families.

This partnership should serve as a model for other companies doing business in underdeveloped regions. Cadbury could have walked away from Ghana and decided to find cheaper suppliers but they didn't. Instead they invested in their farming partners. In an age of putting the bottom line before people, I am encouraged by their actions. In fact, I plan to buy a Cadbury egg to show my support.

The VP

2008-03-11T19:54:00.000-04:00

Last week I had the opportunity to help at a fundraiser for Congressman Walberg. A good friend of mine works for Walberg and so I gladly jumped at the chance to help him. An added bonus was finding out Dick Cheney was the special guest for the event. While I realize Cheney's popularity is not soaring, I still admire and appreciate him and was anxious to see him in person.

The morning of the event, I received a call from a number I didn't recognize and let it go to voicemail. The same number called back 10 seconds later and I decided to pick it up and see who it was. I hear a voice ask me if this is Jeff Cobb and I tell him it is, and then he tells me he is from Secret Service and I was to be available to answer their call throughout the rest of the day. It was a little unsettling to have them call but kind of cool to say "when secret service called me this morning". I used that line a lot throughout the day and into the weekend.

The event went very well. They drew a huge crowd and undoubtedly raised a lot of money. They held the fundraiser at a private home in Marshall and it was the biggest house I have ever been to. I don't know if this is true or not but somebody told me the house was 15,000 square feet and it felt every bit that big. In fact, they had a VIP reception in the kitchen which consisted of close to a hundred guests and it didn't even seem crowded.

I had two main jobs during the day, first I was on sign duty which was actually quite fun despite the frozen ground. My friend Ryan and I and a few others put up probably 100 signs or more on the property and along the route where the guests would be arriving. You could see his orange signs a mile away. Very eye catching. Then my next duty was to greet people as they came through security and direct them to the proper locations in the house. This was a great job as I was able to meet and visit with all the guests. Plus it was nice to be inside from the cold.

After all the guests arrived, I should have stayed upstairs as the other volunteers who stayed up there had their picture taken with Cheney. But I have a crush on one of the other volunteers so I went downstairs to chase her down. Despite missing out on the picture, it all ended well because I got to visit with her and also eat while we waited for the VP to arrive. For Cheney's speech, I was able to sneak up to the front of the line just next to the Congressman's family. His speech was filled with mostly boilerplate on the economy and the war on terror but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I will say though, Cheney looks even more serious in person than he does on camera. After Cheney spoke, Congressman Walberg addressed the crowd and he was very good. As a former preacher, he has an impressive way of communicating to his audience.

All in all it was a very fun day and I am glad I was able to see the Vice President and help out Congressman Walberg.

The Politics of Hope?

2008-03-10T08:48:00.001-04:00

I just read an article which contains the content of one Dr. Jeremiah Wrights speeches given at Howard University in 2006. For those who don't know who he is, Wright is the pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago and also the spiritual mentor of Barack Obama. In fact, Dr. Wright married Barack and his wife Michelle.

The speech in the article illustrates Dr. Wright's disdain for America or more accurately white America. It is filled with hate and wild conspiracies that would almost be comical except that he apparently believes them. For instance here are a couple quotes: (The we he refers to is America)

"Racism is alive and well. Racism is how this country was founded and how this country is still run..... no black woman can ever be considered for anything outside what she can give with her body"
"We are deeply involved in the importing of drugs, the exporting of guns, and the training of professional killers"
"We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God"
"We started the AIDS virus, and now that it is out of control, we still put more money in the military than in medicine"

These quotes draw a pretty ugly picture of Dr. Wright's view of America. But why should we care what Dr Wright says? His words are important because of his close relationship with Obama. How can Obama legitimately claim to be about hope and civil discourse when one of his closest associates is filled with bigotry and hatred? I am not saying that Obama agrees with all Wright's comments but his relationship at least implies a passive agreement in principle.

I have never seen an article or story where Obama explicitly takes Dr. Wright to task for his vile comments. He usually just says blandly that they disagree on some things but he never says specifically what those disagreements are. I don't know any sensible person who attends a church without sharing at least a majority of the opinions of their pastor. In fact, right or wrong, most people I know leave a church as soon as they hear one or two things they disagree with from the pulpit.

I find it difficult to accept that Obama is being honest when says he doesn't agree with Dr. Wright. Their views probably diverge in some areas but are we really to presume that listening to his teachings for 20 years has not influenced Obama's politics? The fact that Obama continues to attend his church and study under his teachings says more to me than some generic comments about their supposed disagreements.

Michigan Roads

2008-03-09T10:28:00.003-04:00

Ok, I have just about enough of the crappy roads here in Michigan. The potholes this year are ridiculous. Downtown Beirut has better roads than we do. I was on my way home this morning along Mt Hope Rd and I seriously felt like I was off roading because the terrain was so bumpy. But unfortunately, I am not sure anybody has the political will to do anything to fix them. The other day driving in the capitol parking lot, I hit a huge hole and figured if the politicians can't even keep their own parking lot smooth, what hope is there for the rest of us. The problem is that for the past decade we have borrowed money as a state to finance new road projects. This works well during election years and helped jump start many needed projects. However, now we are stuck paying the bill. This coupled with a reduction in the amount of gas tax has lead to less repairs and maintenance and ultimately many more potholes. One solution being thrown around is to raise the gas tax since that is the primary means of revenue for the roads. Personally, I am all for it and with the way gas prices fluctuate nobody would know the difference. I mean gas just jumped up 30 cents this week. What would an additional 10 cents in tax matter? But I realize I am in the minority and that passing any tax, especially a gas tax in an election year is not possible. So I guess I will have to put up with the potholes a while longer or until the state comes up with some new money to fix them.

Advice for McCain

2008-03-02T08:23:00.006-05:00

By Tuesday, Hilary Clinton will be done and we will finally have our match up in the fall election. McCain versus Obama is a very intriguing race. While the common wisdom is that 2008 will be a Democratic year, I am convinced that McCain has a very real opportunity to win in the fall. Here is how he can do it.

All elections are decided by one of three factors: personality, ideology and competence. Obviously Obama has a big advantage in terms of personality. That is why he is winning the democratic primary. Let's face it, Hillary's cold and sour personality was no match for him. In fact, it's a testament to her grit and determination that she has lasted as long as she has. To counter Obama's charm and personality he needs to focus on his own personal narrative of courage, patriotism and independence as a contrast to Obama. But if the race is predominantly about personality McCain loses.

McCain also needs to avoid the mistake of making this year's race about ideology. It will be tempting to do this because of Obama's extremely liberal record and because he'll see this as a way to make amends with the conservative base. McCain has already demonstrated he can win without appeasing conservatives in the primary so why should he go there in the general election. Besides, Obama comes across as post partisan regardless of his liberal record. Candidates should play to their strengths and McCain's strength is not being a partisan ideologue. The majority of the country is not liberal or conservative but somewhere in the middle which is where McCain is. He should stay there.

What McCain needs to do is make the election about experience and competence. Not just competence in running government but a demonstrated record of accomplishing the bi-partisan change that Obama claims to represent. Unlike Hillary's 35 years of "experience" McCain has a real record of results so I think his argument will work better than hers did in the primary. He can honestly claim success working across the aisle and standing up to members of his own party to do what he considered the right thing. While Obama talks the talk, McCain has walked the walk.

McCain needs to hammer away that Obama has never actually demonstrated any success working with Republicans on major issues or been willing to fight his own party. This approach will help peal away the independents who are yearning for change in Washington. McCain can say he was delivering change while Obama was still making speeches in inner city Chicago. This also allows him to turn his age into a benefit instead of a negative. He can say that he knows how Washington works and has the relationships needed to effect change while Obama doesn't because of his youth and inexperience. McCain's message should be who do you trust to deliver change? If he effectively makes this case, McCain will win easily in November.

People that bug me

2008-03-01T07:53:00.011-05:00

I woke up in a grumpy mood this morning and decided to vent. Enjoy my latest rant and be thankful I kept it to only celebrities.

Matt Millen - One wonders how he keeps his job. The man reeks of incompetence and manages the Lions like a 12 year old managing a fantasy football team. And while I am a Steelers fan, I do get stuck having to watch the results of his poor decision making every week thanks to the NFL's outdated regional TV coverage. If Nancy Pelosi and others were truly interested in stopping torture they should consider banning the Lions from TV.

Michael Jordan -Has there ever been a more over hyped and yes overrated player than Michael Jordan. I get nauseous every time I see a story about him being the greatest athlete of all time. He wasn't even the greatest NBA player of all time. Yet thanks to Nike and NBC most people are brainwashed into thinking he was better than he really was. To sum up my dislike for him, I passionately cheer against the Bobcats simply because he is part owner.

Katie Couric - For those of you who still believe that media is fair and unbiased, I present Katie Couric as a living argument against you. I will never understand why CBS turned over their news coverage to her as she has taken what was already a tainted product (thank you Dan Rather) and turned into a joke. She was fine I guess doing morning talk about recipes and hair salons but she is hardly a serious journalist and America knows it. I predict she will be off the air within the year and all I can say is good night and good riddance.

Lou Holtz - I hate Notre Dame football and Lou Holtz is their embodiment. I never thought he was a great coach but ironically, he is actually worse on ESPN. It's almost embarrassing to hear him reveal how little he knows about college football. I especially laughed this year as he would predict Notre Dame to surprise us and win week after week. Good call Lou. Most shocking of all is that people pay money to hear him give a motivational speech. The only thing motivating would be hearing him resign from ESPN.

Barbara Streisand - If there one thing more pretentious than Notre Dame football, it is Barbara. Growing up I never understood what her appeal was. Her movies are boring and her singing is mediocre. She essentially has no fans under age 60 and yet she still feels compelled to act like a prima donna and give us her unsolicited political commentary. Just keep it to yourself.

Hillary Clinton - Watching her lose in the primary is bitter sweet. I am enjoying watching her lose but part of me wanted a Republican to drive the final stake through her heart. She is cold, calculating, corrupt and cynical. I could go on with additional C words but I'll stop while I am ahead. Tuesday can't come soon enough so we can finally get her and her husband off center stage and "move on".

Mike Murdock - Some of you might be saying who. Well he is one of those greedy, blood sucking TV evangelists on Sunday morning. Every week after watching Chris Matthews I come across his show where is asking people to send in $1000 dollars as seeds of faith and promising them a great return on their investment. I guess it works, but only for him as he lives in a mansion while those sending the money never see a dime. I pray that he will drop dead in the middle of his of show and be revealed as the hustler that he really is.

Jesse Jackson - Speaking of hustlers, Jackson is the personification of everything white America dislikes about black people. He tries to guilt and intimidate white people by threatening them with charges of racism. Worse yet he plays to the fears and victim hood of black people by offering them empty promises and countless scapegoats to blame for their problems. How hard must it be for him to see Obama succeed? I thought the only way black people rose to the top in this country was through Jackson's blessings and government intervention. Apparently not. Hopefully Obama's rise will bring in new black leadership.

Paris Hilton - Does anybody embody what's wrong with America more than Paris. She is a spoiled no talent hack who came to fame via Internet porn. And yet the media and public seems to care about her. Maybe that says more about us than her. Oh and her dumb blond routine is annoying. At least when Jessica Simpson does it she looks good.

Dr. Phil - Who knew you could make so much fame and fortune by issuing empty platitudes and fortune cookie wisdom. But I guess there really are enough suckers out there who think he can help solve their problems. People, if you are watching Dr. Phil, that is your problem. His advice is condescending and useless like "don't dream it, do it". Give me a break. He is basically just a better looking reincarnation of Dr. Laura.

Why is Africa different than the Middle East

2008-02-28T19:24:00.007-05:00

I just read a fascinating article about George Bush and his recent trip to Africa. It was written by Bob Geldof who is hardly a supporter of the Bush administration, yet he displays a certain amount of admiration for his work in Africa. This article was revealing because it shows just much his success in Africa is blunted by his overall failings in other areas. President Bush's support for Africa is unrivaled by any standard yet he gets very little credit for bringing hope to a very dim continent. Instead, he will always be measured for using military force in the middle east in response to September 11th. It's too bad because Bush deserves more credit for his bold successes in African policy.

In retrospect, one wonders what would have happened if he had applied the same principles he is using in Africa to the middle east. His main goal in Africa is to reduce suffering and bring hope by funding many health care and development projects. For the most part these have been successful ventures and the African people seem to appreciate our help and support. Would we have more support in the middle east if we had taken that same approach instead of going to war?

Now I write this as one of the last few supporters of going to war in Iraq. I thought it was the right thing back then and I still support finishing our work there. But I am beginning to wonder if there isn't a missing component of compassion for this part of the world. Would our money be better spent investing in humanitarian activities instead of militarily? This approach would seem to help buttress America's image and influence in that region but more importantly it would reveal a broader respect for humanity that Bush has already demonstrated in Africa.

Some improvements are already happening in many parts of Iraq such as rebuilding the health care and education systems. I suspect this is one reason we are making political progress over the last couple months But more can be done and I am hopeful President Bush will apply the lessons he is learning in Africa to the conflict in the middle east.

it aint fare, I like jim class

2008-02-26T17:09:00.003-05:00

I just read a very interesting article about the Albuquerque school system. The school system wants to limit the electives for students who are failing in the major subject areas and instead require them to take remedial classes. As you might imagine, many of these students are upset at this action and so they decided to send letters to the editor in protest. However, it appears their letter writing campaign may have backfired. Apparently, many of the letters were full of spelling and grammatical errors which only highlighted the very real need for remedial classes. If their writing skills and disrespect for the English language weren't so sad the irony would be very amusing.

Unfortunately, this story illustrates a broader problem in many of our schools. We simply have a lot of kids who are failing and ill prepared from lack of smarts, motivation, expectations or some combination thereof. Personally, I applaud the Albuquerque schools for taking a stand and hope they follow through on their requirements. I hope these students appreciate the school's efforts to give them at least one more opportunity to learn the basics. Without that academic baseline, these same kids will be left without a lot of options as they compete for jobs in the real world. A world where nobody cares if they got an A in choir or home economics but instead whether they can read and write.

Givng a Ride

2008-02-24T08:18:00.003-05:00

Last summer a friend of mine asked me if I could give her boyfriend Paul a ride to work. He works on Sunday morning and the buses do not start running until later in the morning. When I agreed to do it, I thought it would only be one time but when I realized that he had a need every week I decided to offer him a ride on a weekly basis.

So for the past several months Paul and I spend every Sunday morning together for about 15 minutes as we ride across town to his job. He and I are very different people, he is a huge science fiction fan which I am not. I think I've learned more about alternative universes and supernatural powers than I knew was even possible. Occasionally we even stray into some personal aspect of our lives and those are the times that I enjoy him most. He has a lot of stories to share about himself growing up although I have begun to hear a couple stories being recycled. I get a sense that there are not many other people in his life who will take the time to listen to his stories so I am happy to do it. Underneath our dissimilar interests I have discovered that I enjoy Paul's company and that would have never been possible without spending time with him each week.

I share my experience to highlight how easy it is to invest in other people. In the past, I was always searching for ways to make a difference when opportunities were staring me right in the face. Giving Paul a ride is a simple task despite having to get up early on Sunday morning. Yet it allows him to keep the hours at his job and pay his bills. Lately, I have also been giving rides to other people as they call me. Using my car to help people has really changed my perspective on owning a car. Instead of complaining about how loud it is or what's wrong with it, I now view it as a blessing and responsibility.

So who is Brian McLaren

2008-02-23T09:16:00.004-05:00

I have been reading a book called a Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren. It's the second book I have read by him and I am really enjoying it. I first heard of him a couple years ago and at the time I was skeptical because he likes to challenge the established evangelical church's view of the world. In fact, many consider him the moral prophet of the "emerging church" because of his unorthodox views.

Basically his writing is designed to spur on those Christians who are stuck in their faith by challenging their view of what it means to be a Christian. Instead of rules and teachings defining faith, he focuses on what exactly it means to have a relationship with Jesus. It's refreshing if not dangerous to shed Jesus from the confines of what we think we know and reexamine what a relationship with Jesus really looks like. Do I passionately love Jesus above all other things or is it more a relationship of convenience similar to many of my human relationships? Do I follow his example or do I choose the comfortable, acceptable life that is often embraced by the church? Why do I believe so strongly that my view of Jesus is superior to other peoples views? Am I more interested in church or more interested in Jesus?

While I sometimes find myself disagreeing with him or getting frustrated that I have to answer these questions, he offers a fresh view of faith in Jesus and I like that. After reading him, I began to check out what others thought of him and was surprised just how divisive a figure he was. Some people appreciate him like I do, while others are highly critical of his writings. I find the gap between these impressions fascinating if not a little sad. They reveal a growing division within the church between those who are frustrated with the current church and their current faith and those are fearful that he is watering down traditional Christian teaching.

McLaren's writings are not for the weak of faith. I would encourage reading him but be prepared to be challenged. You may be surprised by just how much you agree with him.

The View From My Window

2008-02-08T18:42:00.000-05:00

I took this picture the other day from my window at work. I hate the snow but it sure does make the city prettier.

Lessons Learned from the Romney Campaign

2008-02-08T17:02:00.000-05:00

With Romney's recent departure from the race we learned a few key points about political campaigns.

1. Money matters but not if it comes mostly from the candidate. Romney spent a lot of his money on the race and in fact outspent McCain in numerous states but still did not win. Why? Because despite raising a significant amount of cash a large portion came from his own wealth. It may be jealousy but most people don't like rich people trying to "buy the election". Michigan saw the same thing last year with Dick Devos. But more than jealousy I think it hurts the candidate's ability to relate to the middle class voter who doesn't believe the candidate understands their economic anxiety. For example, what does Mitt Romney know about struggling to pay a mortgage? Self funded campaigns also reveal an inability to get everyday citizens to buy into their campaign via writing a check. The amount of money matters less than the number of actual voters who are willing to commit to the candidate. That commitment is what keeps the campaign momentum going when times get tough not the money.

2. You have to be genuine because people can spot a phony. I wrote last summer that Romney should have run as a moderate pragmatic governor instead of a far right diehard. Anybody paying attention could tell he wasn't being genuine during most of the campaign. He may very well be conservative in his private life but his prior campaigns and public experience suggested he wasn't a conservative. What his experience did suggest was that he was smart, competent and accomplished. Unfortunately, these qualities got lost in the nonsense and double speak that plagued his campaign. Whether the issue was abortion or gay rights or even hunting, none of what he said seemed to add up to what he had done before running for President. The irony is that he if he had run as a moderate he would have taken all the winner take all Northeast states on Super Tuesday instead of McCain and would probably have the delegate lead. But by the time those primaries rolled around the people in the Northeast didn't recognize the former Governor from their backyard.

3. If you are going to be a momentum candidate you need to win either Iowa or New Hampshire but not both. Like it or not both these states matter a lot. Just look at the last two standing as they are the winners in these two states. You can't get people excited about coming in second place in both states. However you can tank in one state as long as you win the other one. The results also suggest that smart candidates figure out which state fits best and spend most of their time there. They have incredibly different electorates and a good candidate should be able to appeal to one or the other. For Huckabee it was Iowa and for McCain it was New Hampshire. Romney should have given up Iowa and focused solely on NH. Trying to win both set him up for failure and he never recovered.

4. Religion still plays an important role in Republican politics. One of many reasons Romney lost in Iowa and in the south on super Tuesday was because of his religion. Fundamentalist Christians were never going to support a Mormon candidate no matter how conservative he said he was. And secular voters weren't all that comfortable either. I know firsthand several people whose sole reason for voting against him was his faith. Call it prejudice if you want but to get elected you have to be from a denomination that mainstream Christians feel comfortable with.

5. Talk Radio endorsements are not effective. Rush Limbaugh has a huge audience as does Sean Hannity. Others have smaller but no less committed listenership. Yet when they all endorsed Mitt Romney in a last ditch attempt to derail John McCain, it didn't work. Romney is out of the race less than two weeks after their endorsements. The reason is that the people who listen to talk radio were already voting for Romney without their endorsements. They were essentially preaching to the choir and not attracting new converts. And while the talk radio crowd is big, it is only a small portion of even the conservative Republican electorate. To win the primary Romney needed to expand this narrow base and talk radio endorsements did not help him at all. Unless the person can give you access to a voting segment you can't reach on your own, the endorsement is only as good as the news cycle in which it was announced.

Stay out of it

2008-01-26T10:08:00.000-05:00

Recently a host on the golf network suggested jokingly that the only way to stop Tiger Woods from dominating the golf world would be to take him out back and lynch him. These ill fated words led to her public apology and subsequent suspension by the network. Tiger Woods made a brief statement that he accepted her apology and that should have been the end of the story. Unfortunately, there are trouble makers that do not want the story to go away.

Enter Jim Brown, former star football and lacrosse player. In an interview this week he suggested that Tiger should have used this incident to make a "statement" but instead shirked his responsibility. What kind of statement does he want Tiger to make? Have her fired, sue the network? Complain about racism? How would any of that help race relations in this country. Instead, Tiger took the high road and his classy, gracious response was the correct statement. Jim Brown and other instigators want to turn her words into societal debate over race rather that what it was; a matter between two individuals. Tiger understood that. I wish others did as well.

Jim Brown grew up in an era when racism was thriving. But that is a long time ago, especially in the sports world. No longer are black people discriminated against but they are coveted because of their skills abilities and marketing opportunities. My guess is that Jim Brown is jealous of Tiger's success and fame. That's why he feels the need to interject himself into a debate that has nothing to do with him. He should just keep his mouth shut and let Tiger handle his own affairs.

An Old Friend and a Blanket

2008-01-24T17:42:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago my friend Don came to Lansing for a short visit. He lives in NY now with his wife but he is from Michigan and still makes the occasional trek back here to visit family or for work. Don and I go back a long time. I met him 6th grade and we became friends almost immediately. He was much bigger than I was at the time so I would often use him as a body guard when I would get mouthy with others which happened a lot during my Jr. high days.

As we became closer friends, I recall my Mom being concerned that he might be a bad influence on me. I'm not sure why but the irony is that over our many years of friendship my Mom became quite fond of Don and welcomed into the family. In fact, a running joke was that she would often meet his girlfriends before I would.

While he was visiting this past time, we had a good time

playing race for the whitehouse, scrabble and even Talking Clue. It was fun to have someone over who appreciates games as much as I do. And like always he allowed me to win for which I am thankful.

But the best moment came as I was getting a blanket for his bed. Don recognized the blanket because I had bought it in high school while he and I were a missions trip to South Dakota. This incident may sound trivial but when he noticed the blanket it dawned on me just how far back our relationship went. Nobody else I know would recognize that blanket but Don did and that said something about our friendship. It revealed a shared history that was unique to us. To others it was just a blanket. To Don it was a reminder of our youth and the experiences we shared together.

As I get older my circle of friends continues to expand and sometimes it would be easy to shirk some old relationships. They often change and take work. But the reality is that you can never replace the depth of friendship that is forged over many years and many memories. Don's visit reminded me just fortunate I am to have such a long and enduring friendship.

The Gilmore Girls

2008-01-17T22:42:00.000-05:00

Ok. I admit it. I am addicted to the Gilmore Girls. I started catching the occasional episode a year or two ago after I saw Lauren Graham on celebrity poker. But over Christmas break I began watching the reruns everyday and I am hooked. In fact, I rush home after work to catch the 5 O'clock airing. It reminds me of racing home from elementary school to watch Star Blazers with Ryan Boeskool.

I realize that the show is supposed to appeal to women. I can't help enjoying it. My Step dad thinks I am crazy and told me he couldn't watch it because the over acting irritates him. And while they do overact, that is part of the show's charm. I like the fast paced, witty dialogue and the endearing honesty in their relationships. No other show approaches their level in terms of addressing family dynamics. I especially appreciate Loralai's relationship with her mother. I am sure a lot of women can relate. And lately, I am enjoying Lane and how she balances her rebellious youth while still respecting her repressive mother.

Throw in all the quirky side-characters in town and it adds up to a very fun hour of TV. And unlike all my other re-run favorites, I haven't seen every episode several times. My only regret is that I never really watched it when it was on prime time. But good news; I hear they may make a movie based on the show.

Huck Yeah!

2008-01-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

I attended the Mike Huckabee rally in Grand Rapids over the weekend. I took my friend Jen to the event. She had read his website and was intrigued by him because of his support for music education (She is a music teacher). It was a nice size crowd of about 800 people or so. Not bad for a campaign with zero organization in the state. In fact, we got there a little late and had to stand in the balcony with only one spot where you could actually view him speaking. The crowd was mostly homeschoolers, evangelicals, fair tax people and a smattering of environmentalists.

He gave a good speech hitting all the Republican talking points but he was definitely at his best when he focused on the working class, blue collar issues. I am not sure exactly what his plan is to help the middle class but he has an ability to connect with that group. I think this is because he comes from the working class and not from wealth like many of the other candidates do. I did have to laugh when he started mentioning his union endorsements. The Republican crowd wasn't really sure if they were supposed to cheer or not and they settled on polite applause. At the end he grabbed the guitar and played with mustang sally with a local band was fun and roused the crowd.

I would say the enthusiasm level of the crowd overall was about 8. It was good but wasn't quite like the McCain crowds in 2000 when you could feel the enormous energy. Although I don't think even McCain is generating the enthusiasm he had last time around. A lot of people at the Huckabee rally were just curious to see who he was and what he had to say. And I would guess that most people left with their mind made up to vote for him.

I keep hearing through the grapevine, that he is having big turnouts in other parts of the state as well. That's a very good sign. Tuesday could be a big day for Huckabee and if he wins Michigan it will definitely be because of the grass roots.

10 year anniversary

2008-01-10T21:13:00.000-05:00

Today marks 10 years since my Dad passed away. Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of my Grandma's death. I will never forget that time in my life. It is hard to believe it has been 10 years already. Some days it feels like just yesterday. Other times, it seems like a completely different lifetime. But even today, the first weeks of January still haunt me and cast a dark shadow over each new year as I remember 1998.

It started just before Christmas when I got a call from my Mom that Grandma was in the hospital. I wasn't worried until I arrived in Pittsburgh a few days later and saw that she was already in bad shape. When I left to head back to Michigan, I recall the uneasy thought that I wasn't going to see her again. The day I got back, I called my Dad to let him know I was in town for Christmas. His phone rang and rang and I remember finding it odd that the answering machine did not pick up. That night I received a call from the hospital and learning that Dad was in a house fire and was in the burn unit. It was quite a shock. My Step dad took me to hospital and I had no idea at the time just how bad he was. Although my body must have known deep down as I threw up in the parking lot on my way to see him. By the time I arrived, he was already unconscious. I like to think he knew I was there but I'll never know.

Both Dad and Grandma were both remarkable fighters and both held out as long as possible. My Mom spent time in Pittsburgh along with my Aunts and Grandpa. Meanwhile my brother and I along with Dad's side of the family stayed in Michigan. I have vivid memory of their last days as my Mom called Friday evening to tell me that Grandma had passed away and then less than 12 hours later Dad finally gave up. It was a remarkable shaking to lose two people I loved within hours of each other.

I do miss both of them. I thought of my Grandma quite a bit during my cousin Brie's wedding this past fall. She would have loved the wedding because Grandma had a great appreciation for the beach. Brie was also her favorite as she was the only granddaughter. I am thankful that my last memory with Grandma before she got sick was sitting by the pool in Margate NJ. She was vacationing there as she did most years and I made a weekend trip up from DC to visit. We had a really good talk about her time living in Washington and I enjoyed hearing her stories. It was a good way to end my time with her.

I don't have quite the same happy ending with Dad. I never got to say goodbye and my last phone call a few months prior was filled with mostly superficial small talk and I remember thinking afterwards that he didn't really get me. I had hoped to talk more to him when I got up to Michigan for Christmas but I never got the chance. I still think of him often. I cannot watch a Maryland game or hear about Robert Kennedy (his political hero) without feeling like he's somehow with me in spirit. I usually cry when I hear the Neal Young song that Uncle Brian played at his funeral.

Over the past 10 years, I am realizing just how much of my life both Dad and Grandma have already missed. They'll never know that I moved back to Michigan or ran a winning political campaign or any of my girlfriends or that I am finally a home owner. Most days this doesn't matter but today I really wish I could share these past experiences with them. I hope to use this feeling to ensure that I share my present and future experiences with my family and friends who are still with me.

Last Night

2008-01-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

The debates were finally interesting. Getting rid of the also rans and letting the candidates actually speak for more than 30 seconds helped. Since Romney is fond of the olympics, he must have felt like Nancy Kerrigan being taken out at the knees by Tonia Harding. It was obvious that all the candidates took personal pleasure from attacking Romney. It makes me wonder why he is so disliked? Regardless, it doesn't really matter because no way does he survive the attacks last night. McCain is looking better and better and even Thompson had a good night.

On the Democratic side, Clinton showed her ugly side after getting ripped by both Obama and Edwards. Watching her I thought she was going to have an aneurysm. So much for her likability. Obama came across very confident and level headed. The only questions left are the margin of victory for Obama and will Edwards beat her for second.

Meanwhile my Steelers disappointed me again. Their offensive line was awful and Ben played his worst half of the season. But as always, they teased me by taking the lead late only to give away the game. Coach Tomlin definitely coached like a rookie. He should have never gone for 2 especially after the 10 yard penalty. He also was way too conservative when they got the ball back with the lead. Oh well, they were only going to lose to the Patriots next week anyway.

Big wins for Obama and Huckabee

2008-01-04T09:23:00.000-05:00

Well my predictions were not too far off except I underestimated my man Huckabee or more likely overestimated Romney's vaunted organization. I guess it goes to show you that even the best campaign strategy and execution can't overcompensate a weak candidate. It is surprising though how well Huckabee did without a lot of paid staffers on the ground in Iowa and with the barage of negative ads run against him. Chalk it up to the power of personality.

Romney is finished. He may hang around for a while but McCain will win New Hamsphire and probably Michigan and Huckabee will win South Carolina. I am surprised Thompson hasn't dropped out already but he will shortly and most likely throw his support behind McCain. The wildcard is Giuliani. He needs to keep relevant and hold on until Florida and then pull off the upset over Huckabee. That would set him up for Feb 5th but I don't think he can do it. I suspect the race is down to Huckabee and McCain and that the establishment that fled McCain this summer will rally around him to stop Huckabee.

Obama's win is even bigger than Huckabee's. Does anybody else find it odd that a black man won in Iowa where there are like maybe a dozen black voters? I still think he'll face racism along the campaign trail but last night should help alleviate at least some of those fears. Edwards is finished and would do best if he quickly dropped out and then cut a deal with Obama to be VP again. I don't think he'll do it but he has no shot at winning. Hillary could still make a comeback but to do so is going to be very ugly. Obama is going to feel the full force of the Clinton hit machine over the next couple weeks. There is still a lot we don't know about Obama but we will most certainly find out soon.