Continued Discomfort

In the last few years, I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the overly close relationship of the church and the Republican Party. We are now told to swallow former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Perhaps, Huckabee is the best candidate, but at this point I am unconvinced of that. He raised taxes in Arkansas. He sought to affect the release of a prisoners convicted of murder, one of which proceeded to commit murder. (Dukakis was blasted in 1988 for allowing Willie Horton out on weekend passes, but we look the other way now?)

I am undecided at this point. Huckabee is not qualified simply because he is a Christian or former minister. Other things will qualify, or disqualify, him. I now a great many Christians, but I would not want their fingers near the "button."

On top of that, I think Huckabee is playing to that mentality. Everything in politics is contrived and passed through the "How will this play in Peoria?" thinking. The commercial with the cross. That is so obvious. Huckabee, like any good politician, is playing to his base.

Do not vote for him simply because he used to be a minister or he is a "Christian leader." If you plan to vote for him, do so because you agree with his stance on the issues.

This Is Wild

Apparently, at Duke University researchers have discovered that monkeys can "perform mental addition." The scary part is "that they performed about as well as college students given the same test." Yikes! Although, from my experience teaching developmental math, I am not all that surprised. When you ask a student was 8 plus 4 is, and they reach for their calculator, it is scary.

Does this tell us something about the intelligence of monkeys, or the inadequacy of math education in our public schools?

For Those Who Dreamed of Greatness (In Wiffle Ball)

It's a (Pre) Christmas Miracle

The Dolphins won their first game since last year.

In a Christmas miracle reminiscent of Jimmy Steward (George Bailey) finding out what life would have been like if he had never been born, in It's a Wonderful Life, or, Kris Kringle receiving tons of mail addressed to Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street, this is a miracle of Hollywood proportions. Baltimore Ravens kicker Matt Stover, who had been a perfect five for five in overtime kicks, missed wide left in sudden death overtime. The Dolphins then marched down the field and score a touchdown, bringing to an end the speculation about the only football franchise to have a perfect season (1972) going perfect in other direction.

Christmas miracles continue.

Steroids and Baseball

The Reformed Poser has some good thoughts on the steroids and baseball scandal. Baseball is certainly in the position of closing the barn door after the horse is long gone.

In thinking back, I think I have found at least three players who will not end up on any steroid list. I mean look at their physique, or lack thereof.

The first is former Padre and Philly, John "How Do You Like My Mullet" Kruk.















The second is former Twins first baseman Kent "I Swear I Didn't Pull Ron Gant Off the Base" Hrbek.














And the other, former Orioles back up first baseman, Jim "I'll Take a Dog and Beer" Traber.













It's nice to know that some players were only shooting up brewskies and hot dogs.

This is Funny

From http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/franknernest/

The End is Here!

The end of the semester, that is. I wrapped up finals today, turned in grades and attendance reports. I am looking forward to a nice break.

This was a long semester. I had a couple really good classes, and a couple that I would rather forget.

The Cross as a Christmas Symbol

Several years ago, I was driving around admiring Christmas lights in our town. One house had a cross on the roof. I thought, What a strange thing.

Later, I got to thinking about it. The cross is really a symbol of Christmas. If it was not for the cross, the manger would be meaningless.

Secular commercialism has made Christmas the biggest day of the Christian calendar. We get a couple weeks off of school. We spent way too much money on gifts. Christmas has become the center of the Christian year.

The truth is that Passion Week/Easter is (or should be) the center the Christian year. The cross, not the manger, is the main symbol of Christianity. If Jesus does not die and raise again, we are doing a bunch of meaningless stuff. The virgin birth means nothing without the empty tomb.

We need to celebrate Christmas with one eye on the cross.

It Must Be Awful to be in the KC Royals Organization

The same day that the Kansas City Royals signed Jose Guillen to a three-year contract, he was suspended 15 days for violation of the MLB drug rules.

That once proud organization is a total disaster, and an embarrassment to baseball. How utterly pitiful!

The chief problem with the Kansas City organization is not that they are a small-market team. Plenty of small market teams make respectable showings from time to time. The Minnesota Twins have been in the playoffs over the last several years. The Milwaukee Brewers did very well this year. Cincinnati has made strides, but have not reached the mountaintop. The fact is that the Royals stink because the ownership is not will to part with any money. They really do not want to win. All they want to do is whine about the Red Sox and Yankees.

It serves them right to get their new acquisition suspended.

Teaching Our Children To Serve

Service is something that is vital to teach children. Every year at Christmas, we take the kids to the store to buy something for underprivileged children. We have done the Salvation Army angels several years. This year, we went with Toys for Tots. The kids got to pick out something they wanted, but they had to give it up to others.

Service is a lifestyle. It should also be year-round.

This Is Why a Playoff Is Needed

Let the arguing, griping, complaining and whining begin, unless you are a fan of either Ohio State or LSU. Just about every team that is playing in a BCS game has a legitimate complaint about being snubbed from the championship game. The all-wonderful BCS was supposed to stop this kind of thing from happening.

Get a clue! Settle it on the field. Have a playoff.

How Awful Is This!

The storied franchise of the Miami Dolphins are setting a new high (or low) in utter futility. In a streak that would make the New York Mets of the early 1960s blush, the Dolphins have rattled off a breathtaking streak of twelve straight losses. Today, they laid an egg against the nearly as futile New York Jets. In a year that is seeing the great 1972 Dolphins unbeaten record challenged by the New England Patriots, the current edition of the Dolphins is chasing the record for futility. How embarrassing? The Redskins called Joe Gibbs out of retirement. Perhaps the Dolphins should call Don Shula, but then he probably would not want to be associated with such a pitiful thing.

By the way, I think the NFL is going investigate. The Dolphins are claiming to be pro football team. That is suspect. Perhaps the NFL will force the Dolphins to play in some other league, but then no other league would have them.