Sunday, November 30, 2008

Tae Kwon Do

So after being inspired by such box office titans as Kung Fu Panda and the original Karate Kid,the kids decided that they really wanted to learn how to kick some booty. Check this video out for a little trip down memory lane. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bs5CfDPsw0

We have decided to put the kids into a Tae Kwon Do. We looked at a few schools in the area and settled on the Major Tae Kwon Do Academy (http://www.majortkd.com/). This school was more expensive than the others but, we paid the year up front and it ended up being a lot cheaper than the other schools. There are only like 2 other schools in Atlanta that are accredited by the World Tae Kwon Do Federation. They teach Olympic style Tae Kwon Do so, if Madison or Preston ever wanted to go that far in it they would be accredited. We have been really impressed with it but, there is a slight language barrier b/c their instructor is Korean and his English isn't always clear. The kids love it though. On their first day they were taught how to break a board. They will be testing for their yellow belts this next Saturday so we are excited.
So I really think that if if Preston keeps with Tae Kwon Do he will look like Bruce Lee. He just has that skinny physique.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The OBAMAnation of desolation?...

“And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the [OBAMA]nation that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” (Daniel 12:11)

I have heard it all. I have heard so many people say that Obama is going to usher in Armageddon, that we will have a communistic state, and that his rule will be akin to that of Adolph Hitler. I admit that I was severely disappointed at the election results (though not all that surprised) I am not, however, ready to admit that Obama is the anti-Christ. I know that many people reading this will violently disagree with me, but listen to my rationale.
While I think it is funny to read the scripture from Daniel in light of recent political developments (especially when you say Obamanation instead of abomination and when you consider that 1290 days is only 170 days short of 4 years), I don’t think this is the event to which Daniel was referring. I agree that on a large scale we will see the extinction of “daily sacrifice.” Under his administration, the expansion of welfare programs will further erode the will of people to make the “daily sacrifices” that are necessary for their own self sustenance. You will see more and more people becoming dependent on the government. Taxing the rich to give to the poor is not a new concept though. As you look back into the recent history of the United States you realized that it was only 27 years ago that the top earners paid a federal tax of 70%. Reagan dramatically slashed this rate as it was near and dear to his heart. During his career as an actor he only made four movies per year. This was his cut-off because any more would have catapulted him into a higher tax bracket. Is his refusal to work, not an erosion of desire for work? Where is the motivation for work when the fruits of your labors will be taken from you at the point of a gun or the threat of imprisonment? On the other side of the coin why would people get out and work (ie “daily sacrifice”), when doing so would cause them to lose their “government cheese?” Regardless of the side a person finds themselves on, Obama’s tax plan will take away the motivation for daily sacrifice.

Regarding Armageddon: Let’s look back in history a mere 35 years ago. The event I refer to is the Cuban missile crisis. At this time there was widespread fear and anxiety that the end was IMMINENT. Not that the end was near, but that the end was literally going to happen within the next month. It is easy for younger generations to forget what it was like because we weren’t born yet. I think that we need to keep things in perspective of history. We have been down similar roads before. The challenge is not to panic and think that our lot in life is greater than those who have gone before us. The strongest arguments that the end is not yet imminent are the words of the Brethren. We have been assured that the end is not yet. I trust that.

Regarding the communistic state: One of the pillars of communism is the complete control of industry by the state. I have no real arguments against this happening especially considering the government seizure of large shares of financial giants AIG, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Lehman Brothers; I just don’t see it happening. Call me naïve but this economy is too large for a complete government take over. I just don’t see it. A stronger argument against the supposed communistic state emerging in this country is religion. In a communistic state religion is banned. There are too many people of religion in this country to allow this to happen. I understand that we see this happening on a small scale with “In God we Trust” and “One Nation Under God.” Let’s remember that these were only added to our currency and Pledge of Allegiance respectively in the 1950s. Before these articles were added our country still survived. This is a far cry from the imprisonment faced by pastors and ministers in the failed Soviet Union. Another thing to consider are the immigrants, most of which are Mexican and most of which are Catholic. As the population of this country increases so does the number of Christians. They may not be the most stalwart but they are the reason, in my opinion, that Prop 8 passed in California. The Catholic Church adamantly supported Prop 8 and I think the Latino vote helped sway it. I don’t see religion going away in this country in the next 4-8 years. I think we will take a large step toward socialism though.

Regarding Obama ruling like Hitler: Please. The extermination of 6 million individuals based on a religious and cultural difference. The only real argument for this happening is Obama’s alleged call for a national police force. I have found no evidence that he actually said this. No one in cyberspace can supply the source of this rumor. For anyone out there under the assumption that this is a new concept, open your eyes. We have had a national police force for 73 years. Hello the FBI. They are a police force that is not bound by the jurisdictional restrains of a city, county, or state.

After reading all this you probably think I voted for Obama. False. I oppose him on almost every level. I think this country is heading for a major financial downturn that will only be exacerbated by the policies of Barack Obama. My argument today is one of hope. Now is the time for people to prepare for an uncertain future not a time to panic. We have certainly seen our fair share of poor presidents in this country, but despite the odds America perseveres. I firmly believe that America is still a beacon of freedom to the world. I think we will survive the reign of Obama. I hope that people don’t over react to Obama and begin to despair. Obama is not likely one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. There is too much good left in this country to focus solely on the bad. Anyways, I am interested in hearing what people think of all this.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Halloween

Halloween was fun this year. Unfortunately I was in Atlanta at a continuing education course all day but I was able to make it home in time for trick or treating. I was learning about Invisalign braces. They are the clear braces. In the last week since the course I have sold two case and have five consults set up for this week. It is pretty exciting.
While I was sitting in a class the kids were getting ready for Halloween. They were absolutely adorable. Madison dressed up as a bride. Preston was an Army dude. He wanted to be Superman but we couldn't find an adequate costume for him, so I convinced him to be a real hero. An army guy. Jackson was a little doggy. It was awesome. They went trick-or-treating with Cailee and Kendall. They had a really good time. I thought this picture was funny. It is Granny Robin giving a poison apple to the fair maidens.

Cotton Fields and Fall Fest

Wow!!! It has been a while since my last post so here goes. I am actually just going to post a few pics of our recent adventures.
Amy took the kids to Washington Farms for their fall festival a couple weeks ago. I unfortunately had to work b/c they went during the week. All the kids were out of school for their fall break. Uncle Curt and Braelyn and Amie and her kids were there. Among the festivities was a lively pig race. Not exactly sure which one won but all the kids loved it. They were able to pick out pumpkins and as you can see Preston went for the biggest one. The only rule was they had to carry it out themselves (Amy being pregnant and all). It think Preston settled on a slightly smaller more manageable pumpkin.Jackson also ended up with a much smaller pumpkin. He is cute though. All the kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Despite Madison's reaction to the smell in this picture she had a blast. Later on that day, Amy was driving past a cotton field and decided to take a couple pics. For those of you that have never seen a cotton field in full bloom it is quite impressive. This cotton field is odd b/c they usually harvest it in late September or early October. As of late October it still hadn't been harvested so the kids picked a little souvenir. Now I can tell the kids to keep their "cotton-picking" hands to themselves and mean it. Is that racist? Stay tuned for a couple blogs concerning racism and politics.