Party of No

The dumbing down of politics via sloganeering has become an American institution. The latest version is "the party of no", a label now being applied to one political party as if the proper answer to every question is "yes".

I submit that it's OK to answer "no" to many questions:

- Are you want the extended warranty?

- This glass of milk has set out all night ... do you want it?

- Should we allow babies to be "terminated"?

- We're deep in debt ... should we approve this expensive new program?

Give me some folks who can say "no" when that's the right answer!

This and That

We went with Karen and Vince hiking this past weekend. We didn't really get to hike much, due to the rain, but we tried! We were headed to Powder Valley, but it's closed on Sundays (what's with that?) So, we ended up at the Wild Bird Sanctuary. We found a rare Dodo Bird on the premises.

They had several eagles that they are rehabilitating.

I made an unexpected trip out to LA on Monday evening. Here I encountered a bird of a different kind.

I thought about checking into one of these houseboats, but found some better accommodations.

Tommy & Jena were offering a bed, tv, water view and transportation.

They also threw in a dog in case I got lonely. She sleeps right next to me every night!

What more could you ask for?

Windows 7 Was My Idea

When we switched to Windows Vista a couple of years ago, it was a horrible, terrible, very-bad experience. We ended up buying new printers just to get the thing to work.

At the time, the following thought definitely entered my mind: "What the world needs is a version of Vista that installs easier, works faster, and is less annoying."

With Windows 7, I got my wish. It seems to be a version of Vista which installs smoothly (absolutely painless with no loss in any data or settings!), runs faster, and doesn't continully ask you annoying questions. It even has several new gadgets and features, though nothing revolutionary.

So, I can truly tell you "Windows 7 was my idea". Really.

Not So Empty

Kim and I have been empty-nesters for a few years now, and the house is slowly losing all signs of having once hosted a growing brood of energetic young men. So I went searching for evidence that the place had once been the address for three boys named Chris, Mike, and Tommy.

There's the venerable basketball hoop, site of innumerable games of "21":


I found this odd-shaped hole in the garage driveway, the result of someone practicing their slap shot:


My workshop still boasts an area in which the boys constantly checked their heights (the marls and dates still visible):


There are baseball card collections tucked away in several places ...


... and toys resting in the basement:


Sports equipment can be found in several spots ...


... and remnants of past victories still grace some rooms.


It seems the sounds of a family can echo throughout a home for years.

Iron Man 2

In another display of my lack of cultural maturity, let it be said that I can't wait for the release of Iron Man 2!

Escapism via entertainment is not always a bad thing, and Iron Man delivers the goods in this area. While not a particularly strong fan of Robert Downey Jr., his irreverence is perfect to portray a comic book hero.

Besides, the movie already has the perfect theme song.

It opens May 7.

Be there.

Tax Day

Mid-April is not only the deadline to submit your tax paperwork to the IRS, it represents the point in the year in which the average American has to work year-to-date to satisfy their tax obligations.

I emphasize the word "average", because the terminology obscures some facts. 47% of the populace either pays no tax or actually receives payments during tax season (not rebates, but a payment). That means there are a lot of people who work long past April to pay their taxes. Democrats refer to tax-payers as "the wealthy".

By the way, growing these giveaways does not constitute a "tax cut" as it simply requires heavier obligations from those who actually pay. What the administrations calls "cuts" are simply accelerated redistributions.

What's wrong with that?

Well, to some degree, nothing. But it has a logical limit, and it seems our politicians are going to the well too much. How do I know? Jobs.

The "wealthy" are largely business-owners and job-creators. When the government becomes too big of a pig at their trough, these business-owners find more favorable environments and ways of structuring their business. That's why it's possible for the stock market to rise while job opportunities shrink.

The early liberals such as Thomas Jefferson and George Mason firmly believed that people should tell the government how to spend its' budget. The modern liberals - radicals, actually - feel government should tell people how to spend their dollars.

NFL Draft

With much forethought and wisdom, the NFL designed their league such that the worst team would draft first, and hopefully not be so pathetic the following year. The Rams draft first this year, and it's a virtual certainty that one week from today, they will have a new quarterback.

It could be Sam Bradford from Oklahoma. This is the likely selection should the Rams hold onto the #1 selection.

Bradford is probably the best quarterback in the draft, physically and intellectually, but he miised most of his senior season due to injury, and for that reason alone, is somewhat of a risk.

It could be Jimmy Clausen from Notre Dame. This is a possible scenario should the Rams do the smart thing and trade out of the #1 slot (which means a lot of money for one player!).

If Clausen were to be drafted by the Rams, I wonder if they'd also be interested in drafting Golden Tate, Clausen's favorite receiver?

It could be Colt McCoy from Texas, a very capable quarterback who may still be available in the early part of the second round.

The Rams are also desperate to upgrade at wide receiver and defense, and could use help everywhere else, too!

In a new format this year, the first round of the draft begins Thursday night. If you watch any of it, the first hour should be interesting.

He's Big

I'm a big fan of the 1990 movie, Joe vs. the Volcano. Without doing the research, I believe it's the first of three movies featuring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan (the other two being Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail).


Joe vs. the Volcano was a box office flop, but is recognized today as a cult classic.


My dedication to it is largely based on one climatic and beautiful scene. Joe is adrift in the ocean after a bad storm sinks their sailboat. He is near death from lack of water and has been suffering from a terminal disease.

Suddenly, the moon rises, and the sight is so overpowering and awesome that Joe struggles to his feet, raises his hands, and declares: "Thank you for my life, God ... I forgot how big You are."



When we see the splendor of nature, we should remember Joe's words, no matter what our circumstances are ...

Spring is Here

Weather in Missouri is famous for its’ variability. However, the four seasons come and go with unremitting regularity, year over year.

To me, winter and summer are necessary and comfortable extremes which sharpen one’s appreciation for the transformational events in spring and fall. These latter seasons are the ideal time for biking and backpacking in the Midwest. Summer is high time for boating and baseball.

When Kim and I arrived home from the East Coast last week, we found that spring was performing its’ magic on the ol’ homestead.


From the front yard ...






From the backyard ...






... enjoy the season, wherever you are!

Gettysburg

While returning from the East Coast last week, Kim and I stopped in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for an evening and a day. There's a national park in Gettysburg commemorating the important Civil War battle which was waged there for three days in July 1863.


Robert E. Lee had soundly whipped the Union forces in several straight battles, and felt that another victory - this time in Northern territory - would be enough to win the war. He got his fight in Gettysburg. Through heroic actions by the Union forces (and some errors by the Confederates), the South was unable to flank the Northern line. Finally, on the third day of the battle, Lee flung his forces at the Union center (known today as Pickett's charge) and was repelled. The South retreated the next day.


By seeing the battlefield, the massive scope of the battle is apparent. For example, Pickett's charge was a mile wide and extended three-quarters of a mile from front to back.

The visitor center boasted a bookstore, movie theater, museum, and cafeteria. Based on the size of the parking lot, this is a popular place!















The battleground can be toured by car (with a guided CD), bus, bike, horse, or segway. The open fields and woods are filled with hundreds of monuments such as these monuments.
Some monuments honor units and some are in recognition of individual bravery.
It's also interesting to review the strategy of the battle. For example, the Union positioned itself on the high ground.

This picture shows the final Union line (the rock wall) looking out at the Confederate line (the tree line in the distance). Pickett's Charge briefly breeched the Union line here. The Confederate general Armistad was killed here behind Union lines, but the South could go no farther and was pushed back.

The South retreated the next day, July 4, 1863, over this bridge.

Another interesting point: Dwight Eisenhower bought a farm (right) in Gettysburg after WWII, and made his home here.

Watch What You Say!

Ever since the health care bill passed, politicians have continued to push their agenda of public control by complaining about how we speak. Suddenly, those who callously disregarded public opinion are now ultra-sensitive to the language of the people.

Sarah Palin was criticized for stating that certain congressional races needed to be “targeted” in the next election, and ceratin races would be in the “crosshairs”. The Statists immediately took umbrage at these war-like words.

As we did in math class, let’s suppose these sensitivities are warranted …

Then, the following would also hold true …

… it is not proper to yell “shotgun” when you want to sit in the front seat.

… it is wrong to insert “bullet” points into your presentations or papers.

… you cannot “shoot” the ball in basketball or throw the “shot”-put.

… you cannot “kill” time (better to simply waste it).

… the “Crossfire” TV show and automobile must be renamed.

… corporate “war rooms” are to be avoided.

... don't touch that caulking "gun"!

… and so on.

Clearly, this is all nonsense. It really makes one wonder about the intentions of this Congress and administration, who seem obsessed on establishing a social state in which we are fed drivel on a daily basis. I hope liberals who have traditionally supported individual rights are recognizing the anti-freedom tendencies of this group.

1,2,3...

First, there was one.

Then there were two.

Now there are three!

Celebration!

Note the verbiage on the letter pictured to the right.

The key words are "Mortgage" and "Payoff". I mailed this last Friday.

Yippee!!!

Now, look back at one of my past posts, The Checklist, and note the progress made.

Snoring

Apparently, Michael Jr is a true Rennier male. He's already snoring!

Easter

We had a great time on Sunday celebrating Easter with Mike and his evergrowing family. We attended church and then the kids had an easter egg hunt afterwards. We came home and rested for a little bit and then headed over to some friends for some greek food. It was delicious!

Here are the girls posing in their matching outfits.

Baby Michael enjoying his first Easter.

Catherine hunting eggs.

Michael slept through the excitement.

Catherine sings! Mary eats!

Mary and Catherine made a bunny cake for Easter.

We spent the night at a hotel so the girls could enjoy the indoor pool. They were both fascinated with the full length mirror and danced like ballerina's in front of it.

Baby Videos

Here he is

Enjoy!