I heard today that there are 400 billion stars in the Milky Way.
Our national budget is over $3.5 trillion.
If you took a star for every dollar the U.S. Budget Galaxy would be almost four times as large as the Milky Way.
That's not soothing.
Showing posts with label Government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Government. Show all posts
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Life, Liberty and the... I'm sorry, what was the first part?
My daughter and I were discussing our country and the idea of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
It's no fluke that Life is the first on the list... the most important, the most fundamental to our existence. Granted, when the country was founded there was some question as to the Liberty part... women could not vote, slavery was common place. But Life... well, that was a given right to all.
Or is it?
Fortunately, over the centuries our country has dealt with the unfulfilled aspects of national Liberty. Women were given the right to vote and work. Minorities were allowed to have equal civil rights and slavery was abolished. These growing pains of our nation were not easy, but necessary.
And, as it turns out, the growth in Liberty appears to have destroyed the first and third parts of the equation for others. When you look at the overall evolution of this country, only one segment of society has lost their three rights.
The unborn.
It seems odd that by rightfully expanded the role of ALL people in our society that it has, in turn, taken away the most first fundamental right to us all, Life, from the most vulnerable within our society.
Must our society be so?
Is that the cost of Life and Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness? Does that mean I am allowed to dismiss those three rights from others in order to achieve them myself?
If my Life and my Liberty and my Pursuit of Happiness means I kill a child in the womb and destroy their Life, their Liberty and their Pursuit of Happiness... is that okay?
Is that what the founders intended? I'm sure it's not.
It seems that Liberty is a two-edged sword, with the sharp blade held at the throats in the womb of the most innocent and helpless of our society. How did a country that so obviously recognized the evil of slavery embrace what is so obviously a more horrendous evil in abortion?
When did the second part of the equation erase the first and negate the third?
It's no fluke that Life is the first on the list... the most important, the most fundamental to our existence. Granted, when the country was founded there was some question as to the Liberty part... women could not vote, slavery was common place. But Life... well, that was a given right to all.
Or is it?
Fortunately, over the centuries our country has dealt with the unfulfilled aspects of national Liberty. Women were given the right to vote and work. Minorities were allowed to have equal civil rights and slavery was abolished. These growing pains of our nation were not easy, but necessary.
And, as it turns out, the growth in Liberty appears to have destroyed the first and third parts of the equation for others. When you look at the overall evolution of this country, only one segment of society has lost their three rights.
The unborn.
It seems odd that by rightfully expanded the role of ALL people in our society that it has, in turn, taken away the most first fundamental right to us all, Life, from the most vulnerable within our society.
Must our society be so?
Is that the cost of Life and Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness? Does that mean I am allowed to dismiss those three rights from others in order to achieve them myself?
If my Life and my Liberty and my Pursuit of Happiness means I kill a child in the womb and destroy their Life, their Liberty and their Pursuit of Happiness... is that okay?
Is that what the founders intended? I'm sure it's not.
It seems that Liberty is a two-edged sword, with the sharp blade held at the throats in the womb of the most innocent and helpless of our society. How did a country that so obviously recognized the evil of slavery embrace what is so obviously a more horrendous evil in abortion?
When did the second part of the equation erase the first and negate the third?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
DC Gets Into College
Dorothea has qualified and been accepted into SPC starting next year in a unique program where high-school sophomores with high grades can by-pass their junior and senior years in high-school and, instead, complete their 1st and 2nd year in college.
In two years she will receive a high-school diploma AND an AA degree. This is not dual enrollment, it's straight-up college. And it's free.
WooHoo!
We're very proud of our girl. She's extremely excited to get a jump start on her college career.
We'll have more info on it later.
In two years she will receive a high-school diploma AND an AA degree. This is not dual enrollment, it's straight-up college. And it's free.
WooHoo!
We're very proud of our girl. She's extremely excited to get a jump start on her college career.
We'll have more info on it later.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
America the Lost
There was a time in our country, about two generations ago, where there was a universal understanding that it was our responsibility to sacrifice, if necessary, so that the next generation would have a better life than our own.
For years I've been bemoaning on this blog about the increasing lack of understanding for the need of sacrifice. We've lost that. We've moved from "short term pain for long term gain" to a sense of entitlement.
We have lost our soul as a country. We have lost our identity.
Once, we were the hardest workers. The smartest minds. The land of great and real opportunity. The place where we were promised life, liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness.
We have now turned into the land of outsources workers, imported minds and a land of growing and expected entitlement. We have twisted the pursuit of happiness into a guaranteed, albeit lower, quality of life.
Worst of all, we, for the first time, have turned into a country where we are willing to sacrifice the quality of the future generations for the comforts of our own.
Case and point, the ominous "stimulus package."
First, you could easily argue that it's 1% stimulus and 99% other government spending, but be that as it may, the reality is this. To spend $900 billion, we have to do two things... we need to print more money and we need people to loan us the money.
Problem 1: The primary countries providing our loans are China and Russia.
Read that again. China and Russia.
China, the communist country which has mandated a family has one child and has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Russia, which is quickly returning to its Stalinist past with fewer freedoms and growing governmental control over their people. They are not democracies. They do not share our values. For the past century they have been our enemies.
Now, however, thanks to our own selfishness, these two countries, figuratively and literally, OWN US!
Problem 2: In these rough economic times, if China and Russia stop buying our money, then we'll have to borrow against ourselves. Which will raise inflation and/or interest rates. Which means, in very quick order a $900 billion debt turns into a $2 trillion debt.
We are basically taking out a massive national loan with a variable interest rate. That's the SAME approach that got us in the economic mess IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Sadly, these two problems are not the biggest issue at hand. No, the worst of it is this... we have become so selfish, so adverse to sacrifice, that we are willing to borrow our children, grand children and great-grand children's future. We are willing take out of their mouths, their wallets, and their quality of life to prop up our own padded lifestyle.
America the Great is quickly turning into America the Lost.
What will America look like when Russia and China demand we pay them back? What influence will that afford them in our policies, in our trade agreements, in our ability to defend ourselves?
What will America look like when our government is unable to provide quality anything to our great grandchildren because they're still paying down the debt we gave them so we could keep our two cars, our large homes, our 400 channels of cable, our broadband internet, our meals out, etc.?
Fortunately, I will not be around to see it.
When America falls or is morphed into something unrecognizable, it will not be by some great military attack. Instead, like the Grand Canyon, it will be because of the slow and steady erosion of morals and principles to the bedrock of this nation.
America will die from within because our generation, soon to be known as the Selfish Generation, was the first to think of themselves before their children.
For years I've been bemoaning on this blog about the increasing lack of understanding for the need of sacrifice. We've lost that. We've moved from "short term pain for long term gain" to a sense of entitlement.We have lost our soul as a country. We have lost our identity.
Once, we were the hardest workers. The smartest minds. The land of great and real opportunity. The place where we were promised life, liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness.
We have now turned into the land of outsources workers, imported minds and a land of growing and expected entitlement. We have twisted the pursuit of happiness into a guaranteed, albeit lower, quality of life.
Worst of all, we, for the first time, have turned into a country where we are willing to sacrifice the quality of the future generations for the comforts of our own.
Case and point, the ominous "stimulus package."
First, you could easily argue that it's 1% stimulus and 99% other government spending, but be that as it may, the reality is this. To spend $900 billion, we have to do two things... we need to print more money and we need people to loan us the money.
Problem 1: The primary countries providing our loans are China and Russia.
Read that again. China and Russia.
China, the communist country which has mandated a family has one child and has one of the worst human rights records in the world. Russia, which is quickly returning to its Stalinist past with fewer freedoms and growing governmental control over their people. They are not democracies. They do not share our values. For the past century they have been our enemies.
Now, however, thanks to our own selfishness, these two countries, figuratively and literally, OWN US!
Problem 2: In these rough economic times, if China and Russia stop buying our money, then we'll have to borrow against ourselves. Which will raise inflation and/or interest rates. Which means, in very quick order a $900 billion debt turns into a $2 trillion debt.
We are basically taking out a massive national loan with a variable interest rate. That's the SAME approach that got us in the economic mess IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Sadly, these two problems are not the biggest issue at hand. No, the worst of it is this... we have become so selfish, so adverse to sacrifice, that we are willing to borrow our children, grand children and great-grand children's future. We are willing take out of their mouths, their wallets, and their quality of life to prop up our own padded lifestyle.
America the Great is quickly turning into America the Lost.
What will America look like when Russia and China demand we pay them back? What influence will that afford them in our policies, in our trade agreements, in our ability to defend ourselves?What will America look like when our government is unable to provide quality anything to our great grandchildren because they're still paying down the debt we gave them so we could keep our two cars, our large homes, our 400 channels of cable, our broadband internet, our meals out, etc.?
Fortunately, I will not be around to see it.
When America falls or is morphed into something unrecognizable, it will not be by some great military attack. Instead, like the Grand Canyon, it will be because of the slow and steady erosion of morals and principles to the bedrock of this nation.
America will die from within because our generation, soon to be known as the Selfish Generation, was the first to think of themselves before their children.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I Thought We Were Passed This...
No matter what your political affiliation, the election of Barack Obama was a massively historic event. It showed the racial maturity of our nation.
A nation that had once enslaved blacks and denied them their constitutional rights for 100 years has, within just over 40 years of Martin Luther King, Jr., elected a black man as President of the United States.
And it's about time.
Perhaps such an event would allow the long term racial healing process to come to a conclusion. Perhaps we could now move beyond race as a divider and, instead, look at it as secondary to our role as common citizens of this wonderful country.
Such a wonderful opportunity for healing, for unity, for growth as a country.
Then why o' why would Obama's economic adviser Robert Reich state that funds of the government should exclude "white construction workers?"
Why make such a statement? Why bring race back into the conversation?
Why????
Aren't white construction workers taxpayers? Aren't they ponying up their portion of the Democratic socialist "stimulus" package?
Are you saying, Mr. Reich, that some American taxpayers are unworthy of government assistance purely because of their race?
Really?
And you work for who?
Reverse discrimination is still discrimination. Reverse disenfranchismentment is still disenfranchisement. Reverse bigotry is still bigotry. Reverse racism is still racism.
Perhaps our nation hasn't matured, but simply changed the direction of its ignorance.
A nation that had once enslaved blacks and denied them their constitutional rights for 100 years has, within just over 40 years of Martin Luther King, Jr., elected a black man as President of the United States.
And it's about time.
Perhaps such an event would allow the long term racial healing process to come to a conclusion. Perhaps we could now move beyond race as a divider and, instead, look at it as secondary to our role as common citizens of this wonderful country.
Such a wonderful opportunity for healing, for unity, for growth as a country.
Then why o' why would Obama's economic adviser Robert Reich state that funds of the government should exclude "white construction workers?"
Why make such a statement? Why bring race back into the conversation?
Why????
Aren't white construction workers taxpayers? Aren't they ponying up their portion of the Democratic socialist "stimulus" package?
Are you saying, Mr. Reich, that some American taxpayers are unworthy of government assistance purely because of their race?
Really?
And you work for who?
Reverse discrimination is still discrimination. Reverse disenfranchismentment is still disenfranchisement. Reverse bigotry is still bigotry. Reverse racism is still racism.
Perhaps our nation hasn't matured, but simply changed the direction of its ignorance.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Faith as Culture
American Christians have gotten lazy. Lazy about their faith.
This country was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs and generations of Christians have followed suit. The problem now is that we've allowed our faith to become our culture.
Why is this a problem?
Cultures change. Faith should not.
An American bishop recently said Catholics should stop treating their faith as a family tradition and, instead, treat it as a belief system. The same could be said for all of the other Christian denominations.
The cultural revolution in the 60's is a prime example of how quickly our societal beliefs can change. The sexual revolution has led to a dramatic increase in unwanted pregnancies, divorce, single parenthood, broken homes, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases and a massive influx of fatherless prisoners in our penal system.
Our faith's beliefs should remain solid, etched in hard stone, immovable, at the core of our very being.
When we allow Christianity to become our culture, it is up for grabs, to be pulled and pushed and swayed and redefined by whoever is in power.
Our faith should remain founded on eternal truths defined by the Creator that never change, no matter the political party, the economic situation or whatever perverse cravings whet the appetites of the day.
We need to reclaim Christianity as our faith and leave the cultural changes where they belong, in the public square and out of our churches.
This country was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs and generations of Christians have followed suit. The problem now is that we've allowed our faith to become our culture.
Why is this a problem?
Cultures change. Faith should not.
An American bishop recently said Catholics should stop treating their faith as a family tradition and, instead, treat it as a belief system. The same could be said for all of the other Christian denominations.
The cultural revolution in the 60's is a prime example of how quickly our societal beliefs can change. The sexual revolution has led to a dramatic increase in unwanted pregnancies, divorce, single parenthood, broken homes, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases and a massive influx of fatherless prisoners in our penal system.
Our faith's beliefs should remain solid, etched in hard stone, immovable, at the core of our very being.
When we allow Christianity to become our culture, it is up for grabs, to be pulled and pushed and swayed and redefined by whoever is in power.
Our faith should remain founded on eternal truths defined by the Creator that never change, no matter the political party, the economic situation or whatever perverse cravings whet the appetites of the day.
We need to reclaim Christianity as our faith and leave the cultural changes where they belong, in the public square and out of our churches.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Dear Anonymous
I realized something this weekend.
I've been blogging here for over three years now, putting my thoughts down, my feelings and my theories covering subjects from illness to faith to the various stupid things I do.
Recently, when I've stated some thoughts I had about Obama or the election or faith and politics, I've received some very interesting feedback in the comments section... good feedback, thought-provoking feedback, usually in opposition of my stance, but worthy of discussion, none-the-less.
However, almost all of these differing views are inputted by the vague and faceless person called Anonymous. Either the person(s) didn't want to sign up for a blogspot login or didn't want to put their real name at the bottom of the comment or they simply forgot to sign their name... whatever the reason, their viewpoint is "personless." And, in my mind, valueless.
So, from now on I'm going to ignore any comment(s) left by Anonymous based simply on the fact that my ideas have a name and a face and yours do not. As a matter of fact, I'm going to delete all future Anonymous comments left on my blog.
Hey, if you want to disagree with me, awesome! I love a good debate. That's the way my father raised me. But, if you're not willing to attach your real name to your comment, then I can only surmise that you don't really feel that strongly about it and it's not worth reading.
So, Anonymous, where ever you are, feel free to stop by and read all you want. But, if you want to participate, at least have the courage to put your real name to it.
Otherwise, don't let the virtual door hit you on your way back out to the internet.
I've been blogging here for over three years now, putting my thoughts down, my feelings and my theories covering subjects from illness to faith to the various stupid things I do.
Recently, when I've stated some thoughts I had about Obama or the election or faith and politics, I've received some very interesting feedback in the comments section... good feedback, thought-provoking feedback, usually in opposition of my stance, but worthy of discussion, none-the-less.
However, almost all of these differing views are inputted by the vague and faceless person called Anonymous. Either the person(s) didn't want to sign up for a blogspot login or didn't want to put their real name at the bottom of the comment or they simply forgot to sign their name... whatever the reason, their viewpoint is "personless." And, in my mind, valueless.
So, from now on I'm going to ignore any comment(s) left by Anonymous based simply on the fact that my ideas have a name and a face and yours do not. As a matter of fact, I'm going to delete all future Anonymous comments left on my blog.
Hey, if you want to disagree with me, awesome! I love a good debate. That's the way my father raised me. But, if you're not willing to attach your real name to your comment, then I can only surmise that you don't really feel that strongly about it and it's not worth reading.
So, Anonymous, where ever you are, feel free to stop by and read all you want. But, if you want to participate, at least have the courage to put your real name to it.
Otherwise, don't let the virtual door hit you on your way back out to the internet.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Palin Visit
Seeing a potentially historical figure in person is a rarity in life, so we took the opportunity to see Governor Sarah Palin's visit to a rally in Clearwater. I've never been to one, so I thought I should attend as well.
The morning started at 5:00 a.m. We left the house by 5:30 a.m., made it to the parking and were bused over to Coachman Park by 6:30 a.m. We got prime seats, some 10 yards away from the podium and stood around for the next three hours.
Actually, it wasn't that bad... all of the local speakers started around 7:30 - 8:00 a.m. You could tell the event was important to the GOP because everyone was there... Representative Young, Senator Martinez and Governor Crist. Governor Palin arrived and was introduced by Senator Joe Liberman.
The greatest quality Palin has is her true sincerity. She is just a very nice person. When they walked on stage and everyone was waving and yelling, you could see just how moved she was... she kept leaning over to Liberman and saying "Wow! Wow!" At one point you could actually see in her eyes just how moved she was by the large and enthusiastic turnout.
Her speech was familiar, but impassioned. She layered in off-the-cuff comments, jokes and commented how the Tampa Bay Rays were not given much of a chance to win at the beginning of the season, but they, like the McCain/Palin ticket, would surprise people in the end.
Also, as Dea pointed out, she looks even more beautiful in person. The camera doesn't do her justice.
To prove we were there, can you spot me and Dea in the pic below?
At the end of the speech she spent almost 1/2 hour signing autographs and shaking hands. At one point, she spotted a mother with a special needs child and stopped.
She held the baby in her arms and you could see her mouth to the mother, "They're all special! She'll always be special!"
It was a very sincere, touching moment.
DC was lucky enough to shake her hand as well. Gabe, however, was getting crushed, so we pulled him out and waited for everyone to make their way out.
Okay, give up finding Dea and me? Here we are...
It was a memorable and exhausting experience. I'm glad we had the chance to attend.
We'll have more pics from Dea's camera later.
The morning started at 5:00 a.m. We left the house by 5:30 a.m., made it to the parking and were bused over to Coachman Park by 6:30 a.m. We got prime seats, some 10 yards away from the podium and stood around for the next three hours.
Actually, it wasn't that bad... all of the local speakers started around 7:30 - 8:00 a.m. You could tell the event was important to the GOP because everyone was there... Representative Young, Senator Martinez and Governor Crist. Governor Palin arrived and was introduced by Senator Joe Liberman.
The greatest quality Palin has is her true sincerity. She is just a very nice person. When they walked on stage and everyone was waving and yelling, you could see just how moved she was... she kept leaning over to Liberman and saying "Wow! Wow!" At one point you could actually see in her eyes just how moved she was by the large and enthusiastic turnout.
Her speech was familiar, but impassioned. She layered in off-the-cuff comments, jokes and commented how the Tampa Bay Rays were not given much of a chance to win at the beginning of the season, but they, like the McCain/Palin ticket, would surprise people in the end.
Also, as Dea pointed out, she looks even more beautiful in person. The camera doesn't do her justice.
To prove we were there, can you spot me and Dea in the pic below?
At the end of the speech she spent almost 1/2 hour signing autographs and shaking hands. At one point, she spotted a mother with a special needs child and stopped.
She held the baby in her arms and you could see her mouth to the mother, "They're all special! She'll always be special!"It was a very sincere, touching moment.
DC was lucky enough to shake her hand as well. Gabe, however, was getting crushed, so we pulled him out and waited for everyone to make their way out.
Okay, give up finding Dea and me? Here we are...
It was a memorable and exhausting experience. I'm glad we had the chance to attend.
We'll have more pics from Dea's camera later.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Our Day in the National Spotlight (Updated)
So, sleep didn't come easy last night. We were all kinda freaked about being on national television on Fox News. We knew our actual time would be short, but instead of comforting us, that made things a little more intense because you have no time to elaborate or to fix it if you misspoke.
Pressure.
So, we got up early and were expected to be picked up around 11:15 a.m. It was funny, because when Dea was on the phone talking with the Fox News producer, Michael, he asked if we wanted a car to pick us up. Dea's response, "Gas at $4 a gallon? You bet!"
We got a call around ten a.m. from Michael telling us that we were being pushed back to 2:40 p.m. and that the driver would pick us up around 1:00 p.m. He would drive us to WEDU in Tampa where we would do our interview remotely.
We also found out, at that time, that they wanted the kids on the show too. So, we prepped them about what to expect and to keep their answers short and positive.
On our way to WEDU.
The driver arrived, a very nice man who also plays the bass for the Florida Symphony, and we headed over to WEDU. After arriving we all had our turn in the make-up chair and we were told we were moving up from 2:40 to 2:20.
Dea looking pretty.
The room got really quiet. We all silently entered freaked out mode. All moisture from my mouth evaporated in an instant and all coherent thoughts dissipated into the ether.
DC getting some make-up applied.
We were rushed into the studio and put into our seats. We were given an ear plug to hear the hosts from Fox and lav mics attached to our shirts. And we waited.
The time was 2:10 and were to be on in ten minutes. We all said a quick prayer, asking the Lord to keep us calm and that we would make Him proud. And we waited.
Gabe and I await our turn
to get made all pretty.
Over our head phones we could hear the broadcast up in New York. The show, Live Desk, is a "breaking news" show, very informal and as action packed as a news show can get. So, while we're waiting there, praying that we weren't going to spontaneously combust on national television and become a you tube viral video, in our ears we kept hearing...
"Breaking news! Parts of LAX have been evacuated! A man claiming to be a terrorist and having a bomb has been arrested!"
"Breaking news! An affidavit has been disclosed showing that it appears a young teen actually assisted the Uncle in luring missing 12 year old Brooke Bennett to set up a rendezvous with Uncle with the intent of having sex."
"Breaking news! Video is now coming in of a Palestinian man who used an earth mover to create havoc and terror in Israel!"
"Breaking news! The divorce of Christie Brinkley is heating up with claims about her husband, a mistress and internet porn!"
And this went on and on and on. The entire time I kept thinking about that poor Bennett family having to deal with the horrendous events unfolding in regards to their missing daughter. How horrid. And how unnecessary our little interview had suddenly become.
We continued to wait, ready to speak, expecting our three minute interview to begin at any moment. We got pushed back to 2:40. Then to 2:50. The show ends at 3:00 p.m., so we thought we may even get bumped. Finally the producer came over the headset and said that we were coming up next and that they didn't have a lot of time left.
We said we understood and promised to keep our answers short.
The funniest thing is that, during the commercial breaks, the audio from Fox goes silent. So, after all of these 'breaking news' events and the promise that we were up next, the next thing we heard was silence.
And it was unnerving. I said "I never thought silence could be so fear inducing!" Everyone laughed and then we heard the promo with our family start.
We all propped up and the interview began. The hostess, Martha MacCallum, began the interview asking Dea (pronouncing her name Day-ah, not Dee-ah... but that's okay) about homeschooling. She then asked me about something about keeping kids positive and I said the first thing that came to my mind. Then she asked DC about home schooling and performing arts high school. DC did her best, trying very hard not to say anything that would offend the home schoolers or the public schoolers.
On the WEDU set. Just before we
were supposed to get on the air.
Martha said a joke about Mom (Dea) apparently not being able to teach performing arts because DC was in school for that and we all had a good laugh.
And then it was over.
Gabe didn't get a question, as was intended, because they just ran out of time.
And that was it. Our moment on national television was over.
We had it on DVR at home. We got a copy from WEDU. And we all got into the car feeling we just made complete arses of ourselves.
As we were driven home, the adrenaline rush finally collapsed and we all sunk into our seats, suddenly exhausted. Cell phones began to ring. Text messages were flooding in. Everyone was excited. We were cautious. We didn't know if people thought we really did well or they just said that because we were their family and friends.
DC gets her name all by herself!
When we got home we plopped the DVD into the player and watched with half-closed eyes, sure we had made complete fools of ourselves.
Fortunately, it turned out we did pretty well, all things considered. It was intimidating and completely surreal, but we all took it as a big adventure.
Who would have thought that a simple vacation to NY would evolve into this promo and this interview. Now, we find ourselves on numerous Fox News promos.
It's all pretty cool. And it will end this weekend, as the entire Real American Stories promo is focused on the fourth of July.
The interview ended on a good note.
So, the entire event has been memorable and exciting. And we're glad and blessed to have been able to speak highly of home schooling on national television. What a great time!
It just goes to show you that you never, ever REALLY know which path your life will take. We enjoyed this little excursion off the main road on the rarely used path of national exposure.
It is something we'll never forget, that's for certain!
Pressure.
So, we got up early and were expected to be picked up around 11:15 a.m. It was funny, because when Dea was on the phone talking with the Fox News producer, Michael, he asked if we wanted a car to pick us up. Dea's response, "Gas at $4 a gallon? You bet!"
We got a call around ten a.m. from Michael telling us that we were being pushed back to 2:40 p.m. and that the driver would pick us up around 1:00 p.m. He would drive us to WEDU in Tampa where we would do our interview remotely.
We also found out, at that time, that they wanted the kids on the show too. So, we prepped them about what to expect and to keep their answers short and positive.
On our way to WEDU.The driver arrived, a very nice man who also plays the bass for the Florida Symphony, and we headed over to WEDU. After arriving we all had our turn in the make-up chair and we were told we were moving up from 2:40 to 2:20.
Dea looking pretty.The room got really quiet. We all silently entered freaked out mode. All moisture from my mouth evaporated in an instant and all coherent thoughts dissipated into the ether.
DC getting some make-up applied.We were rushed into the studio and put into our seats. We were given an ear plug to hear the hosts from Fox and lav mics attached to our shirts. And we waited.
The time was 2:10 and were to be on in ten minutes. We all said a quick prayer, asking the Lord to keep us calm and that we would make Him proud. And we waited.
Gabe and I await our turnto get made all pretty.
Over our head phones we could hear the broadcast up in New York. The show, Live Desk, is a "breaking news" show, very informal and as action packed as a news show can get. So, while we're waiting there, praying that we weren't going to spontaneously combust on national television and become a you tube viral video, in our ears we kept hearing...
"Breaking news! Parts of LAX have been evacuated! A man claiming to be a terrorist and having a bomb has been arrested!"
"Breaking news! An affidavit has been disclosed showing that it appears a young teen actually assisted the Uncle in luring missing 12 year old Brooke Bennett to set up a rendezvous with Uncle with the intent of having sex."
"Breaking news! Video is now coming in of a Palestinian man who used an earth mover to create havoc and terror in Israel!"
"Breaking news! The divorce of Christie Brinkley is heating up with claims about her husband, a mistress and internet porn!"
And this went on and on and on. The entire time I kept thinking about that poor Bennett family having to deal with the horrendous events unfolding in regards to their missing daughter. How horrid. And how unnecessary our little interview had suddenly become.
We continued to wait, ready to speak, expecting our three minute interview to begin at any moment. We got pushed back to 2:40. Then to 2:50. The show ends at 3:00 p.m., so we thought we may even get bumped. Finally the producer came over the headset and said that we were coming up next and that they didn't have a lot of time left.
We said we understood and promised to keep our answers short.
The funniest thing is that, during the commercial breaks, the audio from Fox goes silent. So, after all of these 'breaking news' events and the promise that we were up next, the next thing we heard was silence.
And it was unnerving. I said "I never thought silence could be so fear inducing!" Everyone laughed and then we heard the promo with our family start.
We all propped up and the interview began. The hostess, Martha MacCallum, began the interview asking Dea (pronouncing her name Day-ah, not Dee-ah... but that's okay) about homeschooling. She then asked me about something about keeping kids positive and I said the first thing that came to my mind. Then she asked DC about home schooling and performing arts high school. DC did her best, trying very hard not to say anything that would offend the home schoolers or the public schoolers.
On the WEDU set. Just before we were supposed to get on the air.
Martha said a joke about Mom (Dea) apparently not being able to teach performing arts because DC was in school for that and we all had a good laugh.
And then it was over.
Gabe didn't get a question, as was intended, because they just ran out of time.
And that was it. Our moment on national television was over.
We had it on DVR at home. We got a copy from WEDU. And we all got into the car feeling we just made complete arses of ourselves.
As we were driven home, the adrenaline rush finally collapsed and we all sunk into our seats, suddenly exhausted. Cell phones began to ring. Text messages were flooding in. Everyone was excited. We were cautious. We didn't know if people thought we really did well or they just said that because we were their family and friends.
DC gets her name all by herself!When we got home we plopped the DVD into the player and watched with half-closed eyes, sure we had made complete fools of ourselves.
Fortunately, it turned out we did pretty well, all things considered. It was intimidating and completely surreal, but we all took it as a big adventure.
Who would have thought that a simple vacation to NY would evolve into this promo and this interview. Now, we find ourselves on numerous Fox News promos.
It's all pretty cool. And it will end this weekend, as the entire Real American Stories promo is focused on the fourth of July.
The interview ended on a good note.So, the entire event has been memorable and exciting. And we're glad and blessed to have been able to speak highly of home schooling on national television. What a great time!
It just goes to show you that you never, ever REALLY know which path your life will take. We enjoyed this little excursion off the main road on the rarely used path of national exposure.
It is something we'll never forget, that's for certain!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
We're On National Television... Seriously
As most of you remember, when on vacation in NY we were interviewed by Fox News about America.
The end result is that we are part of their Real American Stories initiative. We're in the intro video on the Introduction page. If you click the My Story link and scroll down a bit, you can watch our entire piece.
It's really pretty cool. You'll also see us in promos on Fox News leading up to July 4th.
What's even cooler is they want to interview us on Fox News live tomorrow afternoon sometime between 1 - 3 p.m.! National television. If I can keep from soiling myself from fear, it should be a pretty cool experience.
I'll either be brilliant or in a fetal position under my chair. Turn in tomorrow to find out which one!
The end result is that we are part of their Real American Stories initiative. We're in the intro video on the Introduction page. If you click the My Story link and scroll down a bit, you can watch our entire piece.
It's really pretty cool. You'll also see us in promos on Fox News leading up to July 4th.What's even cooler is they want to interview us on Fox News live tomorrow afternoon sometime between 1 - 3 p.m.! National television. If I can keep from soiling myself from fear, it should be a pretty cool experience.
I'll either be brilliant or in a fetal position under my chair. Turn in tomorrow to find out which one!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
NEWS FLASH: Media Biased!
Okay, so it's not so much of a news flash as it is a statement of fact.
Here's a prime example. A few months ago Mike Huckabee, a Christian pastor, got raked over the proverbial coals for having a subliminal figure of a cross in the background during a Christmas message.
A pastor having an image of a cross during a Christmas message???? NO!!! How could he??? What was he thinking???
Flash forward to last week.
Barack Obama gives a speech justifying gay marriage by quoting Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and stating we should ignore the "obscure" passage by St. Paul about homosexuality.
And what of the media outrage? Surely a non-pastor selectively picking from the bible to leap across to a volatile subject such as gay marriage would generate some intense media buzz!
Crickets. That's all you hear. Crickets.
Besides the fact that there are more than just this "obscure" statement in the bible about homosexuality which illuminate quite clearly the early church's feelings about it and besides the fact that Obama conveniently excluded the direct quote from Jesus about a man and a woman becoming one flesh in marriage, the silence from the media outlets is stunning and a perfect example of complete media bias.
You can read a very good analysis over at One News Now.
Whether you're for gay marriage or not, such blatant bias in coverage of critical political issues should be a concern for every American, no matter which gender with whom you prefer to bed down. Because at some point, that moral compass will be pointing in a direction with which you don't identify and you'll expect the media to show some centrist opinion.
Yeah, good luck with that.
I still believe this country is the best country in the world. What saddens me most is that we've stopped raising the bar and are, instead, sliding quickly toward second place.
We used to be a beacon of truth and opportunity. Now we're an example of selective relativism and moral confusion.
Come to America... we stand for nothing.
Here's a prime example. A few months ago Mike Huckabee, a Christian pastor, got raked over the proverbial coals for having a subliminal figure of a cross in the background during a Christmas message.
A pastor having an image of a cross during a Christmas message???? NO!!! How could he??? What was he thinking???Flash forward to last week.
Barack Obama gives a speech justifying gay marriage by quoting Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and stating we should ignore the "obscure" passage by St. Paul about homosexuality.
And what of the media outrage? Surely a non-pastor selectively picking from the bible to leap across to a volatile subject such as gay marriage would generate some intense media buzz!Crickets. That's all you hear. Crickets.
Besides the fact that there are more than just this "obscure" statement in the bible about homosexuality which illuminate quite clearly the early church's feelings about it and besides the fact that Obama conveniently excluded the direct quote from Jesus about a man and a woman becoming one flesh in marriage, the silence from the media outlets is stunning and a perfect example of complete media bias.
You can read a very good analysis over at One News Now.
Whether you're for gay marriage or not, such blatant bias in coverage of critical political issues should be a concern for every American, no matter which gender with whom you prefer to bed down. Because at some point, that moral compass will be pointing in a direction with which you don't identify and you'll expect the media to show some centrist opinion.
Yeah, good luck with that.
I still believe this country is the best country in the world. What saddens me most is that we've stopped raising the bar and are, instead, sliding quickly toward second place.
We used to be a beacon of truth and opportunity. Now we're an example of selective relativism and moral confusion.
Come to America... we stand for nothing.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
How to Fix Government Spending
A co-worker and I were discussing government waste and that they shouldn't ask for a dime more of our money until they've fixed how to spend the money we already pay them in taxes. Through this conversation we came up with a very simple way for every single American to become immediate watchdogs of government spending.
Profit Sharing.
At my company we receive profit sharing checks every six months. A small percentage of the overall profit of the company is paid to every employee. This effects our decisions and behavior in the workplace. If fellow employees see waste, you'll often hear someone say "stop wasting our profit sharing."
Well, how different would our nation be if every citizen over 18 years of age were to receive a profit sharing check for every time our tax income surpassed our tax expenditures. I'm certain people would become increasingly diligent not only on current government waste, but the passage of bills, entitlements or tariffs that would decrease our ability to "turn a profit."
Another simple way to make people see this waste is to no longer allow taxes to be automatically deducted from our paycheck. If people had to personally write a check for the amount of taxes they currently pay, they would immediately demand change. But, since we don't see money we don't feel its absence.
Just a few simple ideas that could change everything in a hurry.
Unfortunately, both ideas would move power from the politicians to the average citizen... so they'll never happen.
Profit Sharing.
At my company we receive profit sharing checks every six months. A small percentage of the overall profit of the company is paid to every employee. This effects our decisions and behavior in the workplace. If fellow employees see waste, you'll often hear someone say "stop wasting our profit sharing."
Well, how different would our nation be if every citizen over 18 years of age were to receive a profit sharing check for every time our tax income surpassed our tax expenditures. I'm certain people would become increasingly diligent not only on current government waste, but the passage of bills, entitlements or tariffs that would decrease our ability to "turn a profit."
Another simple way to make people see this waste is to no longer allow taxes to be automatically deducted from our paycheck. If people had to personally write a check for the amount of taxes they currently pay, they would immediately demand change. But, since we don't see money we don't feel its absence.
Just a few simple ideas that could change everything in a hurry.
Unfortunately, both ideas would move power from the politicians to the average citizen... so they'll never happen.
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