Guess what?

IT WORKS!

I could not have believed it if I hadn’t tried it myself. I’ve never slept better. I’ve never been happier about other things in my life, that maybe before seemed to be overshadowed by this deep and dark hate and disdain I have for ALL of our government (not just the Libs).

I’m going to continue. Barring anything HUGE that is really life/country-altering, I’m staying out of the game. I’m working on some new topics to post on in regards to music and technology (which this site has been lacking).

Anyway – there you go! Take care, folks.

-jw

So as a general social experiment, be it biased as it’s conducted and based solely on me, I will try to refrain from really getting involved in or reading too much of anything regarding the current political climate and events.

See how my life changes. See how my health changes.

The United States was attacked. Three-thousand lives were lost on September 11th, 2001. The root? Muslim-based anti-american extremism. Personally I don’t feel like it was the worst of it.

Muslim’s build their mosque’s where they can claim “victory” or a successful “takeover” of an area or population with muslim influence.

Let me be very clear, and speak for the sentiment for those fallen in the twin-towers:

“Build a mosque. We will burn it to the ground. If one more American passes because of muslim influence. Mecca will burn to the ground. We will turn your cities to glass. America will stand up. Our liberal citizens have no idea what they’re talking about. Make your move, folks. We’ll be waiting…retaliation in hand.” -anonymous

-jw

—follow up—-

The fact that this post has ruffled so many feathers pleases me. Whether you believe me to be  racist, sick, twisted, blood-thirsty or just plain wrong…it pleases me that everyone has at least SOME conviction about this. Site traffic today was 560% over normal. That’s impressive. Heated debate, or outright rants, and me ending up on everyones hate list aside…thank you for your participation. I post to rant. I post to vent. Funny to  me that so many have been offended.

My 1′st Amendment right served me well today…in both respects.

• Canon 40D Body – $700
• Canon BG-E2N Battery Grip w/Batteries – $200
• Canon7D Body – $1,500
• Sigma 10-20 EX DC HSM – $530
• Canon 70-200 f/4L w/ Hoya Circular Polarizer – $600
• Canon 50mm f/1.8 – $115
• Canon 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS – $325
• Canon 18-55 f/3.5-56 IS – $100
• Canon 430EXII Speed Light Flash - $300
• Gary Fong Puffer (stock flash diffuser) – $15
• Lowerpro Slingshot 202AW Camera Bag- $50

I’m trying to get back into playing music on a regular basis, and getting back to my roots and playing drums. So I need a drum kit. So selling all of this will service that.

A little info: The 7D has probably 500 clicks on the shutter. The 40D probably has in the range of 2 – 3K clicks on the shutter. All of my gear is in MINT or Like-New condition. I feel the prices are fair. Thanks!

-First and foremost, I’M GETTING MARRIED. I’m marrying the girl of my dreams, and the best friend I could have found.

-However, another great thing is we’ll be voting out all of these COMPLETELY dense and out-of-touch retards in congress! IT’S GOING TO BE A BLOOD BATH (at the polls).

-Also Thanksgiving is in November (it’s my favorite holiday)

that is all.

-jw

Or should I say I’m GOING to be playing music again. A good friend of mine from another (defunct) band here in town are going to start playing soon. Me on drums! (REALLY excited about that).

I only post this as sort of a means to hold me to it. I’ve had other opportunities to play here and there, and I haven’t really stuck to any of them. For the sake of me coming out of my shell (again) and really expressing myself though music, I’m posting this for everyone to see, and to hold me to it.

I am so excited I could scream. More to come.

-jw

I for one, don’t believe in the food stamp program. For me it’s still the “socialist” thing to do. Give to people who can’t provide for themselves. When a report from (I believe) CNN about 4 months ago (correct me if I’m wrong) showed that more than 90% of ILLEGAL immigrants are participating in the food stamp program.

Anyway – My head is spinning here. I don’t know where to get traction. I feel like this country, namely its congress and white house are quickly spinning out of control.

At the human level I am DISGUSTED by the fact that congress is robbing close to 12billion dollars from the food stamp program to basically “bail out” teachers who lost their jobs.

On the other hand, I’m happy they’re trying to save more jobs. – however, back to the other hand…WHY ARE WE STILL SPENDING MONEY LIKE IT GROWS ON TREES?!

Another part of me thinks, GREAT take away the food stamps from these illegal immigrants who aren’t paying taxes to begin with.

I’m just so disgusted by almost EVERYTHING that’s going on with our country right now.

-Illegals are pouring in by the thousands. (and our congress does nothing)
-A state tries to defend its border and gets sued by OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?!
-We’re spending more money than even our great-grandchildren can afford.
-We’re involved in a seemingly endless war (new reports are that we’ll need to be there until 2020)
-Our president and family are out taking LAVISH vacations that cost taxpayers $75k/day. 
-The stock market can’t find its footing.
-Our health care system is slowly moving towards a UK-style system (which even they are back peddling on) 
-Gun rights are being challenged on an hourly basis by anyone who doesn’t understand the real reason for owning and carrying a gun.

I’m grossed out, folks.

-jw

EDIT 8/12: They aren’t bailing out teachers…it’s the teachers UNIONS! Gag me.

The trip was fun (as always), aside from me fighting some awkward multi-symptom “illness”. I’m getting a cold, so all the congestion is there. I’ve also been on-again off-again nauseous. Been like that for days. No idea what’s going on.

Anyway – I will probably add more to this post with additions etc – but I wanted this blog post to be kind of a static and editable diary of my trip down here. More to come folks

——————-

Monday, July 12

So I’m still recovering from the sunburn I received yesterday. I was in too much of a hurry in my preparation for swimming here at Yvonne’s family’s pool. I have burned far worse than this in the past, however, this sunburn seems to be really hurting in areas of my shoulders/back where it hasn’t previously been an issue. Kinda sucks.

Anyway – things are well. I’m relaxing. I’m relaxing a lot. Yesterday there was a multi-family 8 hour party. We drank a lot. I don’t think anyone got hammered, but in eight hours, the like 10 of us (who were drinking) drank a large volume of alcohol. That combined with my sunburn…I was VERY tired last night.

Anyway – I’m very much looking forward to the week of relaxing ahead of me. I know we’ll make our yearly pilgrimage to Joe’s Crab Shack in Destin, FL – and hopefully one day this week we’ll get to the beach…though I  hope it’s as the sun’s going down because, as I said, I am BURNT.

More to come. -jw

——————

Okay – so it’s WEEKS later. I just needed to follow this thing up. Florida was fun. Very different. Fun none the less. The emptiness shared by all of us due to the lack of a Col. Richard S. Briggs was staggering at times. He wasn’t even my own grandfather – but I missed him. I missed him a lot. He was such a character, so funny…and a great man. He will be missed, because he already is.

On a lighter note, we met some AWESOME people down there. Kamoi, Ashley and Jesse. Those three were like Family from the get go. Really awesome. I hate that I don’t live down there and can’t spend time with them. I miss them a lot already.

Anyway – to sum it up. BP can try their darndest to mess up Florida, but they can’t kill the spirit, and the feeling of being on the gulf coast. I LOVE FLORIDA!

There are really no words to describe my joy.

That is all.

-jw

That term that most people use “dodge the bullet” – as in “Man, I really dodged a bullet there” in reference to not participating in an activity or what-have-you that ended badly.

As we’ve seen, unless you’re in the matrix, and you have some computer-”agent” shooting bullets at you, it’s gotta be pretty hard to dodge a bullet. I mean unless it’s point blank.

Seriously – shouldn’t the saying be something more like “dodged the bullet TRAIN” – I mean come ON! If you’re on the tracks and the bullet train is coming – you’re screwed, and if you dodged that thing – than you REALLY DID get out of something big.

RANDOM THOUGHTS, JUNE 24TH 2010

-jw

I’ve also heard “I’m going to boycott BP” – how? You’re going to stop buying gas from gas stations that have the BP logo on them? Why would you do that? If there’s a BP you regularly get gas from, why boycott them? Why punish the little guy? Why punish the little gas station that is privately owned. Are you so naive that you think those individual stations are owned by BP? “Boycotting” BP doesn’t mean anything. It won’t fix the mess in the gulf, and it won’t help BP not burn alive in this crisis. More than likely this crisis will bankrupt that company.

What you  SHOULD be concerned about is the current administration giving THAT PARTICULAR RIG a safety award. Be it Obama and his constituents or a bi-partisan group, this CURRENT administration (not the previous) is responsible for rewarding that very rig with a safety award. Where were the inspections?

On top of that – why in THE HELL are we drilling a mile below the surface? That stuff needs to stop. Now.

What needs to happen:

1. First and foremost – STOP THE LEAK.

2. Clean up the mess

3. Introduce new restrictions on where you can drill. – I’m not talking about federalizing oil drilling. I’m not talking about some major government group that actually does the drilling – I’m talking about, a group that just says “you can drill here, and you can’t drill there” – that’s all. Maybe it’s something the U.N. (for what it’s worth – which isn’t much) should look at. I don’t know. Since this can and has caused MAJOR environmental issues in the past, in the present, and I’m sure it will in the future.

Here’s the bottom line folks. You can be as mad as you want at BP or the big oil companies. You can be as angry as a swarm of bees…BUT:

IF YOU DRIVE A CAR, YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM!

This plays right into what I’ve always said, and thought. The United States does not have a transportation system in place to support even a modest-cut in gasoline/oil spending. It would mean the loss of jobs in: the oil companies. the folks who work on the rigs. the folks who run the tanker ships. the freight/transit companies that transport the oil. the companies that refine the oil. the gas companies (distributors) that deliver to the service stations. the service stations. More than that, you’re talking about more car companies going the way of GM. They’ll need to get bailed about because they’ve banked their markets and products on domestic and foreign oil.

Folks there isn’t an easy answer. Yes, everyone (including myself) would agree we should begin SOME sort of relief process of pulling back maybe .5% a year of our domestic oil usage. You know – so that in 20 years maybe we’ll be using 10% less. I dunno maybe even that’s too adventurous. The key here is, there’s no one solution. There’s no way to point the finger at any one company or individual.

I won’t point the finger at Barack Obama, because he didn’t cause this issue. I won’t point the finger at BP because they didn’t cause this issue. Many contributed to the cause. More than anything, it’s our lifestyles. Myself included. I need gas for my Honda so I can go to work, and have a life. I’m guilty. If you own a car or drive a car, you too are guilty.

Stop with the name calling – lets band together, and fix this problem. Let’s support instead of point fingers. Because when your fingers get tired, the oil will still be spewing.

Good day. -jw

Missing the flexible and creative unit, known as a band, is a hard thing to shake. For those of you who don’t understand it – the only real and relatable “next best thing” to the band, is brother and sisters. Your blood, brothers and sisters. Not your “bros” or your “sistas” – I’m talking real family. There’s some correlation there and let me explain.

What you do as brothers and sisters:

You grow up together. So naturally you learn the unspoken things about your siblings. You learn the anger and annoying buttons to push, you find the boundaries and the open ranges. You experience life together. You live in the same house (generally), you eat the same foods, you start to enjoy and like the same things, because you share most of what you have. You know the same people, you sleep in the same general areas. You enjoy the fun times, and hate the bad times. All the same, you love and hate those times as a unit. As brothers or sisters. You create things. I remember creating forts, and playing games and drawing etc. etc. as a kid, with my sister. We had a blast. Sometimes we argued. Sometimes we fought. In conclusion you learn to know almost everything about your brothers and sisters.

On to now. What you do as members of a functioning (and touring) band:

You grow up together. To explain this I mean, that you had to start somewhere. Meaning you didn’t just meet up as a group and start playing fantastic coherent music from day one. You had to mature. You had to experience sucking, so you could get better. As individuals we slowly learned the buttons to push to annoy each other (intentionally or not), the right buttons to anger each other, and even the ones to lift one another up…make joy out of the relationship. Now not all bands have this, but we did (mostly) live together. All but one of us lived in the same house during the busiest and most prolific era of the band. So in turn, we ate the same foods (cause we shared), we slept in the same general area, and we enjoyed some very fun times, and some very bad times. We did them together, as a unit. Let me tell you, touring, and even weekend-stint tours can be even worse than living with a sibling for a year. When you’re crammed into a 15 passenger van with four of your best friends, and their friends (meaning yours too), things can get touchy. As a family. We created things. Those things were songs. They were performances. We had hard times, and great times, but I look back at them all and think, that was a blast! Just like the time with my sister growing up. We argued, and we fought. I knew almost everything about my bandmates…my brothers.

So missing the band is far more than missing the music. I miss the brothers. I miss the times. I miss the music, too. I find myself, sometimes once a week listening to the rough recordings we had, and at the time we thought were crap, and now I listen and I hear so much potential. I wish that I had been provided the means to stay with that group, and grow even further, and maybe take it further as a group. I miss writing music. I loved our style, I loved our eclectic music. I think others did too.

It’s been the better part of a year since I left that band. I can’t shake what I lost. I miss it.

The Obama administration has stated that they have been involved and strategizing about relief efforts since “day one.” Mr. Obama has stated time and time again that this will “not be his administrations hurricane Katrina.” What arrogance! Who is he to dictate whether this is “his” natural disaster to be burdened with in his administration? What an arrogant prick. He’s shoved off ideas that ANYone inside the republican party had any good ideas, and that his administration had been at this all along, and they have had all the answers. I mean they’re not owning it. They’re the ones who (because there’s ONE problem on one of hundreds of off-shore oil rigs in the world) are calling “foul” and saying that no one has taken responsibility in reprimanding or exercising serious control over these drilling agencies. LIKE THE FEDS KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT DRILLING FOR OIL!

This administration seems to be hell bent on increasing the prices at the pump. Now Obama is pointing the big bad finger at BP, and he’s been the one who’s received the most money from them.

“Mr. Obama received a total of $77,051 from the oil giant and is the top recipient of BP PAC and individual money over the past 20 years, according to financial disclosure records.” (emptysuit, opensecrets.org)

Do you think for even a MILLISECOND that he’ll give back that campaign/palm-greasing money? No freaking way. He’ll bite the hand that feeds him ANY day if it will buy him liquid political capital. The man is a snake.

Now he wants to halt all research and all off-shore drilling procedures for at least six months while there’s a full investigation and so he can pass some new legislature on how us taxpayers need to fund another government entity to oversee offshore drilling. Look I’m game for that, as long as we can drill in Alaska. Compromise there you Chicago-tained S.O.B.

Even further complete idiots like Chris Dodd do what democrats/liberals do best. We don’t really have a real answer, so instead of being an upright citizen/public servant (puke), they’ll just point the finger and say that George W. Bush’s administration and Dick Cheney are the problem here. Check out this video here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7uGEW5IPG8

I really never enjoy nor like Don Imus, but I’m with him. What are they thinking?!

Mistakes happen folks. What would happen if every time a child made a mistake in life, their parents created another rule to control their lives. By the time the child was of age to move out, he’d be neutered. He’d be void of any decision making, he’d be void of any type of personality, not to mention no real sense of self. That’s what the big government does to business, and that’s what the big government does to people. They remove the responsibility by instituting a “marshall-law” of sorts for how we live…folks, quit crying about being a socialist nation. We already are.

This thing is just sick. No matter how you spin it. BP messed up. Slap them on the hand, and let them continue drilling. My ULEV Honda Accord needs gas. My lawn won’t mow itself. The oil change I need in a few weeks needs to happen. Mr. Obama messed up. It’s just stupid.

Want to see live footage of what’s going on a mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. Go here (requires Windows Media Player): BP Live Coverage

That is all. -jw

It’s a far greater thing than most realize. I find most that loved 24 often thought of Jack as a hero. Though his interrogation tactics on the show were mostly barbaric, he always got what he needed for the country. I find it funny that a large viewing audience (far larger than the season finale of Friends and Seinfeld combined) idolized this man, yet turned their backs on our own country interrogating the very things that were dramatized in this series.

I believe some of Barack Obama’s success is on the heels of President Palmer from 24. We all loved him. His grace. His strength, and I think a lot of us (if not all of us) mourned his death, be it fictional. If you think about it, is it really so far fetched?

This show gripped my heart. Even in the last season, the most gruesome and violent season of 24, I was captivated and enthralled at what was before my eyes.

24 was entertainment. 24 was an escape from our world, into a much more frightening world, Jack Bauer’s. However with Jack on the case, and taking no prisoners, we felt safe if not at ease.

Why can we not have this kind of faith in our own REAL system? Why can we find so much comfort in the confines of our television screen, but none in our elected officials? Is there some truth to the depth and endless corruption in our government that was dramatically depicted on the show? Or was it under dramatized? I believe the latter.

I pray for this country nightly. Daily. I pray that there exists a real Jack Bauer in our country. A man who stands for strength, truth and America.

Goodnight. -jw

I really love reliving the things that I already know, and I already feel. Last night I listened to a song I’ve listened to a hundred times before it’s called “How He Loves” and it’s by John Mark McMillan…NOT  David Crowder. David Crowder covered the song and changed a lyric or two. I personally feel the song was absolutely perfect in the form it arrived on “The Song Inside The Sounds Of Breaking Down” record from John Mark McMillan. – That’s not to say that David Crowder doesn’t rock, or that his version isn’t good – but I just feel the orginial is best.

Anyway, John Mark wrote this song after a good friend and ministry parter was killed I believe in a car accident. He was young, and it was such a shock…and this is the song that came out of that tragedy and agony that John felt.

“How He Loves” by John Mark McMillan

Verse 1:

He is jealous for me. Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy

When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory

And I realise just how beautiful You are

And how great Your affections are for me

Pre-Chorus:

And oh, how He loves us so

Oh how He loves us

How He loves us all

Chorus 1:

Yeah, He loves us

Whoa! how He loves us

Whoa! how He loves us

Whoa! how He loves

Verse 2:

We are His portion and He is our prize

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes

If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking

So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest

I don’t have time to maintain these regrets

When I think about, the way…

Chorus 2:

He loves us

Whoa! how He loves us

Whoa! how He loves us

Oh how He loves

Verse 3:

Well, I thought about You the day Stephen died

And You met me between my breaking

I know that I still love You, God, despite the agony

…they want to tell me You’re cruel

But if Stephen could sing, he’d say it’s not true, cause…

Chorus 3:

Cause He loves us

Whoa! how He loves us

Whoa! how He loves us

Whoa! how He loves…

This all comes at a point in my life where I’ve been through some stressful weeks, and I’ve seen joy and happiness and I’ve seen depression and loneliness. As of last night I was very on the up and up, and I heard this song – and it reminded me that even when the worst of the worst happens, when I’m at my end, when I’ve met with great loss and great despair, I must rejoice and know that “He loves us”. I don’t know that I understand that. I hope I don’t have to go through what John Mark did, but I’d like to think and hope that I can make it through it, how he did…praising God for His love and grace on my life.

This passage to my recollection is about the figure Lucifer or as we all know him, the devil or satan. It’s speaks very loudly to the pride and assuming nature of the ‘the beast’ – the all-in-one evil that surrounds us and is apparent to our social fabric. You cannot escape the presence or temptation of Lucifer, the devil – evil, what have you.

There’s a song that speaks I believe straight out of that passage. I know many who read this aren’t into really heavy music, however there’s a song that sings straight to this point, it’s called “Son of the Morning” by Oh, Sleeper. In the Chorus’s there’s an estimated (from the writers perspective) response from God on his (Lucifer) words/pride. I think it’s excellent. If you can stand listening to an extremely heavy song for 3 minutes (though I love this band), and follow along with the lyrics – I’m sure you’ll get chills as I do from time to time when I hear this song.

It brings home the very real presence and persuasion the influence of evil has on our every day lives, and the motive behind that evil.

“Son Of The Morning”
by Oh, Sleeper

*the lines in bold are “God’s responses”

Let me know what you think – have a listen – or if you already have, tell me what you think.

My father just spoke about Idols on sunday, and anything that deals with idols always comes back to “me” – and the largest “me” obsession turns into pride, even led Lucifer to believe he could ascend higher than God.

I was blown away. I had yet to attend an organized Tea Party event until today. I was greated by calm and collected individuals, who much like me are very concerned about the direction of our country and the direction of our state and local government.

The event kicked off with a prayer by a local minister. That was awesome. One nation UNDER GOD, and that’s who we prayed (for blessing) to. We then heard the National Anthem, where almost if not EVERYONE joined in and sang. Court square was filled with song, about our great nation. Followed by that was the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Which was most appropriate because we were all pledging our allegiance to this great country and the prosperity of its future.

Never in the last few years have I felt more in tune with a group of people. It wasn’t that I was surrounded by like-minded folk, it was the fact that we were banding together. It wasn’t for popularity. If you read any of the newspapers you’ll see that even our own president dislikes us. So it’s incredibly unpopular. It’s not for political gain. As 99% of the attendees are there because they want their voices heard. We’re not politicians, and most of us don’t want to be. It’s about the old days. “DON’T TREAD ON ME!” – I saw so many of those flags, and it really means something to us.

Now, the problem here is that there strolls up our city “Mayor” (basically he got more votes than his other constituents, and thus he gets the figurehead position of mayor), Kai Degner. First off let me say that he’s a very friendly guy. I actually lived in the same house he lived in (after he did of course) when starting and running The Orange Band (a political awareness group). He showed up during his grassroots campaign as we were doing some work on the house, and he walked up and spoke to us for a while. I had met him once before but he didn’t remember. (no big deal) Anyway – so I have to say he’s a nice guy, with what he thinks are great intentions.

However rolling over to kaidegner.com, I read his bio. It’s a joke. It’s paragraph after paragraph of “talks.” Of groups he’s organized to “discuss” things, NOT DO THINGS. What has he done? I want someone to enlighten me. Now he wants to run for Virginia Congress. I almost feel it my duty to snowball that effort in any way I can. I don’t want a man who is all talk, and no walk to be making decisions for my district. No way. I think the man’s a talker not a doer.

He’s a talker, like most politicians these days. Which to other politicians is a good thing, but he’s losing touch with what the people want. You can impress your same-level constituents all day long, and you’ll still be running away from what the people want from you. Take for instance a picture taken yesterday at the Tea Party event. He (Mr. Degner) held up a binder which contained the proposed budget for the City of Harrisonburg, and made a little quip saying “This is what they (meaning us Tea Party members) don’t want to pay for”- ARE YOU KIDDING ME KAI?! If I may be a jerk and sarcastic for a second. YES! Kai. You’re right, we don’t want to pay ANY taxes, we don’t want our city to prosper. We don’t want to pay a dime to anyone. We’re here because we want to keep every dime, and let the country fall. EXCUSE ME MR. DEGNER, BUT I PAY MY TAXES, unlike the 47% of the U.S. population, which is more than likely being cuddled by some form of federal subsidy. Yup. That’s a nice little quip you’ve got there you big-mouthed liberal puppet! – anyway – had to vent.

The truth is, I don’t think he understands that these people all have money. These people have influence. These people will keep you out of office if you take that (hard-nosed) stance. I wonder where his political sense is, and then realize he’s a political tadpole in one of the smallest of political ponds in the world. He has no experience. He knows what his ideas and ideals are and he’ll stick to those and try to sway everyone else. For someone who teaches listening, he doesn’t listen, or else he’d have a better attitude towards these people he “presides” over as mayor. A fool speaks, and wisdom listens. I see him speaking way more than listening. The same goes for Mr. Obama.

I am Jonathan Woods, and I am a conservative, and I will fight for this country. Liberal or conservative, I live and breathe to make sure YOUR rights are upheld. My constituents don’t care about your political views, we just want you to be able to exercise them in the most free country in the world. The United States of America.

***CORRECTION – Kai Degner is running for House of Delegates***

Been busy with…well…stuff. I wouldn’t necessarily call it important stuff…but stuff. Not to be confused with the Snapple Stuff.

Anyway, had a great last few weeks. Saw my sister get married to a man that treats her how she wants and needs to be treated. Met my new nephew, Brody. Got to spend time with my niece, Sydney. Also had the pleasure of spending some really great time with my mom and dad. I always love seeing them. I love them so much. The older I get, the more I realize how completely stupid I was for not trusting them in the past. I’ll gladly hit myself on the head with a hammer. I was dumb. – anyway, so I’ve had some family-filled weekends as of late, and I loved it. Easter was also a great weekend.

In other news, Woodpeckers have seen fit to call my home their home. You can guess what my excitement level is on that subject. I’ve got 4 and almost 5 fist-sized holes in the cedar siding of my house. Not only are their holes, but they’re through to the dry-wall (sheetrock) of my house. There’s insulation laying outside on the ground. These little pieces of crap are really taking their nesting and roosting seriously. According to the Virginia Game folks it’s a federal offense to kill a woodpecker. They’re non-game migratory. So that means I can’t kill them. That’s annoying, as they’re causing potential structural damage to my home. GRIPES. So I’m thrilled to say the least.

Also in other news. I just purchased a new Apple iPad (64Gb). I love it. I mean I don’t know what else to say. I love it. I’m not one of those “oh shoot, I bought one but now I don’t really want it” folks, who bought them and are selling them just days if not hours later. No No. Far too much money to spend and not want to keep and experience. Plus, iPhone OS4 will be out in the coming months, and I’m more than positive that Apple will be changing the way that system operates, and I’m sure will increase the usability and reliability of the hardware and applications. I’m a heavy news reader. So I’ve got many of my favorite news app’s installed on the device, along with Netflix streaming and some other fun ones. I’m very happy with it. I find it very handy at work. It’s easier to take to a meeting than a laptop. It’s just so darn cool, and everyone goes “ooooo!” when they see it. I mean it’s a flashy device, no doubt about it. However, I wish it were cheaper. I got the iPad with Apple Care ($99), iPad Case ($39), Camera Connection Kit ($29), and the keyboard-less iPad dock ($29). I think those prices are right. Anyway, the nice folks in the JMU business office allowed me to buy the iPad on my computer loan (an interest-free 24-month program for purchasing computers offered to JMU staff/faculty). It’s how I’ve been able to afford most if not all the great little things I now own (Mac Pro, Mac Mini, Canon 40D, 7D, a few dell monitors etc).

Anyway, if you’ve got to drop TONS of money and put yourself in financial limbo to get an iPad. Just wait. I’m sure that true in Apple Inc’s form, they’ll lower the price in 6-8 months, and in a year will have a new version of this device. I for one am thrilled. Go check one out for yourself.

That’s all for now. Take care,

-jw

Last night 217 representatives from our great union stood in opposition to overwhelming concern and opposition, from both sides of the political spectrum, and passed a bill that will spell disaster for individuals and small businesses, you know, what makes America such a prosperous nation.

Let’s get started.

I watched close to three hours of debate on this health bill last night. All night there were two sides fighting. Both in complete opposition to one another. Neither giving up ground, or conceding points to either. However the chasm really existed in the points being made, and where the rubber meets the road. I’ll begin with telling and negating (destroying) what was said by members of the 217 Mafia. These are random paraphrased quotes, as I don’t remember who said them, so I will not take them as verbatim, but we all know it’s been said, this is just what I remember from last night.

This was not an overhaul for healthcare. Both sides of the isle are corrupt. However, this was a power play by the side I on a regular basis completely object with. Never once have I made the statement that our healthcare system is without flaw, or not in need of some change…but not like this. Not when the repair costs more than $1.2 Trillion.

I’m a proud American, who stands for fiscal conservatism. God Bless America.

-jw

[QUICK FOLLOWUP THOUGHT: This was not good leadership. This was money. Money talks. It passed by seven votes. This was not leadership. This was enticement. HUGE difference. This is an abomination.]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBjSXbUApjo

-jw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehX8aZbcET8

Seriously this is my childhood! This is amazing.

Later -jw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVAhr4hZDJE

You can take our country…when you pry it from our cold dead fingers, Mr. President. Good day.

-jw

TOPIC 1: Christianity & Atheism

Below are two different viewpoints on faith and spirituality. They are from the perspective of a good friend, Tom Burgess and myself. I will be representing Christianity. Tom, Atheism. This is the first of what I hope will be many discussions on many important and sometimes touchy subjects. Please feel free to comment. In fact, please do. Let us know what you think.

“A Case for My Faith”
by  Jonathan Woods

As far back as I can remember, I’ve known there is God. Or at least the existence of something that just glued us all together. That alone (being curious) and searching for the simple answer (as early as the age of 5) is proof enough (for me) of God’s existence. Not to mention the witnessed miracles and the teachings of Christ.

However, as a believer speaking to a broad audience I can’t really explain my faith based on said faith. That would parallel in harmony to defining a definition with a definition using the word “definition”. Right? You with me? So I’ll try to explain without my obvious (and most trusted) source, the Bible. I will attempt to explain my basis for my faith on thoughts and logic that come very natural to me and pertain to every human on this planet. So here we go.

No one had to tell me that when I was five years old and doing something “wrong” that it was “wrong” – I knew it. I felt it. I would feel bad about it. After all I’m like any other human being. I’m a part of a species of living beings that feels. We feel pain. We feel love. We feel joy. For a long time I wondered, even from an early age, where everything came from. Where did these feelings come from? Where did my parents come from? Where did their parents come from? I mean before I even accepted Christ as my savior (the answer to a multitude of questions) I knew there was something greater. Something far beyond my control or even comprehension. That gut feeling was all the assurance I needed to dig deeper and it’s what eventually led me to my faith.

Faith is defined as “confidence or trust in a person or thing” or “(a) belief that is not based on proof”. This fits my first point. I personally have a confidence that’s almost undefinable in the idea of God. Not “a” god, but THE God. I believe it’s something I was born with, and why else would I feel this way even from an early age?

What most know of Christianity is that Christians are “good” and “moral” people. So what is good? How is it logically defined? I guess we can say that good is the opposite of bad. Or bad is the opposite of good. Either way, there’s a common reference to something that is universally known as The Moral Law – this law is very different from physical laws, like the law of gravity. For we are forced to obey the law of gravity. We don’t have a choice. It is the unchallenged fact that there are laws that we can choose to follow, and those we can’t. One we have a choice over is the set “right” and a set “wrong” in any given situation. What binds the point is that we all know right from wrong. As I said, when I was 5 years old and doing something “wrong” it wasn’t because of instinct, or that my parents specifically told me, “Jonathan don’t go outside and try to set the grass on fire.” It wasn’t an issue of being told a particular action was wrong, I just knew that setting the grass on fire would be a bad thing. So if the thought ever crossed my mind, I was not to carry out any plans or thoughts of setting fire to our yard. So for there to be a “right” or a “good” thing, there must in turn be the “wrong” or bad” thing. Because how can we know the one if the other doesn’t exist. To use this logic in an example: How do we know that gravity exists? Very simply, because we’ve been to where there isn’t gravity. We know what does exist because we’ve seen the absence of said function. I know God exists, because I see the absence of God in many relevant and needy places.

Ok. So if we’re in agreement there is a set moral law. A set right and wrong. Then where did this come from? Is it just simply inherited? By logic, if I knew not to do certain things that were labeled “bad” then I must have had learned a list of things not to do. “Don’t lie to my parents, Don’t steal from others, Don’t be disrespectful to people, Don’t set the lawn on fire” – that’s not the case. I don’t believe there’s anyone who says they were told every time to something right or wrong. These rights and wrongs must have been born with me. They must have been a part of me. For we do know that my mothers knowledge didn’t transfer from her brain to mine in the womb. These rights and wrongs are embedded in me. It’s not instinct. Because instinct often ignores morality, and we have the ability to control our actions and reactions. Instinct means we have no control over what we do. Instinct is “[a]n inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli” – we’ve already covered this. We have control over our actions. If it were instinct for me not to lie than I would have never lied. Unfortunately I have. Furthermore if there was a “human instinct” we’d all follow it, and we’d have no choice in our lives. We’d be birds, or cats. We want food. We want shelter. We want to live. That’s where it ends.

Moving on. I feel the greatest and most relevant question here is this, “why am I here?” What was I created for? If there is no God, than what is the purpose in my being? What is the purpose that I search for? For if there is no God, why do I search for purpose? Why does anyone? There indeed would be no point to anything in the world. For if there is no God, and nothing to live for, nothing is with purpose and thus nothing matters. If nothing matters than neither do right and wrong, and there we have another contradiction. There is a right and a wrong and they do very much matter. There are reasons for us choosing to do either. If purpose exists, than we are instinctually and emotionally attached to finding that said purpose. The absence of God removes purpose and the individuality we have for our own individual purposes.

My underlying disbelief of the absence of God is the fact that it takes more of me to believe that there is no God when I’ve seen miracles my whole life, than to trust that God is in control. It’s faith. Surprisingly there is a very common ground between Christians and atheists. We both have faith. I have faith that there is a God. The God. An atheist has faith that there is no God. We are common in faith. We are common in morality. We are common in right and wrong. How can we all be so different yet abide by these laws that are unchanging throughout the ages if there is no God?

Just because you don’t believe there is a God, doesn’t mean there isn’t one. In fact the negative statement (because of the “no”), “there is no God” is actually a rebellion. It’s saying that there is nothing. Well in order for you to say there is nothing, the idea of that “something” had to have existed. Where did that idea come from? Saying there is no God really just affirms that there is a God. Think it over…

“A Road Less Traveled: the Path to Atheism”
by Tom Bugess

If the path to heaven is narrow (Matthew 7:14), the road to atheism might be described as hell incarnate. My journey down this forsaken, torturous path lasted more than a decade…

Consumed with guilt, I pursued redemption. Fearing death, I sought the divine. I was frantic, terrified by my own inherent state of mortality; I was hopelessly desperate. My search was not for that of non-belief, but for the comfort known by those who sincerely and adamantly professed spiritual peace and God’s protection. I envied claims of heavenly knowledge and the comfort that it seemingly provided. Why are we here? What is life’s meaning … our purpose? I demanded answers, and assumed that they could only be answered through religion, divinely inspired by a higher power… My journey had begun.

I immersed myself in Bible study, testaments old and new. I read eastern philosophy, as well as western, modern and ancient. I studied Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism; just about every spiritual avenue imaginable. I soaked up articles on biology, anthropology, genomes, genetic mapping, neurology, and became a diligent observer of animal behavior. I found temporary comfort in the concepts of agnosticism, and subsequently pantheism. I quickly dismissed both; there had to be more… Eventually I traced the roots of the three major religions of Abraham: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. They shared a common source, The Old Testament. I found that the testament itself had evolved from many distinct ancient beliefs, cultures, and traditions; from many Gods one was born… Yahweh, Allah, God… Monotheism was undeniably the illegitimate son of polytheism. He would eventually grow in strength and ultimately dominate his creator… My path had abruptly turned towards an unwelcome conclusion

Theists often turn to scripture for truth. Using The Bible to prove God’s existence is like using The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh as proof that Winnie the Pooh exists. It had become apparent that my search for God was in vain; there was simply no evidence of God’s existence. Running out of hope… I had left one avenue unexplored: faith!

I have faith! Every time I press the brake pedal in my truck, I have faith that the truck will slow down. It does not mean, however that I know that the truck will slow down. My brakes could fail, or I could be on a patch of ice, therefore I rely on faith. This faith is supported by scientific principles, past observations, and personal experience. Believing in something that cannot be substantiated is not rational, and deserves no respect, acceptance, or consideration. Any other use of the word faith, if unsubstantiated, is the intellectual equivalent of “just because.” I do not accept “just because” as an adequate reason to believe in anything. So much for faith… I had arrived.

I initially shunned the title “atheist.” Why does a non-belief warrant a title? I don’t play golf, am I an a-golf-ist? If I don’t believe in Santa, am I resigned to a-Santa-ism? I cannot disprove the existence of God, the supernatural or even unicorns. I make no such claim. Professed beliefs must be substantiated; non-beliefs cannot. Make a claim; provide the proof. Atheists make no claims, it is a non-belief. There is no atheistic ideology or agenda. The only thing that atheists have in common is a non-belief, in other words… nothing.

Ironically, I found the peace and comfort that I so eagerly sought, not from religious conviction, but through its dismissal. As a result of my indoctrination in these principles, during my most naive years, my thoughts had been systematically clouded, perverted. The influence of religious ideology, the very thing that I had so desperately sought, turned out to be the source of my fear and anguish. Instead of becoming a victim of trepidation and remorse, I chose to make the most of this life. I no longer carried the guilt and dread that religious convictions all too frequently evoke. I came to accept death’s certainty and no longer shunned it. I had been released from the shackles of ancient law, which might have restricted my ability to live a truly moral life. I had accepted the fact that I am a simple, imperfect animal and that I was incapable of understanding many things.  Ultimately, I could clearly concentrate on those things that I was able to comprehend, unfettered and without bias. My journey to atheism was long and painful, but well worth the penance. Two thousand years of fog had lifted… I could finally see!

Please comment. Please express your thoughts for either us. Please give this some thought and think. Thanks so much for reading, Tom and I both really appreciate it!

Thanks to the guys over at Page Lines (www.pagelines.com) for helping me get the kinks worked out. PHP coding is annoying.

-jw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqCwTH2O6zQ

Enjoy!

(editing note on video: when I said I wasn’t “down” with commenting and arguing on youtube videos, I meant the stupid arguing that occurs on youtube.com underneath videos etc. etc. Feel free to comment here, and argue all you want)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuv6vOTKl7Y

Some quick points:

The woman stated once or twice that Focus On The Family’s main goal is to take away the rights of women. Or that they’re anti-women. That’s hilarious, seeing as Focus on the Family is not an anti-abortion organization. They’ve been around for a very long time, and they’re goal is to promote a Christ-like life for children and parents, you know IN FAMILIES. Hence their name, focus on the family. So OF COURSE they’re going to be pro-life because being pro-choice means they’re not “focussing on the family.” -- and these people are SO upset about the fact that CBS took a GREAT leap and allowed (and partnered with) a company that promotes strong positive moral values and pro-life. If there were some pro-choice crap on the super bowl commercials, NO ONE would bat an eye, other than us crazy Christians and conservatives. It’s a full-on load of liberal bullshit. They’re just pissed they didn’t have an ad for their side in such a PRIME spot. I knew the second that commercial was over the liberals would be crying like the bunch of hypocritical babies they are. Cut me a break. (Pat on the back CBS and Focus On The Family).

Oh and my hat off to Fox News. Always speaking right to the point in these interviews.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpLe47G_HGo

Total dope.

-jw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIZRIf1LnSY

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHAik4Z07M0

He’s a joke. He lies. He covers up. He lies again. He covers up. He really and truly is Jimmy Carter 2.0. I mean at this point, I’d rather have Bill “can’t-keep-himself-in-his-pants” Clinton. Seriously compared to this guy, Bill Clinton is THE greatest leader in the POTUS role in the last 18 years, and he actually got some things done.

Where Obama went wrong was trying to tackle everything at full steam ahead from the get-go. Let’s not forget he sat in his Senate seat LESS than a year before he was elected president. What that means folks is he doesn’t have the “feel” and the real relationships with the Senators and Congressmen that he’s turning to for help. How do you think some of these people feel? He served LESS than a single term as a Senator and now he’s president. Even the democrats think he’s a joke. They KNOW he’s a puppet.

I just don’t think he knows it.

God bless that man and his family. He’s going to need it for the duration of his term. It’ll be a surprise if he ever gets another job in politics.

What do you think?

Do we want this to happen to the U.S.? Has it already started?

I completely agree with this man. Down to the depths of my soul. -jw

Enjoy. -jw

We’re hypocrites. We’re liars. We’re cheats. We love and hate with the same voice. With the same hands. With the same heart. Turning my loving cheek to someone I “hate” to spew out the depths of behind the gates within. Whatever happened to moving on. Getting over it. Living your own life. Leaving others out of it. A problem is your problem not mine. It’s my choice to love you like a rhyme.

Peace be with us, stand with us, and against us to save us from ourselves. Amen.

——Just a little thing I wrote the other day——-

I haven’t posted in A LONG TIME. Yeah – I still think Obama’s a joke. From the looks of the country, many others are starting to come around as well. I commend you, and I won’t even utter I told you so.

So I wrote a few times about how I was in the middle of buying a house, and how it was crazy, etc. etc. etc. Well I’m there now. I’m in my new house. Moved in on the third of this month. I think it was at least. Anyway. I love it. I love coming home and stuff being where I left it. I love that it’s clean, and it stays clean after I clean things. I’m not a messy person, so it’s rare that it gets dirty. I’m very grateful for having the opportunity and the means to get my own home. I thank God for it.

Haiti. What a mess. It breaks my heart. What was the death toll (estimated)? 500,000? I can’t fathom that. I just can’t believe it. God bless the families and friends. My prayers go out to them. Thank you to everyone who is planning on, or is already in Haiti to aid in the rescue and rebuilding efforts. Lord knows they need it bad.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hello, and let everyone know that I’m sorta back in the saddle here. I’ll be posting more soon. Just couldn’t put it off any longer. Happy 2010. Love each other.

-jw

Global warming is such a joke. -jw

TIA Daily • December 13, 2009

The Pledge

The biggest mystery about the health-care bill is why we’re still debating it. By any normal political calculation, it should have been dead months ago. No piece of legislation on this scale, a reform that affects every American, has ever been passed by Congress without public opinion behind it and significant bipartisan support. Yet this bill is now unpopular by a very wide margin—61-36 in the latest poll—and it has not attracted any significant backing from Republicans.

All it would take would be for one Democratic senator to come out and say that it’s over, that he won’t vote for the bill and it won’t pass. So why hasn’t anyone done that yet?

The answer is that the Democrats sitting on the fence are not just afraid of the small-government “tea party” types on the right, or the independent voters who have swung decisively against the bill. They are afraid of the Democratic “base” on the left. No one wants to be singled out as the senator who killed the most cherished item on the left’s agenda. No one wants to be the first Democratic senator to come out against the bill, for fear that he or she will then be targeted by the far-left fanatics from the MoveOn.org-Huffington Post-Daily Kos faction.

As a matter of practical politics, this is a rational fear, so to counteract it I have a modest proposal. Those of us who oppose the bill have tried threatening Democratic senators with a negative incentive: the withdrawal of our votes and our active support for their opponents. How about enticing them with a positive incentive? Let’s pledge to give our support to the re-election campaign of the first Democratic senator to come out against the health-care bill. If enough of us make that pledge, it would counteract the political threat from the far left.

The deal is this: come out against the health-care bill, and we will pledge to donate time or money to your next re-election campaign, and those of us who live in your state will give you our votes. We will do it because of your stand on this one bill, regardless of any disagreement we may have with your other policies.

But here’s the catch: we’ll only do it for the first Democratic senator to declare clear and unequivocal opposition to the whole bill. You can’t earn it by opposing one provision but implying that you would support the bill with minor amendments. And you can’t earn it by jumping on the bandwagon after another Democrat takes the heat by being the first to oppose the bill. No, our support goes only to the Democrat who sticks his or her neck out to kill this bill.

And there’s a catch for us, too. We have to actually mean it, and we have to follow through. We have to be willing to support a Democrat we may not like, out of gratitude for this one political act. But I think the senator who steps up to kill this bill will deserve our support. He or she will have taken a significant political risk to stop a threat to our liberty. And it has been a long time—far too long—since any of our political leaders took a risk for the cause of liberty.

Here’s what you can do: send this e-mail to all of your like-minded friends to get the maximum possible exposure for this idea. Get as many people as possible to take this pledge of support and—here is the crucial part—to send it to as many senators as possible. (Remember, to support a senator’s campaign, you don’t have to live in the same state.) The pledge won’t work unless we get a lot of people to sign it, and unless they let the senators who are on the edge about this bill know about it. The senators who are persuadable on this issue need to know that they have something to gain, and not just something to fear, from blocking the bill.

Take the following message, which I have also put up at TIA’s Health Care Guide (www.TIADaily.com/healthca