Princess Caroline

I am bothered by the serious consideration of Caroline Kennedy to fill Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. She has no qualifications but some Democrats claim she is qualified to be appointed to Clinton's seat. What qualifications? The biggest qualification seems to be her name. The fact that she is JFK's daughter, according to some Democrat, proves that not only is she qualified but would make a great Senator for New York state. One of the other qualifications mentioned is that she has written books. But her books have been compilations of other's books, poems and stories. Also mentioned is that she has been an education advocate. But what did she actually do for education? Has there been an improvement in New York's education system because of her advocacy? And she's a lawyer, but has she been an extraordinary one?

She said in an interview that she "is not a conventional choice." What kind of qualification is that? Does New York need an unqualified, inexperienced Senator during these difficult financial times in the state?

Where are all the others who want this appointment? They have been either strangely silent or ignored by the press. Maybe they are making their case directly and confidentially to Governor Patterson. In my opinion New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo can make the most legitimate argument for the appointment.

I wonder what Chuck Schumer thinks about all this? He was overshadowed by Hillary Clinton when she was first elected, but he's a pro at getting himself into the limelight. I can't help but think that he doesn't want to have to deal with the daughter of Camelot. He would be overshadowed again and considering the love affair for Kennedy he may have a harder time making it back into the limelight.

I believe Caroline Kennedy is trying to sneak in the backdoor to the Senate seat. If she had announced her intention to run for election in 2010 rather than be appointed the Dems wouldn't be so split over the situation. It would be better for her to be appointed to an important Ambassadorship by Obama and then run for the Senate. She would at least have some legitimate experience.

A Savior Has Been Born To You

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them,

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:8-20)

Blessed Christmas to all.

The Dallas Cowboys Are Dead To Me

Not really - A life-long and franchise-long love affair with the Cowboys doesn't die. Superbowl losses to the Steelers during the 1970's didn't kill the love. Roger Staubach's early retirement because of having too many concussions didn't do it. Personnel didn't matter (most of the time) because the Cowboys were - and still are - America's Team. And when Danny White took over for Staubach and couldn't get the Cowboys into "the BIG one," there was always next season after working through the 5 stages of grief. (Note: It was always unfair to compare White's achievements to Staubach's. The only Cowboy so far who has had Staubach-like magic was Troy Aikman.)

I didn't even throw the Cowboys away from my heart when Jerry Jones bought the team and had a very public dinner with Jimmie Johnson while beloved Tom Landry was still officially coach. Most Dallas fans, myself included, almost walked away from America's Team. Without Landry and GM Tex Schramm it really was no longer America's Team. Why it was almost not Dallas' team anymore. Then that 1-15 first season under Jones/Johnson! All hope for next season was almost gone. But still I hung on and all the fans came back the next season. I'm not a fair-weather fan; my expectations are so high after all these years that dissapointments take a little time to work through. And what Johnson did with the Cowboys over the next few years is legend. Players like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Daryl Johnston (Moooooose), Jay Novacek, Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin are also Cowboy legends.

Then it was over as Dallas struggled with finding the right coach and most of those all-stars were gone. Still, gotta love them 'Boys. Ups and downs, I've stayed with them.

3 years ago Tony Romo came on the scene. Bill Parcells was coach and loved Romo. I read that he took Romo under his wing and believed in the guy's talent and potential for greatness. I also read about Romo's work ethic; he stayed for a couple of hours after practice just throwing passes to just about anyone who would stay with him while he practiced. Hope sprang. Romo had some magic and his enthusiasm was electric. He was like a little boy who had just thrown his first touchdown pass in Pop Warner. He threw to everybody, not just his tight end. But after Thanksgiving that first year that he was the starting quarterback, he seemed to lose a little steam. December wasn't too good and he lost his first playoff game. That was okay because it was his first playoff and he had began starting after the season began. He'd do it next season. I loved the Cowboys even more and believed that next year would see them in the Super Bowl.

That was last year. He did fantastic in the first half of the season and the Cowboys rewarded him by renegotiating his contract mid-season and giving him multi-million dollars to play for the team for the next 5 or 7 years.

Then came Jessica Simpson. The same Jessica Simpson who had bared her ditz for millions during her MTV reality show about her marriage to Nick Lachey. Wow! It proved that the elevator didn't go all the way to the top. I'm not saying she's stupid - she's just ditzy. They had just begun dating and in that first game she attended (wearing a pink Cowboys jersey) things hadn't gone well for Tony in the first half. What absolutely shocked me, however, was that he looked up at her as he was on his way to the locker room. Now I have no idea what was in his head during that game, but it looked as though he was nervous trying to impress her. The Cowboys did no better in the second half and my family jokingly blamed the loss on her.

Romo had again lost steam after the Thanksgiving Day game. The Cowboys had two weeks to practice for the Giants since they had a bye the first week. And while most of the team practiced for the whole two weeks, Romo took several days off and went to Cabo San Lucas with Jessica and her family. What was he thinking? Did he think that just because the Cowboys had given him a new fat contract that he had "arrived" and was entitled to a few days off because he had worked so hard during the season? Surprisingly enough the team lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions. There were lots of Romo mistakes. Was his head not in the game or did the little vacation with Simpson cause him to lose focus? I started having doubts about his ability to keep his intensity through the whole season.

Over the summer the relationship with Simpson was on and off again. He was seen clubbing in exclusive bars in Chicago and LA. There were photographs of him with beautiful women who weren't Jessica Simpson. I wonder when he had time to work on his game and mental toughness other than training camp.

This season began so well that sports anchors talked of him being one of the best quarterbacks. Terry Bradshaw rated him a very close second to Ben Rothelsberger. The others on Fox's NFL show rated him number one in the league. Then Romo was injured and out for 4 weeks, but he returned to his winning way. Then came December. And after every loss I claimed that the Cowboys were dead to me. It was that love/hate relationship again.

Last Saturday's unnecessary loss to Baltimore was crushing. IF the Cowboys make the playoffs this year I don't believe Romo has the focus or mental toughness to win a playoff based on his history of the past two years. I don't believe in the Cowboys right now and I don't have hope for next season. This Sunday they play Philly in Philly which they need to win in order to have a chance at making the playoffs. Frankly I don't think they deserve to make the playoffs - they are a mediocre team right now.

To blame all this on Romo is a mistake. According to the Dallas Morning News "We should never be shocked by these late-season crash-and-burns because they happen every December. For 12 straight seasons, the Cowboys have failed to have a winning record after November. But to see the offense, in particular the passing game, fall apart at season's end is stunning." 12 years ago Jimmie Johnson left, Barry Switzer was fired and the best and brightest retired or were traded away.

A coaching change may be the most important move for the Cowboys during the off-season. No one should give up on Romo - his potential and ability are doubtless. But he really needs help in the mental toughness area. He's got to work on maintaining his intensity and focus through the whole season and into the playoffs. After Saturday's loss to Baltimore the Cowboys were dead to me again. I'm not sure I can watch the Philly game. It hurts every year the Cowboys aren't Super Bowl champions.

I have loved the Cowboys through good times and bad - though not so much during the bad. I may be angry at the team and accuse them of being a bunch of losers like the Redskins, but there's always next season. After all they always come back and we love them for it.

Obama the Centrist?

I am intrigued by the cabinet and other leadership choices Obama has made. He has nominated several centrists to his cabinet which has angered the far Left. Hillary Clinton may not make a bad Secretary of State; Robert Gates is being kept on as Defense Secretary and he's managed the Iraq war well since replacing Donald Rumsfield. Interesting . . .

It looks like Obama may be delegating defense and foreign policy to his cabinet in order to focus on implementing his huge New Deal-like of creating "make work" jobs and universal healthcare (socialized medicine.) It's obvious Obama is planning on being an economic and domestic policy President. So did President Bush . . . until 9/11. Then he had to become a war President. Will the same thing happen to Obama if we are attacked again? How will he handle the war on terror (actually the war on Islamic Fundamentalism) should we be attacked again? I fear and believe it will happen again. Islamists hate us and our way of life and want to destroy us any way they can. I hope Obama will show the courage and guts like President Bush showed, but I don't believe he will. I hope I'm wrong.

He has chosen Rick Warren of Saddleback Church to give the invocation at his inauguration which has homosexual groups up in arms. Good for him.

We have an obligation to pray for him to have wisdom to do the right thing.

"Fair, Balanced and Unafraid"

I just learned yesterday that Brit Hume is retiring from his full time job at Fox News. It's been known since the Presidential election - obviously I've been out of the loop. Yesterday Bill O'Reilly interviewed Hume and asked him what he would be doing with his time. Hume stated that there were 3 important reasons he was leaving, "God, grandchildren and golf."

Acording to JS Online Hume said, "I want to pursue my faith more ardently than I have," he said. "What it really means is that I'll get into the Bible more." He spoke of his post-retirement life by remembering the suicide of his son, Sandy, a decade ago. "You find out what you believe in at a time like that, and I realized I believed in God, and I believed that God was going to save me. And, in my view, he did. "It kind of changed my outlook on the world and on my own life. I'd like it to change more."

I will miss him and his show that was number one in its time spot for 7 years. I knew he was a man of faith from an interview he did with President Bush prior to his inauguration in 2001. Hume will be a senior political analyst, anchor for special events, panelist on "Fox News Sunday" and occasional substitute for the host, Chris Wallace.

I applaud him for recognizing what his priorities should be and I know the Lord will bless him for his decision. With his talent he could have been with Fox News as long as Mike Wallace has been with CBS, but he is stepping down at the right time for the right reasons. I will miss his tagline at the end of his show - "Fair, Balanced and Unafraid."

Run, J D, Run!

Former Congressman J D Hayworth is contemplating a run against John McCain in 2010. Hayworth was narrowly defeated in 2006 by a Democrat running to the right of center. Naturally once in Congress he showed his true colors. Hayworth has a very successful local radio show broadcast during drive time in Phoenix. He's always left the door open for running for office again. In 2010 we'll have a race for Governor and Senator. I think the current Secretary of State who will take over for Janet Napolitano once she's confirmed for Secretary of Homeland Security, will probably have a pretty easy time being elected in 2010, but you never know. As for John McCain, I think there are enough Arizonans who have had enough of him and his "reaching across the aisle" that he will have a hard time winning the Republican nomination.

Personally I am sick to death of McCain. He ran claiming to be a Reagan conservative, but once he lost he was back to promising to work with Obama and Senate Democrats. This means he's ready to capitulate to them. He ran a hideous campaign and deserved to lose, although I voted for him. But never again. We need Hayworth!

"Shoeicide Lobber"

Someone called in to the Dennis Miller radio show yesterday and referred to the shoe throwing incident as a "Shoeicide Lobber." :)

Senator Kennedy?

So Caroline Kennedy wants Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. It makes me mad because she's had no legislative experience. Of course Hillary had no actual legislative experience but she had more experience than Kennedy. I hope she's not picked - she doesn't deserve it and the only reason she's being considered is because she's a Kennedy. Honestly so many government officials are just stupid.

Earthquakes

I follow earthquakes on my iGoogle home page just for fun. I am amazed at the number of quakes that happen daily in Europe, especially eastern Europe. They are small quakes; between 2 and 3 magnitude, but it certainly is much more than happens in California. So I think there's a greater chance of Europe falling off into the ocean than California!

Twitter-deficit Disorder

I have been diagnosed with Twitter-deficit disorder officially now. For the past two days I've been trying to find out how to follow Hugh Hewitt's "twitter" stuff and twitter on it. Hewitt thinks that this whole twitter thing and its evolution is the future of the Republican Party. I don't get it. I don't get it. I DON'T get it! And even the help section is no help at all. I think it might be too late for me to hop on the twitter train!

"Christ and Culture"

I came across a blog post at the Weekly Standard about the new Princess Diana Bible. This fits into my "What Is This World Coming To?" category.

Katherine Eastland writes "this spring the New Mexico-based Revision Studios will publish the Princess Diana Bible, which argues that God thinks it’s better to be gay than straight. Why Pricess Di? Apparently, just because she did “many good works.” The PDB uses the King James Version and changes some of its words to make the Bible fit its agenda. (Note that the KJV is in the public domain and thus tweakable, unlike newer translations held under copyright.) Adam becomes “Aida,” a woman’s name. And so, in the beginning, God created woman and woman. (How could they be fruitful and multiply?) You can read all of Genesis at princessdianabible.com."

She also draws attention to a "Newsweek" article written by Lisa Miller entitled "Our Mutual Joy." Miller makes the religious case for gay marriage. Eastland also includes a link to getreligion.com where Mollie Hemingway provides an excellent analysis here.

More Parodies

If you want to hear more hilarious parodies, listen to Rush Limbaugh. Today's parody was of the song "She's Always a Woman To Me." In this one Paul Shanklin is singing as Bill Clinton about Hillary. It's called "She's Always A'bitchin' At Me." Hilarious. Possibly even better than "Banking Queen," but it's close. In this season of a new administration there are probably going to be alot of parodies, so listen to Rush to catch them.

"Banking Queen"

This will only make sense to those who listen regularly to Rush Limbaugh. He often plays parodies of popular songs written and performed by Paul Shanklin who does a great impression of the voices of the political figures he's poking fun at. And, of course, the lyrics are politically relevant. Today the parody was one of the greatest he's done. He took Abba's great "Dancing Queen" and parodied the extreme left-wing Representative of Massachusetts, Barney Frank. Frank is the House Chairman of the Banking Committee and one of the members who claimed there was nothing wrong with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac 3 or 4 years ago. Naturally, he was wrong as taxpayers are now bailing out Fannie and Freddie.

Anyway, the song, done as Barney Frank singing, is called "Banking Queen." Not very politically correct, but very funny. I'm sure Rush will take some heat for it, but he can handle it.

Rock Band, Part 2

We played Rock Band again last night and even though I was sick I just had to play. I played bass, tried guitar - my kids nixed anymore guitar playing for me after one try. And I sang. On Rock Band 2 there are some songs familiar to those of my generation, but very few. I think it would be great if they came out with a "Pop Band" or a 70's or 80's version for those of us who enjoyed that era of "rock." I'm hoping Santa will bring us one for Christmas this year!

Advent

Today begins the Advent Season. If you have never celebrated Advent or know nothing about its special place in the Christmas season, Mark D. Roberts has written a couple of lessons about the season. Advent Approaches is the first in this series of the Introduction to Advent and Advent Devotion: The Lighting of the First Candle follows. If you are unfamiliar with Pastor Roberts' works this is the perfect time to get to know his writings. You won't be disappointed.

Giving Thanks, Part 2

Thanksgiving weekend has come and gone. There was so much to be thankful for before Thanksgiving, but even more now that it has passed. My daughter-in-law's parents and brothers joined us for the first time and what fellowship we had with them! So for their coming into our lives and our truly becoming an extended family with them, I give thanks to God.

For all our children being home together for the first time in months, I thank God.

I am thankful that our house is large enough to be able to house so many guests.

Thank you, Lord, for your provision for us to have food to feed so large a crowd.

Thank you, Lord, for my daughter, daughter-in-law, my husband and my mother for doing all the cooking, cleaning and shopping since I was sick. (By the way, my daughter is an incredible cook! She does not give herself enough credit, though. She truly is MY Martha Stewart.) I am thankful for my son who also cooked over the weekend who is also a wonderful cook.

I am thankful for President George W. Bush who has kept our country safe from terrorist attacks on our soil for 7 years. (Although I believe the next administration will be tested by terrorists and will not be able to keep us safe, I pray they will.)

I am thankful for salvation that comes from God through the blood of Jesus.

I am thankful that there is so much to be thankful for that I can't possibly list them all!

Twilight

I am not ashamed to confess that I read the book. There were 148 people before me on my library's waiting list to read it, but I waited. I didn't want to buy the book because, except for Jane Austen, I just don't re-read books. Now I'm number 81 on the library's list for the second book Blood Moon. After reading Twilight I have really been thinking about splurging and buying the remaining 3 books. Thank goodness, though, that I haven't felt well enough to go to all those after-Thanksgiving sales or I surely would have bought the books.

I thought the book was very good even though it's obvious target is teenage girls - just like Harry Potter's target was children. As way of explanation I happen to love books about vampires as long as the main vampire character is a reluctant vampire - you know, hates what he's become. I don't like explicit violence, blood and guts. I like sensitive vampires as lead characters. I did like "Underworld" because the Scott Spedman character became a vampire against his will (and a werewolf). And the Kate Beckinsale character hunted bad vampires although she was a vampire herself. It was way bloody and violent and I didn't like that, but I liked the story.

Getting back to Twilight, I thought it was enjoyable - no sex, any violence was left up to the reader's imagination. The vampire family unit were good vampires in that they drank the blood only of wild animals, no humans. I won't say anymore just in case you want to read it. I have decided to not see the movie because the book was so good, and the movie can't possibly be as good as the book. But read the book especially if you are a vampire fan!

Rock Band

I LOVE Rock Band! My son-in-law brought their X-box 360 over for Thanksgiving and all the instruments. I didn't think I'd try it because it was songs I didn't know, but I ventured out and tried the drums. Totally hooked! I haven't tried the guitars or singing yet, but if we play tonight, baby, watch out!

Giving Thanks

Tomorrow our house will be full of family for the first time since Christmas. And we will be celebrating with members of our extended family for the first time. My daughter-in-law's parents and brothers are joining us. And we'll all be under the same roof which is probably the biggest blessing of having a big house. Breakfast, lunch and dinners filled with the fellowship of those who love each other and have so much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Mike Huckabee

I don't know about you, but I don't trust Mike Huckabee. I listened to part of his interview (the transcript is here) with Hugh Hewitt last night and I was struck by his talking around some of the questions instead of giving straight answers. I felt like he was already running for the nomination for 2012 and trying not to give answers that might come back to haunt him. I'm irritated by the way he toots his own horn and he seems a little smarmy. I am also troubled by his negative comments about Mitt Romney that are in his new book, Do the Right Thing. I speculate that he's trying to take Romney out before 2012. I also have questions about whether he is a true conservative. Romney was my guy and I'm an evangelical Christian. I just had too many questions about Huckabee's sincerity. I don't believe I could ever support him