StackOfStuff.net

Rush Limbaugh has his . . . well, here is mine. This is my record of news stories and issues that interest me. You can also find more headlines at the site where I serve as editor: The Common Voice.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

A Wal Mart encounter

I experienced something odd while out shopping at a Wal Mart in the small North Carolina town of Elizabethtown. I entered the door along with a young African American girl who looked to be 7 or 8 years old. "Look," she exclaimed, "It's Santa Claus..." Her voice trailed off as she stopped dead in her tracks and a puzzled look came over her face. I looked and noticed that to our right was a black Santa Claus about as tall as the girl. "Wait, he's..." Once again her voice stopped. Then as children of that age are prone to do, she stopped her train of thought and gleefully headed for the toy section.

Monday, November 29, 2004

Help Break the World Record

Tuneful throng takes a shot at breaking caroling record

Well, I'm back. Had a great time down in the swamps of eastern North Carolina. The turkey was good and the time with family was even better.

I'd like to invite everyone out to the campus of Bob Jones University this Friday night. It is the neght of the traditional lighting ceremony. Over 100,000 lights switch on while the surrounding crowd sings Christmas carols.

This year there is a twist.

The students at BJU would like to bring the world record for caroling to Greenville. Already the record has been broken once this year (see the above article). Greenville will need to top the 2,282 folks who showed up for a carol sing in Elk Grove, California.

It will take a while to sort things out with all the attempts this year, but it would be cool to bring it to Greenville - even if it is just for one year.

Come join in! It is Friday evening at 6:30 PM. Even if you don't come to join in with the singing, it is still pretty cool to join the crowd and watch the dark campus suddening spring to life with the thousands of lights.

Monday, November 22, 2004

Clemson won't be tired

Clemson, USC say they will forgo bowl games

Standing ovation for the Clemson and South Carolina athletic departments. I really didn't expect them to forgo the bowl games. I really feel for those players not involved in the brawl, but sometimes the good of the program has to come before those individual desires.

Of course, this does mean that UNC will most likely go to the Continental Tire Bowl. The bowl organizers were choosing between the two teams to face a Big East foe. I imagine the CTB will be announcing that UNC will represent the ACC in the Bank Of America stadium in Charlotte.

Chase kind to Busch rough on Gordon

NASCAR.com

There is no doubt that the Chase for the Championship was a success for NASCAR. Never has a championship come down to the last lap of a race. Sunday's race was in a word, tantalizing. As a Gordon fan I went from "Okay, he is toast" to "Hey, there is still a chance" numerous times during the laps winding down to the finish. The "Green-White-Checkered" finish only added to the drama.

I can't help but think that in the back of his mind Gordon is wishing for the old points system. Had it still been in effect he would have claimed his fifth championship. There is no disputing that the new system was kind to Busch and rough on Gordon. Instead of Busch as the leader with Gordon finishing in third, the old system would have had Gordon finishing as the leader with a 47 point lead over second place Jimmie Johnson. Third place Dale Earnhardt Jr. would be 173 points back and Kurt Busch would have followed by a larger margin of 247 points!

Rounding out the top ten: Tony Stewart (341), Mark Martin (445), Jamie McMurray (445), Matt Kenseth (666), Ryan Newman (681) and Elliott Sadler (727). Chase driver Jeremy Mayfield would have finished in 13th, 859 points behind the leader. As it is, Mayfield gets to go to New York as a top ten driver while Jamie McMurray, who could be on the stage as the seventh place driver, will be there as the "eleventh man". At least he has the consolation of picking up an extra million bucks.

Bottom line is though I wish Gordon had won it all this year and though it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to know who could be the champion, I still think the Chase for the Championship made this one of the most exciting seasons ever - as a whole.

Wait till next year!

Sunday's Sermon

Discipleship Faith

Yesterday's morning sermon is now up. "Discipleship Faith" is a continuation of Pastor Chuck's Hebrews Series. He speaks of three aspects of a sacrificial faith.

Sunday evening was a special praise service with Mac and Beth Lynch.

Sunday, November 21, 2004

It's Busch this time

Busch wins closest title battle in Cup history

Well, he deserved it. He did everything he needed to do. Just when you thought he was out. He came inching back. Inch by inch until he squeezed over the line.

At least Jeff Gordon won the "What If" championship...

Saturday, November 20, 2004

The Bell Is Back

North Carolina (40) defeats Duke (17)

We got the bell back. Oh, and by the way, we did it with class. So, we have the bell - what about that bowl? Who would have thunk that the Tar Heels would end up with a record of 3-3 (ACC) and 6-5 (Overall).

Oh, announced after the game - Bunting will be back.

Lou Deserves Better

I was listening to the UNC vs. Duke game while watching the Gamecocks vs. Clemson. Couldn't hear anything but I saw the brawl break out. Not good. Especially watching players fighting with the troopers and other officers trying to break things up.

BTW, Spurrier is attending the Tar Heel/Duke game. The "whatever year" team from Duke that had Spurrier as the coach was honored at halftime.

Alright! As I type this Carolina intercepts a pass and runs it back for a touchdown! 40 to 17 Carolina! Let's go bowling!

Last Year's Team Showed Up

No. 4 North Carolina Upset In Season Opener.

I went last night to see Cyrano de Bergerac and enjoyed it. Of course, that means I missed the first game of the season for the Tar Heels. I woke up this morning the find out that they lost to...who? Santa Clara?!?!

Here is hopin' the Carolina vs. Duke game goes better today.

Friday, November 19, 2004

I'm so happy!

Holtz will retire, hand off to Spurrier

The "Visored One" is going to South Carolina! I'm so excited - not because Spurrier is going to become a Gamecock but because he won't become a Tar Heel!

Oddly enough, there are some rumors floating around that John Bunting stands a chance of being ACC Coach of the Year. The Heels may end up 5 - 3 in the ACC, but that is about four wins better than they were expected to achieve.

Now maybe another rumor will go away - that Spurrier would replace Bunting at Carolina - North Carolina, that is.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

I'm not dead

A regular reader of StackOfStuff.net asked me this morning why it hasn't been updated recently. Here is the scoop - for those who care to know:

I have been rather busy for the last several days fielding media requests, answering constituent emails, phone calls and snail mail regarding Dr. Jones' letter to the President (which hit the news wire a week ago today). I thought at most it would be a three day story - dying over the weekend. For the most part it has. However, it is still simmering behind the ink, tubes and browsers.

At home I also have been busy finishing up several projects:

Sunshine Cycle Shop's Web site. I rebuilt the administration section that allows Mike, the owner, to easily keep his site up-to-date without having to know HTML. Being a used-to-be-avid mountain biker, I like to help him out and get some freebees when something breaks.

Another large project that is kinda' sorta' done is a new site that The Worthwhile Company has been trying to bring out. It is called WorthwhileAudio.com. It is a site where you can find conservative Christian music and classical music written and performed by primarily local Greenville artists. The Kaffeemusik songs are my favorites.

Anyway, I hope by the time this week is over, life will be getting back to normal.

Monday, November 15, 2004

The Lady Points to Homestead

NASCAR.com - Races - Standings

What a race! And they want to take away a race from the Lady in Black - The Track too Tough to Tame?

Kurt Busch (the energizer bunny) was toast. Sunk. Finished. Then, low and behold, somehow he magically appears at the front of the field following a late caution. He is like the zombie in your nightmares. You shoot him. You stab him. He keeps coming back.

However, Homestead could see his demise. As it stands based on past performance, Kurt Busch would end up third behind Johnson and Gordon. Johnson would win the championship by 3 points.

Busch can assure himself a win no matter what Gordon or Johnson do by finishing the race in 2nd place. His average finish there? 15th.

For Gordon to win, he has to finish no less than four places ahead of Johnson. That is unless he can get the bonus points for leading a lap and most points lead.

Who have I not mentioned... Oh, yeah, Dale Earnhardt Jr. His average Homestead finish is 22nd. He would end up the season in fifth place - five points behind fouth place Mark Martin.

As for the "What If" standings. Currently it following this order: Gordon (leader), Johnson (52 points back), Earnhardt (102 points back), Kurt Busch (242 points back), then Stewart, Martin, McMurray, Newman, Kenseth and Sadler (623 points back). It is very possible that we could have the "What If" winner in second place in the "Chase" standings when everything is over.

Of course, all this could go out the window due to the frenzy of testing that has taken place a Homestead. You can bet everyone will be going all out and you can throw the "average finishes" out the window.

One to go!

Sunday Evening Sermon

SermonAudio.com - Incentives Serve in Sickness

Christians have much to look forward to. We also have a great God who loves us. When we see the big picture we can find the strength to serve even in the midst of trials and sickness.

Sunday, November 14, 2004

Sunday Morning Sermon

SermonAudio.com - Courageous Faith

A great sermon of encouragement on the providence of God and the courageous faith we can have when we live in the realization of that power.

Going bowling?

North Carolina Slips Past Wake Forest, 31-24

Way to go Heels. Just one more win and we could go to a bowl. Sure, it will be some out of the way bowl, but when you finish a year with only two wins to come back and have a winning season -- any bowl will do.

Of course, we still have to play Duke.

Don't laugh.

Friday, November 12, 2004

Poking my head up

Backcountry Conservative: Bob Jones Letter to Bush

It's been an interesting morning. I woke up to find "the letter" all over the place. I knew then it would be a long morning. The email and phone calls starting coming.

I read someone on a blog somewhere who said something like, "Who really cares what Bob Jones thinks?" That is his sentiment exactly! He is not one that seeks the limelight. I just got off the phone a moment ago with Fox asking for an interview with Dr. Jones by Tony Snow for the Bill O'Reilly show. He has some obligations here on the campus and felt those were what he should honor.

I'm closing the book on this one. The flash fire is over and those who are inclined to trash BJU aren't going to change their minds.

Peace out.

Thursday, November 11, 2004

Well here it is

Bob Jones to Bush: Re-election offers reprieve from paganism

Well, here it is. I see I was correct. "In February 2000, Bush spoke at Bob Jones University when he was running for his first term in the White House. At the time, the school banned interracial dating and included anti-Roman Catholic material on its Web site." I had forgotten about the "anti-Catholic" charge.

Bush defended the visit to BJU? Hmmmm, I don't remember that.

Account from the Ivory Coast

FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Ivory Coast Talks Urged as Foreigners Flee

This is a continuing horrible situation. However, it would be more accurate to say that this has been five days of "anti-white" mob violence. The thing that will get you killed is not your nationality. It is the color of your skin. They see you are white and they don't ask you questions!

I heard a first hand account last night of an American missionary who received word that a flight out of the country was being arranged. He and two others started the dangerous trip to the airport to see about arranging a flight out with their families.

They progressed through one "checkpoint" and then another with nothing more than having guns waved at them and shouts. At a third checkpoint, they were pulled from the car and beaten. The beating continued until an elderly man appeared and said to the youths (most of the mobs are nothing more than teenagers), "Leave these men alone. They are missionaries. Do not harm them."

The attackers left off of the beatings and let them go on. The missionary rejoiced that he was able to get the travel arrangements complete for his wife, two daughters and himself. On the return trip to his home there were no more checkpoints. I assume they are out of the country by now.

I wonder who that man was?

No, Mr. Falwell, don't do it!

Falwell Launches '21st Century Resurrection Of The Moral Majority' -- GOPUSA

Please, no. The cool thing about this last election and the focus on value issues was the fact that it sprung from individuals and not a "coalition." Not only that, it was a surprise. No organization could lay claim to the "movement." Let's not try to force folks into a mold with which they may not be comfortable. I'm for standing up and opening your mouth as much as the next guy, but sometimes I think we organize our passion too much. When we organize it can sometimes stifle a groundswell.

So, Mr. Falwell, lets let the organizations that had been taking part in the values argument keep doing their thing. We don't need a resurrection of the Moral Majority. I don't want a "leader" to pop up and claim he has dibs on the myriad of folks who expressed their will at the ballot box. Doing so will serve more to strangle the flow than to strengthen it.

More letter stuff

Bush Letter Update

For my BJU friends:

Now the Associated Press is getting involved. That means we can expect to see something on the wire any moment now. I wonder if I can guess how the article will go? I'm sure it will include something like "The letter appeared on the controversial school's website. Bob Jones University received national attention when George Bush spoke to the student body in 2000. The University recently [or maybe they will say 'in 2000'] ended a policy that prohibited interracial dating among students."

Bush Letter Update

Letter from Dr. Bob Jones III

A friend asked me what in Bob Jones III's letter would cause a man to be very, very, VERY angry. He wondered if perhaps it was John Kerry who called. Well, no, this fellow was from Ohio (since then several other states have been represented).

Most recently I received a call from a PBS station in New York. The reporter wanted to confirm that Dr. Jones had spoken at a meeting in New York on November 2. She then wanted to confirm that he had writen a letter to the President. I asked her, "Just curious, how did you hear about the letter?" She hemmed and hawed - "Oh, I just got it in an e-mail someone sent me." Yeah, right I thought, have you ever heard of The Villiage Voice? I said, "I'm just wondering because we are very curious here why this is something that interests you." More hemming and hawing.

Reporters do not like it when you ask them questions.

The portions of the letter that are ticking people off are the following phrases: "a reprieve from the agenda of paganism" and "They despise you because they despise your Christ." This is taken quite personally by Democrats who voted for John Kerry (so far we have not heard from any folks identifying themselves as Republican). They deduce that they are pagans and despisers of Christ because they voted for John Kerry.

There are certainly liberals who do not despise Christ or are pagans. However, most of the ones who do despise Christ and make a point of attacking Bush are liberals.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

For the BoJos out there

Bob Jones: God Has Granted America a Reprieve

Unleash the hounds! Bob Jones III wrote a letter to the President congratulating him on his election. He thought the student body would enjoy hearing it and so he read it in chapel last week.

Well, as things normally go, his office got requests from parents and friends of the school to make it available for them to hear or read. What started out as a simple letter turned into much more - partly because of the response it generated during the chapel time. It seemed the easiest way to do it would be to place it on the Web site.

Enter The Village Voice and Counter Punch (at least that is all who have published so far) who posted the letter on their Web sites. Who knows where it will go next. All I know is that it got me at least one phone call today by a very, very, VERY angry man.

In the same boat

Jonah Goldberg on Republicans

I agree with Jonah on this one. Sometimes it seems that the "good of the party" supercedes the "good of the people." The more you get into the apparatus of the Republican Party the more you see that it appears to be a matter of getting someone elected for the Party's goals - not to advance a platform or an agenda. If you suggest something different, the Party leaders kind of look at you with a "now, why would you want to do that?" look on their faces.

I am a conservative. Right now the Republican Party is the best vehicle for me to advance those principles that I hold. There is no party with which I stand in complete agreement. However, the "club" mentality gets in the way of me getting too deeply involved in Party politics. Really that is what it is - politics within politics.

You're not alone, Jonah.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

The Common Voice

The Common Voice

It's back. Turns out it was a load balancing issue. That means that there are two pipes coming into a common pool. Water travels down both pipes into the pool. However, once water starts going down one of the pipes, all of the water from that resevoir will choose that same pipe. Load balancing stops the flow into the clogged pipe and reroutes it through the open pipe. Unfortnately, in this case, the software switch that was supposed to perform that function failed. So, more water than the pipe could handle was trying to get through.

I'm not a happy camper - needless to say.

CommonVoice.com troubles

Sorry folks if you attempted to go by The Common Voice between 2:00 PM and now. Some of you may have been able to access the site. Others of you may not have been able to get through. A router upstream of the Worthwhile Network was dropping packets big time. We have been constantly riding that provider to correct their router issues. I do not know if it is logical or due to a hardware failure.

About an hour ago they said it would be corrected within the half hour. I guess not.

Monday, November 08, 2004

Whack! It's Out of the Park

Jay Nordlinger's Impromptus on National Review Online

Nordlinger hits it out of the park with this one:
Years ago, at the Oscars, Sally Field said, "You like me, you really like me!" Well, I now say, "They hate us — they really hate us." I'm talking about the Left, and the media elite, of course, and the "us" is . . . Bush supporters.

They really let it all hang out, after Tuesday. A certain amount of politeness or restraint might have prevailed during the campaign, but no longer. They hate us, calling us dumb, dumb, dumb — a bunch of Bible-thumpin' boobs.

I think I've watched Jon Stewart's show twice, both times because a friend was on. I watched it the other night, and there was this comedian — a sidekick of Stewart's, apparently — saying, "We have heard the voice of the American people. I would imitate it, but I don't like to make fun of the retarded."

And on and on.

Maureen Dowd wrote a column that should not have appeared in a respectable newspaper. So did Thomas Friedman. So did Paul Krugman. Of course, all three columns appeared in the New York Times. The Left has a term for the way those three write: "hate speech."

In the Washington Post, E. J. Dionne was Dowd-, Friedman-, and Krugman-like, saying, in part, "This is no time for the independent media to be intimidated by trumped-up charges of liberal bias." "Independent media"? Who's not independent? NPR? PBS? The Stars and Stripes?

And "trumped up"? What do you mean, "trumped up"? Trumped up like CBS's National Guard papers?

Harold Meyerson — also in the Washington Post — wrote that "the Democrats must be able to come off as Americans behind the other guys' lines [i.e., in the red states]." They have to "come off as Americans" — so it's come to that, huh?

Garry Wills — we're back to the Times now — likened us to al Qaeda, which is rapidly becoming a standard line:
Can a people that believes more fervently in the Virgin Birth than in evolution still be called an Enlightened nation? . . .
In fact, we now resemble [modern Europe] less than we do our putative enemies.

Where else do we find fundamentalist zeal, a rage at secularity, religious intolerance, fear of and hatred for modernity? Not in France or Britain or Germany or Italy or Spain. We find it in the Muslim world, in Al Qaeda, in Saddam Hussein's Sunni loyalists. Americans wonder that the rest of the world thinks us so dangerous, so single-minded, so impervious to international appeals. They fear jihad, no matter whose zeal is being expressed.
And on and on. (Have I said that already?)

Oh, let me give you Hunter Thompson, too. He said over the phone to Sean Penn, "I've got the worst possible news. Colorado has gone to hell like all the other states. They must have all voted the same way they pray."

I love that: They voted the same way they pray.

Yes, people: They hate us, they really hate us. Lots.

Did you doubt it?

For good measure: Let me leave you with Jane Smiley ("The unteachable ignorance of the red states"). (Ms. Smiley started out in Missouri; now she's in California, where she feels that she is with actual human beings.)
At first all of this stuff made me angry. Now I only have thoughts of pity and, yes, humor.

NASCAR "What If" Standings

NASCAR.com - Races - Standings

Pretty interesting race yesterday. I didn't get to see the last hundred or so laps. The late start because of Phoenix had the race ending shortly before Pastor Chuck finished preaching last night (a good sermon - as usual - by the way).

It is getting real close. Gordon bested his needed 24 point gain by about 6 points. Earnhardt made a huge gain above his needed 33 points. Mark Martin is hurtin' - not impossible, but not very probable. So I would say it is down to a four man race at this point. Nothing really drastic has to happen. Forty points can be made up over two races without any DNFs among the leaders.

Looking ahead at average finishes for the last two races, Johnson would be the winner of the Chase by 2 points over Kurt Busch. Gordon would follow in third (34 points back) and Earnhardt would be fourth (72 points back). Of course, one thing we have learned is that you can't count on the average finish predictions (though Johnson nailed his average Phoenix finish exactly - 150 points).

Over the next two races, Gordon needs to pick up 20.5 points per race, Earnhardt 23.5 and Johnson 24. It doesn't get much closer than that! Of course, Busch just needs to keep 20 points ahead each race and he takes the prize. But think about it, 20 points is basically the difference between first and third or fourth place (depending on bonus points earned).

I would prefer that we still be under the old system - Gordon is hanging in there with the lead. I have to admit that the Chase has made it very exciting here near the end. You can see the "What If" standings below. Notice how that it is close to the actual standings when you look at the top four drivers. However, it gets more interesting the farther down you go. There are at least two non-Chase drivers who could be in the top ten according to the old system.

RankDriverPointsBehind
1Jeff Gordon4702Leader
2Dale Earnhardt Jr.464557
3Jimmie Johnson464062
4Kurt Busch4480222
5Tony Stewart4424278
6Mark Martin4287415
7Jamie McMurray4286416
8Ryan Newman4222480
9Matt Kenseth4162540
10Elliott Sadler4160542
11Dale Jarrett4071631
12Kasey Kahne4070632
13Kevin Harvick4027675
14Jeremy Mayfield4019683

Sunday, November 07, 2004

Sunday Morning Sermon

Six Obstacles to Overcoming Faith

I'm not sure the sixth point ends up in the recording, but it is a good one: Denial.

Good Job Heels

Tar Heels Edged By No. 18 Virginia Tech, 27-24

The UNC vs. VT game was bitter sweet. Sweet because UNC not only played well against the Hokies, they were in the drivers seat at the end of the game with a real chance to win it. Bitter because even though they played to that point, they lost. It actually feels good to be upset with those guys for dropping the game. How often does a Carolina fan have an opportunity to complain about "giving away" a game to the 18th ranked team in the country.

Friday, November 05, 2004

The Unteachables

Why Americans Hate Democrats

The election has peeled back the smiling and condescending mask of our liberal neighbors in the MSM and liberal intelligentsia. They are exposing themselves as they are. No longer do they see the need to mince words. A full frontal assault is underway.

Where before the disdain they feel for "red state" dwellers was well oiled to avoid the resulting friction, they have pushed themselves to the red line and the lubricants are breaking down. Unfortunately for them, there is still plenty of laps left to run. Soon they'll be leaving engine parts all over turn three (a little NASCAR lingo that only hicks will understand).

After reading the pleathora of explanations from the liberal left as to why they lost the election, I caught a glimpse of an idea that I think may help explain part of their problem. Of course, it isn't the only valve stem that broke, but it is one weakness in the liberal machine.

As we know, the liberals are claiming that "moral values" cost them at the polls. They further narrow that down to fundamentalists and evangelicals. Suddenly, there are 59,000,000 Bible-thumping fundamentalists in America!

Here is what I am reading and hearing since November two: These red state people are ignorant. They are simplistic. Above all, they hate. How exactly do they hate? Is it through beating people up? Is it through libel and slander? No. It is because they say there is a right and a wrong. They believe that there are absolutes. They do not condone certain behaviors or accept every other belief as equal to their own. That is hate. Hate! HATE!!

Because they are ignorant - without nuance and not willing to admit that we must always search to learn more because it is impossible to know anything with certainty - they are unteachable. If they are unteachable then they are hopeless. It isn't that they need to learn anything. It is that they need to realize that they must open their minds to ever-changing mores and standards. It isn't the destination that is important. It is the journey.

If you are left scratching your head at the above paragraph, you are probably a "red state" dweller. You are one of the unteachables.

However, where the liberals make their mistake is that they think that people think the way they do. Specifically, they believe that because people disagree on issues that they hate each other. They also think that those who act on their belief systems do so out of hate for those who disagree with those beliefs - rather than out of a love or respect for those beliefs.

This would be a common conclusion if you hold that beliefs are defined by the individual. If you are a relativist, you don't believe that there are any standards outside of yourself. Your standards come out from within. There certainly isn't anything wrong with having your own beliefs as long as you keep them within yourself. The only sin you can commit is to question another person's self-developed beliefs or to actually make decisions in your life based on those beliefs that would restrict your own passions.

So, when people say there is a standard outside of themselves and voluntarily place themselves under those standards, the post-modernists just can't understand. They jump to the conclusion that because these red state dwellers disagree with them so completely and are unwilling to listen to their sound reasoning, then it follows that those ignorant people are unwilling to listen to anyone and tolerate people with divergent views. Not so.

While these red state dwellers may not be as intelligent and cosmopolitan as our liberal neighbors, I think we are more mature. Maturity realizes that it is possible to have differenting beliefs - even opposite beliefs - and still see a common goal. Bottom line is that the red state dwellers are not all Bible-thumping fundamentalists. As a matter of fact, I would say the minority fit this description (as if that caricature was accurate). There are any number of religious and unreligious people who had the maturity to realize that we can disagree and still see some common standards for society, a need to secure our country and a realization that the government is not the answer to all of our ills.

We are Protestants. We are Democrats. We are Catholics. We are Republicans. We are Jews. We are Libertarians. We are Muslims. We are agnostics. Shoot, I'm sure there are some atheists in there as well. We disagree on any number of things. However, we are also Americans. We know we disagree, but that doesn't mean we hate each other - it just means we disagree (sometimes vehemently). America has given us the freedom to believe something - not the freedom just to believe nothing. It has given us the freedom to make those beliefs a part of our lives in a tangible way - even the way we vote.

We see in the ideas of the post-modernists, the relativists and the secularists a threat to that culture. Yes, we are unteachable - at least to these liberal doctrines. So, go ahead and scream. Call us ignorant. Say we are haters. We will just look at each other and shrug. If liberals are the example of intelligence -- ah, blessed ignorance!

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Don't give evangelicals all the credit

I continue to hear that the "evangelical vote" is what got Bush the election. I think the "evangelical vote" is being over emphasized. It is kind of like a football game. When the kicker wins the game on a last second field goal, he gets carried of the field and celebrated. However, it is a team effort. Voting is a team effort. While the evangelicals may have helped, they were only one lineman on the 11 man offense.

I think there is a reason that this voting segment is getting so much play. It is because they are easy to demonize. The Democrats can play to their more liberal side by saying, "It was those wacko fundamentalists who put George Bush in office. They are controlling the country! We are the only ones left to save you!" Because seriously religious people are some of the least understood people in the MSM, it is easy for them to be sterotypied and used as the boogie man.

What about the higher turnout of hispanics? What about the increased (while not as much so) vote of black voters? These are just some of the other players who helped take the ball over the goal line. The voters who put Bush over the line were not so narrow a segment as the Democrats and MSM would have us believe.

Front Pages

The State 'A season of hope'

I just got my paper tree version of The State. I was happy to see the special front page. It seems like that should be what a paper does when an election is over - regardless of who is elected.

I guess The Greenville News couldn't afford the ink.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Uniting Around Unity

Seize the Mandate

I am hearing this more and more. This call to "unite America." How can Bush unite America? It isn't Bush's job to unite us. It is OUR responsibility to unite around those common ideals that have been at the core of this great experiment.

The problem is that we have made the unimportant issues the core issues around which we seek unity. Unity for unity's sake is a worthless unity. I hate to tell you this folks, but we are always going to have divisions in America. So, it is not Bush's job to unite us. His responsibility is to defend the constitution and carry out an agenda consistent with the ideals laid out in that founding document.

That being the case, it isn't the responsibility for Bush to compromise. He has the right to operate from a position of strength. The nature of this election has given him that right. The responsibility to reach out belongs to those who have sought to undermine the Bush agenda.

If they don't want to get on board, they can get left behind.

I don't want to think about it

From The Corner over at National Review Online:
I don't want us to get ahead of ourselves either, but I'll make two quick points. First, with Cheney presumably not in the running and Jeb Bush announcing his non-interest recently, the nomination will be as wide open as it ever has been in our lives. The GOP may be the party of orderly succession, but it's not at all clear whose "turn" it is. Second, look at the field as we now know it: Frist, McCain, Giuliani, Hagel, Pataki. There is a major opportunity here for a movement conservative, and especially a conservative governor. Bill Owens of Colorado comes to mind, but it's not clear he's going to run. Sanford of South Carolina is impressive and don't count out Pawlenty of Minnesota. Okay, enough 2008 talk from me. At least until tomorrow.
I don't want to think about it right now, but it was nice to see South Carolina - and our governor - get a mention.

Folks, this thing is over

Yahoo! News - Presidential Election

I still remember one of the first political memories I have. It was the night that Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter. I believe it was Andrea Mitchell who as a reporter was shedding tears as the results came in showing a Reagan win. They weren't tears of joy.

Despite the fact that the media is still shell-shocked and hoping to stretch this thing out - BUSH IS OUR RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT. It is actually funny that they still want to keep Ohio in play. As more information comes out, it is obvious that the numbers continue to turn against Kerry. ABC News now reports that Kerry advisers are already paving the way for a concession.

It's just my gut, but Kerry will concede today.

But it goes deeper than that... look at the Senate and the House. The GOP gains in both. As a matter of fact, I don't see any area where the Dems have picked up any advantage. Oh, and don't forget the popular vote. This is huge. Reagan's wins set a very high bar - but compared to all the elections since then this one is big.

I believe that the more and more we look at this election the more significant it will become.

The "Church" Awakes

Received this morning from a SC GOP operative:
The way I look at it: Bush has 286 electoral votes (IA, NM and NV go his way) and Kerry ends up with 252 (WI goes his way). Bush leads in the popular vote. The Senate is divided 55-44-1. The Republicans are leading in the Senate in both Alaska (unexpected) and Florida. All in all - a great night for the GOP. One of the interesting things to see come out of the exit polls was to see that "Moral Values" ruled the day as to why people voted the way they did. Perhaps the church actually woke up again.
I tend to agree.

I can't take anymore

Okay, it is around 1:45 AM on November 3, 2004 and my eyes are starting to hurt. I don't think I can stay up much longer. Drudge must have gotten tired as well because he called the race for Bush quite a while ago. So far, Fox is the closest to calling it. On that network (and to my knowledge the only network with this electoral count) Bush has a 269 electoral vote lead.

Looking at all the other information coming in, I don't think even they are going to call it any time soon. Even so, it sure appears that Bush will win the initial counts...

The question remains, how many lawsuits, etc. will I wake up to in the morning?

Peace out.

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

The One Thorn in My Heel

Politics of being political

Yep, this has always been the one bad thing about being a Tar Heel fan. It wasn't until the mid-eighties that I really came aware of how liberal Dean Smith is politically. Of course, that shouldn't come as a surprise since he spent so much time on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill! The only thing that could be worse is Duke.

I just try to separate my politics from my sports. Of course, I always have NASCAR - hold it, wasn't Rick Hendrick pardoned by Bill Clinton?

Not much stock in Kerry

Another thing.

I hadn't done my Quicken work the evening before, so I updated my Quicken with my bank over lunch. I noticed that my stock account (which automatically updates as well) jumped pretty well.

"All right!" I thought and remembered hearing this morning that the market opened up on the latest polling information which appeared to show a healthy trend for Bush.

Well, then the exit polls came out.

My stock took a hit at that point. It isn't that I am a stock watcher, its just that I noticed on Drudge that the stocks dipped when the first wave of exit polls were released and the trend leaned toward Kerry.

Doesn't that tell you something?

I Voted

On my lunch break I headed over to the precinct to cast my vote. There were only two people at the table being screened to vote. I discovered then that there were people having trouble.

The voter registration cards for one of the people in front of me was brand new but the voter's name did not appear on the precinct roll. While I was voting, I noticed two more people come in with the exact same problem. The resolution to the issue was to send them over to the polling place across the street.

As far as the machines are concerned, it was no problem at all. Well, there was a little problem - but it was with my finger more than with the machine. My finger wasn't fitting correctly on the screen and my desired vote would not highlight. I just had to adjust the way I pressed the "button" and I had no more problems.

I had also heard that you had to press the "Vote" button at the top for as long as 15 seconds to get your vote completed. Not so. I pressed it for no more than two seconds and the confirmation screen appeared to show me that my votes had been tallied.

Bottom line, I kind of liked the new machines -- then again, I am a technogeek.

Oh, my four year-old son voted today. At our precinct polling place, a local businessman sponsored a "Kids Voting" station. While parents were voting, the kids could go over to their own booth and cast their votes. My wife went over with our son and let him cast his vote.

"Here you go, son. Do you recognize any of these men?" my wife asked. The ballots had pictures beside all of the choices.

My son pointed at President Bush.

"You recognize him? Who is that?" my wife continued.

"President Bush," he replied.

"Well, you go ahead and choose the one you would like to vote for.

My son then put his check mark beside the Bush/Cheney ticket.

Proud of you son!

Give me a break!

Political Strategy - Politics, Strategies, Tactics, News and Opinion

We could go through this entire blog post and rip it to shreads. However, I'll just focus on one paragraph that shows the credibility of this "political expert."
The Bush Faith Based Initiative has discriminated against Jewish and Muslim institutions, which have received no funding while racist and anti-Catholic Bob Jones University has received significant funding. This funding stands in violation of current civil rights laws.
First, he offers no examples of where the Faith Based Initiatives have discriminated against Jewish and Muslim institutions.

Second, say what!?! Bob Jones University has received significant funding!?! and from the Faith Based Initiatives? Also, he has joined with those still living in the last decade and don't realize that BJU has been in compliance with Civil Rights laws since 1974.

If his research is so bad, I can't see how anything this blogger says can be taken with credibility. He isn't a pundit. He is a parrott.

Monday, November 01, 2004

NASCAR "What If" Standings

RankDriverPointsBehind
1Jeff Gordon4532Leader
2Jimmie Johnson449042
3Dale Earnhardt Jr.445577
4Kurt Busch4341191
5Tony Stewart4282250
6Jamie McMurray*4195337
7Mark Martin4169363
8Elliott Sadler4106426
9Matt Kenseth4102422
10Ryan Newman4047485
11Dale Jarrett*3974558
12Jeremy Mayfield3919613
* Non Chase Driver