Tough end to '04.

Tsunami dead numbering over 50K as of today. That's really sad. The U. S. rushes to send aid and all the UN can say is that we're selfish. From what I've seen, we are one of the most generous countries in the world. The $ 35 million the government has sent so far is only a start. That doesn't count all the support from private relief organizations or individuals.

Where was all the world aid when Florida got hammered with one hurricane after another? I didn't see any reports of Germany, France, Saudi Arabia or others rushing to help us. And now we are the stingy bastards? Sometimes I wonder why we do help. Of course it's because we are NOT stingy that we always do help. I'm proud of America and all it's generous people!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

And no, I don't mean happy holidays or season's greetings! I mean Merry Christmas. It isn't meant as an affront to those of you who might be non-Christians. It's a traditional greeting you might still hear from time to time in December. Don't assume that it means I hate Muslims, Jews, atheists or others. Just assume I'd like you to have a happy day. OKAY?!

Go Griz!!!!!!!!!

The beloved UM Grizzlies take Chattanooga by storm on Friday night. Be sure to watch them kick tail.

Culture War

Since the election I have heard much in the media about the "culture war" going on in this country. Some reporters act as though this is a new phenomenon that has become apparent only since the election. If they were really paying attention, they would know that it has been going on for decades. They say that Bush won only due to fundamentalist Christians coming out in droves to vote for him. Who do they think these people voted for in 2000? I'll give you a hint. It wasn't Gore.

Why do these Christians vote Republican so steadfastly? Could it be the propensity of Democrats and liberals to strive so hard to eliminate God from the public arena and have an entirely secular society? Of course! Does separation of church and state mean that religion must be kept behind closed doors in a church, Synogogue or other religious edifice? I don't see it that way.

The whole point to the separation is to prevent the establishment of a State religion. The government should not promote one religion over another. This should not be construed to mean the State is required to stifle religious speech in the public forum. Such actions by government steps on everyone's right to freedom of religion and free speech also! While they cannot promote one religion over another, they have no right to actively work against religion as a facet of our society. I understand that there are some who would be offended by it since they are of a different religion or are atheist. Tough! Their right to not be offended is written where????? Their choice of religion or non-religion does not trump my rights! Many Christian faiths teach that it is every church member's duty to spread the word of God and work to convert non-believers. If they are told by the government to go sit down and shut up, are their rights to free speech and religion not infringed upon?

What about what is taught in our schools? I suggest that rather than making God a dirty word that cannot be uttered, that ALL religions should be studied equally. Make a point of explaining every one of them to our children- including telling them of how some people are Atheist or agnostic. This is teaching them about the different cultures of our world. Knowledge is good- Ignorance is NOT bliss. Exposure to other cultures might aid in better understanding throughout the world. Many liberals would be all for teaching about other religions but would balk at Christianity being among those that our children are exposed to. I know a couple of atheists. They aren't the slightest bit threatened by Islam, but talk of Christianity to them and they get defensive immediately. What are they afraid of? If they don't belive in a God, then they shouldn't feel threatened.

I am not an overly religious person. I don't attend a church regularly, but do consider myself a Christian. Some more zealous people have accosted me and told me that I can't be Christian if I don't attend regularly. Of course, they also say ONLY their church is the right one! They have every right to their beliefs and I have no right to shut them up. It is ultimately MY CHOICE as to what I will do. Isn't that what FREEDOM is?

OH YEA!

How about that! My Chargers came through and protected home field vs. the Broncos. They did make me sweat it though. They played a fairly good first half and then sat on it in the second half. Fortunately, I could count on Jake Plummer to throw up a few( 4 total) gopher balls. Way to go Snake!

On Saturday, the Griz dismantled their poor opponent by a wide margin. Good job guys! I don't know who their next round opponent will be, but I'm sure they will give the Griz a better game than New Hampshire did. Here's hoping they can go all the way again. While I don't follow college ball very much, it's easy to root for our UM boys.

Thanks Craig!

I guess Craig at mtpolitics.net found my site and was nice enough to give me a mention and link on his site. With all the readers he has, I might actually see a little traffic here now. Thanks again Craig! I'm going to have to put in a little time to write a few posts worth others time to read. I hope some of you find my site worth a visit from time to time. I intend to add links to other Montana bloggers now that I have figured out (I think!) how to do it. Words of encouragement and sage advice from those of you who actually know what they are doing are WELCOME at any time.

I truly enjoy visiting all the other Montana blog sites and am proud of the fine group of writers that share this great state with me. Most of you are far better and more experienced writers than I am. While I am not the most educated or articulate, I'll try not to drag down the overall quality level of Montana bloggers. More to come as time allows...

Big game Sunday-

For a long suffering Charger fan such as myself, the game against the Denver Donkeys this week means much. I am amazed to find my beloved Bolts in first place as of this date. They shared the top spot for quite some time with the detested Donkeys. Last Sunday night the lowly Raiders dumped the Donkeys on their home field during a cold and snowy night. Mark me down as one who was very suprised by that. Unfortunately, I fear this will only motivate the Denver Nags to perform better this weekend. I hope that is not prophetic and that my Chargers hold down home field well. A victory would mean a two game lead in the division. Of course if they should make the playoffs, I fear they will only be a first round victim of one of the stronger AFC teams. While I love my Bolts, I wouldn't want to meet the Colts in a playoff. They have been making mincemeat of all competition lately. Manning is so hot he can fry bacon on his right arm!

Veteran's day

Today is a very important day. If you know a veteran or active duty service person, thank them today (and any other day) for their service. Remember, your freedom was won and defended with the blood of these fine people. We owe them EVERYTHING we have. This is especially true of our freedom and the rights we enjoy. They protect our loved ones from those who would do them harm. There is no more honorable vocation on earth. Freedom is not free. We must often pay for it with the lives of our service people. They have my heartfelt thanks- be sure to give them yours.

Liberals whine while conservatives try not to gloat too much

The amount of whining and hand wringing by all the liberals I know is comical as hell. Some decry the moralists on the right as ruining the country while others assure me that there was voting fraud with all the new electronic touch screen voting equipment. They just can't accept that they lost fair and square. What they really need to do is stop crying long enough to fully examine the real reasons they lost. I'm fairly confident that won't happen soon.
In the mean time, it is very difficult for conservatives like myself to resist the urge to gloat at least a little. I try to keep it to a minimum because I don't think it would show our side as very nice. If we wish to retard the divisiveness in this country, we Republicans must be the ones to show a little class. It is apparent that it won't come from the left.
By the way- are there really Democrats that are so pissed off that they are looking into moving to Canada or Australia? Can anyone really get that torqued off by an election? If there are, can we help them move?

Just getting started.

I'm new at this blogging stuff, but I want to give it a try. Have some patience since I'm a rookie. More posts to come as time allows.