I've been busy. BLAH. That is what happens. Real life gets in the way of taking time to write insightful and inspiring post (please, let me dream that those words describe these posts). So, here in lieu of a real post, is an obligatory apology...don't you feel special???
Anyway, we had an exciting Easter weekend with my parents visiting. The kids responded very well to them. Noah pulled my coffee cup off the end table...carpet is now officially ruined. We are probably going to break all our rules and go get a home equity line of credit (that dreaded "c" word) and go into more debt (debt and dumb both start with "d"...coincidence...I think not...but that won't stop us) and replace the carpet with tile.
Other big, new happenings you may want to know about:
1) Erin's dad was diagnosed with lung cancer a couple/three weeks ago. He has had two rounds of chemotherapy. We are praying very, very hard for him right now. I could write a whole post about this topic, but haven't been because I knew it would break my heart and I would have to clean tears off my keyboard. So, in typical Randy-esque fashion, I have ignored the problem so as to not have to deal with my emotions.
2) My mom had to go to the emergency room whilst she was traveling back from home. Everything appears fine, but nobody wants to have to spend a night in the hospital. It is especially worse when you are traveling and you end up stuck in Nashville with no family. She made it home safely though. Praise God.
3) Erin has decided to completely quit at PCA. She will not be teaching or directing spiritual life next year. God has blessed us to allow me to have a good job with good pay...so she gets to stay home and raise our family. This has been a tough, tough decision for her...but it is the right one.
Anyway, with all that going on...overburdened at work (doing my regular programming job plus being the interim director, plus managing the biggest project of the department), I've been a bit busy...so...sorry...please forgive me, my faithful and loyal readers...if you are still here.
OH....and because it is CONFINSCATE YOUR MONEY AND GIVE IT TO OTHER PEOPLE WE LIKE MORE THAN YOU DAY (i.e., TAX Day)... Remember to support the FairTax and make April 15 (or in this case, April 17th) just like any other Spring Day. I ran across a link the other day that showed how much of the Federal Budget is actually welfare (both corporate and personal) and how much of the budget is for operational purposes...I wish I could find it again and post it here because it was outrageous how much of our tax money gets funneled through Washington right back to other private citizens.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
This can't happen in America
So, you are getting ready to go to church one beautiful Spring morning when you a hear knock on the door. Wondering to yourself who could be visiting this morning, you open the door to Boulder's finest.
"How can I help you officer?" you ask, trying to be cheerful, but a little afraid, unsure of why the police are here.
"Please step outside ma'am, we've some questions to ask you."
You are a little nervous, but you are sure that whatever the deal, it can be resolved. You just hope someone you know hasn't been killed in accident or something horrible. Being a good, trusting citizen you step outside...where you are immediately pushed to the wall, frisked, hands placed behind your back and cuffs slapped on your wrists.
"You are under arrest for replacing your garage door. You have the right to remain silent..."
This can't happen in America...but it has. It is being reported that a Boulder, CO woman was jailed for replacing her garage door.
Yes!!! In Boulder, Colorado you can be arrested...thrown into jail with hardened criminals (murders, rapists, burglars, etc...) for doing simple home maintenance. What a great country we live in!!!
One of my biggest rules of Law is that all laws should be discernible by intuition by reasonable people. In other words, I should be able to know, without studying law, whether a particular action is going to be against the law or not. So, it would never occur to me (or any reasonable person) to go and study the law to see if I could replace my garage door. Intuitevely, people believe they have the right to do whatever they want on their land.
Secondly, why in the heck is this a felony. While I am against restrictions and against needing permits and building certificates (once again, my land...I can do whatever I want on it), if you do happen to break that law...isn't a fine enough? Do we really need to remove people who don't obtain certificates from the rest of society? What danger are they?
Asinine...just completely stupid and asinine.
"How can I help you officer?" you ask, trying to be cheerful, but a little afraid, unsure of why the police are here.
"Please step outside ma'am, we've some questions to ask you."
You are a little nervous, but you are sure that whatever the deal, it can be resolved. You just hope someone you know hasn't been killed in accident or something horrible. Being a good, trusting citizen you step outside...where you are immediately pushed to the wall, frisked, hands placed behind your back and cuffs slapped on your wrists.
"You are under arrest for replacing your garage door. You have the right to remain silent..."
This can't happen in America...but it has. It is being reported that a Boulder, CO woman was jailed for replacing her garage door.
Yes!!! In Boulder, Colorado you can be arrested...thrown into jail with hardened criminals (murders, rapists, burglars, etc...) for doing simple home maintenance. What a great country we live in!!!
One of my biggest rules of Law is that all laws should be discernible by intuition by reasonable people. In other words, I should be able to know, without studying law, whether a particular action is going to be against the law or not. So, it would never occur to me (or any reasonable person) to go and study the law to see if I could replace my garage door. Intuitevely, people believe they have the right to do whatever they want on their land.
Secondly, why in the heck is this a felony. While I am against restrictions and against needing permits and building certificates (once again, my land...I can do whatever I want on it), if you do happen to break that law...isn't a fine enough? Do we really need to remove people who don't obtain certificates from the rest of society? What danger are they?
Asinine...just completely stupid and asinine.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
The Great Immigration Compromise
Well...the Senate worked up a compromise to try and get an Immigration Reform package to the President.
Earlier this year the House passed an Immigration Reform bill that was tough on border security and made being an illegal alien a felony. The Senate has made it clear that it would not pass the House version of the bill and the President has said he won't sign the House version (it does not contain his "Guest Worker" program that he has been stumping for). The House bill is a good start, with the exception of the felony clause.
The felony clause is a bad idea because it would move all cases out of civil court and into our already strained criminal courts. Once in criminal court there would be many more costs to the taxpayers, including providing the defendant with representation. Since the rules of evidence in criminal court are more strict, it would require more work on the prosecutors end to ensure a conviction. So, while making being an illegal alien sounds good...its consequences have a practical implication that is unacceptable.
Anyway, the Senate has been deadlocked on the issue until today when the released the details of their Great Immigration Compromise (GIC). In the GIC illegal immigrants will be tiered based on the number of years they have been lawbreakers.
In Tier One are people who have been illegally in the US for less than two years. Those people are to be immediately sent back to their country of origin.
Tier Two is comprised of people who have been in the US for more than two years, but less than 5 years. They are to return to one of 19 "ports of entry" and bring documentation that proves they have been in the US for the proper timeframe. They will be given green cards that allow them to work here legally. At the end of the 5 years of work, they could apply for the a citizenship process that takes 11 years.
The final tier, Tier Three is for those people who have been in the country for more than 5 years. They could immediately apply for citizenship process that will take 11 years. This process is so long to meet the President's goal of not allowing illegal people to "jump ahead" of people who are going about the process correctly. The 11 year process is kind of a "plea agreement" where the illegal alien is on probation during that time. Part of the 11 year "road to citizenship" includes such things as English proficiency, civics proficiency, and two criminal background checks.
The Senate bill also doubles the number of Border Patrol agents and the building of a a "virtual" fence of surveillance cameras, sensors and other technology to monitor the U.S.-Mexican border. The bill includes provisions requiring employers to verify they've hired legal workers, as well.
I like this bill as a cleanup measure. I believe it is well thought out and fair. It handles the practical problem of what to do with 12 million people in a very equitable way. I don't think it is morally right to criminalize good-natured people who are just trying to make a better life for themselves. It would be a logistical, political and economical nightmare to try to round up 12 million people, many whom have had children here (who are therefore American citizens) and return them all to their countries of origin.
My big problem with this is I don't want a "clean-up" bill without some tough, zero-tolerance, enforced border security bill. I want to see the American government pass a law that shuts down the leak in our border. After 2 to 5 years of watching the government keep illegal immigrants out, then we can focus on cleaning up the mess by legitimizing those who are here.
Like I have said before, "most of America wants a strong, zero-tolerance policy that is enforced...I believe that the average Joe American would be amenable to the idea of guest workers if that were coupled with very, very tight border security." I think that this bill fails to prove to me and the American people that we have fixed the problem. This bill is just a clean-up and I don't trust the government to stop the influx...no matter what they say in the bill.
By the way, for those who think this bill is amnesty. You are wrong. Amnesty is what Reagan signed into law where one day 3 million people where illegal, and then, by the stroke of a pen, they were legal. Under this program, illegal aliens must register and work toward citizenship that has set requirements. Failure to meet those requirements and go through the process and you will still be illegal.
I certainly hope we can get this issue resolved in a fair, humanitarian, and lawful way.
Earlier this year the House passed an Immigration Reform bill that was tough on border security and made being an illegal alien a felony. The Senate has made it clear that it would not pass the House version of the bill and the President has said he won't sign the House version (it does not contain his "Guest Worker" program that he has been stumping for). The House bill is a good start, with the exception of the felony clause.
The felony clause is a bad idea because it would move all cases out of civil court and into our already strained criminal courts. Once in criminal court there would be many more costs to the taxpayers, including providing the defendant with representation. Since the rules of evidence in criminal court are more strict, it would require more work on the prosecutors end to ensure a conviction. So, while making being an illegal alien sounds good...its consequences have a practical implication that is unacceptable.
Anyway, the Senate has been deadlocked on the issue until today when the released the details of their Great Immigration Compromise (GIC). In the GIC illegal immigrants will be tiered based on the number of years they have been lawbreakers.
In Tier One are people who have been illegally in the US for less than two years. Those people are to be immediately sent back to their country of origin.
Tier Two is comprised of people who have been in the US for more than two years, but less than 5 years. They are to return to one of 19 "ports of entry" and bring documentation that proves they have been in the US for the proper timeframe. They will be given green cards that allow them to work here legally. At the end of the 5 years of work, they could apply for the a citizenship process that takes 11 years.
The final tier, Tier Three is for those people who have been in the country for more than 5 years. They could immediately apply for citizenship process that will take 11 years. This process is so long to meet the President's goal of not allowing illegal people to "jump ahead" of people who are going about the process correctly. The 11 year process is kind of a "plea agreement" where the illegal alien is on probation during that time. Part of the 11 year "road to citizenship" includes such things as English proficiency, civics proficiency, and two criminal background checks.
The Senate bill also doubles the number of Border Patrol agents and the building of a a "virtual" fence of surveillance cameras, sensors and other technology to monitor the U.S.-Mexican border. The bill includes provisions requiring employers to verify they've hired legal workers, as well.
I like this bill as a cleanup measure. I believe it is well thought out and fair. It handles the practical problem of what to do with 12 million people in a very equitable way. I don't think it is morally right to criminalize good-natured people who are just trying to make a better life for themselves. It would be a logistical, political and economical nightmare to try to round up 12 million people, many whom have had children here (who are therefore American citizens) and return them all to their countries of origin.
My big problem with this is I don't want a "clean-up" bill without some tough, zero-tolerance, enforced border security bill. I want to see the American government pass a law that shuts down the leak in our border. After 2 to 5 years of watching the government keep illegal immigrants out, then we can focus on cleaning up the mess by legitimizing those who are here.
Like I have said before, "most of America wants a strong, zero-tolerance policy that is enforced...I believe that the average Joe American would be amenable to the idea of guest workers if that were coupled with very, very tight border security." I think that this bill fails to prove to me and the American people that we have fixed the problem. This bill is just a clean-up and I don't trust the government to stop the influx...no matter what they say in the bill.
By the way, for those who think this bill is amnesty. You are wrong. Amnesty is what Reagan signed into law where one day 3 million people where illegal, and then, by the stroke of a pen, they were legal. Under this program, illegal aliens must register and work toward citizenship that has set requirements. Failure to meet those requirements and go through the process and you will still be illegal.
I certainly hope we can get this issue resolved in a fair, humanitarian, and lawful way.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Hunter Hills Podcasting
A few days ago I posted some very popular sermons from HH and commented that I was looking for free hosting/media streaming to distribute the sermons on the web. The next post was charging my young friend and companion with the task of overcoming some of the difficulties I was experiencing with some of the services. Since he has the time, he can research stuff much better than I can.
Anyway, after his searching and studying we have come upon a solution that we like. So, for your reading pleasure...a how-to overview for posting streaming media on the web.
That is it. I think it is all working.
Anyway, after his searching and studying we have come upon a solution that we like. So, for your reading pleasure...a how-to overview for posting streaming media on the web.
- Go to the Internet Archive and register.
- Download and install the ccPublisher utility that allows you to tag your audio and upload it to the Internet Archive for free hosting.
- Use the ccPublisher utility to upload your content to the Internet Archive.
- Create a blog. I, of course, used Blogger to create HHAudio.blogspot.com. Make sure you turn on the syndication ability of your blog. (The hardest part of this was getting the template working to make it appear as if a user has never left Hunter Hill's website. I had a bear turning all relative paths into fully-qualified paths).
- Finally, go to FeedBurner and use their free service that turns you syndicated blog feed into feeds formatted for various podcasting utilities.
That is it. I think it is all working.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Third Day and David Crowder Band in Concert in Nashville, TN
Erin and I had a weekend getaway this weekend. We left the children with Erin's parents and went to Nashville to go to the Third Day/David Crowder band concert.
It was an absolutely incredible show. We loved it.
We had lots of fun. Ate at nice restaurants (no high chairs). Went shopping at the Opry Mills mall. SLEPT IN!!!!
On Sunday morning, we went and worshipped at the Otter Creek church.
We got back in time to run the A/V for the Ladies Tea and Worship at Hunter Hills.
It was an absolutely incredible show. We loved it.
We had lots of fun. Ate at nice restaurants (no high chairs). Went shopping at the Opry Mills mall. SLEPT IN!!!!
On Sunday morning, we went and worshipped at the Otter Creek church.
We got back in time to run the A/V for the Ladies Tea and Worship at Hunter Hills.
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