Latest Political Correctness

I realize many people will hate me for saying this, but LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) has NOTHING to do with whom you love. It has to do with whom you choose to have sex (yes verb) with.

This has again been made an issue because Phil Robertson, Originator of Duck Commander (ergo the Duck Dynasty) talked about homosexuality, and it being a sin, in an interview for GQ magazine. Then A&E, the television network suspended Phil from appearing on the Duck Dynasty show indefinitely. A&E said they support the LGBT community.

Here's the thing; you can love anyone and everyone, but that doesn't make you gay or lesbian. It is your sexual attraction and actions that make you Lesbian or Gay. That's according to Webster's Dictionary. As for Bisexual, Webster's says that is "body parts of both male and female" or "sexual attraction to both sexes." And Transgender is nothing more than "attempting to appear as a member of the opposite sex, e.g. a habitual cross-dresser."

I'm not arguing whether or not someone is born with a gene that gives them a greater potential of being gay. That is for the scientists to argue and/or prove.

What amazes me about this whole issue is that we seem to cater to the wishes of a group that is less than 4% of the US population.

Consider;  "The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, a sexual orientation law and public policy think tank, estimates that 9 million (about 3.8%) of Americans identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (2011). The institute also found that bisexuals make up 1.8% of the population, while 1.7% are gay or lesbian. Transgender adults make up 0.3% of the population."

I pulled that information from About.com by typing the question; what percentage of the US population is gay.

If you believe in God, you know He wants us all to love each other. That doesn't mean we have to agree that everything everyone does is okay. But we are called to love each other. And so Phil Robertson communicated that same thing. He said he wouldn't treat someone differently. But it seems most people (when talking about sexual orientation), ESPECIALLY the gay community, are afraid to admit that what they call themselves is about what they do in the bedroom.

Again, loving your fellow man or woman doesn't make you gay or lesbian. Because I love my male friend, that doesn't make me gay. Just as a sister's love for her sister doesn't make her a lesbian.

Thanksgiving 2013

On this day I give thanks especially to my family. I love you all! You have blessed me and my family with such wonderful memories and great times when we can be together.

Things I miss;
- The entire family around Mom's table with every good, hot food at the ready.
- The Turkey Bowl
- Brothers imparting their wisdom and knowledge on me…and one particular Brother making us laugh with repeats of funny movies.
- My Sister's love, listening and continuing of traditions.
- My Sister-in-Law's and Brother-in-Law's perspective on lots of things.
- The Black Friday round of par-3 @ Yingling's w/the guys…especially when Number 1 Son is with me.
- English Muffin bread.
- Grandma Utz's potato chips.
- Having plenty of room to keep drinks cold 'cause it is so freakin' cold they sit on the back porch and still stay cold.
- Mom bagging up leftovers for the trip home.
- Mom.
- Most of all I miss the warmth there always was when we had so many people and so much love filling any house we occupied.

To all my family; I hope you know I will always love you no matter how far apart we may be. I take great comfort in the love I know you have for me and our family. I hope some of these memories make you smile.

To all my friends, I give thanks you've let me be a part of your lives. You make me a better person.

To God be the glory and on this uniquely American holiday, may we all give thanks to God for all His blessings.

Birthday Blessing

On this day many years ago, God blessed me by bringing me into His creation. He breathed life into me. Okay, with a little reminder from the doc that it was my responsibility to breathe.

On this day so many years ago I was blessed to come into a wonderful family. One that I'm sure I've not praised or appreciated enough. No doubt my parents thought I was a blessing (at first) but it was me who enjoyed a solid roof over my head, nice clothes on my back and lots of food in my belly. They taught me so much and I am so grateful.

On this day all those years ago I began my journey with a Sister and Brother and we were later joined by another Brother. This sister and these brothers are amazing. They love, laugh and live with vigor and are another of God's blessings on me and those around them.

Throughout my life I've been blessed with many great friends, co-workers and neighbors. All of whom have provided me great wisdom and friendship. Some have been there in my darkest times. All have been there at the point God meant it.

I've also been blessed (yes I'm using that word a lot here, but I don't use it casually like so many do) with a wonderful Wife and two terrific children. The children have brought great joy, laughs, entertainment and enlightenment. And I could go on forever about my terrific Wife, Stacye. Without her, I'd be a wandering wreck.

On this day I give God the praise and thanks for all these blessings and those that will come in the future.

On this day I thank all of you who are in my life. If you are reading this, you are in my heart. I love you for all those things you do day in and day out. Those challenges you've overcome and that beacon of hope, faith and love you have been to me (and likely many others).

On this day, I hope that you all take comfort in the goodness that you are and continue to be.

On this day...THANK YOU!

Man Up!

I'm convinced that some men are still trying to prove their manhood, well past their 40's.

As a child of the 60's & 70's, we boys were always trying to show our masculinity. I got into some scrapes with other young boys. It was part of what we did. We defended our family's honor. Sometimes that meant a fist fight. I did okay on one or two occasions and not so well on one or two other occasions. I learned from those experiences, it was better to avoid those situations whenever possible.

Then came the 80's and things changed. It started in the late 70's actually. Men and boys started getting their hair done in salons, like the ladies. Then came a whole litany of characteristics men were supposed to adopt.

We were told men should get in touch with their feminine side. Men were considered Neanderthals and needed to change. Keep the chivalry, but lose the brashness. Men were referred to as "chauvinists." But the women kept gravitating to the "bad boys." Women still wanted a man that could protect them. For many guys this made things confusing.

Some of the men who took seriously to the getting in touch with their feminine side, were acting in traditionally female ways. By this, I mean they started having whine sessions (that's not a misspelling) with their "girl" friends. I'm going to call these men Talkers just to make this easier to discuss. You see, men listen to women's problems and want to fix them. Women sometimes just want to talk and have someone listen. Many men (the Talkers) started doing what women do. And who do you think they turned to? That's right, women. I believe this is a dangerous path for most men. Many women will view the Talker as weak. If the Talker is in a position of authority and/or responsibility, some women will take advantage of that weakness. Add to that, if a Talker happens to befriend a married woman or, well, you get the idea.

Even more dangerous than a man appearing weak to controlling women, is the Talker will almost certainly feel threatened by other men. Yep. Men (Talkers) who confide their feelings to women, other than their Wife or closest friends, will lash out at other men when legitimately questioned on various matters. This is especially true of Talkers in positions of authority and responsibility.

If you challenge a Talker's decision on just about anything of importance, they will take it as a personal affront to their manhood. They will then list various reasons why you should respect their manhood. They'll present a past achievement or their title as the reason you should respect them or their manhood. Having served in the military, we used to often say; I may have to respect the uniform, not the man. The man must earn my respect.

Have we gone so far down the path of appeasing the desires of some women and psychiatrists that young men are no longer men? Are men just another animal that can no longer be chivalrous, masculine and different than women? I mean, we had a wildly popular book in the 90's called Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (John Gray, PhD, Harper Collins). The whole premise was that men and women are different. Really? We needed a book to tell us that?

Hmm. What do you think?

Racist or Logic?

We now have a President that, while campaigning for office less than 7 years ago, stated it was "un-American" that President George W. Bush had allowed the national debt to increase from $4 trillion to $9 trillion in his eight years as President. Here in 2013, President Barack Obama has allowed the national debt to go from $10 trillion to $16 trillion in 4 years.

President Obama had a Democrat-controlled House and Senate the first two years of his presidency. The Senate also passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA but referred to as Obamacare, by many) late at night on a Christmas Eve. Candidate Obama said all legislation would be posted online for Americans to review before passage and signing into law. President Obama's supporters (Specifically, Nancy Pelosi D-CA) said the ACA needed to be passed and signed into law so we would know what was in it.

There are other examples of President Obama's contradicting statements, such as saying his proposals wouldn't add "one dime" to the debt or deficit. But as stated above, that has proven to be a lie.

Until recently, I had always been bothered by the statements some made about Obama criticizers being called racists. I hadn't heard anyone directly state it. Now however, Robert Redford has actually said (during an interview w/CNN) people in Washington DC are purposely working against President Obama because there's a body of people in DC that are intentionally crippling the system because, underneath "there's some racism."

Robert Redford may be a great actor, director and lots of other things, but I'm fed up with these morons who proclaim to be experts in fields they have no education and very little experience. These people completely ignore the contradicting statements the President has made. They can't debate the issues and blame all opposition to the President's policies, on racism.

I am disgusted that Hillary Clinton can scream; "we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration," but when people try debating and disagreeing with the current administration, they are called "racists."

Sadly, people are buying into the President's rhetoric. Strangely, I am wondering if those people who ignore the lies and contradictions of the current President are the ones who are really racists because I can't believe they'd make up the same excuses if President Obama where a white man.

What do you think?

More Than A Golf Buddy

This is written from a man’s perspective. Feel free to translate as necessary, to fit your perspective.

Many of us have friends in life. People we share dinners, weekends and sometimes, vacations with. There are those rare people we turn to in our darkest times and they help lift us out. Often these are the people that make us better people.

Recently I got to thinking about how these types of people influence our lives. For me, the specific person I was thinking of, was my golf buddy. For you it might be your fishing, swimming, tennis or shopping buddy. For me, my golf buddy. Some guys will go out to the golf course (or favorite fishing hole) with their friend and commence drinking while they swat the ball around the course. I’m talking about the kind of buddy that is more significant than that.

Now, if you’re into sports of any kind, it is often said that a good playing partner will raise your skill level. I submit that if you have a real good golf buddy, they will not only raise your skill level on the golf course, but off the course as well as they will help you be a better man.

The really good golf buddy finds the best in your game. He learns quickly when to laugh it off and when to keep his mouth shut. The really good golf buddy gives you a pat on the shoulders and encourages you to hang in there. “Hole by hole” he’ll say. He picks the one good shot you’ve had over the last three holes and reminds you how great it was. He IS; a great example.

A really good golf buddy will engage you in “small talk” as you play. Lest you take your golf game too seriously. He’ll remind you of the beautiful surroundings. He has the ability to laugh at himself when he’s having a pitiful round. That is not easy, but he does it anyway.

The really good golf buddy is someone you want to be around. Chances are this person is this way in all aspects of life, not just golf. Yes, this is the kind of person we used to call “salt of the earth.”

I was thinking of this person recently as I began to pick up the sticks again. For financial reasons, I had had to give up regular play a few years back. Although I played when I could, my golf buddy continued to play with others. Then my golf buddy suffered a brain seizure that would end his golf-playing days. I only played one round of golf after my golf buddy’s seizure. I haven’t played in nearly two years and I haven’t played “our course” since he and I last played together.

My golf buddy had the greatest of outlooks right up until he passed away a few months back. I have longed for a return to the game of golf and recently started going to hit balls at the driving range. To me, the flight of a well-struck golf ball is a thing of beauty. As it sails into flight, I recall my golf buddy and wish he were here.

The return to golf and especially “our course,” will be a challenge. There’s the need to put the past behind and the desire to find a new golf buddy. A really good golf buddy.

As I have thought much about this, I have come to the conclusion that in order to find a really good golf buddy, I need to be one to someone else. And that, is what a really good golf buddy taught me.

Healthcare System

Got the bill for a recent hospital trip. All is pretty well. No complaints with the treatment or charges. However, the bill raises one significant question;

How much does the healthcare we receive really cost?

My bill arrived and the total charges were $15,279. The "contractual adjustment" was $11,719. Now, either the battery of tests, observation, care and diagnosis costs fifteen grand or it doesn't. I could understand if there's a slight adjustment in the charges because my insurance company may be a fast payer. But this is a 77% "adjustment."

Some might say; "well you're welcome to pay the full amount if you want to complain about it." That isn't my point. My point is that if the true cost for the services was in the neighborhood of $13,000 - $15,000, how are the doctors, nurses and the hospital itself expected to operate for very long if the insurance companies strong-arm the providers into submission? And if this is how current insurance companies operate, will it get even worse when the Federal Government takes over even more of the paying responsibility?

I was in the hospital overnight and I got great care and treatment. I don't have a clue as to what it cost to provide the services I was afforded. One of my fears is that most of the American population has the same ignorance of the cost of medical care. In my case, either the prices are grossly inflated because the providers know they'll receive less or the prices are much higher than the provider is receiving for their services. If the latter is the case, how long can we expect such good care/treatment with pathetically low payments to the providers?

If you are knowledgeable of the healthcare costs/payment systems, please chime in.

PC or Mac?

I am writing this for current Windows-based users who've questioned whether or not to invest the money into an Apple Mac computer.


DISCLAIMER; this is all just my opinion, based on 25 years of using computers and I am not a technical expert on the specifications of each manufacturer.


When considering whether or not to spend the additional money that a Mac typically costs compared to a PC (Windows based computer), it is easy to wonder what the major advantages are to justify the expense.

For me, the biggest benefit of a Mac is the lack of virus issues. Beyond that the Mac offers lots of technology that many of us just don't use. If your daily computer tasks mostly revolve around surfing the internet, working w/spreadsheets, word processing and general business applications/software, you are probably better off saving your money, getting a good PC and investing in a good anti-virus software that is updated regularly.

My 20+ years of computer use has mostly been with PC's and Windows-based computers. Therefore, my comfort zone is in using MSOffice products. Even moving up from Windows XP to Windows 8 was not that difficult of a transition. However, even after a few years of owning a MacBook, it is still difficult to navigate opening downloads on the Mac. Maybe it is because I continue to use my PC for work and the Mac more for pleasure.

Some will argue that the Apple products now can open MSOffice documents, but it still doesn't seem as easy, plus there may be issues if a document is updated using the Mac and then trying to reopen it using the PC. Again, it mostly is a matter of what you're most familiar with.

If you are looking for a device that works well with your iPhone, no question the Apple products have the edge there. And no question that the iPhone is an amazing piece of technology that is very easy to use. I use an iPhone and like that I can sync my iTunes w/the Mac. However, with the popularity of sites like Pandora, iTunes may not be as important to as many people as it once was.

Bottom line to me; if you've been using PC's for 10 years or longer and you like them, keep on. If you grew up w/Apple computers in school and continue working with them, you might be best served to stay with the Apple line.

Easter & Religion

Today the local paper ran an AP article about how Easter is losing its attachment to religion. The story focused on about four people who will be feasting or getting together with friends and family on Easter but not going to church.

In the article people claim they don't "need" to go to church to have religion. One person interviewed did say she will attend church on Easter because it is about being a part of something bigger than yourself.

What was most interesting to me was the claim by some that religion is about relationships, but they never discuss their need for a relationship with God. These people seemed to claim they are good, religious people because they nurture their relationships with friends and family.

Well, great for you in your quest to have good family and friend relationships. But what are you doing to further the Kingdom of God? Maybe you are polite, caring and donate to charities on occasion. But there is something about belonging to a church that does make it about something bigger than yourself and that is important.

Here are some things I've experienced in belonging to various churches throughout my life;
1. As a child, I developed a love of music, an appreciation for it and a desire to sing out with joy to God and anyone who wants to listen.
2. I have learned, from talks with well-educated people, great amounts of knowledge and how science does tie in with biblical history. Had I not been a churchgoer, I likely would have never been exposed to these learned people.
3. People greater than myself have befriended me and taught me great restraint about issues and have taught me to be tolerant of those with whom I disagree.
4. Volunteering to go out and actually feed the homeless is much more effective (in teaching ourselves about their plight) than writing a check or dropping off a few cans of beans at the local food pantry.
5. Without being a part of a church there are plenty of volunteer opportunities that I just wouldn't have been a part of because I wouldn't have known about them.
6. Being a part of church has afforded me more time with God and motivated me to study the Bible more than I would've had I not been involved in church.

I could go on and on. But I think you get the point.

What is truly sad about Holy Days and religion is that we want to keep the Holy Days to celebrate and have an excuse to get together, but we don't want the religion part which requires action on our part.

So I say; go to church on Easter Sunday. Think about the positives associated with God and Jesus Christ. Leave the worrying at the door. Listen to the message, the good news.