I was sure I was going to stop ranting on the front page, and the start back on my ideas/opinions page...but I'm not. The rant for today centers around a convenient hypocrisy on the left. The Anglican Church has now said that it backs allowing severely disabled babies to die. The article I read was also talking about euthanizing them as well, but the Anglican Church did not address that specifically. The Anglican bishop also argued that cost should be a factor we consider when making life and death decisions as well. I have a HUGE problem with this, for more than one reason.
First, who are we to decide which life is worth working to save and which isn't? I believe that our role is to nurture life as long is possible, and only give up when every hope is gone.
Second, who decides how much a life is worth? Not one person should ever be charged with determining what a life is worth. Are the deformed children of poor people worth less than those of the wealthy? Who draws the line? Certainly the Anglican Church will not clarify. They wanted to make a controversial statement and walk away.
Finally, the SAME left that has screamed loudly about how unfair it is to execute violent criminals on the basis of mental disability is now calling for what amounts to the abortion of living babies that need additional care.
I'm not advocating that we execute people with disabilities, but I'm not the one advocating that we allow innocent babies to die, and calling it compassion.
The people have spoken, and with a loud thud, the Republicans in Congress have lost their majority. Irritation and extreme concern are the two feelings that have gripped me since learning the fate of the party I am prone to support. I have been looking for a way to reconcile my concern, and to placate my irritation to no avail. I have to place blame and give credit in several places.
First, blame Republicans. The majority of Republicans in Congress have forgotten the true ideals of conservatism, and have instead embraced the big spending, government intervention embraced by the old Democratic Party. They have forgotten why we elected them all in the first place. The tax cuts were a good start, but they have since lost momentum.
Second, I have to blame the media. The media has constantly drummed the economy. The economy is great. Unemployment is low; wages are on the increase. The media has continued to talk as though we are in a recession. The bottom line, the recession was caused by democratic economic policies set forth by the Clinton Whitehouse. The recession was broken when our current president went full speed ahead after economic stimulus packages, and demanded that our taxes be reduced. The media has also made it apparent that they think, or want you to think, that somehow higher gas prices are a result of Republican back room deals with "Big Oil". Anyone who knows ANYTHING at ALL about economics knows that a global market and the principles of supply and demand set the prices. So, in a way this is blame, and in another credit given to the media. They have managed successfully buffalo the American voting public into thinking the economy is bad, that the war is wrong and going badly, and that all of it is George Bush and the Republicans' fault. Thank you media.
Credit goes to the Democrats, who have made this election all about the war and gas prices. The war is something that people do not like. I for one do not like that we are at war, however I recognize the necessity of it. It has been stated by terrorists and foreign leaders alike, that they would see the end of American superpower status, and the end of our influence beyond our borders. The terrorists in the world want to kill American civilians. They would bring the fight to our backdoor and right into the heart of our soil again if we would let up and allow them to regroup. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan has kept them on their heels. With their rabid hatred for the President, the Democrats have divided the American people against their own future security. Masterfully done.
Finally, I want to blame the voters. While I am glad to see that the political process in this country works, I am saddened by the fact that the mob has revealed its ignorance. Republicans who did not vote, shame on you. People who switched because they feel that Iraq is too hard, shame on you. People who forgot that Democrats intend to raise taxes because of blind hatred of our President, shame on you. The bottom line, the American voter has now turned our prosperity, security, and general well being over to a party with only two stated positions, raise taxes, and oppose the President on all things related to national security and the war against terror.
As a conservative, I am deeply troubled. My only hope is that the Democrats will put themselves out of contention for 2008 with their upcoming policy changes. Despite the cowardice and foolish policies of her newly elected leaders, may God bless America.
PS: At least Texans didn't elect a Governer Kinky!!! Maybe there's hope yet.
I was doing SOOOOOOO well, but I haven't updated in 22 days. Well, here's an update. The wedding is coming up in 8 days. Wow! It's really close now. We're both excited, and maybe a little nervous, but I'm assuming both are normal. Well, sorry I don't have much else to say. More later.
Great quote. Shame I can't remember reading it. Cassidi, her parents, and I met with the wedding coordinator for a final meeting last night. Everything is in order. I feel like I've been in a timewarp for the past few months. I'm looking forward to the wedding.
The weather over the past few days has been GREAT!!! After a long, hot summer it's nice to feel the season changing. It's FOOTBALL SEASON!!!! Aggies and Cowboys are playing well, my fantasy football team is picked, the chili pot is clean, and the TV works. I'm pretty sure I'm ready.
I'm sure by now that everyone has heard that Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, has died. I saw it on the Drudge Report on Saturday evening, and I was surprised. It's a shame that a man that's devoted so much of his life to understanding and promoting the understanding of creatures that most people find frightening has left this life. I am saddened by the fact that he left two very young children fatherless. They will know him through their mother, the zoo they kept, and the video accounts of his life. It is, however, unpleasant to think that they will not be directly in his influence. I did not know him beyond his television persona, and I did not agree with everything he believed in, however, I respect the passion and energy with which he worked.
I'm not sure that the title has anything to do with the contents of this post, but it's there nonetheless. Cassidi and I are looking at houses again today. I enjoy the looking process, but I'm looking forward to the buying/moving process. We're hoping to close the deal on one before the wedding, and having it prepared to move into right after the honeymoon. Long road, but worth it if getting away from apartment life can be the end result. Anyway, more later. Just not much to say today.
I drove a ROLLER SKATE today instead of my truck. Nissan finally got my parts in and repaired all of my problems at once. I hope the repairs stick. Anyway, back to the roller skate that served as my transportation for the day...yeah...let's just say that I now know how truly intimidating full sized trucks can be from the small car perspective. It was a Mitsubishi Lancer, and it had no capacity for acceleration. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I got to miss half of the workday for yet another dental appointment. This one was more fun...since it didn't involve a needle, a drill, or any of that stuff. My dentist was so proud of the filling he put in last time that he took pictures of it. Cassidi and I have been house hunting. We've found a few that we like, but haven't decided to move on anything yet. We've still got quite a bit of looking to do. I hope everyone is having a great week.
Saturday I discovered the worst cavity I've ever had. It's also only my 3rd. So, I got my no dental insurance having self to the dentist to get it seen about. The dentist and his staff were great, and they took great care with the procedure and all. The bill was shocking, but that's covered. I left the place looking like a stroke victim. I feel lucky though, they said a little longer and it would have been about 6 times what it ended up costing. I've found my dentist for the near future, and my tooth is oh so much better today.
Cassidi reminded me that in the end having the wedding will be worth any short term pain. I'll reserve my judgment. I got to meet Cassidi's cousin and family last night. It was really a fun time. Their kids are well behaved, and they are very nice people. My truck is in the shop today for nitpicking central. The back left power window was acting up, so I took it in for that...and a few other little things. Cassidi starts back to school tomorrow...as a teacher. I'm very proud of her. It should be an interesting year, but an exciting one for all of that.
We had a great weekend. Got to see almost the whole family. Those that were not there were missed. There were 25+ people at my parent's house. It's amazing how some things have changed, and others have remained the same. All in all, Cassidi and I had fun, and I think the family had fun as well. I'm hoping to do something like that about every six months. We can all stay close despite the passing time and growing distances.
I've archived all of the old entries from this section. I've also removed the ideas button. I decided that it was less than relevant at the moment. I'll put it back a little closer to an election that I have something to say about. I've added a page for my truck. I'm hoping to be able to add more pictures of it later. So, all of that out of the way. I joined MySpace a few days ago. Never thought I'd finally cave and do it. Reality, it's probably not that bad, but it does give me more we real estate to maintain. Ah well, nothing to worry about there. The wedding plans are coming along. That's coming up in October. My family is all getting together next weekend, that should be a really cool time. I haven't been able to see so many of them in so long. I'm hoping to have more time to put into this site, and a site I'm wanting to develop for my family. Check back, but in the meantime MySpace
I may seem to be a fair-weather basketball fan, but I'm not. I really enjoy playoff basketball especially when it's the Mavericks. Finals start later this week. Very exciting! Not much news on the home front. Cassidi and I have several weddings to go to over the next several weeks. Should be a hectic/exciting time. We'll be in Houston in a few weeks for a wedding, and I'll get to show her some of the stuff from past family vacations. For those of you that do not know, my brother had cancer as a baby, and as a family, we would go to Houston a couple of times per year for his checkup, and for vacation. Also, since I am an Aggie, I spent a fair amount of my college career traveling to Houston for various projects and other research trips. The place has quite a few memories for me. Additionally, we're going to make a Saturday night stop off in College Station to visit George and Cara. I'm going to get to see the town for the first time since December 2001. I'm sure I won't recognize it, but I still want to see. Anyway, this is the most I've updated in awhile, but I'm finished now.
Busy busy. Brian graduated from college, the wedding is less than 5 months away, work has been tough. Just a short update, more later.
Congratulations to my brother Brian. He is the proud owner of a brand new 2006 Nissan Xterra. It's darker gray than my truck, and it's really pretty. Cassidi and I will be in Abilene Easter weekend, so we'll get to see it (and maybe I'll get to drive it).
GOLF!!!!!!!!! It's spring, and all around, you can hear the sounds of golf clubs striking the ground. A dumb little poem that was never meant to be a poem. It's TRUE though. The driving range across the street from my complex has been full nightly. People trying to get the rust out of their swing, and remembering how to line up a putt properly. I'm preparing for a (friendly) tournament. Very excited to be playing this year. I guess that's the update you get.
Well, apparently either no one reads my site, or no one knows of any beagle breeders. In addition to that, I now need a general price range/general impression of running a server on a collocated hosting solution. I want to determine whether I'll see a cost decrease from running my own equipment from home in addition to having an IP I can actually use to send email with and where hosting a server isn't against the acceptable use policy.
Monday II....Tuesday is Monday this week. I had a very long weekend, and I can't wait until the next one. I'm at work at the moment, and I'm looking forward to lunch. Made a short short trip to Abilene this weekend. Turns out my Dad's connecting flight home left him at DFW. Cassidi and I took him to Abilene Friday night, and drove back Saturday afternoon. Then, Sunday, I helped my friend Brandon move 70 miles. I needed the exercise, and I need to exercise more. My truck has started getting mileage like I expected. Not too bad.
Does anyone know any beagle breeders? I'm not going to buy one tomorrow or anything, but I want to get some names so I can buy one when I'm ready for one. Please email me if you know any.
Fixed- The best word to describe the current state of my sound system. I added an Aggie trailer hitch cover. Very proud. Anyway, we're finally getting winter here in north Texas. It's been pretty nice. I'm hoping to start the spring on a pair of roller blades. I'm ready to get back in shape. It's been far too long coming. I'm trying to update this site more often. No promises, but I'm trying. More later.
Not really much going on lately. I've been working like crazy to pay for my truck. Oh...there's something. The super cool, upgraded 8 speaker audio system that came with my truck has died, and there's no end in sight. The head unit died, and the parts are on order....for 2 weeks. Anyway, I guess the upside is that I get to listen to the sound of the V8 powerplant under the hood...which is a nice, nice sound. I've gotten over the initial shock of having to fill up the 28 gallon fuel tank, but at least gas prices seem to be coming down a bit for the moment. If you can't tell...I really like my truck. I'm going to get more pictures up here next time I get it washed. Until next time.
It's been a busy few months. I had pretty much forgotten that I had a website. Here is the brief version of the events that have taken place since my last post
Engaged! Cassidi and I are engaged, and will be married later this year. You can see the ring here
NO MORE LITTLE PURPLE TRUCK!!!! It was a great run, 10 years in the same vehicle, but it was time to get something else. So, that said, click here to see what the replacement is.
Not terribly much to talk about lately. Just working and working. So....guess that's my update for now. Back soon!
Looks like fall is here. Football, HOCKEY, cool weather. I'm excited. I haven't had any time to do anything to anything lately...that includes this site. Guess we'll have to do something about that. Not sure what yet, but expect better than semi-annual updates. Back to work!
Ok.....I've been thoroughly chastised about updating my site. So here's the first of (hopefully) many updates. I'm at work, and it's Tuesday....my how I wish it was Friday. Cassidi has a job interview in Coppell this morning. I really hope she gets the job. I'm busy blowing my mind on regular expressions and parsing text. I've learned SO much in the first few weeks in this new job. I'm going to be applying some of that to this page...unless I get so burned out I can't stand it anymore. Thanks to all of my encouragers, and congrats to David and Dezi. To all....email me.
Thanks to the people that wrote me and sent links. To those that didn't, SHAME on you! It's not too late. I'll still link to you if you have a website. I'd like a little input regarding the load speed of the photo page, and the photos themselves. I'm considering moving the bigger items to another location to speed loading. Please let me know what you think. It's bedtime now. NIGHT!
Some of you may notice changes(those that do not can't read this) I'm writing this while taking a break from photoshop and all of the fun scanning I'm doing. Please be envious. I'm going to start by adding a few pictures. I want to see what they end up looking like. My scanner is from 1997(literally) so there may be some ugliness, but that will change when I finally buy a new one.
I did say UPDATE didn't I. I'd like to apologize to everyone that's been following my site for the past few months. I've been a little(ok alot) absorbed by my problems. I'm going to change the subject, and we'll see where things go from there. I realized today that I have quite a few friends that have websites or blogs, and I don't link to a single one of them. I'd like people to email URLS so I can link to you. I'm also going to start a list of links that interest me. EVERYTIME I ask for email, I get NOTHING. Please send me the addresses you want me to link to. My email address is listed above.
Ok, so I've been a little short on updates lately. I've been busy, get over it :). I'd be willing to bet that noone can guess what I've been doing lately. (note the sarcasm) I've been WORKING!!! The thing that keeps the roof over my head, food in the fridge, and the student loan sharks at bay. I've decided to go back to drawing and photography as forms of entertainment. Hopefully that means there will be photos and drawings to post here. I haven't gotten motivated enough to really get with it, and besides my scanner died.
I'm growing jalapenos!!! I LOVE jalapenos. I bought a windowbox at Wal-mart, and about 2 weeks ago I planted the seeds. I've got sprouts!!! They're still quite small, and they won't be bearing any peppers anytime soon, but I'm watching them. Nothing else really, to report. I'll update again soon. Hopefully I'll actually have time to make some fundamental changes to the site.
There no way it's been 13 days since I updated this, but that's what it looks like, so time to move on. I've been pretty wrapped up with work and stuff of late. Life is a bit of a blur. The weather is teetering on the edge of nice around here. My golf clubs are screaming to be let out of the closet I have them stored in. I'm hoping to avoid shorting this golf season. I spent some time getting my dad setup with a firewall for his business. I'm pretty sure he was a nice open spam relay, but no more! My 16 port switch is SWEET. Without details, it has seriously increased my bandwidth across my local network, which will be important as I prepare to load up a fileserver that's in the build phase(because of money). I'm hoping to drop 6 50 gig scsi hard drives in my old school poweredge. That oughta hold things like I want. Anyway, this has turned into a technorant. On that note I'm leaving, and coming back when my mood changes.
What did I say? Here's another update just one day after the last. I'm getting good at this. I can't wait for the weekend. I'm going home for a couple of days. I'm going to install the firewall I built for dad, get to bowl with my brother and potentially the girl he just started dating, and generally hang out with my family. Very exciting. It amazes me how much that's become important as I've gotten older. Anyway, I'm happy. So far I haven't received any comments about my site. COMMENT PEOPLE!!! It's really easy. You can even write to tell me the site sucks. Just let me know that people out there are looking. I'm going to add a guest book feature as soon as I get a chance to write it. Maybe that'll do something to generate comments. Also...maybe more images...I need to get a digital camera. That goes on the list of things to buy when I get hired out of my contractor status. Speaking of buying things, I ordered a 16 port Dell switch that will be here TOMORROW! Anyway, enough about that. Look for updates to the hobbies page.
Maybe you've all given up on me...maybe you haven't. I'm still alive, but you wouldn't know it. I do this everytime I try to start something like this. I get a great start, then I get too busy to make anything happen. The bottom line is that I'm going to try to make this site worth the time and effort I'm sure each one of you expends coming to visit me. In short....EXPECT MORE!!!
The menus will be back, but for now I'm going to maintain this page and build the others. You may have noticed that the email address is not a link. Also, it's not text. That was done in an effort to defeat spammers and harvesters. Hope it's not too inconvenient. Please let me know how you like the page.
Work work work. Seems like all that I do. I'm waiting to get converted from contract to employee. It's been over a year. Hey, it pays the bills, and I really like what I do. I can't wait to have the stability that comes with being an official employee.
In Abilene...we're going to my grandparent's farm. We had a really nice Christmas all together. Every single member of the Casey family was at Granny and Grandpa's house. It was a great time. Working Christmas Eve and Day was not so bad afterall. More to come...
Five days until Christmas, and six days until I'm excited. I will be at work on Christmas Day, but the following morning I will be driving to Abilene for some family time. It has been several years since I've been able to be at home for all of the Christmas festivities, and I'm excited. I'm thinking that it's time for some changes here, but then that would require much more time than just adding a piece of news here and there. Look for changes soon.
The email addresses work!!! My mail system is finally operational. I hope people haven't given up on me yet. If you want some "light" reading, head for the Ideas section. I've analyzed and commented on some things that are of interest to me. If you don't agree, tough. Actually, if you want to comment, send email to comments at danielcasey.org
I'm building it!!! I'm very excited about getting this site up and running. I'm going to be coding it by hand, and I'm learning the finer points of HTML, so expect it to take some time. Please check back often as noone knows when I'll be updating.