NLPRacing

Rick Perry & His Gambling Hypocrisy

2006-10-31T10:51:00.000-06:00

The election for Texas governor is right around the corner. Whether you consider yourself a Republican, Democrat, Independent or whatever, I think you'll find this article very informative. Rick Perry has gone on the record saying that his so called "moral values" keep him from legalizing gambling in Texas. His false stance on this issue is to appeal to the conservative Christians. Despite this fact, Perry has suggested allowing video poker machines at racetracks. And apparently his "moral values" don't keep him from accepting donations from gambling interests.

Quote from the article: The Chickasaws own Winstar Casino, a facility in Oklahoma just north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area that is drawing Metroplex gamblers away from casinos in Shreveport, La. The tribe gave Gov. Rick Perry a $40,000 donation, according to campaign finance reports released this week.

Also from the article: Perry has received $1.2 million from gambling interests; independent Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, $1 million; and Democrat Chris Bell, $3,000. Ironically, the most ardent supporter of expanded gambling, independent Kinky Friedman, has no donations tied to gambling interests.

Here's the point, Perry's hypocrisy on gambling should upset everybody. When you vote on November 7, 2006 for our next governor, please take this into consideration when voting. And please, vote for anybody besides the hypocrite Rick Perry.

What is Politics?

2006-10-04T07:59:00.000-05:00

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What is Politics?"
Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way:
I am the head of the family, so call me The President.
Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.
We are here to take care of your needs, so we will call you the People.
The nanny, we will consider her the Working Class.
And your baby brother, we will call him the Future.
Now think about that and see if it makes sense."
So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said.
Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him.
He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper.
So the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he peeks in the keyhole and sees his father in bed with the nanny.
He gives up and goes back to bed.
The next morning, the little boy says to his father, "Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now."
The father says, "Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."
The little boy replies, "The President is screwing the Working Class while the Government is sound asleep. The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit."

What did BUSH do to prevent 9/11?

2006-09-30T22:16:00.000-05:00

If anybody thinks that Bush has kept us safe, I challenge you to watch this video and try to disprove anything in it.

Bush forgets to turn off mic at G8 conference

2006-07-18T21:23:00.000-05:00

America's Oil Addiction

2006-04-25T11:23:00.000-05:00

See if you can spot the contradiction in the following:

"Bush also urged oil companies, which are enjoying record profits, to increase their investments in alternatives to oil and announced that some environmental rules were being relaxed to ease fuel supplies."

If an oil company that was "enjoying record profits" from high oil prices, why would they want to "increase their investments in alternatives to oil"? Exactly, they won't!

Bush says that we are "addicted to oil". If oil is the drug that we are addicted to, then Bush is the drug pusher, the oil companies are the dealers and the middle east countries selling us the oil are the drug lords. We need to get off this "drug", but we won't as long the government keeps "pushing" it on us.

Blinkers, turn signals, whatever you want to call them, why is it so hard for people to use them?

2006-01-23T11:50:00.000-06:00

I've noticed an alarming trend over the past few years, people simply do NOT use their turn signals anymore! Why is this? Is it so hard to reach over with your left hand fingertips and hit that little stalk up or down? Or is it because people are too busy talking on the cel phone or flipping through their iPod? Whatever it is, it's no excuse! Use your blinkers, even if no one is around, even if you're in a turn only lane, for the love of God, PLEASE use them! It's the only way for people to know what you are doing. And when you do use it, turn it off when you are done. And if the bulb burns out, replace it. No more excuses people, use those blinkers, they're not just for Christmas anymore!

It's NASCAR Season!

2006-01-18T14:15:00.000-06:00

For me, there are only two seasons, Winter & NASCAR. I can't wait! Who will win Daytona? Who will be in the Chase for the Championship? Who will win the Cup?

Here are my predictions for the season:

Mark Martin will win a few races, make the Chase and will be a threat for the Cup.

Carl Edwards will win the most races, will lead the points most of the year and will be the man to beat for the cup.

The rest of Roush Racing will also do very well, winning many races and making the Chase. They will have a hard time beating Carl.

Tony Stewart will spend so much time mentoring his two rookie teammates that he will forget what he's doing and will have trouble making the Chase.

I'm not a Dale Earnhardt fan, but I think he will do pretty good if they can figure the intermediate tracks like Charlotte, Texas, Atlanta, etc. If he makes the Chase, he will be a threat to win the Cup.

I'm even less of a Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson fan and I think these two will not get along very well this year. Jimmie's frustrated by not being able to pull it together at the end of the year and Jeff is tired of Jimmie running better than him. Expect major headlines out of Hendrick Motorsports this year. As far as the other Hendrick drivers, Kyle Busch & Brian Vickers, they will have decent years, but will struggle to stay in the top 15 due to inconsistencies.

Teams to watch will be Penske & Yates. They have some new talent and the resources and should do very well.

And the other major teams (Evernham, RCR, MB2, Petty, etc.), they will have some good runs, but mostly they will be mid pack struggling to get in the top 15 in points.

Saleen to build an F150!

2006-01-05T22:54:00.000-06:00

Saleen, the company known for building the baddest Mustangs around and the S7 exotic supercar, is going to show this beautiful Saleen F150 S331 Sport Truck at the Los Angeles Auto Show in a couple of weeks. It looks awesome! The press release says the Supercharged version will have 450 HP @ 5200 RPM and 500 lb-ft of torque @ 4000 RPM from its 5.4 3V V8 with the Saleen Twin Screw Supercharger. If they make a SuperCrew version, I may have t get one of these instead of Sport Trac SVT Adrenalin.

Auto Show Time!

2006-01-03T22:06:00.000-06:00

Well it’s another new year and you know what that means…Auto Show time! The first major show is the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This is the show where the Big 3 (or Big 2-1/2 as I call them) usually show their biggest ideas, new concepts and new upcoming products. My favorite car company, the Ford Motor Company (which includes Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Mazda, Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar & Aston Martin) is rumored to be showing some pretty cool stuff.

2007 Ford Explorer Sport Trac

Ford is rumored to be showing some 2007 production versions of the Explorer Sport, Edge & Mustang Shelby GT500. The Sport Trac will be much improved over the last version with features like a 292HP V8, 6 speed automatic transmission and independent rear suspension. Also, the base V6 puts out fewer emissions than a Honda Accord Hybrid. The Edge will be Ford’s newest CUV (crossover utility vehicle) that will finally have the much anticipated all-new Duratec 3.5 V6. The Shelby GT500 Mustang is the first of many “Limited Edition” Mustangs. This one is going to be pure muscle car with a 450+ HP Supercharged 32V DOHC 5.4 V8 (the same V8 that is in the Ford GT supercar) and a solid rear axle. Should be pretty sweet. I hope we see the new supposed “People Mover” minivan replacement, a Focus, Ranger & Crown Victoria replacement and some vehicles smaller than the Focus there, but I doubt we’ll see all of that, if any. Now that it appears that Ford has turned the corner with more modern designs, I’m pretty anxious to what will be coming out in the near future.

2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

I’m not sure what Mercury will be showing, hopefully a more production looking version of the Meta One that will eventually become the Magellan CUV. Lincoln should be showing a couple of concept sedans that should be going into production in a few years and a production version of their Edge based CUV. Other than that, I really haven’t heard. And as far as the other Ford affiliates go, I really have no idea nor do I follow them very much.

2007 Ford Edge

Well, once the press releases start coming out, I'll give my take on them. Until then, I will be waiting (im)patiently...

Why do I like Ford’s so much?

2005-12-10T08:57:00.000-06:00

I don’t exactly know. When I was a kid, my Dad mostly only had Ford’s. I remember the 77 Pinto and the 78 Ford E150 that he had, I guess it started there. As I grew up, I just found Ford’s, especially the Mustang, trucks & vans to be the coolest. I also like the company. I know they’ve had their troubles, but they are one of the few family operated big corporations out there. They are an American company too, and that’s important to me. Ford’s engineers are currently working on environmentally friendly engines (Hybrids, clean diesel, Hydrogen fuel cell, H2ICE, etc.) even though they have no current tax incentive to do so. Ford’s newer engines burn cleaner than anybody else engines. In fact, the 2006 Explorer with the 4.0 V6 puts out fewer emissions than a Hybrid Accord. And their new Duratec 35 V6, that will be out next year, will be even cleaner than that. I like cars, but I love Ford’s the most. I’ll tell you a little about my first few cars, and then maybe you’ll understand.

My first car (in 1991) wasn’t even a car, it was a 1978 Ford E250 van. It was all black with black tinted windows and a big block, gas sucking, 460 V8. It was probably the most awesome vehicle I’ve ever owned. The interior was different shades of orange & brown and it even had an 8 track player for a little while. I had that van for only a few months before I smashed it up, then I even drove it a few more months until the tranny went out. Even though my time was short with my old van, I still think about it the most.

My second car (in 1992) was a 1983 Ford Mustang GLX Convertible. It was bright red with a black top and red vinyl interior. It was pretty slow since it only had the 3.8 L V6 with an automatic, but quick enough to get me in trouble. I wanted a 5.0 Mustang, but my Dad wouldn’t let me. I received 13 tickets in it the first year I had it, but none of them went on my record! Five of them were no insurance tickets because the insurance card kept flying out when I had the top down. I went through a lot with this car (several dates with my now wife Sunny, lots of camping trips, lots of “cruising”, etc.). Even though I only had it for two years, I wrecked it three times, rebuilt it myself once, it was stolen once, and the tranny went out on it once, too. I sold this car in 1994 to guy in the paper that purchased wrecked cars. Even though it was all messed up, I hated to see it go. This car was so significant to me that I will dedicate a future entry to just this car.

My next car (in 1994) was a 1989 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 hatchback. It had a real bad gray MAACO paint job and the body was pretty rough, but I finally had my 5.0 V8! This car was pretty quick. I took this car on few road trips to Minnesota, Austin, TX and I even drove this car to North Dakota in the winter one time. The trip wasn’t very fun because of the circumstances, but it sure was fun diving on that snow. I spent a lot of money over the years on this car to make it faster and more consistent. I used to drag race this car on a regular basis and even took first place at an Import/Domestic Drag Wars in 1998. Due to bad tranny that I never replaced, the quickest I went in it was 13.7 in the 1/4 mile. I sold this car with some regret in 2001. I still see it cruising around every once in while.

I also had a 1994 Ford Aerostar that I purchased in early 1997, but I only had it a few weeks before I traded it in on a first brand new vehicle, a 1996 Ford F150 SuperCab XLT Regency conversion. I purchased this truck from Hilcher Ford (now Texan Ford) in Arlington, TX. It had a custom red to black fade paint job, aluminum billet grill, spray-in bedliner, custom leather seats, with wood accents in the interior. It also had a 5.8 V8, which for me, was the deal clincher. It was beautiful. I used this truck to pull my Mustang to the drag strip on a regular basis and took a few trips in it too. I put about 40,000 miles on this truck before I sold it and my wife’s 98 Expedition to Carmax in June 2000 to purchase my current truck, a 2001 F150 SuperCrew Lariat 4x4.

My love for Ford’s has lead me to purchase many other Ford’s and I've influenced a few people's purchases over the years. In fact, when friends & family purchase a non-Ford, they either ask for my permission or apologize to me. It's pretty funny. I like it when people buy Ford's, but it's their money, they can buy what they want.

I still have the 2001 F150. I also have a 2001 Mustang GT Convertible (I bought new in October 2001), a 2001 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer (I recently purchased used for my wife) and my latest car, a 1990 Ford Festiva L-Plus that I purchased in August, 2005 off of eBay. I also own a 2005 Georgie Boy Pursuit 3500DS motorhome that has a, you guessed it, Ford engine. What can I say, I guess I just bleed Ford blue. What kind of cars do you like, and why?

A little about me…

2005-12-06T21:15:00.000-06:00

Since the traffic on my blog has gone up a little bit, I figure I would tell everybody a little about myself. I’m not going to go into too much detail, just give you the jest.

My name is Arthur, but my friends & family call me Art. I was born on May 27, 1975 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I lived in Minnesota until August of 1983 when my Dad decided to move us to Arlington, Texas, where I’ve lived ever since.

I have a large immediate and extended family. I have three older brothers and two younger sisters that are twins. My two oldest brothers have passed on (that's a blog for another day). Luckily, my other brother and one of my sisters live within a mile or two from me. The other sister lives in Atlanta, GA, but since her husband works for Delta, we get to see her pretty often (but not often enough). I also get to see most of my nieces and nephews pretty often. I don't get to see my niece and nephew that live in Minnesota real often, but I talk to them pretty often. Up until a few months ago, my parents also lived within a couple of miles from us. But in April, my Dad fell off a ladder at work breaking his neck, shoulder & experienced some brain damage. Luckily, he is pulling through it slowly but surely and is currently staying at a long term rehabilitation. At this point, we are not real sure how long he’ll need this kind of care, but we are all grateful that he is still here. Now my Mom gets to live with us and I see my Dad more often then I did before his accident. Situations like this really make you realize how fragile life is and how short your time is on this earth. And it makes you appreciate things more and not worry so much about things that don’t matter.

I graduated High School (after having to go to summer school, again a blog for another day) in 1993. It was in high school where I meet my wife Sunny. We have been married since June of 1996 and we have two beautiful children. We purchased our first home when we got married and lived there until for 4-1/2 years. After we sold that house, we had to live in an apartment for few months during the construction of our new house, that we currently live in. There were a few things I liked about the apartment, but I am very glad it was temporary. My wife and I have experienced many happy times in the last 9-1/2 years and I think I love her a little more everyday. I couldn’t imagine life without her or our wonderful children.

After high school, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do for a living. I has a few different jobs that included working at a placed called Venture (which was kind of like a Target or Kmart that went out of business in the mid 90's), worked as a valet in a parking garage in downtown Fort Worth, and worked as a service porter at the Saturn of Arlington, Saturn of Fort Worth and Don Davis Nissan. While working at the dealerships I decided that a career as an auto technician (and eventually owning my own repair/performance auto shop) would be pretty cool. I found a program that was offered through Brookhaven College in Dallas that was sponsored by the Ford Motor Company. It was a 2 year program where you would work for a Ford dealership for six months at a time then go to school for 6 months at a time and after 2 years you would be a certified Ford technician and have an actual associates degree with real, transferable, college credits. At the time, they only accepted a few people a year and I was accepted based on my test scores. At the same time, I was offered a job by my then girlfriend’s Dad (now my father-in-law). Also at the same time, while working at Don Davis Nissan, I fell off ladder and broke my leg down near my ankle. So, in the summer of 1994, I had to decide whether to go to college through this program or go to work for my future father-in-law. Since I didn’t know where I was going to get the money to pay for the school, nor did I know how I was going to support myself while I was going to school, I decided to take the job with my future father-in-law and see how I might like it. Well, 11-1/2 years later, I still work for my father-in-law. I still have aspirations of owning my own business (and I currently kind-of do http://www.nlpracing.com/), but my job and family make it hard to spend the proper time to get anything started. Not that I resent that, it’s just the reality. Someday, I will own a successful business of my own.

This is a very short summary of my first 30 years on this planet. I still haven’t touched on the reasons why I’m so political, why I consider myself a Democrat, why I love cars (especially Ford’s) so much, why I love NASCAR & auto racing or my other hobbies, likes & interests, but I will in the near future….stay tuned.

Lasik

2005-11-17T12:04:00.000-06:00

I am finally going to do it. On Friday, November 18, I am having Lasik surgery done. The first thing people say after I tell them is "Are you nervous?". I guess the thought of having a flap cut into your eye and then a laser cutting part of your down may make some people nervous. Not me. I just can't wait to get rid these glasses and never having to poke my eye with contacts anymore. My wife and my mother in law have both had it done and both said it was really easy and relatively painless. Plus, they give you a Valium to calm you down. I've never had a Valium before, so I am kind of excited about that. Anyways, I am just so excited that I can't hardly stand it. Hopefully next time I see any of you, it'll be 20/20 without the hassle of glasses or contacts!

NASCAR at Texas Motor Speedway

2005-10-31T12:52:00.000-06:00

NASCAR is back in Texas! I'll be spending next weekend watching the Craftsman Trucks and Nextel Cup Cars race at Texas Motor Speedway. For a lot of people, all NASCAR is a bunch of tobacco chewing rednecks swilling down beer by the gallon watching cars go around in a circle yelling "Go Junior" or "Gordon Sucks". While they are half right, there is more to NASCAR than that. There are the stories behind the drivers, the points battles, the rivalries, etc. For most, the NASCAR addiction starts when they see a race in person. For some, it happens when a driver they like wins a race. And for others like myself, being a car & racing nut, it was destiny. This is the first year for the Busch & Cup series to race at TMS in the fall. Unfortunately, I will miss the the Saturday Busch race due to coaching my son's soccer team. But, we'll be there for the Friday night Truck race and Sunday Cup race. Next year, I hope I'll be able to camp out at the track in the motorhome the whole weekend like I did back in the spring. Now if Biffle can repeat what he did in the Spring, maybe Jack Roush will get his third Cup championship in a row. Go Roush Racing!

Fishing

2005-10-30T19:48:00.000-06:00

We went on our camping trip and had a great time. We ate a lot of great food, did some fishing & played some poker. Here are some pics of us fishing and our "big" catches.

Is it Camping or "Camping"?

2005-10-27T12:35:00.000-05:00

This is directed to all of you (not just you Mike) that think that going to a campground is not real "camping". I've got a message for you, WHO CARES WHAT "REAL" CAMPING IS! Is roughing it untouched wilderness fun? Can be. Is "camping" in a motorhome, cooking over a propane grill, watching satellite TV while a portable dishwasher is cleaning your dishes in a Army Corp of Engineers campground also fun? can be. The point is, "camping" can be anything from sleeping in a tent in your back yard, or staying at the Cedron Creek Park at Lake Whitney or go hiking through the wilderness and set-up camp using only the things you carried on your back. The point is, camping (no matter what your definition of camping is) should be fun and should be done with family and friends. When we go camping this weekend, my kids won't care if they stay in the motorhome or if they stay in a tent. All they remember is that we spent time together as a family and had lots of fun. And isn't fun what Camping or even "Camping" is all about anyway?

Camping

2005-10-21T22:33:00.000-05:00

I am so looking forward to camping (10/28 to 10/30). We're going to McCown Valley Park at Lake Whitney. We usually like to go to the Cedron Creek Campground, but they will be closed until Spring. Both McCown & Cedron Creek are both Army Corp of Engineers parks, which I prefer. COE parks tend to have less frills, which is cool with me, but they also seem to be more laid back. When I go camping (if you could call it that in my motorhome with DirecTV and a now a dishwasher), I like to relax. I can't relax at a park with too many rules, like most of the Texas State Parks. I go camping because when I'm there, I don't have to worry about projects or anything else. I just go and relax. I can't wait! How do you unwind & relax?

Abortion 2 (Click for link to article)

2005-10-03T14:25:00.000-05:00

This is a follow-up to my first blog. There was a great article on MSNBC.com today about who Bush nominated for Supreme Court and how it's (not) going to affect Roe V. Wade.

This quote from the article should really make you think:
"All the president's talk about a "culture of life'' might even have been sincere up to a point, of course; doesn't everybody think they're for a culture of life?And it certainly did the trick for him. Many people I know—most of them pro-life Catholics who oppose the war and much of the rest of Bush's domestic agenda—felt obligated to vote for the president on this one issue. So will social conservatives now admit they've been had? Probably not. "

And if everybody would realize the following and get on the same page, imagine how much good could happen:
"Good could still come of recognizing the reality that Roe is not going to be overturned—if both sides would only channel all the energy they have so long poured into fighting each other into actually preventing unwanted pregnancies and caring for unwanted children. Plan B, anyone?"

Ebay Festiva

2005-09-13T07:58:00.000-05:00

I finally did it! I am finally going to get a Festiva! I bid on one over the weekend only to lose out at the last minute by 10 bucks. Well, I emailed the seller and told him that if it didn't work out with the guy that out bid me to let me know. Well, something came up and the guy that out bid can't get up here from Houston to pick it up. Now I'll be able to drive this little car back and forth to work getting 43+ MPG. My future plans call for fixing the minor body damage, repainting it, put on some new tires & wheels, do a little work to the suspension and engine, then ultimately turn it into an SCCA ITC race car. A race car? A Festiva race car? I know it sounds ridiculous, but this is great platform for a little road racer. The power to weight ratio is real good and the parts are real cheap. I am so excited that I can't hardly stand it! Thanks Sunny!

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

2005-09-12T09:22:00.000-05:00

This famous quote made by Benjamin Franklin has the answer for just about everything. It really doesn’t matter what the topic is, you can fix it with this famous quote. Here are some of my examples;

Terrorism – We are in danger from terrorists because for some reason or another, they hate us. If we would take Ben’s advice, we would try to figure out why they hate us, instead of waging wars against countries (Iraq) that have nothing to do with terror (at least to us). Why do they hate us? Is it our religion? Maybe, but probably not. Is it our way of life? I don’t think so, at least not directly. They probably don’t like us because we have interfered in the Middle East when we shouldn’t have and because we try to imply our will on them. And why do we imply our will, because we want to control their oil. So we hide behind things like “we just want to liberate them” and other terms, but the truth is, we want to control oil output. If we control the output, we can than limit it and drive the price way up. But that will never happen…how much is oil now? How much was it on 09/10/2001? If we didn’t have such a dependence on oil, we wouldn’t need to be there, thus eliminating their hate for us. We can lessen our dependence on oil by exploring other methods of fuel. Hydrogen powered cars seem great, but they make millions of internal combustion engines obsolete. Home grown bio-fuels like Ethanol and Biodiesel would go a long way to help. As more research is done, we could have a clean burning, renewable resource that could eventually be pretty cheap and put a lot of Americans to work.

Abortion – The only reason there are abortions is that there are unwanted pregnancies. Eliminate the unwanted pregnancy and you eliminate abortion. See my previous entry on this subject.

Prescriptions / Health Care – There are so many pills on the market to treat ailments, but are unneeded if we would just use “an ounce of prevention”. Think of things like heartburn relief, gas relief, and others like that. For the most part, if we just wouldn’t overeat or eat the wrong things, we wouldn’t need those things. Also, health care is expensive because so many people need it. If we were to all live healthier lives (see below) and didn’t pollute so much (see above), we wouldn’t need to see the doctor as often. Thus making health care more affordable.

Weight - If people didn’t consume too many calories, they wouldn’t be fat. There may be some exceptions like “glands” or whatever. But for the average person, including myself, we are overweight because we eat too much. The average person only needs about 1200 calories per day to live a healthy life. Do you how many calories are in that 64 ounce Double Gulp of Coke from 7-11? Over 800 calories! That is 2/3 of the daily calories that you should consume in one day. That Double Quarter Pound value meal Super Sized with Coke, over 1500 calories! That 25% more calories in that one meal than you should have the whole day. How about those salads? If you don’t watch the toppings & dressings, they can be just as bad. A Chicken Caesar from McDonalds with croutons, dressing and a large Coke has almost 900 calories, and that’s if you don’t refill that Coke! The last example is Beer. The lowest calorie beer on the market in Michelob Ultra at 95 calories (12 ounces). Not too bad, unless you have 6 or 8 or 12 at one time. I could go on and on, but the point is, if you stop eating so much (the “ounce of prevention”) you will lose weight, maintain it and live a much healthier life. Now, all I have to do is practice what I preach…

Now just imagine how much better the world would be if politicians would just take Ben’s advice and implement “an ounce of prevention” in their policies.

I Love My Satellite Radio!

2005-08-18T22:16:00.000-05:00

So far, it's been the best gadget I've ever bought. My portable RV dishwasher comes in on Saturday and may become my favorite gadget, but for now, my Sirius is my favorite. I originally wanted to get satellite radio so when we travel cross country in the motorhome I wouldn't have to worry about finding a station or switching CD's. Then I decided on Sirius because they carried all of Air America Radio's shows (a left leaning political talk radio station) in their entirety. About two weeks after I got Sirius, Air America signed an exclusive deal with XM. Oh well, Sirius still has Sirius Left (another left leaning political talk radio station) and Sirius carries all the NFL games and, starting in 2007, they will carry all NASCAR Cup races. If you have thought about getting satellite radio, go ahead and get it, you won't regret it!

Why Didn't I Vote For George W Bush...

2005-08-18T21:54:00.000-05:00

Because of things like this...

—"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." President Bush, 9/13/01

—"I want justice...There's an old poster out West, as I recall, that said, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive,'" President Bush, 9/17/01, UPI

—"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." President Bush, 3/13/02

—"I am truly not that concerned about him." President Bush, responding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts, 3/13/02

—"Because he's hiding…" Bush, explaining why Osama bin Laden has yet to be captured. (Washington Post interview, Jan. 16, 2005)

Instead of finding who attacked us, he did something no other president has ever done, attack a country that NEVER attacked us. Don't you feel safer already...

My Next Vehicle

2005-08-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

My next vehicle is going to be the 2007 Ford SVT Sport Trac Adrenalin. It has a 4.6L DOHC 32V SuperCharged V8 with at least 390HP mated to a 6 Speed Automatic Transmission and All Wheel Drive. I can't wait!

Abortion

2005-08-17T21:27:00.000-05:00

What a controversial subject. Everybody knows that the official platform of the Republican Party is “Pro-Life”, “Anti-Abortion” or whatever else you choose to call it. And, everybody knows that the official platform of the Democrat Party is “Pro-Choice”, “Pro-Abortion”, “Anti-Life” or whatever else it’s called depending on how you personally look at it. Well, I am going to explain my Democrat, Pro-Life views here and offer solutions that should bring the majority of people together on this issue. How can you bring a “Pro-Life” and “Pro-Choice” person together? Here’s how…

First thing, I want to clear up a common misconception about Pro-Life people. Not all Pro-Life advocates believe that people should blow up abortion clinics. Pro-Life people do not want step on women’s rights. People that are Pro-Life believe that when there is conception, there is life. And because it is life, a Pro-Lifer believes that an abortion is murder.

Second thing, I want to clear up a common misconception about Pro-Choice people. Not all Pro-Choice people are Pro-Abortion. In fact, most say they would never have an abortion. Pro-Choice people do not believe that a fetus is a person, and therefore believe that it is the women’s right to choose what happens to that fetus.

Now that we know where people stand on the issue of fetuses, I think people on both sides can agree to disagree. I also think that we can all agree that if there was not a single unwanted pregnancy in the world, then there wouldn’t even be an abortion issue.

Here are some undisputed facts about pregnancy. It can be avoided very easily, don’t have sex. The truth is, unless you’re the Virgin Mary, you have to have sex to get pregnant. Although celibacy sounds great, it’s not very realistic. As long there are men & women on the planet, there will be sex.

We need to educate people that when you have sex (protected or unprotected), you may become pregnant. As elementary as this sounds, there are people that think they can beat the system. The truth is, when a man & woman have sex, there is a possibility of conception. And, by having sex, you carry the responsibility that 9 months later, a baby may be born. That goes for men & women.

In this day & time, there is no reason for anybody that does not want to get pregnant to get pregnant. There are many forms of birth control. All forms of birth control should be free. Anybody over 18 should be able to get birth control whenever they want it for free. Anybody under 18, with their parent’s permission, should be able to get birth control whenever they want it for free. If your religious views are against this, then don’t have sex and you won’t have to worry about it.

Also, promoting adoption as a choice would also be a good idea. The only “choice” should be whether or not to have sex, if sex is chosen the choice whether to have protected or unprotected sex. Then if they (remember it takes two) get pregnant (wanted or unwanted) they have the choice to keep the child and raise him/her, or give that child up for adoption. Killing an unborn baby cannot and should not be a choice.

I bring this up because there is a lot of talk about Roe vs. Wade and whether Roberts, if/when appointed, can get it overturned. At first, I thought this would be great. I thought if it was overturned, abortion would then be illegal. I was dead wrong. What would happen, is abortion would be turned over to the states to decide whether it’s illegal or not. This means that New York could make it legal and Pennsylvania could make it illegal. Where do you think somebody from Pennsylvania would go if they wanted an abortion? Personally, I think that if we can’t make abortion illegal nationwide, then it’s just a waste of time & resources to try to overturn Roe vs. Wade. If we could use those resources to reduce unwanted pregnancies in this country, it would save more unborn fetuses. I think reducing unwanted pregnancies is something everyone, Pro-Life or Pro-Choice, can agree on.

Intro to my Blog

2005-08-09T14:34:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I let my wife & sister talk me into starting a blog. I guess I'll use it to rant and rave my political views and talk about things like my family & racing. Check in every so often and see what crazy things I have to say.