Thank You Senators Hutchison and Cornyn

I just emailed both of my state's Senators to thank them for their vote earlier this week against amnesty for illegal aliens. I was happy to see that they both put the interests of their constituents ahead of corporate dollars.

I took the liberty to advise them (since they had heeded my earlier advice and voted against amnesty) that another step that needs to be taken is repeal of the 14th amendment to the Constitution that grants citizenship to any person born in the United States. The amendment made sense when it was ratified in 1868 since its intent was to protect the rights of former slaves. The anchor baby policy is now outdated and rewards lawbreaking by offering benefits at taxpayer expense.

I also requested that they work to enforce our current laws to secure the border and prosecute businesses that employ illegal aliens. If there are no jobs, there is no incentive to break the law and enter our country illegally. Also, enforcement of our current laws would lead to self-deportation, or attrition. It seems fairly simple, unless you are Jorge Bush or Ted Kennedy. I assume Kennedy is drunk; what is Bush's excuse?

Kudos to Biggio

Craig Biggio has solidified a Hall of Fame career by becoming the 27th major leaguer to collect 3,000 hits. And Biggio did it in style, tying his career high with 5 hits on the night that he joined a club of baseball's elite players.

I believe that Biggio has often been overlooked by baseball fans outside of Houston. But any fan can take a look at Biggio's career stats and see that he is a surefire Hall of Famer. Besides being a member of the 3,000 hit club, the seven-time All Star is fourteenth in career runs scored and sixth in career doubles.

Biggio is truly a Houston icon, spending his entire 20 season career with the Astros. His first four seasons in the big leagues were spent behind the plate before becoming a four-time Gold Glove winning second baseman. Biggio exemplified team player when he moved to the outfield during Jeff Kent's two years with the Astros before reclaiming the second base position upon Kent's departure.

Baseball statistics guru Bill James has created two metrics, or standards of measurement, to measure how likely a player is to get into the Hall of Fame. In both metrics Biggio scores above the average Hall of Famer. The only question now is will he be elected to the Hall on the first ballot?

Ron Paul for President

Ron Paul represents what I once believed the Republican party stood for - limited government, lower taxes, individual rights and freedom. He is now the only GOP candidate espousing these values. He has written extensively on all political topics of interest (www.ronpaullibrary.org), so there is a record of what the man believes. Unlike most modern politicians, Paul's set of beliefs is not based on prevailing popular opinion or what is most likely to get him elected. Ron Paul is consistent and does not compromise his principles.

Paul opposes any legislation that is not explicitly authorized by the Constitution. He believes in a republican form of government as envisioned by our nation's founding fathers, not the out-of-control, wasteful behemoth that we have today.

Ron Paul is strongly pro-life and his position is not just one of political expediency. He is a medical doctor who delivered 4,000 babies during his career. His voting record in Congress has earned him a 0% rating from NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League).

Paul has opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning and believes that no war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted on by the Congress, as required in the Constitution. It has become apparent to all but the most ardent koolaid-drinking Bushites that the war is a failure that we were led into under false pretenses. We were attacked on 9-11 by 15 Saudis, an Egyptian, a Lebanese and two men from the United Arab Emirates; and we responded by invading Iraq. Ron Paul supports our troops by seeking to bring them home now, preventing the deaths of thousands more of our young men.

Ron Paul, like our founding fathers, knows that the biggest threat to our liberty is our own government. Paul defines freedom as "the ability of citizens to live without government interference." He knows that the founders did not include the 2nd amendment in the Constitution for 'sporting purposes'. Paul's own words say it best. The 2nd amendment "is about preventing tyranny. The Founders knew that unarmed citizens would never be able to overthrow a tyrannical government as they did. They envisioned government as a servant, not a master, of the American people." Ron Paul is a strong defender of the right to bear arms and has been rated 100% by the NRA.

Ron Paul believes that free trade deals like NAFTA, and world governmental bodies are a threat to our national sovereignty. He believes that we must withdraw from organizations that threaten our freedom and independence.

Paul believes that one of the legitimate functions of government is securing our borders. He is opposed to amnesty for illegal aliens and has introduced a constitutional amendment (H.J.RES.46) to end the insane anchor baby policy that rewards lawbreaking.

Ron Paul is the true conservative in the race. (Note that war is not a conservative value. Democrat presidents got our country involved in every major war that America fought in during the 20th century.) Ron Paul stands in stark contrast to the front runners from either party. He and I share common values and aspirations for our country, and that is why I support Ron Paul for President in 2008.

Gandhi on Ron Paul

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." Mahatma Gandhi

Franklin Said it Best

"Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin

Evangelicals for Rudy

Rudy Giuliani leads the early polling among evangelical Christians in the 2008 presidential race. Apparently these folks are so scared of terrorists that they would jettison all purported values to support the perceived "security" candidate. It is amazing how the people who said that"character matters" when Clinton was President (rightfully so) are now willing to give the moral reprobate Giuliani a pass. It seems as though many American Christians are worshiping the GOP rather than GOD.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.." Isaiah 5:20

Why Homeschool

Our 5 year old son will begin kindergarten in the fall and my wife and I have decided to homeschool him. Below is my list of reasons why we have chosen homeschooling. These are not necessarily the same reasons that my wife would offer.

• Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." The absolute most important thing is that all of our children put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Everything else is secondary. I see homeschooling as the best way to achieve the desired outcome. Note that this may not be the first response that I would offer to someone asking the question, why homeschool? But it is my primary reason.
  
• I believe that my wife and I can provide a better education for our kids than they would receive in public schools, at least during the early school years.
  
• Government schools are either moral neutral, moral relativists, or worse, they teach a worldview totally antithetical to our beliefs. We have a limited time to influence the values and character development of our children, and we have decided not to expose them to several hours a day of we don't know what, while hoping for the best.
  
• We chose to protect our kids until they are old enough to distinguish between truth and error.
• I don't want my kids to be dependent on others for their sense of well being and self esteem.
  
• I want to tailor learning to my child's interests and allow my children time to learn subjects not usually taught in school. I want to allow my children to have time for more in-depth study on subjects that are of interest to them.
• School is a waste of time. Why sit in school for 6-7 hours a day for 3 hours of instruction and 5 minutes of one-on-one time?
• I want independent, free-thinking kids. I am not raising sheep.
  
• I do not believe that the state's interests and the best interests of my kids are the same.
• Not to disparage all young people, but if I what I observe on a daily basis is the result of socialization; then my children and I will pass. I don't need to expose my kids to bullying, materialism, sex, drugs, disrespect for authority, etc.

I do not expect most people to understand or agree with my reasoning, and in most cases I do not care what they think. They are my kids (they do not belong to the village), God has given my wife and me responsibility for them, and I will one day answer to Him on how I have raised them.