Tomorrow, in the South Carolina GOP Presidential Preferenceprimary, I will be voting for Rick Santorum. Here’s why.
I need to start out by saying that I haven’t been totallythrilled with any of the four remaining candidates. All of them have obvious weaknesses ofcharacter and/or policy which will make their race against Obama less of a lockthan it ought to be. The Republican Partyneeds a leader of the Reagan type, who, like him in 1980, would win 40+ statesand carry a mandate with him to Washington. But since we have four remaining candidates from whom to choose, andsince any of them will be an improvement over the current president, I mustchoose from among them.
Rick Santorum, on the whole, represents my views the mostconsistently. He has been consistentlyand passionately pro-life, and wrote the bill that ended partial birthabortion. On social issues, he and I areof one voice. He is also a firm believerin the Second Amendment (The NRA rates him A+). He opposed TARP, voted against McCain-Feingold and Frank-Dodd, andreceives low ratings from both the ACLU and the AFL-CIO. While I am concerned about the trouncing hetook in the 2006 Pennsylvania Senate race (and, for that matter, the trouncinghe may get here in SC tomorrow, if the polls are valid), he is moredemonstrably opposed to Obama than either Romney or Gingrich. His biggest liability in my eyes is that hedoes not come across as a leader.
Newt Gingrich, at the moment, would be my secondchoice. I agree with him on mostissues—but he occasionally throws one out there that makes me scratch myhead. His personal character history isa serious problem and, even if he has sincerely repented and stays on the righttrack, will be a detriment in the race. (Obama, for all his flaws, has no hint of marital infidelity.) I am also concerned that his ego may become aliability.
Mitt Romney seems to be a conservative now, but my gut justdoesn’t like the fact that he wasn’t while he was the governor ofMassachusetts. I think he can be a greatexecutive, and if he is the GOP nominee, I will vote for him in November. But for now, I’m going with the most consistentconservative.
Ron Paul is problematic. His voting record is often meritorious and often puzzling. The ACLU rates him pretty favorably—that's aproblem. His vicious and untrue attackads concerning Santorum (being shown adnauseam this week on SC TV stations) trouble me. His foreign policy ideas are dangerous to thefuture of our country.
Please educate yourself on the candidates and then take theopportunity to vote.
25 Şubat 2013 Pazartesi
Why I'm Voting for Rick Santorum in the SC Primary
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An Update on our Friends' Adoption!
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Friends of ours adopted a 3½-year-old boy with Down's Syndrome from Eastern Europe last summer (see their blog here). They have now had the boy in their home for six months. Their story has been featured on a local TV station and I'm sure many have viewed their blog. In short, their story not only testifies of God's love working through individuals, but also to the value of every individual soul—no matter the limitations of the physical body.
Six months later, there are still trials and struggles, but there has been both remarkable progress and great blessings. The work that God has allowed them to be a part of has now reached all the way back to Russia, and we are so grateful for it! I trust you will take the time to read about it here.
"If it saves only one child's life....
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Shouldn't we do X anyway?" Whatever X is. So goes an argument for gun control.
Well that depends, what does X cost? What if it costs 10 other children their lives? I say an emphatic no! Guns are used by good people to stop bad people far more often than guns are used to kill innocents.
Just the other day a woman used a .38 to protect herself and her children from someone that had broken into their home. They had retreated into a crawlspace, far further than they should ever have to.
But one anecdote does not data make. However Gary Kleck did actual research and found that guns are used defensively far more several million times a year, mostly without firing a shot. Criminals know that when guns are legal and plentiful, that ups their risk that any given assault, any given break in, any given robbery, the victim will be armed and present a serious risk to their breathing rights.
Ban guns and home invasions will increase. Rapes will increase. Robberies and car jackings will increase. Violence will increase. Mark my words. The threat of violence from good people presents a risk to bad guys that keeps bad violence at bay.
Guns in the hands of good people make people safer. If that were not true, would so called VIPs in Government and entertainment worlds be guarded by people with guns? Why should our children be any less safe?
They should not. NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre was right in saying the "only thing that stops a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun." Part of the reason the NewTown shooter (I refuse to post the S#'!heads name anywhere else than on my TP) killed so many was the 20 minute response time. I want someone there to present an immediate response.
The SCSon's school has an onsite "resource officer". Though he spends most of this time educating about online risks (careful what you post on line) and drug and physical abuse issues, his physical presence on site means he can probably be on scene in under 2 minutes. Because he is onsite and armed. And that is what counts when a bad guy shows up.
I'm all for addressing the problem. Guns are not the problem. bad people with guns are the problem!
Well that depends, what does X cost? What if it costs 10 other children their lives? I say an emphatic no! Guns are used by good people to stop bad people far more often than guns are used to kill innocents.
Just the other day a woman used a .38 to protect herself and her children from someone that had broken into their home. They had retreated into a crawlspace, far further than they should ever have to.
But one anecdote does not data make. However Gary Kleck did actual research and found that guns are used defensively far more several million times a year, mostly without firing a shot. Criminals know that when guns are legal and plentiful, that ups their risk that any given assault, any given break in, any given robbery, the victim will be armed and present a serious risk to their breathing rights.
Ban guns and home invasions will increase. Rapes will increase. Robberies and car jackings will increase. Violence will increase. Mark my words. The threat of violence from good people presents a risk to bad guys that keeps bad violence at bay.
Guns in the hands of good people make people safer. If that were not true, would so called VIPs in Government and entertainment worlds be guarded by people with guns? Why should our children be any less safe?
They should not. NRA EVP Wayne LaPierre was right in saying the "only thing that stops a bad man with a gun is a good man with a gun." Part of the reason the NewTown shooter (I refuse to post the S#'!heads name anywhere else than on my TP) killed so many was the 20 minute response time. I want someone there to present an immediate response.
The SCSon's school has an onsite "resource officer". Though he spends most of this time educating about online risks (careful what you post on line) and drug and physical abuse issues, his physical presence on site means he can probably be on scene in under 2 minutes. Because he is onsite and armed. And that is what counts when a bad guy shows up.
I'm all for addressing the problem. Guns are not the problem. bad people with guns are the problem!
Epiphany
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Returning home today from the DayJob(tm), the SCQueen mentioned spent the afternoon visiting gun stores and looking at guns.
The SandCastle Queen had an epiphany today. Her intarweb-wander landed on Suzanna Gratia Hupp's compelling testimony:
I'm proud of my honey for taking the initiative. Right now she's at a local range & Bass Pro. I'm here at home staying out of it.
The "How To" part of carrying concealed is something every carrier has to figure out for themselves. She is thinking about something small enough like a Kel Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP that she can either "Flash Bang" or small of the back carry. I hope she finds something she likes and will carry. I just want to give her ideas and let her figure out what works. A friend suggested something in .380 auto which is not a bad idea except that .380 ammo these days seems to be made of unobtainium, not that any other caliber is exactly plentiful on the shelves.
Of course, just finding something small these days is a quest. She might as well search for the Holy Grail. She is also considering a concealed carry purse. That will let her carry something already in the SandCastle Armory until she can find something to carry on her person.
The floor is open for constructive suggestions/ideas, especially from women. If you don't want to leave a comment, you can email to sandcastlescrolls att msn dott com.
TIA!
* This definition accurately describes what happened today
3. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
The SandCastle Queen had an epiphany today. Her intarweb-wander landed on Suzanna Gratia Hupp's compelling testimony:
I'm proud of my honey for taking the initiative. Right now she's at a local range & Bass Pro. I'm here at home staying out of it.
The "How To" part of carrying concealed is something every carrier has to figure out for themselves. She is thinking about something small enough like a Kel Tec P3AT or Ruger LCP that she can either "Flash Bang" or small of the back carry. I hope she finds something she likes and will carry. I just want to give her ideas and let her figure out what works. A friend suggested something in .380 auto which is not a bad idea except that .380 ammo these days seems to be made of unobtainium, not that any other caliber is exactly plentiful on the shelves.
Of course, just finding something small these days is a quest. She might as well search for the Holy Grail. She is also considering a concealed carry purse. That will let her carry something already in the SandCastle Armory until she can find something to carry on her person.
The floor is open for constructive suggestions/ideas, especially from women. If you don't want to leave a comment, you can email to sandcastlescrolls att msn dott com.
TIA!
* This definition accurately describes what happened today
3. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
300 miles, 20 hours, one fleabag motel...
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All for this:
The SCSon expressed an interest in learning to hunt. I didn't come from a hunting family but hunting was something that I had a mild interest from the "shooting" aspect. Probably inspired by stories of survival. But my family didn't hunt nor did I know any that did. Still it seemed knowing where food comes from, from living animal to kitchen and dinner table hence is an important life lesson.
A note from the leader of the SCSon's SCTP program regarding an upcoming duck hunt. Further checking the AZGFD calendar revealed this quail hunt. They match up a young shooter with a hunting dog & trainer. The dogs smell out the birds and point. Once the shooter is set, the quail is flushed and hopefully bagged.
Catch was, the hunt was 150 miles away and started at 8am. And I am not a morning person. Instead of a 4am wakeup alarm, I opted to drive the 1st hundred miles the night before and get a room.
The room was ... well, a) I was glad to be armed. And b) giving it one star would be an insult to one star motels everywhere. I didn't sleep much if any.
But the above photo was worth every bit of the ordeal.
BTW, mad props to the Arizona Game and Fish for putting on this program and many like it. While the hunting is the highlight of the day, they have other activities to teach while awaiting their turn to hunt. These included Quail species identification (turns out there are 5 species in Arizona of which three are legal to hunt). Another taught GPS usage. Fly tying and casting lessons were also given. Archery was on the agenda but they cancelled. NBD as the winds were howling and attempting archery in those conditions would have been a joke.
I explained to the SCSon... This is what love is. Enduring mucho cost and discomfort to give him the experiences I never had.
BTW, the dog the SCSon was matched up with was absolutely phenomenal. It ran all over the hunting zone sniffing out the prey. Once found it held a short distance off until released. Once, the quail was flushed, the SCSon took one shot and missed. He racked the slide to take a follow up shot but the dog had bolted after the bird. I called "Hold up" but he already had his finger off the trigger. Not worth taking a chance of hitting the dog.
The SCSon expressed an interest in learning to hunt. I didn't come from a hunting family but hunting was something that I had a mild interest from the "shooting" aspect. Probably inspired by stories of survival. But my family didn't hunt nor did I know any that did. Still it seemed knowing where food comes from, from living animal to kitchen and dinner table hence is an important life lesson.
A note from the leader of the SCSon's SCTP program regarding an upcoming duck hunt. Further checking the AZGFD calendar revealed this quail hunt. They match up a young shooter with a hunting dog & trainer. The dogs smell out the birds and point. Once the shooter is set, the quail is flushed and hopefully bagged.
Catch was, the hunt was 150 miles away and started at 8am. And I am not a morning person. Instead of a 4am wakeup alarm, I opted to drive the 1st hundred miles the night before and get a room.
The room was ... well, a) I was glad to be armed. And b) giving it one star would be an insult to one star motels everywhere. I didn't sleep much if any.
But the above photo was worth every bit of the ordeal.
BTW, mad props to the Arizona Game and Fish for putting on this program and many like it. While the hunting is the highlight of the day, they have other activities to teach while awaiting their turn to hunt. These included Quail species identification (turns out there are 5 species in Arizona of which three are legal to hunt). Another taught GPS usage. Fly tying and casting lessons were also given. Archery was on the agenda but they cancelled. NBD as the winds were howling and attempting archery in those conditions would have been a joke.
I explained to the SCSon... This is what love is. Enduring mucho cost and discomfort to give him the experiences I never had.
BTW, the dog the SCSon was matched up with was absolutely phenomenal. It ran all over the hunting zone sniffing out the prey. Once found it held a short distance off until released. Once, the quail was flushed, the SCSon took one shot and missed. He racked the slide to take a follow up shot but the dog had bolted after the bird. I called "Hold up" but he already had his finger off the trigger. Not worth taking a chance of hitting the dog.
24 Şubat 2013 Pazar
Danielle's & Dusty's Wedding
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On Thursday last week we (Mom, Dad Brandon & Jodi) drove to Salt Lake City Utah.
To attend the Wedding of Todd's daughter Daniella Langston to Dusty Scott.
We arrived on Friday and attended a pre-wedding dinner at Sizzler with Dusty's family.
Daniella & Dusty & Dusty's brother
Todd & Jullianna
Dusty's Mom & Dad
Dusty's family
Mari & Ladd (Mari's boyfriend)
Dusty & Daniella coming out of the Temple
Kim & Mike waiting
Mari, Jullianna, Cathi, Erin & Tyler
Daniella's Mom & brother & sisters
Salt Lake Temple
Daniella & Dusty in front of the Doors of the
Salt Lake City Temple
After the pictures at the temple the reception was at Daniella's Aunts house
(Cathi's sisters house) in Alpine.
I'll upload pictures later.
Sunday we (Mom, Dad & I) went to have lunch with Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Clark
at the Market Place Grill in Salt Lake.
Then we went to Todd's house and hung out with them all afternoon.
About 6pm Daniella and Dusty came over with their gifts and opened them.
Opening up Kim's present and being weird
Kim's gift
Kim's gift
Opening Mom's gift
Cool pots and pans!!!
To attend the Wedding of Todd's daughter Daniella Langston to Dusty Scott.
We arrived on Friday and attended a pre-wedding dinner at Sizzler with Dusty's family.
Daniella & Dusty & Dusty's brother
Todd & Jullianna
Dusty's Mom & Dad
Dusty's family
Mari & Ladd (Mari's boyfriend)
Dusty & Daniella coming out of the Temple
Kim & Mike waiting
Mari, Jullianna, Cathi, Erin & Tyler
Daniella's Mom & brother & sisters
Salt Lake Temple
Daniella & Dusty in front of the Doors of the
Salt Lake City Temple
After the pictures at the temple the reception was at Daniella's Aunts house
(Cathi's sisters house) in Alpine.
I'll upload pictures later.
Sunday we (Mom, Dad & I) went to have lunch with Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Clark
at the Market Place Grill in Salt Lake.
Then we went to Todd's house and hung out with them all afternoon.
About 6pm Daniella and Dusty came over with their gifts and opened them.
Opening up Kim's present and being weird
Kim's gift
Kim's gift
Opening Mom's gift
Cool pots and pans!!!
Daniella & Dusty's Wedding-Kim's version
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Well I've been such a slacker. I'm finally getting around to posting about Daniella & Dusty's wedding which happened about 30 days ago.
I know that Jodi already posted her version. But mine is better. At least a tad bit more entertaining. Don't worry, Jodi knows I love her.
For those of you who do not know who Daniella is, well she is Todd's 2nd oldest daughter. So that makes her my niece.
Daniella & Dusty got sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City temple on Saturday 5/28/11.
The temps that day were on the cool side. But the sun did come out & warm us while we were waiting on the temple grounds.
Loved this bench that Mike is sitting on. He wanted me to walk around temple square & take photos. But I was afraid that Daniella & Dusty would emerge from the temple and we would miss them.
Here is Mari and her boyfriend Ladd. Mari is Todd's oldest daughter. So that makes her Daniella's big sister and another of my nieces.
My son Brandon.
This is my ex sister in law Cathi (on the right). She is the mother of the bride. Here she is with her girlfriend Kim (on the left). I hadn't seen Cathi in years. It was good to visit with her again.
Cathi with 4 of her 6 children. Mari, Julianna, Erin Grace & Tyler. Daniella was still inside getting married. And Colin couldn't come to the wedding. He is in the Air Force so he couldn't get away. I don't know why I never took a photo of Todd and his kids (these same kids). Probably as he was inside attending the sealing. The rest of us were taking photos outside to pass the time away.
Finally the family started emerging from the temple. Cathi went over to say "hi" to Todd. It was good to see that the two of them could put aside their differences for the occasion.
Three of Todd & Cathi's daughters. Mari, Julianna & Erin Grace.
Mom & Jodi after the temple sealing. Waiting for Daniella & Dusty to emerge from the temple.
Everyone is anxiously waiting.
Finally Daniella & Dusty come out of the temple.
Give your wife a big smooch Dusty!
They are such a cute couple.
Daniella with her mom Cathi.
Then it was time to take photos on the temple steps. Technically you only have 20 minutes to do so. At least that is what another impatient photographer told us.
This is Dusty's family. I don't have any of our family as we were all busy being in the photo that we didn't have anyone to take the photo of us. Except for the photographer, but she was busy taking her own photos.
While we were up on the steps Mike had to get a photo of the doorknobs. They are fabulous.
Then Mike took this photo of everyone down at the bottom of the steps. You can see the back of me. I'm to the right of the bride.
The "Grandma's" getting their photo taken with the bride.
Jodi & Julianna goofing off between photos.
The bride's parents. Todd and Cathi.
The bridesmaids. Julianna is to the left of Daniella. And Mari is to the right. The other 2 girls are Dusty's sisters. Daniella's other sister Erin Grace was an honorary bridesmaid.
Erin Grace didn't seem to mind.
I like this photo of the bridesmaids jumping. It looks like Daniella is floating.
The proud papa Todd.
Dad & Mom aka: Grandpa and Grandma visiting with Brandon.
I love this photo of Daniella and Julianna.
All 4 sisters.
The groom and his groomsmen.
Everyone is a photographer these days.
More waiting. I'm sure we took double the allotment of time for taking photos on the temple steps.
Do you think these alcoves were made just for taking photos like this?
I do believe they were.
We can't forget the shoes. Forget fancy high heels. This bride wanted to be comfortable along with her bridesmaids.
Are we done taking photos yet? Isn't that what Todd's look is saying?
Julianna looks bored. Dad just wants to know when it is nap time.
Nope, the photographer isn't quite done. Just one or two more photos.
Speaking of photographers. I was trying to practice my photo skills with these flowers. I still have so much to learn.
Temple square always has so many beautiful things to photograph. I now wish I had walked around temple square taking photos while we waited as Mike had suggested. Maybe next time.
The End. But really it is the beginning of Daniella and Dusty's wonderful life together, forever.
If you made it through this entire post, you deserve a medal. I know it had a lot of photos. But I didn't want you to miss a thing. Didn't you feel like you were right there? Of course you do.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll post about their reception. And then I still need to report about the rest of our trip. Plus I still have to post about Cade's (Eric's son) high school graduation and Danica's (Eric's daughter) college graduation.
So stay tuned.
Kim
I know that Jodi already posted her version. But mine is better. At least a tad bit more entertaining. Don't worry, Jodi knows I love her.
For those of you who do not know who Daniella is, well she is Todd's 2nd oldest daughter. So that makes her my niece. Daniella & Dusty got sealed for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City temple on Saturday 5/28/11.The temps that day were on the cool side. But the sun did come out & warm us while we were waiting on the temple grounds.Loved this bench that Mike is sitting on. He wanted me to walk around temple square & take photos. But I was afraid that Daniella & Dusty would emerge from the temple and we would miss them.Here is Mari and her boyfriend Ladd. Mari is Todd's oldest daughter. So that makes her Daniella's big sister and another of my nieces. My son Brandon.This is my ex sister in law Cathi (on the right). She is the mother of the bride. Here she is with her girlfriend Kim (on the left). I hadn't seen Cathi in years. It was good to visit with her again.Cathi with 4 of her 6 children. Mari, Julianna, Erin Grace & Tyler. Daniella was still inside getting married. And Colin couldn't come to the wedding. He is in the Air Force so he couldn't get away. I don't know why I never took a photo of Todd and his kids (these same kids). Probably as he was inside attending the sealing. The rest of us were taking photos outside to pass the time away.Finally the family started emerging from the temple. Cathi went over to say "hi" to Todd. It was good to see that the two of them could put aside their differences for the occasion.Three of Todd & Cathi's daughters. Mari, Julianna & Erin Grace.Mom & Jodi after the temple sealing. Waiting for Daniella & Dusty to emerge from the temple.Everyone is anxiously waiting.Finally Daniella & Dusty come out of the temple.Give your wife a big smooch Dusty!They are such a cute couple.Daniella with her mom Cathi.Then it was time to take photos on the temple steps. Technically you only have 20 minutes to do so. At least that is what another impatient photographer told us.
This is Dusty's family. I don't have any of our family as we were all busy being in the photo that we didn't have anyone to take the photo of us. Except for the photographer, but she was busy taking her own photos.
While we were up on the steps Mike had to get a photo of the doorknobs. They are fabulous.Then Mike took this photo of everyone down at the bottom of the steps. You can see the back of me. I'm to the right of the bride.The "Grandma's" getting their photo taken with the bride.Jodi & Julianna goofing off between photos.The bride's parents. Todd and Cathi.The bridesmaids. Julianna is to the left of Daniella. And Mari is to the right. The other 2 girls are Dusty's sisters. Daniella's other sister Erin Grace was an honorary bridesmaid.Erin Grace didn't seem to mind.I like this photo of the bridesmaids jumping. It looks like Daniella is floating.The proud papa Todd.Dad & Mom aka: Grandpa and Grandma visiting with Brandon.I love this photo of Daniella and Julianna.All 4 sisters.The groom and his groomsmen.Everyone is a photographer these days.More waiting. I'm sure we took double the allotment of time for taking photos on the temple steps.Do you think these alcoves were made just for taking photos like this?I do believe they were.We can't forget the shoes. Forget fancy high heels. This bride wanted to be comfortable along with her bridesmaids.Are we done taking photos yet? Isn't that what Todd's look is saying?Julianna looks bored. Dad just wants to know when it is nap time.Nope, the photographer isn't quite done. Just one or two more photos.Speaking of photographers. I was trying to practice my photo skills with these flowers. I still have so much to learn.Temple square always has so many beautiful things to photograph. I now wish I had walked around temple square taking photos while we waited as Mike had suggested. Maybe next time.The End. But really it is the beginning of Daniella and Dusty's wonderful life together, forever.If you made it through this entire post, you deserve a medal. I know it had a lot of photos. But I didn't want you to miss a thing. Didn't you feel like you were right there? Of course you do.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll post about their reception. And then I still need to report about the rest of our trip. Plus I still have to post about Cade's (Eric's son) high school graduation and Danica's (Eric's daughter) college graduation.
So stay tuned.
Kim
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