Yeah, I knew it had been way too long since I last updated this thing when I tried to, and couldn't remember how to...

Anyway, I just love you people who disagree with my views and post comments.  It's always entertaining.  Especially when you post comments accusing me of being close-minded and getting all of my news from one source, when the post you're replying to clearly states that I make it a point not to do that.

Feel free to disagree with me, but please make an effort to read and comprehend my entire post prior to turning your flame throwers on. :)

On another note, check this out:

On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs by LTC (ret.) Dave Grossman, Ranger, Ph.D., author of "On Killing"

Part III

"The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, can not and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours.

Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports in camoflauge fatigues holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spraypaint himself white, and go "Baa." Until the wolf shows up, then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids, they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off them. This is how the little lamb feels about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door.

Look at what happened after September 11, 2001, when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero?

Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle. The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed right along with the young ones."

I'm always one for shaking up my news intake. Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, Sean Hannity, Rush, Hannity & Colmes, local newspaper, Yahoo! News, Google News, The Economist, C-SPAN/C-SPAN 2, whatever.

I mainly do this to see other perspectives on current events, because everyone is biased - yes, even Fox News. Granted, they're far more Fair and Balanced than the other big name news channels, but that's beside the point. Looking at various points of view allows me to make sound judgments of own.

That said, I also love irony. It's simply part of who I am. (Who else do you know who actually enjoys reading things like Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal"?) Turn off your political views so you don't become irate. Read articles at these 'sites, recognize the irony, and wonder why people accept some of this stuff as Truth.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E4D19123-9DD3-11D1-B44E-006097071264.htm

http://english.pravda.ru

http://www.isreview.org

Al-Jazeera, the Pravda, International Socialist Review. Careful with the Pravda, anyway, as some of the content would be considered by some to be "R"-rated, though by American movie standards that means "PG."

Presidential races almost always seem to center around one or two main issue. It’s no different this year. The kicker in ‘04 is military service.

Our two main choices both have experience as military commanders. One was a Junior Officer in Viet Nam, and the other is currently the Commander In Chief. But should military service even play into our decisions on whom to vote for?

YES! Like it or not, we’ve got enemies out there. It is imperative that one of our primary concerns when it comes to choosing which presidential candidate to vote for be that of who would make a better Commander In Chief.

Let’s look at President George W. Bush’s record (prior to being POTUS, since his opponent has not had the chance to serve on that level) first. Months ago Senator John Kerry brought up the argument that President Bush used political connections to become a Pilot in a Texas National Guard unit, and didn’t spend a day serving overseas. To be frank, political connections or no, I’m glad we had people protecting mainland America. It would be so incredibly unwise to have ALL of our troops overseas, no matter how unlikely it is for the enemy to bring the war to our backyard. While President Bush was never shot at, he was ready to protect our borders if the need were to ever arise.

“There are no absolutes!”

How often do we hear this phrase? Mmm. Way too much. It’s simply incorrect, Ladies and Gentlemen. It might work in a few instances, but it is by no means true across the board.

If we’re talking about personal opinions, sure. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and here in America, we’re blessed with the protected right – not simply a conditional privilege – to speak our minds.

Just last week, I was at Dave and Mary’s house. I was watching Hardball with Chris Matthews, since I like to shake up my news intake every now and then. Mary came in and was completely shocked: “You’re watching the news?” “It’s Hardball with Chris Matthews,” I said. “How can you watch that?” Heh. I get the feeling she would have preferred Cartoon Network. This does not mean that either one of us was wrong; we simply disagreed on entertainment.

As is pretty obvious, I’m a staunch Conservative. I have the right to my political opinions. So do the likes of Michael Moore and Don Imus. I’ll crack jokes and talk about how it’s no coincidence that we’re the Right Wing until I’m blue in the face, but sure, they’re entitled to their own opinions. Even though they are sadly mistaken on so many issues.

Unlike opinions on entertainment and politics, there are certain moral issues that are black and white. If I decide to steal a car instead of shelling out $20,000, I am morally wrong. If my sister makes me angry and I murder her, I am definitely choosing the morally wrong option. I may somehow convince myself that they are right for me, but what it all boils down to is this: Those actions are still wrong, no matter how I try to justify them, because they have a negative impact on other people.

There’s a reason things like theft and murder are against the law. They’re wrong. The fact that there are exceptions to the whole “there are no absolutes” thing proves that the statement is wrong, too.

Truth is not subjective. Something is either true, or it is not true. We can’t have multiple truths on the same issue; one of the beliefs in question cannot be the truth if it contradicts the real truth.

For more thoughts on this, check out http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39970 for a commentary written by my brilliant debate partner from the ’03-’04 debate season.