StevePhelps

Really? I've been a pastor for over 20 years and I seldom see more that 10-15% go to missions/charities in ANY church I know. The majority is spent on building, staff, equipment, etc. I'm not saying that is wrong (although I do believe we waste too much "church" money on buildings, but that is another topic) I'm simply saying most churches DON'T give MOST of their money away to charities.

Okay, but the premise is still the same as I see it. You don't like refrence to God/Creator in anything that has to do with our government. You say, IF it is original it can stay. .. why is that aceptable and something from the 40s or 50s is not? I'm missing your point I guess. What about government buildings built this century? If they have religous inscriptions on them should we tear them down or sand blast them off? Just curious as to where you'd draw the line.

Which will be the removal of "In God We Trust" from our currency... Removing "under God" from the pledge is easy, and I don't really have a problem with doing it, but removing "IGWT" from currency is much harder from a practical sense... it will cost a ton of money to change the currency in a wholesale manner... I don't think either of these uses of God rises to the level of establishing a state religion though. J Shall we remove the reference to God/Creator from the Declaration of Independence too?

It's called separation of church and state. Funny how everyone spouts that anytime "God", "Creator" is mentioned in anything regarding the government. Oops! They said that in the beginning of the Declaration of Independence. What were they thinking, the self righteous, God pushing rebels? We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Bingo, beat me to it!

I'd say get it. I did. I'm glad I did. Night jumps are fun! Also, if you ever get to Cancun you can jump there at Playa if you have your B. (you need that because you land on the beach). What a view!

Point well taken. Blame the media!

Let's be honest. Their racial and ethnic prejudices aside, most Americans provided for their families and for themselves from 1865 - 1940, no? In most people's observation, that is true. But do we see a lot of that in NO? Maybe we should blame the press, but I don't see it. What I see and hear of is people like my son who while serving his country with the 82nd Airborne, is being shot at while he is trying to render aide. Again in Buchanan's observation ... is that what we saw in the Tsunami disaster (looting, rape, etc)? No! Why? I have my opinions.

I do not think I'm "high and mighty" because I won't steal. Many times I've given cashiers money back when they over change me, I've returned wallets with money still in them. I pay my fair share of taxes, etc. I've been poor before. Real poor. Trying to support a wife and 4 small kids in Alaska during the "bust years" (1984-1990) I never once stooped to cheating on taxes, stealing from my employer or anything else. What I did was work three jobs. Did they loot because they were on welfare? Don't be ridiculous! Nobody implied that! Did they loot TVs and designer jeans because they have no values? IMHO that is more likely. What caused their values to deteriorate so far? While it may not be the sole cause, I can't help but believe creating a sense of entitlement for doing NOTHING didn't help. /soapbox ... sigh

Pat did throughout his commentary. I guess you read more into what he said than I do.

I'm not sure I see where anyone claimed it was all hunky dorey "back in the day". I think what was said was the "great societY' thet LBJ envisioned was a failure. I don't think Buchanan was bashing libs either. In fact he quoted a democrat to make his point, that lifelong welfare is a curse, not a blessing or soultion.

Now that is what I'm talking about! Very good ideas!

Let me clarify what I need. I need slogans (appropiate for 6/7th grade school) to go with these centerfold photos from SKYDIVING. a) Shannan swooping across water b) two guys knee locked in a sit base jump off the Royal Gorge Bridge (dude!) c) AFF jump (shows AFFI and student)

As a Texan born in 1955, who remembers pre-cival rights atrocities in my small town I agree to some degree, but history tells us the South did not have a monopoly on racial discrimination. The point is still the same. FDR said a dependence on Government for long term assistance is not good for the USA. I believe what he said is true, and I believe what LBJ thought was a solution was admirable in theory, but flawed in practice. With the creation of the welfare state we have not eradicated poverty. In fact it appears we have empowered it.

I have and his work is awesome. Of course, as a vidiot, mine ain't bad either. But I'm cheap!! I don't want to spend the money on blowing up my shots let alone buy someone elses. I wanted some ideas for the pictures I already have.

I teach at a 6/7th Grade Center. I have taken some centerfolds (easy guys) from PARACHUTIST and SKYDIVING and made mini posters from them. I need some ideas for other sayings for posters from PARACHUTIST and SKYDIVING photos. My two favorites so far are ... 1) Special Ops in combat gear in a HALO 4 way. I entitled it simply, TEAMWORK 2) The picture of the womens world record head down. I entitled it, DEFINE "NORMAL" Any other ideas for the posters I have? Remember, this is a public school for 6/7th graders a) Shannan swooping across water b) two guys knee locked in a sit base jump off the Royal Gorge Bridge (dude!) c) AFF jump (shows AFFI and student)

Oh Pat was only using the terminology that FDR did. "(C)ontinued dependence" upon welfare, said FDR, "induces a spiritual disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole our relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit."

I don't often agree with Pat, but I think he is right on in this topic. Here is his article. (I'd link it, but you need a password to get it where I did) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In his 1935 State of the Union Address, FDR spoke to a nation mired in the Depression, but still marinated in conservative values: "(C)ontinued dependence" upon welfare, said FDR, "induces a spiritual disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fiber. To dole our relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit." Behind FDR's statement was the conviction that, while the government must step in in an emergency, in normal times, men provide the food, clothing and shelter for their families. And we did, until the war pulled us out of the Depression and a postwar boom made us, in John K. Galbraith's phrase, The Affluent Society. By the 1960s, America, the richest country on Earth, was growing ever more prosperous. But with the 1964 landslide of LBJ, liberalism triumphed and began its great experiment. Behind the Great Society was a great idea: to lift America's poor out of poverty, government should now take care of all their basic needs. By giving the poor welfare, subsidized food, public housing and free medical care, government will end poverty in America. At the Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center, we saw the failure of 40 years of the Great Society. No sooner had Katrina passed by and the 17th Street levee broke than hundreds of young men who should have taken charge in helping the aged, the sick and the women with babies to safety took to the streets to shoot, loot and rape. The New Orleans police, their numbers cut by deserters, engaged in running gun battles to stay alive and protect people. It was the character and conduct of its people that makes the New Orleans disaster unique. After a hurricane, people's needs are simple: food, water, shelter, medical attention. But they can be hard to meet. People buried in rubble or hiding in attics of flooded homes are tough to get to. But, even with the incompetence of the mayor and governor, and the torpor of federal officials, this was possible. Coast Guard helicopters were operating Tuesday. There were roads open into the city for SUVs, buses and trucks. While New Orleans was flooded, the water was stagnant. People walked through it to the convention center and Superdome. The flimsiest boat could navigate. Even if government dithered for days, this does not explain the failure of the people. Between 1865 and 1940, the South -- having lost a fourth of its best and bravest in battle, devastated by war, mired in poverty -- was famous for the hardy self-reliance of her people. The real disaster of Katrina was that society broke down. An entire community could not cope. Liberalism, the idea that good intentions and government programs can build a Great Society, was exposed as fraud. After trillions of tax dollars for welfare, food stamps, public housing, job training and education have poured out since 1965, poverty remains pandemic. But today, when the police vanish, the community disappears and men take to the streets to prey on women and the weak. Stranded for days in a pool of fetid water, almost everyone waited for the government to come save them. They screamed into the cameras for help, and the reporters screamed into the cameras for help, and the "civil rights leaders" screamed into the cameras that Bush was responsible and Bush was a racist. Americans were once famous for taking the initiative, for having young leaders rise up to take command in a crisis. See any of that at the Superdome? Sri Lankans and Indonesians, far poorer than we, did not behave like this in a tsunami that took 400 times as many lives. We are the descendants of men and women who braved the North Atlantic in wooden boats to build a country in a strange land. Our ancestors traveled thousands of miles in covered wagons, fighting off Indians far braver than those cowards preying on New Orleans' poor. Watching that performance in the Crescent City, it seems clear: We are not the people our parents were. Though government failed at every level, they want more government. FDR was right. A "spiritual disintegration" has overtaken us. Government-as-first provider, the big idea of the Great Society, has proven to be "a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit." Either we get off this narcotic, or it kills us. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I agree, but how? After 40 years (a whole generation) asking people lose their "entitlement attitude" is a quaqmire worse than Viet Nam and Iraq combined!

Steve, I just recently got out of the Betty Ford clinic for cartoon addiction....thanks for cutting me off and forcing my recovery process. Oh man, now I feel really bad .. no that bad mind you, but bad. If I could figure out how to get google ads back, I'd do some more.

multiple second jobs ... substitute teaching, web design, cartooning and illustrating for magazines and books.

ummm, good point!

All I can say is ... sandles with socks! Come on!

Buy several batteries (I suggest 3-4) off ebay. Keep one of them charging as you swap batteries on every load. That way you will never have a battery go dead on a jump. I assume these will be lithium batteries that do not have a memory.

I'm suprised with so few jumps you are allowed to jump with tandems ... oh, well. I suggest a Tony suit with small wings and wear it while practicing with licensed skydivers. You need to fly your slot in any formation without thinking about it. Once that is accomplished then strap a camera on your head and fly some more practices with licensed skydivers. After all that, if you can fly your slot without thinking about every move you make, then go for it. be safe!

For all you Bush bashers here's another on. Gotta love it when they stoop to this