What is happening in Georgia?

Russia invaded Georgia, destroyed its towns and killed innocent civilians, with no declaration of war and without any provocation from Georgians. People are angry at America for going into Iraq, after we gave plenty of warning, stated our intentions, and tried in every way to preserve the country and save civilian lives. And no one is crying out at Russia for doing the exact opposite, destroying a country to serve their own purposes? We should be angry. We should be paying attention to what Russia is doing. Europe should be lambasting Putin and shunning Russia.

But how can we know what is really happening in Georgia? The news stations have practically dropped the story by now. I advise you read Michael Totten's posts over at the Middle East Journal. Mr. Totten is in Georgia getting the story the TV stations never give us, plus all the history involved. So far I have not found any news source as reliable as his blog that reports from that area.

My confession.

“’Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”

—Thomas Paine

Let’s hope that McCain has a firm heart and good principles, because I’m planning on voting for him. I was very interested to hear Rick Warren’s interview with Obama and McCain, and I hope lots of people saw it. I took these points of contrast from Gary Bauer’s newsletter:

• Rick Warren asked at what point in his or her development does a baby gain “human rights.” Obama drew a gasp from the audience when he stated that the question was so complicated that it was “above my pay grade.”
• Senator McCain, with no hesitation, said that human rights “begin at conception,” and he added, “I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies. That’s my commitment, that’s my commitment to you.”
• Asked what was the most “gut wrenching” decision of his life, Obama said it was his decision to oppose the war in Iraq.
• Senator McCain, in contrast, told the story of how his North Vietnamese captors offered him early release from a POW camp because his father was a Navy admiral. McCain, who was in desperate physical shape at that time, refused to be released until other men, shot down and captured before him, were set free. That decision resulted in three more years of torture and imprisonment. McCain added, “But it was not only the toughest decision I ever made, but I’m most happy about that decision than any decision I’ve ever made in my life. It took a lot of prayer. It took a lot of prayer.”
• When each candidate was asked which current members of the Supreme Court he would never have appointed, Senator Obama cited Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia – two men who have helped block the constant leftwing attack on faith in the public square and who recently ruled that the Second Amendment guaranteed an individual right to self-defense, a decision Obama said he supported.
• Senator McCain named the four leftwing justices, including David Souter, and explained why they were unacceptable: “The nomination should be based on the criteria of a proven record of strictly adhering to the Constitution of the United States of America and not legislating from the bench.”

So now you know who I will be voting for. Now that Ron Paul has dropped out of the race, the pressure from my peers here has lessoned somewhat, though some are turning their enthusiasm towards the little-known Chuck Baldwin candidacy. I am sure I will be questioned at least a few times yet as to who I will be voting for, and I’m counting on the questioners having a little Christian grace when I answer. If not, I hope I can keep my temper. I know McCain has his faults, but he seems like the best candidate for President.

Highlights from vacation:

We got to see old houses, older than anything we have in NE. They were beautiful!

We went to the new Creation Science museum in KY. It's expensive, but very well done.

I was able to spend an hour in the Lexington, KY cemetery. It's beautiful and rich in history.

We saw family in Ohio that we hadn't seen in ten years.

Lowpoints of vacation:

We were in tents. Jen and I shared one and everyone else had the other.

It rained, and everything including us got wet

I had to cook over an open fire from limited supplies

The bathrooms were always a long ways away

We had to set up and take down camp more than five times.

There is the short version of our two week vacation.

Vacation does not mean you will have time to relax

In the last two weeks I've been to Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, and Missouri, and now I am finally home. My favorite part of our two week vacation was visiting the Lexington KY Cemetery. I'll post more about it later- we're still unpacking. When we got home we found that our water distiller had leaked all over the floor and it had gotten moldy and ruined the wood flooring. Ugh. And tomorrow Dad is being ordained as an Elder in our Church. There's so much to do!