Happy Election Day Eve!

Oh, I am giddy about the Big Day tomorrow!  It should be an historic election of gargantuan proportions!

I love a good hyperbole.

I thought I'd share some of the races I'll be keeping my eye on tomorrow night.  I know you are all dying to know who I'm rooting for. 

Rooting for...it sounds like I'm getting ready to watch a big game.  Unfortunately, politics HAS become a game, and I don't actually like the Democrats OR the Republicans.  They are all a bunch of big-government, progressive weasels.  I'd like to give them all a big, giant foam finger. That being said, I'll be wearing red and rootin' for the Republicans tomorrow since I believe the Democrats have already sold their souls to George Soros.  Time will tell if the "Tea Party" Republicans sell out too.

So some of my favorite races to watch tomorrow night are:

Nevada-Senate race: It will be HISTORIC (and hilarious) if Tea-Party favorite Sharron Angle beats Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.  Reid is an elitist, arrogant jerk.  Go Sharon!

Delaware-Senate race:  It would be so awesome if Christine O'Donnell could beat Chris Coons.  At first I thought she was a little kooky, and she may well be, but she started to grow on me. And I have to root for anybody who's been treated by the media like she has been.  I love an underdog.

Florida-Senate race:  I am a HUGE fan of Marco Rubio.  Dare I say he seems...presidential?!  Meeks seems like a decent fellow but Crist is a shameless dirtbag.

California-Governor:  I don't know much about Meg Whitman but she does have one really, REALLY important qualification--she's NOT Jerry Brown.

California-Senate race:  I think I like Carly Fiorina.  And I know I don't like Barbara "Call Me Senator" Boxer.  I'd like to call her "Former Senator Boxer".

Alaska-Senate:  Joe Miller seems like a decent guy.  Lisa Murkowski seems to be a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum over not winning the Republican nomination.

Ohio-Governor:  John Kasich.  I've always liked him.

Connecticut-Governor:  What the h-e- double-hockey stick is wrong with you Connecticut? How is Richard Blumenthal even in the running against Linda McMahon?  Not that I'm a big fan of Linda's but HELLO!, Blumenthal is an unprincipaled moron.
 
Arkansas-House: I'm pulling for Beth Anne Rankin.  I went to college with her and she's a lovely person.  And Mike Ross is not.

Arkansas-Senate:  I can't wait to retire Blanche Lincoln!  Woo Hoo!  John Boozman!

Colorado-Governor:  A win by Tom Tancredo would be amazing.

Kentucky-Senate:  I really like Rand Paul. 

Pennsylvania-Senate:  I hope Pat Toomey can pull out a win over Joe Sestak.

Wisconsin-Senate:  I will be so delighted to see Russ Feingold lose.

Arizona-House:  Ruth McClung is my choice.  She's a physicist.  I like physicists. (Head nod to Mr. Rascalraiser.)

Florida-House:  Please, please Florida.  Go vote for Dan Webster.  Alan Grayson is a hate-mongering psycho.  Would you like for me to tell you how I really feel?

Massachusetts-House:  Mass, what is your deal?!  How is Sean Bielat not winning against Barney "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not in a crisis situation" Frank?!

So there you go.  I know your life is more complete now that you know where I stand on these races.  I've got my race-tracking lists printed and the Hubs and I will be popping some corn and sipping hot cocoa tomorrow night watching the results roll in!

Woo hoo!  Go Big Red!

Freedom Of Speech Gets Kicked In The Head

Hello again.  It's been a while.  But you KNEW I'd have to come back to talk about this NPR fiasco, didn't you?!

Please, please tell me you have been paying attention to the world around you and you are aware of the fact that NPR fired Juan Williams this week.  Just in case, here's a quick explanation:  Juan Williams, a liberal news analyst for NPR and also a contributor on Fox News, was abruptly let go from his decade-long employment with NPR this week allegedly because of comments he made on Bill O'Reilly's show regarding Muslims.  I say "allegedly" because NPR has tolerated much worse statements than Juan's from the likes of Cokie Roberts and Nina Totenburg and they still have jobs.  Oh, but they only insulted conservatives and Christians so it's all good.

I feel like I need to insert right here this disclaimer:  I do not like Juan Williams.  He is very far-left in his political ideology and when I watch him I usually wind up yelling at my TV.  I don't know that I have ever agreed with Juan on anything.  However, I grudgingly respect his willingness to come on Fox News and have a reasonable debate unlike so many on the far-left.  (Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg come to mind.)  Just sayin'.

Ok, back to the summary of the situation.  Juan and Bill were discussing the Behar/Goldberg walk-out on the set of The View when Bill said that "Muslim's killed us on 9/11" and that political correctness is running amok these days when Juan decided to use himself as an example.  I'm paraphrasing but he said something like, "I'm very involved in the civil rights movement so obviously I am no bigot.  But even I get a little nervous when I get on a plane and there's someone in full-on Muslim garb."  Ok.  Big deal.  He didn't say that people in Muslim garb shouldn't be allowed to fly.  He didn't say that all Muslims that wear the traditional garb are dangerous or evil.  He was simply honest about his personal feelings and about what I suspect many Americans have also thought on many occasions. 

Well, you would think that he had called for stripping all Muslims of their citizenship and shipping them all back to the Middle East.  NPR promptly fired him, BY PHONE.  Yep, wouldn't even let him come in and discuss it in person.  In a completely unrelated story, last week far-left progressive billionaire George Soros donated $1.8 million dollars to NPR.  Also, in a completely unrelated story, George Soros donated $1 million dollars to Media Matters to "fight against Fox News." But I digress. 

Is it just me or does "freedom of speech" not mean what it used to?  I thought it used to mean that the answer to speech you didn't like was MORE speech.  Apparently now it means if you don't agree with me and I'm in power you should sit down and shut up.  Like I said, I almost never agree with Juan but don't you think it's a good idea to have a dialogue?  Wouldn't you think the lefties would WANT Juan to reach out to the Fox audience in hopes of persuading them to some of his views?  Maybe that would be too reasonable.  I guess I'm just too darn reasonable...Juan, I'll stand with you and I champion your right to free speech.  You keep on talking and I'll keep on yelling at my TV! 

I wonder how Juan feels about so many conservatives standing up for his right to free speech?

I'll leave you with some words from George Washington:  "If freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.

Baa, baa, America.
 

O-U-A-C-H-I-T-A!

Wow.  It's been twenty-two years since my parents tearfully dropped me off in front of the Flippen-Perrin dorm and I waved goodbye uncertainly and began that amazing adventure we call the Ouachita experience. Ínitially when I heard about the first OBU BlogAbout I was hesitant to participate.  Not because I don't have many, many great memories from my time at Ouachita but because I didn't know how in the world I could adquately condense those memories into a coherent blog post that would do justice to the experience.  But I'm not one to miss out on a party so here goes...

My husband, Wes, says that the most important thing I need to tell you is that I met HIM at OBU.  It was right before Christmas break of my sophomore year and his freshman year.  For weeks my roommate, Teresa, had been telling me about this really cute, super-friendly guy in one of her classes.  One evening they were studying together on the bridge of the Student Center and I happened to drop by and was finally introduced to him.  I'm not being overly dramatic when I say that life was never the same!

My first two years at OBU the girls had a curfew.  Just the girls.  I guess the powers that be figured that if the girls all had to be back in the dorm then the guys wouldn't have anything to do and they'd go home too.  Wes just kindly pointed out that the Henderson girls didn't have a curfew.  Nice. 

Anyhoo, during finals week we would inevitably get the munchies after curfew.  That was back during the days of the Taco Bell  "Ten Tacos for A Dollar" deal.  Ok, it was probably more than a dollar but it was still a GREAT. DEAL! One night Teresa and I called Wes to make an emergency Taco Bell run and he and his roommate, Tom, brought back a box of tacos.  There was, conveniently, a hole in the screen of our second story window (I promise it was there when we moved in!) so Teresa and I lowered a rope (why did we have a rope?!) and Wes tied the box of tacos to the end of it and we pulled them up.  Best tacos I ever ate!

There was also the time that it snowed and Teresa and I had ordered a pizza but the pizza guy called back and said he couldn't get out of the icy parking lot to deliver said pizza.  So who ya gonna call?  Wes.  He came and got us in his little blue Toyota pickup and we slipped and slid all the way to Pizza Hut and back.  Mission accomplished. 

We used to study at the Road Runner convenience store in Caddo Valley because they had tables, were open 24 hours and they let us have free refills on our coffee.  Then we'd usually wind up at the Waffle House for their $3.99 all-you-can-eat special.

Why do all my memories involve food?

Oh, here's one that doesn't involve food.  One time the guys who lived in Conger (the REAL Conger, not that imposter that was recently torn down) ran electrical cords from the lobby to the middle of the campus and set up a TV screen so we could watch the World Series.  That was during the time that I was pretending to be interested in baseball.  Because Wes played baseball.  I didn't miss a single OBU Tiger baseball game that first year we dated.  Teresa and I, along with our suitemate, Terri, went to Panama City for spring break that year and we even surprised the team by showing up in Pensacola where they had a tournament. 

There are many more un-food-related adventures but most of those probably shouldn't be shared on the World Wide Web, especially since I happen to now work at Ouachita.  (Thanks for the health insurance, OBU!)  Let's just say that a good time was had by all. :)  Oh, and we all received stellar educations in the process.

Happy Founders Day to Ouachita! May all her skies be gay! :)

In Defense of Restoring Honor

You may have heard of an event called "8/28: Restoring Honor" that was held by Glenn Beck this past weekend at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.  However, unless you consistently listen to Glenn on his daily radio program or watch his Fox News program you have probably not heard the truth about it.  And if you rely on the mainstream media for your news then you definitely haven't heard the truth about it. And if you didn't see it for yourself you can't understand it. 

Prior to the event, the Left was predicting that it would be an angry, racist, hate-filled frenzy of politically-motivated "teabaggers".  Al Sharpton even led a counter-rally nearby and accused Glenn of hijacking the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial forty-seven years ago. 

We've come to expect this kind of rhetoric and hysteria from the Left.  And each time they scream "Racist, hate-monger!" it becomes a little less believable.  Think Chicken Little.

What is most distressing to me is the reaction of the so-called Christian Right.  Some Christian leaders can't wait to condemn Beck to hell (he's a Mormon)  and decry the Restoring Honor event as heresy.  This column by Dr. Russell Moore is a perfect example of the judgemental nature and willful ignorance of some Christian leaders.  I dare say Dr. Moore probably doesn't regularly watch or listen to Beck for if he did he would know that Glenn is very careful to say that he is not a theologian and that he is aware many Christians do not consider him to be one.  He does not attempt to sway his viewers and listeners to his particular faith and in fact, vigorously insists that they search out the truth for themselves and encourages them to be very sure of what they believe.   Dr. Moore also seems to be guilty of the very same elitist attitude that we all despise in the Left--that people are too stupid (or gullible) to decide anything for themselves.  They must be told what is right and best for them.  Apparently Dr. Moore thinks that it's his responsiblity to convict peoples' hearts rather than the Holy Spirit.

Now, if I haven't quite stepped on your toes enough...

I also happen to believe that Glenn Beck IS a Christian. (Gasp!)

I grew up in the Southern Baptist church and in fact I'm the daughter of a minister.  I saw all the anti-Mormon propaganda growing up and believed it for many years.  Now, don't misunderstand me.  I do not subscribe to their theology.  I disagree vehemently with many tenets of their faith.  But what I have finally come to understand is that it is not my place to judge the effectiveness of someone's faith nor their sincerity.  Glenn has very plainly stated on many occasions that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior.  That's good enough for me. I also examine the fruit produced in his life just like Jesus says in Matthew 7:18-20.  I am greatly encouraged that God can take an alchoholic, self-professed "dirt bag" and turn him into a man of great courage, honor, integrity, love, kindess and generosity.  I do agree with Dr. Moore that today's American church presents a warm, fuzzy, watered-down, inoffensive gospel.  And isn't it just like God to "choose the foolish things of the world [a Mormon!!!] to shame the wise" ?! (1 Cor 1 :27)  And I will also tell you that the Spirit that lives in me recognizes the Spirit that lives in Glenn.  Feel free to judge me too.  I answer to my Jesus and no one else.

Bottom line, the Restoring Honor event was a multi-faith event that honored our military heroes and encouraged people of all faiths to join together on the issues that we can agree on--faith, hope, charity and honor.  It really doesn't matter if you or I believe Beck to be a "true" Christian--that's between him and the Lord.

Cops and Robbers

So, today I was held hostage in my office by an armed bank robber.

Well, I wasn't held hostage by the actual armed bank robber so much as I was held hostage by the University emergency alert system that warned all faculty, staff and students to go into the nearest building, lock the doors and stay there because there was an armed bank robber loose on campus.

It was very exciting for the first hour.  We all took turns inventing descriptions for the robber and by the end of the lockdown he looked something like Rambo with a machete in one hand and shoulder-fired rocket launcher in the other.

Then it was noon, which is when I get off.  And I was still in lockdown.

I was no longer amused.

I decided I felt lucky, punk, and took matters into my own hands.  Rachel (who also gets off at noon) and I plotted our great escape.  We slipped out with a crowd of football coaches and made a mad dash across campus to our cars.  (Note:  It would be lovely if we had parking closer to our building, you know, in case we're running for our lives. Just sayin'.)

Anyhoo, all's well that ends well.  Our very capable local police finally nabbed the guy down by the river which runs along the backside of campus. 

Oh, and today was registration day which is, um, a REALLY BIG DEAL.  So not only was the robber not a criminal mastermind, he also has really bad timing.

At least the lockdown didn't have anything to do with a sighting of the weird, naked guy that has been breaking into houses and watching people sleep.  But that's a story for another day.

I wonder what kind of creepy Google hits this post will get?

So I headed home expecting to spend a relaxing afternoon recovering from this harrowing experience.

Then Wes called.

He had gone out of town to pick up these:

 and had managed to...BREAK THE KEY to the Tahoe.

Who does that?!

(By the way, those are deer stands for those who are not in the know.)

So the girls and I had to drive an hour to take him another key.

At least he treated us to dinner at Larry's Pizza so it wasn't a total loss.

And thus ended another exciting day in Lisa's Little Slice of Life.