Something I was thinking about...

If you have taken a side in the Black lives/Blue lives/All lives Matter debate, then something in this article will probably upset you. That's good. Let it upset you, but keep reading. If we disengage  from debate as soon as someone says something that we disagree with, then we will never solve any problems. And that is what I want to do - bring us closer to being able to solve problems.  Life and death is a serious matter, and people are rightfully passionate about it. Trying to save lives is a noble goal, and people should be dedicated to it. That is why emotions run high and tempers flare. The proble is that when people are too close to a problem and feelings run deep, they can have trouble logically working out the best solution. So I am going to try and help each group take a step back and look at what it wrong with their current approach.  Let's start with Blue Lives Matter. Blue Lives Matter, Second. Police are important. Police put theirs lives at risk every day that th

I was asked to post this by a Border Patrol agent who wished to remain anonymous. I haven't seen much in the news from the actual agents on the border, so I was happy to add this to the national dialogue.  If you care about what is happening at the border, please read this. It is not intended to change your mind or your politics. It is just meant to give you a more complete understanding of a complex situation that is often over-simplified by politicians and journalists.  The Situation on the Ground: An Agent's View I am proud of who I am and what I do. I am a man of faith. I am a proud parent of the most beautiful children. I am a proud husband who did the impossible of convincing the most amazing woman in the world to marry me. I’m proud of my career. I’m a proud Border Patrol Agent of the United States. I waited four years for the Border Patrol to call me. I endured patiently, pushing through doubt and ridicule, waiting for my chance. I finally got the call, and after

There is one reason that the gun control situation in this country is never going to change: arrogance. We must seek to understand the other side if we ever want to change the debate from useless memes and protests to actual political action. It is okay to think you are right. Having a strong belief in your own moral position does not make you arrogant. Arrogance is believing that you are so right, so smart, and so much better that you do not need to understand your opponent in order to win. In my experience, the left thinks the right is a bunch of rednecks. They are certain that the right is just an army of illiterate zombies of patriotism backed by corrupt billionaire financing. The left is so sure of this that they make no effort to understand the beliefs, values, and reasoning of the right. Why would we? They’re stupid, simple people. What is there to understand? They like guns more than they love kids. They believe their churches more than science. They hate women, gay

        Some people use it profusely and swear that it helps.  Others abhor it, cursing it as a crutch for weak minds.  Those who use it are accused of thinking they are better than those who don't.  Those who claim not to use it believe they are on a higher plane of intellect than those who do.  In fact, there are few words in society that cause a deeper, more contemptuous rift than this word.  But oddly, despite the polarizing effect it has on us, "faith" is a thing that we all use.        And I don't mean that we all use the word faith, or even that we all use faith when we trust someone to follow through on something or when we plant a seed and hope it will grow.  No, my allegation against everyone - be they Creationist or Scientist, Theist or Atheist - is that they rely on faith for their deepest, religious convictions.  Anyone that has taken the time to form an opinion or belief on the origin of life or the powers that govern the universe is basing their e

Apparently everyone out there is a way better parent than I am.  During the recent Christmas season - while I was trying to teach my kids to do chores and brush their teeth - everyone else was preoccupied with whether or not Santa Clause would destroy their children.  When I saw how widespread and hotly debated this topic was, I thought, " Really?  This is the biggest problem you face in child rearing?  I must be doing something wrong ." I read the articles, though - both the heartfelt pleas to keep the magic alive and the vehement indictments of Santa as a liar, fraud and anti-Christ - and I felt largely unswayed one way or the either.  Like I said, I had bigger concerns, and I really couldn't see this as the thing that would make or break a child.  However, the Christmas of 2013 brought something with it that I had never experienced and has convinced me that teaching my children about Santa is the right thing to do - for one simple reason:  Christmas of 2013 made me

I just read another news article about Atheists protesting the Ten Commandments being posted on a Government building, and I wondered, "Why do they care?" Seriously, are they worried that anyone stops to read them?  I'll bet if you did a poll of Christians in America you would find that they are abysmally bad at remembering all ten commandments.  Which isn't really that surprising, because if you did a random sampling of sermons across America, I doubt that you would hear very many of the ten commandments being preached.  If Atheists really wanted to attack Christians, they would be highlighting the commandments, not trying to take them down.  Make Christians aware of how poorly they keep all Ten, and maybe they would take the tablets down themselves. For instance, #4 states: " Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, y