On May 22, 2009, I published my first blog.  It only took four months of living under the rule of our current President to motivate me to become more active in politics.  This has been an interesting year.  It has also been an education.  (I never thought I would participate in a demonstration.)

I started writing a blog because I hate the direction our Country is going.  The liberal agenda is contrary to the vast majority of principles this Country was founded upon, and contrary to the majority opinion.  In writing the articles, I have had to think about what I believe, and competently defend conservative stances.  The background research done on each entry has assisted me in clarifying the issues in my own thought process.  It has made me a better debater and has also focused my arguments to be more persuasive.

One thing that has surprised me is how hostile and divided the opposite ends of the political spectrum are.  I have been called every name in the book.  I usually do not allow those filthy comments to be posted.  I also realize that I frequently am sarcastic, demeaning, and hostile toward those idiot liberals (oops, sorry) that believe they have some special knowledge or insight on how my life should be lived.  My friends know that I always seem to write more passionately when Obama does something that really irritates me, like calling me a right-wing extremist.  I have to say that I do enjoy writing angry and I try to illicit emotional responses from others, both for and against me.

Thank you for reading my blog this year.  Thousands of people have visited the site and hundreds have left comments.  This is my 40^th post.  There have been times when there is so much to write about it is a little overwhelming, and then there have been weeks where I haven’t felt the motivation to write.  I would also like to thank the guys from work for the spirited discussions that have been the impetus for many of the posts.  

I hope to keep writing for many years to come.  Unfortunately with Obama and his hoard of extremists, I should have an almost infinite amount of material to keep me busy.

Our first full day out was spent in Gettysburg.  It was about my fifth trip there, but my family had never been there before.  I love the place, and so did the family.  This was my first trip since the new visitor’s center opened.  It is fantastic.  It rained the entire time we were there, but we bought the auto tour CD and saw the battlefield that way.  Here are a couple of pictures:

The Angle:

The Lee Monument:

In Philadelphia, we saw Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and many of the sights around the old town.  The weather was a little rainy, but the temperature was very nice.  In Philly, the entire family participated in an experiment to see which steak sandwich was better, Geno’s or Pat’s.  After buying $60 worth of Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches, the original vote was 2-2, but my father-in-law said both were good, so Geno’s wins 2-1-1.  I liked Geno’s better.

In Washington, we took the Capitol Tour through the new visitor’s center.  It was very well organized and time well spent.  After that, we went to another of my favorites, Arlington National Cemetery.  This was also the first time for the family.  This place never ceases to leave me with feelings of awe and thankfulness.

On the second day in Washington, and as I walked up to the front of the White House on 17^th Street, I looked to the left and in Lafayette Park, a Pro-Iranian rally was taking place.  I immediately told my wife that this is the reason America is an incredible Country.  Here was a group of mostly Iranian nationals, peacefully demonstrating within 500 feet of the President of the United States.  The group was loud, but I never felt like they were violent.  What would have happened if this group was in Iran?  They would be getting the crap beat out of them.  Look at the coverage out of Iran and how the protestors are being dealt with. This is the same Iran is that Obama wants to engage in talks?  We don’t even know if they will survive this crisis.  It is the same thing that happened in Venezuela, fake votes to keep a regime in power.  I wonder if Carter thought the Iran election was fair too? 

Here is my close-up view of freedom of speech in action:

We must all remember that we did not just receive the freedoms we enjoy because we deserved them.  Many men and women fought and died to provide us with this gift.  Hopefully our use of their gift honors their memory and sacrifice.

I am no fan of my hometown newspaper, The Miami Herald, but at least there is an avenue for us to exchange comments and ideas. Unfortunately, many of the comments put forth are penned by morons. I enjoy spirited debate between persons that articulate positions from their own perspective. That does not mean posts are or will be unemotional. I have heartfelt and deeply held positions that I will defend without ever backing down. Wasted responses are where idiots make comments only meant to inflame without reasons for their beliefs.

I will cause extreme discourse with some of my views, but a worthy opponent is far more desireable than moronic name calling. Responses will be posted as long as they are more than name calling.

I look forward to writing on politics. I keep mostly to national issues, however, I do dabble in local concerns. We have lots to discuss with our new socialist dictator, I mean President. I also look forward to hearing from you and participating in meaningful debate. Let me apologize in advance for responses that seem sarcastic or demeaning.