Oops

Apparently I can't count, but thanks to Dad (he was the one who noticed my goof) I have to admit my mistake. June 17 was the 3 month anniversary of Snicker's death, not her fourth. That would come NEXT month.

Kennedy Sucks!

No, not that Kennedy. I'm talking Justice Anthony Kennedy, aka Ol' Swingy (as in swing vote). Today, the Supreme Court issued an opinion of the Louisiana state law that required the death penalty in cases involving child rape (not necessarily where the child was killed, just rape). The opinion was 5-4 AGAINST, effectively declaring the Louisiana law to be unconstitutional.

Kennedy was the swing vote - just like in the Guantanamo detainee decision not too long ago, granting the rights we enjoy as US citizens to enemy combatants. I won't go into that here. But my point is, I expected Justices Stephens and Breyer and the other 2 to vote they way they did - to declare the law unconstitutional. Since Kennedy was appointed back in 1988, he has been a swing voter in several cases. In my opinion, he tends (somewhat) towards a libertarian stance, rather than a strict liberal or conservative leaning. And because of that, I would have expected him to side with now minority opinion (making it the majority), simply because as a fellow libertarian (lowercase 'l') the federal government should butt out where it has no business being involved.

Here's my case - feel free to disagree. The SC decision today basically says to the states that they have no right to determine when and where the death penalty can be applied - it is a federal issue. Yes, the majority opinion (written by Kennedy, I believe) said something to the effect that the death penalty is not proportional to the crime ( child rape). And although the crime is horrendous, certainly, I tend to agree with that position. The death penalty shouldn't apply when someone did not die, regardless of the horrific nature of the crime committed.

The court, however, (or rather, the majority opinion) is using it's dislike of the law itself (in a fit of judicial 'legislating from the bench') to form it's opinion. The issue here isn't whether Louisiana 's law is a bad idea - it's whether states have the right and the power to decide the punishments for crimes as they see fit. As I read the Constitution, I see a Federal government assigned certain very explicit powers, AND limitations, and anything not assigned to the federal level is reserved for the states. Period. The states are supposed to be laboratories of democracy - each state decides it's laws and how it functions (under the umbrella of the federal govt, of course), and today the SC struck a blow against state's rights and the US Constitution. Louisiana (and the other 9 states who had similar laws) were ill-served by their Supreme Court today - score one for the Federalists.

Just some thoughts.

:)

Something new I just discovered. In Gmail Chat, when you type a smiley ":)" and send it, the smiley appears as sent text, then rotates until it is horizontal. Kinda cool, something you would expect from the Google.

4 months

Yesterday was the 4 month "anniversary" of the day I took Snickers to have her put to sleep. March 17, 2008.

Update

So it's been practically forever since my last post (May 21 or so). Not alot has happened and I don't fall in with the "posting for the sake of posting" crowd. Today I got the first touch of Road Trip Fever - I was looking back over some of my Arizona pictures and the bug just hit me pretty bad. And then the Eagles started playing on my mp3 player - they are like one of the best driving music bands ever, along with Credence Clearwater Revival. Old school, I know, but still good traveling music.

Anyway, the whole road trip thing isn't looking very likely right now. Especially with gas as high as it is. Later this year, like October or something, I might travel to Sedona, AZ and watch the fall colors. Or not. I wish I was there right now, on the road where it stretches miles and miles all the way to the horizon, with some mountains somewhere. Ahhhh...

I went to see Indiana Jones last weekend - it wasn't that great. Lucas did the same thing to Indiana Jones that he did to Star Wars - the new ones aren't that great, period.

And that's about it. Oh yeah, I think this Saturday I'm going to check out a new church that meets at Paris Coffee - at 7 PM. Church at a coffee shop? At night? I'm am SO THERE, ha ha.

Storm!!

A far as I knew, there was no forecast for rain today. This morning, the sky didn't even look like the potential for storms was there. And then about 10 AM or so, there was this random storm that just blew up with the weirdest looking wall cloud I've ever seen - swirly and sharp lines - weird! I have pics, just not uploaded. And the lightning was incredible too!!

Updates

Been awhile since I posted, hasn't it? Actually I've been quite busy posting this past month or so - just to a different blog. You see, I've been attending a casual, contemporary church service led by Marc since December. I started because I was asked to be a part of the praise team for that service, singing in the band (we even have a name now - The Damascus Road Experience, or DRE for short. Our fans, if we had any, are called DRE-heads. Yeah, go ahead and laugh. We do!) Anyway, the people in the band (Wendy, Robert, Brian, Dee, Dale sometimes, Shawn, and Jessica, and sometimes assisted by Blake) have all become a close-knit group. We even started a Bible-study on Tuesday nights (no more NCIS Tuesday now) which runs the gamut from serious study of the word to utter hilarity - God help us if Shawn and I are sitting next to each other, 'cuz we tend to feed off of each other, and we're both pretty funny. And don't forget Jesus and the Easter bunny - thank you very much Marc.

Anyway, the Sunday night worship is going great - I've even been stepping out a little in faith, and three Sundays ago I actually gave the message. Now, I don't do the public speaking thing. Yeah, I used to teach Sunday school, but that was teaching kids - I know alot more than they do, so it's all cool. But Sunday nights, the "big kids" are there - and there are peeps much more schooled in the Bible than I am. But oh well - my first message went fairly well, I thought, and so this coming Sunday I am starting a series of messages on Romans - my favorite NT book. We'll see how that goes - maybe Dee would like to take on a chapter or two of Romans, like maybe chapter 9-11 (hint hint, Dee) because I really like chapters 1-8, then chapter 12? Hello? Ha ha.

Anyway, (isn't it odd how I tend to use 'anyway' or 'anyhoo' as transitional words? Alot?) spiritually, things are going really well right now, which means Satan is probably looking for a way to attack. But God is in control.

Anyhoo, (there's that word again) we started a blog just for the praise team/Bible study people and lately I've been posting mostly to that. And my own personal blog has been feeling neglected, so I felt I should post here now and then, just to keep the two or three readers up to date, even though one of those two or three readers is herself a member of DRE. So, lonely little blog, don't be afraid - I haven't forgotten you.

Spiritual Test

I took a test (and we all know how accurate those online tests are, lol) about my spiritual type (?) and here are the results.

You are a Mystic, known for your imaginative, intuitive spirituality. You value peace, harmony, and inner silence. Mystics are nurtured by walking alone in the woods or sitting quietly with a trusted friend. You may also enjoy poetry, meditation, wordless prayer, candles, art, books, and anything else that helps you connect with God.

Mystics experience God best through rich images and symbols. You are contemplative, introspective, intuitive, and focused on an inner world as real to you as the exterior one. Hearing from God is more important to you than speaking to God. Others may attribute human characteristics to God, but you see God as ineffable, unnamable, and more vast than any known category. You are intrigued by God's mystery.

Mystics want to inspire and persuade others, and need to live lives of significance. At times you push the envelope of spirituality, helping the rest of us imagine who we might become if we followed your lead.

Sometimes you may feel a bit guilty about your need for solitude and silence. If so, you probably have bought into the American myth that says being alone and doing nothing is lazy, antisocial, and unproductive. Stop it -- now. Give yourself permission to retreat and be alone. It's essential for your well-being.

On the other hand, don't get so carried away retreating that you become a recluse. That only deprives the world of your gifts and deprives you of the lessons that come from being with others. Some Mystics may have a true vocation for solitary prayer, but the rest of you need to alternate retreat time with involvement and interaction.

Famous Mystics:

Thomas Merton | Enya | John (the Gospel writer)
Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God)
Desert mothers and fathers | Charlie Brown
Sister Wendy | Phoebe Buffay | Julian of Norwich
Luke | Anthony de Mello | The Who

Yay, Luke (the author of my favorite Gospel) is a Mystic. That might explain why I like Luke so much. What's a desert mother or father?

Well, the solitude part is right - I enjoy and find strength in being alone. Sometimes. And being around other people can be....draining. Sometimes. Unless they are kewl peeps.

Here's the link to the test if you want to take it yourself:
http://www.upperroom.org/methodx/thelife/test.asp

You Know You've Been Going To Starbucks Way Too Much When...

...as you pull into the drive-thru to order, the girl comes on the speaker and asks if you want your usual. "That's a triple grande skinny cinnamon dolce with one splenda, right?" she said. And I'm wondering how the heck she knew who I was - how can she see me? Do they have cameras on the ordering menu thing? What if I'd been picking my nose or something, thinking no one could see me, ha ha? Anyway, I actually think it's rather cool to not even have to order my coffee anymore. I should totally throw them off and order something different next time.

Say What??

I took an online accent quiz, and here are the results:

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The South
Philadelphia
The West
The Inland North
The Northeast
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I always knew i had a good voice for radio, lol.