My Uncle Paul

My Great Uncle Paul passed away last night. "Great" doesn't begin to describe him. He was my namesake. Having the good fortune to have been born on his birthday, my Mom named me after her favorite Uncle, and I am honored to have shared our first and middle names.

Paul Donald.

Unless we could see each other at Thanksgiving, each year on the day of our birthday, I would try to give him a call, and we would share just a few minutes wishing each other well. (One did not have "long" conversations with Uncle Paul.) A few years ago, we went out together on our birthday, and I phoned him two years ago, which, sadly, was the last time I spoke with him. I didn't call him this year, to my detriment, and COVID cancelled Thanksgiving. Life, sometimes, just gets in the way, and the moment slipped past. But I thought of him, and I'm sure, in some small corner of his mind, he thought of me. I take some comfort in being able to boast that the last time I spoke to him, I told him I loved him.

When I was a young boy, he taught me ways about being a man. His life exemplified how to be a man. Because he was a man.

A real man.

A strong man.

A friendly man.
A good man.

A family man.

A veteran of the Navy, and though retired, he worked -- which is to say, he did manly stuff he wanted to do -- well into his 80's, with the strength and virility of a man half his age. It was not uncommon to see him up on a roof in the noonday sun, working circles around men far younger than he. A nasty fall a few years ago would have done in a man of less stature, but the doctors commented it was that very stature and strength in his advanced years that allowed him to survive it.

When people die at early ages, we lament their passing as far too soon. When they die in advanced years, we take comfort in knowing they've lived life to the full. At 94 years of age, it is easy to be comforted by saying that he lived a long, happy life. And he most certainly did, for sure. And yet, for Uncle Paul, 94 years just seems too soon.

Because he was a man.

His wife of 71 years, our beloved Aunt Pat, and his four amazing daughters are some of my favorite people in the world. And even though we don't see each other much anymore, when we do get together, though our faces are a little more wrinkled, and our hair a little more gray, it's as though time hasn't passed. And Uncle Paul was always there, always friendly, always willing to talk if spoken to, and always with the firmest, manliest handshake I've ever felt.

Because he was a man.

A good man.

Perhaps -- O Lord, just perhaps -- there might come a day when people will say that about me, and I'll know I've made my namesake proud.

Sandy Koufax and the Hall of Fame

Sandy Koufax belongs in the Hall of Fame. I believe that. But if he does, then so do many other players who are not currently enshrined.

First, a few things, for the purposes of full disclosure. 1) I'm a BIG Cincinnati Reds fan. So while this isn't exclusively about them, I'll make the case for a couple players that extends to other MLB players as well. Most of the names are just examples. 2) I'm an old guy. I don't completely dig all the analytics. So I'm not going to bog us down with a bunch of analytic stats, such as WAR, and so forth. Primarily because it's not necessary. Secondly, because most of the guys we're talking about weren't playing in a time when analytics were a thing. And lastly, because I find, in general, stats like WAR, while catching the occasional wildcard, really don't enlighten us to anything we didn't already know.

The top five all time WAR leaders, according to Baseball-Reference.com, are Babe Ruth, Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Barry Bonds, and Willie Mays. Well, duh! Is that a surprise to anyone? I find that stats like WAR usually highlight the guys who everybody already knows to be the best in the game anyway. And they're almost always the guys who lead in the traditional statistics of HR's, RBI's, Batting Average, Wins, Saves, etc. True, there's a few names in the Top 20, and then Top 50, and so on, who catch you by surprise (Pete Alexander, anyone?) And every now and then, a stat like WAR, or OPS+ will highlight a guy who has a couple of surprising seasons, or a diamond in the rough that might otherwise be overlooked. Helps teams dig a little deeper on a player when they're looking for specific needs in filling out a roster. But in general otherwise, the big analytic stat leaders tend to be the same guys who win the batting crowns, and pitching awards. Not always, 100%, but WAY more often than not.

I also don't want to get bogged down with steroids. For the purposes of this argument, let's pretend steroids don't exist. Keeps things cleaner.

So I don't want to get lost in the analytics forest here, mostly because I don't think the HOF is about analytics anyway. The HOF, primarily, is about honoring the guys who were the best in the game when they played. It is pointless to compare Babe Ruth with, say, Reggie Jackson, or Alex Rodriguez, for a variety of reasons we don't need to get into here, but it is safe to say they were at the very top of their game during their respective careers.

So back to Sandy Koufax. Everyone agrees that when Koufax retired, he was considered possibly the best pitcher in the game at that time. And yet, when you look at Koufax's career stats, and ESPECIALLY if you compare those to other pitchers in the HOF, he's mediocre at best.

Koufax's career record is 165-87, with a 2.76 ERA. (Just to be fair, his career WAR is 48.9, WAY down the line from other HOF's.) It's a record that if you read that line next to anybody else's name, you might say he was a good pitcher, but wouldn't think HOF. (Kevin Millwood had 169 career victories, for crying out loud.) No, when you think HOF, you think 300 wins, 3000 strikeouts, lower 2 ERA, etc. Not 165-87.

Furthermore, Koufax wasn't even that great for very long. A quick glance at his 11-career will show that he was relatively BELOW average for the first half dozen years, and then, the light came on and he was perhaps the best in the game for the last six seasons. Only six really HOF worthy years.

So why is Koufax a HOFer? Because during those six years, he was arguably the best pitcher on the planet, and durn-near unhittable. And he retired at the top of his game. Most people believe had he not retired, he could very easily have turned in another 5-10 years of greatness. Perhaps, but of course, we'll never know.

Which is what makes that HOF argument a little unfair. If Ken Griffey Jr. had retired at the same age as Koufax, everyone would have assumed he would have gone on to become the all-time HR King. But he didn't retire, and we all know how the last several injury-plagued years of his career played out. So did Griffey make the HOF because of his first 10 years in the game, or his last 10 years? Break his career in half and you essentially find two different players.

Koufax cited a sore arm as one of his reasons for retirement, so it is just as likely that he would have blown out his arm in the next season or two. And what we're left with is a guy who was really great for a mere six seasons. And yet, it is solely because of those six seasons he is in the HOF. For six years, Sandy Koufax was the best pitcher in baseball.

And really, THAT'S what the HOF is all about. It's about looking at guys careers and asking, "Was he one of the top players in the game for an extended period of time while he played?" Stats are important, and I believe there are some stat thresholds that guarantee a spot in the HOF, but that's just my opinion. (I think you can make a case for Jamie Moyer. Anybody who's good enough to make a MLB roster for 28 seasons ought to get credit for something, no?) Regardless, I think the HOF was and always has been a place for players who you watched for several years and said, "That guy is one of the best in the game."

Let's look at a couple examples: One of the most glaring omissions for the HOF, in my opinion, is Dave Concepcion. I've had all the stat arguments I care to have over his career. As noted before, it is unfair to make his case solely compared to other shortstops in the HOF. Although, to be fair, his stats, both defensively and offensively, stack up pretty well against other SS in the HOF. But not only was the position viewed differently in different eras, Concepcion was a different player from, say, Pee Wee Reese, and a significantly different player from Cal Ripken, who revolutionized the position into an offensive-minded spot.

What we really should be asking is, like Sandy Koufax, was Dave Concepcion considered to be one of the best shortstops in the game while he played? And I think it's more than fair, and not an unpopular assessment, to say that for the better part of a full decade, from the early 70's through the early 80's, Concepcion was one of the best, if not considered THE best shortstop in the game.

Forget all the other players around him on the Big Red Machine (because that's unfair too.) You'd be hard pressed to name a better shortstop during that time. On Baseball-Reference.com, most of the similarity comparisons made are with players whose careers played out primarily before or after Concepcion's. During his time, there really was none better. And the stats, and the awards, and the All-Star nominations bear that out. The likes of Pee Wee Reese and Luis Aparicio came before Concepcion. And the likes of Trammel, Ozzie, and Ripken all had careers that really took off well after Concepcion's prime. Even Robin Yount, who burst on the scene in 1974, really didn't hit his stride until the late 70's, and he finished up a center fielder. His contemporaries included guys like Larry Bowa, Bill Russell, Roy Smalley, and Ivan DeJesus... all decent, solid players in their own right, but nowhere near the caliber of Concepcion. For the middle decade of Concepcion's career, he was the best in the game at his position.

And the same case can be made for many guys. Look at the Dave Parkers, Dwight Evans, Dale Murphys, Bernie Williams, Steve Garveys, Scott Rolens, Roy Oswalts, and Ron Guidrys of the world, just to name a few. All guys who were considered at the very top of the game for the better part of a decade. By contrast, its why players like Tony Perez, Jim Rice, and Harold Baines were overlooked for so long, and likely why guys like Vada Pinson, Bill Buckner, Johnny Damon, Tim Hudson, and Brett Saberhagen get overlooked completely. While their stats match up very well with other HOFers, they just never seemed to be in the conversation of the guys who were the best in the game while they played. I mean, when you think of the best outfielders of the late 50's into the 1960's, you think of guys named Mantle and Mays and Aaron and Robinson. You don't think of names like Pinson. But check his stats sometime against those guys while they were all playing together. Interesting.

And for how long? How many years does a player need to be considered one of the best to qualify. If Koufax is the standard, then it's five or six, although even that is probably an anomaly. It's likely closer to that 10 year/decade scenario. That's why guys like George Foster, Tino Martinez, Eric Davis, etc, don't really make the cut. Guys who were some of the most feared players and sluggers and best pitchers for a handful of seasons, but couldn't sustain the greatness over a real extended period of time. It's likely THE sole reason Roger Maris isn't in the HOF. One or two great seasons just don't cut it.

The stats of all the players above can be debated. And have been, countless times. For every guy who thinks Scott Rolen is worthy of the HOF, there's another guy who thinks he's a bum. The traditional stats may be Hall worthy, but some analytics guy will tell you why he doesn't measure up. And of course, there's always some analytic that shows a guy like Scott Hatteburg deserves to be in the HOF.

Go figure.

If we take the baseball writers out of the picture for a moment -- because today the writers are mostly pompous slugs who like to lecture us on steroids while having made their careers on the backs of steroid users -- there are those who believe the Hall should be reserved for the very great, but even then, there's very little consensus on what stats constitute "very great." But the HOF was and always should be about the fans. They want to see the best players they grew up idolizing in the HOF. A modicum of common sense should prevail, of course. There's always some kid who grew up idolizing Sexto Lezcano for some weird reason. So something has to serve as the baseline to be sure. But in the end, it's about what the fans want, not what some neurotic writer says it should be. (Surveys, incidentally, show fans of all regions and generations overwhelmingly believe Pete Rose should be in the HOF. So he should be, no matter how big of a creep you think he is.)

When you consider that 19.5 thousand men have ever played Major League Baseball, then the 263 players who make up the HOF comprise just barely over 1% of the total to have ever played the game. If you added 100 very deserving players to the HOF immediately, which you could easily do, you'd still have less than 2% of the players all time. Still a very exclusive club.

If Koufax deserves the Hall -- and I believe he does -- then the metrics of his career, and not just the stats, should be considered for all candidates. If you only look at the stats, Koufax doesn't measure up. Four career no-hitters is akin to Adam Dunn hitting nearly 500 HR's in his career. And NOBODY believes Adam Dunn should be in the HOF.

But it isn't just the stats. It's his status. The very best pitcher in the game for the previous six seasons, and the belief that his dominance would have continued had he chosen to stick it out. That alone is why he is in the HOF, and it's why most fans get real itchy when you start talking about Koufax's career stats.

If Koufax deserves to be there, so do a lot of other guys.

Capitol Riots: Where has all this outrage been?

I was as disgusted by what I saw at the Capitol yesterday as you were. It was wrong, unlawful, ugly, and inexcusable. It was roundly condemned by everybody who watched yesterday, Republican and Democrat alike. Every media talking head condemned it, right and left. As they should have.

Problem is, that same condemnation didn't happen this summer and fall as we saw far worse acts of violence and aggression take place all over the country. For the last seven months or so, far more people died, far more businesses were lost and looted, far more property was damaged, and far more lives were ruined. Government buildings in Minneapolis, and Seattle, and Portland were all overrun, firebombed, and occupied, sometimes for weeks. Police and emergency vehicles and other government property were burned and destroyed. In most places, the violence, and the riots, and the looting took place for days or weeks. Damage estimates reaching into the billions of dollars. From most of the left -- many who bristled with condemnation yesterday -- little more than silence.

And let's not forget the time just a couple years ago when Leftists, mostly women, stormed the Capitol building to protest the Kavanaugh hearings. And media outlets such as the USA Today all but encouraged it!

Today, Washington is calm. The protesting, done. The violence is over, such as it was. One protester was tragically and needlessly killed, by all indications by Capitol police. Otherwise, a few windows were broken, and a few podiums overturned. The violence was so great that our Congressional representatives were able to get back to business within hours in the very building and chambers that were overrun.

Prior to the November 3rd election, businesses in cities all over the country were boarding up in anticipation of rioting after the election. You know why? Because they all fully expected Donald Trump to be reelected, and they didn't need to be reminded of not only what has been going on since the summer, but the violence and riots they watched after he was initially elected in 2016. They watched as rioting broke out all over the country, particularly on college campuses, but also in many cities. They remembered the fires we all saw in downtown DC after his election, and in other cities, and the fires and destruction we saw in Berkely, CA after his election. And they certainly knew what had happened all over the country this summer. In Minneapolis, and Portland, and Seattle, and Madison, and St. Louis, and Chicago, and Atlanta, and New York, and most other Liberal cities.

Had Trump been reelected -- which he was fully expected to be -- Liberals would have rioted even more violently than they had before. It was a sad display as business owners knew what was coming. They were preparing for a new round of fires. And I shudder to think what Liberals would have done to this country if Trump were actually successful in overturning this election.

See any fires yesterday?

Officials in DC had known for weeks about the rally that was planned for yesterday. And yet there is a simple reason why not a single business in DC boarded up in anticipation of it, and why the Capitol police were woefully unprepared for what happened:

Because Trump supporters had never done this before.

His rallies have all been peaceful. Point out the last time a Trump rally turned violent. And even if you mention something stupid like Charlottesville -- which wasn't a Trump rally -- even then, that's about all you got.

No, Trump rallies, and Conservative gatherings in general don't turn violent. Almost, like, never. What happened yesterday was an anomaly. There was no need to board up and no need to beef up security because there was literally no anticipation that anything would turn violent. And while it was completely shameful and unlawful, the media bent over backwards to make it seem worse than what's been happening all summer long. What I saw yesterday, save for a few morons who apparently wanted their picture taken in the House chamber, was several thousand protesters milling around outside doing a bunch of nothing. Waving flags and chanting, and not setting fire to a single thing or overturning a single vehicle.

Protesters completely overran the building, scrambling away virtually all the occupants and security. And with virtually unfettered access to the building, do you know what they did to the countless number of priceless, hundreds-years-old, vintage artifacts, statues and pieces of art in the building?

Nothing.

They left it all alone. Didn't destroy anything. Didn't set anything on fire. Broke a few windows, turned over some benches and podiums, scared the bejeebers out of the Congressmen and security, snapped a few pics, and then left. Mayor called a 6:00 pm curfew, and they pretty much cleared out.

Now, juxtapose that with what you've seen on your TV since this summer. Fires, death, destruction, mayhem, looting. City streets that look like war zones. Innocent people beaten and bloodied. Businesses completely destroyed. People terrorized in their homes. Government buildings overrun and occupied for days and weeks. All semblance of law and order thrown out the window. And the media, and most of the Left, made excuses for all of it. News stories with banners that read "Protests Mostly Peaceful" as fires raged in the background. Media morons and Democrat leaders making excuses, telling us we should all be sympathetic to "why" the protests were taking place. And nary an official on the Left willing to condemn any of it. Certainly not with any teeth.

It was disgusting and sickening. We watched yesterday as the same Democrat leaders who belittled our policemen all summer, labeled Trump a monster for threatening to use the National Guard to quell the violence, and all but blamed all the violence on law-enforcement, were all now cowered under their desks in their safe and secure secret bunkers crying for Trump to bring the National Guard in to make the bad guys go away. It was pathetic.

Here is what Nancy Pelosi said in an NPR interview following the George Floyd riots in Minneapolis this summer... "(President Trump) crossed another threshold of undermining our democracy. That the federal forces would be used to disperse a crowd using billy clubs and tear gas takes us to the status of banana republic... I don't think the president's calling out the military are warranted. I think that there, by and large, have been peaceful demonstrations in large numbers across the country. There has been some violence... And violence must be addressed. But there is no reason for the U.S. military to be called out for this."

I guess that was before her podium got turned over. She's had a change of heart.

Look, I could go on and on. Yesterday, a mob overran our nation's capitol building. For all intents and purposes, those who breached the building could be called domestic terrorists. But the "violence" we saw paled in comparison to what we've been watching on TV for the past several months. Heck, it paled in comparison to what was going on in Portland yesterday at the same time (or did you miss that on the news?)

If you were sickened by what you saw yesterday -- as I was -- then you should have been sickened all summer long -- as I have been. Sadly, Liberals have not been. Democrat leaders and the Liberal media, who didn't outright condone it or encourage it, certainly didn't condemn it the way they condemned what they saw yesterday. They demanded Trump stand up immediately during the protests yesterday and condemn it all, but it took Joe Biden nearly a month to say anything about the violence in Minneapolis this summer.

Pelosi has encouraged "uprisings" in the past. Maxine Waters encouraged her followers to accost and assault Trump followers "pushing back on them" wherever they found them. Kamela Harris is on record as saying the violent protests "should not stop." Chuck Schumer said he was "proud" of the violent protests in New York over the summer (after previously threatening Supreme Court judges with violence) and called them "mostly peaceful" even as businesses and government property was burning right before his eyes. The list goes on and on. I literally had a Liberal friend of mine tell me that what happened at the Capitol yesterday was far worse than "looting a few Walgreens." That's how clueless the left really is and the hypocrisy is revolting.

Democrats and Republicans alike condemned what happened yesterday at the Capitol. As they should. The whole of the United States media conglomerate were outraged by what they saw yesterday. As they should have been.

Unfortunately, when death and violence and destruction were feeding their narrative for the last several months, the Left and their media flunkies weren't offering the same condemnation. Worse, as Americans were dying and losing their businesses and having their lives ruined, Democrats were making excuses for it.

There are some who believe what happened yesterday amounted to insurrection against the United States. I'm no legal expert, but I doubt it. The courts will get to make that determination against some of the rioters soon enough. But it'll be hard to prove insurrection against the government for accessing a public building that you pay for with your own taxes.

If the newly Democrat controlled Congress had any scruples at all, they'd hunt down and prosecute the thousands of people who murdered and looted and ruined peoples lives all Summer long, destroying and raiding and burgling other's private property.

I'm no legal expert, but I doubt that will happen either.

My Son Changed My Mind

My son changed my mind. And woke me up.

I have two sons. I love them both dearly and I think, at least, I have a good relationship with them both. One thinks like I do on most things, and we have a very similar worldview. The other is diametrically opposed to my worldview, and we often clash as we do not see eye-to-eye on how things ought to be. Neither of them have any fear opposing me when we disagree on something. Interestingly, the opposition came from the one who usually agrees with me.

Well, not opposition. Rather, a different perspective.

Yesterday, I wrote a post saying that while I was not abandoning the only social media platform I use, I was no longer going to make political posts there. I was moving to the newly popular, ever-growing site, Parler. I have created an account there, and do intend to use it.

Facebook has become a monster. Twitter has been a sewage dump for years now. It's putrid and nasty and filled with people who can barely pronounce their own name, let alone come up with a cohesive and coherent thought. I hate everything about it. Hashtags come really close to summing up all that is wrong with the world. It's dumbed-down approach has been co-opted by the mainstream media as actual news reporting. It's repulsive.

But Facebook, really up until the last year, had remained relatively benign. Sure, it became inundated with ads, incessant "suggestions," and still housed many of the same trolls who blather around on Twitter. But the platform allowed for more rational thought, and allowed for more thorough and coherent back and forth between its users.

But in the last year, solely for the purposes of influencing the election, it not only seriously ramped up its spying on its users, but began censoring the free speech it had once championed to serve it's own bias and political views. It has employed "fact checkers," which are nothing of the sort, but rather Liberal media hordes who believe and pretend they know everything better than we do and cannot allow opposing thought. In essence, it has basically become state-run media, following the whim of the liberal ideology, censoring and axing anything they don't agree with. Liberalism, at its core, does not in any way tolerate opposing thought, despite their claims otherwise, and they've hi-jacked the most popular social media platforms and turned them into little else than the traditional mainstream media trash we see and read everyday.

Clear enough, yet?

As such, Conservatives are staging a mass exodus from Facebook and Twitter to some new, up and coming platforms, including Parler, that promise true freedom of speech. Parler has been so inundated with new members it keeps crashing their system. YouTube is beginning to see the same exodus as it too is beginning to censor the videos of Conservatives. Conservatives are fed up, as they should be, and are seeking outlets where they can truly exercise their right to free speech.

You can read my FB post here if you wish, but my son, who is a Conservative, commented that he disagreed with my decision, and then wrote this...

"The left will do whatever they have to to silence conservatives, and if they can just lock them over on their own platform, then that solves their problem. Force them to lie and cheat, and hopefully that will enlighten some people. If all conservatives leave, then FB can claim to be 100% for freedom of speech on their platform. Don’t let them off the hook, make them fact check truth... I’ll make FB kick me off before I post exclusively on Parler. Now I can enjoy myself a little more over there, having some more fun at the left's expense, but if I hide there, the left wins."

He's absolutely right.

Many years ago in the early 2000's, the Mrs. and I were trying to decide if we wanted to remove our children from public school and place them in a private, Christian school. We sought the advice of many friends, professionals, and others whose advice we valued. My pastor at the time had school-aged children and they were still enrolled in public school. I asked him one day why he hadn't sent his children to Christian school. His response has stuck with me to this day:

{Paraphrasing} "I'm not ready to give up on public school yet. In fact, I would say that part of the problem with public school now is that too many Christians have bailed on it."

It was a sobering and thought-provoking response. He was dead-on accurate. We decided to go ahead and remove our kids from public school anyway. And while I don't fully regret that decision, looking back I see that my pastor was right. And public school is just one example.

It has been the habit of Conservatives in general, and Christians in particular, to simply walk-away when the morals and standards of something erode beyond our own scruples. I'm guilty of it. Instead of staying and fighting for what we know to be right and good, we create our own little rooms and spaces where we can all join together and gripe about how bad things have become outside.

In essence, we have become the very snowflakes we so derisively chide in the Liberal crowds. It's easy for us to post a meme about some liberal whacko whiner who can't handle things in the real world, but then, what are we really DOING about it?

We don't break the law. Which is to say we don't riot and loot when we don't get our way, or when the government strips away yet another God-given and Constitution-promised right, or when the media tells us we should be outraged at some false narrative. That's a good thing, the right thing. But what do we do otherwise? Do we stand and fight? Do we demand more of our elected representatives, and demand they hold to their campaign promises? Do we stand up to tyranny and refuse to allow evil to take over?

Not usually. Instead of holding others accountable for their putrid behavior, we do the "Christian" thing, where we blame ourselves for not "loving" everybody enough, and we accuse each other of being too judgmental and then we just walk away. We create a new space where our like-minded brothers and sisters can reside while bashing those who think differently than us and lament that they've taken away our freedoms. As the old Petra song says, we sit inside our "rose colored, stained glass windows, never allowing the world to come in."

Meanwhile, society is crumbling around us. And we sit by and watch it all happen.

Lately, I have suffered some personal and professional blowback because of my political postings. While I have never once logged a complaint about a colleague with their employer, complained to a pastor about a brother or sister, or cut off a friendship because of someone's political beliefs, unfortunately, I have recently not been afforded the same courtesies. My character been questioned. My professional ethics have been questioned. And my faith has been questioned. All because I believe in Conservative ideals and am not afraid to speak my mind.

Please understand, I'm not crying full-on persecution. But the blowback has recently caused me to pull back. Taking a moment to really think and analyze what you want to say is a good thing. Taking care to word things in such a way as the message will be heard rather than rejected is a good thing. Being cautious not to offend if it can be avoided is wise. But staying silent goes against every fiber of my being. And I have recently resisted speaking out at times for fear of more blowback when I might otherwise have spoken.

I allowed my dissenters to convince me that I shouldn't be so public about my beliefs. I allowed them to scare me away from the platform. It has eaten at me now for a couple months.

My son commented further in my post yesterday in response to another's comment: "...don’t abandon the fight. You’ll never win any arguments or change any minds if you don’t have the fights where people who don’t agree with you (can) see them. And what’s really the point? To change minds or just to get people to agree with you?"

Whoa... that's heavy. Am I hoping to change minds and hearts, or just have talking heads nod yes to me?

Thanks son, for setting me straight. I'm not gonna run away. I'm going to stay in the fight.

Facebook is just one little battle in the war. But it's an important battle because it has millions of eyes upon it. I'm still going to migrate to Parler and use the platform. There's value in having the space to speak freely and galvanize like minds. I intend to use it.

But stand with me, will you? Stay and fight with me. Together, we might just change some minds.

Like mine was, yesterday.

Life to the Fullest!

I was gonna write a new political post today. I still will, but probably not today.

Instead, I have more important things on my mind this morning. In the past several days, there has been two significant events take place in my close family, and, as these things usually do, they put things back into perspective a bit.

Every now and then, we have to get bopped on the head and reminded that some things in life are vitally important. And other things -- eh, not so much.

First, my wife and I welcome the arrival of our first Grand Baby. Miss Victoria Uhls. She is tiny, and beautiful, and even though we are nearly 600 miles away, we are already in love. Congratulations to my son, Cody, and his beautiful wife, Alana, and their first child. We are so proud of them.

I haven't gotten to hold little Vic in my arms yet, but I remember holding my children for the first time. And breaking down in tears at the realization of how much love I actually had to give. I suspect the same thing will happen with Vic. And the next... And the next...

Interestingly, Miss Victoria has two middle names: Kenlyn... which is a hybrid of the names of two of Mommy's best friends. And Bryce, to honor our dear friend and brother, Bryce Mansfield, who we lost way too soon some years back, and to whom Daddy was super close. Kinda cool, yeah?

Sometime soon, I will get to hold Baby Vic myself. But what I'm looking forward to even more is watching GiGi get to hold her for the first time. Ginger's eyes sparkle in a way like no other when she holds babies. She loves them -- has a special connection, like, the Baby Whisperer or something. Watching her hold our boys was something magical. I can't wait to see how they shine when she holds her first grandchild.

And in that moment, I will be reminded of all that is good about our world. Love and compassion and joy and adoration. In that moment I will not be thinking about politics, or any of the other ugliness that is so readily available to our eyes and ears and minds every day. I will be totally wrapped up in Baby Vic and all the love that will be surrounding her in that moment.

I'm looking forward to it.

Also this week, a tragic accident befell some dear, close family members of mine. As of now, while they have some healing to do, it looks as though everything will be OK in the end. "OK in the end," is relative, of course, as we all have more pain and hurt and tragedy lined up for us some time in the future. It's unavoidable. Not "if" but "when." The question is how we deal with that tragedy when it comes.

This accident could have been far worse. And we are all thankful it was not. My heart is breaking and I have shed tears trying to imagine -- and yet utterly failing to do so -- what their pain and hurt must feel like. This event would break weaker people. It won't break them. They are strong, loving, caring, God-fearing people. They will survive.

But it serves as a reminder of how delicate life hangs in the balance. Things can change in an instant. And we have very little control over it. More often than not, it's through no fault of our own. And yet, we are left with the idea that we can only control what WE do, and how WE live.

Ginger and I moved to the ocean almost four years ago now because we wanted to enjoy life in the moment. We have learned that life is not promised tomorrow, and so we want to live today and enjoy it while we can. We realized that we'd been talking about moving to the ocean for nearly 25 years, and if we weren't careful, we'd be sitting around another 10 or 20 years still talking about the same thing -- if we lived that long.

You see, the Bible tells us that Satan prowls around in the night like a lion seeking whom he can devour. Scripture says that it is Satan who comes to steal and kill and destroy. But, Praise God!... The Bible says Jesus came to overcome the world, and to give life fuller, more abundantly!

I want some of that! Life more abundantly!

Satan tried to kill my family member the other night, and God swooped in and saved them. For what reason? I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. God's decision is good enough for me. God's will was that they had more time, and a story to tell. Someday soon, my family will have a rocking testimony about God's saving grace. They'll be able to tell the world about how thousands of people within hours rallied to pray for them, and that God heard those prayers.

But you know what? Sometimes God doesn't swoop in, and often we don't know why. Sometimes, Satan's attack proves fatal. That's what happens in war. Sometimes, the good guys die. And so what do we do then?

First, we realize God saves. He saves no matter our sins and weaknesses, and usually saves in spite of them. And that salvation comes with a forgiveness that is true and thorough and eternal. No strings, no conditions. "I forgive you." Done, and over with. And we don't have to perform like circus monkeys to get it.

Second, we understand God's will is often beyond our understanding. Often, we can do little else but rest in the assurance that God is sovereign, and that His plan is bigger and better and stronger than our own. And we rest in that assurance that all things work out for the good of those who love him, even if we don't understand what's going on at the time.

And in that assurance we owe it to our Creator and to ourselves to live life to the fullest. Each and every day. Tell our friends and family how much we love them before the chance passes us by. Walk that beach or climb that mountain or enjoy that sunset and sunrise hand-in-hand. And mostly, to share the Good News of God's saving forgiveness.

Satan attacks us all in different ways every day. Even when you live by the ocean! But we choose to accept life more abundantly. And every blessing, and every accident, teaches us more about what that really means. Today, I'm thankful. For both the blessing of a new grandchild, and the accident that will bring me and my family closer to each other, and closer to God.

And I will be thankful again tomorrow, regardless of whether a blessing or a tragedy comes my way. 

If it Doesn't Make Sense, it Probably isn't True.

My favorite television show of all time is Judge Judy. Hey, don't judge. I am who I am.

When litigating cases, Judge Judy says something fairly often; "If it doesn't make sense, it probably isn't true." Now, I'm not saying Judge Judy is the end-all, be-all authority, but now in my 50+ years of this merry-go-round of life, I've found this to be pretty accurate. I would suspect most of you have as well.

So, I ask you these questions:

Does it make sense that a record number of people -- over 70 million -- would vote for one of the least popular, and least productive candidates the Democrat party has every put forth?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man who is at least accused of, and at worst, actually guilty of, many of the same things they claim to hate Donald Trump for?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man whose actual nickname is "Creepy Joe."

Does it make sense that 70 million people voted for a man who could barely get 100 people to show up at his rallies?

Does it make sense that 70 million people voted for a man who promised to raise their taxes?

Does it make sense that 70 million Americans voted for a man who claims to have Socialist desires, and is backed by openly Socialist people?

Does it make sense that 70 million people voted for a man who -- on video -- said he was withholding financial aid to a foreign country in lieu of political favors, when they just tried to impeach a President for allegedly doing the same thing (with no evidence, to boot.)

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man they already rejected no less than three different times as a Presidential candidate before?

Does it make sense that 70 million people voted for a man who was forced to drop out of a previous Presidential race because of corruption?

Does it make sense that 70 million Americans love politicians that much that they would vote for a nearly 50-year career politician?

Does it make sense that at 3:00 am the morning after the election, one candidate was solidly leading in two different states that he would go on to lose not 12 hours later?

Does it make sense that voting procedures -- including absentee and mail-in voting -- were changed in numerous cities and states on-the-fly, as it were, in the past several months and yet there could be no mistakes in the systems, let alone fraud?

Does it make sense that fraud didn't occur under such circumstances?

Does it make sense that an incumbent would be defeated in such a robust economy when that has never happened before in the history of our country?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man whose family is so corrupt they literally have to go into hiding?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man who used his political office to procure illegal jobs in foreign countries for his alcoholic son? Jobs that paid millions of dollars in salary to someone who had no previous experience in the industry?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man where proof exists he lied about taking illegal kickbacks from a foreign country?

Does it make sense that 70 million people voted for the previous Vice-President of a failed administration that was wrought with scandal?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man who openly supported rioting and looting in the streets?

Does it make sense that 70 million Americans would vote for a man who supported disrespect for our military, supports policies that weaken our military, and served in an administration who allowed foreign enemies to subvert our military?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man who so clearly has elderly medical issues and has no chance of serving a 2nd term?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for the prospect of having Kamela Harris take over as President rather than Mike Pence?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man who loves to inappropriately touch and nuzzle little kids?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man who promised to end the oil industry as we know it -- in places like Pennsylvania, no less?

Does it make sense that 70 million people would vote for a man who promised to shut down the country again and force everyone to wear masks all the time?

Does it make sense that election result trends have completely reversed this year?

Does it make sense that a global pandemic hit during an election year causing a defeated political party to radically change the voting rules on the spot?

Does it make any sense that millions of ballots continue to be found and counted now days after the election and they all just happen to favor Joe Biden by over a 75% margin?

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. Does anyone with half a brain, Democrat or Republican really believe that Joe Biden got an all-time record 70 million votes legally?

It makes absolutely no sense. And if it doesn't make sense, it probably isn't true.

I'm Just Tired of it All.

Like many of you, I'm ready for this year's election to be over. Mostly, I'm just tired of it all.

I'm tired of all the lies. From BOTH sides of the aisle.

I'm tired of being told that because I'm passionate about my politics that I don't love Jesus enough.

I'm tired of people's absolute refusal to see the truth for what it is.

I'm tired of defending a man to my Christian friends whose political policies in the past 4 years have done nothing but favor the Christian community, including the monumental moving of our US embassy back to Jerusalem and the equally monumental appointing of three conservative judges to the Supreme Court.

I'm tired of being told that speaking out against the evils of killing babies is not "inclusive" or "tolerant" or "loving."

I'm tired of watching millions of people believe a man who has been a member of the Washington establishment for into 5 DECADES, and as such is a source of most of the problems our country now faces, will now miraculously create the solutions to all those problems if elected President.

I'm tired of wearing masks.

I'm tired of being told "just wear the damn mask," when there is no definitive data whatsoever that they achieve the desired effect.

I'm tired of people believing our President had anything to do with this virus.

I'm tired of people thinking they could have done anything different than the President did to contain it.

I'm tired of people believing the virus is as bad as so-called "experts" say it is.

I'm tired of being labeled a bigot, racist, and a homophobe when there is literally no evidence to suggest I am.

I'm tired of my President being labeled a bigot, a racist, and a homophobe when there is literally no evidence to suggest he is.

I'm tired of people distorting the definitions of "bigot" and "racist" and "homophobe" to fit their own agendas.

I'm tired of violent, criminal behavior being excused in the name of social justice.

I'm tired of being labeled "insensitive" and "un-loving" when I demand that violent, criminal behavior be dealt with in the appropriate manner.

I'm tired of our frontline heroes being berated, beat, fired, and killed for doing their jobs in the line of duty.

I'm tired of people completely ignoring evidence every time someone suffers the consequences of their criminal behavior at the hands of law enforcement.

I'm tired of being accused of not thinking black lives matter if I don't support Black Lives Matter.

I'm tired of people being so possessive of their creed when in truth, ALL lives really do matter.

I'm tired of people believing that every shooting of a black criminal is immediately racially motivated.

I'm tired of minorities having to face discrimination from anyone simply because they're a minority.

I'm tired of being made to feel bad because I'm white.

I'm tired of certain individuals and organizations trying to label us all as "haters" instead of holding accountable the few who truly are for their own stupidity.

I'm tired of Democrat leaders in Washington getting away with illegal behavior time and again.

I'm tired of everyone getting so easily offended, usually for no reason.

I'm tired of being told you can vote for someone, yet not support their policies.

I'm tired of being told Jesus didn't care about politics, and didn't participate in them.

I'm tired of Democrat politicians' willingness to completely ruin people's lives just because they don't get their way.

I'm tired of Christians who preach forgiveness being unwilling to allow our President to move on from his past.

I'm tired of apologizing for Donald Trump. He is who he is and he has never pretended to be something he's not. I respect that.

I'm tired of being told my support for our President means I don't love Jesus.

I'm tired of explaining to people I'm not voting for a Pastor, I'm voting for a President.

I'm tired of being told by people who preach the value in the separation of church and state that I shouldn't vote for a President if he isn't a Pastor.

I'm tired of Christians ignoring the truth that in the historical record of the Bible, God routinely used un-Godly people to accomplish Godly goals.

I'm tired of all the political ads.

I'm tired of people choosing to ignore simple economics.

I'm tired of the Cowboys sucking so bad.

I'm tired of people trying to convince us that America isn't great, and never was.

I'm tired of people trying to convince me that since we are not God's "chosen people," that we are not a Christian nation founded on Biblical principles.

I'm tired of people conveniently forgetting that we are a country that was founded by men who were believers in the God of the Bible.

I'm tired of Democrats' lies that claim Republicans want to take away healthcare and get rid of social security.

I'm tired of people not understanding the concept of "legal" immigration.

I'm tired of people disrespecting our flag and the men and women who died for our freedom, and then trying to convince us they're not doing so.

I'm tired of people believing that social media is somehow inherently evil. Social media didn't create anything. It simply provides a platform.

I'm tired of the complete ignorance in the desire to vote for someone who is promising to raise your taxes.

I'm tired of people believing in the same "polls" that lied to us in 2016.

I'm tired of people not realizing that today's media is nothing but reality television who's goal it is to influence us to believe a certain way.

I'm tired of people believing Jim Acosta is an actual journalist.

I'm tired of the phrase "War on Women." There is no such thing and nobody can define what it means anyway.

I'm tired of being told I shouldn't worry because Jesus is in control and is the ultimate victor. I know that, and believe it. But I'd just as soon my kids and grandkids not have to suffer because of stupid political ideology when I have the ability to influence it with a wise vote.

I'm tired of people ignoring the accomplishments of a man simply because they hate him so much.

I'm tired of people hating him so much.

Mostly, I'm just tired of it all.