Author: Sagacity

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Prairie Home Companion

Well, I just put out a whole philosophical e-mail and thought I would take a moment to do an actual update on life.
I am sitting here listening to Prairie Home Companion enjoying a few good laughts.  Earlier I listened to Die Frau Ohne Schatten (The woman without a shadow) by Richard Strauss.  It was fascinating to listen to.  Made me want to learn my German.  Funny how music can take us other places.
I have just finished my second week at Bank of America.  Things are going very well.  I am learning many more things about mortgages and all the documentations that attend.  The lessons mostly center around learning the DOS-based system they use for processing all these loans.  I have to admit it is a very detailed system that handles thousands of people working on it at all times with large amounts of information.  Impressive as that it, they tell us it has only gone down once in the last 10 years!  They have replaced one or two systems with Windows applications and they crash regularly so they are not in any rush to be replacing the old DOS-based system.  Therefore, I have to learn the codes and names to navigate the system to check and update information.  They teach us how to check the documents and how to put it into the system.  We were done covering the documents within the first week.  I have found out the position I will be in is basically an assistant underwriter.  It has a whole host of names, but currently it is Home Servicing Specialist (HSS).
Last Saturday and Sunday we had Stake Conference.  I think it was the most powerful Stake Conference I have ever been to.  I have been to some very good ones.  Two were in the Logan Tabernacle (one for the Logan University 4th Stake the other for the Logan University 5th Stake), another in the Springfield Missouri South Stake Center, and the last I can think of was a Stake Conference for the Chester Stake in Wrexham, Wales.  The most impressive part in Missouri was the music and the unity I felt within the congregation.  The Chester Stake was powerful for the fact of some amazing talks given, one particularly by our mission president.  The one for the 5th Stake at USU was that it was basically turned into a stake testimony meeting.  That in and of itself changed the tenor of the meeting but all were invited by name by the Stake Presidency.  The last one for the 4th Stake, I can think of two conferences in particular.  One had Elder Burton, the Presiding Bishop and the other was all the Presidency’s remarks.  President Cherrington usually gave a great talk at all conferences.  So this conference is in good company.  It wasn’t the first conference I have been to with an apostle, but this one had an apostle acted as we expect them to.  Elder Holland gave some powerful comments.
In Priesthood he taught us about Satan binding our tongues, the difference between lips and hearts, and the difference between forms of power and the real thing.  He basically told us we are doing too many things without our hearts and without conviction.  Time to step up to act in the name of the priesthood like we are expected to do.  In Saturday evening, we were taught how we live in a broken world.  Whether you like it or not, things are not perfect.  He taught us about the Atonement and how all broken things will be restored to their proper order at the right time.  Then he pounded out the importance of not whining, not complaining, and going forward in our lives with faith.  He was very direct in those who complain or say something is wrong in life.  He said nobody has the right to complain or wallow in the misery when the Savior took care of them for us.  Time to walk in faith, get up, and be about doing good.  The Sunday session proved to be just as good.  He spoke about his personal experiences of President Hinckley and his prophetic calling.  It was fascinating to learn more about the personal life of a prophet.  He spoke to us about the importance of the gospel and the role of the church.  Again, the topic had to do with looking beyond ourselves and seeing the big picture.  He ended with the importance and the role of the Holy Ghost.  How as latter day saints we live below our privileges and don’t claim the rights that are ours.  We do not appreciate what has been given to us and need to wake up.
Even though I have heard similar talks, the basic point is the power by which he spoke, namely the Spirit of God.  It literally took the message directly to my heart.  I noticed at a couple of points how my bosom literally trembled at what it was he was speaking.  I recognize the power which he conveyed.
In other news, we have been looking for a second car.  With Amanda needing to travel long distances for school this fall, it isn’t going to work to have one car.  So we are looking for a nice little car under $5,000.  So far it has been a miserable failure.  There are very few cars that are below that limit and what we are finding feel like questionable deals.  We went to look at a little Audi A4 for $4,700 and he sold the car at noon.  So we took a little Passat for a drive that he said he would sell to us for $4,000.  It only has 103,000 miles on it.  We took it for a test drive and something about the transmission raised all sorts of red flags for me.  We will have to see if something else pops up.  I may be too picky.  I don’t want a car that smells of smoke or animals.  I would like one which runs well.  I would like one that isn’t completely ugly, like a stationwagon.  Most people take such bad care of cars.  Many have rips in the seats, big marks in the doors or dash, and more.  I keep waiting for someone to give us one so we don’t have to take on a little more debt, but that probably won’t happen soon.  We will have to keep you updated.
Well, I believe that is enough of an update for now.
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The Probationary Game

Sometimes the days go by so quickly it is hard to keep up with everything you want to do.  I suppose it is part of the probationary game that we play.  Do we do things we want to do, or do we do what needs to be done.  Is there ever a point where you have everything done you need to do and can do those things you want?
To add to that problem, what about when it comes to the needs and wants of others.  I have come to believe that my needs come before my  wants.  What happens when somebody else has a need, for which I can help, does that trump my wants too.  So far in my life, it seems that is to be the case as well.
Today is a great example.  Brother and Sister Swapp were moving from their present house to another home within a mile distance.  I volunteered my time knowing how much it helps in having people to aid in moving.  I could very well have stayed at home and done many more other things, even things I think are more important.  But the need of the Swapp family ranked higher on the priority list.  For the most part, we finished all the move in about 4 hours.  I then had to very quickly, go home, get ready, and be back at the church in order to play piano for a baptismal service.  It went well, I enjoyed a few visits with some good people, took the missionaries home, and here I am back at home.
We are still not totally unpacked.  I feel like I should unpack, but I also feel a need to inform other people and let them know what is happening here.  I think there may be some procrastination in there, but I really want to record some thoughts and update the family and friends.  It takes time and effort to do this.  But I hope is that I feel a need to keep others informed and that overrides my wants of having my whole house unpacked and put away.  It will come.
I find myself at work 40 hours of the week.  The time we have for breaks and at lunch is not sufficient time to even read much of my book.  That is if I am a complete hermit and choose not to spend time with my classmates.  So half the week I spend eating lunch with them and listening most of the time.  I am the only guy in the group and they have a whole different set of things they want to talk about.  I will probably have to cut back some of that time as I don’t see it really doing much more than listening to conversations which are not of much value intellectually or socially for me.
I have books I want to read.  I still have McCullough’s Truman on the shelf and have had it for a couple of years.  It is a big book so it keeps falling down the list from other shorter books.  I have been struggling to find the time to finish Tiger in the Senate about Wayne Morse.  (He was a Senator from Oregon in the senate during the 40’s-60’s.)  I want to learn French, I want to relearn German, I want to learn Welsh, I want to write a book on C Ben Ross, I want to live in England, I want to visit friends and family, I want to read many more books, I want to learn so much, and yet these things keep falling by the wayside.  They really are good things, but somehow I cannot justify they are needs.
Just this week we helped the Jeppesen, Maravilla, and Swapp families move.  I have gone out with the missionaries and I have gone Home Teaching.  In addition, I have tried to make sure our budget is still planned, keep up to date on the registers and bills, answer the mail, write a letter to Mom, and many other things.  On top of that are the every day walk requirements of religion and life.  We wake in the morning to read a chapter of scripture together, say our prayers, shave, shower, dress, look pretty, and by that point we are racing out the door with our one auto world to be on time to two locations.  Sadly, the other half always runs late constantly and usually by the time I make it to work have lost any hope for maintaining the spirit that our reading and prayer is supposed to provide.  The single greatest blessing in my life to come will be the day when we have separate vehicles.  I know I am off on a tangent, but I know of only one thing that upsets me really, one thing that pushes me towards what I believe is anger, one thing that makes me forget my religion and want to be unkind, and that is tardiness.  I think that is why I married Amanda.  I have come to appreciate more fully the need for promptness, preparedness, and arriving early.  Many says it teaches us patience.  I find my patience wearing thin more and more when I know there is very little or no valid reason for being late other than somebody procrastinated getting ready.  I think nearly daily about President Kimball’s comments, “One of the most serious human defects in all ages is procrastination, an unwillingness to accept personal responsibilities now.”
The bulk of the day is found at work.  Then there is the time to go home.  Evenings are usually not just our own though.  Amanda does have much of her evenings home, but being in the Elder’s Quorum Presidency pulls me often to different locations.  Every evening is usually taken by the little required activities of eating, preparing for bed, reading and responding to mail (email too), writing bills, and planning for the next day or something else.  It just seems like there isn’t enough time in the day for what needs to be done.
It seems if I were to spend more of my time doing what I wanted then I would get more done.  I would certainly know more and be learning more.  That is not to say I don’t learn from those I help.  I saw a map of the human genome this morning.  How is that for interesting?  I witnessed two other ways in which I would certainly never design a home.  I learned a few more details about Brother Pyron’s life and about a shooting at a school in Grundy, Virginia.  I met a man who moved into the ward from Mobile, Alabama with his wife for a residency.  Really, while it is all interesting, and applicable lessons are available in my own life I yearn to be learning something more.  Perhaps it is the fact this is all too close to home.  It is another life of the same life I am living.  Perhaps I yearn to be learning and living in the life of another time and another person.  I just think I really want to be learning something more than the activities and daily lives.
There is some rambling of thoughts here.  Part of the constant debate I feel.  Really, history and everything we know is because of the life of someone else.  I love and enjoy learning of those around me but perhaps want to connect with something outside my culture or time.  This morning I read of Nephi and really felt like I understood his sentiments when he wrote, “Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have joyed with him in the promised land; then were his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the Lord-  Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.  But behold, I am consigned that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with sorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren.”
Often the thought crosses the mind, “if I could have lived in the days of Brigham, I would have more time to follow more personal pursuits” or something along those lines.  “If I could have been raised in France to have less of a workweek so as to pursue other intellectual activities.”  There are many times I think how much I would have loved growing up in the Rome and going to watch the Senate and learning of far away places.  I wish I could have worked on a ship where I would have plenty of reading time as I traveled the world and met people all over the globe.  I think how fascinating it would be to dive into the archives of Rome, London, Moscow, Baghdad (what is left), and Paris.
Then it dawns on me how much more information we have available to us in our day and I am glad I was not confined to a bookless world, or a carless world, or a electricityless world, and on.  There is so much available to me and I certainly believe I seek out and gain much as it is in everyday life.  But there is so much more!  It is funny at times what dawns on me as a miracle.  When I place a dozen letters in the mail and am dazzled to think they will arrive all over this country the day after tomorrow.  I wonder often how much fun it would be to host Thomas Jefferson, Brigham Young, Constantine, or other individuals for a day.  Sometimes I sit in a room and look around at what would not have been present even 50 years ago.  What questions would Brother Jefferson ask upon appearing in my living room about what was not present in his day?  How would I answer his questions?  How would I walk him through the 181 years since his death to arrive at a particular object sitting in the room?  What would he think?  Would he be astounded?  Would he comment, “Who would have thought” or “That makes sense, why didn’t we come that that?”  What would he see in my life as useless or meaningless?  I hope that we have maintained a lifestyle that is for the most part Spartan.  Just the basics for what we need in our earthly journey.  Truly, our lives are surrounded by objects that are miracles in their history and they are every day.
I hope I am showing to some degree what there is to know and learn.  The history of places, the history of possessions, the history of people, the progression of societies, and much, much more.  Perhaps I have a disconnect in the run of the mill people to those few who seem to alter the future of societies and civilizations.  Not that they are greater, or run of the mill is lesser, but that I have enough experience with the every day that I want to get beyond it all.  So many conversations, so many thoughts, so many activities just seem to be in place in order to bide the time and endure.  I seek out the activities and people who are not just enduring life, but trying to do something with it.
That really takes us to the next part of the struggle.  I do believe I have learned quite a bit and come to an understanding of many things which are not common knowledge.  But what am I to do with it.  Knowledge is very lonely stuff.  Some people it seems to puff up and make them become showoffs.  Nobody likes a showoff and it undermines what it is they really know.  Generally, many people don’t seem to care about the details of life.  How do you maintain the relevance of life when you live in more and more in a world that doesn’t exist to other people?  I believe I have come to understand and know a few things about the interactions and play of the US Senate from about 1900 to about the 1950’s.  Who in the world will I ever have a discussion with about that?  Very few people indeed!  Who will I talk to about England and what readings I have been doing?  Who will I chat with about Manchester and the mission?  Who will I talk to about Idaho history here?  How many Idahoan’s can I talk to about Idaho history?
It really is amazing how much the church plays a role in all this.  With all the separation and divisions knowledge provides, especially the more as a society we do learn, the gospel provides an amazing link to others.  It links us and connects us on the most basic and fundamental level.  Then we can build from there.
Then we come back to the needs of others.  It seems to me we can’t really pursue our wants until we have met the needs of others.  I suppose children and a larger family would compound this question many times.  I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there.
I think often of the comment about President Kimball at his funeral.  How his life was like an old shoe, worn out in the service of others.  Did he spend much time pursuing his own wants.  I am sure glad reading the scriptures and serving in the church are commandments.  That takes them from the realm of needs and wants to must do.
There really doesn’t seem to be an answer before me.  I guess we all need to answer it for ourselves.
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May Letter

Here is the letter from May.  It is actually quite a bit better in tone and a bit easier to digest.  I am putting together a response to it at present.Thanks for the card.  Thanks for sending Ione’s obit.  I sent Sal a card and she responded back.  Her thank you card brought tears to my eyes and a lot of flashbacks and old memories.

How come you lost your job?  You ever try looking out of the states for Amanda’s supplies like in Canada?  Any place is probably cheaper than the states.

I called my atty yesterday and I will be another month here.  It is always the hurry up and wait BS.  You are told something then it does not happen.  But I do know I will go some time.  I tis not a sooner or later deal any more.  It is long past later at over 5 years.

Your date on my Grandpa Jonas (Joseph) birth is off by a couple of decades.  He was close to 60 when he was killed per Colleen.  Check it out.  I got a letter from Sis today.  She got an apt in Burley somewhere.  She did not say too much.  I also wrote Milo a small note asking what was up.  Last letter I got from Sis was postmarked April 9th.  She probably got my letter today.  I mailed the one to Milo last night so it got picked up this morning.

Now about Franz.  I want you to check the 2 websites and see if my story is still there of if it is gone.  I told Franz to pull everything.  I want to know if it is still there, if so I will write to find out why.  I am a little surprised at your Paul that you would ever think I would ask for money from people I never know existed.  I asked you once.  I ask Sis cause she had control over mine.  I do not mooch off of anyone one.  If I do not have the currency I go without.  You really do not know me at all do you?  Sad.

Why for do you want to know about my accidents?  You want to know how my innocence was STOLEN too?

By the way my 10 yr old writing mentality comes from not using contracted words.  Try not writing contractions some time then tell me your mentality is 9 yrs old, 1 yr under mind cause you could not figure it out.  Bonehead.

I am curious why you want to know all this stuff now?

Hope you get this in Glen Allen.  I am pushing the time but it should get there by the 6th unless it gets held up here.

Love you,
Mom

Thanks for the Jonas info.  I got looking at the dates of birth and seen Spence and Irwin is like you and Sis a day apart and Ellis and Evan got a day in between plus the 2 years.

One other thing I always thought Dad got married on the 26th!

If and when you ever communicate with Doug again see if he got my letter and if he did ask why he never answered it.

Is there any way you can get autopsy reports?  If so I would like 3: 1 Dad, 1 Colleen, 1 her.  I want to know the exact cause officially of the 3 deaths.

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Playing in the Atlantic

Yesterday was a day Amanda and I took to head to the beach.  We went with Matthew and Sarah Harris to play at Virginia Beach.  You will notice I put up a couple of pictures in the Virginia Living from our day away.  Amanda is in pain today from her burns.  I did get some minor burning but nothing that is causing any pain.
I added a couple of photos to the Sharp Album.  Raymond and Celia Draper went to Plain City and visited Grandpa and Caroline.  Raymond is the son of Ruth Sharp who is the daughter of Milo Ray Sharp.  Milo Ray Sharp is the brother of Grandpa’s mother, Ethel Sharp.  That makes Grandpa and Raymond 1st cousins 1 time removed.  That makes Raymond and Caroline 2nd cousins.  For an interesting photo, they are behind the tombstone of Milo Riley Sharp and his wife Mary Ann Stoker (Lillie M) and his mother Mary Ann Bailey.  So this shows Grandpa’s grandparents and his great grandmother.
Dad continues to do well.  He spent an entire day in surgery the day after the initial surgery.  They thought he was draining too much blood.  It proved to be nothing.  On the good side, they found a bile duct they needed to secure more securely.  Apparently they would have had to go in to correct it later so it was a good thing they caught it this time.  They took his feeding tube out the day after the second day of surgery.  When I spoke to him this morning they had removed all his IV’s and the only thing he still had on him was an oxygen tube.  Apparently he will be in for a few more days before he can go to the little apartment nearby.  He has to visit the hospital daily for the first week, then every other day for another week, then every three days the next week, and then weekly for a few months or something like that.  He will be in Utah for a few more weeks before they will make it back to Idaho.  I have loaded a picture of Dad the day after the surgery in the Virginia Living Album as well.
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Out with the old liver, in with the new!

It has been an interesting day.  I was awakened last night by the ringing telephone around 12:30 AM.  It was Jan, my step-mother, informing me that my Dad and she were headed to Salt Lake City.  They had received a phone call that Dad needed to head to the hospital.  There was a liver coming to Salt Lake from Elko, Nevada.
Dad was right in his premonition that he would have a liver soon.  Many people wait years and die without ever receiving a liver transplant.  Dad had one within a few months.  I don’t remember exactly how long it has been, but I think it is less than 6 months.  Funny how things line up sometimes.
He went in for surgery about 8:30 AM this morning.  I guess the liver had to arrive and they had to inspect it to make sure it was suitable for Dad.  Can you imagine that scene?  “Hmmm, Dr. do you concur?  I do believe it is a liver.  Shall we fry some to make sure?  This thing is huge, are they sure it doesn’t belong to a horse?  Where did I put that tape measure?”
It seems a bit morbid to think that somebody was just dying to give this liver to Dad.  We don’t know what happened to the person who gave it up but one thing came out of the whole scenario, it is a big liver.  Jan commented later that they had to trim quite a bit off.  I never really considered that you could just trim it down to size.  I don’t imagine many organs you can do that.  What about a heart, it just seems it would not be the same after the trim.
The surgery was supposed to take 8 hours.  But at 5:30 Jan called me to tell me they had not put the new liver in.  What is up with that?  Talk about milking the clock.  I am sure they did not clock out for lunch and whatever else they were doing.  I hope they did not sew an onion ring up inside.
I write this at about 5 hours after when they were supposed to be done and I just received another call that they just finished hooking up all the blood vessels and such but they had yet to do the bile ducts.  The Dr. made a comment about doing a lot of trimming.
You must remember I am hearing all this information through chinese whispers.  I am sure they do not really divulge everything that has taken place.  There really must be a reason why the operation went 6 hours over (that is a 14 hour day, even if they did order in pizza and onion rings).  Perhaps it was like the gall bladder removal where the blood vessels were thick and required quite a bit of effort to keep things leaking too much.  Who knows.  Perhaps they accidentally removed the stomach and had to put it back in before actually getting to the liver.
At any rate, the doctors tell us everything has gone well.  That was at the last little break they took to come visit with Jan.  He is supposed to be unconscious the rest of the night and will spend the next few days in ICU.  We will have to see what happens.
In other news, I extracted 500 names from the indexing today.  Just wanted to make sure I am familiar with all of it if I am going to be getting others to volunteer.
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NGS

It was certainly an interesting day here in Richmond.  I was asked to work at the National Genealogical Society’s National Conference.  I thought it would be strange.  After all, aren’t family history geeks supposed to be in the latter end of their life?
It turned out I really enjoyed myself.  I worked with Paul Smart and Paul Nauta.  Yep, there were three of us!  What is more, Paul Smart and I both knew Jennie Smart Nuffer!  I suppose that makes us sort of related.  He is related to Jennie and I am related to her husband Edwin Nuffer.
It was a pretty eventful day.  There were little seminars and lessons going all day.  I helped all the random people that would wander to our booth.  What is a sad disclosure, not one of those people were able to stump me with any question.  I had my own questions in which I asked of Paul & Paul but I knew every answer to every person who asked me one!  To be honest, there were a few questions that came to me after I had already asked the question myself, so I did know those answers as well.
I have to admit, FamilySearch is going to be very impressive in what is to come.  Right now it has its purposes for what I use it for, but Ancestry.com holds most of my time in researching outside the Mountain West.  It appears much of that will be changing this fall onwards.  They announced they are going to redo the site, they are going to make available over 80 BILLION names, and to top it off, they are teaming up with other organizations to literally collect the world’s family history.  They are going to move mountains!  They are going to place the entire Granite Mountain Vault online.  It will be indexed and even images made available.  FamilySearch even went out and helped create a new type of scanner in order to do the scanning at 5 times the speed it takes now.  I believe Ancestry.com will come to a point where they will have come to regret cutting the ties that bound them to FamilySearch.  After all, FamilySearch will provide the same records eventually for free.
I volunteered at the FamilySearch Indexing website a few nights ago.  I have done about 300 names so far in the indexing.  I do have to admit I have too much to do in my own family history to be devoting that much time to the indexing.  I have journals to type, other leads to follow up, and some more cleaning up to do.  The work never ends.  I find it hard not to laugh out loud when someone says their family history is all done.  Right, just like mowing the lawn once means you will never have to do it again.
As if this was not enough, there is more to come!  I really enjoyed my day working in the FamilySearch booth.  I went to lunch with Paul and it was a good visit.  I am thinking about taking a job that would take me down the genealogical researcher path.  He took my information and said he would let me know if he come across something out here I would be interested in.  I certainly hope he does remember me.
In other news, I go to teach the family history class again tomorrow.  I have to admit, this class has done more in their week this week than any other class I have had.  I received probably a dozen e-mails with questions about family history this week from my class.  I am honored, but more thrilled that they are actually doing something.  Good for them.  I truly hope the Lord will bless them for it.  On a bittersweet note, I have been called to the Elder’s Quorum Presidency.  Which means I will probably be released from the Family History Consultant position and Family History Worker.  I suppose we will have to wait and see.  I really had hoped I would never serve in a Presidency again.  Hey, at least I am not President right?
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Rawson Trip to DC

Amanda’s cousin, Jed Rawson, decided he wanted to stop and see Washington.  He made the arrangements to stay with Dennis and Gwen in Springfield.  We went up for Thursday.  We had a busy little day.  We visited the Capitol, Library of Congress, National Archives, Air and Space Smithsonian, Natural History Smithsonian, Washington Temple, FDR Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, and I am sure there is something I missed.  Oh we did stop at the White House too.  It was a busy day and you can see that in the photos.

In other news, Ross Andra had a pretty major heart attach at church last week in Salt Lake City.  I am not sure what doctrine they were teaching but it definitely knocked him over.
I received a phone call last weekend from Iona Mellor in Anaheim, California.  She is my cousin as a daughter of Otto Andra.  It was good to visit with her for more than an hour.  I sent off some group sheets to her so she could return them to me with some more information.  I look forward to hearing back from her.
I posted a blog earlier on the Presidential debate.  Talk about a few people nipping at me since!  Geez.  Relax a little people.
Tomorrow I spend the day working at the National Genealogical Society’s convention here in Richmond.  That should definitely be interesting.  The church made quite a few announcements for it.  They are literally about to move a mountain!  The Granite Mountain!
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Republican Presidential Debates

There is a flurry of activity on the blogs about the recent debates.  I watched both of the last two Republican Debates and thought I would add my thoughts as well.  I have refrained from making comments as my connections to the political circles and dialogue is much more removed that in the past.  Those with whom I am most likely to associate now are those whose opinions come from media exposure and relationships that don’t have close association with the actual contenders.  My own experience tends to fall in line with this more and so I question some of the validity of my opinions.  I don’t know all the details or what is really happening behind the scenes.

Out of the debates a couple things are clear.  A few seem to know what they are really doing and are confident in it.  Others seem to have a prepared line or facade in which to convince others of their opinion.  Rudy is one that certainly believes what it is he is saying and is not about to be manipulated.  Romney is also one who has done his homework and knows where he sits and what he believes.  Lastly, Ron is well entrenched in his thoughts and opinions.  The rest of them seem to be giving us a line, trying to impress us with laurels, or out to make political statements and force a change rather than the whole package.

McCain rings out as a politician of the true sense.  Saying what needs to be said and trying to look Presidential.  Truth be told, he just looks old, feeble, and that cheesy smile gets old.

Thompson definitely could be a strong contender but he just keeps talking about the past.  Wisconsin this, Wisconsin that; why doesn’t he just talk about LaFollette and it would be complete.  Rather than really running a campaign it seems he is a bit stuck on himself which never really works out well.

Hunter and Tancredo have their little pet projects for which they are primarily running.  Both ring in often and loud about the immigration subjects.  Neither really have anything that points they are leaders or great men to be at the head our country.

Brownback is just another Senator who has failed to even gain much notoriety in the Senate.  If he can’t shine there, why do we expect him to shine as President?

Jim Gilmore has his leader experience as a Governor like several of the others.  He has a quiet confidence but comes off as not having a great grasp on national issues.  I am sure he does know more but perhaps it is his delivery.  But he seems to be running more for the title of most conservative rather than President which will not sway those independents and other fence sitters.

Mike Huckabee is the only one that seems like he could be a serious contender but he appears to be out of timing.  It is a bit like he should have spent some more time in the incubator.  He has some great ideas, knows where he sits and stands, just don’t express himself fully and completely.  Perhaps it is the lack of forcefulness in his tone.  He is one that comes off as more along for the joy ride.  He is doing what he feels is expedient.  He is out promoting his way of thinking, his actions and example, but that he isn’t totally serious.  Perhaps this will change, but he is just dabbling right now.  His campaign and much more show this.

So, let’s look at who appear as the three big boys of the debate.

Ron Paul certainly knows where he stands and what his thoughts are.  He is so completely predictable in his thoughts and comments that he doesn’t even need to speak on the stage.  We know his thoughts.  That is something which certainly comes to his aid.  He is dependable and will not shirk at the moment of trial.  He was, is, and always will be.  His major weaknesses are that he has an awkward delivery.  First he comes off as an intellectual.  The Dr instantly injures him in some of the same way that it did John Kerry.  Nobody questions he is smart but can he connect with the every day citizen and voter?  His message is stark and clear.  However, it is not the every day thoughts of your typical American.  While he would totally have been center of the road even up until the 1940’s somehow Americans have moved away from his strict interpretation of the Constitution, Monrovian/Washingtonian/Jeffersonian ideas of non-intervention, and smaller government.  Even Republicans are shifty when he speaks of what were once hard-core Republican doctrines.  In order for Ron to win, he will have to teach American history, the importance of history, and convince all citizens of its importance.  Otherwise there is no way we can return to the old moorings of our national and even republican cornerstones.  He may end up like Burton Wheeler and find himself elected out of office if the trends of the past 60 years continue.  (Having said that, it appears we are returning to some of those moorings, but how much I don’t think we really know)  Lastly, his age is a minor unnoticed question.  He does appear some of his age and usually a bit ragged.  As if teaching history were not burden enough, looking Presidential is a struggle for him.

Rudy Giuliani come off looking like a fighter but the audience’s reaction to his challenge to Paul shows how far Ron Paul has to go.  The audience and Giuliani show their obvious ignorance.  If he read the 911 Commission’s Report, he didn’t pay much attention.  After all, that was one of their premises concerning our state and the blow back we were receiving due to our interactions economically and militarily in the middle east.  Paul’s optimium response would have been “Did you read the 911 Report?  If so, you would be very familiar with what it is I am speaking” and left it at that.  Instead he came with a long response that lost the majority of Americans who were awake at this point in the debate.  Rudy gave a zinger, which shows his disregard for parliamentary procedure, debate rules, and the common decorum required.  Nevertheless, Paul was given a response in which he could have nailed Rudy to floor for his lack of security homework but did not.  The debate went on and Rudy was comfortable and confident.  That did everything to help him.  They went after him for his position on abortion and he stood his ground.  He tried to weasel away from the questions but the moderator at a moment of being good required he answer.  We have to question whether he will always be straightforward and honest or will the citizens always have to corner him?  Regardless of personal feelings I may have for or against abortion, Rudy will still have a struggle with many of the Republican Party since this is a topic of interest for them.  In all likeliness, if elected, he would nominate a justice or two and for Republican’s this is the chance to change the tide with Roe.  Will they go for the man who cannot guarantee their position?  Or will they, hoping to get consensus from independents and hope for the best?  Lastly, a question I have is concerning his political credentials.  Yes, he ran New York City, but city government has some stark contrasts with a state or the national government.  Do we really know he can navigate those channels?

Lastly, there is the enigma of Mitt Romney.  Where in the world will he take the country?  He is the only person on the roster who appears to need to answer questions about his religion.  Each of the candidates has their changes or “flip flops” as they like to refer to Mitt’s reversals.  I am not sure that is totally the issue at hand.  Romney appears confident and well thought out, much like Giuliani, except Romney has appeared to have that the whole time.  This is all the more true when compared with the first GOP debate.  Romney has real work experience.  He is not just a lifelong politician.  It is obvious that he worked his way up through the world of business and can understand the true forms of efficiency, responsiveness, and having a vision/charter.  What is more, he is specialized in knowing how to weed out problems and rebuilding an organization from the ground up.  That does not deal with consensus but in flat out making decisions, learning, and pressing forward.  A politician has the long history of always making sure his rear is covered so he can be reelected.  He has to second guess everything and reevaluate things to recast them to a variety of people for their acceptance.  Opinions rule in politics.  But in business, those things are not rewarded and not often encouraged.  Leadership and pure blazing the trail is what really makes one successful.  Romney has shown that he can do that with absolute power in an organization and has stepped into the government realm to add his help.  That seems to be of great value.  Make decisions and then see who you can line up as friend or foe rather than the other way around.  That is his strength.  He understands the need of fiscal and financial leadership.  Capitalism does not long reward debt and operating in the red.  This is something which will be of great value to him in office.  He took it to Massachusetts and it seems he would take it to Washington.  He has many characteristics which make him agreeable to be among the best for the options for GOP Nominee.  But I still have some serious reservations about a the man who professes complete fidelity to his religion but wants to bash some of its fundamental doctrines.

We will have to see where these things move.