He Was Almost President?

Senator John Kerry attended a pep rally for Phil Angelides yesterday at Pasadena City College. See coverage in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

"Kerry...told the students that if they were able to navigate the education system, they could get comfortable jobs - "If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," he said to a mixture of laughter and gasps."

My buddy Hugh has a Masters degree and would probably have a few choice words back at Kerry.

See the video and more reaction at this entry on the Michelle Malkin blog.

(update)-Senator John McCain: "Senator Kerry owes an apology to the many thousands of Americans serving in Iraq, who answered their country's call because they are patriots and not because of any deficiencies in their education. Americans from all backgrounds, well off and less fortunate, with high school diplomas and graduate degrees, take seriously their duty to our country, and risk their lives today to defend the rest of us in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

They all deserve our respect and deepest gratitude for their service. The suggestion that only the least educated Americans would agree to serve in the military and fight in Iraq, is an insult to every soldier serving in combat, and should deeply offend any American with an ounce of appreciation for what they suffer and risk so that the rest of us can sleep more comfortably at night. Without them, we wouldn't live in a country where people securely possess all their God-given rights, including the right to express insensitive, ill-considered and uninformed remarks."

Anyway

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends
and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough.
Give the world your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.


--attributed to Blessed Mother Teresa

We Are Moving Here!

A freak blizzard hit Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas today, virtually shutting down the city, dropping over 14 inches of snow with winds over 30 miles per hour. See this story on the CNN website for more details and pictures. Looks like a lot of fun.

Julie Anne

The Dougalas family has a new addition to their family. Congratulations! A 7 lb 14 oz girl was born on October 19, 2006 at 9:28 PM. Hugh was given a 15-day leave and will be home approximately November 1-15.


They had asked us to be the Godparents of this child about six months ago. This was long before there was any hint of us moving away. As soon as it became a possibility that we may be moving, we suggested that they ask others. But they still want us to be the Godparents. Jan & Hugh actually met in Colorado. So (in a way) this is a closure of a circle. Alex & Marisa and Lilly & Glenn are excited to be 'Godcousins' with each other.

Lisa Has Accepted

Lisa has accepted the job in Colorado Springs. It looks like she will be taking about a 20-25% pay cut. The cost of living is about 20% less than here. She will be on a teacher's schedule, so she will have a couple of months off in the summer and spring break, Christmas break, and all of the holidays. Plus, we will be able to get a bigger house and actually have a yard! Wish us luck.

October Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made on my June 26, 2006 post, I have withdrawn my goal of $500 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+$5,900. '05-YTD=+$3,300. My next withdrawal of $500 is due by November 30, 2006. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

Colorado Springs Job Interview

Lisa is in Colorado Springs for a job interview right now. It seems that the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind has an interest in Lisa. Now we will soon find out if Lisa has an interest in them. If yes, then I anticipate that our lives will become very hectic. If not, then can things go back to the way they were? Pray for us.

The Barber

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said, "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving a God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber, "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."

"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him."

It Has Begun

I could lose my ability to play poker online soon. We will be losing out on about $500 per month in extra income. Hopefully things will work itself out in the end. Here is an email that I received from one of the online poker rooms that I have played at in the past:

Donn,

I'm not sure if you're aware of the recent developments in US online gaming industry. In short, the US government has passed a law that would prohibit banks, credit card companies, and other financial institutions from processing gambling funds. This controversial act was attached to a popular and completely unrelated bill regarding Port Security (HR4954) early Saturday morning. In this way, the act was passed because representatives were more concerned with the major bill being made law and knew only in the final minutes of the attachment.

It does NOT make it illegal for US citizens to play online, however drastically affects your ability to enjoy your favorite poker and casino games by making it difficult to send and receive your deposits and winnings.

In light of these events, our software and ECash provider for SunPoker.com, CryptoLogic and ECashDirect, have made the decision to no longer service US registered accounts.

Consequently, all accounts with US based addresses will no longer be able to play in the casino or poker room as of 12PM EST today October 3rd.

Your account will however be available for you to log into and request a withdrawal of your available balance.

All other accounts with non US based addresses will remain unaffected.

Currently it is unclear as to the longer term ramifications of these events at CryptoLogic and should the position change, we will notify you.

In the meantime, we are hoping to make provisions so that you are able to continue to enjoy playing and enjoy the same levels of service and bonuses you've come to expect from us. We will keep you updated.

Thanks for your time, and we do sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Regards,

Adam
Poker Room Manager
Sun Poker

September Poker Winnings

I thought that this would be the first time that I would not reach my monthly goal. Thanks to a third place ($461.76) finish in a $5 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo w/Rebuys tournament that I played last night, I reached my goal. Whew!

As per the updated resolution that I made on my June 26, 2006 post, I have withdrawn my goal of $500 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+$5,400. '05-YTD=+$2,800. My next withdrawal of $500 is due by October 31, 2006. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

Until The End Of The World

I found out something interesting about one of the songs of the coolest band ever, U2. The song "Until the End of the World" is about Judas' betrayal of Jesus. I never thought about it that way, but now that I have listened to it again, it is very obvious. Especially when you see it performed live, you will see Bono put his 2 index fingers on his head (to represent the devil) and in some performances, you see Bono give The Edge THE kiss. Also, on the album, Achtung Baby, where the song first appeared, the lyric is, "We ate the food." But in subsequent live performances, this line is changed to a more familiar, "We broke the bread." The water in the third verse could be interpreted as a symbol for baptism or redemption/forgiveness? Give it a listen if you have it. Of course, this is not the only one of U2's Christian themed songs. See Drawing Their Fish in the Sand or U2 Sermons.

"Until The End Of The World"

Haven't seen you in quite a while
I was down the hold just passing time
Last time we met was a low-lit room
We were as close together as a bride and groom
We broke the bread, we drank the wine
Everybody having a good time
Except you, you were talking about
The end of the world

I took the money
I spiked your drink
You miss too much these days if you stop to think
You led me on with those innocent eyes
You know I love the element of surprise
In the garden I was playing the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart
You, you were acting like it was
The end of the world

(LOVE)

In my dream I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows, they learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
Waves of regret and waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy
You, you said you'd wait
'Til the end of the world

Next Stop, Colorado Springs?

A line from Fr. Ray's homily on Sunday promted me to write the following. He said something to the effect, "God is full of surprises for us, and they are all good."

For a week this past August, we took a little trip to Colorado. The first half of the week we spent in Denver, visiting with my brother and his family. The second half, we spent in Colorado Springs, visiting Lisa's friend from high school and her family.

The Holy Spirit did something to us in Colorado Springs. We were there for only three days. We fell in love with the place. It was a very spiritual (and life changing) experience, though those exact words were never spoken between us. For some reason, unknown to us at the moment, the Spirit is drawing us there.

The bottom line is we are VERY, VERY seriously thinking about moving there to raise our family.

Things are already in motion, seemingly without much effort on our part. Which is another reason why we feel like this is what we are supposed to do.

It may or may not happen.

We have no time table, we have no deadline, and we have no idea when this will happen. But we do ask for your prayers: that what we are doing is all part of God's plan, and we ask for God to give us the strength, courage, and faith in this transition period of our lives.

Thank you and God Bless!

-Colorado Springs
-Colorado Springs Government
-Colorado Springs Visitors Bureau
-El Paso County, CO
-Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs
-Home Listings
-Money Magazine: Best Places to Live, Best Big City (#1)
-Cleanest U.S. Cities For Pollution (#18)
-Men's Fitness Magazine: Fittest City (#6)
-Most Literate City in America (#19)
-Inspiration for 'America the Beautiful'

It Made Me Seethe With Rage

(An article reprinted from the front page, of the September 10, 2006 edition of The Daily Breeze about Hugh Dougalas' reaction to September 11, 2001. Also, see Hugh's blog: Defending Purple Mountain Majesties for his explaination on how the article came about.)

Both had thriving careers when engineers Hugh and Jan Dougalas made a deal. She would go to the office, and he would work from their Redondo Beach home, where he could care for their two small children. But when Hugh turned on the radio to catch the latest sports news that morning, everything changed. Within hours, after dropping 5-year-old Lilly off at school, he headed to a recruiter's office. With his 1-year-old son, Glenn, on his lap, he joined the Army Reserves. Called up for service earlier this year, he is now stationed in Iraq. Dougalas is 44 years old.

At first, I thought what I was hearing was some kind of Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" radio drama. But when I switched to several news stations, I realized what was going on. It was no radio drama, and it made me seethe with rage. Think of the first lines of Homer's Iliad: "Rage. Sing, Goddess, of the rage of Achilles." Like that, only angrier.

I was 40 at the time and everyone told me I was too old to enlist -- the Marines, the Navy, the Air Force, the Coast Guard. The Army recruiter also told me that I was too old but said that he would keep my resume on file and talk to a few people.

I called and wrote letters for more than two years, just to let him know that I was still interested.

In 2004, I received a call from the Reserve Component of the Army Medical Corps. The recruiter tried to explain a complex formula that I still don't understand which allowed him to count my time as an undergrad in ROTC as prior service and stated something to the effect that the fact that I had an advanced degree allowed him to waive the age regulations and that because he's dealing with the Reserve side of the house, the regulations are different.

Bottom line: I was in. I was commissioned as an officer in the Medical Service Corps and sent to Fort Sam Houston near San Antonio for training.

I began serving as a typical reservist would, one weekend a month, in February 2005.

In January 2006, I received orders to active duty. I would be deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom for 18 months.

In April 2006, I reported to McGregor Range near Fort Bliss, Texas, with the rest of the 310 Military Police Battalion for predeployment training.

We left Texas on July 6, spent some time in Kuwait for additional training and arrived in Iraq on July 19.

An MP unit, our mission is detainee ops, running a large internment/resettlement facility at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, near the port city of Umm Qasr. We are southwest of Basra, the biggest city in the area.

Most of the MPs are New York Police Department and corrections officers in the civilian world. Being from New York, as you might expect, this unit is filled with guys who knew someone who died in the attacks of Sept. 11. In fact, this place is named after a New York City firefighter who lost his life in the World Trade Center -- Ron Bucca. All of this is very personal to them.

Though I'm not from New York, it is to me as well. I am proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these men and every one of us supports the president in his decision to invade.

My job here is to provide preventive medicine services -- clean drinking water, safe food, proper sanitation, to monitor air quality, to take care of any pests (ants, mice, rats, we have jackals running around here!), etc. I firmly believe that in doing this job and serving in the Army, no American will ever again feel the rage that I felt that morning -- September 11, 2001.

Our Visit With Bupa

We went to Sacramento to visit my 94 year-old grandfather (we call him Bupa) who was in the hospital after taking a bad fall at home. Before Bupa went to the hospital this last time, he had a "do not resusitate" order on his living will. Well, before the hospital staff knew this, they resusitated him when his heart stopped. He had a temporary pacemaker attached. However, because of his advanced age, they thought that a permanent pacemaker was out of the question and the temporary may have been putting too much strain on his heart. So my parents decided to have the temporary removed. But they wanted to keep it on so that we could go up to see him, which we did this past week.

Miraculously (in my opinion), Bupa seemed to get stronger when the pacemaker was removed. We visited him every day. Because of the amount of care he needed, my parents had to find a nursing home for him, which they did. However, Bupa had always said that people are put in nursing homes to die. So while he may be physically getting better, he has been a little depressed since being placed in the nursing home. If he can accept the fact that he is in the nursing home for his benefit, I believe he could live to see 100.

Your continued prayers for Bupa and my parents would be appreciated.

Focus On The Family Address

I was looking through Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family website and thought it was fairly amusing that their mailing address is:

Focus on the Family
Colorado Springs, CO 80095

Notice anything strange? I suppose that they have a big presence there in Colorado Springs.

Colorado Vacation

We went to Colorado for a week. We visited and stayed with my brother in Denver and with Lisa's friend from high school in Colorado Springs. The thing that stuck out the most from our vacation was the incredible 'draw' we felt while in Colorado Springs. You can view some photos here.

All cities have their positive and negative qualities. Lisa and I agreed that there were considerably more positives in Colorado Springs than any other place we have lived. The scenery reminded me a lot like Kauai, especially the mountains. The air and water was very clean and clear. The homes were beautiful and reasonably priced (compared to the crazy real estate market of southern California). There are seemingly unlimited number of things to do outdoors. Great weather. No traffic. A very family-friendly community. Perhaps one day...

August Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made on my June 26, 2006 post, I have withdrawn my goal of $500 from my poker bankroll this month. I have also taken out an extra $100. YTD=+$4,900. '05-YTD=+$2,400. My next withdrawal of $500 is due by September 30, 2006. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

The Pope on Life

"Consequently, everything is connected: the deepest option for the Crucified Christ with the most complete option for life, from the very first moment until the very last. To me this also seems in some way the nucleus of our pastoral care: to help people make the true choice for life, to renew their relationship with God as the relationship which gives us life and shows us the way to life. And thus, to love Christ anew, who from being the most unknown Being whom we did not reach and who remained enigmatic, became a known God, a God with a human face, a God who is love." (Pope Benedict XVI, March 2006 meeting with priests)

Absolutes

I tend to believe that there are absolutes in the world. I am one who believes that there is such of a thing as right vs. wrong, or black and white (ie no grey areas).

If anyone says to me that there is no such thing as absolutes in life, I will politely ask, "Are you absolutely sure?"

Audio CDs Wanted For Hugh

This is a copy of my latest post on Defending Purple Mountain Majesties for those interested in helping out a soldier-

I received this excerpt of an email from Hugh to Jan:

Maybe you could look into recordings of the radio shows that I like (Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager, Jim Rome) and see if CD are available. You could get them and send them to me and I could listen to them here. Also, the computers here are S L O W. If it works out, maybe you could download Cardinals games in MP3 format and e-mail them as attachments. I don't know. It looks like there is nothing to do here but go to the gym and watch movies. I guess Amazon will deliver so it's reading that I'll be doing to maintain sanity. Though, darn it, I know baseball on the radio is available on Armed Forces Radio and Television Service!! I'm frustrated.
-Hugh

Within the next few weeks or so, I will gather a bunch of audio discs for Hugh. I going to send some stuff I already have and I will download some Michael Medved radio shows (the best radio show for mental exercises). He has an iPod, so he could easily transfer into it from his computer. I will try to organize a bulk shipment to Hugh. To make it easier for Hugh to receive things, I will find out if it would be OK to post his mailing address here on the blog. If OK, I'll post it in the sidebar of this blog.

Seems like this will help Hugh pass the time better in Iraq.

Dad's Brownies

A father of 3 teenage kids had the rule that they could not attend PG-13 or R rated movies. His teens wanted to see a particular movie that was playing at local theaters. It was rated PG-13.

They asked friends & some members of their church to find out what was offensive in the movie. They made a list of pros & cons about the movie to use to convince their dad that they should be allowed to see it. The cons were: it contained 3 swear words, the only violence was a building exploding (& you see that on TV all the time), & you actually didn't "see" the couple in the movie having sex, it was just implied sex, off camera. The pros were: it was a popular movie, a blockbuster. Everyone was seeing it. If they saw the movie then they would not feel left out when their friends discussed it. The movie contained a good story & plot. It had some great adventure & suspense in it & some fantastic special effects. The movie's stars were some of the most talented actors in Hollywood. It probably would be nominated for several awards. Many of the members of their church had seen it & said it wasn't "very bad". Therefore, since there were more pros than cons, the teens said they were asking their father to reconsider his position on this 1 movie & let them have permission to go see it.

The father looked at the list & thought for a few minutes. He said he could tell his children had spent some time & thought on this request. He asked if he could have a day to think about it before making his decision. The teens were thrilled thinking, "Now we've got him! Our argument is too good! Dad can't turn us down!" So, they happily agreed to let him have a day to think about their request.

The next evening the father called in his 3 teenagers, who were smiling smugly, into the living room. There on the coffee table he had a plate of brownies. The teens were puzzled. The father told his children he had thought about their request and had decided that if they would eat a brownie then he would let them go to the movie.

Like the movie, the brownies had pros & cons. The pros were that: they were made with good chocolate & yummy walnuts. They were moist & fresh with chocolate frosting. He had made the brownies with an award-winning recipe & by his own loving hands. The brownies only had 1 con: He had added a little bit of dog poop. But he had mixed the dough well; they probably wouldn't be able to taste it & he had baked it at 350 degrees so any bacteria or germs had probably been destroyed. Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat the brownies which included just a "little bit of crap" & not be affected by it, then he knew they would also be able to see the movie with "just a little bit of smut" & not be affected.

Of course, none of the teens would eat the brownies & the smug smiles were gone. Now when they ask, permission to do something he opposes, he asks, "Would you like me to bake some brownies?"

--Author Unknown (hat tip: Sandy)

Abortion and Contraception

(taken from the Priests For Life site):
"It is noteworthy that as acceptance and use of contraception have increased in our society, so have acceptance and use of abortion. Couples who unintentionally conceive a child while using contraception are far more likely to resort to abortion than others. Tragically, our society has fallen into a mentality that views children as a burden and invites many to consider abortion as a "backup" to contraceptive failure. This is most obvious in efforts to promote as "emergency contraception" drugs that really act as early abortifacients.


"With Pope John Paul II we affirm that contraception and abortion are "specifically different evils," because only "the latter destroys the life of a human being," but that they are also related (The Gospel of Life, no. 13). It is important to remember that means that are referred to as "contraceptive" are, in reality, sometimes also abortifacient. An end to abortion will not come from contraceptive campaigns but from a deeper understanding of our human sexuality, and of human life, as sacred gifts deserving our careful stewardship” (2001: US Bishops’ Pastoral Plan for Pro-life Activities: A Campaign in Support of Life).

July Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made on my June 26, 2006 post, I have withdrawn my goal of $500 from my poker bankroll this month. YTD=+$4,300. '05-YTD=+$2,100. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.

A Consistent Ethic of Life

(taken from the Priests For Life site):
"A wide spectrum of issues touches on the protection of human life and the promotion of human dignity. As Pope John Paul II has reminded us: "Where life is involved, the service of charity must be profoundly consistent. It cannot tolerate bias and discrimination, for human life is sacred and inviolable at every stage and in every situation; it is an indivisible good" (The Gospel of Life, no. 87).


"Among important issues involving the dignity of human life with which the Church is concerned, abortion necessarily plays a central role. Abortion, the direct killing of an innocent human being, is always gravely immoral (The Gospel of Life, no. 57); its victims are the most vulnerable and defenseless members of the human family. It is imperative that those who are called to serve the least among us give urgent attention and priority to this issue of justice” (2001: US Bishops’ Pastoral Plan for Pro-life Activities: A Campaign in Support of Life).

Barnes' European Blog

Our friends from church took a nice vacation to Europe. They have a small blog with entries written by their children. Interesting perspectives. Europe Through a Child's Eyes

Three New Posts By Hugh

OK. I promise I will starting putting entries into this blog. If Hugh can write three entries from Iraq, then I should be able to write a few from the comfort and safety of my living room.

Check out his latest three entries here: Defending Purple Mountain Majesties

A Short Hiatus

I am taking a small break from blogging until the 15th of July. Posts are in the works. Please stay tuned.

Free Movies!

The Regal Cinema chain shows family-friendly movies for free during the summer. They show one G-rated and a PG-rated movie at 10:00 AM every Tuesday and Wednesday. The movies are not new releases and most are already out on DVD.

Today we went to see Madagasgar. We had already seen it in the theaters. And we have it on DVD. But you can never get the full 'theater experience' at home. We got there about 15 minutes before showtime and we could practically have any seat in the theater. By the time the show started, it looked to be about 50-60% full. OK, we spent spent $10 for 1 medium popcorn and 1 medium drink. It was still worth it on the hot and humid day we had today.

To see the free movie schedule at the Regal near you, click here.

The Dixie Chicks' Big Mistake

I used to love the Dixie Chicks. I bought every album and DVD that I could find. I still think that their music is good, but now I get a bad taste in my mouth whenever I listen to a Chicks song or see them on television. I have no incentive to go out and buy the new album. I cannot believe that they wanted to alienate their core audience because of their political views. Of course, I give them credit for speaking out on their point of view, but they practically killed their 'sky is the limit' income potential. I guess they were content with what they had. I recall an interview that Michael Jordan (a staunch Democrat) gave early in his career where he was asked if he would openly and actively support Democrat causes and candidates. He astutely (for financial reasons) replied, "Republicans buy shoes too."

Failure To Re-Launch the Dixie Chicks
U.S. Ticket Sales Slow
Dixie Chicks Tour Struggling
Dixie Chicks Still Fighting Bush On New Album
Dixie Chicks' Chart Wings Get Clipped

June Poker Winnings

As per the updated resolution that I made on my November 22, 2005 post, I have withdrawn my goal of $400 from my poker bankroll this month. I have also taken out an extra $300. YTD=+$3,800. '05-YTD=+$1,600. Starting next month I will confidently raise my monthly goal to $500. My next withdrawal of $500 is due by July 31, 2006. Please continue to wish me luck and keep me accountable.