Eminent Domain

I have been following this story on TV it, really pisses me off, that the Gov can start displacing familys so that the rich can get richer. If you own property you should sign this petition, Democrat or Republican you should be angry about this ruling.

THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2005

Dear Dustin,

With the stroke of a pen last week, the Supreme Court of the United States effectively rejected one of the most fundamental constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens ...

... the right to own property.

We've got to stop this NOW!

We must immediately stand up and demand that Texas Senator John Cornyn's bill, "The Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005," be passed in Congress.

Now, we - the ACLJ and YOU - must work quickly to restore our private property rights BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Join our nationwide campaign urging your Senators and Representatives to pass this legislation by signing your name to our Petition to Protect Private Property Rights.

... a ruling in Kelo v. City of New London slipped "under the radar" that takes the government's power of eminent domain to a new - and frightening - level.

Before that ruling, the government could only step in and seize property if it was needed for public projects: road-building, parks, and the development of public entities, such as hospitals.

Today, with the Supreme Court's ruling, the government may seize the home, small business, or other private property of one citizen and transfer it to another private citizen - if the transfer would boost the community's economic development.

Simply put, this means your house could be replaced with a shopping mall.

Your church could be destroyed to build a baseball field.

Your small business could be crushed to erect a luxury hotel.

This is an outrage! The people who are going to benefit from this Supreme Court decision are people who have political influence and power, like large corporations. So this Supreme Court decision will allow the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer.

We've got to stop this NOW!

I truly believe it is going to take the voices of millions of Americans banded together to STOP this abuse of our private property rights. And the ACLJ is ready to work for you! Please click here to add your name to our Petition to Protect Private Property Rights.

Thanks to the swift and bold actions of Senator John Cornyn of Texas, a bill called "The Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005" has already been introduced to Congress.

Senator Cornyn's legislation would prohibit transfers of private property without the owner's consent if federal funds were used - and if the transfer was for purposes of economic development rather than public use.

We must stand with this brave Senator and decry the Supreme Court's ruling that destroys our constitutionally-protected property rights! We must call for swift passage of the Protection of Homes, Small Businesses, and Private Property Act of 2005.

Please lend your name to our Petition to Protect Private Property Rights. Your signed petition will be added to tens of thousands of others in this nationwide campaign and sent to members of Congress. We will send a strong message that we will NOT stand idly by and watch our most fundamental rights be stripped away.

The ACLJ will stay on top of this fight ... and many others ... for you.

Bella has Daddy's feet

Well Bella loves the shoes. If she sees a pair un-occupied she will stuff her feet, shoes and all, into them and start clomping around.
Also she is starting to perform for the camera. It is fun to see the connections made. She is developing so fast, is there a pill that will slow this down?

Here are more photos of Bella >

RADIOHEAD - Fitter Happier Lyrics

Does your life feel like this?

more productive
comfortable
not drinking too much
regular exercise at the gym (3 days a week)
getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries
at ease
eating well (no more microwave dinners and saturated fats)
a patient better driver
a safer car (baby smiling in back seat)
sleeping well (no bad dreams)
no paranoia
careful to all animals (never washing spiders down the plughole)
keep in contact with old friends (enjoy a drink now and then)
will frequently check credit at (moral) bank (hole in wall)
favours for favours
fond but not in love
charity standing orders
on sundays ring road supermarket
(no killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants)
car wash (also on sundays)
no longer afraid of the dark
or midday shadows
nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate
nothing so childish
at a better pace
slower and more calculated
no chance of escape
now self-employed
concerned (but powerless)
an empowered and informed member of society (pragmatism not
idealism)
will not cry in public
less chance of illness
tires that grip in the wet (shot of baby strapped in back seat)
a good memory
still cries at a good film
still kisses with saliva
no longer empty and frantic
like a cat
tied to a stick
that's driven into
frozen winter shit (the ability to laugh at weakness)
calm
fitter, healthier and more productive
a pig
in a cage
on antibiotics

I think I do sometimes, I think most Americans feel this way, spending all their free time working over time.
Just so that we can obtain or just maintain the American dream. The American Dream has become the American Nightmare. A self serving exhistance that puts it's faith in good credit, a 9-5 job and a new car.

American Christianity has become about praying to God so that he will provide the means to sustain a meaningless exhistance of consumerism . "Put your money in the miracle barrel, pull out a miracle."
And when we feel as though God is not listening to our requests for material things we assume he is powerless. God cares more about you than your bank account, a relationship with him should not depend on your bank statement.

What Is Yahoo Thinking

This image was on yahoo. I have seen a lot of pictures of Billy Graham but this one has to be the most bizzare.

Pretty Good Cartoon

Billy Grahams last crusade

I appreciate Billy Graham as a man that has given of himself, selflessly for the greater good of mankind. Even if you do not believe what he preaches one cannot deny his motivation for his preaching.

You cannot say he is a megalomaniac, Billy Graham does not use his position to elevate himself. Here is a man who preaches, but has no church.
He does not say follow me and you will be better off. He says follow Jesus. He says "I am just another sinnner." Upon meeting Billy Graham at a company picnic, the gentle man introduced himself by saying hi Dr. Graham I am so and so. To which Billy replied well I am not much of a Doctor and my friends call me Billy. This is just one of the many stories people tell about the humility of Billy Graham.

You cannot say that he is motivated by money, because he does not live a lavish life. This is what Muhammad Ali said upon meeting Billy Graham.
"When I arrived at the airport, Mr. Graham himself was waiting for me. I expected a rolls Royce or at least a Mercedes, but we got in his Oldsmobile and he drove it himself. I couldn't believe he came to the airport driving his own car. When we approached his home I thought he would live on a thousand acre farm and we drove up to his house made of logs. No mansion with crystal chandeliers and gold carpets, it was the kind of house a man of God would live in. I look up to him." -Muhammad Ali

You cannot say he is motivated by political power. During the Civil Rights movement in the south Billy Graham took a stand for equality. Politically he could have washed his hands of the hole issue, he is a preacher from the south. And if he was worried about alienating his constituency this would have been the best thing to do. Because he is a man who cares about all people he made his voice heard. "At Billy's 1952 Jackson, Mississippi, Crusade, ropes had been put out to keep seating for blacks and whites segregated (as was common practice for public meetings in the south at that time). Billy Physically took the ropes down, saying, "look, we're all equal before God," and he refused to let them be put back."
-Cliff Barrows

I consider the Greatest men of all time the ones who lay down their lives for others. Men like Billy Graham are to be admired if not for their cause, for their willingness to dedicate themselves to the desire for good and the good of mankind. Evil Megalomaniac dictators come around every few years, but men Billy Graham only come around every few thousand years.

I have never seen so much talking before a fight

This guy "knows the art".

This came from my buddy Don. It is a video of a fight , it is much more funny than it is violent.
Rated R for Violence and profanity.

Diana is Painting the Neighbors Deck

Well we did it again, got in over our heads. This Deck is huge.
Diana did a good job bidding the job but made a little extra work for herself by power washing the deck a bit too powerfully. We sanded the railings and the deck boards with these electric sanders to get rid of the pits and raised grain that the washer made.

I bet Diana wishes I could sand off the blisters she got from baking out in the sun. Yes she really burned her back bad, as bad as the time I fell asleep on the deck of a fishing boat in the middle of the ocean while on spring break in Mazatlan. Her back bubbled up and oozed for about three days. She had me pop the blisters and then she wanted me to pull the dead skin off. I had to draw the line at the popping, the pulling the dead skin off was just too freaky.
Well because of the rain we have been having Diana is priming the deck tonight while I watch the baby. I definatley got the better end of the deal.

CCM Magazine

This is a mock layout of their cover that I did for them

Well I was offered the job as the Art Director for CCM Magazine. I was a little disappointed that the jobs pay scale was so low, other wise I think I would have jumped at the chance. I was offered the job because of a 6 page spread that I did for them as a freelance project. They liked the work so much that they wanted to make me apart of the team. Even though It would have been a nice opportunity to design for a younger demographic and the music industry, I would have really missed all the people that I have formed relationships with here at BGEA.

I am thankful that I was offered the opportunity, it was a really nice attaboy ego boost (my wife would tell you that that is the last thing I need). Also I have been able to form a working relationship with the people over at CCM, I think they will keep me going with freelance. I will be starting a new project for them next week.

Happy Days Are Here Again

We have been pretty busy around the house and blogging has fallen on the list of priorities. The good thing about slacking is that I have alot to write about. Rather than dump a big load on everyone all at once I am going to spread it out over several blogs. Kind of like when Fonzie jumped the Shark tank on Happy Days and just as he was going over the tank it was To Be Continued. Unfortunately I will have no sharks or Leather Jackets to report on but I may say “ehhh” or "Sit On It" once in a while.

Bella in our new pool!

Bella is such a little fish, she loves the water so we splurged and bought this ankle high pool from target. the nice thing is that we put it on the upstairs deck away from the dirt and the dogs. Before Diana bought this pool she was playing in the dogs water dish. We have more pictures online, Check Them Out>