President Obama's Speech

I have heard the chaos about President Obama giving a speech to the nation's school age children. I held off forming my final opinion until I read the speech for myself.

Here is the speech

I am impressed. Not only am I impressed that our president would take the time out of his day running the country to speak to our children, I am impressed by his speech. I feel motivated and encouraged by it, and I'm not even in school.

I am disappointed in parents that would not want their children to participate in such a moment. Why would any parent NOT want that encouragement for their children encouraged to stay in school and do their best? It is an honor for the president to give such a speech. Instead of creating hate, and teaching children not to listen when the president speaks, parents should be teaching their children what an honor it is and encourage them to take on the responsibilities of doing their best and knowing they are our future.

I'll finish with this. My hope is that our children will stay in school, will work hard, will set goals, and will accomplish much. And when they have children of their own, they will be open-minded, respectful, and encouraging when the president of their day wants to give an equally encouraging speech.

Feel Free to Educate Me

I've been rather disappointed with myself for not keeping up with the election better. So yesterday, I decided I would educate myself. In doing so, I have become frustrated, and therefore decided I wasn't really missing much.

I have watched the third presidential debate, I have read up on both websites, and I have browsed around on peoples' blogs. My research won't stop, but I feel I have done a fairly good job of seeing as much of all sides as I can.

Now, for my opinion. (This is the part where, if you don't like what my opinion is, you can stop reading. No hard feelings.)

When it comes to healthcare- and this is obviously a big issue for my family considering my husband's history- I like McCain's idea of letting the people choose who their health insurance company is, and therefore forcing companies to be more proactive in offering lower premiums and better services. However, I don't believe his plan to get it is going to be as big of a financial break as he thinks it will be. In Obama's plan, I am grateful for the idea that insurance companies will be forced to cover pre-existing conditions. I understand that will be played and taken advantage of, however Selo and I both have had to pay for exams and such that should have been covered by insurance, simply because I'm not able to provide the paperwork that states we had covered 18 months earlier (again, because I couldn't get the insurance company to provide it). I like the idea that all people will be able to get health coverage- I believe everyone, regardless of family size, income, or current conditions, should have health coverage. I also like Obama's ideas for improving healthcare overall- for patients and providers- and lowering all around costs- for patients and providers.

On the issue of energy, I see both sides. They both plan to make the US more indepent and reduce our dependency on other countries for oil. The both plan on going more green, which is better for us financially, environmentally, and will give a lot more jobs. They both plan to give a tax credit for people that purchase environmentally friendly vehicles. The way Obama and McCain plan to make these changes happen are different, but I believe both will be effective.

For education, I, again, feel that Obama's plan is more detailed, and therefore will be more effective. McCain's plans sounds good, but I don't like the idea of letting people choose to send their kids where ever they want. I am in favor of giving people more choices and therefore requiring schools to do better, however I think letting parents choose to send their kids where ever they want will become more of a popularity contest and cause more chaos than do any good. For Obama's plan, he is aware and plans to focus on the problem of losing teachers. He also plans to aide in the cost of colleges by giving a tax credit (although, I am unsure where the money for this will be coming from). I'm not too much in favor of making applying for financial aide as easy as he wants it to be, however. I feel that those who really want it will work to apply for it (by doing all the paperwork) and those who don't need it don't waste their time. It seems too easy, and that's going to make more people abuse it, and less people who need it able to get it.

After all my research, I feel it is a close decision. However, I can look at what McCain says and say "I don't like the way it sounds", but look at Obama's plan and say "I don't like X, but Y and Z are good." I can pick out exactly what I do and don't like about Obama's plans and ideas, where as McCain's are so broad that I can't do that with his. I feel that overall, Obama has a better idea of what he's doing. McCain seems shady.

McCain also does something else that really bothers me. He REacts instead of acts. For example, I went to both of their websites to compare their views. I started with healthcare. When I opened McCain's page on healthcare, I had to scroll down and read through all of his slander on Obama's plan before I got to what McCain had to say for himself. I wondered if it was typical of both parties to do such a thing, so I pulled up Obama's healthcare page to see for myself. Not so. Obama went right into what his plan was and details about it. I don't like that McCain has to attack Obama and defend himself before he can get to the issue at hand. I don't need McCain pointing out to me how wrong Obama is. I'm a big girl and I can make that decision for myself when I go look at Obama's page, I want to see McCain's issues on McCain's page.

So that's where I stand as of now. If you have another opinion, please help me out and educate me. I'm not into arguing, but I want to be sure that when I vote I am sure of my vote. And if you or someone out there has something that will persuade a still persuadable mind, please, bring it forward.

EDIT: Something else that is bothering me. I am trying to find people that I can talk to about both sides. I have found people I can talk to about Obama, but everyone I ask about McCain only tries to shove down my throat how much better he is than Obama or tells me to keep doing my research to learn about McCain. Well, after doing my research and asking around, I still don't feel that I am learning very much about McCain. I can't find someone that will just talk to me (face to face or over IM) about McCain. So why would I vote for a president that is so difficult to learn about?

My Boss is at the Whitehouse

See where I circled? That's my boss and his wife, the owner of the company I work for, who's office I am right next to. They were invited to the Whitehouse for this speech because of all the work Mrs Boss does with Emergency Preparedness. I knew I loved my company and my bosses, but this makes the world (at least, our country) just a little bit smaller. And makes my heart swell with pride :D

Want more info? Click here

How Much Do You Know About Our Country?

I am proud of my country. I am red blooded, southern, and proud. I thrive on knowledge and politics and improving myself and my country.

But there are plenty of people out there just willing to complain and live off the state and others without doing anything to better themselves.

These people, to me, are unintelligent and lazy.

SO! Which one are you?

TAKE THIS QUIZ to find out. I took the quiz and received a score of 10,400. Go me!

Surprised, yet Pleased

I must admit, I did not expect the results of the Iowa caucus. But, I am pleased. I don't have any bad feelings about either Obama or Huckabee. At this point, I would be glad to have either one as my president. I wasn't expecting Clinton or Giuliani to have such low numbers, though.

You can check out the results at The Political Realm

I liked Obama's victory speech. I loved the line "We came together as Democrats, as Republicans and independents, to stand up and say we are one nation, we are one people and our time for change has come." I think it was powerful, uniting, and encouraging.


I joined two political groups today. One is to keep me updated on numbers. The other is a discussion group, where I can discuss and debate. IMO, the best way to learn is to get in and get busy. So I am getting informed and getting involved.

Things are just going to keep getting better.

Speechless

This is not my story, but I was blessed to have heard it. I support our soldiers 100%, for as long as they are out there. Enjoy this short story.


One of my sons serves in the military. He is still stateside, here in California. He called me yesterday to let me know how warm and welcoming people were to him and his troops everywhere he goes, telling me how people shake their hands and thank them for being willing to serve and fight for not only our own freedoms , but so that others may have them also.

But he also told me about an incident in the grocery store he stopped at yesterday on his way home from the base. He said that ahead of several people in front of him stood a woman dressed in a burkha.

He said when she got to the cashier she loudly remarked about the U.S. flag lapel pin the cashier wore on her smock. The cashier reached up and touched the pin, and said proudly, "Yes, I always wear it and probably always will."

The woman in the burkha then asked the cashier when she was going to stop bombing her countrymen, explaining that she was Iraqi.

A gentleman standing behind my son stepped forward. Putting his arm around my son's shoulders and nodding towards my son, he said in a calm and gentle voice to the Iraqi woman:

"Lady, hundreds of thousands of men and women like this young man have fought and died so that YOU could stand here, in MY country, and accuse a check-out cashier of bombing YOUR countrymen. It is my belief that had you been this outspoken in YOUR own country, we wouldn't need to be there today. But, hey, if you have now learned how to speak out so loudly and clearly, I'll gladly buy you a ticket and pay your way back to Iraq so you can straighten out the mess in YOUR country that you are obviously here in MY country to avoid."

Let's Say Thanks- Don't forget the soldiers this holiday season!

Huckabee is Gaining

At least in my book. Since my last post, I've laid around on the couch and done research. (I know, I'm lazy. lol But it's Saturday!)Between YouTube, CNN, and Wiki, I am learning a lot. When it comes the the candidate that I would choose to represent the Republican party, Mike Huckabee is slowly climbing the ladder.
Not only do I connect with him as a Christian, but it is a breath of fresh air to hear a candidate so sure, so ready, and so un-waivering on their religious and moral beliefs. All of America could use a leader with morals this strong.

From Where I Stand

In reading up on some of the candidates for the coming Presidential election, I came across this quote by Huckabee when asked about his views on gay rights:

"What people do in the privacy of their own lives as adults is their business," Huckabee said. "If they bring it into the public square and ask me as a taxpayer to support it or to endorse it, then it becomes a matter of public discussion and discourse."


It made me think. For the last while, my standpoint has been this: I believe it would be acceptable to provide the same privileges of married couples (such as health insurance, tax benefits, ect) to a same sex couple, even though I believe that the act of being gay is morally wrong. I do not feel that the person is a bad person, or that they should be denied based on their choice of a mate. (There are plenty of straight people that I feel THAT would apply to, if brought up.) I felt that what a person does in their bedroom was their choice, and as long as it did not hurt me, it was not my place to refuse them.
However, Huckabee's statement has brought me to re-consider my standpoint on it. The part where he states "ask me as a taxpayer to support it or endorse it" brings it to my attention that that was exactly what would be happening. If I were to support a person with a same-sex relationship to be given privileges that I, as a taxpayer, would be paying for, then it DOES become my business. Which basically means that I need to re-evaluate what I feel about this situation.

At this point, I have not narrowed my decision down to one candidate. I know where I stand on most issues, and I am researching where each candidate stands.
For the Democrats, I would choose Barack Obama. He just seems real to me. He's friendly. He's straightforward. He's willing to play around and be one of the people. His attitude states that he is not better than us, he is one of us. To me, that says he would have the best interest of all the American people in mind.
For the Republicans, I would choose Mitt Romney. Although I don't particularly care for his "Utah attitude", I am very impressed by his business and financial background- which I feel would greatly benefit our country considering it's situation right now.
If I had to choose between those two, I would be back and forth for quite a while on the decision.

As for some of the other candidates:
Hilary knows what she is doing. She's very much a politician, and certainly knows how to raise finances. The amount of money she has spent on her campaign interests me for this reason: a candidate that has that kind of money must know how to raise that kind of money. If she did that while President, it would make a huge difference. The down side to Hilary is her baggage- she doesn't have a great history there- and . . . well I can't put my finger on it exactly, but her power. She seems too strong, too powerful, just too . . . much.
Rudy, I'm not too thrilled with. I don't feel fired up at all when I watch him or read about him. I am grateful for what he did during Sept 11, 2001. I don't really have anything bad to say about him, but I don't have anything good either. If he wins next month, I will do more in depth research about him. For now, other candidates are so much more interesting to me.
Huckabee is a new light to me. I didn't see anything special about him until recently. I will be watching him more closely for the next little while and doing more research about him. I don't have an opinion one way or the other yet, but I am interested in him, what he has to say, and where he is going.

No one else has caught my eye enough to make mention of.

Mitt Romney's Speech was. . .

. . . very well put. I was impressed by it. Once again, I am proud to be American.

I'll go deeper into this later when I have time. Sorry so short.

Republican YouTube Debate

I've only been through about seven or eight questions so far, but I'm already disappointed. The Republicans (and yes, I am a Republican) were quite rude. At least, for the first few questions they are. They interrupt each other, don't listen to the host AT ALL, and throw insults as if the other person isn't standing right next to them. Even for politicians, their manners are terrible. I don't know if the Democrats had the same type of poor respect. I will have to go back and watch. And as of yet, I haven't seen too many difficult questions. I am hoping that the more I watch, the better the questions will get. I guess I will find out.

SO MAD

I can't believe I missed it! I missed the You Tube Republican Debates! They were last night. Our life has been so crazy lately, I didn't even remember about them. Needless to say, I am very upset about this. I wanted to actually watch them, as they happened.
You can be assured that I will not be uninformed, though. I plan on devoting plenty of time to watching the questions, researching the questions and answers, and making my own decisions about each one- and the candidate(s) that answered.
The Republican debate is a big deal for me. I am familiar with the Democratic candidates, and familiar with where my top Democratic choices stand on particular issues. I was very much looking forward to seeing the Republican debates so I could become familiar with and make some decisions on some Republican candidates as well.
I'm glad for today's techonological world, which allows me to pull up YouTube.com, and see what I missed at a time that is convenient for me.

Don't know who to vote for? Take this quiz to narrow down your Top Three Candidates

I love politics. I love researching and reading and talking and debating and discussing and learning and all of it. I am loving all the political stuff that is already going on for the coming election. You know, the one next year. I voted in the last few elections. Didn't shirk on my American responsibility! However, this time, I feel like I will really know the candidates when I vote. I have been studying since summer of this year. That will give me a year and a half of studying and watching and listening. (Did I mention I am loving every minute of it?) I believe I have narrowed down the candidates I prefer. Out of the current 17 candidates, I have a handful picked out, because you never know how, when, or why things could change. Today, I found a quiz. This quiz asks eleven questions, and you answer them multiple choice. The questions are on Iraq, immigration, Health Care, and Hot Topics (one question each for taxes, same sex marriage, and global warming), and one last question about your requirements for a President. The quiz totals up your scores, compares them to the candidates, and presents you with the top three that match your answers. My answers were very accurate. My top two matches I had predicted, the third one was a candidate I will be doing more research on in the near future.

So, if you are American, I expect you to do your American duty and vote in the Presidential election next year. If you don't know anything about any of the candidates, I suggest you get started. And if you would like to save time by starting with three that are the closest to your beliefs, try the quiz.

ABCs Match-O-Meter Quiz


Meet the Candidates
Introduced by:

ABC
YouTube
CNN

Learn something new every day

Your Score: Neo-Conservative

You scored 31% Personal Liberty and 40% Economic Liberty!

A neo-conservative believes in moderate to high government intervention on personal matters and moderate government intervention on economic matters. Unlike most other conservatives, they may tend to support a social safety net, though to a lesser extent then most leftists. Others are more capitalistically inclined. They tend to support war, police powers, foreign intervention and laws restricting personal liberty. Neo-conservatives tend to emphasize foreign policy. Neo-conservatism is the result of "fusion" between "old left" and "new right" tendencies.

Link: The Politics Test written by brainpolice on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

The moment of truth is approaching

I have been writing my little hands off for the last few weeks! I have been doing English papers, I signed up with two paid blogging sites (although I have only done one assignment so far), and I have been writing article after article for the CougarCry (the college newspaper). I love blogging, and I'm glad to have a place to "free write". I love my English class and I am glad to be learning all the writing and grammar techniques that will improve the writing I am already doing. And I completely love writing for the school paper, which is allowing me to get my writing out to the entire campus- and the two off campus associated schools! If I wanted to be a journalist, I would definitely be in the right direction for it. I have had so many people inflate my ego by telling me how great my writing is :) I'll have to be careful or my head will get too big.
When it comes to my blog, I am working on expanding my writing. I want to have a broader range of subjects to write about. I am also learning to develop my writing. Starting with the first step and working to the last. And by looking at the way my writing has changed in the last few weeks, I have seen the improvements. The next issue of the CougarCry comes out in about two weeks or so, and I will one of the first to be getting my copy. I want to see how my writing looks in something as important as the newspaper!
About the SGA (Student Government Association). After meeting and speaking with Scott- the admin counselor in charge of the CougarCry and the SGA- he has asked me to change the position I am running for. Rather than running for a Freshman Senator position, he would like me to run for Assistant Program Chairman. I'm a little nervous about this. The FS is an entry level in the SGA, and I would be there mostly to learn how everything works. The APC position is a full government position, and I would be required to attend all SGA meetings, be responsible for activity planning and executing, and anything else that is needed. We sit around conference tables and make all the decisions about activities and arrangements for the to happen. Although I am honored to have already been promoted, I haven't even been elected to the FS position, and I'm nervous about that one already. I have talked to him about the differences and responsibilities a couple of times, and Scott insists I would have no trouble with it. So I guess we will just await the results of the SGA elections next week.
Well I am off to finish another article for the paper. We have our next meeting on Friday, and I am looking forward to it.

The Bill of No Rights

I love America. I am a red-blooded, southern, American woman and I am proud of it.
That being said, I would like to present to you the Bill of No Rights. I thank the intelligent and pro-active person that has created this, and I fully support it.
Thank you to Crystal who had this on her blog.


EDITED: I felt guilty about posting the entire thing on my blog, since someone else wrote it and I was copying it. So let me do this. Here is the link to Lewis Napper and The Bill of No Rights where you can find this.

This is my favorite article of all of them:

ARTICLE II -- You do not have the right to never be offended.
This country is based on freedom, and that means the freedom for everyone, not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the world is full of idiots and probably always will be.

God Bless America!

And I'm back in the . . . BLOG!

Hi Everyone! I had a great vacation over the weekend. Hubby and I went to visit my "grandpa" Ronnie in Cherokee. We had a good visit with him and the girls- Chloe and Emma. We went to the Apple Festival, and it was a blast. Monday, I laid around on the couch all day. I don't know if I was warn out from the weekend or what, but I was sick. Sinus cold and headache. Last night I took some NyQuil and was in bed by eleven. I got a much needed 8 1/2 hours of sleep. This morning, I felt SO much better. Yay for NyQuil!
Rewind to last week: Friday was great. I took my math test. I had been studying since the first day of school for this. I felt really good about it afterward, even though I was so nervous. Well I got the results today, and I got a 96%! All that studying paid off! I also had a meeting for the Cougar Cry. (The WCC student produces newspaper.) And guess who is the newest writer for the paper? You got it, me. *Big grin* Loni was so happy I was there, and she was assigning me topics before the meeting was half over. I have several stories I am working on now. I love writing, and I know I can write. It's going to be great to have someone to focus my writing on. Plus, I think it will help me move into some more serious writing, which is something I have been wanting to do but didn't know how. This is going to be such a positive change for me.
Back to the present: I have a meeting for the SGA on Thursday. The admin counselor for the paper is the same admin counselor for the SGA. And since he liked me, I think I have a good chance for the SGA. I will be doing an article on the SGA meeting for that paper too, so that will give me a good "in" to ask lots of questions. I am excited about the meeting.
School is going pretty well. I have been working hard and studying hard, and it's beginning to pay off. It's nice to see my hard work being put toward something so great.
The kittens are doing well. They are growing so much. They spend most of the morning outside, and then come inside in the afternoon. Sarabi and Piper are beginning to get along. Or maybe I should say Piper is beginning to be more tolerable of Sarabi chasing her. Naala doesn't seem to find the same thrill in it, though. Her latest toy? A gold chain. Expensive little baby, isn't she?Hubby and I are "in progress" for potty training them. So far, it has worked well. I look forward to the day they are completely potty trained- no more litter box, mess, or cleaning up.
Yesterday, since I did nothing but lay around, I got a lot done in FFXI. I cleaned out my MH for both my main and my mule, and even for Xaint. I did a bunch of beginner quests: Cornettes, Yag necklaces, and Crawler calculus'. I put five stacks of Earth Crystals on the AH. Five stacks! And I have a good amount of all the other types of crystals still in my MH. I lvled my BRD from 8-14. I love BRD. It is an easy job, but keeps me busy. I hate dumb melee jobs like NIN or WAR, they are just so boring. (Don't hit me!) But I like BRD, because although I melee, I am still active in the party. I am thinking about trying PLD, or even- Heaven forbid- DRK. We shall see. But for now, I am enjoying BRD, and I'm going to keep lvling it.
Well, on to my homework! And then I am off to work through my email. I had over 60 emails this weekend. I feel so loved!

Update, in a nutshell

I finally finished my math homework. I did the entire first chapter, and we are already preparing for the first test. Wow! But I sure put a lot of work into it. Here's a SS of the first chapter's homework. I would have had a perfect score, except I got marked down for not including a comma in one of the answers. Yeah, a comma. Are you serious? Anyway, I would have had a perfect score. Not to say I didn't struggle. Holy crap, I hate multiplication. I can do the addition, subtraction, division, algebra, even some geometry. But when it comes to multiplying huge numbers, I suck.

English is okay. It's going to be a lot more work than I anticipated. But I can handle it. I finished my first two homework assignments, and I will be ready to turn the second in before it is due. So far, I am staying on top of all my work. Which isn't easy. But I'm working my butt off.

I finished and turned in my applications for the Cougar Cry and the SGA. I am looking forward to hearing back about both of those too. Plus, I called the school to find out about getting my truck in to have the starter replaced. Waiting to hear back from the instructor, but a student told me it shouldn't be a problem. I know, I know, don't get too excited. But hey, one more step in the right direction!
Sarabi and Naala are doing well. They are so playful and so cute. And they love being outside, even though they WON'T go in the grass. Every morning they *run* for the door, and stay out until I make them come inside. They play on the porch, and under the cars, and around the door but they hate the grass. I have started picking them up and putting them in the grass, so that they have to walk through it to get back. Eventually they will need to leave the porch, and that means grass. Sadly, they still have fleas. After doing a lot of research, I'm not surprised a bath didn't get rid of them. We are actually going to have someone come in and spray for fleas, and then all the kitties will get another bath and top spot flea treatment. Until then, it's a bath often to keep them from being eaten alive. Soon enough I am going to create a Catster profile for each of them, and probably remove (or definitely retire) the Sweetie, Jack, and West Kittens profiles. Sarabi is so playful and fun to watch. And Naala is so snuggly and cuddly. It's hard to be sad at all with those two babies around.
I've been thinking about DigiScrapping lately. I filed everything away a while ago until I could get organized and time to do it. But every time I see cute pics I want to get going with it. I think I am going to start when my sis has her baby, and go from there. That is a good reason and a good place to start.
Speaking of family, Hubby and I want a vacation. We had a few in thought, but nothing planned. I have the week off for my birthday (Fall break, hahaha), and we are thinking about the FFXI FanFair in Nov, and we are still considering Michigan/Canada with Sanny and Gary- and Teasia now. We have some ideas, and we are talking, but nothing for sure yet. Suggestions are welcome. We'll have something figured out soon enough. lol Either that, or we will just show up in Michigan randomly one day, like we did last time. (Love you Sanny!)
I have been thinking about Hayden lately. He will turn six in ten days. I am going to get a birthday card and send it like I always do. And I will write Anndra (Hayden's mom) the usual yearly update letter about me and my life. Even though I never hear from them anymore, I keep sending birthday and Christmas cards. John and Anndra are Hayden's parents and Hayden is there son, but a significant part of my heart will always love him just as much as every day that he was in my stomach and I was with him in the hospital. My love for him will never fade. And I love John and Anndra dearly for being so wonderful. They make a wonderful family. I just want to make sure Hayden knows that my love for him (and his parents, for that matter) has never and will never fade.
I have been *so* addicted to YouTube right now. Not just anything on there, the YouTube Democratic Debate. I am constantly fishing the net for more, and diving into anything I can find. I love politics. The more I can find to feed my political hunger the better. I really hope the Republicans take the opportunity for theirs coming up. If not, I would love to see them answer questions and present themselves anyway. I understand the whole"end of quarter" conflict. However IMO, this is a brand new and first rate way for the candidates to connect with people.
It is spreading like wildfire, and they would be smart to take advantage of it to the full potential.
Church was so good yesterday. I taught the 8-10 year olds, basically Levi and Tamra. They are so much fun. Congratulations to my cousin Erica, on her engagement. She is beautiful, and they will make a great couple. And pardon me for being selfish, I am so excited to have another young married couple (specifically that don't have young children yet) near us that we can get to know and become friends with. I love Erica already, and I am excited for the opportunity to get to know her even better. Last I heard, they are planning to be married in the Hawaii temple.
One more thing before I go, I love my husband. And I feel SO loved. A hug and kiss every time he gets home from work, encouraging words to keep me going on my homework, snuggling me at night, doing the dishes so I don't have to, making sure my car has plenty of gas so I won't have to worry about it, protecting, supporting, and loving me. Sugar, I couldn't ask for anyone better than you <3

Another touchy subect

While browsing Domestic Divapalooza, I found another subject causing a lot of stir in our country. I believe bringing up issues is a healthy and productive way of improving and ensuring progress in our country, politics, lives, and families. However this issue brings so much Hate to the floor, that people avoid it at all costs or die for it. There's not much middle ground. You can't NOT have an opinion anymore. Which is why it is coming up so often in so many conversation.
I am forming my opinions about these issues. I don't have anything set in stone yet. But I am leaning this way on one thing and that way on another. The more I hear, the better I can make an educated decision about my feelings.

On this issue, I agree with what Senator Dodge says when he is asked about this issue:
Do you support gay marriage?

What are your views on this issue?

Are our American Troops dying in Vain?

I am very interested in Politics. As the election as been growing closer, and growing more heated, I have researched my fair share of information. One blog I have found is Domestic Divapalooza. I appreciate the information that is given. She is always posting questions to and responses from presidential candidates. One recent question was about our troops, and Are they dying in vain? I think not! IMO, a soldier is not dying in vain if he is fighting for what he believes in and in support of his country! The war may not be what YOU believe in, and they may not be dying for what YOU think is right. But they are there, fighting for what THEY believe in. And in doing so, that is what matters.

If you would like to hear more about this question and answer, click on the link below.
Are the troops dying in vain?