YouChum

I normally refuse to support products, companies, causes, campaigns, etc. that I cannot personally endorse. For instance, I refuse to buy any PC other than an Apple because I hate that they don't work. I do not patronize Abercrombie and Fitch because of their outrageously pornagraphic marketing campaign. Niether do I support recycling nor its enviro-nazi recycling-militants in their attempts to stymie economic growth.

This past month, however, I received a call from my friend Dan Barnes asking me to help him with a commercial he had been commissioned to make for a new product called "The Chum Bucket." He showed me pictures, explained the idea behind the product and I was left wondering why anyone would want it. All it is, essentially, is a sand pail that has been ergonomically designed to fit your hand.

Despite my record of standing firm against supporting offensive, inappropriate, or simply inane products, I decided to help out a friend with this one and do the ad. To my surprise, the little bucket grew on me. Director Dan helped to sell me on the product and ended up making a great commercial. Well done, WD40.

The result can be seen here.

So I've Resumed!

After a long hiatus, I figure I should get back to writing:

Thomas Sowell--Professor of Economics at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, who happens to be black--wrote today of Sen. Obama and his nefarious associations:

"In addition to giving $20,000 of his own money to Jeremiah Wright, as a state senator Obama directed $225,000 of the Illinois taxpayers' money for programs run by Father Pfleger. In the U.S. Senate, Obama earmarked $100,000 in federal tax money for Father Pfleger's work. Giving someone more than 300 grand is not just some tenuous, coincidental association.

"Are Barack Obama's views shown by what he says during an election year or by what he has been doing for decades before?

"The complete contrast between Obama's election year image as a healer of divisions and his whole career of promoting far-left grievance politics, in association with America-haters like Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers, are brushed aside by his supporters who talk about getting back to "the real issues."

"There is nothing more real than a man's character and values. The track record of what he has actually done is far more real than anything he says, however elegantly he says it."

My question is, why aren't more people up-in-arms over this? If a man like Sen. Obama does not have a public record to run on, how else can we judge him but by his associations and past dealings?

All who know me know that I have serious reservations about Sen. McCain and his penchant for stabbing conservatives in the back, but at least with McCain I know what I'm getting, even if the only reason I'm obliging is because he's the only one left on the shelf.

As Dr. Sowell observes: "There is no office where the character and values of the person in that office matter more than the office of President of the United States. He holds the destiny of 300 million Americans in his hands and the fate of generations yet unborn."

I say we talk about the "real issues," most especially who the candidates are and what guides them so that when we elect our next President, we know what we're ordering.

What do I do now?

I recently wrote an email to a good friend and ardent Hillary Clinton supporter, assessing the current political climate. Here it is:

"I assure you that, in the words of your man Bill, "I feel your pain," with the state of your candidate's campaign. It was devastating seeing my ideal candidate's campaign slip, falter and then get slapped in the face primary after primary. To me, Mitt was my hope to bring "change to Washington," as I'm sure Hillary is for you. Of course, Hillary's chances are not totally shot, but things are looking grim. Just remember that everything happens for a reason and that things have a way of working out. That's what President Hinckley's legacy has imprinted on my consciousness. "Things will work out."

Now the question is, "what do we do now?" Frankly, I hate all three candidates left in the race. Of all three, the most likable by far is Barack Obama, who is also the one with whom I disagree with the most! With Hillary, I'm mostly ambivalent. As for John McCain, my loathing knows no bounds! I cannot stand him on a public or private level; he is a purely disagreeable fellow. In all honesty, I have no idea who I am going to support in November.

I have been considering supporting Hillary--much like Ann Coulter is doing--in order to stop McCain from ruining any hopes of my party's return to its conservative principles. Were it not for her economically catastrophic health care plan, I might have done so. The sad part of this election for me is that there is no conservative option on the ballot. Perhaps Ron Paul will run as a Libertarian and I might consider supporting him, simply as a protest vote. Too bad he's a nut, too.

Were it not for the perspective of the Gospel, I don't think I could stand to witness the onslaught of moral decay, laziness and victimization at all levels of government and society. Thankfully, "things will work out" as they always do."

I'm curious to hear what you think I should do. For whom should I cast my vote in November? Do I dare vote for the Democratic candidate, even at the risk of having to endure four to eight years of a Clinton or Obama Presidency? I shutter to think!

Pardon the delay, but I'm back!

This has been an emotional past few weeks for me, primarily due to the passing of Gordon B. Hinckley--the President and Prophet of my Church. I underestimated my attachment the man. I found myself in tears at the conclusion of his funeral service as the slideshow of his life and accomplishments showed on the screen. Maybe it was that the choir was singing "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need"--my favorite hymn--but by the closing prayer, the tears were flowing and I was going for the Kleenex.

He is one of my heroes. He never failed to serve his fellow men. When faced with criticism or antagonism, he simply smiled, cracked a joke and left the adversary as a friend. His charm, quick wit and genuine love for all people have impacted millions upon millions, both within and without my Church. I've never seen a person treat everyone with such love and respect. In his eyes was a sincere concern for the happiness of every human being, and not at all in a judgmental "you're-all-going-to-hell" way; but rather, he spoke to people in a humble, loving and grandfatherly way.

Perhaps above all else that I admire in this great man is his example. He has shown me what it means to be a man. His life was never about "Gordon," but was always about his fellow-men. He served tirelessly, and the fruits of his efforts are incalculable. 97 years of consecrated dedication to his God resulted in a full, vibrant life--a life worth admiring.

I shouldn't be so distraught over his passing; he was ready to go. Since the passing of his wife Marjorie a few years ago, I'm sure he's been eagerly anticipating their reunion. Plus, after living such a full and substantial life, we have no reason to mourn a "job well done." As Mark Twain put it, the only reason that we rejoice at birth and weep at funerals is because we are not the ones involved.

I love Alfred, Lord Tennyson's insights conveyed in his poem, "Crossing the Bar":

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

I want to be like Gordon B. Hinckley. His life is an idyllic example of the life of a disciple of Christ--in word and deed. Obviously, I have a long way to go to be a man like Gordon B. Hinckley, but I figure that in striving to follow his example, I might be brought a little closer to realizing the goal of becoming like the Master. He is a man!

United 93

After weeks of anticipation, the other night my cousin/roommate Brad and I finally got to watch the movie United 93. It was quite possibly the most intense 2 hours of my life. We were screaming at the TV while re-living the atrocities of 9/11, this time from the insiders' perspective.

I was amazed at the hatred and skewed morals of the terrorists themselves. How did they get to the point where they were willing to give up everything they had in order to kill as many Americans as possible, instilling fear and anger in the hearts of the rest? What did they think we were going to do? Just submit to their demands, stay out of the Middle East and cover our women head to toe and subject them to public rape/death if they stepped out of line? I would like to see what Gloria Allred would do to them if they tried to do that to her or any of her clients!

[A quick aside to the moral relativists out there: Muslim extremism is not a comparable system of values. Certainly, American's values are not always "right" (e.g. slavery, residual racism, etc.) but the values themselves of freedom, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, etc. are closely guarded and are at the very heart of our judicial system and laws. The same cannot be said for a society bent on the suppression of women, people of other faiths, and the basic freedoms that should be given to all men, everywhere. Murdering innocent people in the name of God is an abhorrent position; everyone inherently believes that. And since these terrorists are set on destroying our culture, system of values and everything that we have and are in the name of God and will stop at nothing until they achieve their goal, we have no choice but to kill them first (See Alma 46 in the Book of Mormon).]

But I found so much satisfaction in the brave action of the passengers on flight United 93. They were the very first to stand up against the terrorist threat and it didn't take them any time at all to muster the courage to kill the murderous thugs. That is the spirit that makes America great; the spirit that is missing in today's society. It's not the spirit of killing terrorists--although, if you gave me an AK-47 and dropped me in Baghdad, I'd be happy to do that very thing--but it's the spirit that America is the greatest country in the world and that we must unite our efforts to defend that which we hold so dear to our hearts--that which our common enemy is so relentlessly trying to annihilate. Nothing should get in our way of defending our home. This is why I have finally decided that were John McCain to win the Republican nomination (Heaven forbid), I would still vote for him over any of the Democratic candidates with their reckless foreign policies. At the very least, I know he will kill terrorists.

Needless to say, by the end of the movie I was worked up into a frenzy. Had the Army recruiters been there at that moment, I would have signed up to go be on the front lines to kill those terrorists. Thankfully, Erin came to the rescue and brought over High School Musical 2 which, after watching, calmed me down and made me happy again.

Steve Jobs, You've Done It Again!

Today's unveiling of the MacBook Air blew my mind. Steve Jobs and his crew at Apple are always miles ahead of their competition. To me, this is a strange phenomenon. Why is it that there has not arisen a comparable computer on the market? Are all of the creative and innovative engineers working in Cupertino or is there some other explanation for this disparity? Whatever the reasons, the results are clear: Apple is far superior to its competition.

Has you asked me a few months ago (before using my first Apple computer), I would have dismissed Apple as the "trendy" computer, with little or no advantages besides aesthetics. However, I have fully-converted to the MacWorld and have no intentions of going back to PCs. I'm not the only one who has come to this conclusion either. Millions of others have jumped the "PC ship" in search of a cleaner, more efficient, and less-stressful computer and have joined the winning team. Just ask the Apple stockholders.

The "Agent of Change"

I'm a big Mark Steyn fan; his command of the english language and keen insights make for very entertaining articles. His latest doesn't disappoint. This is why I'm an Econ Major.