More Pictures from the Party...

Here are a few more pictures from our Christmas Party this past Friday:

Monica, Meredith and Ning. Say cheese!

Oliver and Bernie: Turkey connoisseurs, and guys that have cooler cars than you do.

Jeremy doin' it up turtle style...

Matt and Kevin discussing Matt's declared status of "World's Greatest Dad".

Christmas Party with the Rabons

Here are a few pics from our Christmas party. Our home was packed and we had a wonderful time!

Here's Bill and Kelly. He must've sat on something...

Cozy on the Couch...

Food!!! Yeah, that's my HOT woman at the bottom of the picture!! More images to come in the next post...

Romney's Religion speech

I must admit that when I heard that Gov. Romney was going to give a speech on Mormonism, I was a little dismayed. My thought was that there was no "up-side" potential to the address. I felt certain that he would further galvanize the evangelicals who dislike him and confuse those who don't see religion as an issue to begin with.

After watching and listening to him speak today, I could not have been more wrong. It was a masterful discourse on the role that faith should play in the governance of the United States of America; ie. that acknowledging the hand of the Almighty and preserving human sovereignty should trump nitpicking over a particular flavor of religion. I believe America is better than that.

I concede that there is a movement (however bigoted) that will never vote for a Mormon, but I think that Gov. Romney may have touched a few hearts that were on the fence about his faith and the role it will play in his Presidency.

On a different note, I also still believe that a Romney/Huckabee ticket would be powerhouse. That's a story for another blog entry...

Here are a few of the salient points from the address- I'm going to try to link a .pdf version to the blog, but I'm not that savvy with this thing yet:

"There are some who may feel that religion is not a matter to be seriously considered in the context of the weighty threats that face us. If so, they are at odds with the nation's founders, for they, when our nation faced its greatest peril, sought the blessings of the Creator. And further, they discovered the essential connection between the survival of a free land and the protection of religious freedom. In John Adam's words: 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. ... Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people.' "
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"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone."
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"When I place my hand on the Bible and take the oath of office, that oath becomes my highest promise to God. If I am fortunate to become your president, I will serve no one religion, no one group, no one cause, and no one interest. A president must serve only the common cause of the people of the United States."
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"There are some who would have a presidential candidate describe and explain his church's distinctive doctrines. To do so would enable the very religious test the founders prohibited in the Constitution. No candidate should become the spokesman for his faith. For if he becomes president he will need the prayers of the people of all faiths."
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"It is important to recognize that while differences in theology exist between the churches in America, we share a common creed of moral convictions. And where the affairs of our nation are concerned, it's usually a sound rule to focus on the latter — on the great moral principles that urge us all on a common course. Whether it was the cause of abolition, or civil rights, or the right to life itself, no movement of conscience can succeed in America that cannot speak to the convictions of religious people.
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"We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America — the religion of secularism. They are wrong.
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"The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust.
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"We should acknowledge the Creator as did the founders — in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places. Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our Constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'"
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"These American values, this great moral heritage, is shared and lived in my religion as it is in yours. I was taught in my home to honor God and love my neighbor. I saw my father march with Martin Luther King. I saw my parents provide compassionate care to others, in personal ways to people nearby, and in just as consequential ways in leading national volunteer movements."
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"My faith is grounded on these truths. You can witness them in Ann and my marriage and in our family. We are a long way from perfect and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the selfsame as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation. And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency."
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"The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed.
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"In such a world, we can be deeply thankful that we live in a land where reason and religion are friends and allies in the cause of liberty, joined against the evils and dangers of the day. And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion — rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith."

Ashley who?

To the vast audiences who view my blog with rapt attention daily (both of you), fear not. More is forthcoming...

Conversations with my Children

Lately the girls have been extra funny with their opinions on ordinary life. Here are a couple of our recent favorites:

1. After bathtime, Ellie said to Shannon, "Riley smells like watermelon, I smell like lipstick, and Hannah smells like a horse."

2. Tonight at dinner, Shannon told Hannah that she was having a Parent/teacher conference with Ms. Searcy, her kindergarten teacher. Here's the conversation:

Shannon: "Tomorrow I have a conference with Ms. Searcy."
Hannah: (with noticeable apprehension), "Why?"
Shannon: It's just a meeting so that she can tell me how things are going at school. Have you been a good girl?"
Hannah: "Uh... Uh... Reasonably."

You heard it here first...

Okay, maybe not FIRST, but maybe one of the first few... I predict that when Gov. Romney wins the republican nomination, he chooses Mike Huckabee as his running mate. Why you say? Check out this article from Politico.com. Soon, I'll figure out how to imbed these links without having to navigate off the page. Sorry, I'm still new at this.


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6606.html

What did you think? I believe that Gov. Huckabee's platform will do much to woo the Christian Conservatives who can't bring themselves to vote for a (collective gasp) Mormon candidate...

Romney's Great Morning...

Romney's polling well in Iowa so far. Check out the link below and make sure you read the disclaimer in the middle of the page. Romeny also picked up a key endorsment in NH. Check it out...

http://www.campaigndiaries.com/2007/10/romney-crushes-field-in-iowa-democrats.html

First Post... Kind of...

This is my second foray into the blogosphere. Hopefully this one will stick. I'm undecided about the "theme" my blog will take, but my current interests have taken a decidedly political slant. I must say that I am enjoying the current election cycle to the point of addiction. Healthy or not, "it is what it is" (By the way, that's the title of Shannon's blog. Check it out). It will come as no surprise to those who know me that I am a Conservative. I have been increasingly dismayed with the current batch of Republicans, and while I am still registered as such, I have chosen to drop the moniker until I see Republicans acting like Republicans.

Gosh! I sound almost like a Ron Paul backer, don't I? Not so. While I respect Dr. Paul and his strictly constitutional philosophy, I think he is a fringe candidate at best. At worst he could become the next Ross Perot and ruin the election as a third party candidate. The Clintons should have sent Mr. Perot a thank you card.

As you can see from the picture, I am a strong supporter of Mitt Romney. This picture was taken at a recent “Ask Mitt Anything” event he hosted in Tega Cay SC. There were a relatively small amount of people there, and we were able to ask questions and receive answers in a very intimate format. I was able to shake his hand and look him in the eye. I found him to be very sincere and forthright, and his political views align very closely to my own. Ralph Norman (SC contender for Congress in ’06) introduced Governor Romney as, “The only candidate in the field who has signed both the front and back of a paycheck.” That struck a chord with me. It will be good to have a person in office who has had both political and private sector success.

I will be posting a video I took of Governor Romney at the event. He was asked a question about trade policy. I posted it on Youtube. Now if I can just figure out how to stick it on my blog…