Go Swiss!

Sometimes you have to hand it to the Swiss. Not too long ago, my husband sent me this video about their gun policy and why they have such a low crime rate.




Then today I read an interesting article by American Vision about a new Swiss ban on minarets being added to mosques. Here are a few snips from the article.

In a referendum, 57 percent of the voters and 22 out of 26 cantons voted in favor of a ban on building minarets to the mosques in the nation.

The Swiss did not ban the minarets just because they didn’t like them, or because they would go “against the traditions.” On the contrary, the referendum went under the definite statement that “Islam is a religion of intolerance and dictatorship.”

Our liberty and prosperity are based on our Christian religion, and they are a package deal. You can’t have the fruits without the roots. If you want the roots of a different religion, go back where you have the fruits of it as well.

We Are Back

This is a brief run-down of our very cool vacation.

We left December 18th.

We stayed with my uncle near Shreveport, LA. It was nice to see him and his wife. I had not seen them since my dad's funeral 5 years ago.

On the 20th, we drove to Biloxi, MS and let the kids look for shells at the beach. They had been asking to see a beach for some time so we had a good time even though it was quite cold. That night we slept at the Moss Point Oaks Bed and Breakfast in Moss Point, MS. We had a nice stay here. The innkeeper even made us sack lunches for the next day for only a few dollars more.

The next day we saw the USS Alabama in Mobile. It was quite fascinating. My husband especially liked it. Beside the ship, there is a collection of airplanes and a submarine on display that you can tour for the cost of admission. We then drove a little farther to Pensacola, FL and visited the Creation Science Evangelism offices. They are the main carriers of my Creation for Little Sprouts DVD and it was nice to put faces with voices I had been talking to on the phone. That night we stayed at the Howard Johnson Express in Tallahassee, FL.

Our next big adventure was snorkeling with the manatees at Crystal River, FL. We got to see and touch lots of manatees on our 6 AM tour. I would recommend requesting a high visibility stop if you had kids. Our first stop was murky and it is a little disconcerting to see a giant manatee suddenly "appear" only a few feet in front of you. It is amazing to be in the water with these gentle giants. The night before we stayed at the lake house rented by the same people that run the tour. It was really nice and came with kayaks. We had a great time paddling up and down the river looking at birds and such.

After the manatee tour, we drove across Florida to my brother- and sister-in-law's house. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there with my mother- and father-in-law. It was a very pleasant time. We went to the Brevard Zoo and even got to take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean.

We then spent two nights at the Anastasia Inn in St. Augustine, FL with my brother- and sister-in-law and their baby. The first day we went to the Castillo de San Marco. It is a fascinating fortress that was build in the late 1600's. The next day we went to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. They have every species of crocodilian. We even got to have our family picture taken while holding a baby American Alligator. We also went to Anastasia State Park and found star fish and a mermaid's purse.

The next day, the in-laws went back home and we continued north to Cumberland Island, GA. We saw wild horses, armadillos, and turkeys. The animals have few if any predators so they weren't skittish at all. The ferry ride there and back was a new experience for the kids.

After spending the night in the very inexpensive, hideously decorated, clean Star Motel in Folkston, GA we went to the Okefenokee Swamp. We took the boat tour and saw a raccoon, alligator, and quite a few birds. We also walked the board walk to the observation tour. You got a real feel for what the swamp was like overall from up there.

We spent the night in a great little b&b in Tifton, GA called Shalom House. There was a pool table, goats to pet, a friendly family, and a great breakfast. We drove from there to Providence Canyon near the Alabama border. The trail from the visitor center was quite strenuous so we only went the quarter mile down to a little stream and back. We the canyon itself was very beautiful with very colorful layers.

We slept at the Jameson Inn in Selma, Alabama then it was up for a 6-7 hour drive to my uncle's house in Louisiana. That was New Year's Eve so we were glad to be off the road shortly after it got dark. We made it back to Fort Worth New Year's Day.

It was an awesome trip. I am already planning the next one. We are thinking about a tour of the Rocky Mountain states.

Farewell!

This is farewell if only temporarily. We are leaving in a couple of days for a trip and won't be back for a while. I wish you all a blessed and Christ-centered Christmas.

I hope to post about our trip, but might not have much access to fast computers until we get back.

ICE! at the Gaylord Texan

For my husband's Christmas office party we went on the ICE! tour at the Gaylord Texan. While the ice sculptures were impressive the thing that amazed me the most was the section on Jesus. Not only were there life-size nativity figures, but a narrator told a simple Gospel message. The message wasn't compromising and even called Jesus savior, king, and priest when it talked about the wise men. I thought that was pretty cool.

Why Do Black People like the Democrats?

The Family Research Council has an interesting article about a Sen. Reid quote. In the quote, he alludes to what many people assume: that it was the Republicans that stood in the way of the 13th amendment and later against civil rights measurements. Then FRC follows it up with the facts.

Every vote against Lincoln 's Emancipation Proclamation was cast by a Democrat. In 1922, when Republicans tried to outlaw lynching, Senate Democrats filibustered the bill until it died and continued filibustering against it until it was approved in 1957. When the great Civil Rights Act of 1964 finally passed, Republicans in the Senate backed it 23-6, but Democrats in the majority approved by only 44-23. Without the Republican Party, it wouldn't have become the law of the land.

So my question is. . .
Why are so many African Americans so loyal to the Democrat party? I don't get it. Even today has the Democrat party really helped minorities or have they just been playing a smoke and mirrors game?

The Blind Side

I am excited about this movie. I probably won't see it in the theaters because it is sooo expensive, but I am on the edge of my seat for the DVD to come out. One of the things that made me excited to see it was this article on One News Now. In it is this quote:

Bullock says thanks to the Tuohys [the family in the movie], who attend Grace Evangelical Church in Memphis, she now has "faith in those who say they represent a faith." Getting to know Leigh Anne Tuohy, says the actress, showed her that religious faith can be authentic. "She was so open and honest and forthright," Bullock shares, "and I said, wow, I finally met someone who practices but doesn't preach."

If you would like to see trailers or learn more about the movie, go to the official website here.

The Illegality of Making Ends Meet

My kids and I watched the movie Kit Kittredge a few weeks ago. It is set in the Great Depression. The main character, Kit, comes from a wealthy family who suddenly has to make ends meet. It was a great movie for discussing many topics with the kids.

One thing that really struck me is how many of the ways they made ends meet would be illegal today.
1. Taking in boarders- unless you live somewhere zoned multi-residential this is usually illegal.
2. Keeping chickens in your back yard- In the suburb where we live, this is actually not illegal as long as you have less than 4 and less than 4 pets total and your neighbors don't complain of the noise. In many places though this would be illegal.
3. Selling eggs from your chickens to your neighbors- I am sure that you would need to be inspected by some official to be able to sell eggs.

The only thing that we could do without breaking a law or two would be sewing clothes and selling them. But you should probably fill out a DBA and get a sales tax number because you know the state would want its 8.25%.

It is striking how much less freedom people have here in the early 2000's to make ends meet.

Another comparison I can make is between here and now and Mexico in the 1990's (when I lived there). A great many Mexicans that I knew had transformed their garage or part of their house into a business of some kind. The lady on the corner had a mini grocery store. So did the man down the street. My host mother had two little apartments in her back yard that she rented out. These people did not keep records or give receipts. I am almost sure that they didn't report stuff to the government. And yet no one seemed to care.

Also, people often gave themselves made-up jobs. For example, there was an old man at the grocery store that had a "uniform" and a whistle. He was a self-proclaimed security guard. He lived off of tips from the shoppers. This would certainly be illegal here. Some people might be put off by these made up jobs, but I think it is healthier for people to do what they can instead of waiting for the government to give them a handout.

I am not saying that I would rather live in Mexico than here, but I am saying that they had more freedom to make ends meet than we do now.