Thoughts – November 30, 2010

I haven’t blogged in awhile, but I figure it’s time to write something. It’s an interesting world we live in this holiday season. The economy is fluttering, sports politics are growing more confounding, and yes, the threat of war is becoming more of a reality than I think people realize. Here’s what’s been on my mind:

1. North Korea – In Bill Clinton’s autobiography “My Life,” he listed North Korea as a higher threat than Iraq. Many people didn’t take that seriously, but I think, in hindsight, he was right. This year the North Koreans allegedly sunk a South Korean ship, and this past weekend they fired on a South Korean island, injuring and killing civilians. They say American-South Korean exercises in the region are provoking war, but in reality, it’s they who are consistently acting to provoke war in the Koreas. It should not surprise anyone if war breaks out at this point, and anyone who thinks the United States would not be a part of it is crazy.
2. Speaking of North Korea, I think the whole WikiLeaks thing is ridiculous and disturbing. What these clowns at WikiLeaks think to be telling the truth is really undermining diplomatic relations with other countries. What good does that do? I hope the Americans responsible for leaking the information are finally found and prosecuted under the maximum strength of the law. There’s a reason these documents were classified. It’s repulsive to me to see a group so carelessly release information like this.
3. President Obama proposed freezing the pay of federal workers yesterday for two years. I wouldn’t have a problem with this if President Obama, congress, and all the employees in his cabinet also had their pay frozen. Their ability to use federal funds to take vacations on the government’s tab should be halted as well. The rest of us have to pay for our own vacations, so should the President and the rest of the government regardless of what party they are in. However, none of this should be happening until Congress cuts back spending first. People shouldn’t be forced to live by a standard because the government that is supposed to be serving us overspends drastically. Fix your own house first, and then ask others to make changes. It doesn’t make sense to place burdens on others when you haven’t solved the root issue. Stop spending. This, combined with stopping Bush-era tax cuts, would hurt the President, not help him. The President and the members of the United States government need to stop treating its citizens as though we are here to serve them. On the contrary, they are elected to serve us.
4. I’ll be very surprised if the United States wins its bid to host the 2022 World Cup on Thursday. They have the best infrastructure to host it, and it made FIFA a ton of money when it hosted the 1994 World Cup, but I honestly believe there is a lot of political garbage going on in the background with FIFA. I’ve come to realize that FIFA is about as corrupt as the IOC is, and that’s not saying much. Don’t be surprised to see Qatar hosting the cup in 2022. It’s a shame really because to everyone’s shock and amazement, the country that spent the most money traveling to South Africa this year for the World Cup was the United States. There is no doubt in my mind that Americans would spend large amounts of their hard-earned money on a World Cup hosted on their soil.
5. I failed to reach my goal of writing fifty thousand words for my novel in November. I just got too busy, and to be honest, I’ve really struggled with writer’s block of late. Trying to weave a good story together is harder than I thought. And actually, I fear it will be terrible (though my wife continues to have confidence in my ability to make this project a success).
6. A friend of mine gave her life back to the Lord recently. I must say I’m so excited to see God work on someone’s heart. If we ever doubt that God is real or maybe debate over His love for us, we only need to take a careful look at what He can do with the human heart. His miracles never cease.
7. Married life is among the most wonderful gifts God can give, but I have to admit, it’s frustrating. But it’s not Jenn that frustrates me. She’s not perfect by any means; she is human after all, but I love her the way she is. However, I’m frustrated with myself. I don’t understand why I do some of the things I do, and I struggle to grasp how she can keep loving a guy that has all these internal issues that go on all the time.