"So this is how democracy ends: with thundrous applause."
-Senator Padme Amidala
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thought for the Day
The secret to a successful life is to not treat your body like it has intrinsic value. It is a tool to be used to accomplish tasks, not a sacred object to protect. You wouldn't put a hammer in a glass case and stare at it. Go out and live!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thought for the Day
Without moral and ethical standards written in the hearts and minds of the people, rather than in the halls of the legislatures, free cultures will ultimately fall into anarchy.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Morning Glories
A few weeks ago, I was working in our backyard, pulling weeds, trimming trees, and tidying up in general. It only took a few minutes to realize that, in order to get the yard into any sense of order, the morning glory had to go.
Morning glories, for those of you who aren't familiar with them, are rather gorgeous vines with beautiful purple flowers that bloom in copious amounts throughout the summer and smell absolutely fantastic.
However,
Beneath the initial layer of luscious green vine and succulent purple bloom lies a mess of tangled, dead undergrowth. It is brown, ugly, smelly, and messy.
But this isn't the only negative attribute this deceptive vine has. It also has a penchant for taking over EVERYTHING. We planted one in the side yard, and over the course of two short years, it has completely consumed about half of our yard.
Needless to say, the plant had to go.
Badly
But there were several problems in my ambitious plan to remove the overgrown vine.
First, in order to get rid of it, you often have to remove the other plants it has consumed.
Second, and this is a fact that I didn't learn until I was elbow-deep in morning glory, I am VERY allergic to the plant. My body swelled like a Mylar balloon, and I have several areas on my body where the vine left blistering burns in places it frequently contacted. While most of them have healed, they all left scars.
I couldn't help but be reminded, as I sat in a hot shower praying the hives would go away and that my nose would clear up so that I could breathe again, of the federal government. It too looks fantastic, with its many programs to help the poor, the underprivileged, the abused, the discriminated against, etc. It seems to offer solutions to all of life's problems.
But underneath the lovely surface lurks a much darker, sinister layer of disgusting, overbloated bureaucracy, rife with leeches feeding off of the facade.
In addition, it has a way of slowly taking over everything. It begins with just the pretty, attractive side of things. The flowers and greenery. But as it seizes more and more control, the filthy undergrowth begins. It also had a tendency to burn those it touches. But not until it's too late to pull away.
Further, it is impossible to remove a morning glory. Once planted, you can cut it, rip it out, or poison it, it will always come back with a vengeance. Without setting fire to your back yard and burning EVERYTHING to the ground, the plant is irremovable. The only to control morning glories, as I am learning, is to watch them like a hawk, and be vigilant about trimming it back to the point that you want it. Only through careful supervision and diligent and intentional cutting back will your back yard be free.
Sound familiar?
Morning glories, for those of you who aren't familiar with them, are rather gorgeous vines with beautiful purple flowers that bloom in copious amounts throughout the summer and smell absolutely fantastic.
However,
Beneath the initial layer of luscious green vine and succulent purple bloom lies a mess of tangled, dead undergrowth. It is brown, ugly, smelly, and messy.
But this isn't the only negative attribute this deceptive vine has. It also has a penchant for taking over EVERYTHING. We planted one in the side yard, and over the course of two short years, it has completely consumed about half of our yard.
Needless to say, the plant had to go.
Badly
But there were several problems in my ambitious plan to remove the overgrown vine.
First, in order to get rid of it, you often have to remove the other plants it has consumed.
Second, and this is a fact that I didn't learn until I was elbow-deep in morning glory, I am VERY allergic to the plant. My body swelled like a Mylar balloon, and I have several areas on my body where the vine left blistering burns in places it frequently contacted. While most of them have healed, they all left scars.
I couldn't help but be reminded, as I sat in a hot shower praying the hives would go away and that my nose would clear up so that I could breathe again, of the federal government. It too looks fantastic, with its many programs to help the poor, the underprivileged, the abused, the discriminated against, etc. It seems to offer solutions to all of life's problems.
But underneath the lovely surface lurks a much darker, sinister layer of disgusting, overbloated bureaucracy, rife with leeches feeding off of the facade.
In addition, it has a way of slowly taking over everything. It begins with just the pretty, attractive side of things. The flowers and greenery. But as it seizes more and more control, the filthy undergrowth begins. It also had a tendency to burn those it touches. But not until it's too late to pull away.
Further, it is impossible to remove a morning glory. Once planted, you can cut it, rip it out, or poison it, it will always come back with a vengeance. Without setting fire to your back yard and burning EVERYTHING to the ground, the plant is irremovable. The only to control morning glories, as I am learning, is to watch them like a hawk, and be vigilant about trimming it back to the point that you want it. Only through careful supervision and diligent and intentional cutting back will your back yard be free.
Sound familiar?
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