The Me Being in London for a Month Edition

Well, time sure flies when you're studying abroad.  My first month here been jam-packed with so many different sights to see and things to do.

Since my last blog post, I, along with some of my new friends, have further trekked through and found some new discoveries near our university, Queen Mary, in East London.  One of the more exciting things we would find was this market off of Brick Lane that opens on Sundays.  It offers great food from around the world including from China, Japan, Ethiopa, and more.  We have now went there for lunch/dinner for the past two Sundays.  I have only had the courage to try the sweet and sour chicken, but maybe in the weeks to come, I will be more adventurous with my food selection there.  Also, there's a great stand that sells amazing desserts and pastries.  It's pretty awesome.

Speaking of desserts, I made my very first cheesecake for my friend's birthday.  Not to toot my own horn, but it was the best homemade cheesecake I have ever had.  It was so good, I momentarily thought of dropping out of college to open up my own cheesecake business.  Although I quickly abandoned the idea, it has been added to the list of restaurants I plan to open up which also includes my Gourmet PB&J business and my I Scream! horror themed ice cream parlor.

A few Sundays ago, I went to church at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster right across the street from the more famous Westminster Abbey.  Although the building was quite large and the sanctuary held over 2,000 people, there were at most around 200-300 people in attendance that Sunday.  The pictures on the website, of course show the sanctuary being completely full with a 100 member choir, so getting there and there not being many people was a bit underwhelming.  Large sanctuaries sitting almost empty on Sunday mornings is a common occurrence here in England as it is in most of Europe for many different causes.  Those reasons will not be explored here on this blog post, but now that I think of it, it would make for a good future post.

Speaking of religion, I stood in the same spot that John Wesley's heart was strangely warmed off of Aldersgate Road.  The historical and momentous spot is now completely surrounded by high rises and the Museum of London.  It was another sight that I could cross of my non-existent list of places I wanted to see.

Although I battled a cold last week, I now feel great and I am ready for the next two months of my vacation study abroad experience.  Tomorrow I head off to Wales for a nice day trip.  Don't worry, there will be pictures.

-Jeremy  

Ello Govna!

Now that I am in Britain for my three month vacation study abroad semester, I have decided to start blogging again so that my thousands of followers can keep up with me in excruciating detail.

My journey began with the 9 hour flight from Dallas to London.  They were playing the movie, Arthur, and thanks to how terrible it was, I was able to sleep almost the entirety of the flight.  Once I got off the plane, I was fortunate enough to stand in a two hour line with my parents to get my student visitor status completed.  After that, to The Tube we went.  Just on the Tube ride to our hotel, we got to see lots of London that isn't the normal tourist scene.  All of the houses we saw looked so English, and I guess for good reason.

The next day, I left to join my fellow study abroad program participants at the Umi Hotel in western London.  This was where I got to meet several students that were studying in the United Kingdom including ten that would be studying at my University, Queen Mary.  The first night, our program  introduced us, for better or worse, to pub cuisine.  If there is one thing that British people do best, it is putting meat into a pie crust and calling it good food. They were offering us pork pies, but I was not brave enough to try it, nor were the majority of the other students sitting around me.  Their fish and chips were really good though, on the other hand as were their onion rings.

The next day, we ventured out to the Tower of London.  The history of the building was impressive with it dating back several hundred years.  It has been home to many different things over the centuries and it included a place where they would torture prisoners with a device called The Rack.  It's not quite the same as the torturous device of the same name that is used in drumlines, but similar in effect.  It was also home to the Crown Jewels, and they were pretty alright.

The following day, we did a walking tour of London that included several sights from the Harry Potter movies.  We got to see different sights like Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and from afar, Buckingham Palace.  It was really cool to get to see so many different sights in such a short span of time.  After having a Turkish dinner, we made our way over to the newly rebuild Globe Theater to see Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.  We stood in the peasant's section and had a great view of all of the actors and the stage itself.  It was a great day all in all.

So after pretty much seeing everything there is to see (not really), the following day I departed with my parents to move into my dorm flat at Queen Mary.  Although the area surrounding the University may not be the nicest, the campus itself is great.  Lots of modern buildings all close to each other.  I met my fellow flatmates and they're all pretty great especially with their British accents.  I got my schedule timetable this week, so I'm all set for my classes to start next week!  I'm looking forward to a great semester term here in London!

-Jeremy

P.S.  If you're wondering if I will be finishing the blog posts about the book When Christians Get It Wrong, don't you worry.  I will find time over the next month to complete my last posts regarding the last three topics.

My Idea For the Name of the South Campus

A while back, the school district was taking submissions onto what the name of the new 9th and 10th Grade Center in Southern Lewisville should be. On this momentous eve of the school's opening, I thought it would be a good idea to publicly release my submissio that I sent to Mrs. Burns in the communications department. Here it is:

From: Jeremy3416 <jeremy3416@aol.com>
To: burnsl <burnsl@lisd.net>
Sent: Fri, Jan 28, 2011 5:17 am
Subject: LHS 9th and 10th Grade Center South Name

I respectfully nominate that the new 9th and 10th grade center be named after our President, Barack Hussein Obama. This new facility in so many ways captures the essence of his presidency thus far. Similar to many of our President's initiatives like Health Care and the Stimulus Package, this campus is extremely unpopular amongst the members of the community it actually affects as well as being a huge waste of money. This campus also has been shoved down the throats of Lewisville residents just like so many of the liberal policies of the Obama administration without any kind of public input by the people it would actually affect. Similar to President Obama, the school board and the superintendent have been stubborn when dealing with this issue and refuse to listen to the majority voice of the community. That is why I feel that the new south campus exemplifies the administration of Barack Obama and why it should be named the Barack Hussein Obama Lewisville High School 9th and 10th Grade Center South. It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Jeremy Page


I never received a response back from the ISD. Oh well...

When Christians Get It Wrong: Science and Politics

This week at the Brown Bag Bible Study, we moved onto the second chapter of When Christians Get It Wrong which involved how Christians deal with scientific advancement as well as how we incorporate politics into our Christian life.  While these two topics may seem very dissimilar, they distinctly have in common both fear and ignorance.

Growing up in a conservative area, anytime the evolution theory came up at school, it was met with much criticism from my classmates... and myself.  It was derided as a concept incompatible with Christian teaching, and you either had to believe God created us or we were evolved from more primitive life forms, and there was no in-between. Looking back on my days in biology class, I wish there had been a third explanation.  It would have been an explanation that allowed both the Creation Story and the Evolution theory to complement each other instead of forcing them to tear each other down.  An explanation that wouldn't box God into something that limits his powers.  An explanation that wouldn't make Christians seem like we're living in a bubble.

Yes, that would have been nice.  Instead of embracing scientific advancements, many Christians will reject anything that doesn't exactly line up with a literal reading of the Genesis account.  And I think the motivation behind this rejection is not just ignorance, but fear. Fear that the next advancement will disprove God all together.  Fear that science will prove their way of life a sham.  When Christians have these fears, I must question how deep their faith is.

The other topic of the day was how Christians deal with politics.  Once again, growing up in the Bible Belt, I have found that if a church does indeed align itself to a certain political party, it will more than likely be the Republican Party they align themselves to.  However, when I was in DC, I found that many churches align much of their views to the Democratic Party.  What happens again is that we box God into a certain political party making His ultimate wisdom and power only as great as either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party.  That would be a really sucky world if that were true.  Christians use fear and ignorance again by promoting a message that says God takes a certain side in politics.  Adam Hamilton mentions in his book about how it is important for us to be involved with issues of our time.  Our time being the key words.  We must differentiate worldly issues that will at some point come to a close and Kingdom issues .

In addition to last week's descriptions of Christians, judgmental, hypocritical, and unloving, we now have ignorant. We can fix this moniker. We don't have to be the joke of the scientific community. Instead of constantly shooting down any scientific idea, we could instead use it to magnify and glorify our God. Crazy, I know. Only when we are able to identify our ignorance will we as a Christian community be able to minister to an increasingly educated world.

-Jeremy

When Christians Get It Wrong: When We're UnChristian

So I'm leading a bible study at church based on Adam Hamilton's When Christians Get It Wrong, and I thought I would do a corresponding blog post for each week's topic.  The first week's topic is when Christians are unChristian.

The different scriptures Hamilton picks for the first chapter paint a startling picture for today's Christians.  As opposed to many of today's "dynamic" preachers, Jesus didn't constantly condemn sinners.  He condemned the religious leaders of the time, and instead invited the sinners to eat with him among other things.  These religious leaders were so concerned about religious orthodoxy that they forgot how to love one another like God taught us to do.  Jesus had a disdain for these Pharisees, and because of it, we get some of the most beloved stories in the bible.

One of those is the Prodigal Son parable.  The younger son asks for his inheritance early, but spends it all and has to come back to his father broke and hungry.  Instead of rejecting him, the father welcomes him with open arms, much to the chagrin of the older son.  The older son does not like that his younger brother is going to be rewarded with a feast after years of unwise living.  In the older son's mind, he has followed the rules, kept in line, and done everything the father had asked him. 

It is so easy for all of us to be the older brother, constantly pointing out the sins of others without identifying your own, constantly thinking that we are more deserving of God's love because we have done certain things, and constantly refusing to love our brothers and sisters.  The Prodigal Son parable is about us, and it always will be.  We have a choice to either be the jealous, condemning brother, or we can be the loving father open and welcoming to all.  

Christians are called many different things. Judgmental, hypocritical, and unloving are just a few.  And of course, it would be easy for me to say, well, there are some Christians and some churches that are like that, but for the most part we're pretty nice.  But instead, I want myself and the few others that will read this to look at themselves and truly think about and identify ways that they have not been Christian to others. Only then can we become a church that fully reflects the ministry of Jesus Christ because a church that does not love sinners and the least of us is no church at all.

  

-Jeremy

The No Spin Zone: The Debt Ceiling Issue

Note: My ideas are solely mine and do not represent any Senator who I may or may not be working for.


Once again, these politicians on Capitol Hill have kept everyone around the world on their toes waiting for a compromise that will raise the debt ceiling. So far, some of the major proposals that have gained some traction have included the Cut, Cap, and Balance Bill and the so-called "Gang of Six" Plan.  These will be the two that this blog post will be about.

Many of the staunch fiscal conservatives have voiced their support for the Cut, Cap, and Balance Bill that had passed through the House and was up for a Senate vote on Friday morning. Many believed that this was the best plan because it significantly cut spending, capped discretionary spending at a certain percentage of GDP, and called for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Many who voiced their support of this measure, unfortunately have also spoken about their disdain for President Obama. Many of the comments I have seen have been classless and uncalled for. Some believe that he was a liar that should be thrown out of office immediately. And while I can't emphasize enough the fact that I don’t agree with President Obama on many, many different policy issues, I do not believe that this kind of language is acceptable. It was not too long ago that despicable, awful things things were said about then-President Bush by his opponents, and I still remember how disgusted I was that people would say such terrible things about the sitting president. Whether our President's name ends with the label D or R, we as Americans should be above this, but unfortunately it only seems to be getting worse.

I also would have a few questions for these people supporting the CCB Bill like: What happens when the Senate kills the bill (which it did)? What happens when President Obama vetoes it (which is what he promised to do if the bill ever got to him)? While there are many aspects of the bill I agree with, the CCB Act was destined to fail because of the Democratic majority in the Senate, something that these people were either unaware of or just flatly ignored.

The other major plan proposed this past week was the “Gang of Six” Plan. While this bill was supported on both sides of the aisle, it was also derided on both sides of the aisle. While 75% of the deficit reductions of this four trillion-dollar proposal came from spending cuts, many were not happy that the other 25% would come from tax increases on the wealthy as well as the closing of various tax loopholes. The Gang of Six proposal was, in my opinion, a very reasonable plan. It significantly cut spending over the next ten years while only slightly increasing taxes on the wealthy. It was a proposal that could pass the Senate and that President Obama would sign. Even though the Gang of Six proposal had bipartisan support and was much more likely to be enacted than the soon-to-be-killed Cut, Cap, and Balance Bill, it has not stopped many Americans from saying that Republican politicians who support this should be ashamed of themselves.

And you know what, 

if it’s shameful to compromise with politicians from the other side of the aisle

and if it’s shameful to not want the government to shut down, 

then I as a politician would be perfectly happy with being called shameful.

-Jeremy

The Half Way Mark

Now that I'm half way finished with my stint here in DC, a look-back on some of my experiences here:

(Cue retrospective music)

•  I have been to so many museums since I've been here that it's hard to remember them all, but I guess I'll try.  In chronological order, Smithsonian Museum of American History, Art Museum of the Americas, Corcoran Art Museum, the Capitol Visitor's Center, National Portrait Gallery, the African American Civil War Museum.  So I guess that's it so far, I thought there were a lot more.  It also wasn't that hard to remember.
• I have taken part in a great Congressional Intern Lecture Series that has included: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and columnist and Fox News Contributor Charles Krauthammer.  
• Krauthammer: "Many people wonder how I went from being in Psychology to being in Politics.  To be honest, they're quite similar.  I still deal with people who suffer from paranoia and visions of grandeur."   
• I have had the opportunity to hear lots of different views about current issues facing America by watching senators in the Senate Chamber.  Debt Ceiling, DREAM Act, Tax Reform, and Libya have been just a few of the topics that have been (not quite) dealt with since I've started my internship.

So ya, nbd.  Working on Capitol Hill has been pretty much awesome.  Three more weeks to go!

-Jeremy 

The Fourth of July

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to spend my Fourth of July in Washington, D.C.  Not only did I get to be with good friends, but I witnessed the firework spectacular on the National Mall right in front of the Washington Monument looking towards the Lincoln Memorial.  Sitting between these monuments celebrating America's two greatest Presidents were literally thousands of my closest friends.  As I looked around at the multitudes that turned out, I noticed the diversity of the people who had gathered.  There were people of different races and ethnicities, and speaking different languages.  Many people have a hard time respecting other people's cultures, not understanding that it was a conglomeration of different cultures from around the world that made America what it is today.

From the very first settlers, immigrants have come to this country with the hope and the prospect to make their lives better.  The Puritans wanted religious freedom.  Others immigrated from their homeland because of famine (Irish), intolerance (Jews), political oppression (Germans), and of course for better financial prosperity. People come to America knowing their lives will be enriched, and that their offspring will have better lives.  Often times, however, these immigrants were not thrown a welcome parade by the current Americans. They were often viewed as sub-human because of their ethnicity or skin color. Wouldn't it just be terrible if this practice still continued today?

Now back to the fireworks.  On a day where every American comes together to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy, I think about the many recent immigrants that I shared the National Lawn with, and how this country and these fireworks symbolize not just so many things for me, but for them as well:        

Peace for all.

Prosperity for all.

Hope for all.

God Bless America.

-Jeremy

Now that I'm actually exiled...

Without much further ado, here is my highly anticipated first blog post since getting into Washington, D.C.

First off, Reagan National is quite an impressive airport.  It was nice and bright and cheerful, and the first store the exit hallway leads you to is aptly named "America!" and has any American themed item you could wish for.  I had to check my ginormous bag, and fortunately it was already on the bag return conveyor belt by the time I got there.  So I'm thinking... wow, this is great, everything's going exactly as planned.

Then I get to my taxi.  There was a line to a get a taxi and a nice man pointed me the the correct taxi, and the taxi driver seemed nice enough and we had a nice rapport about country music.  I was telling about how little I knew about it, he was telling me how shocked he was that I was from Texas and somehow I didn't like it.  Things took a turn for the worse when we get to my end point, GWU, and he told me I owed him $26 for a fifteen minute cab ride.  While I knew others had only paid $15 for a similar cab ride and that that price was way too much, I paid it anyway because... I really don't know why.  So, I learned my first lesson here in DC, which is to never trust a taxi driver.  Ever.

I check in with the GWU Summer Housing people, and I'm told where my building and room will be during my six-week stay.  I get to my building, and it is by far the nicest dorm room I have ever stayed in.  There are two bedrooms within each suite, each housing two residents. Each bedroom has its own bathroom, so no more communal bathrooms for me!

I ended up later that afternoon walking around campus and I found a sign pointing to the White House, and so    I made a short trek there.  I waved to the Obamas when I got there, and the President himself told me how happy he was that I was in DC working to make a better nation for all Americans.  Did this actually happen?  With me being the sole source of information from my journeys, I guess you'll just have to trust me.

Anyway... I start my job next week as the newly appointed Green Jobs Czar for the Obama Administration.  I got a great referral from the Wesley Foundation on how well I did as Green Czar during the last retreat, and I am really looking forward to walking in the same footsteps of my predecessor, Van Jones.  So if anyone has ideas about how to create green jobs, just remember that the Obama Administration is always open to outside thought, especially ideology that is in direct conflict with their own.  I'll keep everyone posted on how this job works out.

-Jeremy

The No Spin Zone: Dirty, Sexy, Politics

Well, after this week, I think we will all think twice before electing a congressman with the last name Wiener.  But really, why should he be demonized?  He has connected with young Americans using social media in ways that have never been seen before.

I have read many different opinions on if he did anything wrong, if he should resign, etc.  I have read many opinions from Rep Wiener's political allies that claim that his personal life shouldn't be under scrutiny because he has liberal social views on marriage and the family as opposed to conservatives, whose every indiscretion should be highly publicized and scrutinized.  In all honesty, they might as well be saying that we shouldn't expect any better from Democrats because... they're Democrats.  Using this logic, people like Rep Wiener and former President Clinton don't have to live up to the same standards that most reasonable people try to live up to because they have a (D) listed after the name. That is just ridiculous, no pun intended.

When Republicans become involved in sex scandals, they're ostracized and are usually called upon to resign, by members of their own party, no less.  Some examples would be Jeb Bush and Newt Gingrich who at some point in time might have been credible Presidential candidates, but have since become political afterthoughts.  Many Republican Congressmen like Reps Mark Foley and Chris Lee subsequently resigned after embarrassing scandals came out.  Because they're Republicans, they're terrible hypocrites who live a life modeled after the expression of "Do as I say, not as I do." Personally, I actually agree with these people who believe that Republicans should live up to the same standards that they preach.  With that said, scandals involving Democrats might be less ironic, but they're just as idiotic.  

Summary: Republicans who are involved in sex scandals are kicked out of the party.  Democrats, on the other hand, become the most popular person at the party.

Many of Wiener's allies claim that it is unrealistic for us to want our politicians to be perfect.  I disagree.

It is not unrealistic for us to expect our public officials to not send pictures of their penises to college women.

It is not unrealistic for us to expect our public officials to not be getting oral sex in the Oval Office.

It is not unrealistic for us to expect our public officials to not lie about their cheating and other indiscretions.

I don't expect perfection, but I will never ignore stupidity and arrogance.

-Jeremy      

Thoughts on the FMISD: The Bonds That Divide

This will be about the two decisions I mentioned in my previous post regarding the school board election. 

Decision #1: The Hiring of Coach Dick Olin

Let me begin this with the admission that I have never met Dick Olin.  Despite the many things I have heard about him, I will assume that he is a nice guy, and so this will not be a personal attack on Coach Olin.  I will be speaking only on his record and his connections.

This brings to me my first point, his lackluster record.  Out of his last seven seasons at his previous high school, Coach Olin only had two winning seasons.  Two.  Winning.  Seasons.  That's it.  What he may have been lacking in winning seasons, he made up with friendships with the previous top two LISD administrators, Superintendent Jerry Roy and CFO Alan King.  If this was Dallas ISD and there had been a lackluster employee hired that made six figures, and if the only reason they were hired was because of their connections to the superintendent and CFO, it would be called corruption.  In LISD, it's called normal. (Just a side note, Alan King is now the CFO of Dallas ISD.  I'm sure he'll fit right in).  Did Mrs. Kyer and Mrs. Fulton, along with the rest of the school board, really think that a coach who had such a terrible record over the past decade could possibly create a successful program? I was asked while I was campaigning for the school board elections last year by the wife of a then-school board member why I thought Coach Olin wasn't a good coach.  I responded with simply, "Look at his record."  After two wonderful years of Dick Olin, Lewisville's High School football record is 5-15.  In two years, Olin has coached the Farmers to five wins.  All at the cost to the taxpayers of $108,000 a year.  Many people also complained about his advanced age and that he would retire in a few years.  Well, after two years, and Lewisville's football program becoming the laughing stock of the area,  I truly hope that comes true, not just for the football program now, but for future generations of Lewisville High School.  I also hope that when Coach Olin retires in the next couple of years that Lewisville High School will get a competent coach that they deserve and that is hired because of his merits, not because of who he knows.  Is Wade Phillips still looking for a job?    

Decision #2:  The Construction of Lewisville High School South

The school district doesn't want the two campuses to be referred to as North and South supposedly because of its gang connotations.  Well, I didn't want the South campus to be built, so I guess we're even.  

History lesson:  A long, long time ago, way back in the mid-2000's, there was a secondary school task force that was put together to create a long term plan for the five high schools in the district.  The school district made the wise decision to not include any Lewisville residents or any LHS teachers or administrators.  The results from this group suggested building 9th grade centers at 3 of the high schools, and drastically changing the LHS campus by building a 9th and 10th grade center in Southern Lewisville and converting the North campus into another 9th and 10th grade campus.  Another plan that came out of this task force was to create academies, and of course Lewisville HS would get the academy for students not going to college.  You see, according to the former school board, Lewisville students can't achieve success like students at other schools because they're poor and have skin that's a different color than theirs.  Where else would this academy be?  

Back to the South campus.  Lewisville parents and students came out in force saying they didn't want this plan.  Meeting after meeting for over three years, they refused to listen to us.  While they might have been all ears for for even the smallest complaint when school zones changed in Flower Mound and Highland Village, they shamefully ignored us.  Their reasons consistently changed onto why this campus was supposed to be built.  

Explanation #1: LHS Enrollment Figures.  They originally projected significantly higher enrollments for LHS that never panned out.  Shocking.

Explanation #2: Demographics.  I will never apologize that Lewisville HS is a diverse learning community.  It is unfortunate that some (including people who live in Lewisville) perceive it as a problem.

Explanation #3: Smaller Learning Communities.  With a large budget shortfall because of state funding, I'm going to guess that class sizes will only become bigger.  

All of this was going on while plans were being developed to demolish and rebuild the main campus of LHS.  They could have fixed problems #1 and #3 by building the school larger and incorporating smaller learning communities within the same building.  Unfortunately, the school board was too stubborn to do this, and this stubbornness will come at the cost of future success for generations of Fighting Farmers to come.

And the saddest part of this all is that the district administration and select members of the school board don't care about us, and they never will.

This campus has already divided the community, and the paint has yet to dry. 

This coach has driven a football program that once united a community into the ground.

And I just keep asking myself, is this really what the school board wanted?

-Jeremy

Thoughts on the FMISD: 2011 School Board Elections

A couple of weeks ago, I campaigned for the FMISD LISD school board elections at the Flower Mound polling site.  Even though I was away for most of the election season, I was able to stay informed through various blogs and news sources.  I knew who I thought would do the best for not only the Lewisville community, but for the entire school district.

I also knew that the incumbents, Carol Kyer and Amber Fulton, had to go.  Their actions over the past several years have shown me and many other residents of Lewisville that they really do not care about the majority of the students of Lewisville High School.  In their single-minded quest to raise TAKS scores in the Lewisville feeder pattern, they have made decisions that will further harm the majority of the students that are high performing and are involved in many different activities.  Now, you might be asking, what decisions have these been?  While there might by many different reasons,  I will narrow it down to two main issues that have come up over the past few years that show me that the makeup of the school board from a few years ago was not looking out for me or my former classmates.

Decision #1: The Hiring of Coach Dick Olin. 
Decision #2: The Construction of the New South Campus


I will go into more detail on this blog soon on my thoughts on these two issues, but in general what these two decision have in common is the fact that the Lewisville community came out and vehemently opposed them.  I was a student at Lewisville High School at the time when both of these decisions were made, and to be honest I don't remember a single student, teacher, or parent that was supportive of these decisions.  And for many, we were wondering why the school board would go against our wishes in these decisions.

According to them, Lewisville people don't know what is best for them, you see.  That job should be left for the people from nearby wealthier suburbs.  Anyone with half a brain would know that studies show that schools in poor urban areas do better with smaller learning communities.  There is no difference between South Oak Cliff High School and Lewisville High School, right?  Also, they knew that Lewisville residents always had a low voter turnout and that we would never be able to organize a successful campaign against the incumbents, and so they thought they didn't have to listen.  Thus, Lewisville residents weren't needed when making the decisions that would impact them.  These thoughts went on for far too long among the school board and many members of the district administration.  This arrogance that emanated from the school board, especially from Carol Kyer and Amber Fulton, resulted in decisions that will negatively impact the students of Lewisville High School as well as all residents of the Lewisville community for generations to come.

They refused to listen to our concerns that this coach would put our once-great football program into decline.
 
They refused to listen to our concerns that a three campus system would splinter a school built on unity.

Four new school board members later, I think they might have finally heard our message.

LISD now has a majority on the school board that wants what is best for every school, not just the school their kids go to.  I am thankful to now have Mike McDaniel join ranks with Brenda Latham, Jeff Knapp, and Julie Foughty because I know they are looking out for not just my community, but yours too.     

Arrogance, elitism, and stubbornness.  These were the ideals that represented the former school board members.  Just ask Tommy Kim, Fred Placke, Kathy Duke, and now Amber Fulton how those principles worked out for them.

-Jeremy

The No Spin Zone: Osama bin Laden's Death

From now on, I will entitle all posts dealing with politics/world affairs with Bill O'Reilly's mantra, The No Spin Zone.  I hope to follow in my idol's footsteps by editorializing in a manner that will be honest and educated even if that means being at times polarizing.  You won't always agree with me, and that's fine.  I'll live.

My first post in this area is about an event that rivals in importance any other event that has occurred during my lifetime.  It was a moment of celebration for millions of Americans and others around the world.  This event was the death of the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist, Osama bin Laden.  When the news first broke, I was shocked.  Even though I knew our troops are the best in the world, I thought because of the terrain of the Middle East as well as his sympathizers/supporters that were willing to hide him that he never would be found.  The irony, though, is that it wasn't the mountainous terrain or our enemies that kept us from him, but one of our allies, Pakistan.  But that really is a topic for a whole different post.

The news spread quickly.  From the thousands that gathered in D.C. and Ground Zero to the other guys in my dorm hallway, I witnessed many celebrations of this American victory.  They felt joy because they knew that America had triumphed over evil.  For the first time in their adult lifetimes, they were proud of their country... or maybe that was just Michelle Obama.

Over the next week, many debated over whether we should feel joy in the death of another human.  Many questioned what a Christian response should be to this situation.  Should we be upset that he was killed?  Or did Osama deserve his fate? I wrestled with these questions as I tried to form my own view of this event.

My opinion on this, though, has been shaped more through my father's one year deployment in 2004 during the Iraq war.  I'm aware, as we all have been made aware of, that there wasn't a connection between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein.   But I think about the thousands of families that have been torn apart directly because of Osama's actions including the ongoing Afghanistan War, and I especially think of the families that were forever changed on the morning of September 11th.  I think of the thousands of lives lost because of this man.  I think of the empty chairs at the dinner tables across this country that will never be filled again.

Fortunately for my family, my father's departure was only temporary.  Many families, though, have not been so lucky.  These people will never be the same, and no military act will ever change that.

Although I do not celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden, it is for the families of his victims in the United States, the Middle East, and around the world that I am thankful that he is dead.

-Jeremy

Why "The Promised Land"

When I wrote my original Facebook status referring to Texas as "The Promised Land", I got the expected response.  All of my Texan friends liked it.  All of my Arkansas friends ridiculed it.  Myself and both groups of friends represented their stereotypes well: Texans obnoxiously bragging about how great Texas is, non-Texans getting jealous of us lucky few that get to live in Texas.  What most don't know, though, is that I had actually intended the status to be much longer, but I knew the greatness of Texas could not be communicated in a short Facebook status.  A blog post, and an entire blog for that matter, had to be created!  

Here's the story: I first thought of the analogy as I was stuck in traffic in Durant, Oklahoma for almost an hour during my drive home to Lewisville.  I thought to myself, 'God, this must be how Moses felt in the desert for those forty years.'  When that wonderful time came that I passed the 'Welcome To Texas' sign, I felt a sense of relief to finally be back in my home land, a feeling that I'm sure Moses must have felt when he finally arrived in Israel thousands of years ago.  Add to that, there's even a parallel between our stories in the similarity of names between the bodies of water separating our march towards our respective Promised Lands! While Moses may have had the power of God to separate the Red Sea, I harnessed the great power of TxDOT to get me across the Red River, all with similar results. Clearly, I didn't need a burning bush to tell where God was wanting me to go.

So, ya, that just happened.  Fortunately, not every post on this blog will be sacrilegious like this one.  Some will be my attempt at humor,  some will be serious, but most will be a combination of both as I blog about my thoughts on politics on both the national and local level as well as my thoughts on religion.  I hope you follow me on this blog because you all know I need constant praise.

-Jeremy