Friday, October 31, 2008

Sad News Today...

One of the best purchases I've ever made was a CD called "Chet Atkins -- A Master And His Music". I found it at the flea market...$2. It has some phenomenal tracks on it. One of my favorites is "Jerry's Breakdown" featuring Jerry Reed. I was playing it for a guitar player friend and he told me that Jerry Reed had died earlier this year. I had no idea, I was floored. I guess I was too self absorbed when it happened.

In this post I told you about Raegan Echols who was Jerry's nephew and a good friend of mine in college. The summer before my senior year in college, Raegan called me and told me that the guy that normally sold t-shirts for Jerry had just gotten married and was on his honeymoon. He asked me if I wanted to go. My answer was "Absolutely".

As far as I know, Jerry loved life, he always seemed like one of those guys that was having a blast wherever he went. He did several movies, and many people remember him for that, but, he was also a phenomenal musician. One of the highlights of his show was a song he called "Moggy Fountain Breakdown". He had converted the classic "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" to a minor key. This was the song where he and his band really showed what they could do.

I'll alway remember that week. Nobody can take it from me. It was a tremendous experience. I'm sorry that I missed his passing.

Check out this video from 1975. This is Jerry at his best.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

The original Homeland Security...

Last night, my apartment complex had a mixer at the clubhouse. Since I am fairly new here and haven't met a lot of people, I went. There weren't a lot of people there, but I did meet a few.

One lady that I met had moved here in August. She works for the Federal Government in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (something like that). Anyway, we had a good conversation about the Indian tribes that remain in the US.

I said something about being part Indian (my grandmother on my dad's side was part indian, though I don't know the details). Though cordial, she was a little irritated by that. After she explained,I understood why. To an Indian, you are only Indian if you maintain the connection to the traditions. They are a very proud people. It's kind of like the people that move to the United States from other countries and call themselves Americans but don't learn the language or the culture. You can only refer to yourself as Indian if you remain connected to the culture. I understand.

We discussed several things about Indian culture and how important they have been to our nation. I told her about seeing something on the History Channel about "Code Talkers". Her face lit up when I mentioned that. During WWI and WWII, the military recruited Indians as an integral part of their communications system. They could freely speak to each other in a coded language that was based on their native tongue. Encryption can be broken, but a language must be studied for a long time before it can be understood. They were critical to the military. It is a proud moment in time for the Indian culture. We should thank them.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

A few thoughts from a sinner...

Sometimes, I will see something that hits me funny and I'll take a picture or just post it here and I'll spend a very few minutes and I'm done. Sometimes, I'll have an idea of something to post here and I'll think about it (sometimes for months) before I write anything. These usually take a long time, and I usually wind up crying while I'm writing it.

This one has been brewing for months...
There have been many things that I've been thinking about. It's finally done, I'm ready to write it. I'm going to lose some friends over this more than likely. And that's ok. The main question in my mind is...

Is organized religion what Jesus intended to establish?

If you are an avid reader (thanks mom!) you know that I've mentioned Andy Stanley's video series "Go Fish". This video series was amazing, I enjoyed every minute of it. It's been a while since I saw it, but as I remember, the basis for the whole series was Jesus' invitation to his first followers.

Matthew 4:18-22
The Calling of the First Disciples


As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him.

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.


Andy talks about that Jesus didn't say "I will make you Holy" or "I will make you wealthy" or "I will make you a better person" he simply said....I will make you "fishers of men". He then says (as I remember) "followers fish, that's what we do".
The rest of the series is about what it means to fish. It's worth a listen if you get the chance.

I've attended worship services most of my life. My parents took me "every time the doors were open" when I was a kid. There have been periods where I did not go, but when I went through a very difficult period in my life about 12 years ago, there was a congregation (one man in particular) that was very instrumental in pulling me through it. Ever since that time, I attended worship services regularly....until this past January.

Divorce is a nasty ugly business. Most people, don't know what to say or how to handle it. It's easier just to stay away and "not get involved". I understand that...it's cool....really. My divorce has taught me several things that are very valuable to me now.


  • All my life, my relationship with God was represented by my faithfulness in attending worship services. I have learned that your relationship with God is separate from your relationship with a congregation

  • People really need other people to help when things get nasty and ugly.

  • The term "Church" as it commonly used today, is used incorrectly. When you attend worship services, you are not "going to Church".



I want you to understand, I am not angry at organized religion or at any of the people that I've known or been close to. This is just where I am in my thinking. This blog is my outlet.

Over the past few months, I've tried to begin attending worship services again. There is a congregation that is close to where I live now where some of my friends go. They have a very active singles program, so it sounded like a good fit to me. I visited a couple of times. The last time I attended, I was a little late. One of the ushers tried to help me find a seat. We could see some empty seats near the front so we headed there. When we arrived at the pew, we saw that there were song books in the pew. The lady let us know that the seats were "saved" (an interesting use of words now that I think about it). I told the usher that I could find my own seat. I saw some empty seats in another section, near the front. I walked there only to again find songbooks in the seat. I went to the balcony near the very back. I wound up leaving during the sermon.

Please understand, I'm not angry, I'm not taking any sort of revenge by writing this. I'm just telling you my thinking and my experiences.

One of the ideas that I realized while watching Andy's series (I don't know if he said this directly or not) was "If all of your time is spent with people that think just like you....you aren't fishing".

I'm reminded of something that happened years ago...one congregation that I attended had a teacher who is one of the men that I admire most. In one of his classes, he focused on the sin of homosexuality. It was very good, and very Biblical. I can't remember what was happening that afternoon (maybe a men's business meeting) that I attended. I was early and one of the elders and I were alone for a bit. The elder opened the conversation with...."Wasn't the class good today". My response was "Well...I had a brother who was a homosexual, I guess I think that there is Grace for homosexuals too". Needless to say, we didn't see eye to eye on that point.

Later in the afternoon, some men were standing around talking, the topic of the class was also the topic of conversation. One gentlemen who I hold in high regard remarked that he just couldn't deal with someone who he knew was a homosexual. I was a little taken aback by that statement. During the same conversation (this amazed me) the topic of discussion turned to the features and functionality of the latest radar detectors. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I guess I was pretty sensitive at that particular moment. Homosexuality was reprehensible, speeding was ok, even celebrated. For years I've wondered, are they different in God's eyes? I honestly don't know, my current thinking is that they are not. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Someone pointed out to me years ago, that Jesus never ever rebuked anyone for being a sinner. His harshest rebukes were saved for those who considered themselves sinless.

I've mentioned several times here that one of the things that I love to do is listen to live music. The best place to listen to music in Nashville is 2nd avenue. I probably go a couple of times per week. You can pay $8 to park and then go see everything from live bands that are really really good, to karaoke singers who are absolutely terrible. One thing that you are guaranteed to see there is people who think differently from you. I could tell you many stories about the people that I've met. You never know if the stories they tell you are true, but, I've talked to a guy that just got out of prison and needed bus fare to go home. Homeless people that just needed something to eat (I don't give cash, but I'll put you on a bus or buy you something to eat). I also have a very funny story about meeting two sisters that were strippers promoting the club they work at.

I was with a friend from high school, we were going to meet some people that I work with at B. B. Kings. We got something to eat and were walking to the club. We were approached by a man who asked for something to eat. I gave him my normal speech "I won't give you cash, but I'll buy you something to eat" Those that are really hungry will go with you. Somehow, as we were walking to the restaurant, we began talking about worship buildings. I honestly have no idea how that topic came up. Anyway, my friend made the statement that large buildings were built to honor God. I asked "Are we honoring God by buying this man a meal?" she said "Yes". My next statement was, "How many meals could we buy, if we didn't build big buildings?". I remember her stumbling over her response. When I say yes to those who ask for something, it has amazed me how many times the next question is "Are you a Christian?". The prisoner and I had an amazing conversation and prayer while we were waiting for the bus.

The next day, I was talking to the same friend, we enjoy asking each other deep questions. I asked, "What is the test to get into heaven?". Her response was, "There is no test, Jesus did it all". I said, "Well, I think there is a test, and it is pretty clear in the Bible". The discussion finally wound up leading to Matthew 25.

I plan to attend a worship service this Sunday. I will be attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting with my nephew. I'm not an alcoholic, but I've thought for years that AA meetings are probably closer to what Jesus intended to establish.

Judge me if you must, I'm going fishing...

Sunday, October 26, 2008

That helpless feeling....

About 7 years ago, when Sarah was five, she had appendicitis. It was a horrible experience. Kathy had taken her to the doctor earlier in the day. The physician's assistant that looked at her misdiagnosed it. She sent us home. In the middle of the night, Sarah was screaming in pain. We took her to the emergency room. It was in fact appendicitis, they rushed us to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. She had surgery the next day.

There is nothing that can describe the helplessness you feel when your child is taken to surgery. You know that there is absolutely nothing that you can do but wait. The wait is eternal. All you can do is turn it over to God.

After the surgery was over, Kathy and I both stayed in the hospital. The next day, Sarah was able to get up and around. She rode in a wagon to the child's play area and tried walked around some. She walked like an old lady, very small painful steps. It was heartbreaking.

While we were in the playroom though, we met children with much more serious conditions. Sarah's condition was very very minor compared to what some families go through. Where we had one routine surgery with a fairly certain outcome, there are some families who endure multiple surgeries with a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Right now I'm thinking of a young lady named Shelby Glisson who struggled with a lung condition that resulted in a double lung transplant. Shelby goes to the same school as my children. I can remember her dragging a breathing machine around with her everywhere she went. I saw her Saturday at the football game, she is free from her breathing machine and is a beautiful healthy young lady. She does still struggle with the rejection fears. I guess what I'm saying is...what we went through was horrible, but still nothing compared to what some people go through.

By the next Sunday morning, she wanted to go to Church. We wouldn't let her, but she went Sunday night. While we were visiting with friends after the service, we had to get on to her for climbing over the backs of the pews. Kids recover so quickly.

The FCS football game that was scheduled for Friday was postponed to Saturday because of the rain that we had. It was the biggest game of the season, both teams were undefeated and are huge rivals. The game meant a lot. Chris was on the starting offense and on the receiving team. He didn't see much action as far as passes being thrown to him, but I could see that one was thrown to him. From my vantage point, I could see that has was most likely the receiver it was thrown to, but the team was in my way on the sideline so I couldn't see what happened.

A little while later, I saw him and a trainer leaving the field. I ran over to see what happened, they told me that he probably had a concussion and was being taken to the hospital for a CT Scan. I left in front of them to see if I could do any necessary paperwork ( I couldn't ) but the team doctor had called ahead and the hospital was ready for him.

To make a long story short, Chris had a Grade 1 concussion which involves amnesia (he didn't remember catching the ball) but had no other injury. He can't practice or play this week, but he will be fine.

Though divorced, Kathy and I are united when it comes to the kids. we still work as a team where they are concerned. It feels good. But it reminds me that so much of life is out of our hands...

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Facebook Funnies...

I worked with a fellow by the name of David Hinson years ago. David lived in Sumner county until recently. He now resides in Florida. David and I have kept connected via facebook. Oh, I need to mention that David is one of the smartest guys on the planet.

Today, we had the following interaction on facebook. Geeks will get it, the rest of you don't need to worry about it.



I've been laughing all morning.

The most beautiful music in the world...

Please pardon my current music kick...however...my love for music has returned with a vengeance. Last night, I went into the used CD store that is across from my apartment. I was thinking...ok.....what are the CDs that I've had in the past that I would like to replace. I browsed through what they had. I was amazed at some of the great music that people had sold. They had a copy of "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis. I took it out of the case and told the guy behind the counter, "No one should ever give this CD up" he said "Maybe they got the deluxe edition" hmmm....I'll give you that.

Anyway, I was thinking about the CD's that I used to have that I wanted to replace. One CD that I would absolutely love to have but can't find anywhere is one called "Los Lobotomies". It was a live CD recorded by some of the members of Toto. They did some jazz standards some Jimi Hendrix. It was great, but is not available much of anywhere. I bought a copy of it a few years ago when Walmart first opened their online music store. Somehow the license got screwed up with it and I can't listen to it any more.

I did think of one CD that I used to have that got broken somehow. It was the soundtrack to the show "Riverdance". Ever since the first time I heard that music it inspired me. This is music that reaches down in your soul. I saw the show when it came to Nashville about 10 years ago. I found out that it is coming again in February, the day that the tickets go on sale is on my calendar.

A sample of the music is available on their website. Just go to http://www.riverdance.com/ there is a button at the top right that says music player. It plays the music from one of the highlights of the show. Some of my friends and I have been reminiscing on facebook about our old marching band days in high school. One of the things we've talked about is some of the sayings from our band director. Somebody mentioned one that I don't remember him saying, but it applies here.

"If that don't turn you on, you don't have any knobs"

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

My musical goals....

Last night, I got a phone call from Danny Ray Martin who runs a music school in my old neighborhood called the East Nashville School of Music.

I had been trying to get in touch with him for several weeks to begin taking piano lessons again. That's right, piano lessons. When I was younger, I took piano for many years and frustrated many a piano teacher because I would not buckle down and learn to read notes. I loved playing the piano, but reading notes off of the paper never appealed to me at all.

Finally, my parents found a teacher by the name of June Wolfe. She was absolutely amazing. She could site read Chopin but at the same time played all around Nashville with some of the top big bands in the area. She loved jazz. I can remember her visiting my parents a few years ago at Christmas time. She was playing the piano for us it sounded great, then something happened. I realized that she was still playing the same song, but her hands were playing in different keys.

Anyway, I was taking piano from Mrs. Wolfe. She didn't try to teach me to read notes, she taught me how to read chord charts, how to do chord substitutions, and the Nashville Number System. She took me a long way.

She tried to teach me some pretty sophisticated jazz techniques. The only problem was, I was 15 years old. I listened to rock music and didn't appreciate jazz that much. Thirty years later, I appreciate jazz so much, and I've been kicking myself for years because I could have learned so much.

In some ways, I feel indebted to her. I think she saw a lot of potential in me, but sadly, I didn't take advantage of that opportunity. I don't really see myself becoming a performing musician again, but I really do enjoy listening to music and understanding the underlying chord structures that make it up. In the back of my mind, I've thought about taking piano again, but I couldn't find the time or the teacher.....until now.

When I started working on the idea of taking piano there, I visited their web site (which is impressive) and looked at who their instructors are. I was blown away when I saw that Stan Lassiter was one of the instructors. He is a legend in this area. This is not a place where the little old lady that plays at Church is teaching, these are studio quality musicians with impressive resumes.

Anyway, when I talked to Mr. Martin, we discussed when I would start, and he told me to think about what I wanted to do. What were my goals? I spent today thinking about those goals, so I thought I would share them with you. I will be studying there about an hour a week and squeezing practice time in between work, side jobs, kids sport activities and other general stuff. I had to make my goals reasonable giving the time that I had. So here they are:

I want to be able to play honky tonk piano like Billy Powell from Lynyrd Skynyrd. The best example that I had was the solo on Call Me The Breeze. I want to be able to play gospel style piano like the guy with the Yellowjackets when they play Revelation. I want to be able to improvise and do chord voicings like Bill Evans on Freddie Freeloader. I I would also like to be able to just play like Jeff Lorber and Kenny Gorelick did on Wizard Island. (This was before Kenny Gorelick sissied up and became Kenny G, you have to read Pat Matheny's interview about Kenny G)

I also want to be able to play the Hammond organ like Keith Emerson on Hoedown or Rick Wakeman on Roundabout.

But when I was 10 or 11, the thing that made me really want to play the piano has to be the piano solo in Peter Frampton's Do you feel like we do?

I hope that I'm not being unreasonable ;-)

P.S. I'd also like to be able to play swing like Harry Connick Jr's piano teacher on the version of Stardust from his 25 album. I couldn't find a clip of that though.

The hazards of driving a Chevette.....


The last big gas crunch was in the late 70's early 80's. My father had a side job where he drove a lot. Chevrolet started making smaller cars for fuel efficiency so my father bought...a Chevette. Being very interested in gas mileage, he bought one with manual transmission.

He actually had two of them. The first one he owned was silver, it was the first model they came out with. It met its demise before I was old enough to drive. My father inspected houses for an insurance company and drove all over Tennessee. On one particular occasion, the house was on a hill, he parked but didn't set the emergency brake. The car popped out of gear and was able to gain enough speed to jump a curb, clear a creek and nose dive on the bank. He bought a second one that I learned to drive with and yes it became my 'date car'. The unfortunate demise of the first Chevette was merely foreshadowing of things to come.

I'm sure that you can imagine the excitement of my dates when they saw me drive up in this fine piece of machinery. Little did they know the fun we were to have.

On one occasion, I was dating a girl that lived between Hendersonville and Gallatin. An area call Bluegrass I think. Anyway, at that time, it was a fairly new area and wasn't big on street lights yet. I drove my date home one evening, it was pitch dark we couldn't see a thing outside. She opened the door to get out of the car and immediately hit the ground. Unfortunately, I didn't get the car in gear when we stopped and we were rolling backwards and didn't know it. (We did continue to date)

On another occasion, I dated a girl whose driveway was at a steep incline. I went to her house one evening and when I left, we walked outside, the car was gone. We both thought it had been stolen (unlikely) I found it nicely perched in the yard of their neighbor across the street. It didn't hit a thing. I ran across the street, started the car, and drove home with heart pounding.

Right before my son turned 15, I bought a truck for him to drive. The one stipulation was that it had to have a manual transmission. He thinks it is because I want him to have certain driving skills. Little does he know that I just want him to have some stories to tell 30 years from now.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Color Me Gone....



For the past 15 years I've lived in Lebanon, 30 miles east of Nashville. Lebanon is a small town in many ways. It is a successful city, a great place to live and a fantastic place to raise kids. However, due to a lot of factors that I don't really need to talk about any more. I lost contact there. I lost contact with myself, and I lost contact with many of my good friends.

For the past few weeks and months, I've been reconnecting...reconnecting with friends in Nashville and most importantly....reconnecting with myself. The biggest reconnection I've made lately is....my love for music. I love music of all kinds, I love to listen to it (my Zune and I are inseparable, though I did let my neighbors borrow it while they were stuck in the hospital) and I love to see it performed live.

I've also reconnected with many friends from high school. I was an athlete in my early years, but instead of playing varsity sports in high school, I joined the marching band. What a tremendous experience that was. I was a Charter Member of the marching band. This incredible group of people went from a rag-tag bunch of people learning to walk in a straight line, to a polished corp that won 4 consecutive State Championships.

Facebook has been priceless in my reconnection efforts. In the last 3 months I've reconnected with about 35 people from high school. We have spread across the country, but facebook let's us keep up with each other just like we were still stuck on the endless bus rides to the distant football game or contest.

One of the guys that I've reconnected with is a fellow by the name of Adam Hampton. Adam and I were two of the few in my graduating class that went to Goodpasture from the grades 1 through 12. In junior high and high school, Adam and I were in the band together, we played music together, even dated the same girls...what I'm saying is, Adam is one of the guys that I've known for the longest time.

Adam and I were both keyboard players, we both planned to make music for a living. There was one difference between Adam and I. I liked playing music....Adam LOVED it. He was willing to put more effort into it than I was. Today...I am a computer programmer...Adam plays keys for Ronnie Milsap (and others), has his own studio (Kokopelli Music) and a video business (ANR Productions) (Darn good web sites Adam!).

When Adam and I began an impromptu effort to reunite the members of the Marching Band, I visited his studio web site. I noticed that Adam's wife Rhonda (who sings with Ronnie Milsap) had a CD that was recorded and produced by Adam. Even though country music is not really my thing, I ordered it. An autographed copy arrived in my mail Thursday. (Thank you Rhonda!)

I began listening to it on the way to work Friday morning. As I listened, I busted out laughing. Knowing Adam like I do, I could hear his fingerprints all over it. I loved it...it is priceless to me now.

Here's a side note about the music business. I've only been loosely attached to it, but I know a little bit. Most often the artist and musicians get the credit for the music. In reality, it is the producer (in conjunction with the artist) that develops the vision of what the project will ultimately sound like. They select the songs, develop the sound for the song (it is many times very different from the way a songwriter presents it). And even though the musicians play the parts, it is the producer that works with them to develop the parts to be played.

This is the first time that I've listened to a CD where I knew the producer so well. The project is amazing. It is six years old, but to me, it is a classic (probably a little biased here).

The style of music is country....kind of. I've already let 3 or 4 people listen to my copy. Usually their first response is "I don't like country"..my response is "this is not your typical country album....just listen to the title track" after that...they are hooked and listen to the whole thing.

The reason it is not your typical country album is because (I'm guessing here) is because of Adam's early musical influences. Adam and I and our group friends listened to rock early on, but we didn't listen to the typical 3 chord rock, we listened to Rush, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Steely Dan and jazz influences like Gino Vanelli and Jeff Lorber.

First, let me say that Rhonda's vocals are amazing. She brings a lot to the table (she absolutely nails Patsy Cline in the bonus tracks, anybody that can do that is amazing) But when I listen to music, I typically listen to the background more than the vocals and lyrics. I busted out laughing when I heard some of the instrumentation, and musical techniques used on the album. The best example would be "Better Be Serious" there is tremendous amount of syncopation in that song (we did a lot of that in high school) and it also features a lot of the Hammond B3 organ (a classic instrument, not used much in country music). Somewhere on the album I heard a clavinet a clavinet is a funky sounding keyboard (not sure I've ever heard a country song that used one). Also there is a Supertramp/wurlitzer sounding electric piano used in "Color Me Gone". The piano fills in "I've Been Run Over By This Train Before" will make anyone that appreciates the piano laugh out loud.

I'm sorry...I could go on and on. The album is amazing...samples and online purchase are available here. Just in case you think I'm biased, there is another review of the album here.

Thanks guys...I hope to see you at the Ryman on Nov. 6.

P.S. "Color Me Gone" is my new theme song ;-)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

False Advertising....

I checked my email this morning. I had an email from the Wildhorse Saloon with the subject line of "Rockin Concerts". From the experience of seeing Foreigner (details in an earlier post), I was hoping they were announcing some new performers.

To my horror, the top concert they were advertising was....

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Boys Are Back...

This evening, I went to Chris' JV game and then came back to the apartment to check my email and settle in for the evening. When I checked the email, I got a message that the Oak Ridge Boys were having a free concert at the Wildhorse Saloon. I had a lot of other stuff that I needed to be doing, but heck, seeing the Oaks for free was too good to pass up. So off I go....

When I got to the Wildhorse, the place was packed. Evidently there was a convention in town for IEBA (International Entertainment Buyers Association). They put on the show at the Wildhorse and invited the public. It was pretty cool.

When I got there, there was a band playing, I figured it was a warm-up band of some sort so I found a seat and was just hanging out until the Oaks came on. As I settled in, I realized that this 'warm up band' was really really good. I started listening but didn't recognize any of the songs. Shortly after I got there, the guitar player started into a riff that I recognized. As he played, I recognized that it was the unmistakable into to "Green Grass and High Tides".

For the unintiated, there are some rock songs that are 'good songs', then there are some songs that are anthemns. They define the period. Examples would be "Free Bird", "Stairway To Heaven", "Do you feel like we do". For the southern rock fan, "Green Grass and High Tides" was one of those anthemns. This 'warm-up' band was the Outlaws who originally did that song. It was amazing, I couldn't imagine that I'd ever see them perform that song live.

After The Outlaws finished, the Oak Ridge Boys came on. For some reason, even though their style of music is not my favorite, I have an emotional connection with those guys. They are local Nashvillians that did good. I went to high school with William Golden's sons (the one that looks like the missing ZZ Top member).

Anyway, they opened the show with a pretty good song called "The Boys Are Back" which is evidently the theme song for their comeback. Of course they had to do "Elvira" and a couple of songs that I'd not heard of before.

The featured song, was "Mama's Table" it was a pretty good song and is probably going to be a single when their new album comes out. They closed the show with "Bobby Sue". They came back out for an encore and sang "Amazing Grace" A Capella. It was pretty classy. William Golden even took off his hat.

I'm glad that I went, it was a good show.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

A Diamond In The Rubble....

As a result of my recent divorce, I had the distinct pleasure of laying hands on everything I own. As I was going through it all and getting rid of what I could, I came across a cassette tape that is (dare I say) 22 years old.

The tape is a recording that a friend of mine from college (Raegan Echols) turned in as his Senior Project for a music production class. Using what crappy equipment I had and whatever free software I could download, I was able to convert the project to an MP3 file. If you would like, you may listen to it here.

Here's the story behind the song.

All through high school, I was going to be a musician. Nevermind that I never learned to read music, I was going to be a musician. I had played piano since I was about 6 or so. Anyway, I auditioned and was accepted into the music department at Belmont College (at the time, University now). There was just one small problem, I was going to begin my college career on academic probation. So, I dropped the music major idea pretty quickly. Belmont also had a strong Music Business program, so I changed over to that.

One of my first classes was "Music Theory For Music Business Majors" or something like that. The professor was John Arnn, what a hoot that guy was. Anyway, we had to write a song for one of our assignments. I could write pretty good chord progressions,but lyrics came pretty tough. I wrote the chord progression that you hear in the song and had a friend of mine (Mike Bond, anybody know what happened to that guy?) write some lyrics. I turned it in and got a B, assignment done, no problem.

A couple of years later, Raegan told me that he had to produce an original song for his senior project. I told him that I had written a song years before and thought he might like it. We went to a piano room, I played it for him, he liked it, except for the lyrics (sorry Mike).

Now Raegan had some connections in the music industry, his uncle was Jerry Reed and Raegan was his road manager during the summers. So Raegan gets some members of Jerry's band to come in and play some of the parts. I played the piano and string parts, other members of Jerry's band played the rest.

After we had recorded the rhythm tracks, he took a cassette tape of it and gave it to Shelby Kennedy who was also a student at Belmont at the time and a very good songwriter (he's now a bigwig at BMI I think).

Anyway, Shelby did a fantastic job of writing some lyrics to fit what we had already recorded (we didn't have to change a thing). I was amazed.

I never met the singer and don't know his name. I did watch the lead guitar guy record his part, it was amazing. He listened to the song once, told them to record, then he played the part that you hear. As soon as he finished, he packed up his guitar and left. It was amazing.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this blast from my past. If you know someone that wants to take it and make it a hit, I could sure use the cash ;-).

Friday, October 10, 2008

Do Not Worry...

Looks like another bad day for the financial markets...

In tough times, I always think of this verse....

Matthew 6
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

They've still got it....

In the last month, I've had the opportunity to see two of my favorite bands live. When I was younger, I used to go to a lot of concerts. I've seen my favorite band Rush 9 times live if that gives you any idea. Anyway, I had never seen either of these bands live.

The first was the Eagles. I saw them when they were in Nashville a few weeks ago. After they did their first two songs, Glenn Frey said "We'd like to welcome you to the Eagles 'Assisted Living Tour'" He was hilarious. Theses guys still have it. Though Glenn Frey and Don Henley typically garner most of the attention for their vocals, I came away most impressed with Joe Walsh. Until you see them live, you don't realize that Joe Walsh is the guy playing most of the difficult guitar solos. Though, since seeing the "Hell Freezes Over" video, I noticed they seems to carry around another guitarist to play some of the licks. All in all, it was a great show...one of the greatest bands in rock history IMHO....however.

Last night, I took Chris to see Foreigner at the Wildhorse. Ever since he got the Guitar Hero video game, he has become a huge classic rock fan. Music from the 70s and 80s is one of the areas that he and I connect on, it is a big part of our relationship. A month or so ago, I saw that Foreigner was coming to Nashville and I mentioned that I'd like to take him. I got busy and didn't think about it (the tickets were kind of expensive) until I received an email on Monday or Tuesday that they were offering tickets 2 for 1. At that point, I said, "We have to go", I'm so glad we did.

Like I said before, I've been to a lot of live shows, but for overall atmosphere and music, I've never been to a show that compares with seeing Foreigner at the Wildhorse. The Wildhorse (for you non-Nashvillians) is a country bar built by Gaylord Entertainment (Grand Ole Opry folks). A few years ago, they started hosting some live concerts there. Some of the bands from the 70s and 80s play there (if they are still able to get around). The Wildhorse is an impressive venue, it has three levels, but no matter where you sit, you are close to the stage.

We got there about 7:30 when the opening act was supposed to start. Kip Winger opened the show. It was him and a 12 string guitar, he was good. I remember the band Winger from years ago, but to be honest, I couldn't remember any of his songs.

Foreigner took the stage about 9:00 or so. When they walked out on the stage, this wild looking guy with white hair came out carrying a guitar. He looked more like a lost high school science teacher than a rocker. When there is a band I like, I usually know all of the members by name, however, with Foreigner, I pretty much only knew the name of the (former) lead singer Lou Gramm (Louis Grammatico I just found out). Anyway, the wild haired guy was Mick Jones, he was one of the founding members, he co-wrote most of their songs and co-produced all of their albums. He's now 63 years old and absolutely brought the house down. The dude rocks, the guitar solos on their songs are his. He is only remaining original member.

They opened the show with 'Double Vision', followed by 'Head Games'. After that, I don't remember the order of the songs. I wasn't drunk, but it was a constant barrage of hit after hit. It was fantastic.

I do remember the song 'Urgent'. Their rhythm guitar player (I don't remember his name) played the sax part on that song. They expanded his solo time considerably from the original song. It was fantastic. That song has too much of a be-bop feel to it for me, but when he played that solo. It was incredible.

Chris and I listen to a lot of music together and it is usually a game about who can recognize and name the band and song first. When they started the intro for 'Jukebox Hero', I heard that distinctive synth sound that opens the song. I looked at Chris and said "come on son, what's the song?" He didn't know. They lengthened the intro and changed it a bit, so it wasn't just like the album. Anyway, I kept watching his face, when the singer hit the second line of the lyrics, it finally hit him what song it was. His face lit up and he said "That was them?" I said, yeah, Jukebox Hero, what a song. They changed it up quite a bit, Mick Jones really showed his stuff on the guitar solo. They even inserted a little of Led Zepplin's "Whole lotta Love". Definitely a highlight.

And I can't forget the singer. I have to say that Lou Gramm, in my opinion, was one of the real greats in rock vocals. When I realized that he wasn't singing for Foreigner any more, I have to say that I was a little disappointed and even thought "It's not Foreigner without Lou Gramm". I was wrong. Kelly Hansen, their new vocalist had the voice, range and emotion needed to pull off their repertoire. He was great. Mick Jones even said himself "He's brought new life into these songs".

Well, I could probably ramble on about that show for hours. I'll wrap it up by saying this....if a band that you like plays at the Wildhorse, spend the money, go see them...you won't be dissappointed.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

In the interest of fairness....

I did receive a response to my previous post from on of the commentors. He did not want to register so that he could leave a comment. So...I'll post his response here myself. I am of the opinion that we can disagree without being disagreeable.....


Hi Donnie,
http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/dobson.html

Give that a look for starters.
As for your belief that the Bible is God breathed fact, well I can point you to any number of books disputing that. I can take it apart piece by piece and have. Not on your blog because it is another thing I have to register on to post.

Am sure you are a great guy but we will never see eye to eye.


True my friend...but we can be friendly.

I would like to close this episode with a statement by Blaise Pascal. Blaise Pascal was a philosopher who also, by the way, developed one of the earliest know 'computing machines'. He made the following statement that is now famous: referred to as Pascal's wager....

The short version...

"If God does not exist, one will lose nothing by believing in him, while if he does exist, one will lose everything by not believing."

The long version....


If there is a God, He is infinitely incomprehensible, since, having neither parts nor limits, He has no affinity to us. We are then incapable of knowing either what He is or if He is....

..."God is, or He is not." But to which side shall we incline? Reason can decide nothing here. There is an infinite chaos which separated us. A game is being played at the extremity of this infinite distance where heads or tails will turn up. What will you wager? According to reason, you can do neither the one thing nor the other; according to reason, you can defend neither of the propositions.

Do not, then, reprove for error those who have made a choice; for you know nothing about it. "No, but I blame them for having made, not this choice, but a choice; for again both he who chooses heads and he who chooses tails are equally at fault, they are both in the wrong. The true course is not to wager at all."

Yes; but you must wager. It is not optional. You are embarked. Which will you choose then? Let us see. Since you must choose, let us see which interests you least. You have two things to lose, the true and the good; and two things to stake, your reason and your will, your knowledge and your happiness; and your nature has two things to shun, error and misery. Your reason is no more shocked in choosing one rather than the other, since you must of necessity choose. This is one point settled. But your happiness? Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is.

"That is very fine. Yes, I must wager; but I may perhaps wager too much." Let us see. Since there is an equal risk of gain and of loss, if you had only to gain two lives, instead of one, you might still wager. But if there were three lives to gain, you would have to play (since you are under the necessity of playing), and you would be imprudent, when you are forced to play, not to chance your life to gain three at a game where there is an equal risk of loss and gain. But there is an eternity of life and happiness. And this being so, if there were an infinity of chances, of which one only would be for you, you would still be right in wagering one to win two, and you would act stupidly, being obliged to play, by refusing to stake one life against three at a game in which out of an infinity of chances there is one for you, if there were an infinity of an infinitely happy life to gain. But there is here an infinity of an infinitely happy life to gain, a chance of gain against a finite number of chances of loss, and what you stake is finite. [9]

Facebook Fallacies....

This evening I had kind of an interesting experience...

I have become fairly active on Facebook lately...I'm using it to make new friends and reconnect with old friends. As you may or may not know, Facebook is a social networking site similar to MySpace. You connect with people, you can post photos, links and information to your site and your connections receives updates about you automatically. It's very cool, and a little bit addicting....

Anyway, a friend posted the following status to her facebook account...

--name withheld-- urges you to go to www.citizenlink.com and read Dr. James Dobson's thoughts on our two Presidential candidates. Very good information!

Immediately she received some fairly heated political commentary from some of her friends. I added a comment myself and realized that we were going to get into a fairly heated political/religious/social debate on Facebook using someone's status as the forum.

I quickly mentioned that our friend's status was hardly the place to enter such a debate, so I added the fellows as friend's and invited them to enter into the debate in a more suitable forum. I thought that we could do it here. When I invited the debate, I set a few ground rules: we must all be open to new ideas, no name calling, and we must argue based on facts, not assumed ideas (someone made a conjecture about how Dr. James Dobson probably felt, I will not argue about conjecture, only facts)

I would preface this with a statement originally made by Voltaire

"I may not agree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it"

I would also like to quote a comedian that I heard recently who said

"I have very strong opinions, and I don't research any of them"

I am not a politically active guy. I typically don't get involved in political debate. I do enjoy mental exercise and pointing out logical fallacies. I also have have a great amount of respect for Dr. Dobson, I have not kept track with his political maneuverings, but from a personal point of view, his dedication to family has had a huge impact on my life.

So anyway, I would like to begin the debate....

My friend's endorsement of Dr. James Dobson elicited some pretty heated response from her friends. I will post them here (leaving names out) and respond to each individually...

The first response:

Commentor #1: Thank you for the link. As always, Dobson distracts with non-issues that are completely irrelevant to the problems facing this country. This further illustrates that whoever is selected as President, we can look forward to more poverty, increased militarism and needless carnage to support the wealthiest 1% in the manner to which they have become accustomed.

My Response: In the times that we live in, there are a huge number of issues that make up the total background for a Presidential election. I read some (but not all) of the newsletter article. He doesn't mention Iraq (at least not in the section I read) the financial crisis or any other of the myriad of issues that are now facing our country. I would point out that Dr. Dobson in this newsletter is focused on a specific audience, he is writing to subscribers of his 'Focus on the Family' organization. From what I read, he focused his attention on the issue that his readers would be most interested in from a family perspective. That primary issue would be the candidates stance on abortion. I don't believe that he is ignoring the other issues, he's focusing on what his audience wants to know.

As far as the statement about "supporting the wealthiest 1%", I would like to point out that based on the facts, the opposite is actually true. The latest data available (based 2006 tax returns) shows that the top 1% accounted for 22% of the income in this country, yet paid 39% of the total tax bill. We are not supporting the top 1%, they are supporting us to a certain extent.

Source: The Tax Foundation

On to the next comment:

Commentor #2: When Dobson and Focus on the Family speak, I hurl. Sorry --name withheld--, but this is guys has NUTS written all over him.

At this point I made a comment on my friend's status and said...

hmmmm....I detect some differences of opinion here...I don't know specifically the views that qualify him as being nuts. I've found his concepts on raising children and handling family issues to be dead on. Maybe you guys have a different world view? Please remember that just because you disagree with someone doesn't make them nuts...it just means you have a different opinion....

At this point Commentor #1 responds:

Point taken. I have an anti-fascist world view. James Dobson's use of his tax-exempt evangelical corporate status to pressure politicians is the essense of Fascism. I also find his pro-forced birth attitutde barbaric and more suitable to a medieval backwater than to a supposed first-world nation.

My Response: The tax-exempt status of churches and other religious organizations is always a matter of concern. If a church or other tax-exempt organization gets involved in the political process, they risk losing their tax exempt status. Please understand that I am a spiritual guy, however, I am no big fan of 'organized religion'. Corporations and other organizations have set up 'Political Action Committees' for years. These committees allow their parent organization to be politically active (which is their right) without having the donations taken directly from the parent organization's bottom line. I'm not saying that its right or wrong, but corporations have set up PAC for years. In Dr. Dobson's newsletter referenced above, he makes the following statement:

"Considering the stark differences between the two presidential candidates and the critical issues that are hanging in the balance, it’s not difficult to understand why Campaign 2008 has been such a spirited affair. I’d like to take a few moments to consider what is at stake in this year’s election, particularly for those of us who embrace a biblical worldview. Please understand that I will share these thoughts under the umbrella of Focus on the Family Action™, which has supported the preparation and distribution of this letter. Focus Action is, in turn, supported by
contributions from those who do not receive tax deductible receipts for them. Thanks so much to you who made it possible.
" (emphasis added)

What he is saying here is that he is making his comments through 'Focus On The Family Action' which is obviously a PAC. This allows Dr. Dobson to use his influence and reputation to make political statements without involving 'Focus On The Family' organization. I admit it is a fine line, but it is one that is walked everyday in this country.

On to the second part of this comment

"I also find his pro-forced birth attitutde barbaric and more suitable to a medieval backwater than to a supposed first-world nation."

This threw me a bit, I have never heard the term "forced birth" before. Sir, we obviously have a very different view of the birth of a child. The birth of a child is a tremendous experience. The growth and life of a child (I have two) is the meaning of my whole life. Am I to accept the idea that the birth of a child is barbaric and that the humane approach is the killing and dismemberment of that child? We will have to agree to disagree on that point.

I will concede that there are conditions under which I can see abortion as the preferred option to the birth of the child. However, the concept of using abortion as "retroactive birth control" is not a concept that I will ever endorse.

I would suggest checking out The Constitution Party. I was going to vote for McCain but he's right up there doing the same things that he's always done - OBama's the same way. They're both just crooked politicians telling us what they think we want to hear. They don't represent my views. The Consitution Party does. It's a party that stands for America's Constitution and getting back to what the U.S.A.'s forefathers stood for. They're getting my vote next month.

My Response: I've not heard of the Constitution party, like I said, I'm not very politically active. I had someone tell me years ago about the libertarian party which endorses a lot of concepts that I believe (small government, personal responsibility). If I get a chance, I'll look into the Constitution Party, sounds great. My favorite preacher (Ravi Zacharius) put it best..."I have no idea who is going to be President, I just hope its no one that we've seen so far"

At this point Commentor #2 re-enters the fray.

He actually said the world was created in 6 days. Is a rabid homophobe. Bilks people out of money(he has hundreds of millions). Add that he probably thinks God talks to him personally and you got NUTS..oh and a crook.

As crazy as it may sound, there are those of use who believe the story of creation in the first book of Genesis to be a true and factual account of our beginnings as a human race. I have spent a lot of time studying evolution and other world views. I am familiar with the ideas presented by scientists that our universe is billions of years old. I would simply point out that I believe the Bible to be God breathed and that it is true and factual despite all evidence to the contrary. I would simply refer you to the tag line on my blog which is a statement by Edith Hamilton which says...."Faith is not belief without proof, it is trust without reservation." I respect your right to believe differently, however, I and many others disagree. Please respect that also.

I don't know anything about Dr. Dobson being a rabid homophobe, so I can't speak to that.

As far as him bilking millions out of people, I can speak to that. When I was in my pre-teen years, I tended to get into some trouble. The most common punishment for me was that I had to sit and listen to some cassette tapes called "Preparing For Adolescence" written by...you guessed it....Dr. James Dobson. This was over 30 years ago. He has written many books about raising children and keeping families together. He is a successful author. When you write books and sell them...you make money. The better books you write, the more you sell, the more money you make. It's the American way. I don't know if he asks for donations or not, he may...I doubt it.

As far as him probably thinking that God speaks to him directly or any indication of him being a crook. I would simply ask that you present facts, not conjecture.

Commentor #2: When the two mainstream candidates are both minions of the CFR (Council On Foreign Relations), you can bet the loser will be the US taxpayer. The US has had its nuts in a vice since 1913 and can't seem to shake the criminals that control the White House, Congress and Senate, the judiciary, the State Dept., the treasury, and the police and military apparatus. This is how we ended up with privatized profit and socailized loss.

I don't know anything about the CFR, can't speak to that. It's late, I'm tired and don't feel like researching it. As far as the criminals that control everything...I remember a statement I heard one time, I don't remember the source but they said "Democracy isn't perfect, but it's the best we've got"

Well, there it is. I have invited the original commentors to post their responses here. Anyone else is welcome to as well.

Good night.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Watch out Starbucks...




There's a new kid in town....

Look at it this way, Starbucks is over $23 a gallon...

Sunday, October 5, 2008

The thrill of victory...

It's been an amazing weekend in sports for Tennessee....

The Titans just came back to beat Baltimore to remain unbeaten.
Vanderbilt came back from a 13-0 deficit to to beat Auburn 14-13 to remain unbeaten.
The Cubs, who had the best record in the regular season, gets swept in the division series.

Amazing stuff....


Oh, for those of you that aren't in Tennessee, you need to hear some of the jokes going around about UT.

1) The rumor is Phil Fulmer will be leaving at the end of the Season to work for FEMA. They have found that he can move 100,000 people quicker than anybody.

2) The City of Knoxville has decided to Neyland Stadium (UT's home field) as a tornado shelter. They have found that a touchdown is very unlikely there...

Saturday, October 4, 2008

My Favorite Shirt



My current favorite shirt
(estimated age 11 years)

It's potential successor
I don't know if all guys are this way (or girls for that matter) but for me significant events are typically marked with the purchase of a t-shirt. When I was younger, and went to a lot of concerts, I always bought a shirt to commemorate the event. By wearing the shirt you were making a statement: "I like group X and yes I went to see them in concert".

I know it isn't just me, t-shirts are used to make a statement. Sometimes, in the IT world (and I assume others), significant projects or teams are bonded together by someone having t-shirts printed.

Although I don't buy nearly as many t-shirts as I used to, I still have many from the past. T-shirts are ranked in my mind, on the weekends, I pick out the t-shirt that makes the statement for the day.

As new t-shirts are added to the collection, they start out very low on the totem pole, I'll wear them every once in a while. But, over time, shirts earn there spot at the top of the pecking order. After many years and many wearings, they reach the lofty status of being the "Favorite Shirt".

Today, I was folding laundry and came across the current "Favorite Shirt" (picture to the right). I bought that shirt in Daytona Beach on vacation some 11 years ago. I liked it because of the denim look it has. For a fleeting moment I thought, "You know, this shirt has had it, I should throw it away". Once that thought passed through my head, I recoiled in horror. I can't throw that shirt away, its my "Favorite Shirt".

Due to the apparent wear and tear (I think it probably only has another 2 or 3 years left in it) I decided that I needed to open up to the concept of letting another shirt become the "Favorite".

A few weeks ago, The Eagles came to town on their last final tour (we'll see). I have wanted to see them for years, but for one reason or another was unable to attend. I was able to attend thanks to a gift from a dear friend. I had to buy a shirt. They had many to choose from, one with the cover from their greatest hits album was the easy winner.

I need to work on it, but it has the potential of replacing "The Favorite". It'll take some time, but maybe it will get there.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Hey buddy, can you spare a dime?

People are always asking me for money. I don't know if I just look like a soft touch, or what, but I can't go out on 2nd ave without being approached several times a night for cigarettes or money or food or something.

Because of the way I was raised, this always presents a challenge for me. The words of Jesus always go through my head...

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

At the same time, Paul tells us

"If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

So what is your opinion? How do you apply these scriptures when someone asks you for money?

Years ago, my counselor told me that when God gives seemingly contradictory statements like this, he is giving us permission to apply each concept as we see fit. My opinion is that we are commanded to help the needy, but don't be an enabler.

I have adopted this policy, If someone asks me for money for some specific purpose, my response is "I won't give you cash, but I will get you what you need". If someone asks for money for food, I take them somewhere and buy the food. If in fact, they need food, they will be appreciative, if they were wanting the cash for some other purpose, they will walk away.

Just about any night of the week, you can go out in Nashville and find those on the sidewalk who are begging for change. It is very difficult to walk away. However, the Union Rescue Mission posts signs asking you not to give to panhandlers. I guess this is where giving becomes enabling. It's a difficult problem, but one all Christians should consider.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

I'd like to introduce you....

Since I was in high school I have been a fan of musicians like Jeff Lorber, Kenny G, David Sanborn and many others. Within the past few years, I've begun hearing the term "Smooth Jazz".

Many times, when people hear the word Jazz, they immediately say "I don't like Jazz..." The reason is that when you hear jazz, you think of a quartet who seem to be playing different songs at the same time and are oblivious to each other.

Smooth Jazz is much more melodic, there is not so much improvisation. I appreciate improvisational jazz, but when I listen to it, I listen for a totally different reason than when I listen to Smooth Jazz.

A few years ago, I somehow came across the web site or myspace page for an artist named Euge Groove. He was the first self-promoted artist I'd ever listened to. I immediately liked his work, though sadly I didn't keep up with him.

A couple of days ago, I remembered the name and downloaded some of his work. He's now with the Narada label which is a big jazz label. I was listening to his albums yesterday and came across the song "Get 'em Going" This is the kind of song that really does get me going. I thought I'd share it with you. You just might find yourself a jazz fan as well..

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Now I'm certain the Cubs are going to win the World Series...



My my...the relative placement of Vanderbilt and Tennessee is absolutely amazing.

On the subject of politics.....

I read a news story about this speech this morning...

Proof more than ever that the more things change, the more they stay the same...

Franklin D. Roosevelt's Commencement Address at Oglethorpe University May 22, 1932

Labels....

I had an experience yesterday relating to politics. I had a friend that is going through a bit of a rough time. His political views are quite different from mine. Anyway, I copied the Theodore Roosevelt quote from my last post and sent it to him. Every time I read that quote, it charges me up and prepares me for the battle of the day, I thought it might do the same for him.

Well, I don't remember the exact response, but it was something about Theodore Roosevelt being a Republican. Apparently, the quote didn't do anything for him because of Teddy's political views.

To be honest, I had no idea if Teddy Roosevelt was a Democrat or Republican when I sent the quote, I had to look it up to see if he was serious. I said something like, regardless of the man's political views, its a great quote.

If someone has different views than you do, does it mean everything they say is worthless? This relates to politics, religion and everyday life. If you listen to a preacher from a different faith, is their sermon worthless because they see God differently?

I realize that this is the political season and that nothing polarizes people like religion and politics, but if you use labels to put people in a box, then you are very much over simplifying the situation. I heard someone say "Eat the meat and spit out the bones" that is very true. In the words of the sage of the age Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?"