Alittle Bit Of This And That

I don't blog as much as I used to. So it is time for an update and so here goes my thoughts on a number of thoughts.

2008 Presidential Race I have been a registered republican for my entire adult life. If I had to place myself in any category I would describe myself as a moderate republican, that is to say that I don't follow everything... I am anything but a Lemming. I am all for smaller government, less taxes.

until now

As with many others, the Iraq war has left a bad taste in my mouth. I have seen people I am close to go into Iraq three times and at least at this point there is no indication there will not be a fourth. At the onset I was for the war even if we were to the moral police force of the world....it was the right thing to do. To free a people from the years of bondage Sadaam Hussein had put them in. It was a heroic a noble action even though misunderstood. It could equally be argued that this is just my initial rationalization of the lost cost.

The war aside, it is time for change. If you have even remotely followed congressional acts over the last several years the partisanship has gotten worse. It is time to bring the country together, for both sides of the aisle to meet in the middle and work together to get things moving again. Too many politicians are indebted to others than those who elected them.

McCain.... look at the new boss, same as the old boss. He might have a history of being "independent minded" but we don't need a third term of the same old song and dance.

Hillary... Although her reaction to or how she handled the soiling of Monica's blue dress might rightfully be a "personal and private family matter" as Chelsea has stated it would tend to give us some insight on how she would handle a crisis. If that phone ringing at 3am was not a foreign policy crisis, nor a economic crisis but rather a personal family crisis, perhaps in the like of William's stray usage of the family seed. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger and in that we deserve that insight.

Other that that it is my opinion as well and the opinion of many others that Hillary is divisive. I guess it is the aura of the wining at any cost but I don't believe there is any way she can heel the wounds of divisiveness this country has gone through the past 7 or so years. In that essence, it will be be more of the same.

So that leaves me with Barrack. When he won Iowa I said to myself that we finally grew up as a country. It made me feel proud. In that sense I know what Michelle Obama meant when she said it was the first time in her life she was proud of America. It was a mainly white state (91%) voting for an African American to be their president. That was and is undoubtedly awesome....

baby steps

If you have had the chance to listen to recordings of JFK's speeches or MLK's you cannot come away from that without feeling moved and that is what Barrack Obama does for this 43 year old white male. I changed my party affiliation from republican to democrat just so I can vote for Barrack on April 22. I believe there are more people in my demographic out there than people have realized.

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Oil & Gas

Some say at $4/gal for gasoline people will begin to really take a hard look at how they live their lives and cut back. Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen. I have always believed in prepare and expect the worse and if something less materializes then it will be a pleasant surprise.

Oil and gas has been going up for quite a while now. If I remember correctly last year we had a bit of a respite from high prices during towards the tail end of winter and before the summer driving season. This year the only respite we are seeing is a plateau of gas at $3.29 locally...or $3.319 nationally. When we start to switch over to the summer driving season and those different blends we might see $4/gal in more and more parts of the country.

It's coming, just a question of when.

To even fill up your tank for heating the bill for a fill up has gone from under $400 to almost $700. Can you say ouch.

Here's some food for thought. Look back ten years ago and picture yourself and/or your family and compare the differences between then and now. Now think ten years into the future and the one difference you will see or rather not see is Water. It will not be here in the quantities that we have been accustomed to in the past. If you think food prices are high now wait ten years when the lack in abundance of water causes those food prices to even run higher.

Look around your neighborhood. Do you see downspouts from rain gutters running right into the street and into your town's sewers? 10 years from now you may see those downspouts running into the basement and into a cistern for use in gardens and other outside watering....or with minimal treatment perhaps even some laundry

Now onto my genealogy.

When I got back into genealogy last August I had 100 or so names and my thought was to get enough to publish the work for a Christmas gift to my parents. Well, needless to say that didn't happen. The more names I added, the more I uncovered and the more I have yet to add. Today I have 7,622 names. I have 120 photos and numerous stories. Actually, my "Barker Family Tree" is far outnumbered by some other lines in my family.

MY Family Tree

Barker - Can trace back to 1750 in Suffolk County England

Fisk(e) - Paternal Grandmother's line can be traced through to first settlements in Massachusetts and then 1400's in England

Cranker - Maternal line, Can be traced to 1750's in Montgomery County in NY

Stevens - Mother's Maternal Grandfather's line can be traced to 1793 in VT

Bigelow - Mother's Maternal Grandmother's line can be traced to early settlements in Massachusetts and then 1400's in England.