The Dawn Treader

"Well, you know, that's something, obviously, that, you know, in principle and in the campaign, you know, I think that, um, the tax cuts, you know, were expiring and needed to be repealed."

~ Caroline Kennedy

"The year 2008 can best be described as a year of crime, terrorist activities, bloodshed and accidents"

~ Tavishi Srivastava, 51, an office worker in the northern city of Lucknow, India

"Whatever happened to a sense of idealism and embracing an idea that will help people and, in this case, children?"

~ Rod Blagojevich, Illinois governor ... for now ...

"Another thing senators do is cast votes to spend other people's money. Caroline Kennedy should be very good at that. She grew up in a wealthy family. Her stepfather was one of the richest men in the world. Now she's married to a wealthy businessman. She's had lots of practice spending other people's money. She'd be good at it."

~ John Stossel

"Looking ahead to 2009 and adding up the grim headlines from the year just passed, the restive populace badly needs a sense of perspective. Even the briefest reconsideration of the fateful follies of 1968 (and many of the subsequent years, particularly under Jimmy Carter) should remind the public that there's scant basis for desperation or self pity as we move forward into the Age of Obama. "

~ Michael Medved

"Of course, I’m sure the social conservatives will cook up some rationalization to continue fighting against the scourge of accurate knowledge and information, the bane of all social conservatives."

~ tgirsch, doing what he does best ... ;)

"God is good...all the time.  Keep hugging your kids tight...and always wear your seat belt."

~ Patricia, a friend of Mr. and Mrs. D, who survived a frightening crash on I-80 near Cleveland, Ohio on December 23, 2008.  Her four kids were wearing their seat belts and survived.  Pray for her son and daughter who are still in intensive care.

"Please give thanks to God with us for what He has done to provide for our every need.  It is God’s practice to use men and women to accomplish his purposes.  Not because He needs to but because we need Him to and He delights to have His glory made known through us. "

~ Pastor Dunnington

"Hannah and her father were best friends. They were inseparable."

~ Sam Cox, commenting on Hannah George and her father Jeffrey George.  Hannah and her father died together in a car crash outside of Roanoke on December 3rd, 2008

I compiled a little Zeitgeist of my own by collecting a few notable quotes from here and there.  In the midst of a global financial meltdown, political corruption, $50 billion ponzi schemes, a teetering stock market, trillion dollar US government hand outs, and the dawn of the age of Obama, Hillary, Nancy and Al (Franken), it is easy to feel a wee bit glum as we turn the page on 2008.

Cheer up! As Michael Medved says, things could be worse.  It could be 1968 ... or Jimmy Carter could be president. :)

As my friend Patricia says, God is good all the time ... even in the midst of stock market crashes or van crashes on ice on a frozen interstate.  Hug your kids, buckle your seat belts (figuratively and literally), because here comes 2009.

Blessings to you and yours!

Mr. D

Congratulations Tyler.  Mr. Hansbrough set the all-time Carolina scoring mark Thursday against Evansville.  He passed legend Phil Ford.  It will be really nice to see Tyler head to the NBA next year (and not in a Tarheel uniform). ;)

"Washington politicians and bureaucrats have essentially mortgaged everything We the People own so they can keep spending our tax dollars like there’s no tomorrow."

“Given more recent developments, it’s clear that America now owes more than its citizens are worth,” said Foundation president David M. Walker, the former Comptroller-General of the United States who has been trying to warn Americans of the coming financial tsunami for years, to no avail. So, after Uncle Sam bails out bankers, Wall Street gamblers, carmakers and over-their-head homeowners, who’ll bail out Uncle Sam?"

D.C. Examiner

Ever wonder who will bail out the bailer?

When does it end?  At some point, the money runs out, true?  Isn't that the way things are supposed to work?

Perhaps you are like Mr. D. and feel like we have all slid down a rabbit hole and are living in some Alice-in-Wonderland existence.  A trillion here, a trillion there ... trillion, shmillion.

We have a President who was recently quoted as saying he intentionally is to save the free-market economy.  Isn't that a little contradictory?  It sounds kind of like an oncologist saying he is going to kill his patient with an overdose in order to protect his patient from cancer.

This whole wonderland existence we are all living in has me scratching my head and asking others, is there any firm foundation out there, or we all standing firmly planted in mid-air?

When is the U.S. bankrupt?  What happens then?  What kind of security threat does our bankrupt US government face?

Fortunately, there are people who spend their days thinking about this.

My feeling is that the money runs out when the world stops buying U.S. treasuries.  Who are the big buyers of U.S. government issued debt?  Turns out the it used to be Japan, but now it is China.  If you think that gives China some enormous leverage (pun intended) over us, you would be right.  Our only protection is that China would be shooting itself in the foot if they used their role as the number 1 creditor of the U.S. to hurt us.  Let's hope that China always acts rationally, right?

But there is another scenario even more ominous.

The dollar holds a privileged position as the dominant currency in the world.  Global investors do not really have a serious competitor to the investing in dollar backed securities.  But, at what point does a coalition of the powerful finally decide that the risk of holding dollars is so great that they decide to create an alternative?

When the dollar completely erodes, we are in deep poo.  Take the Great Depression and press on the gas pedal.

Now, to really bake your noodle, try to explain to me why money has value.  What is money anyway?

Have a good day. :)

"Making music with a message, teaching truth with tempo and worldview with a wah-wah pedal."

Mr. D is on a bit of a new journey these days.  What you see is a beautiful Fender American Standard Precision Bass guitar.  It looks a lot like the one I own and play daily.

My sons and I have formed a garage band.  While not exactly tour quality yet :) , we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves.  It is hard to describe our sound (other than loud).  We blend rock style lead guitar with a funky bass sound and kickin' drum grooves.

In addition to having fun, we hope to write some original music that will take a message of truth to a post-modern (and practically post-everything) audience.

I think that God designed music to burn information onto a special part of our mind ... in an area I have heard described as the "hard disk that never crashes."  I remember lyrics vividly from 30 years ago.  Perhaps you have noticed this phenomenon when singing Christmas carols in nursing homes with the elderly (something I did this past weekend).  Some of those folks suffer from strokes or senility, but they can sing Silent Night and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.  It is part of God's design and a reason why hymns are so important as a means of teaching theology.

My musical influences were from the 70's and 80's, primarily.  I enjoyed bands that mixed music with a message - e.g. Kansas.

I have a question for my readers.  Please name some recent bands that are having an impact in our culture (bands arising in the past 5 years or so, Christian or otherwise).  My musical knowledge is dated ... I need help getting current.

Faith Christian School is mourning the loss of one of their own.  A ninth grader, Hannah George, and her father Jeffrey, were killed in a car accident on interstate 81 yesterday afternoon.  Hannah was a classmate of my daughter.  My daughter recalls Hannah as someone who spread light with her smile and always seemed to be positive.

I just returned from the school an hour ago.   There were many tears, but there was also hope and comfort.  The administration put up a banner and kids were signing it with messages and heartfelt expressions of sympathy and remembrances.

This brings back fresh memories for me.  On one of my posts about my friend Clete, who died in late 2005, a wonderful mother named Peggy posted timely advice about how to bring comfort to a grieving parent.  I encourage you to read "Best Advice On How To Comfort A Grieving Parent". 

This is a small excerpt from Peggy's moving comment :

So, I am speaking especially to those at Faith Christian school now...  begin to collect pictures and other things that remind you of Hannah.  Share those with Mrs. George at some point, perhaps with a card and a written memory.  Perspective is not what is needed most ... showing up is, and helping piece together all the parts of a life lived much too briefly on this earth.

Faith Christian is hurting right now.  Pray for the community that they might find consolation from their Lord and Savior, and from being together in a community of grace that lifts the name of Christ.  Pray for the teachers and administrators as they grieve and try to be strong at the same time.  

UPDATE: Channel 7 report on Hannah and her father Jeffrey.