Yesterday I posted some thoughts on gun control, and thought it interesting to be reminded that today is the anniversary of the shooting of Ronald Reagan. Reagan was one of my favorite Presidents, and I know I’m not alone in that assessment.

As most know who follow recent history, he was shot by John Hinckley, Jr, after he spoke at a labor meeting in Washington, DC. At the time of the shooting, Reagan wasn’t even aware he was shot, and was driven by secret service to the hospital, where he walked himself into the hospital, later to find out that he had been shot in a lung, which collapsed…the bullet had missed his heart. He was a positive healthy man, 70 years of age at the time, and in good spirits through the ordeal. The next day he carried on his presidential duties from his hospital bed.

Others were shot as well, and recovered from their wounds; but it was the White House Press Secretary James Brady who received the most critical injury, and almost died after being shot through his eye. He sustained brain damage, but went on to be a great advocate for gun control. In 1993 the “Brady Bill” passed through congress, which required a 5 day waiting period and background check for gun buyers. It was President Clinton that signed this bill into law.

I’m kinda bored with the news lately, tired of the same old things about Hillary and Obama, and wonder when it will ever end…sometimes it’s actually kind of funny, it’s almost like the Democratic Party is imploding, but that’s not what I want to talk about.

I thought I’d fill in this long gap between now and the REAL campaigning with some of my own feelings about some of the “hot button” issues. Gun control is one of those issues, and it’s one I have feelings about, but am not passionate about. I hate guns, I really do. Can’t stand watching the violence in movies, can’t stand hearing what’s become all to frequent reports about guns and shootings in schools, oh and that accidental shooting by a pilot last week? I didn’t hear the full story, just one of those things I heard in the background while working.

My husband doesn’t hate guns.  He’s not a member of the NRA, but he does have a nice antique Cavalry rifle that his Dad gave him, a 30/40 Craig, and a couple of shotguns. He believes in our right to bear arms, that people should be able to have a gun to protect themselves. He keeps the ammunition stored far away from the gun, which is smart, but if anyone broke in and I were to even think of using the gun to protect myself, I’d have to say to the intruder, “oh, could you hold on a minute, I have to run into the other room and get some bullets to load the gun if I can find them in my husband’s drawer…just have a seat, I’ll be right back”….so I really don’t think the gun will do much good to protect me. Of course there’s hunting, and an occasional venison steak is pretty good, hunting season brings a lot of guns into our area as we are surrounded by forest.

So, this is an issue I’m conflicted on…not real passionate about…the next “Where I Stand” will be something I AM passionate about.

This weekend we mark 4000 deaths of American Soldiers in Iraq, after marking 5 years in Irag since the invasion of that Country.

It hurts my heart to hear of the deaths, I’m a mother and feel the pain of the mothers who have lost their sons and daughters…based on that pain, it is so tempting for me to want to turn against the war, wonder how it all started…so much time has passed, that I tend to forget, as I’m sure many of us do.

My husband, the one who inspired this blog because he has more of a handle on political things than I do, has a way of bringing me back around by tracing how it all started, how it all fits together, and why we are there today. I hate the deaths, but by the time I’m done listening to him, somehow, as hard as it is, I .. can .. see .. that .. they.. have .. not .. been .. wasted .. deaths…or do I? It was really hard to type those last few words, so maybe I’m struggling, maybe I need to have him talk me through it again..and when I do, I’ll post it here for all of you.

Until then, my heart hurts for the loss, and at the same time is thankful for the freedom that we have brought to Iraq at a great price.

This weekend I’ve taken a break from politics, I’ve enjoyed attending our Good Friday service last night, it was wonderful, and I look forward to attending our Easter service tomorrow…and while I’ve been home, I’ve been reviewing my blogs, looking at the themes, and wondering if I’d should make some changes, especially to this blog theme because the title and tag lines seem to overlap…a least that’s how it appears on my screen, and I can’t seem to figure out why.

I’ve been looking around, and came upon a blog by a young man in India that had some web hosting suggestions…no, he’s not selling hosting, just shares his own problems and what he decided to do. I really appreciate this young mans ability to make templates…not just for Wordpress, but also for Blogger. I do have a few blogger blogs and it would be nice to use something other than the themes they offer. Great job for a 22+ year old who is attending college and was inspired by his Mom to broaden his computer knowledge, and the templates are nice and easy to use.

I do wish you all a special weekend…it is a bit after midnight, Easter is here. I better get a good nights sleep so I can enjoy the services tomorrow….and next week we’ll see if there’s anything more exciting brewing in the world of politics than the usual.

Unless you are tuning out radio and TV, you know that today Barack Obama spent a little over 30 minutes speaking out his thoughts related to his Pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

It’s interesting to me that we are focusing on the controversial Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ on Holy week, when on Friday many Christians will take time to remember the death of Jesus Christ…not just for the black man & race, but for all mankind of every color and every race. Then on Sunday we remember the resurrection of Jesus, providing a way for all who believe to experience the ultimate freedom, eternal life and freedom from the fear of death.

The timing is actually not surprising to me because I believe there is a Satan that caused the sin in our world, and personal lives, the sin that Jesus died for so that those that believe in him can be free from the guilt of sin.  This enemy has a way of bringing out the dark and twisted things of this world to distract from the beauty of the gospel in many ways, including using men who lose there way, or have never found it, to speak out foolishness that confused men take hold of as truth.  If someone is spouting words about the God and Jesus that Christians believe in, those words should be held up against what the Bible teaches about Jesus…He didn’t single out a race or color to die for, we are all special to him.

I struggle with Barack’s speech in many ways, and in many ways it must have been struggle for him to give it. That being said, only God can judge a man’s heart, so I’ll leave that to Him. If you haven’t heard the Obama speech, here’s a link to it for you.

What do you think? Has Barack changed your mind if you’ve been put off by the new revelations about his pastor and church?

Today is the anniversary of McCain’s return to freedom after approx. 7 years as a POW in Viet Nam’s well known Hanoi Hilton, I already did a post back in December with a written interview done shortly after he returned home.

I’ve tried to add a video that is great, but am having trouble getting it to work, so click here to be taken to a great YouTube by John McCain reflecting on his experience.

I want to express my thanks to John McCain and so many others that have experienced what he has, as well as those who are serving in the military today, and those families who have said goodbye to loved ones who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

My ears are still ringing, and stinging, today after listening to the news media go crazy with reports about Obama’s church, Trinity United Church of Christ, and his pastor of almost 20 years, Jeremiah Wright, Jr.  His name, picture and bio are still on the site as the lead pastor even though he has resigned.

I imagine this may lighten Hillary’s campaign work-load a lot, I’m sorry to say.  She’s probably delighted.

I don’t know why it’s taken so long for this information to be revealed, and it is disheartening to say the least…though not a Democrat, like many, I was as intrigued with Obama and curious about him.  I am not going to spend a lot of time on the topic, it’s been talked about, blogged about, and talked some more about, but will say it’s really hard for me to look at Barack Obama the same way…after 20 years of listening to teaching such as what has been played over the airwaves today, even if it wasn’t in every sermon, one can’t come away unaffected, untarnished, a bit brainwashed.

Christ never, ever, ever would have said many of the things I heard Wright state today…if you’re not sure, get into your Bible right away.