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I am beginning a series on the early days of America. I will spotlight the men who stood strong in the face of a tyrant who called himself the king of Great Britain. Each article will be dedicated to a person, or event, of great significance to our country’s quest for freedom. These men didn’t visit the “hot spots” to kiss babies and shake hands. They sacrificed the security of the known to birth a great nation where generations to come could live free. They handed us the greatest nation on Earth, and we are systematically dismantling everything that they fought for. They didn’t jump on the “We’re Republicans so we vote like this; they’re Democrats so they vote like that” bandwagon. They were united in a battle for all of America, the Blue States and the Red States. My desire for this series is to reunite Americans as Americans. I want to help people re-focus on building “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Tags: America, Education, Life Lessons, Politics, Religion by Eric Sanders
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In early 2000 and 2001 I lived in St. Augustine, Florida. I am an industrial maintenance technician, so the best job I could find was in Daytona Beach. By traveling I-95 it was about a 45 minute commute. Sometimes when I got off of work, especially after one of those days, I enjoyed a more scenic route home. I would take A1A which follows the coast a lot of the way between Daytona and St. Augustine. This route was always very relaxing and serene. It was about 30 minutes longer that the interstate, but it was worth every minute. The acres of undeveloped land along this route is amazing. There are long stretches with nothing but greenery on the left and beach on the right; very few houses, business, billboards, or other obstructions.

Valuable Time With My Daughter

My daughter was 6 months old when we moved there. I didn’t see her much during the week because including the drive I was away from home for 10–16 hours per day. On Sundays I would take her for a ride up and down A1A. Sometimes we would drive on the beach and maybe stop to play in the sand. Other times we would just ride and enjoy the company. This was an awesome time with my daughter, and it gave my wife a break from essentially being a single parent all week.

Tags: America, Kids, Life Lessons, Nostalgia by Eric Sanders
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It appears that the shock I gave my system last weekend worked. I lost 4 pounds this week and have lost a total of 24 pounds in the last 4 weeks. I’m starting to see a difference in the way my clothes fit and how I feel. It’s all good.

The Stats

Week 4 weight: 362

Week 4 loss: 4 pounds

Total loss: 24 pounds

Tags: Diet, Life Lessons by Eric Sanders
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I am currently reading The Upside of Down by  BGEA board member Joseph Stowell, Sr. This book was written to help people understand and deal with tribulations that we will all face at some time.

The point of this article is not a review of this book; that will come later. This article was prompted by carrying the book around with me at work. I imagined some people seeing the book and assuming that I must be going through some turmoil. Well I’m not at the moment, but I know that I will at some time, and I like to be prepared. I started thinking about how a lot of people wait until they need help before they start looking for it. That’s like waiting until the middle of an exam to start studying for it.

The Sports Approach

Preparing mentally and physically is key for all athletes, teams, and coaches. They spend days leading up to a game viewing tapes of that weeks opponent. These guys don’t wake up on Saturday morning and say, “Who is it that we’re playing today? I think I may need to check them out.” No, when game time rolls around they have already made the preparations necessary to be successful.

Start Practicing Now

This same approach can be used in everyday life. There are numerous resources available for the people who take the time to look for them. Books like the Bible, The Upside of Down; writers like Chris Melton and Brad Baggett; CDs; DVDs; live seminars; or even one-on-one counseling are all excellent resources that we can use to prepare for the downsides and enjoy the upsides of life. Start studying now for the test that you are sure to have in the future.

Tags: Education, Inspiration, Life Lessons, Motivational, Religion, Sports by Eric Sanders
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I just don’t get it. How can we say that the same crime committed against two different people can carry different penalties because one is motivated by hate and the other is motivated by plain meanness? I may be over simplifying and overly complicated issue, but it seems to me that crime is crime. I mean, if a white man punches my grandmother because he wants to rob her, and a black man punches her just because she’s white, they both would have to grow wings and fly to get away from me.

“The System” Needs To Practice What It Preaches

Why are we told that we should be color blind when the legal system is not? How can you preach racial equality out of one side of your mouth, and then claim that some crimes are more serious just because of the races of the victims and criminals?

Crime Is Crime Regardless Of Race

I don’t care what percentage of the prison population is White, Black, Hispanic, or Other. Do the crime, do the time. It’s that simple. How long will it be before we hear, “Ok, we have 200 Black, 200 White, and 150 Hispanic inmates this month, we need to focus on Hispanics only for the next few days”?

Tags: America, Crime, Politics by Eric Sanders
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I had about 4 days where I was so busy that I didn’t know which way was up, so I didn’t post an update on Friday. There wasn’t much to update anyway. I lost two pounds early in the week but by the end of the week I had gained one back. I’ve lost 20 pounds in three weeks, which is pretty good, but I have a terrible trend going. 14 pounds one week, 5 the next, and then 1 pound. I’m not sure why. I didn’t change anything about what I was eating except for the no sugar candy, but it is not supposed to be absorbed like regular sugar. I am going to try to jumpstart the weightloss again. I ate carbs all day Saturday and then hit the diet again Sunday. I’m hoping this will prompt more loss. If not, I will cut out the candy.

The Stats

Week 3 ending weight: 366

Total loss: 20 pounds

Tags: Diet by Eric Sanders
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I want to thank the Georgia Board of Paroles and Pardons for rejecting Jack Alderman’s request for a stay of execution. While most states are chewing their nails waiting for a  U.S. Supreme Court ruling on lethal injection, Georgia is still trying to do what is right. The man was sentenced to death, as he should be, for killing his wife 33 years ago. However, the Georgia Supreme Court buckled and granted a stay of execution. I just hope that these murders around the country do not succeed in making everyone worry whether or not they feel any pain during execution. I wonder if his wife felt any pain when he murdered her? Also, why is he just now being punished in 2007 for a crime he committed in 1974?

Tags: America, Crime, Politics by Eric Sanders
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Chester Arthur Stiles has been accused of sexually abusing a 3 year old girl in 2003. It is reported that these acts were videotaped. If there is a tape and Chester is the man on that tape, then the maximum life in prison that he could receive is not enough. Anyone whose bleeding heart tells them different should imagine that this girl is your daughter, granddaughter, or niece. A crime like this not only deserves execution but public execution. If we can show Al Gore flying all over the world whining about a make-believe problem, then surely we can show a man being punished for such acts of pure evil toward a child. The more I write about this the angrier I get. At the first act of violence toward this girl this man waived every right he ever had. We, as a country, should have absolutely zero tolerance for crimes such as these. But here we are. This poor fella probably had some traumatic experiences as a child. Maybe he saw his dog being hit by a car, or maybe the school bus bully took his milk money. I’m sure there are plenty of defense lawyers with blood-stained hands drooling over this case. Somewhere there is an over educated psychiatrist thinking of all of the reasons why these crimes were anyone’s fault except for the criminal’s. I say that the trial should last as long as it takes the judge and jury to watch the tapes. If Chester Arthur Stiles is the man on the tapes then we set up a camera and air a special titled “The Destiny of a Child Molester”, and show the execution to the country. Let everyone know what the penalty is for such a crime. What if it were your kid?

Tags: America, Crime, Kids, Politics by Eric Sanders
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I’ve been tagged by Chris Melton at soupornuts to post seven random things that you might not know about me and then tag another blog.

1. One of my younger sisters was killed in a car accident in July 2000. She was 18 and had a 9 month old daughter. My parents adopted the kid because the father was a pathetic excuse for a man.

2. When I was 17 I took a friend with me to Florida for a week during spring break. We were both broke, so we slept in my 1990 Chevy Beretta. We ate mustard sanwiches, used public restrooms, and hooked up with some friends who let us use their shower.

3. I enjoy star gazing. I stand in my yard some nights and just stare into outer space. When I go camping I sometimes sleep out on the ground so I can watch the sky. Here’s something for you to try: stare at the moon until you see it in 3–D. We normally look at the moon in 2–D, so it takes a little concentration. It helps to picture it as a ball with a flashlight shining on one side of it. It’s pretty cool when you finally see it.

4. I received a do-or-die driving lesson when I was 13. I was headed to town with my grandfather when he suddenly pulled over on the side of the road, walked aroung to the passenger door, and told me to slide over to the driver’s side. After we were both seated he just looked at me and said, “let’s go.” That was just his style; you can do it or you can’t, but we are not wasting time talking about it.

5. I have never used, tried, experimented, or otherwise touched any illegal drugs…never. When I was growing up kids were still punished for doing wrong, and getting caught messing with drugs just wasn’t worth the risk; although a lot of other things were:

6. In high school I recruited the help of a friend to roll a lit smoke bomb into the principal’s office during school. He got busted but never ratted on me. He knew how to take one for the team.

7. I’m usually known as the quiet or shy one in a group. While I am quiet, I’m not shy. I am always analyzing, thinking, listening, or brainstorming about something. It could be as simple as something my kids did or as complex as the vastness of our universe. Why would God create a universe so huge that we can never experience it all? Has He ever created worlds before us or will He create more after us? I know that the Bible gives us everything that we need to know about life on Earth and in Heaven or Hell. However, I have never read anything that would suggest that our world is the only one that ever has or ever will exist. How much of our planet has never been seen by people? Are there areas of Earth that have never been stepped on by humans? I realize that I could find other people’s opinions for these questions, but are there any definite answers?

I don’t know about educational, but I hope you found this artilce entertaining.

Tags: Life Lessons, Nostalgia, Religion by Eric Sanders
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Guest Author:This article was submitted by Scott Kay

I am 44  years old, but I can still remember the name of my first grade teacher. It amazes me how many things I have forgotten over the years, yet I can still remember grade school. School was way different back then. Back then kids either walked  to school or rode the school bus. Now a lot of kids are driven to school by their parents. I guess some people feel that riding the school bus is beneath them. My Momma didn’t care whether I wanted to ride the bus or not because in our house children were not in charge. Back then my Momma made me a peanut butter and banana sandwich and put it in a paper sack for lunch. Now kids want money for lunch every day. Then we had P.E. and recess and were encouraged to exercise and play. Now P.E. is no longer required at some schools. Then the biggest crime was chewing gum in class. Now the biggest crime is a toss up between drugs, guns, and murder. Then we prayed in school. Now prayer offends the heathens. Then we said the Pledge of Allegiance. Now the Pledge offends people who hate our country. Then we had parties to celebrate American holidays. Now American holidays offend people who hate America. Then the teachers and school administration were in charge of the school. Now parents and children are in charge of the school, that is unless something happens that they don’t like and then the blame is put back on the school. Then we got spankings for doing wrong followed by another spanking at home for the same wrongdoing.( I never particularly cared for this one.) Now when a kid does wrong and is mildly reprimanded the parents try to figure out how they can sue the school. Then the dropout rate was low. Now the dropout rate is high. Then children earned better grades. Now children earn worse grades but are given better grades.

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but the school system seemed to work better back then with less trouble. I’m not sure who started to break it or who is keeping it broke, but it seems to me like we ought to get back to basics. Public education has become a huge mess. People just can’t seem to understand why kids are turning out the way they are today after we have tied the hands of the teachers. We have restricted the teachers’ abilities to do what they went to college to do, what they were trained to do, what they love to do, and that is to teach our children. America should bring the old school back. If parents don’t like what’s being taught and how it’s taught; consider home schooling. How do you feel about it?

Tags: Education, Kids, Life Lessons by Eric Sanders
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