Brainwavers

Thanks for visiting Brainwavers. If you're new here and you like what you see, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. I hope you enjoy the site!

I have been a part of Royal Rangers for the past two years. Royal Rangers is a great program where boys develop outdoor skills while learning Christian principles. This is a worldwide organization that has been around for more than 40 years. We are Outpost 86 at The Bridge Church in Cusseta, Alabama. I have started an Outpost 86 blog to help promote this ministry. I will be updating the site with events, class info, fund raisers, etc., so please visit often to keep up with the future husbands, fathers, and leaders or our country. Thanks.

Tags: America, Kids, Motivational, Religion by Eric Sanders
No Comments »

This is exactly the message that the Supreme Court handed down on Wednesday. In a 5-4 decision ( let’s guess the democrat to republican ratio of the Supreme Court, I’m betting about 5:4 ) they declared that executions are too severe for child rapists. Too severe? Really? A grown man repeatedly rapes a 5 year old girl and the death penalty is too severe? In my mind the death penalty is the easiest punishment this man could receive. Give him an opportunity to get saved and then send him to Heaven, or Hell if he refuses. It’s crunch time! Five states, Louisiana, Georgia, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, have laws allowing executions for the rape of a child where the victim is not killed. Only five out of fifty, sad. And now these laws now are no longer valid. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote “the death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child.” Come on, even Barack Obama disagreed with the decision. The reason these judges voted the way they did is because this is the expected when you call yourself democrat. I’m sick of political games, especially ones that put political affiliation above the well being of the youngest citizens of America. “We the people”, this is a phrase that all political figures had better realize. This country is floating in the bowl just waiting to be flushed, and we the people are the only ones who can stop it.

Tags: America, Crime, Kids, Politics, Religion by Eric Sanders
No Comments »

A twenty-seven year old man is driving his truck along a California highway with his two year old son beside him.

He stops the truck, removes the boy from his car seat, and begins punching, kicking, and stomping the boy.

A police officer arrives and shoots the man, but it’s too late for the little boy. He has been stomped into an unrecognizable mass on the side of the road.

This happened in Turlock, California on Saturday night.

The police officer acted as he should, but he was the only one in this situation to do so.

Here’s my problem: Several motorists called 911 and tried to stop the beating, but the beating continued. Just exactly what did they do to try to stop him? Offer him a sucker? Threaten to put him in time-out? How were so many ( I don’t know the exact number ) people unable to stop this man from stomping a two year old boy to death? Were people afraid to get involved? Were they afraid for their own safety?

Every person has the responsibility to protect and care for people who cannot protect themselves. When I hear about someone attacking an elderly person or abusing a child I feel a fire in my gut toward the attacker and a sorrow in my heart for the victim that does not soon ease.

You may call me harsh, judgmental, or vigilante; but you will never call me someone who stood by and watched a child stomped to death.

Tags: America, Crime, Kids, Politics by Eric Sanders
2 Comments »

Last Thursday night my wife and I took our 6 year old son to his first Cub Scout meeting. A recruiter had been to his school trying to garner interest in a local pack. I was once a Cub Scout, so I knew there was great potential for my son in this program. This was an introductory meeting to inform the parents about the program as well as let the kids have some fun. He had a great time, so we joined. I filled out an application to become an adult leader as well.

Where were they?

A disappointing reality emerged as the room filled with adults eager to learn about the program and kids eager to be kids; there was only one other father in the room. The room was filled with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade boys and their mothers. Call me old school, but I fully expected to see a room full of fathers with their sons.

We Need Both Parents

I believe that there are gender specific roles that are extremely important for overall child development. I’m not saying that the mothers should have been at home doing laundry while the fathers were teaching their sons to kill an animal bare handed. I am saying that there should have been a room full of fathers at this meeting. I’m sure that some of them had reasons why they couldn’t attend while others just had excuses.

This meeting was just a small example of a problem that is showing up all across this country. There are numerous problems in today’s society that are merely symptoms of the decay of the normal, involved family. ( Yes, I realize that I just labeled anything other than a family with a mother AND father as abnormal. If the dress fits…) When I say father I’m not necessarily talking about biological father. I have seen firsthand that  just because you can make a baby does not mean that you are fit to raise one. Fathers in America had better step up to the plate and start acting like fathers. If you don’t fill that leadership role for your kids someone or something else will.

Tags: America, Kids, Life Lessons, Parenting, Personal Notes by Eric Sanders
No Comments »

Operation Christmas Child is a program that sends shoeboxes filled with gifts to children all over the world who might not otherwise receive anything. This program is through Samaritan’s Purse, a Franklin Graham organization. These people visit countries all over the world to deliver these gift boxes and to share God’s love. Each of my kids put together a box, and they loved it. They included a personal letter to the kid who receives their box with the hope that the child will have the resources to write back. They are excited about making a new friend in a part of the world that they may never be able to visit. We watched a video about Operation Christmas Child that taught us how fortunate we are to live in America. There were stories  and video from poor countries all over the world. One that really stuck with me was a man who searched for used shoes every day so that he could resell them to feed his family. I wake up every day and have to decide what I want to eat out of a well stocked refrigerator. This man’s only goal every day is to find enough food to carry his family for one more day. I encourage every person who reads this to check out the Samaritan’s Purse site and join in Operation Christmas Child. They have a “suggested gifts” list on the site. Also, be sure to check out the “do not include” list as well.

Tags: America, Christmas, Education, Inspiration, Kids, Life Lessons, Motivational, Religion by Eric Sanders
1 Comment »

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
No Comments »

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
No Comments »

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
1 Comment »

Crimes Are Reported Each Day

Watch any news channel you like and you will hear of murders, rapes, child molestations, school shootings, child abductions, robberies, and a ton of other violent crimes. What’s happening? Why can’t people in America just enjoy life? I have an idea of what’s going on.

Punishment Does Not Fit The Crime

I have heard some organizations argue this point, but their argument is usually that the punishments are too harsh for the crimes committed. I say that as a nation we are too soft on crime. For example I checked the sex offender registry for my home county, which is Lee County, AL, and found that 102 convicted sex offenders live here. You want to know how many I think should live here? Zero. That should be a one-strike-and-you’re-out crime.

A New Justice System To Deter Crime

Scenario: A man kills his grandmother because she would not give him drug money.

Result: Expedient trial and swift execution.

Scenario: Person molests a child.

Result: Expedient trial and swift execution.

Scenario: A store clerk is killed during a robbery.

Result: Expedient trial and swift execution.

Scenario: Person abducts a child

Result: Expedient trial and life in prison. No parole. No possibility of being outside the prison walls unless it’s in a pine box.

Can you see where I’m going with this? If there’s a bucket of $20 bills and I walk by and pick one out and nothing happens what will I do? Well the next time I walk by I might grab a couple of twenties and so on. But, if the first time I grabbed a 20 someone cut my hand off I wouldn’t steal another 20. Not with that hand anyway. And at most it would happen one more time before I had to start picking my nose with my elbow. My point is that if there were real consequences for crime and not just some slap on the wrist I promise that crime would be dramatically reduced. Wow! What a concept! Punish people for doing wrong! I wonder why no one has thought of this before? I’ve got news for you, they have. The problem is that the criminals are given more rights than their victims.

Tags: America, Crime, Kids, Politics by Eric Sanders
1 Comment »

Four blocks stacked nice and straight. Check.
Blocks are sturdy and rigid, no shaking or wobbling. Check.
Top end of the board set squarely on the blocks. Check.
Bottom end of the board dug into the ground for security. Check.
Pedals in right position. Check.
Everyone’s watching. Block them out. Just focus.
Ok…go! Pedal harder! Come on, get your speed up! A few feet away now, stop pedaling. Balance is the key now. Just aim for the center of the ramp. Ok, front tire over the top, pull up slightly on the handlebars. Back tire over now, push down slightly on the handlebars now to even the bike out it the air. Man, what a rush! Ground coming up quick! Knees slightly bent, firm grip on the handlebars…touchdown! Slide sideways to a stop. Heart pounding. Look back to see if anyone else will try. No, they are pulling blocks down now. Back down to three or maybe only two. That’s right, this day belongs to you!

Tags: Kids, Nostalgia by Eric Sanders
7 Comments »