Despite efforts to the contrary the definition of a family is a married mother and father and the children. Yes there are units that pass for families and function somewhat like families but they are not a family in the classic sense.

This is not to say that a single parent situation, two same sex parents or some other configuration can’t be beneficial to the child considering the alternatives available in each individual circumstance. For instance, a mother that divorces an abusive husband/father has probably improved the situation short term but a child growing up without a father is also not desirable. The child free from abuse is in a better situation but still lacking. The same can be said for those who chose to bear children out of wedlock and raise them similarly, gay parents, or two parents who refuse to get married but still insist on parenting.

The Obama News (Chicago Sun-Times) recently published an editorial claiming that the laws haven’t kept up with the changing family structure, a position that should be rejected out of hand. The case referenced is a recent incident where a couple had been together for 13 years, though did not get married because Walter Klein had been married before and did not like it. His name was not on the adoption papers because he claimed their adoption agency said it looked better if a single woman were adopting over an unmarried couple. The woman, Susan Joncha is similarly afflicted with a selfishness that is not beneficial to the children telling them “he is not your father, he’s just a guy I dated.” Joncha now refuses to let Klein see the children, leaving it up to the courts to decide. For another perspective check out Teri O’Brien’s excellent post. The only real losers here are the children. Mothers living with throwaway Dads, Fathers who won’t commit and/ or parents of the same sex do not help the children and shifting the laws to accept our deviancies is moving us further away from the true definition of family.

Being a family is tough, but worth it. We must work at it every day. It’s about love, but also discipline and stability. It includes the unique qualities brought by both the mother and the father. There are acceptable circumstances where we have no choice but it is unarguable that a family consists of two, married, opposite sex parents. New laws won’t change that and can only lead society further down the path where the moral relativism of anything goes becomes the norm and when that happens, we are finished. It is time to build our country back to our past greatness and the building blocks are the American Family. (Traditional Definition)

Posted by Biloxi in Social Issues at 3:07 PM EST

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In an earlier post I highlighted a close race for the Illinois State House where the Democratic candidate refused to concede even after a recount and threatened to bring his case to the House for resolution. Mercifully, Joe Vosicky has admitted defeat. Of course he couldn’t go without a parting shot at the “irregularities” within the system.

“We’re not 100 percent sure about where the election stands,” Vosicky said, adding that the cost of an appeal to the House was a factor in ending the challenge. “From what we saw, we think we picked up some votes, but we don’t have enough to go to the floor of the House with it.”

In a statement, he added that “the irregularities found during the recount illustrate why it is essential to tighten up the election process to make it more transparent and to protect sensitive election materials.”

Why is it that the losers can never truly admit defeat? It was a close race and a recount actually provided three more votes for the eventual winner yet Vosicky cannot let that go. Where the election stands is that Mr. Reboletti now represents the district as provided by the will of the people through the ballot box. Funny how we haven’t heard a national outcry like in the previous 3 elections. I guess there are only irregularities when Republicans win.

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics, Politics at 9:41 AM EST

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Since Former President Gerald Ford passed away the other night we have heard all kinds of retrospectives on the life of the accidental President. We have been treated to varying analyes of his truncated Presidency.

Gerald Ford was a decent man who had no real designs on the Presidency (or Vice Presidency for that matter) prior to scandal forcing Spiro Agnew to resign from the office and Mr. Ford’s selection as his replacement. The Watergate Scandal then forced President Richard Nixon to resign causing the ascendancy of the former minority leader to the highest office in the land. President Ford discovered he liked the office after assuming it, resulting in his run for the Presidency in his own right and subsequent defeat by Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Ford led a distinguished post presidential life as did many before him. Lending grace and class in the role of unofficial goodwill ambassador as many had done before him. For this I will miss him. His Presidency was undistinguished but calming in a very turbulent time for the United States where Watergate and Vietnam consumed much of the national focus, leading to social and political turmoil. How I long for those days instead of the media mongering ideologues like Presidents Carter and Clinton who spend a significant amount of time attacking their successors in an attempt to rewrite their own dubious legacies.

President Ford was no conservative but the press would like you to think of him that way in an attempt to impugn President Bush. The lead story on the online version of the Washington Post today treats us to the story of how Ford did not agree with the current administration on Iraq. Anything that would indicate his party doesn’t see eye to eye with the President and can garner potential criticism in the media is okay in the assault on the Bush Administration. The remarks were approved to be published any time after the former President’s death though they were made in 2004. Today’s Chicago Tribune points out how proud Ford was of his only appointment to the U S Supreme Court, Justice John Paul Stevens, a man whose positions are anathema to most conservatives.

President Ford was a good and decent man who helped to calm the angst in our country at a very tumultuous time. His pardon of former President Nixon was controversial but most certainly needed for the country to begin the path to healing. His foreign policy was a wreck with his support of the Helsinki Accords which recognized the post WWII borders of Europe and legitimized Soviet seizure and domination of the Baltic States. His lasting legacy will be Justice Stevens who has been no friend to Republican or conservative causes in his 31 years on the bench.

President Ford was just what the country needed at the time of his appointment to the Presidency but he was little more than a good caretaker in regards to Presidential legacies. Media attempts to contrast his views to those of President Bush fall far short in the desired affect of undermining the current administration to all but the very biased. The media should celebrate the memory of the man and quit trying to reshape modern politics. His decency is actually illustrated by his insisting the disagreement with the current President be kept under wraps until his passing. He had respect for the office, both for the sitting President and the dignity of the post presidency. What a refreshing contrast to Carter and Clinton.

Rest in Peace Mr. President.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics at 9:58 AM EST

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At this time of year when people are generally wrapped up in the the bustle and hectic nature of the season there are situations that we are unaware of or inadvertently overlook. Of course there is the sacrifice of our military for which I am forever in awe, but there is also thousands of individual stories of struggle, faith and hope. I have mentioned this before but I urge you to check out such a story; Mojo’s Condition. This the blog of a man who lost his wife in an accident that put his daughter in a coma. You can also find it through the link on my blogroll. The blog chronicles Moriah’s progress as well as the incredible faith, love and character of the man who never gives up on his daughter. America is full of people like Dale, blessed with character and imbued with faith. More up than down in the face of the seemingly insurmountable. They are truly inspirational for all. Pray for Dale and for all like him, that they may maintain their strength, hope and faith. They are our family, countrymen and friends. They are mankind. May God bless you Dale, keep up the strength for Moriah. We are here and we have your back.

At this time of year I pray for all those who are hurting, may you find peace in our Creator.

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says at 4:01 PM EST

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May God Bless All, Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all the visitors to the Republic of Biloxi

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says at 10:47 AM EST

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Of all the wrong headed assumptions in the Iraq Study Group report, I find talks with Iran to be the worst. Do these supposed learned people really think that they will find a reasonable discussion point from the Iranian Government?

Back in the idyllic days of the Clinton Administration when the world was a carefree place and everybody loved us, Iran had a hand in the Khobar Towers incident as was recently ruled. You know, that period in our history when terrorists left us alone? The place in time where President Bush had not screwed up our standing in the world and we joined hands with the nations of the Middle East singing Kumbaya. Sorry… time to get out of the fuzzy, media created bizzaro world and back to reality. It is most important for the United States as the one remaining superpower and leader of the free world.

Iran has been the main source of financial and military aid to the Shiites in Iraq, fomenting discord to keep things in a permanent state instability, they are the main benefactors of Hezbollah, which similarly affects Lebanon, they have denied the Holocaust and call for the destruction of a sovereign nation in Israel. They refuse to stop enriching uranium and in fact are so undesirable that they have been able to provoke the United Nations, that enabler of ne’er do well countries, to impose sanctions. Of course we are well aware of the futility of the UN though the action is at very least symbolic considering its anti-United States bent at most times.

The last thing we need to do is give President Ahmadinijad and the unholy Ayatollahs the legitimacy of having a negotiable position. “Bend to our will or we will chop of your head and leave your cities burning” has never really been a good foreign policy and is not exactly an ice breaker at the negotiating table.

The study group can be lumped in with other appeasers who have failed to understand the true threat of radical Islam and the danger it poses to Western society. Like many before them they live in a 9/10 world and have forgotten that the attacks on our country were not an isolated incident but part of a larger struggle to undermine our will and weaken our resolve. They believe we are too complacent and decadent to weather the assaults on our freedom. Groups like the Hamilton-Baker Commission fuel their resolve and steel their will to do further harm upon our country and its people.

Negotiation will only make things worse and energize the radicals. One can only negotiate with the truly sincere and Iran does not fall into that category any more than North Korea. It is time to get serious and that doesn’t include allowing nutjobs a seat at the table. Don’t think for a minute that they will listen to reason or compromise. It didn’t work for the Carter Administration or any President since then. It cannot and will not work now.

Pray for our brave military, the only true peace will be achieved through victory and victorious they will be if the stuffed shirts ever get out of their way.

Posted by Biloxi in Middle East, Radical Islam, War on Terror at 9:20 AM EST

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Like Jimmy Stewart’s character George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, most people have a tendency to plow through their existence without realizing the richness we experience as we navigate the unexpected happenings that life throws at us. We care, we strive, we love and we work hard doing it but we rarely take the time to ponder the people and reasons behind our actions and the sacrifices we make for them.

It doesn’t mean we are bad people but to love others we must also recognize the worth in ourselves. Not at the basic egotistic level but in understanding the true value of our own selves by the impact we have on others around us. Even those we hardly notice. Sometimes an act as simple as letting a person cut in front of you in traffic or holding a door open for a stranger can affect things in a positive manner. Enough cumulative good will doled out almost unconsciously can produce positive affectations within the people in your circle and spread it beyond, effectively paying it forward.

The hard part is recognizing the gifts we have and how fortunate we are to be blessed with them. This may be as simple as a place to live and enough food to keep us from starving. It can grow more complex as we add the personalities of our loved ones into the mix. Our spouses and children are the driving force for most of us, providing the impetus to go out and take on the world every day with the hope of making a difference, hopefully one that will benefit those we love. If not we can only pray that it provides good for someone, and that is enough to keep us moving forward.

Unfortunately bad tends to come in bunches and the best we can hope for is to slog through our days and nights until something positive and uplifting happens to lighten the mood and brighten our outlook. Like George Bailey, some of the people we love the most unwittingly add to the burden we struggle with on a daily basis. Uncle Billy is a simple and loyal relative and partner to George but seems to be the cause of more than a few of George’s problems, culminating with the loss of $8000 and the threat of jail for his nephew. George is well thought of by most in town with one exception; that being Mr. Potter, the richest man in town who is frustrated at George’s altruism and genuine concern for others. In our lives we will often encounter others who do not like us for similar reasons, not because we harm them but as a result of living our lives with the welfare of others in mind. That good will may often thwart the selfish in their attempts to acquire more for themselves at the expense of others and they view it as a threat to be dealt with sooner or later. While it should not be givien excessive attention, neither can it be ignored.

The real challenge is fending off the attacks of the self-centered and keeping your focus on the important people around you. We tend to internalize setbacks as personal failure and a day with many of them can often leave us wondering why we bother. Our children need us desperately but rarely outwardly exhibit the hunger for attention in a manner we can recognize. It can manifest itself in pest-like or even bad behavior that can leave us wondering where we went wrong and that is when we are often tempted to jump off the rhetorical bridge.

In the movie George was at this point in his life when his Daughter Zuzu showed him a wilting flower with the petals falling off. George did what most loving parents do and pretended to fix things while tucking the fallen petals into his pocket. The act seemed like a throwaway motion but it represented why we all do the hard work every day for the children, in hopes that they become well adjusted, productive and caring citizens. In George’s case the petals represented much more.

After a long night of contemplating suicide, then being treated to a vision of his world and its condition as it would be had he never been born, the petals proved to be the link that brought it all home and refocused his attention on the importance in life and those around him. It helped him realize how much he loved his wife and children. While he knew the concept, the petals were the tangible symbol that brought the clarity of his true importance to his family, community, and most vividly, himself into full view.

I am George in so many ways and so are you. I can’t tell you how many times I have found myself at the bridge looking out over the water contemplating a jump. Not many of us can count on the physical manifestation of a Guardian Angel like Clarence Oddbody to show us what we’ll be missing but we can count on the spiritual version if we just look for him. With his help I can always find my version of Zuzu’s petals; the concrete sign that yanks us back to center and provides the foglight that helps us cut through the murk of our lives. It may be different each time but the signs are there, helping me remember why I’m here. Because of that I can truly say, It’s a Wonderful Life, and I wouldn’t trade mine for anything.

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says at 11:57 PM EST

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Not to be satisfied with the ordinary run of the mill gun-grabbing; the City Council of Aurora, Il has adopted an ordinance that bans the sale, possession or purchase of replica guns. Interestingly, some don’t feel the ordinance is restrictive enough:

But community activist Mary Fultz doesn’t think the actions go far enough because toy guns with orange caps or those obviously fake, such as translucent or brightly colored ones, still are allowed.

She believes all black fake guns should be banned, because she fears that the ordinance as-is will not prevent potential accidental deaths in incidents where police have to make split-second decisions.

“This is not at all what we’re asking for,” Fultz said. “Kids can easily take the cap off, break them off or spray-paint them. Our problem is that if the gun is all black, it looks real.”

Why do kids want to break the caps off or spray paint them to look real unless they wish to use them illicitly? Where do we go from here… I know, wood can be carved to look like a gun and spray-painted so we need to look into that, sticks, and possibly fingers with black gloves need to be restricted as they are often used as guns by children while playing. And on and on and on…

First Aurora wants to ban pitbulls and now fake guns without addressing the individual humans who make the irresponsible decisions causing the problems. Saying it is “about the kids” doesn’t change the issue or make the ordinance right. Ald. Stephanie Kifowit who was out front on the pitbull issue now tackles this with similarly flimsy logic:

“This is about the kids and keeping the guns out of kids’ hands,” said Ald. Stephanie Kifowit (3rd Ward). “This ordinance unequivocally keeps them out of kids’ hands.”

No Alderman Kifowit, this ends up being about keeping toy guns out of kids hands because there is already a law against minors owning guns. The harder part is getting parents to take the responsibility of teaching their children about the danger of guns and the responsibility that comes with them. Explain to them never to point a gun at another person, especially a law enforcement officer.

The sad part is that Police Chief William Powell has bought into this uselessly restrictive feelgood ordinance that in fact does nothing to make even one person safer.

Still, the ordinance sends “a strong message that these guns aren’t wanted here,” he said. “Anytime we’re going to outlaw guns, I’m for it, because I’ve seen what guns have done to our community.”

Powell was the supervising officer on June 25, 1999, when 30-year-old Dennis Young was shot and killed after he aimed what appeared to be a gun at police. The weapon turned out to be a BB gun.

The obvious misrepresentation here is that Powell shot a 30 year old and not a chilld and he was brandishing a BB Gun which fires a projectile and are covered under a separate ordinance. Secondly there is no mention of the surrounding circumstances as to why they were called to the incident with Young in the first place. Instances where people are willing to misrepresent a weapon as being real in the commission of a crime or in the face of a confrontation with armed officers will never be prevented by this ordinance or any other.

Again, guns are not the problem; people are and fakes gun certainly can’t be as they cannot hurt anyone unless thrown at them. If this is about the kids then perhaps we need to look more into responsible parenting and the deterioration of the American family as causes more than artificial weapons and other do-nothing, feelgood measures. We need to teach people to think properly and responsibly, otherwise you can ban everything in sight without erradicating the problem.

Posted by Biloxi in Social Issues at 12:48 PM EST

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The will of the people is only considered by most Democrats when that “will” confirms that a Democrat candidate wins. In a state house race in the Illinois 46th district covering Northeastern DuPage County, Republican Dennis Reboletti defeated Democrat Joe Vosicky by 299 votes. Mr. Vosicky asked for and was granted a partial recount which confirmed Reboletti’s victory. I think a recount was fair considering such a close margin, but that was not good enough for Vosicky and his attorney who claim they are being stonewalled in their attempts to find out more information. They are threatening to appeal to the Illinois House of Representatives.

The Illinois House is controlled by the Democrats and the vote would most assuredly go along party lines. Those who read this blog would know I’m not normally one given to broad assumption and hyperbole but this time I feel the shoe fits and the Dems must wear it. How is it in all of the close races we have seen since the 2000 election, it is the Democrat candidates who refuse to concede even when confronted with factual and fair recounts and voting data? They act as if the office is a birthright and the power is bestowed by their lineage as Democrats instead of stemming from the people they claim to wish to represent. We still hear complaints about Florida in 2000, Ohio in 2004, and we even have a race in Florida from the recent congressional elections that is still being contested. I’ll give you one guess as to the party of the losing candidate.

The quest for power is so mind consuming and corruptive for some that they care less about representing their constituents then they do about obtaining and retaining their supposed elective position. I happen to respect this country and the representative form of government so perfectly laid out by our Founding Fathers and cannot imagine holding an elective office obtained by ill gotten means. Forcing this race to the House will in effect be illegitimately bestowing power on an undeserving candidate. If I ever should vote for a candidate who loses in a close race and exhibits this childish behavior, I would immediately withdraw my support and work to get him or her replaced in the very next election. It is time the rank and file of the Democratic Party act like grown-ups and force their leaders to do the same.

While I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the outcome of November’s election I respect the voice of the majority of the voters as expressed through the ballot box. It doesn’t mean I won’t work to change their minds or the tone in coming years but I at least have to concede the legitimacy of the outcome. It is high time the Democrats start doing the same.

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics, Politics at 8:08 PM EST

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Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich signed a minimum wage increase into law yesterday. Further, he is so happy to spend the money of private employers without their consent that he promised to push for automatic cost of living raises as well.

This Governor is hell bent on making Illinois the single most unfriendly state in the way it treats small business. Forcing employers to pay above market wages to employees will only cause them to go to other states or to raise the price of the goods and services provided. How are we to respect the edicts of a state government which chronically overspends, underfunds its pension and insurance liabilities and then doesn’t pay its vendors in a timely fashion? This is what we get when we fail to provide real choices to the electorate.

Politically Gov. Blagojevich doesn’t want to cut spending on entitlements and in fact increases them, doesn’t want to increase income or sales taxes, yet somehow thinks it is fair to increase the costs of others. The others mentioned actually produce goods and services that are a benefit to society where all a government can do is take. A skill at which this government is more prolific than most.

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics at 9:04 PM EST

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