This past Fathers Day President Obama unveiled yet another government initiative called "Take Time to be a Dad Today" and can be found at www.fatherhood.gov . Now I am all for helping fathers be better Dads, but is this really a role and responsibility of the federal government? What infurites me is that it is also another shameless agenda push. On the website there is a section with tips for Dads and the following are actual quotes that I cut and pasted from the website(emphasis mine):
Earth-friendly cleaning products are widely available and are kinder to our air and water. Or you can make your own cleaning supplies with white vinegar, lemons, baking soda, and other basics you probably have in your kitchen already.
Leaving the car at home will reduce carbon emissions and you will add exercise to your day without even trying.
Visit a farmers market or farm where you can pick your own produce. Locally grown fruits and vegetables do not need to be shipped, which contributes to reducing carbon emissions
Buy compact florescent light (CFL) bulbs, which last about 5 years and use less energy. Switching just one standard bulb to a CFL can help you reduce your electricity bill by as much as 75 cents per month (truth: last about the same amount of time as regular bulbs and leave you with a mercury filled piece of waste that is even more dangerous to the environment if not disposed of properly)
In 2008, Americans spent nearly $11 billion on more than 8 billion gallons of bottled water, and then tossed more than 22 billion empty plastic bottles in the trash. Instead of buying bottled water, use a water filter on your tap and keep a pitcher of filtered water in your refrigerator to fill a reusable bottle (isn't it interesting that the governement is in charge of making sure our drinking water is safe and yet they tell you to filter it!)
Now I already do alot of the things listed and more, in fact I consider myself an "eco-conservative". These things we should do as stewards of the earth God gave us, not as the evidence of good fatherhood. In a time when our President continues to state that we are in unprecedented fiscal tiems, do we really need to be spending precious tax-payer dollars on bogus, overreaching initiatives that are just disguised agenda movers?
If you want to be a responsible father whose impact will last for generations, raise your children in Godly home. Be a God Dad, before you are a Green Dad.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Pioneering in the modern age
As I read the coverage of 16 year old Abby Sunderland who recently attempted to circumnavigate the globe in a sailboat and do so as the youngest to accomplish the feat, I was struck by the reaction to her failed attempt. Bad weather and a broken mast ended the quest and Abby was successfully rescued. Since then much attention has been placed on the attempt. Media reports slam her parents for exploiting her. Other reports ask the question, "Who pays for the rescue?". I must admit, I ask myself the same questions. Each time a mountain climber attempts to scale some great peak only to fail and require a tremendous amount of resources to rescue them, I ask the same questions..."Who is going to pay?, "Should they even be attempting this stuff?", "Why put rescuers in danger to satisfy your own sense of adventure?".
These are legitimate questions in a legitimate debate, however, what if we applied the same questions to adventurers of the past. What if Amelia Earhart had succumbed to modern attitudes toward adventure seekers? How about Admiral Byrd, Lewis and Clark, Sir Edmund Hillary? In the early 1970's NASA was forced to shutter the Apollo program due to increasing governmental and public perception that they were wasting money and undertaking unneccessary risks. Since then, save the shuttle and space station program, we stopped reaching beyond the stars.
When did we become complacent about stretching the limits of human endeavor. Sure there are risks every time someone reaches outside of their surroundings and put to the test their abilities and fortitude. That is how we as a race, the human race, have accomplished feats above and beyond the previously accepted norm.
As imperfect creatures created by a perfect God, our boundaries to grow, learn, and reach are almost limitless in this universe.
I still have not reconciled my own questions on this issue but something bothers me about squelching ambition. Ambition along with both it's successes and failures has always made the seemingly impossible, possible.
These are legitimate questions in a legitimate debate, however, what if we applied the same questions to adventurers of the past. What if Amelia Earhart had succumbed to modern attitudes toward adventure seekers? How about Admiral Byrd, Lewis and Clark, Sir Edmund Hillary? In the early 1970's NASA was forced to shutter the Apollo program due to increasing governmental and public perception that they were wasting money and undertaking unneccessary risks. Since then, save the shuttle and space station program, we stopped reaching beyond the stars.
When did we become complacent about stretching the limits of human endeavor. Sure there are risks every time someone reaches outside of their surroundings and put to the test their abilities and fortitude. That is how we as a race, the human race, have accomplished feats above and beyond the previously accepted norm.
As imperfect creatures created by a perfect God, our boundaries to grow, learn, and reach are almost limitless in this universe.
I still have not reconciled my own questions on this issue but something bothers me about squelching ambition. Ambition along with both it's successes and failures has always made the seemingly impossible, possible.
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