Stopping to Think

Here is a link to Brigade , a tool that allows you to pledge your vote for different candidates and share those pledges via social media.

What follows is the letter I wrote a couple of days ago to the chairmen of the Republican Party Central Committee in my county, on which I served until, well...when I sent this letter. Co-chairs ___ and ____, I write what follows most regretfully, and not without much thought and prayer. I am resigning my place on the Central Committee and plan to change my voter registration from Republican to Independent.  I determined many months ago that I would not, and in good conscience could not, vote for Donald Trump for President. I was content to keep that opinion largely personal unless asked for it, and hoped to see Trump mature, while surrounding himself with quality individuals as others in the party simultaneously worked to move the party writ large in a more conservative and constitutional direction.  What has happened has been precisely the opposite. Trump has continued to show himself for exactly who he has always been: a bombastic, small minded, morally repugnant, ...

I am an avid, if not particularly prolific, reader. Folks sometimes get the impression that I've read more than I have, partially because I retain fairly well, and I like to use quotations.  I suppose I could read more if I were to read faster (that seems logical enough), but I don't seem to enjoy the reading experience nearly so much when I do so, and the last thing I want is for my favorite leisure activity to become drudgery.  One thing that I have always lacked in my reading, besides speed, is any sort of tracking mechanism. I decided to change that this year, just to keep tabs on what sort of things I'm reading, if there are any books I need to focus more heavily on, and to keep track of what I've finished. I've included my first three entries for the year down below. I don't try to be weekly or anything like that with my entries, updating only when I finish a book, upon which I will leave a few thoughts. I believe the rest of it is fairly self-explanat...

This time four years ago my wife and I still resided in the great state of Idaho. And while I often miss mountains, trout fishing, and elk, come campaign time for the Presidential nominating process, Iowa is the place to be. You can see almost any candidate you want, up close and personal. You can shake hands, go to town hall meetings, ask questions, and expect responses. Because everyone wants to win the first-in-the-nation caucus. Well, not Jim Gilmore, but who knew he was still running until last Thursday? The first thing I want you to do is, if you are in Iowa, urge you to caucus tonight. Hopefully you have done your research on the candidates, know where they stand, and know whom you wish to support. This is such a small, yet important, part of what it means to exercise our rights as citizens. Please don't let something small like a sports event, or TV show, or the inconvenience of a few lost hours keep you from participating in this process. Second, if you don't live ...