Things that make me angry...

This from Telegraph.co.uk today:

"A businessman was held on suspicion of attempted murder after confronting a gang of youths who allegedly threatened to kill his wife and attacked his stepson outside their home.
Colin Philpott was roused from bed and, still barefoot, challenged the group as his stepson, Alex, was battered in the front garden of the family’s £500,000 property.
In the scuffle which followed, one of the youths, named locally as Josh Hasler, was stabbed a number of times and collapsed in the street. Police were called, leading to the arrest of Mr Philpott and five of the youths, aged 16."

A gang of at least 6 punks break into his house, attack his stepson, threaten to kill him and his wife, and he gets arrested for exercising his natural, God-given right to self-defense? According to the liberal nutjobs who run the country, I suppose he should have just rolled over and let them kill his family. Poor, misguided youths; they probably didn't know any better. They're the real victims here.

I hope the bobbies come to their senses, drop all charges and issue an apology, but that would assume a level of common sense that they just don't possess anymore in jolly old England.

Please Vote No on Heath Care Reform

Senators Bennet and Udall,

I have been watching the progress of the health care debate on Capitol hill and am very concerned, as I was with the Cap and Trade bill, that the proposed bill is a fiscal nightmare waiting to happen. I do not need to provide you with the specific details, but here is a quck list of my concerns:

1. The CBO has warned of a $1 trillion cost explosion if it is passed. To pay for this, plan is to heavily tax the top tax bracket, which will hurt small businesses and entrepeneurs, further hurting the economy. In fact, it is very probable that taxes will have to eventaully be raised for all Americans (despite the President's pre-election promises) to cover skyrocketing health care bills.
2. In other countries, nationalizing Health Care has lead to rationing, long waits, lower quality of service, and health care workers leaving the practice. Why is the survival rate for prostate cancer almost 98% in the US, but only 74% in Great Britain? Why are there ridiculously long waits for common surgeries in the UK, Canada and the rest of Europe, but very little wait here in the US? Nationalized Health Care has (like Cap and Trade) been a national disaster in countries that have tried it.
3. The government has been unable to efficiently and effectively run any other program. I have no reason to believe it will do any better with health care. Nationalized health care will only add a monstrous layer of bureaucracy, control and inefficiency between me and my doctors.
4. Please look at the list of cons at http://www.balancedpolitics.org/universal_health_care.htm.
   

Yes, we have a healthcare problem in the US, but it is nothing compared to the problems caused by Nationalized Health Care in other countries. There are better solutions out there that respect individual liberty, privacy, choice and the free market capitalism that has made this country great.

As an additional note, I notice that the Honorable John Thune (R-SD), sponsored Amendment 1618 which was added to the Defense Authorization Bill (S. 1390). It would give individuals with state-issued Concealed Handgun Licences (CHL) reciprocity in all states that allow concealed carry. At this time, CHL reciprocity between states is a constantly changing, confusing mess that puts law-abiding citizens in danger of unknowingly breaking gun laws in various states. Every trip out of state requires researching the current reciprocity and laws of each state I will travel through. Please support Amendment 1618 to SB 1390. Please support the People's Right to Keep and Bear Arms as documented in the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution and upheld in last year's Heller v. Washington D.C. decision.*

I have noticed that support for President Obama is plummeting, especially among independent voters, and that many moderate Democrats are beginning to resist the President's radical agenda in light of the upcoming mid-term elections. I was very interested to hear that Senator Bennet is up for re-election in 2010. I look forward to casting my vote in that election. For the first time ever, I am considering getting personally involved in backing the candidate of my choice.

Sincerely,

Jeff A. Odegard
Colorado Springs

* Note to my blog-readers: The rights outlined in the Bill of Rights are "inalienable" and "natural" rights, inherent to men, women, and children because they are given by God.. The Bill of Rights recognizes, documents, and codifies these rights, but does not grant these rights. On the contrary, the Bill of Rights (like the rest of the Constitution) limits the powers of the US Government and protects the rights of the people and the individual States.

Meaningful Independence Day

Hope you had a meaningful Independence Day. May God bless the USA according to His grace and not as we deserve.

I wore a teabag on my hat at the parade and street fair in Monument, CO today. Guess that means I'm officially a "bitter clinger," Taxed Enough Already, gone public.

Please Vote No on Climate Bill

Senators Udall and Bennet,

First, I would like to thank you for your recent vote supporting our right to keep and bear arms, documented in the 2nd Amendment.

Please vote no on the upcoming climate bill. I am a conservationist, outdoorsman, fisherman and hunter. I believe in doing all we can to preserve the environment for future generations. I believe we can accomplish this through responsible land use and common sense legislation. However, this bill is a financial nightmare waiting to happen. I'm concerned about increased taxes which will result in no real impact to the global climate or the environment - only increased taxes and increased government control.

Sincerely,

Jeff A. Odegard
Colorado Springs

Sent to both Senators this morning.

Real Hope and Real Change

Today we celebrated the life of one of my wife's Cubbies, a little girl of 5 who died last Saturday of an asthma attack. She was a beautiful, spirited little girl, always eager to help and a strong little leader. She struggled with over 30 food allergies, but was always a bright spot in everyone's day.

During the funeral there was a lot of discussion of how happy she is now in Heaven. (She trusted Christ for salvation recently and then followed Him in Baptism only three weeks ago, on the same night my daughter was baptized.) It got me thinking about the Hope we have in Christ- and not just the hope of Heaven, because there is more!

You see, Heaven is a wonderful place, where God wipes every tear from our eyes and where we are finally free from sin, pain and sickness. We get to worship our Creator alongside the angels, and get to see our loved ones who have gone before us. We find incredible bliss and joy in the presence of the Trinity, and can finally know Jesus even as He knows us (1 Cor 13:12)! In Scripture God gives us these tantalizing glimpses of heaven, but then reveals that there is much, much more!

As wonderful as Heaven is, it is only temporary. Contrary to popular, unbiblical Christian mythology, believers will not spend eternity in Heaven, sitting on a cloud strumming a harp. (And we do not become angels, either!) God created us as both physical and spiritual beings,* and to be disembodied, floating around in Heaven, as wonderful as it is, is not how God created us or intended us to be! It's not natural! My friends, we were made for Resurrection!

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul lays out an argument for the Resurrection of Christ and then begins to give us glimpses of our future. He says (v. 20) that Christ is the "first fruits" of the Resurrection, and that our glorified resurrection bodies will be infinitely different from our current bodies. With the imagery of a grain of wheat falling to the earth, dying, then coming back as a beautiful plant, he describes how our bodies will change to become imperishable, immortal, glorious, powerful and spiritual. When does this happen?** When Christ returns:

Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will happen,

“Death has been swallowed up in victory."
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Cor 15:51-55)

Now that my friends is Real Hope and Real Change! We will spend eternity in an amazing New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21-22)! We will have immortal Resurrection bodies like Christ's. Most importantly, we will see Him face to face and know Him and His love perfectly! That dear little girl is rejoicing with Christ in Heaven right now, but she has so much more to look forward to. And so do we!

---------------
* For the budding theologians out there: I hold a dichotomous/bipartite view of anthropology. We are ontologically one person with one nature having both physical and spiritual aspects. For my trichotomous friends, a word study of soul and spirit will show that the two terms are used interchangeably for the non-material aspect of man and are not distinct. (While you're at it, compare those terms with heart, conscience, mind, and will). Hebrews 4:12, 1 Thes. 5:23 and 1 Cor 2:14ff. need to be understood in light of the rest of Scripture. In perspective, however, the dichotomous / trichotomous discussion is an interesting in-house debate, but definitely not anything worth dividing over!

** 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 makes it almost sound like we receive our Resurrection bodies when we get to heaven, but 1) we need to understand it in light of all of Scripture, including the explicit timing provided in 1 Cor 15:52, 1 Thes 4:16; Rev 20:5, etc and 2) that the main idea in this passage is that we are struggling and have to live our lives in a way that pleases God, in light of the hope He gives us of a better future with Him!. Now another interesting topic is "How many Resurrections are there?"

February 22, 2010 - National Park Day

The president signed a law into effect today (attached to the credit card reform bill) that will allow concealed carry in many national parks. However, because of the language of the bill, it will not take effect for 9 months, even though the sponsors intended for it to be immediately binding. The Interior Department and National Park Service, who hate the idea of free citizens bearing arms, intend to follow the letter of the law and wait nine months.

Therefore, my ban on visiting National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges will continue until February 22, 2010, when the 2nd Amendment will finally also be valid on Federal lands. See you in Rocky Mountain National Park when the snow clears next Spring. And not a moment before.

OWB Holster for Baby Eagle RS

This is my latest venture into the world of holster making. (Click on the pictures for a closer look.) It is an Outside the Waistband (OWB) paddle holster with a thumb break snap and two different cants. I built it to carry either openly on my hip or concealed behind my hip. After using the holster for a couple weeks, I actually like the canted setting best for either position. The vertical position is nice because the gun rides a little higher, but the FBI cant is definitely more comfortable for both carry and draw.

I cut the back first, then cut out the top piece on the barrel side of the holster and sewed it on. Then I wet-formed the leather using a plastic bag around the gun, a wooden form and lots of molding with my fingers. After it was dry I dyed the inside, put the front snap (on the back of the holster) and cut out the grip/trigger side and sewed it. Finally, I died the outside and put the back snap on. I covered the back of the back snap with a piece of suede to keep it from scratching the gun. The strip of leather around the mouth of the holster is there partially to provide a little extra stiffness to hold the holster open (a trick from the IWB holster world), and partially for looks. The gun was really tight, so I had to do the "put it in a plastic bag and ram it into the holster" trick. Next time, I'll add another 1/4" to the width of the back piece.

From the back, my stitches don't look as straight. If you compare to my first IWB holster, though, I think I've made some good improvement. The stitching wheel my Dad gave me last Christmas really helped. This was a fun project, but my wife is happy to have me back with the rest of the family and not constantly down in the basement.

Next will probably be a magazine holster for the other hip...