Close-Range NW OK Tornado footage...April 14th, 2012!

Got great footage of 5 tornadoes in NW OK Saturday....here's the footage! For more, check out my chase blog!

Politics Simplified

Growing up in homeschool circles, politics are a big deal. I myself fell into the trap of spending days researching candidates, looking at their voting records over the last 20 years, matching it up to their rhetoric, debating with others on their trustworthiness, and a hundred other points bordering on stalker behavior.

Over the last year or so, I've come to see that most of that was, simply put, a gigantic waste of time. Politics today is simple - at least, it should be, from a voters' perspective.

Vote for the candidate with the best plan to stop the country from going off a cliff.

Special issues don't matter. So many people get caught up trying to figure out if a candidate is "completely" pro-life, anti gay marriage, pro-guns, etc. ad nauseum.

Why?

I think it comes down to a matter of pride. We don't want to vote for someone that doesn't embody our convictions perfectly. And we need to get over it.

The single biggest issue facing America right now is the economy. More aptly, the debt. And, if we don't fix it, the only conclusion is total economic collapse. Not a big fan of those.

I no longer care whether a candidate is GOP or Democrat. I no longer care whether a candidate is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc. I no longer care what a candidate believes, unless he's obviously batshit crazy.

All I care about is whether or not a candidate has a good plan to reduce spending, eliminate the deficit, and start on the massive giant killer death ball of debt that we're currently stuck under. And, considering what's happened since Clinton was in office, all it takes is some sort of semi-coherent mutterings of sanity for a plan to be considered a "good plan".

Wake up. Realize that your pride is just stupidity. Quit waxing eloquent for pages on end about how you can't vote for so-and-so because you found one tiny point of his policy that you don't like. We know you can read, and we sure as hell know you can type faster than you can think. You don't have to try and prove it to us. Just try sanity for a while. Try caring about the country. Try caring about everyone else. I know it's a crazy idea. But it might work. Do we really have anything to lose?

Another year, another life.

It's been a little over a year since I decided that it was time to move on, time to leave Illinois, and restart my life. It's been a difficult 15 months, to be sure. But, through it all, all the anger, shame, pride, and hatred that shadowed my life...there's always been a sense of calm.

I've never understood why that calm was there. Maybe I never will. But it is.

It began with a drunken gamble. Late at night, frustrated over the lack of responses I'd gotten after applying for literally every National Park Service job I could find, frustrated over my inability to find decent employment anywhere outside of Peoria, angered over how truly pathetic my life had become, and under the influence of who knows how many shots of Jack Daniels' shittiest bourbon, I saw an ad for the Coast Guard, and I sent out a couple emails. Over the next few months, as I explored my options, I ended up signing a contract with the Navy, as an air traffic controller.

It was, without a doubt, the best decision I've ever made.

Since that night last February, I've come close to death many times. My anger allowed me to completely disregard whatever self-preservation instinct I've ever had. But, I've lived. And, in the end, what else matters?

I always wanted the kind of life that average people never have. I wanted to be the crazy bastard who somehow, someway, always came through with the most ridiculous stuff imaginable. Harold and Kumar + Bond, as it were. Mostly because I'll never be as sophisticated as Bond, even if I do order the same drinks.

I think I'm there.

I'm on my second career now...as an active duty FAA certified USN Air Traffic Controller. Accountants don't normally inspire legends. I've been able to set up a career that not only is awesome and ridiculously fast-paced/thrilling, but also is a huge stepping-stone to becoming a pilot.

The loss of my self-preservation instinct allowed me to chase tornadoes with absolutely no fear, and thus, get closer to bigger tornadoes than I ever would've imagined.

Sometimes, I guess it takes your life falling apart around you to get back to what's important. To look at your life, realize that it's straying beyond your worst nightmares, and decide to stand up, to be a man, and to change it.

I'm living proof that if your life sucks serious ass, you can change it. Just look out, decide what you want to do, and change it. Don't get me wrong - it's hard. It's hard to turn your back on everyone and everything you know and love, not knowing if you'll ever see them again. But, if you have to do it...it's worth it. You only have one life...make it epic.

Today? I'm 21. The world's at my feet. In the last year, I've gotten to see 25 tornadoes, go deep sea fishing, boat racing, rock climbing, drag racing, scuba diving...I've gone through the toughest technical school the Navy offers, made lifelong friends that I never would've met otherwise...it's been incredible. Looking at it objectively, it's not hard to see that, of the pillars that made up my life 1-2 years ago...they've all been torn down and rebuilt. All but one...

God has a place in all this. As much as in the past I've tried to ignore His work...He's been there all along. It's obvious to see. I came a couple hours from dying in boot camp due to blood vessels bursting internally...and the surgery/recovery time gave me the tools I needed to get promotions/awards/etc. I've come to realize that true faith in God isn't what I thought it was...on the contrary, the "faith" that I had was shallow, and focused on external things.

I missed a head-on collision in Illinois while chasing last year by barely 50 feet. I almost got hit by a semi in St. Louis while stopping traffic just behind a tornado crossing the interstate. I logged many, many hours driving in the worst driving conditions imaginable. And, somehow, through all of that...I'm still here. Figure there's got to be a good reason for that.

So, here I am. Stepping out into a brand new life. A life that's more valuable, even more real now, after seeing what the bottom is like. Time to roll, baby...

Death of a blog...

Quick announcement - to anyone that still reads this, I'm going to be getting rid of this blog, and funneling all content over to my chase blog - Epic Chasers. Glad to have you aboard for my ranting...and, I hope that you've been enjoying my quest to be as epic as possible.

Nebraska Tornado Outbreak - 6-20-2011

Intercepted 3 tornadoes in Nebraska Monday, bringing my total for the year to 21! Best one is below...we were only about 100 yards away at one point!

Violent Ellsinore, MO wedge tornado

Wrapped up our chasing for the week with a 1/2 to 1 mile wide wedge tornado that passed about a mile in front of us on US Highway 60, just west of Ellsinore, MO.

Violent Canton, OK tornado - 5-24-2011

Captured a large tornado in Canton, OK yesterday...touched down 200 yards in front of us, and transitioned from a multi-vortex into a wedge right in front of us! Absolutely incredible...best chase of my career to date.

St. Louis/Lambert International Airport tornadoes

Insane day in St. Louis - intercepted a rain-wrapped tornado at about 150-200 yards, saw power flashes as the tornado hit the airport, and documented major damage afterwards.

(Shorter version that we uploaded to news stations)

We were also able to have our live video stream on the Weather Channel several times, conduct interviews while on the road and while documenting damage, and sell video to some major networks, as well. All in all, the most intense chase I've ever been on...absolutely incredible. 2-2.5 inch hail, as well.

Incredible Iowa tornado outbreak...

Intercepted at least 10 tornadoes over Iowa Saturday night...synopsis at my chase blog.

First Tornado of the year...

In Creston, Iowa! Details and video at www.epicchasers.blogspot.com

I dunno if anyone still reads this...

...but, if they do, I figure it's about time for an update.

As things stand now, I've come to the conclusion that life as I'm currently living it/as it currently stands isn't actually worth the work that I'm putting into keeping it going. My solution to that is to change things up...drastically. At this time, I have a few options on the table, but the most likely one at this point is actually joining the Coast Guard.

My life is so bloody ironic.

Anyway, I've passed the ASVAB (with the highest score possible, FWIW), gotten all of my stuff submitted for the background check, and, pending a physical, I'm in. It's a big decision, and it may not be the best decision, but it had to happen. If there's one thing that I never want to be said about my life, it's that I didn't have the guts to make a decision and stick by it. Anyway, I'm actually really looking forward to getting opportunities to put my life on the line for others.

Still working on getting dates/signing papers, but I'm tentatively looking at a boot camp date around the first of June. 2 months in Cape May, NJ, then off to...who knows? I may try and go to Alaska - I've always kinda wanted to go there.

The road goes ever on and on...

Does this hurt your brain as much as it does mine?

Cause, if not, then I want to know why.

I could be seeing this wrong, but there seems to be a huge battle in reformed Christian circles today over Federal Vision. I've read various papers throughout the last couple of years expounding on both sides, and I never really understood what the issue is. I still might not, but I think I can take a stab at it...

What is the definition of the word "Christian"?

For me, I've always defined "Christian" as "A person who is regenerate". The Federal Vision camp, however, seems to take a different slant on this. They would define "Christian" as "Someone who is a member of an external covenant with the Christian church." or, "Someone who is baptized into Christ, and who is therefore accountable to the church and her ministers." (Unless otherwise noted, all quotes are taken from www.federal-vision.com, "Federal Vision for the average joe")

Oooh! Brain flash!

In other words...according to a Federal Visionist, you can be a Christian, and not be regenerate?

"Now, using this definition, do all “Christians” go to heaven? No. This is because there are faithful Christians and faithless Christians."

Hrrm...

"If a man has been married three years, and he starts lusting after the neighbor's wife or having an affair with the secretary at the office, is he still a husband? Well, he may not be acting like it, but he still has a ring on his finger, and his wife wears one on her finger. He is an unfaithful husband, but a husband nonetheless. His marriage covenant is objective – it exists outside of his mind. The husband's heart and actions do not erase the commitment he made to his wife at the wedding until they have a formal divorce."

Logically, it makes sense. Still goes against the grain, though.

It seems like the Federal Vision view has one huge upside - it makes baptism crucially important, and makes the case for infant baptism even stronger. The Federal Vision view also seems to fit in well with Hebrews 10:29 ("Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" KJV), as long as you understand the verse to be speaking to those whom are in the Covenant through baptism ("has profaned the blood of the covenant by which *he* was sanctified"), but have spurned it.

Seems to me like the crux of the entire issue isn't actually a matter of life and death, salvation, or heresy. The crux of the issue lies on how we define what a Christian is. And...I'm not actually sure about that. The debate appears to be centuries long, from what I can tell...

I'm writing this more to get my thoughts out on paper, and get some thoughts from people that have thought this through further than I have (Cue Mr Evans). I'm leaning towards thinking that Federal Vision is just taking Covenantal theology and logically extrapolating further...but, I'm still hung up on what the Biblical definition of a Christian is, and I'm thinking that I need to get that figured out before I go any further...And, it's past midnight, so I'll cast my (half-baked) bread upon the waters, and see what happens...

Following up tangentially...

I've been struggling over the last few days, as I've read my last post over, and tried to figure out a way to put my thoughts more succinctly.

Then, I found this:

http://www.quiveringdaughters.com/2010/10/what-is-authoritarian-parenting.html

The article speaks for itself - I'll pull this out, and be done...

"Exerts extreme levels of control—physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional—over all aspects of life into adulthood...Is highly demanding and proud; more concerned with being “right” than truth; invalidates and disrespects the child’s thoughts and feelings."

"And whosoever shall offend one of [these] little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea." ~ Mark 9:42

Just trying to get some thoughts out of my head...

Reformed homeschoolers are generally good at the intellectual side of things. They can tell you why they homeschool, and back it up with scripture, various commentaries, quotes from the reformers...all that jazz. They can explain Calvinism in great detail, tell you why they baptize their kids (or don't baptize their kids) in lengthy, sleep-inducing detail. They can teach you 7 different versions of what will happen at the return of Christ, and refute them all.

But, with all of the things that we've figured out, there's still problems that are unsolved. We're imperfect beings, and we'll never get everything perfect this side of heaven. That said, that's no excuse not to try.

One of th issues that has been heavy on my mind of late is that of young men leaving the church. Now, when I say "walk away from the church", this generally doesn't mean to walk away from the faith - they generally leave for different churches.

I've heard many explanations and discussions on why this is so. I've heard people say that we need to train young men better, that we need to not send them to college, that we need to send them to college, that they need to get jobs, that they don't, and so on.

The answer that I've never heard proposed is that there's a fundamental problem with the parenting philosophy, and that that's where it all begins.

Maybe my experience isn't the norm. Maybe I've been jaded, and am just a sad, bitter person. I don't know. But, I think that a lot of this comes down to parents understanding the proper way to raise and train sons.

Throughout my life, one of my parents' goals in raising me was so that I'd be a better person than they were. They wanted me to have a head start on where they were when they got married, and to be better prepared to take on life as a Christian. I think that these goals are admirable, and I know that most parents I know would say the same things.

The point of raising your children is to send them out into the world to be conquerors and evangelists for Christ - not to shelter and hang on to them until they become bitter, and go off to find a life that makes sense.

Young men aren't made to stick around at home and hang on to their mothers' aprons. Young men are made to be adventurous. To be conquerors. To be leaders. Parents, you're going to have problems dealing with this. Every young man that you raise is going to want to start establishing himself in the world as a force to be reckoned with, if he's worth his salt.

I think I'm rambling at this point, but I'm not sure. That's generally a bad sign.

Yes, parents have got down that they need to raise their children better than they were raised. That's why most parents choose to homeschool their kids. But, what I don't see parents getting is this: You *cannot* raise your children to be more mature than you were, and better grounded in their faith, and then expect them to be happy when you delay them doing meaningful things with their lives.

Since I moved out of my parents house, I've learned what real life is all about. I've been through a week-long stretch where I was too sick to make it to my car. I've been through the worry and stress of having a car that has broken down, and wondering how I was going to get to work. I've had times when I realized that I had blown my money on something that I shouldn't have, and now, guess what, I don't have the cash I need to buy dinner. (Whoops.) I've learned that many of the things that my parents told me about life were true, and, some of the things that they said weren't true. I've had to realize that, without my parents, I have to be responsible for my walk with God. I've had to show up at work whether I felt like it or not, and whether I was sick or not (with some exceptions - Vacation days are beautiful things).

Real life is about establishing yourself as a force for Christ in a world that has turned their back on Him.

Young men don't have to move out on their own to learn these things. But, their parents have to be willing to trust them and let them make mistakes, and get them out there to make these types of discoveries. And, their parents have to be willing to let them start becoming men - even if it's before the world would say that they're ready.

Again, maybe this is just my experience, and the world isn't really like this. But, when I look around, and hear about situations where young men leave the church, I can't help but see that, in many cases, it's partially due to their parents' inability to let go. To let them engage the world. To let them be men.

Part of this may be due to fathers not being the leaders they should be. I was talking with a friend of mine last week, and he told me that he had heard a pastor once say "When I'm counseling young men, I ask them who the more dominant parent in the house is. If it's the woman, that's an automatic strike against a marriage." Hard to argue.

But, what it all comes down to, ultimately, is that we have to understand that the world has a certain timing scheme - and that it's wrong. Homeschoolers can tell you that public schools are horrible institutions, but they can't seem to grasp this facet of that - great, we've rebelled against the government, but we're still letting culture dictate these ages of 18 and 21 as the normal ages to get done with school, get a job, go to college, even get married.

It didn't use to be this way.

I'm not suggesting a return to Puritanism, but, they did make sure that their kids were grown up, and grown up quickly. For them, it was a matter of life and death. They didn't care about age - they cared about maturity. We should do the same.

We'll always have problems with people falling away from the church. But, if parents would realize that, if they decide to be dictators, and incite their children to wrath, their kids will walk away, and make changes based on that...things might be different. Who knows. I'm not a parent - these are just the ramblings of a man that had to break out of the house to really understand and live life to the fullest, for the glory of God.

Chasing Blog....

David Price and I have set up a new website for our stormchasing exploits - check out www.epicchasers.blogspot.com!

Generalities on Life, Liberty, and my continuing pursuit to find a hugemungous tornado...

It's July.

Dang.

It's amazing, looking back over the last 6 months of my life. So much has happened - so much has changed, but, through it all, I can see God leading me through life, and helping me to grow and mature. At times, life has been dark, but...having gone through what I have, and coming out to where I am now, I think that I am starting to see why I've been lead this way, why God has put me through the trials that I've been through, and where I'm supposed to go from here.

I've moved twice. Found my first tornado. Dislocated my knee. Been through another car, and another couple of minor car accidents (neither of which were my fault). It's been a crazy year already, but, I wouldn't trade my life for the world. This is the first summer that I've been out on my own, and I'm living life to the fullest.

Probably won't be posting much at all, but figured I'd put some kind of update up...Next on the agenda is a canoe trip out in Missouri, hopefully in early August!

Hakuna Matata.

2012 – An Epic Tale of Man’s Inner Goodness

Those of you that know me even slightly well know that my penchant for living life on the edge/danger/excitement is rather…well developed. Thus, it should come as small surprise that, as soon as I saw the first preview for 2012, I felt that I had to go see it. In my estimation, if a filmmaker can pull off destroying the White House with the USS John F Kennedy, I owe him eight bucks.

I ended up seeing the film twice, and, while I left both times feeling awed at how completely cool the movie was, I still had a rather significant bone to pick with Roland Emmerich. Not concerning the at times epically unbelievable CGI-aided, and completely unrealistic moments, not concerning the statements that the “Mayans knew this all along, and the Christians were…kinda right”, but concerning the overall theme of the film.

As one of the main characters puts it, in an impassioned speech on a ship’s bridge, “If we start our new country with an act of cruelty towards our fellow man, then every person in this world has died in vain. We cannot lose our humanity to save our civilization.” (Slightly paraphrased, I believe.)

Humanity. What is humanity? I was under the impression that to be human was to be desperately wicked, and wicked beyond help or imagination, except by the saving grace of Jesus Christ? Not according to Roland Emmerich.

The overarching theme of 2012 is that, even facing their deaths, man will ultimately choose to do that which is righteous, not that which is evil.

Another main character, an author named Jackson Curtis, had written a book years before that had done very poorly. We learn through the film that his book, Farewell Atlantis, had opened to sour reviews from its critics, and had sold only 422 copies. Why? Because the critics said that Curtis was “too naive”; that, because he believed that man would behave morally (according to what system of morality? I won’t go there now…) in the face of death.

At this point, I have to ask – what is Roland Emmerich smoking?

Have the epic lessons of the depravity of man provided by such recent events as Hurricane Katrina really proved this easy to forget? Why must the world at large fight so hard to believe in humankinds’ innate goodness? What are the stakes lost if those that do not believe the Gospel admit that man is evil?

Everything.

The religion of humanism rests on the foundation that man is good; that man is the only source of law, order, and societal norms – and, since man is the only source of law, order, and societal norms, man must be innately good, otherwise…the foundation of humanism crumbles to the ground like a heap of sand in front of the shining light of the Bible, and Jesus Christ.

All this to say that, although I was irritated enough to rant for 500 words, I did really like the movie…

Stormchasing Tomorrow!

Going stormchasing tomorrow, heading to Rockford to pick up at least one good friend at 2 PM. Current indications are that a "significant tornado outbreak" (to quote a forecaster from NWS in Indy) could occur over the northern half of Illinois tomorrow afternoon/evening.

I'm stoked.

And, for everyone else....

Here is a different (meaning actually interesting and readable) take on our adventures, written by Raquel. Enjoy!

http://sharppointythings.blogpeoria.com/2009/05/22/the-duct-tape-valkyrie-goes-storm-chasing-raquel/

May 13th, 2009/ Car Accident

May 13th, 2009. For me, this day stands out as one of the greatest days of my life. I proved that all of the study, the obsession, all the crazyness of being a "stormchaser" had paid off. I proved that I had not wasted my time, but had learned everything, from visual storm features to radar interpretation to weather data analysis, well enough to successfully stormchase.

May 9th, 2009 - The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) places most of IL in an areal outlook, forecasting the possibility of an "outbreak of severe weather, with all modes possible." This is enough for me to start getting interested, and start preliminary planning.

May 11th, 2009 - The SPC issues its day 3 outlook, placing most of IL and MO in a moderate risk for severe thunderstorms. The possibility of a "significant severe weather outbreak, with some strong tornadoes" was first broached here.

May 12th, 2009 - Day two outlooks. Moderate risk upheld for IL and MO. Planning kicks into high gear. The SPC declares that an "outbreak of tornadoes, some strong, appears likely over portions of IL and MO."

May 13th, 2009 - The day arrives. Having made plans to get off work at 3 PM CDT, I began my day by packing all of my ham radio equipment into my van, as well as picking up an antenna from a friend of mine. The day was overcast, and rain was moving into the area as I made my way to work. I kept an eye on the outlooks, and, after the 0600 UTC outlook, I had all but decided to head south towards Springfield. However, over lunch break, I took a look at the latest atmospheric soundings. The noon soundings showed that the mixed-level Convective Available Potential Energy (ML CAPE) was at 3500 J/KG in northern/central MO. This, combined with the Significant Tornado parameter readings in the 2-3 range, as well as the Supercell parameter reading of 12, the Craven/Brooks Sig/SVR of 70, high dewpoints, clearing skies, and rising temperatures brought me close to making a decision to start WSW from Peoria. The biggest decision that I had to make came next. Should I attack south, targeting a small mesoscale convective system that was currently moving ENE over southern MO, or should I move westerly, targeting the conjunction of the cold and warm front? The question about moving west was that the environment was under the effects of a capping temperature inversion that threatened to keep thunderstorm development at a minimum for the afternoon. I decided to make tentative plans to head SW towards Rushville, IL, then make my decision when I could see radar again. At 2 PM, the SPC made my mind up for me. A Mesoscale Discussion was issued, saying that the issuance of a tornado watch would "soon be necessary". I then made my final decision - start out by heading towards Macomb, IL. At 2:40 PM CDT, the SPC issued Tornado Watch 293, covering portions of IA, MO and IL. In this watch, a 40% chance of a strong tornado (EF2 and up) was defined over the entire watch area. Waiting to pick up the 2000 UTC outlook (which defined the greatest risk for tornadoes as over northern MO, southern IA, and western IL), I headed to southern Peoria, picking up my chase partners for the day - Raquel and Samuel.

Something that interested me - at this point, I was incredibly nervous, and actually slightly nauseous. I felt like I had to be a success my first time out, to find something that would make this trip worthwhile. I felt like I had to do something that would make the scoffers around me look at stormchasing differently after I got through - not as a teenaged-thrillseeking-adventure, but as a public service that is vital to organizations such as the National Weather Service, and is also reasonably safe if directed by someone who knows what they are doing.

We headed WSW towards Macomb, IL. My plan was to stop in Macomb, get a Wi-Fi hotspot, get the latest radar data, grab dinner at a drive-through, and head out to wherever the biggest storms were developing. Now, here's the thing - Macomb is a beautiful town to go for some kind of romantic getaway, when you have a lot of time to burn. However, a town that is a maze of one-way streets and cutsie-little shops is the last thing that you want when you are trying to perform a hit-and-run operation on a Wi-Fi enabled coffee shop and McDonalds. We eventually got to a coffee shop, and, after checking radar, and calling a chaser friend of mine (Mike, WX9MDT) I decided to target Keokuk, IA. Extricating myself from the clutches of Macomb, we started to head towards Keokuk. As we got close to Keokuk, Raquel and Samuel got my radio equipment set up in between the front seats. This was harder than it sounds, and they did a very nice, quick job. The first tornado warning that I heard mentioned that there was a "large, destructive tornado that was currently between one-quarter and one-half mile wide." This was where I wanted to be. The problem was, this was in MO. I was in IL, going into IA. Now, I had not planned on going out of state, so, while I had a beautifully detailed map of IL, I had neother a map of IA or MO. Fail. As my Official Navigator (Raquel) informed me that I was an idiot (in much nicer terms), I made an emergency trip to Casey's in Keokuk. Racing in, I almost yelled at the cashier "Got any maps?" She looked at me for a second, then pointed to the map section. As quickly as I could, I was out, and headed to MO. After getting lost, then back on track again, I called Mike, who counseled me to conduct a strategic retreat back to the IL side of the Mississippi River, thus catching the storm as it crossed the river.

Once back across the river, we followed Route 136 down the east side of the Mississippi. While trying to get data from Mike, and failing because of terrible cell phone coverage, I saw a group of chasers parked on the side of the road. I pulled over, and, telling Raquel that I would be right back, jumped out of my van and started jogging up the road. After a few steps, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, and sudden;y realized that my van was not in park, and was merrily rolling down the road, free as a bird. I raced up the road, opened the door, jumped in, and slammed on the brakes. Total Indiana Jones moment. Raquel and Samuel took it pretty well, somehow... :)

We proceeded down the road a couple of miles, hooking up with Mike on a gravel area outside of Marcelline, IL. After watching the storm for a couple of minutes, a large, rotating wall cloud became apparent, and a couple of funnel clouds formed. After taking some pictures, and realizing that we were too far away, we decided to get closer. Unfortunately, gravel roads never go where you want them to. We ended up getting pretty close, but had to stay on the move, as at one point we were only about a mile away from the wall cloud. I really wish that we could've stopped and gotten pictures at this point, as it really was amazing. However, we were just trying to stay ahead of the storm, and you can't really negotiate with a supercell when you're only a mile or two in front of a wall cloud.

The tornado that touched down was an EF2 that hit Kirksville, MO. It was, at points, 3/4 of a mile wide, and caused extensive damage in the town of Kirksville. This was a bit before we intercepted it, but those were the reports we were getting as the storm rolled in, which definitely intensified the atmosphere... :)

Then, as darkness fell, we made a strategic retreat, down I-172, to I-72, then came home through Springfield, IL. I got home after midnight, but I didn't care. Sure, the next morning I would get a speeding ticket for going 78 in a 55. Sure, I had spent almost $40 in gas, as well as blown out the front brakes on my van. It didn't matter. Fulfilling a life-long dream is an amazing moment on your life. For one night, I was on top of the world.

As far as my car accident, I was on University in Peoria, heading to pick up my bosses' dry cleaning. I wasa bit lost, and, when I saw my turn, I quickly flipped a U-turn. Problem - I was in the right-hand lane, and forgot about the guy in the big red truck in my blind spot. He hit me, spun me partially into oncoming traffic, and landed on the other side of the road. My rear bumper got knocked off, and his front bumper got driven into his tire, but we were both fine. Thank God!

FYI

I am not dead, or pregnant. 

New post will be forthcoming on my stormchasing adventures last week, as well as getting in a car accident, and getting a speeding ticket.... It was an eventful two weeks.

Laters.

FYI: Avoiding Strep Throat is not a bad idea

After having the worst sore throat I've ever had for three days straight, my Mom and I were convinced that I had strep throat. It's horrible, and I don't recommend it. After finally figuring out what we thought it was, and taking steady doses of Tylenol, the pain had subsided to a dull ache, and I was watching Jurassic Park, when my Dad came in the room with a styrofoam cup. In the soft light of my laptop, the contents of the cup looked somewhat akin to urine, with a smell not unlike that of the dessicated carcasse of a 3 weeks dead muskrat. I blanched, then asked what it was. "Water and apple cider vinegar!" my dad responded, rather cheerily. "Mom said to sip it slowly, and there's a whole pitcher out in the hallway!" As he saw my wry face, he was reduced to giggling like a fourth-grade schoolgirl who had worn a more expensive dress than her best friend. He proceeded to leave, still giggling, and I studied the cup. After thinking about it for awhile, and watching a T-Rex eat an electric fence, a lawyer, and portions of two Goodyear tires, I, singlehandedly, in an unselfish, heroic, and barely-believable act of unmatched courage (that, at the very least, should win me the "Blog and Blogger of the 18th Century" award), took a swig. I was surprised to find that, although it smelled horrible, and looked just as bad, it was truly awful. I honestly would have preferred the muskrat. 

Epilogue, I don't think it was strep, as, if it was, I wouldn't have recovered over the last two days. 

Bernie Madoff can singlehandedly save America!

Or, at least the IRS. For 13 years, Bernie Madoff told his victims that they were making money, when, in fact, they weren't. However, being the normal, law-abiding citizens that they were, his victims all paid taxes on their illusionary gains. The moral of the story? The way to save the economy is to encourage Ponzi schemes! All we need is a few smart people, and a sufficient supply of suckers. It's the American way.

Truth be told, the IRS is allowing those burned by Madoff to recover the taxes they paid in quicker than normal, but it still seems pretty humorous to me. 

Is anyone still fooled by Sarah Palin?

It's funny, one of the huge reasons that we were supposed to vote for the McCain/Palin ticket was because they would appoint conservative, Biblical Supreme Court justices. Still think so? Palin has thrown away her allegiance to the conservative side of the Republican party by appointing to the Alaskan Supreme court a pro-choice judge with a long history of supporting abortion. The opposing candidate, Eric Smith, was the obviously more conservative choice, and was rated by the Alaska Family Council as being more likely to stand up to the pro-choice and more liberal members of the court. 

Can we dispose of the indefensible idea that we can trust Sarah Palin? Can we get past the $15,000 wardrobe and the Vogue covers and see her for what she really is - a politician? Christians are disgusted by the "Obama love" going around, but fail to see that they are doing the same thing to Sarah Palin, almost to the point, in some cases, of deifying her. 

True, both candidates were liberal. However, Palin could have rejected both of them, or picked the more conservative one. Instead, she appears to have turned this into a political stunt for the 2012 election, trying to appear more "moderate", as well as appointing a woman to appeal to the feminist movement. 

The following is an article from www.rightwingwatch.org titled "Palin Bucks Right, Appoints Former Planned Parenthood Board Member to Supreme Court." 

"Last week we noted that Sarah Palin was facing a dilemma rooted in her state's "Missouri Plan"-like  structure for appointing state Supreme Court justices because the list of candidates she was required to choose from did not necessarily reflect her views.

This issue didn't seem to be generating all that much coverage but it did generate interest from the state's Alaska Family Council, which urged its activists to contact Palin and pressure her to choose Eric Smith over Morgan Christen, saying that Smith was "more conservative" than Christen, who was, among other things, on the board of Planned Parenthood in the mid-1990s. 

But Palin was apparently not swayed by the AFC's efforts and went ahead and appointed Christen:

Governor Sarah Palin selected Anchorage Superior Court Judge Morgan Christen to the Alaska Supreme Court. Christen is the 20th justice appointed to the Court.

“Alaska’s Supreme Court bears the awesome responsibility of ensuring that our court system administers justice in firm accordance with the principles laid down in our state Constitution,” said Governor Palin. “I have every confidence that Judge Christen has the experience, intellect, wisdom and character to be an outstanding Supreme Court justice.”

The Alaska Daily News reports that AFC president Jim Minnery is not happy and says that Palin will be getting a good talking to when they see each other at an upcoming benefit:

The head of the Alaska Family Council -- a Christian pro-family, anti-abortion group -- on Wednesday sent an e-mail to thousands of people asking them to urge Palin to pick Smith, not Christen.

The governor's office received about 100 letters, e-mails and faxes from the public about the Supreme Court appointment, including some from the family council, Palin's spokeswoman, Sharon Leighow, said in an e-mail. That was not an unusual number, Leighow said.

The family council plea, from group president Jim Minnery, said Smith was "more conservative" and that Christen would be "another activist on the Court." In an interview, Minnery said that was the "general consensus" but he had no specifics.

"I'll be seeing the governor tomorrow. We'll have a good chat," Minnery said after Christen's appointment was announced. He said that Palin is introducing the speaker Thursday evening at a benefit lecture in Anchorage for the family council.

As we noted last time, when Missouri's Republican Governor Matt Blunt faced this sort of situation back in 2007, right-wing groups savaged him, saying "too many politicians have suffered the fate of trying to have issues both ways, and this may be the final strike for Gov. Blunt."

Will Palin face the same sort of outrage?"   

Unfortunately, not in most Christian circles. 

Football

I know many of you have always wanted to see me in certain situations-namely, being yanked backward while in a headlock and playing running back. Well, your dreams have come true. 

I am glad, however, that this had a better ending than my famous Reformation Day activities, as I had the game-clinching interception return to win, 42-28. (No touchdown on the return.) It was a great game, and I got to meet Joshua up close and personal... :-) Can't wait til next time!

Rethinking the Dark Knight

Spring break was this week, and, among numerous other things, I’ve been reading J. F. Baldwin’s book The Deadliest Monster: An Introduction to Worldviews. To this point, the book has been excellent, and I’d highly recommend it. The book takes the stories of Frankenstein and Mr. Hyde, and contrasts the main difference in their worldviews, namely, is man naturally good, or evil?                

Page 139 really stood out to me. Baldwin writes: "Once you accept relativism, you can no longer be outraged by people contradicting what you consider to be moral…If man doesn’t have an absolute standard to which he may refer, then he can expect to find himself locked in an ethical “survival of the fittest”, where the ethical opinions with the most support kill off all other opinions.”

  The first thing I thought of when I read this was The Dark Knight. Remember? In The Dark Knight, the screenwriters wrote such a convoluted situation that it seemed as if immoral activities such as spying and torture were “morally right”. How about National Treasure? The “good guys” are forced to steal the Declaration of Independence because, if they don’t, the “bad guys” will get it, which means:

A.      Losing the treasure

B.      Possible destruction of the document

C.      A really short, stupid, boring movie

So, stealing is wrong, unless there’s a huge treasure at the end of the road. Torture is fine, as long as we carefully craft a situation where torture is the only option.  No way should you steal someone’s parking space—unless you’re late for work on your first day. Instead of looking at these as difficult situations in which the “good guys” did what they thought was right, we should see them for what they are—situations carefully crafted by liberal Atheists who are attempting to (somewhat) subtly chip away at the foundations of Christianity.  Nor is this limited to a movie, it has taken over America. One instance of this is evidenced by the Republican Party (the so-called “good guys”), attempting to change their stance on abortion away from “Abortion is wrong—period” to “There are some cases in which abortion is the morally right thing to do”.

Baldwin continues:

"Once you accept relativism, you can no longer be outraged by people contradicting what you consider to be moral…If man doesn’t have an absolute standard to which he may refer, then he can expect to find himself locked in an ethical “survival of the fittest”, where the ethical opinions with the most support kill off all other opinions.”

I recently had a lengthy argument with my business law professor at ICC who stated that “Law and morality is practically the same thing.” While we may laugh at the absurdity of this statement, it is a telling insight into the average American’s, and, sadly, many average Christian’s worldviews. I did finally get him to admit that there are, in his words, “a few areas” where law and morality differ. Big whoop. (He did, however, clarify this by saying that he thought that in the few areas that the law and morality differed, the law would soon catch up.)

Californians can personally attest to this mindset in their fight against gay marriage, which has become a subject viewed by so many people as morally acceptable that it is left up to a popular vote.

Morality via popular vote. What a smashing idea. 

This should be my motto!

Do I have to like Democrats?

This is only 36 seconds, but it really drives home my little-known fact of the day. Democrats are...uhh....never mind.

What's the difference between Satan and a Democrat? Satan has horns.

Ross v. Hovind

This is long, but definitely worth the time. It sucked me in fairly quickly, and is a great example of both how to, and how not to debate. Ross raises a lot of interesting points that Hovind never was able to answer, and so falls back to his catch-all defense, namely, "You're a heretic!" I don't pretend to even fractionally understand Ross's thermodynamic arguments, but he has made me reopen Genesis to see what it is that the verses say. When it's all said and done, however, no matter what Kent Hovind was trying to say, he made no sense whatsoever, changed the subject numerous times, and really came across as pretty ignorant. Hovind was also torn apart in a 1999 debate with Hugh Ross, and he tried to pull the same tricks there, calling Ross a "heretic" and ignoring his arguments as "Atheistic theology." 

Here is my legal disclaimer: This video is intended solely for the pleasure/boredom of my extremely small and largely disinterested audience, and any and/or all views expressed by speakers and/or audience members in the aforementioned video are neither condoned nor rejected, in whole or in part or at face value by The Same Anonymous Dude. Copyright 2009 The Same Anonymous Dude Incorporated.

(That's just so I don't get some crazies on here that yell and scream "You beleive in a billion year old earth, you heretic, you're going to hell!" No, I don't. I merely thought that this was one of the most interesting things that I've seen in a while, so I figured I'd post it. Enjoy!)

If you want shorter excerpts, check YouTube.

Liberty Day 09!

Lo peoples!

Liberty Day will be held on March 21st ths year, in Medinah, IL. Paul Jehle will be speaking, and Charlie Zahm will be the featured musician. For more info go to www.libertyday.blogspot.com.

It's well worth the drive!