The Yukon is over! And it was a great one!
I’m so glad that it is over. I love getting the boys together, seeing them all together – there is a lot of energy. It’s awesome to behold! And it is always fun. Scouts really know how to have a good time. It doesn’t matter what goes wrong. They find a way to enjoy themselves and help others enjoy themselves.
Chris Phipps is great to work with. He understands boys and men. He knows what makes them tick and gives them what they need. He takes assignments and finds solutions. What a relief it is to have him take care of the shooting sports. I hope he’s in town next year. I think with him on board another year, it could be our best event yet.
But it’s great when it comes to an end. There is so much stress going into the final stretch. This year, I didn’t know whether the parking lots would be plowed. Would the food be taken care of? It started raining the day before yesterday. I didn’t know whether we would have any snow left. I had two activity areas cancelled the days leading up to the event. A third area hardly did anything due to rain. Somehow it all came together and they had a good time but I’m glad it’s over for now. Next year it will be great again but now it’s good to have it safely, successfully done.
Obama is only a man. As a matter of fact, he’s just a politician.
His fiscal policy is to do more of what Bush did – pump more funny money into the economy. It didn’t work for Bush, why do my fellow citizens think it is going to work for Obama? I want my coutrymen to wake up. Listen less to what Obama says and observe more of the outcomes from what he does. If Obama surprises me and is able expand our liberties, I will gladly eat my crow. But let us examine carefully what he does and not blindly believe in what we are being told.
Another example, compulsory service. This seems to have many enraptured. Obama says we need to sacrifice for our country. Fine, I agree with that. Many Americans do this every day – they put their fellow citizen before themselves and ensure the ongoing success of a nation. However, when the government mandates that the people must ‘serve’ their country, service is no longer service, it is slavery. But because Obama hides slavery behind a mask of benevolence, my fellow patriots seem willing to sacrifice liberty for servitude. What could be more un-American?
Obama’s touch cannot turn poverty into gold. His words cannot transform slavery into liberty. Like every politician, Obama must be measured against his actions and the outcomes of those actions, not by the sparkling brilliance of his pyrite speech.
My friend and co-worker Nic Johnson finished his last day at the library today. It breaks my heart to see him go. We enjoyed just a little over a year together designing the webs. Although it hasn’t been long, I will miss him.
I’m hopeful for the future. I’m glad that we’ll still have contact through our related orgnizations. Perhaps our futures are both brighter for this change.
Thanks, Nic. See you soon.
P.S. – Note to self – stop introducing Cameron to new hires.
This was the third night this week that I’ve been out of the house. I’m glad these weeks only come once a month. Tuesday evening was the COR meeting. Last night was district committee meeting and Little Philmont planning. Tonight was Roundtable. All very important meetings but it is always good to come home.
BYU and the Church officially announced a hiring freeze today in the news but we’ve known about it for a week. We lost Nic to the Church just before and because of the hiring freeze. I am sad to see him go but I hope he will be happy there. It may be an opportunity for us to connect more with the North Temple group and cross pollinate.
The snowstorms have come one after another this year. I turn into a kid every time. We are supposed to get more snow tomorrow. I slipped and bruised my bottom on the way to work this morning. Ouch! Made for an uncomfortable day of work. Hoping tomorrow will be better. Still, I’ve enjoyed shoveling and playing in the snow with the girls.