AC/DC

I was caught
In the middle of a railroad track
I looked around
And knew there was no turning back
My mind raced
And I thought what could I do
And I knew there was no help, no help from you

Sound of the drums
Beating in my heart
The thunder of guns
Tore me apart
You've been - Thunderstruck

I always think of AC/DC when I am doing electrical work. Here is a little electrical knowledge for you. AC, alternating current, is what is in your plugs in your house. It alternates a little, like say between 110 and 125 volts. DC, or direct current, is like what you get it batteries. It is a constant current and does not alternate.

Have a Drink on Me and think about this...
Our economy is like AC current. It alternates up and down. If it were to stay constant, like DC current, there would be no room for growth. I believe the trick is to just be smart with your financial decisions, and don't listen to the media. They offer no help and only add fear which makes the country feel like we are on a Highway to Hell.

Instead of widespread panic, why not take advantage of the situation. Now is the time to "buy low" so you can "sell high" later.

Just remember,
"It's times like these that make you appreciate times like these." (my friend Jim L.)

Save for what you want and pay cash. Don't get stuck in those Down Payment Blues. You can pick up on some good deals when you have cash in hand, Moneytalks.

Like Dave Ramsey says,
"Learn to live on less than you make. Live like no one else, so later you can live like no one else."

With a little patients and a little faith, your investments that may be in the red now, could very well soon be Back in Black.

...these crazy demented thoughts and a Whiskey on the Rocks are... on this cowboys mind.


(Thunderstruck, AC/DC)

We Don't Need No Education

Ok, even if you don't like Pink Floyd, you know this song...

We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! leave them kids alone
All in all it's just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall

Well it seems that HISD has decided to punish or possibly even fire teachers whose students are not producing passing scores on standardized tests. Now I know that school funding depends on standardized test scores like the TAKS test, but are the teachers really to blame? Maybe, but I have a different take on it.

My daughters elementary school here in KISD was built about 15 years ago. The principal Ms. L, has been there since the school opened and it has been a state exemplary school every year. The school and the area out here has seen an alarming growth in the illegal immigrant population in the past three years. At the end of last years school year, Ms. L announced that the test scores were just shy of making the state exemplary list. Then she announced her retirement. What is it going to take to wake up our politicians into realizing that we need some serious immigration reform. Or at the very least, enforce the laws that we have. It is bad enough when I loose a bid to another contractor that under bid me because he uses immigrant workers that he pays low cash wages to. But when it starts affecting our kids education and the lack of funding to their schools, I take a serious offence to it.

I guess we are just supposed to sit back while our school system is drained, our health care system is drained, and our social security is all drained by those who don't even contribute to it. Are we going to take control of this or have we really become Comfortably Numb?

...those are the depressing thoughts... on this cowboys mind.


(The Wall: Pink Floyd)

In Your Face Ike

I received my rejection letter from FEMA last week, in Spanish. The only reason that I applied was because my neighbor across the street said that FEMA was going to reimburse those that purchased generators for being out of power for more than five days. My neighborhood got hit pretty hard. I ended up with about ten grand worth of damage, but luckily my insurance paid for most of it.

With the economy in a recession, everyone wanting a bailout, and the wrap up of the longest presidential election in history, I think those outside of the Texas Gulf coast have forgotten that we are still trying to recover from a hurricane here.

The guys I work with, Joe and Ben, have a band. Their band, ROWE, is based out of Pasadena Texas and I have heard them play many times. These guys have opened up for bands like Kings X, Days of the New, and most recently Extreme. ROWE shares the stage a lot with another local band Cerebro. Last Friday night, Hooters in Willowbrook hosted a "In Your Face Ike" benefit in which both ROWE and Cerebro donated their time and talent to entertain. And entertain they did. Loud rock and roll music, cold beer, games, and Hooters girls. A guitar was auctioned off that all of the band members signed, and the nights proceeds were in excess of $6400.

Friday night was a family event, so my nine year old daughter finally got to see ROWE in concert. She was so excited. In fact, when we got home she woke my wife up and told her about how she got to hang out on the tour bus with the rock stars and that they all signed her shirt. She even said that ROWE was now her second favorite band, just behind Hannah Montana of course. Thanks guys.

Thank you Hooters for hosting this event for the community
Thank you Miller Lite for your sponsorship. (I even switched from Bud Light to Miller for the night since they helped sponsor)
Thank you ROWE and Cerebro for your time and tremendous talent.
Thank you for those who came out and spent money for this cause that has hit us so close to home.

In the words of the ROWE song "People Left Behind"

Your body just decays when your living for yourself...

...and those are the thoughts... on this cowboys mind.

Get A Real Job Jesse

I grew up in a very poor neighborhood of Spring Branch, in Houston. I can tell you in all seriousness, that I was a minority there. I have never been a racist. I grew up with friends of all different ethnic backgrounds. Therefore, one thing that has always bothered me is the way Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton play the race card. I don't think that America is as racist as they make it out to be. In my generation, I see more mixed race couples than ever, and it is accepted. Plus, a large majority of white Americans just voted in a black president.

So, is racism dead and buried? No, not exactly. However it is not what Jesse Jackson says it is. By the way, just what church is Rev. Jesse Jackson the pastor of? I mean really? He has got to be the wealthiest unemployed man in America.

If racism was gone tomorrow, race pimps like Jesse Jackson would no longer be necessary. If tomorrow all of our cars and our factories burned clean fuel, Al Gore would no longer be able to sell carbon credits.

With an overwhelming number of white Americans voting for Obama, I think it is time for the Rev. Jesse Jackson to get a real job. He can no longer claim that his people have been held down by "The Man".

Yet its only a matter of time before Mr. Obama, or as I call him, the Messiah of False Hope, is not able to make good on his promises. When that happens, the race pimps like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and others will have about as much credibility as the media. NONE.

Every night I say a prayer in the hopes that there's a heaven
And everyday I'm more confused as the saints turn in to sinners
All the heroes and legends I knew as a child have fallen to idols of clay
And I feel this empty place inside so afraid that I've lost my faith

Show me the way, show me the way
Take me tonight to the river
And wash my illusions away
And show me the way

That's just the thoughts...on this cowboys mind


(Show Me The Way: Styx)

How About a Bailout

One of my favorite sayings from Ronald Reagan is:

Politics is the second oldest profession in the world. However, it bears a striking resemblance to the first.

I believe this to be so true. In fact, back in 1990, the government seized the Mustang Ranch in Nevada for tax evasion. To my knowledge, the government was required to keep it up and running and they failed at even that. And these are the same guys now in charge of the bailout.

I feel the first big problem in politics today is the career politician. They have forgotten that they work for us. We put them there to be our voice and if they can't , then they need to be replaced. Too many have been corrupted by money from special interest groups.

The second problem is the bias liberal media that is focused more on an agenda than giving us news. It amazes me that liberals want to take Talk Radio off the air because it is one sided. If that is the case, you need to remove CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC just to name a few.

It just seems difficult to raise a young child up in a society where the politicians have given up on values and morals. Cant pray in school because it may offend someone. Cant define marriage because it may offend someone. Cant check citizenship because it may offend someone.

Well, I am offended! What about MY beliefs. What about MY morals and values? Why are Christians the only ones that have to be tolerant.

I am just glad that I serve a loving God that always gives me a bailout.


Those are the thoughts... on this cowboy's mind.

Another Tear for Mark...

You may be familiar with some of the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5:3-5
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.

I was thinking about these today while in church. Although it is not what the sermon was about. All was fine until I looked a few rows back and saw my friend Mark in a wheelchair. Upon seeing this, my mind drifted off in thought on the Beatitudes.

We met Mark and his wife several years ago in a class offered by our church. The class was Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace university. By the way, this is a super program that I would recommend to everyone. I believe Mark to be a few years older than me, maybe late thirties. Mark told me that he had Multiple Sclerosis. This hit close to home to me because a few years back, my wife was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an auto immune disease like MS. Mark is one of those people that I was just drawn to. I enjoy seeing him. A couple of months ago, I watched Mark walk up to the front of the church for communion with a cane. This was the first time I had seen him using some type of aid to walk with. As he knelt his frail body down to receive the elements I felt my eyes start to water up. Someone so young should not have to deal with this burden. He managed to get back on his feet to head back to his seat. As he passed my isle, he waved and said "Hi", like he always does. I tried to hold back the tears but they were already starting to roll down my cheek.

I shed another tear for Mark today when I saw him in that wheelchair.

Mark has and always will be an inspiration to me. I love you my friend. God bless you.

All day Mark has been...on this cowboys mind.

Cult of Personality

Today I was listening to Rush Limbaugh as I do often during the day. We not only share a lot of the same views, but also the same passion for fine cigars. Rush was playing a clip today from a Newsweek interview. Now remember, these are the same liberal media people that backed Obama throughout this whole campaign. One of them said, "I don't really know who Obama really is or what his views are on foreign policies. He has this cult of personality about him." Durring the entire clip, the term, cult of personality, was refered to numerous times as if it were the new catch phrase of the day. Are President Select Obama's liberal media friends beginning to realize something? I don't know.
But all day I have had the song Cult of Personality by Living Colour stuck in my head, but I couldn't remember all the words. When I got home, I looked them up.

I find this very interesting.

Neon lights, a nobel prize
The mirror speaks,
the reflection lies
You don't have to follow me
Only you can set me free
I sell the things you need to be
I'm the smiling face on your t.v.
I'm the cult of personality
I exploit you still you love me

I tell you one and one makes three
I'm the cult of personality
Like Joseph Stalin and Gandi
I'm the cult of personality
Cult of personality
Cult of personality

Coincidence? I don't think so. More like prophecy.

That is still the song stuck...on this cowboys mind.


(Cult of Personality: Living Colour)

Bye-Bye Miss American Pie

And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,
Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
Singin, thisll be the day that I die.
This'll be the day that I die.

Well, the music didn't die today, but journalism did.
It is dead and gone. The media decided to back a candidate in this election. The people that are supposed to be unbias, fair, and neutral chose a side. In doing so they made their candidate out to be the next savior. All the while covering and hiding areas that needed to be exposed.

Where was the media in depth scoop on Rev. Wright? Where were the questions about his relationship with Bill Ayers? For the last 8 years the media has questioned, scrutinized, and slandered President Bush. But, when Talk Radio personalities like Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity make a remark about Obama, they are called racists. I see a double standard.

I think journalism has lost the trust of 57 million people.

R.I.P. journalism.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell Could break that satans spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing,Bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin whiskey and rye
And singin, thisll be the day that I die.
Thisll be the day that I die.

and that my friends is the song...on this cowboys mind.


(American Pie: Don McLean)

Landslide......

I like the old group Fleetwood Mac. Stevie Nicks has one of the most unique voices I have ever heard. I think Landslide is my favorite of all of their songs. Of course, then those Dixie Chicks had to remake it. Now my take on the Dixie Chicks is a topic for another day.

Ok, back to landslide. Why is the bias liberal media calling this election a landslide? Sure Obama ended up with over 300 electoral votes, but look a little closer at the numbers.

Popular vote:
Obama approx. 65 million votes
McCain approx. 57 million votes

That's really only a difference of about 8 million votes. That's about the population of Houston and Dallas together. In fact, just doing the math in my head, that's only about what, 53%?

I am no mathematical genius, but I dont call 53% a landslide. Hell, thats just slightly over half.
I dont think I would be boasting about that.

....but thats just the thoughts...on this cowboys mind.

Be Careful What You Wish For....

Remember the old saying "Be careful what you wish for"? Well it has never been more apparent than today. Last night America voted in a Socialist President. They all wanted "change" and they got thier wish. I feel very soon they will regret thier decision. We have yet to see the real Barrak Obama. All we have seen is a puppet reading from a teleprompter. Now he is going to have to make good on all of his promises. Thats just not going to happen.

I believe we are all given certain spiritual gifts from God. My gift is discernment. I picked up on Obama right away and I feel we will see his true colors very soon. I am not a predudice person, color does not concern me. What concerns me is a person who has ties to those like the Rev. Wright. These are the people who cause division between the races.

I actually heard a woman on the radio today saying
"Its such a happy day. I dont have to worry about paying for my gas anymore, or paying my mortgage. I helped him and he is going to help me."

Obama never said we were all going to have a free ride. Who is going to pay for your gas and your mortgage? Get a clue lady!

You cant take enough money away from the rich to make the poor rich, but you can take enough money away from the rich to make the rich poor.

Thats just the thoughs......on this cowboys mind.

Change.....

Well it's election night and all the liberal media stations are going crazy. Making predictions and talking to so called experts. Let me start off by saying that I am a far right, conservative, christian, republican. I just dont get all the hype about Barak Obama. Where did this guy come from. He seems to just have appeared out of nowhere. And people flock to him like a rockstar. He has crazy ideas and no experience at all to speak of. He keeps talking about change. One of my favorite Obama sayings was...

"We live in the greatest country in the world, I want to change that."

Huh?

I dont know if the liberal school systems this day still teach American History or not, but If I recall, the last "unknown" person to run for "change" was Adolf Hitler. Well, they got "change" all right.

Revelation 13:5
"And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and he was given authority to continue for forty two months."

Thats just the thoughts... on this cowboys mind.