Our Eldest Son

Our pride and joy will soon receive his First Holy Communion!

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Today's Gospel seems particularly fitting:

Gospel
Jn 6:16-21

When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea,
embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum.
It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat,
and they began to be afraid.
But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”
They wanted to take him into the boat,
but the boat immediately arrived at the shore
to which they were heading.

So does next Sunday's

Gospel
Jn 10:27-30

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

So does... well they are all fitting, aren't they? :)

Mmmm is for Molly's Milk

The bucklings are now being weaned in a hurry, and we are getting some AWESOME milk from Molly now. 1/3 quart tonight of the yummy, creamy milk. Whee!

Even more reason to vote Perry out...

Just got this info from a friend down in Austin...

I feel bad, as I'm generally a Republican by virtue of my conservative tendencies. But, you've just got to be afraid when you see something like this:

The Governor's Database

Texas is amassing an unprecedented amount of information on its citizens

by Jake Bernstein

Piece by piece, Gov. Rick Perry’s homeland security office is gathering massive amounts of information about Texas residents and merging it to create the most exhaustive centralized database in state history. Warehoused far from Texas on servers housed at a private company in Louisville, Kentucky, the Texas Data Exchange—TDEx to those in the loop—is designed to be an all-encompassing intelligence database. It is supposed to help catch criminals, ferret out terrorist cells, and allow disparate law enforcement agencies to share information. More than $3.6 million has been spent on the project so far, and it already has tens of millions of records. At least 7,000 users are presently allowed access to this information, and tens of thousands more are anticipated.
What is most striking, and disturbing, about the database is that it is not being run by the state’s highest law enforcement agency—the Texas Department of Public Safety. Instead, control of TDEx, and the power to decide who can use it, resides in the governor’s office.

That gives Perry, his staff, future governors, and their staffs potential access to a trove of sensitive data on everything from ongoing criminal investigations to police incident reports and even traffic stops. In their zeal to assemble TDEx, Perry and his homeland security director, Steve McCraw, have plunged ahead with minimal oversight from law enforcement agencies, and even DPS is skittish about the direction the project has taken.

[ .... ]

The federal rules apply to states that accept federal money and ensure the integrity of law enforcement efforts. Under federal rules, a database like TDEx must be run by a criminal justice agency. According to the FBI and DPS, Texas Homeland Security is not a criminal justice agency.

McCraw, who has an extensive criminal justice background, including a stint as an assistant director of the FBI’s Office of Intelligence, has fought a pitched battle with DPS in his zeal to promote TDEx. Repeatedly DPS has raised concerns, chief among them whether the new database is even secure enough to keep unauthorized users from logging on because it lacks “advanced authentication” to ensure that people accessing the database are who they say they are. DPS is also worried that the same user could be logged on to the system multiple times concurrently.

[ ... ]

To identify weaknesses within TDEx, a database manager with the DPS Criminal Law Enforcement Division, at the direction of his boss, easily defeated the security of the user registration process last summer. He did it by employing an accurate and relatively easily obtained agency identification number, and used one of his son’s e-mail accounts. In retaliation, Jack Colley, the governor’s director of emergency management, revoked the DPS staffer’s access to TDEx. After DPS complained, it was reinstated 11 days later.

Whole article is here: http://www.texasobserver.org/article.php?aid=2472

Who to choose for my next Prez... (Everybody's doing it)

Well, so far I'm leaning towards Ron Paul, that re-founding father from South Texas. What I think:

The Good:

• Firstly, this man is an unwavering Constitutionalists - even when it comes to sticky issues. Regardless of the popularity of the vote. This may make him unpopular in normal times - but these are not normal times at all.
• Actually believes that Liberty, above all else, is the essential American component.
• The war in Iraq was sold to us with false information.. His solution is to pull out, yesterday. I don't think the solution is that simple - but what are the chances of a successful outcome in Iraq? Simply leaving really is a viable choice.
  
• His platform states: The biggest threat to your privacy is the government.
  
• The political disconnect in America is growing. It's no longer just apathy - but anger.
  

The Bad:

• Has a certain "Ross Perot" attitude - it's very appealing to reformist, but may turn off voters. I think it will be an asset in 2008 - people are looking for change.
  
• Is easily attacked on issues such as the UN, NAFTA, security, poverty welfare, and other soft and social issues. People on the dole are not going to like him one bit. Nobody wants to pay the fair price for a happy life if the medeocre life is free.
  

What do you think?