Let's Just Hope that Ann Coulter's Wrong

John Roberts has just become the 17th Chief Justice of the SCOTUS. He was overwhelmingly affirmed and will take the oath of lifetime office this afternoon or tomorrow before he takes the bench for the first time on Monday for the new SCOTUS term. So, what do we know about him?

We know that he is brilliant, cool under pressure, and likely to draw much scrutiny in the next few years. The liberal's worst fears are that this new justice will overturn their much-beloved Roe v. Wade and its progeny. My greatest fear is that Ann Coulter could be right. Dark-horse candidates don't very often go the way they are supposed to go. See J. Souter.

We don't really know any of his beliefs or judicial philosophy. And, in today's deeply divided political landscape, getting someone confirmed is near impossible with a candidate who is clearly conservative. Liberals will moan and groan all day long unless that person up for consideration is pro-abortion, pro-public schools, pro-anything-but-Christianity, and Republicans are too gutless to lead as if they won the elections and so will bow to the pressure put on by the Democrats and the media. But I come back to the point that we don't really know anything about Roberts except that he worked for some conservative presidents.

I hope that in the private meetings with Pres. Bush, he was more open and forthright about what he intended to do on the bench. I've liked Pres. Bush's appointments to the cabinet positions and such, so I'm going to have faith.

And, hey! Why can't conservatives ever have a backbone and moan and groan about a liberal nominee who wants to uphold abortion (even the most detestable partial-birth abortion). I think that there is, in fact, a litmus test for getting on the bench. Either be pro-abortion, or do a really good job of keeping your thoughts to yourself, lie that upholding precedent is a good thing, or be lucky enough to face a Republican congress with enough chutzpah to push your nomination through despite Borking yourself.

Some Great Books You Might Like

I've been reading a lot of stuff lately, and I've enjoyed few books as well as I enjoyed Robert Whitlow's "The Sacrifice."

Robert Whitlow is a Christian author of legal thrillers. Dubbed by some, "The John Grisham of the Christian market," Whitlow weaves a good tale of salvation, relationships, and legal procedure. Now, I'm not sure if I even like John Grisham (I've had trouble getting into a couple of his books), but Whitlow is definitely worth a chance.

I've also read "The Trial" by Whitlow, and I liked it very much too. So, if you need something to read, these stories are well written, and the stories are not obvious.

Good to See Some Friends

This past Saturday, Rebecca and I went up to Waco to see family and friends. We've only been gone from there for about a month, but upon seeing everyone, it seemed like forever. I didn't realize how special Rebecca and I had it up there.

Oh, I do love living where we are now. This town is active, vibrant, small, and friendly...a wonderful place for anyone to live. It has the pace of a small town with the activity (hiking, biking, etc.) of the big city. We have retirees and we have young families. I hope that I get to raise a family here. But that said, Waco was sure good to/for us.

To my in-laws: your hospitality is always appreciated. We've seen y'all several times since the move, but nonetheless, it's good to see you.

To the young professionals at Crestview C of C: Keep the vigor for Christ alive. Keep the group going, because you get so much more out of church if you put effort and time into it. To those that are pregnant, we couldn't be happier for you. Your pregnancies will be in our prayers, and we'll do our best to come see you in your proudest moment.

To Josh and Lauren, specifically: We loved having lunch with you on Sunday. We've missed seeing you guys a whole lot. I (and I think I speak for Rebecca) regret that our relationship to you guys didn't really get off the ground until the last few months before our move. That said, we refuse to let it die. We are only a few miles apart and that's a small drive for the encouragement we get from being with you.

I believe that I can't consider anyone a close friend until I've had a meal with them. That is so crucial to developing and maintaining a true friendship. Well, my table has been blessed with some great company. A plate is set for you, just give us a call and let us know you're coming.

Utility Companies Commit Tort: False Imprisonment

Howdy folks, it's good to be back behind the keyboard. Now that I've got internet access at home now, you can count on me getting some thoughts into the blogosphere.

When my favorite redhead and I moved to our new home, we did so under the impression that our new home was all electric. So, when Rebecca decided to take a shower on the first morning that she woke up there, she was unpleasantly surprised to find no hot water. Thankfully, we moved in the hottest part of the summer, so luke warm waters aren't that uncomfortable.

Well, of course, the next step in getting our home fully moved-into, was to get someone to hook up the gas water heater. We call the ONLY company that services our town, only to be told that the soonest that could be there was next thursday. As it was Monday, we had to be resigned to the fact that cold water would rain supreme for another week. I was unfortunately taking the bar exam that week, and so Rebecca was alone at the house.

She went back to Waco to see me and encourage me on Wednesday and I was lucky to convince her to stay the night because I needed her presence. If she should leave Waco by 10:30, she should be able to make it back to our new place by about 11:30. The gas company told her to be at the house from 12:00 - 5:00 to meet the gas man.

As it turns out, she gets back to the new place at about noon, and what does she find but a note saying that the gas man had come and gone at 11:45. AAARRRGGHH! She gets to wait on hold for 25 minutes (on her cell phone no less) and asks them to reschedule.

"Oh, but we can't have anyone there until Monday. Be home between 8:00 and 5:00." I guess the gas companies think that they are the only people who work during the week. It's obscene. Luckily, we weren't starting our jobs just yet, but nonetheless, we had things to do.

Confined to our house, we had to wait for the person who would bring warmth to our home until a full 11:45. I may be wrong, but I bet the gas company could whittle down their approximate delivery times.