Individual Liberty — Individual Responsibility

For those we lost, We will not forget 09/11/2001

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
— The Continental Congress, July 4, 1776

“The task of statesmanship has always been the re-definition of these rights in terms of a changing and growing social order.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt (Commonwealth Club Address, 1932)

“Roosevelt was wrong! The principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence are the principles of individual liberty. Our unalienable rights, given to us by God are given to us as individuals. Our rights do not come from society or the government, and they cannot be redefined by politicians. The nature of these rights carries with it the implication of individual responsibility, without which we surrender them.”
— Perri Nelson, November 6, 2008

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Back from Spokane

Published Sat, Dec 23 2006 7:01 PM
Technorati Tags: Entertainment, Travel, Family

My family took a trip over to Spokane to visit my wife's sister Pam and her husband Stan. We left in the morning and drove toward the pass. The ground was dry, and there was no snow.

Of course that changed as soon as we got up the mountain a little way. But the roads were bare and wet and we drove to Spokane without incident. When we got there, there was a little snow on the ground, but not too much. The snow was nice, dry powder. It would have been perfect for skiing, if I skied, and if it was on the side of a hill.

Pam and Stan had their Christmas tree up. I guess they decided not to take it down. This could have something to do with the fact that it was in their own house, and that they weren't being sued by the ACLU for having it.

We then watched Pirate's of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. After that, Pam and Betty took off to go get some Bailey's Irish Cream for coffee, and Stan and I hung out and talked about the Credits Easter Eggs and "B" movies.

Later in the evening, Pam, Lucas and I went outside for a snowball fight. I decided to build a snowman. The snow was pretty dry, so it was hard to roll up a decent sized snowball, but I think he came out alright.

This morning, it was pouring down snow. Some of the snow was quite wet, and there were about three more inches of snow on the ground. Wet snow is so much more satisfactory for building a snowman, so I built another, this one to serve as a mother to the one I built last night.

We left Spokane around 12:00 and drove home. We stopped in Vantage for dinner, and to take a few more pictures. Then it was back on the road until we arrived at home, just an hour and a half ago or so.