Greetings!
Remember last week what I said would happen? It came to fruition – another busy-but-fun week. Boy howdy, it definitely was busy, but there were elements that made it fun too.
I’ll explain in a few of my topics in this week’s Doyle’s Half Dozen.
- A Raucous Iowa Caucus
Days have gone by since the fascinating night last Monday, when the Iowa caucus, the first state election of the year, occurred. Democrats are basically in a tie, while the Republicans ended its voting in the Hawkeye State in an unexpected ranking.
Hillary will milk that .2 percent of a meager lead, but when it comes down to winning six coin flips, I think that’s a pretty weak fashion to decide who should be the leader of the free world.
Cruz should be happy. The Donald should be bummed. And yes, I’m with the many who believe Iowa is a good sign for Rubio. The Florida senator finished a close third, and the reason this is a good sign for Rubio is he appears to be running a much “cleaner” campaign compared to both Cruz and Trump. What this means is those who were drawn to other candidates may find Rubio more favorable. Both Rand Paul and Rick Santorum announced they are dropping out of the race, and Santorum is joining Rubio’s camp. I doubt Paul will make such a decision.
New Hampshire is next up, which is a totally different climate, and the Granite State has an open primary, which means they can vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation. With that in mind, the result could render another unexpected count. In fact, I will go so far to say that Cruz will not win New Hampshire and may even finish further down the list, even possibly fourth, as Christie appears to appeal to NH voters.
And Bernie should win NH easily. But Hillary will start collecting wins in South Carolina, possibly Nevada and the following state primaries.
- A Peek of the Creek
Falls Creek had a special ceremony this week, dedicating two new facilities on the grounds, including the Thompson Family Lodge and the Mathena Family Event Center. Both the Lodge and the Event Center give Falls Creek a new persona.
And it’s not just about the summer slate that has change. Falls Creek has definitely gone beyond the days of sweating in an open air tabernacle or sitting on hard wooden benches in pavilions for morning Bible studies.
Falls Creek will be a year-round getaway location for everybody. That may cause you to laugh, but I’m not kidding. The lodge is up to scale with any nice motel accommodations, and the event center is equipped to handle any kind of group function. It’s not the usual church cabin dorm bunk and community shower stalls.
If you want to experience the new look at Falls Creek, consider going to either the men’s or women’s retreats in April. Go to www.bgco.org for more information about either retreat.
- Rose Day Revisited, Part I
Tuesday was my trip to Falls Creek, and Wednesday was spent at the Capitol for the annual Rose Day pro-life rally. This is always a great experience, especially for those who are committed to supporting the sanctity of life. You can read my story about Rose Day I wrote for the Baptist Messenger here.
The morning begins with participants visiting their respective state senators and representatives and providing them roses. As simple of a process this is, and has been practiced for years, it doesn’t get old for me. I ask Rose Day participants if they mind me following them to get a picture of them offering roses, and they usually allow me to tag along.
One funny, cute story, this one lady asked me, “What am I supposed to say when I give them the rose?”
Her question caught me off guard, but with the first thing that came to my brain, I told her, “Well, just say, ‘Thank you for your leadership, and I hope you will consider voting pro-life.’”
The lady just beamed. “Wow, that’s great! Thank you!” she exclaimed, acting as though I came up with the most brilliant speech.
She followed the script, and the visit to her senator’s office was the usual pleasant exchange.
- Rose Day Revisited, Part II
I thought about blogging on the rally itself, but you can read about that in my other story. Though I will say the highlight of that event was seeing Violet Hobbs, daughter of my friend and Messenger editor Brian Hobbs, being presented to the rally attendees from the House Chamber floor. The dress she wore could not have been more perfect for the occasion. Click on the above link to see a photo.
Instead of the rally, I want to share about the comments and exchanges I had with Rose Day participants. I heard some great stories from people, and they came from all over the state to be at the Capitol. A couple of ladies told me about a flower distributor offered free roses to hand out for Rose Day. That’s quite an offer because fresh cut roses are not cheap.
Other people came by the Baptist Messenger display table and shared how much they appreciate reading the Messenger. It’s always encouraging to hear this. One lady in particular made her first appearance at Rose Day this year, but she made it a point to tell us she first learned about Rose Day years ago from reading about it in the Messenger.
I confess, there have been moments when I thought the Messenger editorial staff is just going through the motions and “slapping stuff on pages,” never considering the impact a story may have on somebody. Then I visit with readers and realize how wrong I was whenever I thought that way.
This year’s Rose Day provided such a reminder. I don’t think such apathetic thoughts anymore.
- My not-movie review on 13 Hours
We have a policy regarding reviews for R-rated movies on WordSlingers, which is we don’t offer them unless it is to denounce such film if it portrays an unacceptable message.
So, this is not a movie review, but I did go see 13 Hours, the popular movie about the tragic incident that happened in Benghazi on Sept. 12, 2012. Since it’s not a movie review I will neither admit nor deny that I enjoyed it. But my wife thought it was fascinating.
All I will say, regarding how this movie relates to Hillary Clinton, who was Secretary of State at the time of the Benghazi attack, which led to the killing of a U.S. ambassador and others, is it could be possible for those who support her presidential candidacy to continue doing so after watching this film, since Clinton is not mentioned at all.
Those who watch this movie and have a problem with Clinton could leave the movie angry. And those who have no idea what Benghazi is about could receive an education. If they are willing to connect the proverbial dots as far as how our country’s ambassadors represent us abroad and are assigned by the Secretary of State’s office, it could cause many to have a negative perspective of those who are ultimately responsible.
That’s all I got to say about that.
- Thunder update
The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off an exciting win Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic. The ending was almost a blur for me because I was planning in my mind for this game to go into overtime, but then Kevin Durant hits a three with .5 seconds left on the clock to win the game. If you can’t be entertained after watching this game you have a serious problem.
Two more things regarding the Thunder. First, don’t get caught up in this free agency talk about Durant. Writers and commentators have to make money, and that’s all they are doing by talking about Durant this way. Nobody knows what KD is going to do after the season is over, but the reports will continue anyway.
Second, the Thunder face their most significant game of the season this Saturday. They finally battle the Golden State Warriors who are playing out of their minds this season. I’m still convinced the Thunder would have won the NBA title last year, had they not been affected by all the major injuries, instead of Golden State.
So this game has my curiosity. Both KD and Russell Westbrook are healthy and playing very well. Can the team do enough to defend the Warriors’ incredible perimeter offense? That’s the key question. We will find out Saturday night.