Well, it certainly seems that I've been away for a while. It only seems that way because that's the way it's been. I have been away for a while, and at that I didn't get to make even the bare minimum of one entry per week in December. The season simply got the better of me, days got away from me, and I had to spend and invest my time on other matters.

And to think, only 351 days until Christmas!

Happy New Years, a bit belated, by the way.

Believe you me, the opportunities to come to the library being what they are the last couple of months, few and far between, offer the daunting prospect when I do get to come to the library of having to wade through scores and scores of emails, the most of which I won't have any interest in reading anyway. C'est la vie, c'est la guerre...

But here I am today, and I hope I'll be able to be a bit more frequent and regular going forward. At the very least, as frequent and regular as once a week.

So much I'd like to comment on and say! I'm thankful that I'm still employed, even while I continue to seek a better job.

I'm thankful I have a loving wife and family, even though my work hours are such that I often don't get to see them as I'd like.

I'm thankful I've been able to maintain better devotional habits as of late, and that the Lord is using that to continue to show me areas of weakness and places I need to allow Him to work me over. It hurts, but I truly am thankful.

I'm thankful for the football I do get to see, and that the Giants are still alive in the playoffs. I frankly think they have a decent shot in Dallas, but you still have to give the `Boys the edge.

I'm really thankful that another sham "National Championship" in ye olde "D-1" College Football has come and gone. Congrats to LSU for what you accomplished. Better luck next time OSU, and undoubtedly with the prowess of your program there will be another time.

But how can D-1 say they have a legitimate champion when they don't have a playoff system of any kind? EVERY other level of football has a playoff leading up to a championship game. EVERY OTHER SPORT AND EVERY OTHER LEVEL OF EVERY OTHER SPORT has a playoff and a championship. So to say it can't be done is to try to sell us all a load of what we sell in our fertilizer department at the store where I work.

A really big, really foul smelling bag of it, if you please.

How great is the Super Bowl every year? How great would a real College Football playoff and Super Bowl be?

How long are we really going to have to wait?

C'mon "Big Ten" & "Pac Ten!" Man up, here!

All right, now a bit of going back to the future: from my journal on Nov. 20, 2007 --

SECOND...I happened to catch the Fox News Sunday interview with Mike Huckabee. He is apparently surging in the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire and presenting a formidable challenge to the front-runners, namely Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. Well, the more I find out about him the more I like Mike. I don't understand those who, like James Dobson et al, have simply rejected Guiliani [sp?] out of hand but have refused to support Gov. Huckabee, a born again Christian and a true conservative. More disconcerting is the fact that some prominent conservatives and evangelicals are supporting Romney, a Mormon. I'm going to try to let these thoughts percolate and I'll try to make an entry or two on this in the near future.

-- For the time being I'm going to skip over my thoughts about Mr. Romney. But allow me a word or two about Mr. Huckabee, or make that three: I like Mike.

Looking back, it appears to have been an understatement to say he was surging in the polls. He came from virtually nowhere to a very strong win in Iowa, and yesterday to a double-digit third place in New Hampshire. Next up is Michigan, where he and his campaign are offering a tempered, measured expectation level about the outcome, while keeping an eye toward South Carolina, where he is running very well in the polls, and he apparently hopes and expects to do well. How well? Perhaps another first place finish. Huckabee is also confident about his chances in Florida.

I agree with many of the pundits who say that New Hampshire and Michigan aren't as important as South Carolina, but the Palmetto State may be a critical key to give him the type of long term momentum he will need to see very good success in the Republican Primaries.

Now, I know some who purport to be the "true" conservatives -- a la Rush Limbaugh -- don't like Mike like I like Mike. For all intents and purposes Mr. Limbaugh believes he is the only true barometer of what "true" conservatism is. Hey, if you don't agree with Rush you must be mistaken, and you can't truly be a conservative...or at least that's how it sometimes seems. And frankly some of criticism of Huckabee seems a little bit like sour grapes since a good number of folks -- many who claim to be conservatives -- are turning a deaf ear to Rush's opinion on this and voting for Huckabee.

For the record, I believe it is a fair statement to say I am a Conservative Christian. On the many secular issues I understand the need to be "right," such as lower taxes, less government, strong on defense, strong on illegal aliens, and the like. But as a Conservative CHRISTIAN, those issues are generally second tier to me -- generally because I also realize we are in a true religious and ideological war, militarily and politically, and so heavier consideration must be placed on defense and border security for this Presidential election.

That said, I still am more concerned with the more so-called social conservative issues: pro-life; pro-traditional family values; Israel [yes a "political" issue but with great Biblical import]; and the courts, specifically the Supreme Court and appointments to the Federal bench [again a political issue but with direct ramification on the social issues].

Then I start to go down the list of the viable Republican candidates. Romney? He does not have a consistent conservative record on too many issues, and the complication of his "sincere and deeply held" Mormon faith finishes the deal with him for me. McCain? He has done a great service for his country as a member of our Armed Forces, and a great disservice for free speach and consequently conservative causes in general in his campaign finance reform legislation. Guilliani? He has proven himself to be liberal on homosexual marriage, unfaithful in his own marriage, soft in the area of pro-life concerns and a bit too anti-Second Amendment for me to even consider him. He truly is a liberal using conservative speech.

So in one sense who else is there but Huckabee?

But I'm not simply for voting against others. I want to vote FOR a candidate, and I believe I can comfortably vote for Huckabee. I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on where he says he stands on the issues. While you can find more complete statements on his web site --

http://www.MikeHuckabee.com

-- here are a brief discussion of his stands on various issues from his web site. First, on the two big values issues:

SANCTITY OF LIFE -- I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.
 I applaud the Supreme Court's recent decision in Gonzales v. Cathcart forbidding the gruesome practice of partial birth abortion. While I am optimistic that we are turning the tide in favor of life, we still have many battles ahead of us to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and so it is vital that we elect a pro-life President.
 I first became politically active because of abortion, when I helped pass Arkansas' Unborn Child Amendment, which requires the state to do whatever it legally can to protect life.
 As Governor, I did all I could to protect life. The many pro-life laws I got through my Democrat legislature are the accomplishments that give me the most pride and personal satisfaction.
 To me, life doesn't begin at conception and end at birth. Every child deserves a quality education, first-rate health care, decent housing in a safe neighborhood, and clean air and drinking water. Every child deserves the opportunity to discover and use his God-given gifts and talents.
 I believe in using existing stem cell lines for research, but I do not believe in creating life for the sole purpose of destroying it.

MARRIAGE -- I support and have consistently supported passage of a federal constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
 As Governor of Arkansas, I led the successful effort to pass a similar state constitutional amendment in 2002.
 As Governor of Arkansas, I led the successful effort to make our state only the third to adopt "covenant" marriage.
 Our true strength comes from our families.

MY RESPONSES -- If we can know anything about Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton, either one could spell disaster for the pro-life cause. Gov. Huckabee's stand on life is his # 1 attraction for me. His stated stand on marriage comes in a close second. I do not believe even his critics would take issue on the fact that he is a true conservative when it comes to these issues.

NOW, some more brief statements on other issues, along with some of my own thoughts:

FAITH AND POLITICS -- My faith is my life - it defines me. My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them. For example, when it comes to the environment, I believe in being a good steward of the earth. I don't separate my faith from my personal and professional lives.

RESPONSE <R> -- Thank God for a candidate not afraid to be who he is! I know that he has been tempted / baited by the press into attacking Gov. Romney's faith, and I for one am glad he didn't. I would rather him simply make much about his own stand and belief, and leave Gov. Romney to do and explain the same for himself.
 The one major area of concern for me, however, is that I have this nagging feeling that we're going to get deja vu all over again. George W. Bush seemed to be a candidate who was not afraid to be who he was, in terms of his faith, and yet conservative Christians have suffered through countless disappointments from this born again President. And make no mistake, while others have questioned if Mr. Bush truly is saved, I don't. Sadly, I do think he has been soft at times where his faith is concerned, and it is sometimes perceived that his weakened evangelicalism is the cause.
 So if Huckabee is the nominee, will we be subject to more of the same? Some large if's from here to the convention and beyond to November. We can only wait and see.

VETERANS' BILL OF RIGHTS -- I support the following VETERANS' BILL OF RIGHTS for issues that are not being adequately addressed: The right to a mandatory rather than a discretionary mechanism for funding veterans' health care, to eliminate year-to-year uncertainty that the funds they need will be there for them.

<R> -- Amen to that!

EDUCATION AND THE ARTS -- I believe that every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy. As I traveled the country and the world over the last decade bringing jobs to Arkansas, the business leaders I met weren't worried about creating jobs, they were worried about finding skilled and professional workers to fill those jobs.

<R> -- Here is another area of legitimate concern for me. Huckabee has been endorsed by the N.E.A., so that's an obvious and troubling concern, and he seems to favor educating children who are illegal aliens. As far as critics of his stand on vouchers and school choice, I am willing to accept the explanations he's offered as to why he did not support that as Governor of Arkansas. This remains a concern, and lends some credence to those who make the case for Huckabee for being a not so conservative conservative.

HEALTH CARE -- The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system. We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict or funded through ever-higher taxes. We do need to get serious about preventive health care instead of chasing more and more dollars to treat chronic disease, which currently gobbles up 80% of our health care costs, and yet is often avoidable. The result is that we'll be able to deliver better care where and when it's needed.

<R> -- I highly respect his passionate position on health care, especially speaking as one who has greatly improved and transformed his own physical well-being. I am glad for his rejection of universal health care. Is our system truly broken? I'm not so sure it is, but I do believe there need to be some things done to improve it overall. Eliminating frivolous lawsuits would help. On this issue, for the time being, I will reserve judgment.

TAXES -- I'd like you to join me at the best "Going Out of Business" sale I can imagine - one held by the Internal Revenue Service. Am I running for president to shut down the federal government? Not exactly. But I am running to completely eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes. And do I mean all - personal federal, corporate federal, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, self-employment.

<R> -- There are some things I like about Huckabee's stand and plan, but I think he has a mixed record at best on taxes, and governement growth. However, even if he's made some mistakes in the past, perhaps he has learned something from them? And how can any conservative truly be against eliminating taxes [or, in effect, replacing them with a consumption tax]?

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE -- The first thing I will do as President is send Congress my comprehensive plan for energy independence. We will achieve energy independence by the end of my second term.

<R> -- I appluad his stand on this issue, but I hope this wouldn't be the first thing he would do. The first thing I would hope he does is to really seal and secure our border.

IMMIGRATION -- My number one priority is to secure America's border. I opposed the amnesty bill that was defeated by the Senate in June.

<R> -- Again, this is an issue where some of his rhetoric seems to be undercut by some of his history. As this is an important issue, I would really like to see more details from Huckabee on this. However, I understand why he may not be as forthcoming on them at this time.

NATIONAL SECURITY / FOREIGN POLICY: IRAQ -- Iraq is a battle in our generational, ideological war on terror. General Petraeus and our troops are giving their all to provide a window of opportunity for the Iraq government to succeed, while the Democrats are running for the exit doors.

NATIONAL SECURITY / FOREIGN POLICY: WAR ON TERROR -- I believe that we are currently engaged in a world war. Radical Islamic fascists have declared war on our country and our way of life. They have sworn to annihilate each of us who believe in a free society, all in the name of a perversion of religion and an impersonal god. We go to great extremes to save lives, they go to great extremes to take them. This war is not a conventional war, and these terrorists are not a conventional enemy. I will fight the war on terror with the intensity and single-mindedness that it deserves.

<R> -- It appears Huckabee will be strong on defense, and will approach our current security needs from the right understanding of reality as it is in 2008. One can only hope he will not go somewhat soft as Pres. Bush has done in these areas.

FOREIGN POLICY: ISRAEL -- I've visited the Middle East extensively over the past thirty-five years, including nine trips to Israel. I salute and support Israel as our staunch ally in the War on Terror and our greatest friend in that region. As the only fully-functioning democracy in the Middle East, Israel occupies a unique position both geographically and geopolitically. Israel is an important partner in the spread of freedom and democracy throughout the Middle East and the world.

<R> -- Let's pray if Huckabee is elected that he will strongly consider moving our embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and then actually do it.

AGRICULTURE -- A nation must provide its citizens freedom and security. To accomplish this, a nation must be able to defend itself and feed itself. We have learned how disastrous it is to be dependent on other countries for our energy needs - we must never be dependent for our food needs. Being able to feed ourselves is not just sound economic and agricultural policy, it is wise national security policy.

<R> -- The devil may be in the details on this one.

CRISIS MANAGEMENT -- You need to know that your President will calmly and confidently lift you up in a crisis. During the massive emergency of Hurricane Katrina, when local, state, and federal governments were in melt-down, I stepped forward and directed the rescue and relief of 75,000 victims. Our island of success in a sea of failure was one of the reasons Time magazine named me one of America's five best governors.

<R> -- He seems to exude this kind of confidence whenever I have heard him speak, be interviewed, etc.. Only time will tell what crises our next Pres. will face, and how he [or she!] will work to handle and resolve them. I believe I can trust Huckabee on this.

2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS -- No candidate has a stronger, more consistent record on Second Amendment rights than I do. Our Founding Fathers, having endured the tyranny of the British Empire, wanted to guarantee our God-given liberties. They devised our three branches of government and our system of checks and balances. But they were still concerned that the system could fail, and that we might someday face a new tyranny from our own government. They wanted us to be able to defend ourselves, and that's why they gave us the Second Amendment.

<R> -- Amen for this! Now what about the courts, Mike?

As you can see, while I like Mike and I would support him for the nomination and for the actual presidency, I'm not doing it blindly or without giving his positions some thought. On balance, I believe he is the best choice the Republicans can put forward.

In fact, I really and truly can understand why some conservatives object. And in some respects I agree. If I was a candidate, I definitely would want to stake out a different position on some of these issues. [And wouldn't that make an interesting journal entry sometime?] However, all things considered, in my opinion Huckabee is the best candidate to help us reestablish our historic Judeo-Christian roots, especially on the most important issues in this or any other Presidential race, a la...

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.

Of course, I will continue to pray God's blessings for our current President and the government he leads, as well as His Hand to clearly move in this year's primaries and elections so that His will is clear, clearly seen, and done.

So, what do you think? I'd love to have you drop me a note and let me know. In the meantime, I'll try not to be such a perfect stranger -- Hey! No one's perfect! -- and I will hope to visit with you again next week.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping in once again, and for giving me a few moments of your time and attention.

Until next time, my blessings to you,
Timotheous, a brother in Christ