They did a study on this?

Study: Money Won't Make You Happy

Campaign Tactics and Poll Workers

Just a few tips if you're running for statewide office:

1. Don't send voters spam emails. It's bad enough that you and other candidates are filling up their snail-mailboxes with unwanted ads.
2. If you do send spam email, try to edit it for grammar. (Example of what NOT to do: "As I've said many time's over the last year and half")
   
3. If you do the prerecorded spam phone call thing, try to sound like you're confident of your own name. (Example of what NOT to do: "Hi, this is, uhhh, ______.")
4. Tell us more about what you'll do if elected and less about what your late father did as a statewide official.

And to the local friendly poll workers: I'm very sorry that you were bored out of your mind all day because nobody voted, but that does NOT mean that I have 15 minutes to stand and be lectured on why I should stay close to my parents and why you like your home to be bright--I especially don't have time for that when a large dark cloud is looming overhead, the air smells like rain, my umbrella is in the car, and my dinner is at home getting colder by the minute.

Flag burning amendment?

So, what does everyone think of amending the Constitution to allow Congress to prohibit physical desecration of the U.S. flag?

I'm inclined to be opposed to it, not because I'm in favor of desecrating the flag, but because I'm opposed to unnecessarily giving the government any more power than it already has.

Oddly enough, it seems that Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Robert Byrd, Barbara Boxer, and the ACLU agree with me. Finding myself in agreement with that group concerns me, so maybe I'm missing something in my thought process here...

So, I'm issuing a plea to all my logically-gifted friends and acquaintances to straighten out my thinking on this issue, if it needs to be straightened out. Thanks in advance!

Edit: My friend Andrew emailed me his comments, since he's unable to actually get to my blog. He's given me permission to post his thoughts on the issue. Here they are:

I'm torn between the two sides of the debate. On the one hand, I would love for it to be illegal to burn the flag (or desecrate it, or whatever). On the other hand, I tend to object to such a trivial regulation being slapped onto the Constitution. I don't buy that it's free speech, but neither am I convinced that it's worth an amendment. More than anything, the whole question points out the stupidity of certain courts. It was a District Court that declared flag-burning "free speech," even though it certainly isn't the reason behind the "free speech" clause. Now, because a court has called the legislation unconstitutional, we must resort to actually amending the Constitution. Why don't we make an amendment instead that says judges who make dumb decisions can be removed by a majority vote of the Senate?

It is disconcerting to feel like I might be in the same camp as the flamin' liberals in the Senate, but with the current government's track record of gathering powers to itself, I wonder if might vote with them and against bigger government.

That'll be $.02.

C.S. Lewis

Here's a great quotation from that pants--I mean, modesty--thread on SharperIron:

I am on neither side in the present controversy. But I think the abolitionists conduct their case very ill. They seem incapable of stating it without imputing vile motives to their opponents. If unbelievers often look at your correspondence column, I am afraid they may carry away a bad impression of our logic, manners, and charity.
-C.S. Lewis, God In The Dock. p. 340 'A letter regarding the death penalty to Church Times', Dec. 1961. (Emphasis mine)

Graceful Modesty

Holly Stratton has an article here with some really good points about modesty, particularly as it relates to our own perceptions/ideas, our culture, and grace.

My favorite quote: "[My husband] went on to comment that his concerns centered on the “distractibility factor of high skin ratios.” After offering a slight eye roll over an accountant’s uncanny ability to turn every discussion into something boringly numerical, I thanked him for offering a palatable perspective." (Yeah, accountants!) =)

Unfortunately, those discussing the article in the forum don't talk much about the actual points Mrs. Stratton made; rather, the discussion quickly degenerates into a debate on the alleged evils of women's wearing pants. I wouldn't bother reading it, except maybe for this post. I think it covers enough to give you an idea of what the entire thread is like, and besides that, I'm pretty sure I agree with it. :)

Ha.

"Nation's Grandmothers Swept Up In Textile-Messaging Craze"

(From The Onion. Read with discretion.)

Josh Chandler

I did a little blog-surfing the other night and ran across this site. I don't know Josh, but I'm pretty sure my brother does, and I know that he knows the guy posting the updates. (Brandon, I met you once, but you seemed a little preoccupied with the Duke basketball game that was on TV at the time, so I won't blame you if you don't remember me.) (As a side note: Go Wake Forest!) =)

Anyway, I thought I'd post a link to the Josh Chandler Update blog so a few more people can be praying for him and his family, and that God would receive the glory for whatever happens.