OK, Julie, so here is a post

Josh isn't a newborn baby anymore; he is 16 months old. And walking. And talking, kind of.

Julie wants me to start posting again. So maybe I will be a little more regular than every 16 months or so.

So, Josh, enjoy being 478 days old.

Happy Birthday, Joshua Lucas Pettit

Julie, Nathan and Jacob flew to Utah Monday morning to adopt a baby that was born Sunday (February 19th) at 4:00 in the morning. His name is Joshua Lucas.

He inhaled some fluid during birth, so he has a case of pneumonia , so he is being treated with oxygen and IV antibotics. You can see the IV ports in his hand in the photo below.

Here are the proud mom and dad. Jacob will hopefully get to meet his brother Tuesday.

Fires--Here We Go Again

Almost 2 years ago, we had the severe wildfires that burned a large area mainly north of Simi Valley. The fire did jump the 118 Freeway and burn into Corriganville and the neighborhood near there, but most of the burn zone was north of the freeway. This time, it was the area south of the freeway.

When I left for work Wednesday morning before 6:00, the temperture was already 80 degree and the Santa Ana winds were blowing. A small fire was being fought north of the De Soto exit as I drove by. Later in the day, another fire started in Moorpark. In the late morning, another fire started near the Topanga Canyon Blvd. exit of the 118 and quickly got out of hand. The fire has burned from there, into the Santa Susana Knolls in Simi Valley, and clear south and west to Oak Park and Thousand Oaks. So far, the fire has burned more than 20,000 acres and is only 20% contained. As least the Santa Anas have stopped blowing and the humidity has risen.

Here are some of the photos that Steve and I took of the fire. They are all taken from our house, unless otherwise noted.

Taken near the Cochran bridge over the 118

"The Rockets Red Glare"

Photos courtesy of my friend Curtis.

So, the glare wasn't red, it was white, but it was still quite spectacular. I learned from the Griffith Observatory Sky Report that there was a missle launch scheduled from Vandenberg Air Force Base at dusk, the perfect time to watch. I informed my family and friends that I thought would be interested.

The launch of the Minotaur was quite impressive. I was expecting to only see the contail of the booster rocket, as shown in the bottom photo, but we could clearly see the rocket's path across the sky, including the stage separation and the ignition of the next stage.

The rocket was carrying a satellite for DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. They are the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense.

Besides getting to watch this launch, I learned that there is a group of people that make this a hobby. There are websites and newsgroups dedicated to viewing missle launches. Check out Viewing Vandenberg AFB Launches.

And a special thanks to Curtis and his son for the photos of last night's show.

Constitution Day

On September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met for a final time--to sign the Constitution of the United States of America. The Articles of Confederation clearly were not adequate for the new country. The Constitutional Convention addressed this problem and, instead of amending the Articles, decided to create a new document to govern our country. After being signed, the new Constitution needed to be ratified by the states. The Founding Fathers were not unaninous in their support of the new Constitution. James Madison, often called the father of the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay wrote the Federalist Paper to urge support of ratification. Patrick Henry, Elbridge Gerry and George Mason opposed ratification. On June 21, 1788, nine states had ratified the Counstitution and it became the Law of the Land. (An interesting note: The Constitution is actually an amendment of The Articles of Confederation, which required all 13 states to ratify amendments. So the Constitution really needed to be ratified by all states, not just the 9 required by the new Constitution.)

One of the main issues concerning those who opposed ratification was a lack of a declaration of rights. This view was especially espoused by George Mason. Mason had drafted the Virginia Delclaration of Rights. It became the basis for the Bill of Rights. The First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution. Ten were ratified by the state and became the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.

The government of the United States under the Constitution is the oldest government in the world. The Constitution was the first written constitution in the world and is an example to the entire world of the proper role of government--it creates a government by the consent of the people. I believe that the Constitution is a divinely inspired document. Dallin H. Oaks wrote a very interesting article concerning this--The Divinely Inspired Constitution. Ezra Taft Benson, speaking on the occasion of the bicentennial of the Constitution on September 16, 1987 , called the Constitution "a glorious standard." [See The Constitution—A Glorious Standard]

At the 218th anniversary of the Constitution, we are living in an interesting time. The Senate is holding confirmation hearings on John Roberts to be the Chief Justice of the United States. They will soon have similar hearings to fill another vacancy on the Supreme Court. While the hearings were going on, a federal district court judge in California declared "the pledge's reference to God violates the rights of children in three school districts to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God." Once again, an attempt to remove God from the public square, an attempt to create a God-free nation. I am sure that "In God We Trust" on our coins will soon be targeted.

I celebrate the anniversary of the Constitution of the United States. I hope that the freedoms it guarantees will be preserved---including the right to acknowledge God in public.

Our Alaskan Adventure

Here are some photos from our trip to Alaska. Like usual, we took many fewer pictures than we should have. It was a great trip, a cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia to Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, Haines, the Hubbard Glacier, ending at Seward. We took a bus transfer to the Anchorage Airport, then rented a car and drove to Denali National Park and Preserve. The did a 13-hour, 190-mile bus tour of the Park on Saturday, then drove to the airport and flew home on Sunday.

This was a very nice ship for our cruise.

Just out of Vancouver

The mandatory lifeboat drill

Leaving Vancouver

Our dinner table--on our 30th anniversary

Whale Park, Ketchikan

The fish ladder on Ketchikan Creek

This fence makes the salmon go into the hatchery

A little rain--but not much, yet.

Russian Folk Dances

Leaving the Inside Passage on the way to Sitka

In the Sitka Sound

Happy 4th of July

St. Michael's Cathedral, Sitka

Two eagles in the rain forest at the Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka

The place the US flag was first flown in Alaska when the transfer from Russia took place. Also the 49-star flag was first flown here in 1959 when Alaska became a state.

Our ship in the Sitka Sound

Enjoying a 2-hour delay leaving Sitka

The Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau

Mendenhall Glacier

Our ship (on the right) in Juneau, viewed from the Mt. Roberts Tram station 1800 feet above

It got a little cold when the boat was going 20 MPH

The ship at Haines

A view from the bow, leaving Haines

Disappointment Bay, approaching Hubbard Glacier

Approaching Hubbard Glacier in the rain. Note the very large cruise ship. The glacier is 6 miles wide, 300 feet above the water, and 100 feet below the water as it ends in Disappointment Bay.

It was a little cold--and wet. So we got closer to the glacier, the rain stopped. Apparently, the cold from the glacier acts as a barrier to the rain.

Another glacier near Hubbard

The ice is so dense it only allows blue light to be reflected.

Ice from the glacier. Note the color of the water. It is full of glacial silt.

Staying warm

Leaving Hubbard Glacier

The Iditarod Race headquarters

Sled dogs waiting to run

Alaska Range, south of Denali

One of the many caribou we saw in Denali

Polychrome Mountains

Momma grizzly with her 2 cubs

The cubs

Mt. McKinley is behind the clouds, somewhere

Tundra

The bus, the driver/guide, and the Harpers, bus mates from Boston

Anchorage flowers

Happy Birthday, America!

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, . . . The Declaration of Independence

WE believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society. Doctrine and Covenants Section 134:1

I will be gone on an anniversary vacation on Independence Day, so I thought I would write some thoughts about our country's 229th anniversary before I leave.

The United States of America is a country that was formed from an idea, perhaps the only country so created--the idea that the people of the country have been given a stewardship by God to establish the government for the good of the people. The people are in charge--not a king or a small group of individuals. Our country was clearly founded on high ideals and with a foundation based on God-given rights. Today, the ideals presented by the Founding Fathers are questioned and the mere mention of God in the public square is being attacked daily.

When the Bill of Rights was adopted, the Founding Fathers didn't want government involved with supporting a state religion. Somehow, over the years, that has evolved from freedom of religion into the government being required to protect us from religion. Even the Supreme Court can't figure out what the First Amendment means. I agree with George Will's June 28th article "Thou Shalt Split Hairs":

Nowadays many people delight in being distressed. They cultivate exquisitely tender sensibilities and practice moral exhibitionism, waxing indignant about minor encounters with thoughts and symbols they dislike. So, just to lower the decibel level of American life, perhaps communities should refrain from religious displays other than in religious contexts. But this is a merely prudential, not a constitutional consideration. On Monday the justices churned out 140 pages of opinions and dissents about the Texas and Kentucky displays.

Here is a one-sentence opinion that should suffice in such cases: "Because the display on public grounds does not do what the establishment clause was written to prevent -- does not impose a state-sponsored creed or significantly advantage or disadvantage one sect or sects -- the display is constitutional."

Ideas today are turned upside down. We were once a country of E pluribus unum--Out of many, one. Today we are a nation told to embrace multi-culturalism--Out of many, stay many. America was once a melting pot. Emigrants came to America to embrace its culture and ideals. Now, many emigrants, legal or otherwise, demand to be taught in their birth language and stay isolated in their home culture.

We need to return to the idea that we can be a country united by a common culture that is made ever richer because of our varied and diverse ethic and social backgrounds. Our American culture doesn't need to be afraid of hearing or seeing something religious in public. We should be thrilled that the many, varied members of our society can be comfortable with a public expression of their faith.

Our nation was founded on ideas. Many men and women have fought to preserve our nation's ability to continue to be a nation of ideas---a nation that honors life, liberty, and the pursue of happiness. Hopefully, we will soon remember why we became a nation--to allow everyone the opportunity of enjoy individual liberty without the interference of the government.

So Happy Birthday to our great nation! I consider it a privilege to live in this wonderful country. It is a blessing that we too often forget.