Author: Jonathan Blundell

I'm a husband, father of three, blogger, podcaster, author and media geek who is hoping to live a simple life and follow The Way.

Huckabee bows out

Huckabee bowed out tonight around 8:45 p.m. CST – about an hour and 45 minutes after the polls closed in Texas.
I haven’t seen the full video yet but I’m disappointed. Not that I expect Huckabee to continue campaigning now that McCain has the needed delegate but I’m disappointed he didn’t do better in the end.

Now what to do in November – we’ll just have to wait and see.

Totally agree with Riveria here

From NPR:
Geraldo Rivera, whose never been afraid to voice a controversial opinion, believes that “The hostility by some anti-immigrant activists against Hispanics is no different from that directed against earlier generations of Irish, Italian and Jewish immigrants.”

“It’s a hysterical whipping up of a mob frenzy on an issue that should be recognized that it is part of a process that makes this country unique,” Rivera (who has a Puerto Rican father and a Jewish mother) tells Steve Inskeep on Morning Edition. “And by exacerbating the differentness of the newcomers, what they do is a gross disservice.”

“Many of the most fervent anti-immigrant activists are themselves the children or grandchildren of immigrants,” he says. “The style changes, the accents change, the geographical antecedents change, but it’s the same. You can track headline for headline the response to the Irish wave of immigration in the mid-19th century to the reaction of the Minutemen and similar radical anti-immigration groups today.”

And he has little time for the argument that some people make about border security being the reason reason behind their opposition to immigration.

“Are you really concerned about ‘border security,’ or are you concerned about the changing demographic face of the United States? [For] example, if it is terrorism that you are concerned about and you want this fence built between the United States and Mexico, why don’t you want the same fence built between the United States and Canada? Why isn’t there this clamor … ?

“It’s not [fear of] crime, it’s not terror, it is demographics that is the true fear. If we wanted secure borders, what about the entire Atlantic and Pacific coasts?”

Entitlement theory

So last week before our community group meeting, I grabbed some food for Laurie and I from the drive through of a local fast food restaurant that just happens to serve both Mexican food and fried fish. Yes, an interesting combination – you could say it was a Yum! idea.

Anyways, I waited my turn in line, paid for my food at the first window, waited a while longer and got my food at the second window.

I was asked if I needed any sauce. Being a Mexican and fried fish place I thought – well I have Mexican food, Laurie ordered chicken – you don’t put cocktail sauce or tarter sauce on chicken, “So no.” Bad mistake. Didn’t realize this, but Laurie likes the chicken at this particular restaurant because you can get tarter sauce to put on it. Also, I’m used to people throwing ketchup and such in the bag and I forgot to ask for it specifically – so no ketchup for her fries. Doh. Sorry about that babe.

We headed to the Nash’s ate our food and that was that. A day or so later I noticed there were two charges on our debit account. One for $11.97 (what they told us the price was) and one for $10. It didn’t make sense but I’ve seen things like this before. Someone types in the wrong amount on accident and then cancels it, but it takes another day or two for it to hit our account for some odd reason.

So I waited.

Finally yesterday nothing new had shown up so I decided to call the establishment and find out what was going on. Guess what — the *&@ #&*% *&#@ *&!% ^@&^ #!@ guy who worked at the drive thru window, took it upon himself to charge me for my food and then added on an additional $10 service charge. He must have worked for Ticketmaster in a previous life. Apparently he was adding this service charge/convenience charge/drive thru robbery on several customers cards without their acknowledgment.

I was assured by a manager that he was no longer working for their company and they were attempting to get the funds back. I thought, “Well yeah – You better get the funds back because I want my funds back!” (entitlement theory begins).

I was told she would talk with another manager and they would call me back.

Several hours later she called and asked if I could come in for a refund.

On the way home the entitlement theory began to go to work as I began to think of all the extra things I could ask for as a thank you for all my trouble. Free tacos, free fish, free meals, etc. etc.

I walked in with my theory in hand – and my bank statement print out. I asked for the manager and she walked up asked for my card and swiped it for the refund. “Sorry for your trouble. Thanks.” I said “Thanks” and she turned and walked away to go back to work.

“Wait a minute! What about ‘We’re sorry for your trouble sir. How about free tacos for a year? How about 10 free meals? What else can we do for you sir?’!!! Aren’t you going to try harder to keep my business?! What about my rights?! What about what YOU owe ME?!”

That sure sounded good in my head.

But then there was this other voice in my head that said, “Inverted. Inverted. Inverted. Inverted.”

And then I started thinking, “Everything Must Change.”

I guess if I’m going to teach it, I better believe it. And that “everything” will need to begin with me.

It can’t be about what someone owes me. It can’t be about what I’m entitled to. It can’t be about me, me, me.

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. – Mark 8:35

I wonder what Jesus might have done in this situation?