Nintendo Wii and Apple iPod Giveaway!

Hey everyone! Bob, over at Christian Personal Finance, is giving away a Wii and an 8GB iPod Nano for ChristianPF's 2-year birthday! For the details, click here to read the rules. God bless, and good luck!

I Fell In Love With A 1969 Gibson ES-150DC

Over Easter weekend, three other guys and I had the chance to play "Help!" from The Beatles at church (that sounds strange, but Pastor Jeff worked it into the sermon quite nicely). Anyway, during rehearsals the week before, I was playing my Eric Johnson Fender Stratocaster, but the tone just wasn't cutting it for that song. I needed something with more bite...something truer to George Harrison's tone on The Beatles' recording. So, Cory (my brother-in-law and church music director extraordinaire) decided to rent a guitar for me.

I asked him to find Gibson ES-335, a Gretsch 6128T, or Gretsch a 6119HT -- figured those would produce the tone I was looking for. Turns out the rental place didn't have any Gretsch guitars, but they did have three Gibson ES-335's. However, Chuck Berry (of all people, hahah!) beat me to them. I guess he had a gig that weekend. :) Cory ended up settling for a Gibson ES-150DC (which is pictured above).

The body of the ES-150DC looks very similar to the body of the ES-335, but the 150 is a full-hollow body with a depth of 3", whereas the 335 is a semi-hollow body with a depth of 1¾". At first glance, I thought it was a 335, until I picked it up. Though, that really didn't matter because I fell in love with it when I plucked the first note. It sounded beautiful! The neck pickup generated a rich, fat, warm tone; and the bridge pickup gave me the perfect treble/mid tones that were sure to cut through on "Help!".

I actually got to play it for Friday night's praise and worship, which was a blast. Later, I was able to take it home for the rest of the weekend...got it cleaned up, took some pics (which are featured on my slide show on the right), and fell in love with it even more. The guys and I ended up having a great time playing "Help!" for the congregation in each of the four Easter Sunday services. Nevertheless, the time came for me to part with that wonderful instrument, and, naturally, I was a little bummed about that.

I haven't stopped thinking about that guitar, and for the last two weeks, I've been checking around eBay and some other sites for another ES-150DC. No luck -- until three or four days ago! There's a place in St. Louis called Killer Vintage, and they specialize in vintage gear (go figure!). As I was browsing their inventory, I stumbled upon a nearly identical Gibson ES-150DC to the one I had played a few weeks earlier (click here to see it). This one is a 1968...even better!

So, this past Wednesday, I spent my lunch break at Killer Vintage, talking to the staff and playing that guitar. The guys at the shop were really cool. They treat everybody with respect (unlike many other guitar depots), and the '68 Gibson ES-150DC was fantastic. Man, would I love to have this guitar! Right now, the $2,299 price tag is a little out of reach. But, that doesn't mean I should flush this desire of mine down the toilet. Mark my words, I will add this to my collection someday!

GOD bless!

Latest Stimulus Bill Impossible to Read Before Vote

Hello, friends, and happy Valentine's Day. I don't mean to sound like a Ron Paul sycophant, but he's really the only one I can see that speaks the truth and works for the people. So, you can expect me to post a lot more from him.

Apparently, the latest stimulus bill was over 1,000 pages long, and it was not available for everyone to read in time for the vote. Yep...that's the kind of "change" we need. Pfft!

Here's what Congressman Paul had to say yesterday:

New Hampshire Standing Strong!

Way to go New Hampshire! Taking back it's state's rights from the federal government. They've brought forth a resolution, "affirming States’ rights based on Jeffersonian principles." Of course, this resolution is very constitutional and it serves as nice warning to our ever-growing federal government.

Hearing news like this gives me great hope for the future of the United States of America. There are a handful of other states that have drafted/declared somewhat similar resolutions, but this one takes the cake; and it draws a clear boundary line for our federal government.

Please take a few minutes to read over this historic resolution. Here's the link again: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html

God bless America!



***UPDATE: Unfortunately, this resolution was shot down. However, it's just the beginning! Slowly but surely, this movement is catching on. I'm sure we'll see more resolutions/legislation like this.

Ron Paul Stands Up for America!

I love this guy! Dr. Paul has actually proposed the abolition of the Federal Reserve before the House. Here's a link to his speech: Statement on Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act. However, I've posted the entire thing below. Enjoy!

Statement of Congressman Ron Paul

United States House of Representatives

Statement on Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act

February 3, 2009


Madame Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation to restore financial stability to America's economy by abolishing the Federal Reserve. Since the creation of the Federal Reserve, middle and working-class Americans have been victimized by a boom-and-bust monetary policy. In addition, most Americans have suffered a steadily eroding purchasing power because of the Federal Reserve's inflationary policies. This represents a real, if hidden, tax imposed on the American people.

From the Great Depression, to the stagflation of the seventies, to the current economic crisis caused by the housing bubble, every economic downturn suffered by this country over the past century can be traced to Federal Reserve policy. The Fed has followed a consistent policy of flooding the economy with easy money, leading to a misallocation of resources and an artificial "boom" followed by a recession or depression when the Fed-created bubble bursts.

With a stable currency, American exporters will no longer be held hostage to an erratic monetary policy. Stabilizing the currency will also give Americans new incentives to save as they will no longer have to fear inflation eroding their savings. Those members concerned about increasing America's exports or the low rate of savings should be enthusiastic supporters of this legislation.

Though the Federal Reserve policy harms the average American, it benefits those in a position to take advantage of the cycles in monetary policy. The main beneficiaries are those who receive access to artificially inflated money and/or credit before the inflationary effects of the policy impact the entire economy. Federal Reserve policies also benefit big spending politicians who use the inflated currency created by the Fed to hide the true costs of the welfare-warfare state. It is time for Congress to put the interests of the American people ahead of special interests and their own appetite for big government.

Abolishing the Federal Reserve will allow Congress to reassert its constitutional authority over monetary policy. The United States Constitution grants to Congress the authority to coin money and regulate the value of the currency. The Constitution does not give Congress the authority to delegate control over monetary policy to a central bank. Furthermore, the Constitution certainly does not empower the federal government to erode the American standard of living via an inflationary monetary policy.

In fact, Congress' constitutional mandate regarding monetary policy should only permit currency backed by stable commodities such as silver and gold to be used as legal tender. Therefore, abolishing the Federal Reserve and returning to a constitutional system will enable America to return to the type of monetary system envisioned by our nation's founders: one where the value of money is consistent because it is tied to a commodity such as gold. Such a monetary system is the basis of a true freemarket economy.

In conclusion, Mr.[sic] Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stand up for working Americans by putting an end to the manipulation of the money supply which erodes Americans' standard of living, enlarges big government, and enriches well-connected elites, by cosponsoring my legislation to abolish the Federal Reserve.