Memoir of McArthur

Easter Photos and A Throwback of Abbie

2011-05-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

Two Unusual Dreams

2010-01-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

The last two consecutive nights I've had unusual dreams. On the early morning of 1-17-10, at about 0200 or 0300 hours, I dreamt Zach and I were at the top of a high building. We were playing catch with a ball of some sort. It was a round ball that had some bounce. As Zach was going to get the ball it bounced and went over the edge with no guard rail on my right side, not in front directly. Zach saw it bounce but still chose to go after the ball and fell. Zach perished. I immediately awoke from my dream to check on Zach, he was warm and breathing which relieved me. I then checked on the rest of the children. All were sleeping.

On about 1-18-10, at 0400 I dreamt Nick and I were playing golf, but instead of hitting the ball we were throwing the ball. I guess in the dream I was the only one throwing, but he was invloved in watching me, kind of like a caddie without clubs. I remember throwing the ball down a slope and as this hole started to level out the ball went towards the side into some sort of lake. Nick was already there it seemed in the water attempting to get the ball out. The ball sloped down going deeper into the water, but Nick kept going after the ball until he was all the way under the water and he kept going and walking after it deeper and deeper. Nick finally reached the ball and bent over. He came back up the way he came in and handed me the ball. I asked him, "Why did you do that?". Nick said, "Look, I got your hat too!".

In both of these two separate dreams I was worried for my children as they were going after these balls.

After the second dream, I thought I would write these events down. I've thought of what it could mean, or lessons I could learn from it.

I'm sure they could mean many different things, or nothing at all.

When did the lowbrows take over the culture?

2009-06-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

I know we all come from a diverse background of political beliefs and backgrounds. I really enjoyed the article below and thought I would paste it on here. He picks on both parties and I think it is an outstanding commentary (as he should there is stupidity in both parties). I consider myself and independent that generally but not always leans conservative.

"I've been trying to grasp for a truth that is so obvious that all of us know it. But it's not a polite truth, so we don't talk about it. Yet I think it's important to say it out loud, because it is a truth that haunts our national discourse.

As a nation we are under the thumb of idiots. Not just indoctrinated, or wrong-thinking, or power-hungry, or manipulative, or even malevolent people. No, I mean real lowbrows, people who constantly fall for really stupid ideas. Neanderthals. (Look at the Governor of California just running the state budget into the ground. See what I mean? That's not just incompetence. It takes special stupidity, almost a deliberate, willful absence of real thinking.)

The Federal EPA is about to officially declare carbon dioxide to be a pollutant. That's not just false and unscientific; it's not just an excuse for taxing everything in sight, including breathing. It's not merely wrong. It's idiotic. It marks a low point in our national conversation. Scientists or engineers with a grain of sense shouldn't be taking the EPA seriously for a second. Forget the "climate experts," with their grossly inadequate computer models. Normally intelligent people should boggle at the EPA. They are bizarre. Only the truly ignorant could fall for this level of ignorance. Or those who just can't think.

Or look at Obama's unbelievable spending spree. No sane and sensible taxpayer could possibly believe that spending trillions and trillions of dollars on blue-sky fantasies makes any sense at all; the only reason Americans aren't in open rebellion yet is that half of them can't believe it's happening, and the other half are idiots. We haven't seen the effect (yet) on our pocketbooks. There's food in the stores still, and housing has gotten cheaper. But let Obama's budget affect our wallets directly and just watch the voters explode with rage.

The Democrats in Congress are trying desperately to put the brakes on Obama's egomaniacal ambitions because they can see themselves going over the edge in 2010. In a self-respecting, intelligent culture, the Obama budget would be dead on arrival. It's an insult to our national intelligence. (His foreign policy is more of the same.)

Or look at the global warming farce, still hotly pursued by the political classes in Europe and this country, although the Australians seem to be coming to their senses. China now has more millionaires than the UK, because they use all their resources, like coal, to fire their industrial plants. They will never sacrifice a single luxury car to the cap and trade fraud. Neither will India. China and India have been under the thumb of egomaniacal socialists (in the case of India) and communists (in the case of China). They've been there, done that, seen the suffering.

No wonder those Chinese college students fell all over themselves with laughter when Timothy Geithner assured them that Obama would never spend the United States into debt. What an idiot! They laughed because Geithner's stupidity or mendacity was too obvious for words.

That's how we should all react to the miserable frauds who are now in national office. You have to dull your senses with drugs or endless propaganda to fall for it. I've sometimes wondered how many people must have killed off their critical thinking with alcohol and drugs. I know a walking few drug casualties myself, people who just burned out their brains. I'm sure they voted for Obama.

Or maybe there's such a thing as learned stupidity. How else can so many people be so idiotic? Our national IQ has dropped to about 75: Several standard deviations below normal.

Well, we have now voted in a President for the lowbrows. Yes, Obama himself is smart enough; even smart enough to say a few years ago that he didn't feel ready for the presidency. Well, now we can see why he said that. But legions of idiots voted for a man who was plainly unqualified, even by his own estimation, and surrounded by a bunch of malignant sociopaths like Wright and Ayers and all the rest. How could he possibly win? Well, Obama cynically appealed to the idiots -- the young, the stupid, the naive, the silly, the rock idol worshippers, and probably the drug-addled masses, all the lowbrows in the land.

That includes the idiot savants of academia. Academics have a very narrow band of intelligence, something that satirists since Aristophanes have noticed and poked fun at. The first philosopher in Western history was Thales of Elea; Thales featured in Greek folklore as a man who walked around at night gazing at the stars only to fall into a ditch. That's probably a folksy giggle at the absent-minded professor who is constantly bumping into walls. But there's a big element of truth in it. Academics can be incredibly ignorant and dumb outside of their small areas of expertise. Professors and media scribblers generally lack human smarts. They are sure suckers for all the con artists of the day.

Obama is a smooth-talking hustler who has specialized in charming academic liberals, like a smart graduate student who needs to impress his teachers with every word. They just dote on him, like a proud parent smiling on a favorite child. He's their dream, a black man who sounds so smart.

In his press conferences he hypnotizes all the ink-stained wretches of the media. It's a sight to behold. The man swats a fly and the suck-ups of the media go ga-ga with applause, and go back and write articles about it. That's not just a reflection on their (lack of) character and judgment. It's not just their childish immaturity. It's a reflection on their brains, or rather, on all that empty space between their ears. Our media stars are just not very bright. They're idiots. That single fact explains a lot. (And yes, they are also corrupt, easily seduced, haunted by deadlines, decadent in their values, and very prone to mob thinking. But if they had any brains it might be harder to manipulate them like this. The White House just pulls their strings and they dance.)

Obama's 22 White House czars. That's really stupid. As well as a violation of the Constitution. But it's a Chinese laugh line. It's so obviously wrong and power-mad that it's not worth debating.

Legalizing drugs. That's really stupid.

Obama's power-grab over the medical sector of the economy? It's profoundly stupid. We can insure all the uninsured people in the country for a tiny fraction of all that money. We just need to fix the tire on our national car, and this guy tries to sell us a brand-new O-mobile, it can practically fly off the lot, all on credit, long-term payments, no money down. It's gonna be free! So what if you have to mortgage your wife and children? Even if we already have two national lemons in our garage, Medicare and Medicaid, which nobody likes. Now Obee is trying to sell us on a really, really expensive dream mobile that will fix our problems forever, plus it'll be cheaper than what we have now!

Can you believe it?

That sales pitch only works for idiots.

The rise to power and fame of the real lowbrows explains a lot. It even points to an answer of sorts. Because we've all been intimidated by the Cult of Nice not to contradict anybody who comes out with a really stupid, destructive idea. We can no longer call a really stupid idea what it is. I know that I censor myself all the time. We have been taught to keep our mouths shut when a word in time might make a real difference. We have allowed the national conversation to be dumbed down.

Here's my resolution for July Fourth: From now on I'm going to call idiocy idiotic. Not nastily, but as clearly as I can. It is high time for normal, intelligent common sense to become acceptable again. I'm happy to have a respectful argument with anyone who disagrees with me. But I'm going to start saying the magic words:

That's really dumb! That's really ignorant! You haven't thought about that much, have you? Have you ever considered another side of that batty idea?

I promise to be nice.

But honest.

Pass the word.

If we all start doing it we can change the world."

Orange County Vacation Highlights

2009-04-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great time. We arrived Monday night at a nice hotel at a great price thanks to William Shatner, aka priceline. Upon checkin we got freshly baked cookies. Nice spacious room, lobby, and pool. Monday night was swimming, Tuesday beach and Angels game (me and Brooke). Wednesday and Thursday Disneyland relatively low lines because it was not spring break, holiday or a weekend. Friday mid-day return to Vegas and just beat the traffic coming into town.

Baby #4 En Route

2009-04-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

Our fourth child will be here sometime in November, and our last. We are happy and looking forward to the addition to our family. We are assuming it will be a girl, but will be happy with a healthy baby or whatever the Lord blesses us with. We anticipate the due date to be in November, but haven't received an official word yet. Jeanette is about 3 months into the pregnancy. All the kids are excited about it, but Nick (3) doesn't fully comprehend it yet.

Running Around to Games

2009-03-28T19:34:00.001-07:00

It's fun to have children involved in activities like activity days, scouts, Piano, dancing, soccer, and baseball. However, sometimes it is difficult and can be a daily grind. Looking back, I'm sure it will be good memories. We try and contain it so not too much is going on at one time so that they can balance their lives with school, family, friends, and activity. Also, so that mom and dad can have some balance and time to rest. Brooke just had a soccer tournament. She plays for the crime dogs. The coach is Bob Chinn. They played two games in about a 4 hour span. Brooke plays mostly wing on offence but some mid field. Meanwhile, Zach had a game just before that. His first game with a real baseball and real bat. His first at bat he hit an rbi single. Very well done. He also played Center Field, Left Field, 3rd base and pitcher all in the same game.

Jason Baran My Friend

2009-02-26T17:22:00.001-08:00

Pictures of Jason on our trip to Cleveland in late 2008.

My friend Jason. You are a funny, loyal, and helpful friend to me for all of your days. There is a hole in my heart knowing that I cannot regularly talk and communicate with you for some time like we have done for over a decade. I think of all the great times we had. You are loved and will be missed until we meet again.

New Years Resolutions

2009-01-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

I've never really thought of it too much before. I'm thinking of doing something. Why not try to better ourselves and improve ourselves?

I have too much soda. Almost one a day (usually about 12-32 ounces). To some this may not be enough, you may have more soda, some much less or none at all. If I cut this out or to a bare minimum, I would estimate losing about 7 pounds, which is about the amount I would like to lose around the midsection.

Other than that, I would like to spend my time more constructively. Tune it up so to speak.

My Favorite Christmas Carols

2008-12-13T08:03:00.000-08:00

I'm probably missing one, but just off the top of my head.

O' Holy Night (my clear #1 favorite)
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
O Come All Ye Faithful
Away In A Manger
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
Joy To The World
Silent Night
Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
Deck The Halls
The First Noel
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock
Jingle Bells
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen (the words not neccessarily the tune)
Frosty The Snowman

Thanksgiving thoughts

2008-12-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

I know, a few days late. I was just thinking of some things I'm thankful and grateful for.

We all know the economy is not great. I'm grateful for a good job, that is secure that takes care of my families needs. I'm grateful for our American History and those who have risked their lives for liberty and freedom. Not everyone has a decent job, or has the freedoms that we do. Part of freedom is to keep it protected. We've probably seen the slogan, freedom isn't free.

Just a brief note on some thoughts I've been having.

UNLV First Look/ Kids Pictures

2008-11-10T21:48:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I attended UNLV Men's Basketball First Look. UNLV is a top 25 team this year and it should be an exciting year. UNLV has the third highest winning percentage of all-time behind Kentucky and No. Carolina. We watched some pre practice speeches and watched them scrimmage.

The school was charging nearly $40 for picture packages. Times that by two. So we decided to take our own. Here are some of them we took and then developed ourselves.

Proposition 8 Passes

2008-11-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

The people of California passed Proposition 8 on November 4, 2008, therefore protecting traditional marriage in california. Traditional marriage has been around since the beginning of civilization. The people, freedom, and democracy have spoken.

Barack Obama won convincingly in California, so many who voted for Obama also voted to protect marriage as between a man and woman.

These gay rights activists only protest and whine when their side loses. Protesting at Catholic and Mormon Churches is outrageous.

I saw a tv news headline that called the passing of proposition 8 "controversial". Is it controversial when the majority of Californians vote yes on 8?

I think its important for all to have constitutional rights, but not special rights that degrade society. Marriage should remain sacred between a man and woman. Just my opinion and freedom of speech on the matter.

Protecting Traditional Marriage in California

2008-10-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

From my understanding, the People of California voted to ban gay marriage in the state. The California Supreme Court some time after that rejected the people and ruled gay marriage is legal.

With that in mind, this is our opportunity to remind the California Supreme Court that the constitution still begins with “We The People…..”

"Marriage is sacred, ordained of God from before the foundation of the world."

"Only a man and a woman together have the natural biological capacity to conceive children. This power of procreation – to create life and bring God’s spirit children into the world – is sacred and precious. Misuse of this power undermines the institution of the family and thereby weakens the social fabric. The United Nations stated in 1948, "Strong families serve as the fundamental institution for transmitting to future generations the moral strengths, traditions, and values that sustain civilization. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms, “The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society.”

If the proposition fails, children in public schools will be taught that same sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage. The California Education code (51890) already requires that children be taught about marriage.

Churches may be sued over their tax exempt status if they refuse to allow same sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public.

Church Leaders or Ministers who preach against same-sex marriage may be sued for hate speech and risk government fines.

These are not far fetched possibilities. We need to stand together and help to protect same-sex marriage. It is the right thing to do.

http://www.protectmarriage.com

http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-divine-institution-of-marriage

C-Town Trip

2008-09-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Jason (from SLC) and I made a trip to Cleveland, Ohio this past weekend (Sept 13-15). The primary purpose of the trip was to watch the Pittsburg Steelers battle the Cleveland Browns.

While we were there we saw the Royals play the Indians. We drove around in downtown Cleveland and witnessed the sites, which included the inner city, Great Lakes Science Center, and Lake Erie.

We saw the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Jason and OJ.

And of course, we witnessed in person the NBC Night Football game. It was windy with some rain.

The Southwest flight to Las Vegas was actually early almost 30 minutes!

California Dreamin' Vacation

2008-09-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Glade and Linda McArthur Family traveled to Carlsbad California last weekend (Fri,Aug 29th-Mon,Sept 1). Everyone was able to make it with their spouses and children and it was a fun experiance.

Most of the time was spend at the beach or hangin' out in various locations. Some other time was spent at theme parks, eating, or enjoying scenery. We even attended an hour of church for sacrament meeting.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

Vote For McArthur

2008-08-29T07:36:00.001-07:00

14th Wedding Anniversary

2008-08-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

Jeanette and I passed our 14th wedding anniversary, August 6th. In my experiance, my love has grown more and more for her over the years.

She wanted an odd anniversary present, a vacuum. However, I must say this vacuum is not an ordinary vacuum, it is a Dyson (with root cyclone technology, wow!). Even I was impressed. This thing picks up anything with no bag and has excellent suction.

We celebrated the anniversary last night. We ate and went to The Dark Night. We had heard from others that the movie is good. Jeanette and I thought the movie was very good too. Everyone played their role well.

She's Back

2008-08-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

A little late of an update, but Jeanette got back from Young Womens Camp. Thank goodness.

While she was gone the kids took turns getting sick. Brooke, Zach, Nick, and then me. After she returned, she got sick a couple of days later. Nausea, vomitting, etc. It lasted about 2 days for each person. The worst sickness to me is the flu. Most other things I can tolerate.

The house stayed manageable and didn't get too out of control. Also, the kids were very good and we all helped each other.

I'm glad she was able to get away and have good experiences with the youth. It was a great camp.

August is a trip near San Diego with immediate family.

September 14th, I got authorization to go to Cleveland with my friend Jason Baran to watch the Steelers vs Browns.

The moment of truth

2008-07-13T13:21:00.001-07:00

This week will be the moment of truth. My wife, Jeanette, is going up to camp with the young women for about five days (Tues-Sat). Jeanette told me she does not want to come home to a disaster, and has threatened not to go if she feels it will be a mess when she gets back. I might have to do a last minute clean up on Friday and Saturday.

The house is generally in good order on any given day. The problem may be I'm at work in the day (MON-Thurs) and may come home to a mess. Our babysitter does a good job though and it should be a good break for mom to get away.

Freedom Wins! Liberal gun-grabbers lose!

2008-06-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Thugs and criminals aren't the only ones who can have handguns now in D.C and other parts of the country. Thugs and criminals will get their guns by any means necessary, whether there is a city ban or not. Bans keep guns out of the reach of citizens who obey the law.

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment.

Who are the four old bastards that voted against a persons right to bear arms? John Paul Stevens, Breyer, Ginsburg, Souter. Could they be out of touch with the average law abiding American?

Felon Leroy in K.C. has a gun, legally or not.

1980's are the Greatest!

2008-06-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

I loved the 80's! I don't know entirely why, but it is a decade I love.

Some things that come to mind are the music of the decade (including rocker hair-doos and mullets), fashion, my sports teams had great success, riding around in beat up Dodge cars and other trade ins, Reagan (love him or hate him), riding the bus to the 6th grade, movies, Cola wars, less political correctness, Superfriends Cartoon, etc.

The Breakfast Club, Hoosiers, Ferris Bueller, First Blood, Die Hard. Can't mention all the movies.

There are so many great artists I cannot mention a fraction of them. VH1 occasionally has the top 100 of the decade, for the most part it is a good list. Heart, B52s, Pat Benetar, Queen, Air Supply, Journey, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, The Police, Foreigner, Survivor (one song, Eye of the Tiger), Men At Work, Steve Miller Band, Prince, Hall and Oates, Rick Springfield, John Cougar Mellencamp, The Go-Go's, Van Halen, INXS, U2, Depeche Mode, Phil Collins, Scandal, Def Leppard, Guns n' Roses.

My Kids and Team Sports

2008-04-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

It's fun to watch your kids grow right before your eyes. Brooke, 9, has been playing soccer for over two years now and she has developed into a great player. Zachary, 5, is just beginning baseball and learning the basics and fundamentals. Jeanette and I love to cheer them on and support them.

Looking at them play brings back memories of my own upbringing. There are many similarities. Parents cheering and pulling for their children and team to do well and win. Dad pacing the sideline nervously hoping for a great play.

I believe it is important for children to have a good balance in their lives. This may include, education, spirituality, and group or team involvement in something. I believe there are many physical and mental benefits associated with team sports. The physical benefits are pretty obvious, but important. Today’s generation of children are fighting the worst obesity epidemic in history.

Kids learn more than just scoring, batting, shooting, and winning. They are part of a team. It is not I, or my way, they learn to be a team and help and cheer for teammates, and winning requires teamwork. Hopefully, they begin to think of everyone as a whole, and not just themselves, become more selfless. Having positive experiences and role models is priceless, and creates everlasting memories. I hope we all encourage are kids to be involved in some type of team sport or other form of extra caricular activity.

BYU Basketball-An Embarrasement

2008-04-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

The BYU Men's Basketball Program is an embarrasement to the Mountain West Conference. Two years in a row with a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament. This quickly voids and discussion of them being the best in the conference. Meanwhile, UNLV has won 3 NCAA Tournament games in the past two seasons, reached 4 final fours, and won a national championship.

The Cougars were tied with the University of Missouri for the distinction of having the most NCAA Tournament appearances without having ever played in the Final Four. Now, thanks to 2008, they are alone in that category.

Great job BYU. Win a couple of NCAA Tournament games before you run your mouth.

Go Rebels!

Obama's church: Destroy the white enemy

2008-04-02T06:52:00.000-07:00

According to the Washington Times article below, Obama's church was founded on a radical creed.

http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/NATION/766118950/1001

The Bible clearly states that Christ was in Israel and that he was a Jew. However, Reverend Wright has a different opinion of Christ. He stated Jesus was a poor black man. He also has a hatred towards white people and is anti-American.

That African moo moo the Reverend is wearing is very lovely.

Below are some links to the Reverend's rants and hate speech.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sfu2P6cGhWo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEMZHQsQJ6Y&feature=related

Global Warming- A False Religion?

2008-04-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

Let's debunk some global warming.

Sun, Not Man, Main Cause of Climate Change, New Study Says.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200712/NAT20071211a.html

Less Than 1/2 of Published Scientists Endorse Global Warming Theory
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=8641

Tempetures have not risen since 1998.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7329799.stm

Greenland Ice Find deflates Al Gore's Global Warming Theories
http://newsbusters.org/node/13948

Scientists respond to Gore's warnings of climate catastrophe
http://canadafreepress.com/2006/harris061206.htm

Typical Nickolas Disaster

2008-03-31T14:45:00.000-07:00

Nick smothered in butter. You can't leave him alone for a minute. He also loves playing in toilets and other garbage if things are not shut or secured.

Don't leave anything laying about or he will take care of it for you.

Home First

2008-03-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

Dr. Paul Pearsall expresses the opinion that families aren’t failing, but we are failing the family because we have not learned how to put family life first in our world.

“Our society is interfering with the family-first feature,” he writes. “We are in familial bankruptcy and have fallen into the hands of receivers such as schools, businesses, recreational pursuits, and numerous institutional demands. The issue is not one of setting priorities; the issue is one of making difficult choices for the family. There can only be one number one,” he stresses. “Is it your family?” He makes this emphatic statement: “I warn you that if your family does not come first, your family will not last.” (Pearsall, p. 18.)

In homes where high ideals and gospel values are maintained, it is parents, not teachers, who lay the foundation of character and faith in the hearts of their children. -Rex D. Pinegar

Major changes in Church budgeting policies have been made, which Elder Boyd K. Packer said “will have the effect of returning much of the responsibility for teaching and counseling and activity to the family where it belongs. … There will be fewer intrusions into family schedules and in the family purses.

“Church activities must be replaced by family activities.”

Elder Packer closed his instruction by saying, “It is a course correction; it is an inspired move.” (Ensign, May 1990, p. 90.)

I feel in the eternal, spiritual sense of course God comes first.

The "Family First" idea is simply a catch phrase to help us, set our worldly concerns in the proper priority and importance. But I think as far as God is concerned, putting our family first is the same as putting Him first. The scriptures tell us:

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matt. 25:40)

Are we putting our families first?