The Benores in DC!

As if a move to Texas ten months ago wasn't enough, we have decided to add a little excitement to our lives by packing up again and moving to Seminary housing. You know, since Kevin is in school and doing web development and I am teaching and keeping up the house and having my busy involvement with Metochai, we kind of felt bored and needed some spice put in our lives (yeah right!). So, we decided to put an end to our boredom and move! If only that were true (the boredom part). Trying to pay off debt and live in a luxury apartment while putting Kevin through Seminary is just not the easiest combination in the world, so we decided to put our lives financially at ease by moving to student housing. We will be living below our friends David and Paula Sinclair. We enjoy hanging out with them, but I think we have all agreed that boundaries will definitely have to be drawn so that we don't spend so much time together that we get sick of each other and drive everyone postal!

On the employment side of things, I have put applications into Fort Worth ISD, Crowley ISD, and am almost finished with the application for a private school called Fort Worth Country Day School, which is a very affluent private school down the road from our current apartment. Now, I just sit back, pray and let God do His work.

Our Metochai meeting last night was a blessing to many, and was even more blessed by Susan Millsap's angelic voice! Her gift amazes me time and time over, and I just know that God is going to use that powerful instrument in ways she cannot even comprehend. Thank you Susan, for being an inspiration to me to be a godly example to others.

Well, since I have a 40 minute commute ahead of me tomorrow, I should wrap up and get some zzzzz's.

Before I get into the stupidity of all involved in the flip-flop of allowing Dr. Condoleezza Rice to testify before the 9/11 commission, let's examine the situation. First, President Bush says he won't allow Rice to testify publicly. Rice is the National Security Adviser. She gives counsel to the President. Due to her unique position, the President has every right not allowing her to testify. It's called separation of powers. The press, the Democrats, and all the members of the 9/11 commission have been out for blood because she won't testify. Well, it turns out the President has now changed his mind. Better put he caved.

I recognize that the 9/11 commission has some importance. However, it can not change what happened on September 11th. The assertions by some guy, who coincidently comes forward at the same time his new book hits the shelf, are that the Bush Administration knew about the Al Qaeda threat and failed to do anything. In other words, Bush did nothing to stop an impending attack – September 11th.

President Bush and members of the 9/11 commission came to some agreement to allow Rice to testify. Former Republican governor and commission chairman Thomas Kean said of Rice's testimony, “We recognize the fact that this is an extraordinary event. There are all sorts of reasons why this is different. This does not set a precedent.” Ummmm, okay. Just because President Bush got the commission to promise that this would not be a precedent doesn't mean they can even fulfill that promise. Do they even know what a precedent means? Well I do! According to Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary a precedent “is an action, situation or decision which has already happened and which can be used as a reason why a similar action or decision should be performed or taken.” By definition Rice will set a precedent as soon as she testifies.

Personally, I believe Rice need not testify in public to defend against erroneous testimony by Clarke. What is the difference if she testifies privately or publicly? Bush, Clinton, Cheney and Gore are all speaking to the commission privately. It doesn't seem that will hamper the commission's work. This decision will sends chills to future Presidents and presidential advisers. Now President's can expect safe, guarded advice. Although, if last week is any indication of the commissions work, all I can say is “yawn.”

We had a great time just hanging with our friends David and Paula Sinclair. Pizza and music filled the evening. Have started a workout routine (or not so routine yet) with Dave. While we are talking about the Sinclairs … it looks like we will be moving to on campus housing May 22nd. In fact, we will live right below the Sinclairs. It is kinda cool, but who wouldn't feel a little bad for Dave and Paula? I'll try to keep the radio down.

Looking forward to tomorrow. After church we will have our “supper club.” The Millsaps, The Sinclairs, The Raglands, and us. And the menu? I am making Dad's spaghetti. I am going to have to roll them out the door when it time to leave. Hmmmmm … spaghetti.

Well gave my blood today, well actually I gave platelets and plasma today. Only took two hours. Was prompted to do so because one of my groomsmen has cancer. Those at the hospital know him by his first name, Lance. I know him by his middle name Roth. I gave to see if I would be a match to his bone marrow needs. They say it's about a one and a million chance of a match, but he is my friend so it's worth trying.

Well it certainly was a Happy Birthday. My wife surprised me when we went to dinner at Red Hot and Blue. When we arrived at the restaurant for our dinner of two, I walked in to find friends from our new church. She also had one of our friends, Susan, bake my favorite cake – a family recipe called the Grandma Benore cake. It was an excellent! When I got home she had presents for me to open. Yeah!

On a completely different note, school is going well. I am now president of a student organization on campus called the Student Theological Society. Well I became the prez early this year; I was vice-prez and got moved up when the former president resigned.

I have also take on a non-paid Ministry Assistant position at my church working in the Business Administration department. I currently help out with a email subscription system. It utilizes my web savvy skills. Well that is it for now.