President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden,

Sirs, I want you to know that I did not vote for you, but I believe that God has installed you into these positions. I will not argue or fight against God's will and I pray that He bless you as you enter into leadership of the greatest country on earth. Please know that I am praying for both of you and for the rest of our elected officials.

It is the role of good government to identify core issues and patterns that are damaging to its citizens and to use it's influence, and power when necessary, to resolve them.

I envision a country where people are truly equal in value, from the unborn baby to the dying grandmother. A place where marriages are supported and parents have the support of the government to raise their children.

Wycliffe Bible Translators and JAARS came to Rumford, Maine today. Glenda, the kids and I went up to check things out. Stephen and Evan got to sit in a plane and we all got to ride in a helicopter!

Well, I finally decided to stop running my own server for moitozo.com after I lost the hard drive. But now the site is back online and I'm hoping for the best with a hosting account. Man, it's been a long time since I used a hosting company.

SOLD on 8/1/2008 after being posted on craigslist for four days. For all the details as well as pictures and video visit the truck's Web page.

"There are only three things I've ever been afraid of: electricity, heights, and women... and I'm married too." --Unidentified Helicopter Powerline Maintenance Worker

Kyoshi Marcus DeValentino was trained by Grandmaster Seikichi Odo. My instructor Shihan Rich Pelletier is Marcus's senior student. Visit Marcus's Web site for more information about Okinawa Kenpo Karate-Kobudo Shudokan.

I know the statistics. I know that five students at King Middle School in Portland, Maine recently admitted they are sexually active. I know that there were at least 17 pregnancies in Portland middle schools in the last four years. I also know that the Portland School Committee decided that the risk of middle school aged girls getting pregnant was too high and they should make birth control available. Yes, middle schoolers--who can be as young as eleven!

Sexual contact with a minor is still illegal, right? What if every time a school nurse heard about a minor who is sexually active we make the police investigate and prosecute? Well, you can forget that in Portland. Instead their solution is to hand out contraception to under age children in order prevent bad stuff from happening to children who make bad choices.

Someone recently asked me, "Do you feel different now that you have you're black belt? Do you feel like you've arrived? Is it cool?" As I thought about the question I realized that I don't feel like I've arrived at all. In fact, I would liken my feelings to a person who is lining up to run a marathon, not like the runner who has finished the marathon. In martial arts, as with any art that one might seek to master (relationships, painting, photography, writing, hunting, etc), there is always more to learn and refine. We chase a goal that is unreachable, perfection. Yet we still seek it. I'm convinced that this is why people talk so much about enjoying the journey.

I earned my shodan (first dan) black belt in Okinawa Kenpo Karate-Kobudo Shudokan from Shihan Sensei Rich Pelletier (sixth dan) on Saturday (3/31/2007).