I have been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan all of my life.  Growing up in the 70's, I had the honor to witness the great Steelers dynasties and watch how they played their heart and souls out to win the big game.  But my team cannot win it all every year.  I have also sat through the torture of some pretty pathetic losing seasons.  The Steelers were on top of the world last year when they silenced their critics who said they had no chance and won their fifth Super Bowl.  This year, they have done just the opposite and are having one of their worst seasons ever.  And even though when they are losing and I say that I will not watch any more of their games this year, I always seem to turn the game on every week and root my team on.

So I am a dedicated Steelers fan whether they are winning or losing.  I cannot say that for the majority of America when they have given up on the war in Iraq.  It seems kind of comical that when the war started, the country was overwhelmingly in support of it because we were winning quickly and dominating, but now, when times are going tough, most of these same Americans want to declare failure and leave Iraq in disgrace.  In the sports world, these people are referred to as "Fair Weather Fans" because when their team is winning, everyone is happy and joyous.  But when the team is losing, everyone on the team is a "bum" and not worth supporting.  I admit that things are not going as well as it was in the beginning in Iraq, but we are assisting the birth of a new nation, and if people actually learned the history of the birth of our nation, it was neither quick nor easy.

People need to start taking responsibility for their decisions that they make.  The majority of America was once in support of the war, but after some tough times, people have forgotten their initial attitude and act like they were always against it.  It is time for this country to start to come together again and stand behind our troops and our mission in this war on terror.  Although my Steelers are a little down this year, they will be back to fight another day next year, and I will be right there rooting them on, just as I do each and every day for our great men in uniform.  I am not a Fair Weather Fan, and neither should you!

Welcome all to my blog.  I have titled this blog "Character Matters" for a couple of reasons.  You may wonder if my main point here is to blog about Character Matters or emphasize that Character Matters?  Well, I would have to say that I think both subjects will be covered here.  Let's just say that I like to talk about character matters because character matters.

When I look at any subject being debated in the media, and also in life, I always notice the manner that each person conducts their view of the issue.  Some people, when losing a debate, rely on name calling and yelling and screaming.  Sometimes the loudness in their voice is because they feel passionate about the subject, but most of the time, it is because they gave up on trying to win the argument (it now becomes an argument) and rely on name calling.  Other people discuss the issue by listening to the opposing view and then stating their side by stating examples and facts in a respectful manner.  I deal with many types of people daily, and by just talking to these people, it tells a lot about them.

A wise man, named Dennis Prager, always says, and I am paraphrasing, "I don't care if I agree with what you are saying to me, but what is most important is that what you are saying, you speak with moral clarity."  This is what this blog page is all about: Moral Clarity.  I am going to blog about many different issues, and I will try to deal with each one with moral clarity and as respectful of other views as I can be.  I judge people by their character, not their race, gender, religion, or political view.  So now, let us debate the issues!