Diversity failure is triumph

Last night, my technical writing class was discussing proposal writing. For an example, we reviewed an actual grant proposal submitted by the University of Colorado at Denver (UCD) in response to an RFP (request for proposal) seeking to fund new educational programs. UCD hopes to receive funding to offer a new certificate related to M.S. program I'm in.

One of the requirements of the funding organization was for the proposed program to involve women and minorities as part of a diversity initiative.

In their proposal the university sited a "diversity" statistic. Eighty percent of the graduates of UCD's technical communication program are women. That's 80%.

Remember back when there was a diversity failure if less than 50% of graduates were women? Now that it's 80%, that is advertised as a success. It seems more like a failure from my position. Overall, college enrollment is approaching 60% women. This hurts women as well as men.

How? Well, this is why well educated women are having problems finding dates. It's a fact, men are more likely to date women with less education than women are to date men with less education. That leads to a lot of single well educated women.

Back to the subject. Let's face it. "Diversity" doesn't really mean diversity. It means giving advantages to certain politically favored groups. Christna Hoff Sommers covers more about this in her book The War Against Boys.

The French don't get it

Remember this statement from a terrorist web site?

"As if there was any question of negotiation. Far from it - they must obey the demands of the Mujahadeen. If you refuse, we slaughter."

Here is the French solution to terrorism:

"France said Monday that it would take part in a proposed international conference on Iraq only if the agenda included a possible U.S. troop withdrawal...
Paris also wants representatives of Iraq's insurgent groups to be invited to a conference."

Strangely, France doesn't take the terrorists at their word. Why does France want to negotiate with people who refuse to negotiate?

John Kerry is.....orange?

Apparently George Hamilton has become a Kerry campaign advisor. Overnight, Kerry turned orange. Shocking.

Clearly this is more evidence of collusion with CBS. Fake documents/fake tan? Stay tuned for more details. Did Dan Rather coordinated with the campaign to choose which fake tan to use?


Tan-from-a-can Kerry 

It hailed tonight

Honeybun with a hand full that fell on our house 20 minutes ago.


Honeybun 

Hail at our house

This is what our driveway looked like after the hail storm. Nasty.


Hail storm this evening 

Hail, hail, go away

This one is dark, but you may see white on the street behind the car. That's not snow.


See white in the street? That's hail. 

Why we need to kill terrorists

It sounds harsh but it's true. We must kill the terrorists. The culture of Western civilization believes that differences can be talked through and negotiated. What many fail to consider is that other cultures do not share that beliefs and does not value human life in the same way we do.

The British government refused to negotiate with terrorists for the release of captive Kenneth Bigley. The two Americans taken with him had already been executed.

The British government may sound uncaring unless you realize the terrorists refuse to negotiate.

[The hostage takers] began taunting Western governments over their efforts to seek their citizens’ release from captivity. Late on Friday a fresh message appeared on a website believed to be used by al-Zarqawi which read: "What is laughable is the insistence of the ministers of all infidel nationalities on the phrase ‘no negotiations’. As if there was any question of negotiation. Far from it - they must obey the demands of the Mujahadeen. If you refuse, we slaughter."

The Islamic terrorists have defined the rules. Kill them or they will kill us. There is no "talking it out."

From the "well duh" files

My uncle forwarded a news article to me.

It has a good point that there needs to be more study on how a patient's gender can effect diseases.

Still, the article manages to make one person look pretty stupid.

"Women are different than men, not only psychologically (but) physiologically, and I think we need to understand those differences," says Dr. Catherine DeAngelis, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Women are different physiologically. This is a new conclusion? I figured that out for myself at a pretty young age without any medical training. In light of this evidence, it turns out I was a prodigy and should have trained in the medical field. I mean if I knew that men and women were different when I was 4 years old and medicine is only discovering that fact now, I should have been able to cure cancer by the time I was 25.

The new terrorists

The U.K. is finding a growing terror threat at home. This time, it is not from Islamo-fascists. Now, it's from animal rights groups. The Sunday Herald reports(emphasis added):

The case of Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), a drug-testing facility near Cambridge, is one example of how far extremists can go. Last weekend, a “terror list” naming 150 individuals – including 21 children – emerged, most with an indirect link to the company.

If you keep reading the article you find out:

[Robin Webb of the Animal Liberaton Front] rejects the notion that the families of scientists and researchers should not be targets.

“Some say it is morally unacceptable but it is equally unacceptable to use animals in experiments. The children of those scientists are enjoying a lifestyle built on the blood and abuse of innocent animals. Why should they be allowed to close the door on that and sit down and watch TV and enjoy themselves when animals are suffering and dying because of the actions of the family breadwinner? They are a justifiable target for protest.”

How sick is this guy? This is not moral equivallency - it is moral bankruptcy. He doesn't believe that animals are equal to humans, he believes animals are better than humans.

Don't think this is a problem limited to England. The Center for Consumer Freedom warns about domestic animal rights terror coming to the U.S.

Jerry Vlasak has been associated with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (an organization related to PETA). Jerry Vlasak also has connections to SHAC, an organization that has been indicted for terrorism along with seven of its leaders. Here is Vlasak's view on using terrorism to support the animal rights movement:

"I don't think you'd have to kill -- assassinate -- too many," Vlasak said. "I think for five lives, 10 lives, 15 human lives, we could save a million, two million, 10 million non-human lives."

He later clarified his statement as reported by The Guardian from a radio interview:

"I am simply saying that it [violence] is a morally acceptable tactic and it may be useful in the struggle for animal liberation."

Don't support terrorism. Don't give money to PETA, PCRM, or SHAC.

Kerry first, America second

Teresa Heinz Kerry gave a speech in Phoenix last Wednesday (hat tip to James Taranto).
The Business Journal of Phoenix reports:

In regard to the hunt for terror leader Osama Bin Laden, Heinz Kerry said she could see the al-Qaida chief being caught before the November election.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he appeared in the next month," said Heinz Kerry, alluding to a possible capture by United States and allied forces before election day.
Heinz Kerry is accusing the Bush administration of a consipiracy theory.

Capture of Bin Laden bad for Kerry. The Kerry campaign would prefer Bin Laden be free rather than be captured to benefit their campaign. Scary stuff when Democrats love Bin Laden more than President Bush.

Bad career advice

You can tell when a actor/actress is having career problems when they star in a sex flick. Neve Campbell is having career problems. The Rocky Mountain News reviewed the film and wasn't too flattering in their opinion.

Apparently the movie becomes a series of random sex scenes complete with an orgy in Central Park and another scene with some lesbian action involving Neve Campbell's character. Unlike the movie Wild Things, Neve does drop her clothes in this one.

Why do actors think that these kind of movies will help their careers. Bo Derek's career was pretty much ended with Bolero. Elizabeth Berkeley became a laughing stock after Showgirls. Demi Moore's Striptease was a bomb. Eyes Wide Shut was a disaster for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Their careers improved in spite of, not because of, that movie which only revealed that Stanley Kubrick had some wierd fantasies.

So why are stars so gullible that they keep doing this stuff?

Update: Add Meg Ryan to the list for "In the Cut"

The baptism

Here is a shot of Cody getting baptized. That's me in the white shirt and Honeybun the first on the right ready with the towel.


The baptism 

Aww, how cute?

Here is a question for the ages. Why is a baby with cereal all over his face normally disgusting. Then when you are the one doing the feeding, it's cute? I've never thought a baby with a dirty face was appealling in anyway. Then, last Friday, I was babysitting Cody and feeding him. Suddenly I think, "I've got to get a picture of this." What the...?

The good thing about this weekend: Years from now, when Cody becomes a smartass teenager (redundant phrase) I can now tell him, "I've changed your diapers." :)


Feeding Cody.  

On the road again

We're just about ready to get on the road to go back to Colorado. As I'm sitting here in shorts in warm southern New Mexico, the weather report is telling me that the high in the Denver area will be 47 degrees. Chilly.

I would change, but the car is already packed.

Godparents

Honeybun and I are now officially godparents. It's somewhat anti-climactic. Cody didn't get that wet after all, just a little dribble on his head that didn't even run over his face. He didn't cry. Not even a whimper either. He is a very good natured baby. He pretty much just looked around wondering what all the hubbub was about. Not much else happened. The whole thing was shorter than a Vegas wedding.

You'd think the church would have a gift-shop that sells "My nephew got baptized and all I got was this lousy t-shirt" t-shirts.

We did get a gift - a plaque that says "Godparents" with a greeting on it. Which is cool. We also got a card from Cody thanking us for being his godparents - but I suspect it was forged. I'm sure he doesn't know how to write yet. Which leads me to question, what did Dan Rather know and when did he know about the forged greeting card from Cody.

So Jase (you ask), when are you two going to have a kid? Well, Honeybun and I are talking about it. We're planning to pull the goalie off the ice after the holidays are over.

Low fat blogging

I can't say that I've done on "light" blogging the last few days since my blogging is normally light anyway. So, my posts being even less than usual, my adoring fans are down to low fat blogging at this point.

Why? Well, I'm in Las Cruces, NM visiting my in-laws. My nephew (see archive for February 17th) is getting baptized today. Honeybun and I are godparents. Cool huh?

Sorry, no witty rejoinders, this is a solemn family occasion (I'll even be wearing a suit and tie) Followed by dinner somewhere.

Get ready to get wet Cody.

What size is this?

Each of the last three nights, I've been going to McDonald's to get an ice cream cone for Honeybun and a chocolate shake for me. At the drive-thru, my exact order was "an ice cream cone and a medium chocolate shake".

It's actually become a game because each I get different sizes each time. I'm not sure if they know what a medium is - 21 oz. or 16 oz.

Apparently tonight is the medium is 21 oz.

Mmmmm. Chocolate.

Men & women

Honeybun recently told me to wash out a water bottle. Sure, I'll wash out the lip, but probably not fill it with soap to do the inside.

This is where men and women are different. If I'm cooking and I need some water for the recipe, I use the measuring cup, dry it out and put it back in the cupboard.

Honeybun would use the measuring cup, and put it in the dishwasher where it will be washed...with water.

I love being married.

Using rights to complain about no rights

I was perusing some blogs today and came up on Losers Lounge. In her side bar, the writer laments the loss of her Constitutional rights:

IN MEMORY OF: The Bill Of Rights (1791-2001) Slain By The Patriot Act. Rest In Pieces

Of course she voices her complaint by blogging and therefore using her rights of free speech and freedom of the press. She also uses a tyrant's title as her pen name, "Tsarina".

I guess she doesn't see the irony of her writing.

Tsarina doesn't understand the true threat. Bin Laden wrote an open letter containing his seven demands of the American People. Note the first:

(1) The first thing that we are calling you to is Islam.

And the consequences:

"If you fail to respond to all these conditions, then prepare for fight with the Islamic Nation."

The threat of freedom comes from Islamic fascists. Not from our government where the Bill of Rights is still the standard of liberty in the world.

Useless headline of the day

Dolphin's quarterback Jay Fiedler was benched at half-time in Saturday's game against the Titans.

An AP headline tells us "Dolphins' Fiedler Not Happy About Benching." AP must have Captain Obvious writing headlines.

When in the history of sports has a player ever said, "I'm happy the coach benched me. Did you see how bad I was playing? I was just about to ask him to bench me when he gave me the news. Hopefully, I'll be sitting the bench next week too."

CYA or self-incrimination

The memos supposedly revealing 1st Lt. Bush was AWOL and a bad soldier written by Lt. Col. Killian were addressed "To file", meaning they weren't actually sent to anyone, just filed in Lt. Col Killian's personal file. One of the memos dated 18 aug 1973 is titled "CYA" (link is to Powerline). It documents how (then retired) General Staudt pressuring the Lt. Col. to "sugarcoat" a review for 1st. Lt. Bush.

So let's get this straight. A retired General no longer affiliated with the National Guard (yes, that is redundant) is pressuring a commanding officer to falsify a report about a 1st Lt. That commanding officer is so concerned about the ethics of the situation, he agrees to accomodate the retired General then creates evidence his report was false by documenting he backdated the report and omitted a rating in lieu of giving a presumably bad rating. The Lt. Col. then calls that "CYA" (cover your ass).

Instead of filing a memo to self, a commanding officer would include justification for not giving a rating in the report itself. The reasoning for writing the memo doesn't follow. The implied logic is that if ever asked about the report, the Lt. Col. could claim "I filed a false report but I was pressured to do it." That excuse would not relieve him of the responsibility of making a false report. The memo would only prove he did so knowingly.

Was he a fool or is the memo a forgery?

Crash!

If you read my last entry, you've been waiting for the crash.

It happened thanks to ABC News laying out the evidence that the memos revealed by CBS were forged. Not good news for Kerry. The article's conclusion sums it up:

Many Democrats are worried that if they are found to be forgeries, it will be a setback for Sen. John Kerry's campaign to defeat Bush in November.

Its hard to come away from reading the article and not believe that articles were forgeries.

Uh oh!

As a child I remember the feeling of waiting to see if the dumb move I made would end in disaster. Like playing with your friend with a ball and bat. Your buddy tossed the ball and you hit it dead-on with the bat. There was that moment where you heard a satisfying crack. Then you and your buddy watch the ball arching toward the neighbor's window.

For a seemingly timeless moment your gut twists up and you say "uh oh". To your side you see your buddy's dumbfounded look as you both wait to see if the ball will crash through the window or somehow hit the ground before it without doing any damage.

Today the big news is that newly found documents indicate President Bush was AWOL and disobeyed orders while in the National Guard. That is the satisfying "crack" of the bat the Democrats felt.

Then later in the day, serious questions have been raised about the authenticity of the documents. Supposedly they came from the personal files of Mr. Bush's former commanding officer (why did the officer keep personnel files in his personal files?). That officer is now dead but his son believes the documents may be fake. Some typographists believe the documents are likely fake as well.

Uh oh.

Somewhere a Democrat oppretive and his buddy are staring at each other with a dumbfounded looks on their faces hoping this doesn't end in disaster.

If the documents are real, President Bush will take a hit in the polls and keep on rolling.

If they are fakes, CBS has egg on its face for not checking its facts before releasing the documents and revealing their biases. Some Democrats will be exposed (think Watergate, but worse) and President Bush will become bullet proof from any further accusations.

No, thanks. It'll give me gas.

This past Sunday, volunteers at the Nevada state fair in Reno laid down tortillas and heaped on refried beans, sour cream and salsa to create the world's largest burrito.

I've always wondered what happens to the food created in these stunts. Who gets to eat them? Apparently no one in this case. Organizers feared bacteria growing in the sour cream after sitting in the sun for the two hours it took to create the super burrito.

One volunteer said, "Sour cream and sunshine don't mix."

Football

It's football time again. The season opens tomorrow night with Indianapolis playing New England.

I've been a San Fransicso 49ers fan since grade school. This year I'm making the switch to officially being a Broncos fan (even though the preseason isn't giving me a positive feeling about this year).

Sadly, I now work on Sunday mornings. It will be mainly Internet game day coverage for me this year. I should be able to get home in the middle of the second quarter for the second game of the day and also catch the evening game.

Go Broncos.

The Kerry campaign

Another blogger has created a time line of Kerry campaign blunders from August. Not very encouraging if you're a Kerry fan.

What the?

You may have noticed I updated my blog template. Found it on blogskins.com then edited the heck out of it.

So what do you think? Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves in comments.

Security

I was speaking with a coworker about the security events at LAX yesterday. He made the observation that airports have much more security than our borders.

I pointed out that no one is going to take over the border and fly it into a building.

It seemed funny at the time, but then again, its not quite 7:00 am and I got up for work before 5:00.

Bounce

Newsweek is reporting that President Bush got a bounce from the Republican national convention. He is leading John Kerry by 11% in the latest poll.

When reached for comment John Kerry said, "But I served in Vietnam"

Kerry: begging to be unfit

In a midnight stealth speech this past Thursday, John Kerry whined that Vice President Cheney called him unfit for service.

One problem with Kerry's claim. Vice President Cheney didn't call John Kerry unfit for service. Cheney did question his senate voting record. Now if Kerry thinks that criticism of his voting record means he is unfit for service, it makes me wonder if it isn't true after all.

Sort of like when someone says, "I'm hungry" and another person replies replies "I didn't rob that restaurant," it makes you wonder if he robbed the restaurant.

His proof that he is fit and the President is not? Kerry once again pointed to his four months in Vietnam. After 20 years in the Senate, his main claim for fitness is a four month tour of duty that happened 35 years ago.

Kerry then responded to Cheney's non-accusation by calling President Bush and Vice President Cheney "unfit for service". Really.

So it is insulting to Kerry to be unfit for service when others don't say he is, but alright for him to call his opponents unfit.

Why does this man so badly want his oppenents to call him unpatriotic and unfit? There is something sad and desperate about that.

President Bush: Insensitive

President Bush expressed his concern for the residents of Florida who are in the pathe of hurricane Frances. He said:

"I've ordered teams to be in position to help the good people of that state"

The National Organization of Bad-people (NOOB) immediately condemned the remarks. NOOB Spokesbeing (the title Spokesperson is offensive to non-persons) Eustace Nutley issued the following statement:

Why do "good people" always receive assistance? Never bad people. I'm an ass and I demand respect! Bush is bad-person-phobic. We need a leader that will embrace his inner ass. NOOB demands an immediate congressional investigation into this adminstration's anti-bad-person policies.

The ACLU immediately agreed to take up NOOB and Mr. Nutley's cause. A lawsuit is expect to be filed right after the court house is rebuilt from the hurricane damage.

Everyone needs pride

Honeybun and I were at the local Safeway the other night. One of the checkers has a note written on her apron that says "I'm deaf". Next to that note is another note that says "DEAF PRIDE".

Now I think it is admirable that this young woman is being a productive member of society. I do wonder about her deaf pride statement. What exactly is there to be proud about in being deaf? Should she be admired for being deaf?

While she shouldn't be ashamed of her deafness, her deafness surely shouldn't be a point of pride. Honeybun made a good point when she said, "Maybe I should carry a 'bad knees pride' sign."

Hollywood: Dumber than I thought

I was mostly kidding when I posted an fictional account of a studio planning meeting for a remake of the Ten Commandments movie.

Now, Hollywood has topped me. A couple days ago producer Jerry Weintraub announced he would remake the movie Oh God! Who would they pick to play God? Ellen Deneres was Weintraub's obvious choice. Once again confirming that Hollywood has no clue about mainstream America.

Busy week

Honeybun had knee surgery on Wednesday. She is doing well and already hopping around in her knee brace.

That night I had my first grad school class. The instructor has a mohawk. Really.
CU Denver is a strange place.

Ten Suggestions - The Movie

The Yahoo! upcoming movies site has an Internet poll asking which Paramount movie readers would like to see remade following the example of The Stepford Wives and The Manchurian Candidate. One of the choices is The Ten Commandments (leading the voting as I write this).

Unless Mel Gibson is involved, I would be worried that the movie would be changed. What would that planning meeting look like?

Studio Head: OK, let's do The Ten Commandments.

Producer: Yeah, but The Ten Commandments movie was made in the 1960's, what with its commandments and good guys and bad guys. We need to update it for a "sophisticated" modern audience that isn't blinded by religion.

Writer: You're right. We've got another problem. The Israelites can't be slaves to the Egyptians, that's anti-Arab and so "BC". How about Palestinians trying to flee evil Israeli occupation?

Studio Head: I think you're on to something. Maybe we can get Michael Moore to star as Moses the Palestinian.

Writer: That's so sexist, why does Moses have to be a man?

Producer: How about Rosie O'Donnell? We can make it a comedy. Madonna can appear as Pharoah...I mean the Israeli Prime Minsiter - she's into Kaballah right?

Producer: There is still the problem with the Ten Commandments.

Writer: Well, everyone knows the commandments are really metaphors for ten reasons not to re-elect George Bush.

Producer: You're right. But where in the movie can we get Charlize Theron to take off her top?

We appreciate you (kind of).

I went to a "take and bake" pizza place yesterday. You buy your unbaked pizza there and bake it at home. Included with the pizza was a flier that announced their customer appreciation days were coming up.


 

Now if you examine the flier, it really doesn't seem to be a positive message. They are going to appreciate their customers for seven days only. I'm not sure exactly how they are going to treat their customers after September 20th, but apparently it won't be with appreciation.

Really. Who comes up with this stuff?

Betterment revisited

Got news today from CU Denver:

Dear Jason:
We are pleased to notify you that you have been admitted to the Masters of Science degree program in Technical Communication Program at CU Denver.

Woohoo! Now I just need to figure out how to pay for it and how to get a work schedule that will allow me to attend the evening classes.

Good Times

This past Sunday, Honeybun, her parents and I went to the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. Honeybun really gets into that kind of thing. I think it may be time to buy some boots and a stetson.

What is important?

The July 26th issue of Fortune magazine has an article on Ted Fortsmann. He was a man who became very rich in the 1980s and early 90s by financing leveraged buyouts. He kept his company small and worked with his brother as a business partner. He adopted two sons from South Africa but never married.

In the late 90s things fell apart. Ted Fortsmann made some bad business deals (although he is still rich) and in 2001 he lost his brother to cancer. His star has faded.

Now that he is considering retirment, he seems to be a lonely man.

He misses his little brother so much that sometimes he wanders into Nicky's office -untouched since the day he died, on Teddy's orders - just to sit for a while. He acknowledges that the lifelong bachelor routine has grown old...he [says] he wishes he had married.

This man was a titan of investing. He had all the success he wanted and still has influence with $2 billion in assets under management. In spite of all his accomplishments, he realizes he has no one to share them with.

Work is important, but not the most important thing.

Clergy of every faith have said to me: "I have been with many men approaching death; and not one has ever said, 'I only regret that I didn't spend more time at the office.'"-Dennis Prager

Michael Moore Loves America?

Reuters reports that Cuba is showing Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" on state run TV. Does anyone really believe he loves this country?

Castro airs Moore's movie to all of Cuba. He quoted Moore's book "Stupid White Men" in disparaging President Bush.  When our country's enemies use Moore's movies and books to support their agenda, isn't it safe to say Moore is anti-American?

Cuba is a country that thousands of its citizens try to flee from every year, most of them to this country.  Yet Moore's propaganda is helping Castro to villify the United States.

The Death Cult

Planned Parenthood is selling a shirt that bears the slogan "I had an abortion".

They claim that the shirt will "assert a powerful message in support of women's rights." The only thing missing is an accompanying message on the back saying "you should have one too!"

The slogan isn't about women, it is about ending life.  The slogan does nothing to protect women's rights. It only promotes death.

Planned Parenthood is a death cult.

Free speech for us, not for you

First there was the Whoopi Goldberg's vulgar show for John Kerry. When she got fired by Slim Fast who didn't want to be associated with her crude antics, she complained her rights of free speech were violated.

Then there was Linda Ronstadt. She got kicked out of the Aladdin Hotel after making political statements about Moore and his movie during her performance. Now Michael Moore has written an open letter (I guess it's his way of saving the 37 cents on postage) to the Aladdin Hotel claiming Ronstadt's rights were violated.

Moore believes that Ronstadt's comments are free speech people who disagree with those views are required to be associated with them. It doesn't work the other way around. Liberal activist groups NEA and NOW demanded that Rush Limbaugh be fired from promoting Florida orange juice.

Now we find out that Ronstadt is a bigot. Here is what she said in an interview before the Aladdin show:

It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."

If you are a Republican or (horrors!) a Christian, she doesn't want to perform for you. Lefties want to you to accept and even support their views no matter how offensive you believe they are. Criticism is not allowed.

Remember, there are none so intolerant as the tolerant.

Another interview

Tomorrow I'm interviewing Kevin Anderson, author of various sci-fi novels, for an article. Today I went out and bought a digital voice recorder. It's an Olympus DS-330. It even has a docking cradle so I can download recordings to my computer.
 
I figure I can also use it for college classes if I can get into the program. Four months after I submitted my paperwork, I'm still trying to get a couple of recommendation letters to them (one of which had previously been mailed). It makes me wonder if they really want students or not.
 
Oh, so anyway, I'm interviewing Kevin Anderson tomorrow. Did you know he recently signed the largest book contract ever for a science-fiction writer?
 

Now this is scary

Thirteen Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives have sent a letter to the U.N. asking it to send election observers to monitor the November 2004 Presidential elections.
 
So much for Democrats wanting our country to remain a sovereign nation.

It's bad for you

I learned on The History Channel today that Florida death row inmates are not allowed to have tobacco. The reason: smoking is a health hazard.

We sure wouldn't want those inmates dying early.

What a great country

Michael Moore thinks America is a bad place.

This past weekend, the LA Times published a (negative) opinion piece by Moore which James Lileks thoroughly debunks.

One of the examples that Moore uses in claiming America is a bad place and that people who display the flag are evil is this 1976 photo showing a white man using a flag pole to attack a black man. Lileks points out that as usual, Moore doesn't state the full story.

The full story points out that Booker T. Washington was right in his autobiography Up From Slavery when he says that racism is more harmful to the racist than to the one he attacks.

What Moore doesn't say is where the two men in the photograph are today. The attacker's name is James Rakes. In 2001, he was working as a laborer on the Big Dig highway project in Boston.

The man who was attacked is Ted Landsmark. At the time of the attack, Landsmark had already earned a BA in political science. Since then, he has been the dean
of graduate and continuing education at the Massachusetts College of Art. He also served as the director of Boston's Office of Community Partnerships and is is currently the president and CEO of the Boston Architectural Center. In the meantime, he also completed a Ph.D. at Boston University.

Moore thinks this is a horrible country. I think it a great country. Only in this country did Ted Landsmark have the opportunity achieve the success he has gained. James Rakes reaped the rewards his actions and attitudes have inevitably led him to. What's wrong with that?

Fortune Cookie Curse

A few weeks ago, Honeybun and I went to our favorite Chinese food restaurant. Well, my favorite. She doesn't like Chinese food. At the end we opened our fortune cookies. I forget what mine said, but hers sounded ominous:
"You will soon be crossing the great waters."

That doesn't sound promising. Crossing A great water sounds like it could be fun. Crossing THE great waters sounds like a final destination.

OK. So one rogue fortune cookie shouldn't get you down. Then this past Sunday we went to Breckenridge, Colorado for a family reunion with my Dad's family. For lunch we went to another Chinese restaurant. At the end of the meal, Honeybun opened her fortune cookie and it said, "You will soon be crossing the great waters." The same damn fortune!

What sick bastard puts that in a fortune cookie.....twice!

Stupid fortune cookies.

Life before birth

A new type of ultrasound scan shows how complex a fetus has developed as early as 12 weeks.

From the article:
From 12 weeks, unborn babies can stretch, kick and leap around the womb - well before the mother can feel movement

From 18 weeks, they can open their eyes although most doctors thought eyelids were fused until 26 weeks

From 26 weeks, they appear to exhibit a whole range of typical baby behaviour and moods, including scratching, smiling, crying, hiccuping, and sucking.
Until recently it was thought that smiling did not start until six weeks after birth.

Wow. Check out the link to see images from the scans. This scan confirms that an child in the womb is more than a collection of tissue. I think it proves the pro-life argument; it's not a choice, it's a baby.

Deep philosophical thought for the day

Secular thought likes the idea that good an evil are different sides of the same coin. There cannot be one without the other.

Some go even further by trying to claim there is a neutral state (this thought is even explored in popular roleplaying games). I've never bought this idea myself. Neutrality is essentially exclusively self-serving. History has shown that path quickly leads to evil.

So getting back to Good and Evil, I've never believed that argument that there cannot be one without the other but I haven't been able to put my thoughts together on the reason. I saw a comment on a post today at the evangelical outpost. Yes, evil is defined by good, but good is not defined by evil.

David Scott said:
It is certainly theoretically possible for everything to be good-to have a perfect life, to love and be loved by everyone... Good is not defined by evil because good is its own quality-the imitation of God and following His law, in the most distilled view.

Of course that is the Christian world view. The secularist has to reject God and therefore may be blind to the independent nature of Good. True, Evil is not being good. But Good is still good without the presence of evil.

Explorer for sale - cheap

Last week a hail storm hit the Denver area. Our Explorer was nailed. Just got the word from the insurance company today - it's totalled.

If anyone is in the market for a severely hail damaged Ford Explorer (I now refer to it as "dimple red") I'm sure the insurance company will give you a deal.

Been a long time gone

So I haven't been posting lately. I've been busy. Well, not really.

We hosted a barbeque on Sunday. Thirty eight people showed up. Good times.

What else....got a new dog. A yellow lab to keep our black lab company. Labs are destructive as puppies. Everything is a chew toy.

I'm currently reading an advanced reader copy of Horizon Storms by Kevin Anderson which will be available in July in hardcover. It's science fiction but a fun read. I should be interviewing the author early next month for enworld.org.

That's all for now.

I need a name

I'm trying to start a freelance writing business. I even have an assignment already (Thanks Gabby).

The problem is, I don't have a name for my business. So, I'm taking nominations for a good writing business name. Any suggestions?

A man with no ability to reason

Michael Berg is the father of Nicholas Berg, the man whose head was cut off on videotape by Islamic terrorists in Iraq.

The Guardian published an article by Michael Berg that is amazing for it lack of moral judgment. Normally, I pass on political statements made by grieving families. This one is beyond belief.

People ask me why I focus on putting the blame for my son's tragic and atrocious end on the Bush administration. They ask: "Don't you blame the five men who killed him?" I have answered that I blame them no more or less than the Bush administration, but I am wrong: I am sure, knowing my son, that somewhere during their association with him these men became aware of what an extraordinary man my son was. I take comfort that when they did the awful thing they did, they weren't quite as in to it as they might have been. I am sure that they came to admire him.

I am sure that the one who wielded the knife felt Nick's breath on his hand and knew that he had a real human being there. I am sure that the others looked into my son's eyes and got at least a glimmer of what the rest of the world sees. And I am sure that these murderers, for just a brief moment, did not like what they were doing.

George Bush never looked into my son's eyes. George Bush doesn't know my son, and he is the worse for it. George Bush, though a father himself, cannot feel my pain, or that of my family, or of the world that grieves for Nick, because he is a policymaker, and he doesn't have to bear the consequences of his acts. George Bush can see neither the heart of Nick nor that of the American people, let alone that of the Iraqi people his policies are killing daily.

OK, let me get this straight. The man who brutally cut off his son's head knew Nick's humanity. While the terrorist was sawing through flesh, tendons, and bone while Nick was wailing in pain and terror, he saw a human. This was not a quick painless death. I have heard the audio. This was the most brutal event I have ever witnessed. If the terrorist saw a human, wouldn't he have stopped the slaughter? And Michael Berg says President Bush has more blame?

Berg goes on to praise his son for being a peacemaker while implying President Bush is not. The President does not have troops in Iraq at this point to make war. President Bush has asked Congress for billions of dollars to set up a stable Iraq. The United States is supplying power and water, it has opened schools, it has set up local elections, it is building infrastructure. Is this not the actions of a peaceful nation?

Michael Berg has demonstrated the consequences of moral bankruptcy. He blames a man who is trying to bring peace to another nation while calling the men who literally slaughtered his son "human". We are doomed when the terrorists are considered human while brutally murdering our citizens while the real peacemakers are considered evil.

GRE Test day

No blogging in the last week because I was trying not to get pneumonia. Still coughing but I'm back to work.

I took the GRE test to get into grad school today. I scored 640 on the verbal portion and 620 on the quantative. The program I'm trying to get into looks for an average score of 560.

Imagine how I would have done if I had studied.

Heroes

The media harps on the stories about a few abused Iraqis. They demand apologies from President Bush and his staff. When they get those apologies, they demand for the resignation of senior staff members.

They do not demand apoligies for Americans brutally murdered by terrorists. They also ignore the heroes of the war, like Capt. Brian Chontosh, USMC.

Last week, Capt. Chontosh received the Navy Cross - the second highest award for extraordinary herosim behind the medal of honor - for actions in combat from March of last year.

Capt. Chontosh was leading his platoon on Highway 1 in Iraq when they drove into an ambush. Capt. Chontosh ordered the driver of the Humvee he was in to drive toward a entrenched enemy machine gun. Capt Chontosh ordered his machine gunner to return fire. When the enemy machine gun was disabled, Capt. Chontosh ordered his driver to drive into the trench the rest of the ambushers were fighting from. The driver did and Capt. Chontosh got out of the Humvee with his M16 and his 9mm pistol.

Capt. Chontosh then began to clear the trench. He fired until his M16 ran out of ammunition. Then he used his 9mm pistol until it ran out of ammunition. He then picked up an AK-47 from a dead Iraqi. When that ran out of ammunition, he picked up another Ak-47 from another dead attacker. One of his troops found a discarded rockect propelled grenade which Capt. Chontosh used to kill more enemy fighters.

In the end, Capt. Chonotosh killed 20 attackers and wounded many more and cleared 200 meters of the enemy trench.

Marine Corps and American heroism at its finest. Why can't we hear more about that?

Why President Bush is a great President

This is another reason why I'll vote for President Bush in November.

Read what he did when someone told him, 'This girl lost her mom in the World Trade Center on 9-11'

The media loves to trumpet when 9-11 family survivors criticize the President. They are noticably silent when victims' families support the President. At the same time, it is good to know President Bush's actions are from the heart and not merely a chance for a photo-op.

My latest interview

My interview with New York Times Best Selling author Tracy Hickman is posted at ENWorld.org.

New Computer

Yesterday Honeybun and I bought a new computer. Woohoo! 3.2 GHz of raw computing power. The 19" LCD flat screen is pretty cool too. It makes me want to open her up on the superhighway and see what she can do.

Or maybe I'll just play solitaire on it.

Kerry: wrong man for the job

John O'Neill took over command of a navy swift boat from John Kerry. He wrote an article that says Kerry is unfit to serve as President. O'Neill was still in Vietnam while Kerry was claiming that U.S. troops were committing war crimes everyday (presumably including O'Neill).

Kerry says that Vietnam vets are behind him. This article seems to dispute that claim.

You may be infected

Take this diagnostic test to find out what human viruses you are carrying.

GLOBAL WARMING ALERT

Today is April 30 and it is snowing in Denver.

Conclusive evidence that the world is getting warmer.

Why Pat Tillman is important

Dennis Prager does a better job of explaining it than I can.

Pat Tillman

This is one story that gets to me in the most profound way. Former NFL player Pat Tillman died in combat yesterday while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan.

In 2002, He walked away from a $3.6 million offer from the Cardinals to join the Army and turned down an even bigger offer before that from the Rams. By becoming an Army Ranger, he intended to go to where the most dangerous assignments would be.

This man had what popular culture holds dear - money and fame. His life shows what how trivial those things are in the end. He lived and died for duty, loyalty and protecting this country.

God bless Pat Tillman.

Real Heroes

This is the kind of story that makes me proud to have been in the finest fighting force in the world. Sergeant Sagredo is "hard corps."

God bless the Marine Corps.

Why are these heroics not reported in U.S. media?

EARTHQUAKE!

A UCLA scientist is predicting a major earthquake will hit Los Angeles before September 5th.

Senator Ted Kennedy immediately called for investigations into how much President Bush knows about earthquakes and demanded a full release of any memo's revealing connections between L.A. earthquakes and Haliburton.

Meanwhile, Presidential hopeful John Kerry said, "I voted for earthquakes before I voted against them. But this election isn't about earthquakes, it's about jobs. My time in Vietnam taught me that earthquakes hurt the economy. And George Bush lost 2..no 3...wait, 10 million jobs because he ignored earthquakes during his administration. I will support earthquakes that create more jobs."

Blogger?

It's been a week since I've written anything here. I must be reading too much to write. I'm reading opinionjournal.com and hughhewitt.com and overlawyered.com...even a little lileks.com. They pretty much say everything before I get to it.

Oh, then there is the enworld.org message boards, but only go there if you are into roleplaying games (not the dress up as the opposite sex kind, I mean the Dungeons & Dragons kind).

Marines die in Iraq

As a former member of the Marine Corps, stories like the death of up to 12 Marines in Iraq are close to my heart. While I mourn their deaths, I'm grateful for their sacrifice. Their sacrifice shows that they are making and have made America safer.

How? Our enemies are busy engaging our forces overseas. Notice terrorist bullets aren't flying here. Iran is backing the thug in Iraq. That is where their resources are going.

Al Qaeda is trying to infiltrate the Iraqi population. The fact that they are fighting our troops in Iraq means I can sleep safe here at home. Our Marines and Soldiers are in harm's way there to keep us safe here...and it's working.

God bless the Marine Corps.

I'm published! (kind of)

In February, I interviewed science fiction author Mitchell Graham for sffworld.com, a site devoted to science fiction and fantasy.

My article was published on the web site today. If you're interested (and I know you are) you can read it here.

Danger around every corner

One of my guilty pleasures is Dear Abby. There is one kind of letter I can't stand though:

Dear Abby,

Yesterday I was walking through the living room and saw the cover was off my box fan. I thought it would be fun to stick my head in the whirling blades. I ended up in the hospital with lacerations from my forehead to my chin.

Abby, please tell your readers to make sure they keep covers over fan blades and to never, ever stick your face in a fan.

Signed,

Stuck my face in a fan and now I know better

Dear Stuck,

You are right. After reading your letter I immediately put covers back on all my fans. Hopefully, others can learn from your mishap.

Readers, don't stick forks in power outlets either. You may permanently damage your silverware.

Dinner

Tonight I used some left over London Broil to make some French dip sandwiches. Then I caugt myself; can you make French dip out of London Broil? That's like trying to make a rum & Coke with Pepsi. It just can't be done.

That was before I realized, I don't eat French dip sandwiches anymore. I'm still eating Freedom dip sandwiches.

Mmmmm. Freedom London Broil dip sandwiches.

Less teachers or more taxes?

The local school district, Littleton Public Schools, sent me a nicely designed pamphlet threatening to cut 9% of its teaching staff if voters don't approve a tax increase sure to be on an upcoming ballot.

This is a common tactic by school districts and teachers unions. They offer only two choices, fire teachers and increase class sizes (with the threat of lower tests scores as a result) or increase taxes. School administrators must be the most highly trained and productive workers in the world. Their jobs are never mentioned as possible costs savings. It's amazing since the teachers are the ones in contact with students, yet adminstrators seem to have the most job security in education.

What it really comes down to is that voters wouldn't bat an eye if administrators jobs are threatened. If teachers might get laid off, well that's another story. It's all about money. The voters are much more willing to raise taxes if that is the only alternative to losing teachers.

Here is something strange. The Littleton Public schools is consistently in the top three districts in the Denver Metro area in test scores while have the lowest funding per student in the metro area. It just demonstrates that throwing more money into schools does not relate to quality education. I'll be voting against the coming tax proposal.

Back to test scores, here is a study that found there is no relation between small class sizes and high test scores. What happens is that more teachers need to be hired (not a bad thing for the teachers union) so students are getting more individual attention but its from poorer quality teachers.

Liberal Radio

Today Liberal AM Radio was launched by a new radio network, Air America Radio.

It may work, but the signs aren't good so far. Their flagship program is hosted by Al Franken. That alone is bad enough, but he felt the need to name his show The O'Franken Factor. If you want to be successful in life, you can't be a follower. By parodying The O'Reilly Factor, Franken is a follower, not a leader. It's easy to criticize. It's harder to stand for something.

I'll be interested to see if there is any substance to the new liberal network.

Reading and writing...

I am still in the process of applying for grad school. It's been a slow process, but you have to have money to go to school.

I've finally settled on a degree - MS in Technical Communications. Well, I've decided that sometime ago. Since I think I express myself clearly in writing and love technology, it seems a good fit for me.

It turns out I have a major trait that is good for developing writing skills. That is, I'm a voracious reader. Last month I interviewed fantasy novelist Mitchell Graham for a web site (I'll put the link to the interview up when it finally gets posted) said he believes the way to learn how to write is to study other readers. Another fantasy novelist, George R.R. Martin, says the same thing.

Then today I was reading a book by Robert Bly, an expert on commercial writing, who said he loved to read as a child. He eventually became a technical writer.

OK, I like to read, (I'm currently reading 5 different books) I like technology. It just dawned on me that I actually had a job as a technical writer while for a year when I worked at Merrill Lynch in a software support position. I really should do more of that.

We should talk to them..

The naive left claims that we should use diplomacy and negotiate with terrorists. By killing terrorist leaders like Israel did to Ahmed Yassin, the co-founder and "spiritual leader" of Hamas, Israel is "perpetuating the cycle of violence".

One thing I learned in the Marine Corps is that you need to kill people who want to kill you. Sounds harsh, but its true. And Hamas certainly wants to kill Israel. From Hamas' founding charter:

"Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors."

"the so-called peaceful solutions, and the international conferences to resolve the Palestinian problem, are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance Movement"

How do you negotiate with people who don't want to negotiate? Islamic terrorists (e.g. Hamas) only want to kill. There is no alternative.

"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion. " -W. R. Inge

Arafat admits he is a terrorist

George Khoury was a 20-year-old economics student at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. Last Friday he was killed after being shot in the head, neck and stomach by al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade terrorists. He had been jogging in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.

Only one problem from al-Aqsa's view. George Khoury was an Arab. He was not a Jew.

Oops.

So Yassir Arafat called George Khoury's father and apologized for the killing. For those of you who might think Arafat is looking for peace, please read that last sentence again. Apologizing for an action takes responsibility. Arafat admitted he is responsible for trying to kill Israelis - in this case, missing and killing an Arab.

In response to their mistake, al-Aqsa immediately blamed Israel for the death by claiming Khoury is now a "martyr." They are killing their own people and labeling their victims heroes for their cause.

Iraq war protests

Today idiots are protesting a war already won. Rev. Herbert Daughtry said, “It is time to bring our children home and declare this war was unnecessary.”

To say this war was unneccesary is to say Saddaam Hussein should still be in power. Tell the families of hundreds of thousands of massacred Iraqis that this war was unneccessay. There are pictures of our Army personnel excavating mass graves here.

And George W. Bush is the evil one now? Strange that a reverend can't tell the difference between Hussein and President Bush.

PETA: "Chickens are human too"

PETA is getting ready to launch its "Holocaust on a plate" campaign which compares the killing of chickens for food to the massacre of 6 million Jews during World War II.

Reuters reports:
The posters, due to be displayed in Stuttgart from Thursday and in 11 European cities at later dates, show pictures of battery hens packed into cages next to historic pictures of emaciated Jewish inmates in Nazi concentration camp bunk beds.

Reuters put this story under its "Oddly Enough" category and titled it German Jews Attack Vegetarian Ad Campaign. The title implies that Reuters thinks it is odd for German Jews to be offended at the ad campaign rather than it being odd PETA would compare chickens to human suffering.

In reality, PETA thinks animals are more important than humans. On February 3, 2003, PETA co-founder Ingrid Newkirk wrote a letter to Yasir Arafat asking him to not to harm animals in suicide bombing attacks. She has absolutely no concern about the children the terrorists are killing as long as they don't hurt donkeys.

You may think the title of this post is a joke. It isn't. PETA is calling for an amendment to the United States Constitution that says:

all mammals, birds, and fish will, henceforth, be defined as "persons" in the eyes of the law

Makes me hungry for some chicken.

Al Qaeda 1 - Spain 0

Spain is the first nation to ever be defeated by a terrorist group. A whole country has surrendered to a group of thugs. Jose Zapatero, head of the socialist party recently elected, maintains he will withdraw Spain's troops from Iraq unless the U.S. cedes control of the country to the United Nations. Obviously, he is optimistic of U.N. control because of the its past successes resulting from its demands that amount to "Stop, or we will say "stop" again!"

Al Qaeda is thanking them:
A group claiming to have links with al Qaeda said on Wednesday it was calling a truce in its Spanish operations to see if the new Madrid government would withdraw its troops from Iraq

Other European countries, you can thank Spain for the terrorism coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

The Passion Continues

"The Passion of The Christ" made another $32 million this weekend making a total gross of $264 million which will put it at 23rd on the all time list. The movie needs only to make another $21 million to become the biggest selling R rated movie ever and break into the top 20 all time. I heard commentary on the radio today expecting the movie to finish at number two or three on the all time list ahead of E.T. or Star Wars.

Looking at the list of top movies of all time you can see another example of Hollywood being out of touch. As of today, not a single one of the top 20 movies of all time are rated R. Yet in the 1990's, 55% of all movies released were rated R. Here's an eye opener. In 2003 258 movies were released on video. 122 of them (47%) were rated R. PG-13 came in second with 88 movies released (34%).

Well, maybe some movie studios are getting smarter. Disney and Walden Media are going to release C.S. Lewis children's classic story "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" in December of 2005.

Presidential endorsement auction

Currently on eBay:
Update: EBay took down the auction (they aren't any fun). Here is the full text:

Have you ever been caught in a lie while running for President of the United States? If you want to make a current president jealous, look better in front of your political buddies who have real foreign relations experience, or if you are just a liar who got called out on your bogus campaign lies, this is the auction for you!!! I'll pretend that I am the leader of a foreign nation that supports your candidacy for President of the United States until the elections in November.

As the imaginary leader of a foreign nation who supports your candidacy, I'll play along with you with whatever you want me to say. If you want to tell some pesky Republican who call you out at a campaign stop that I support you, I'll back you up. If you want me to claim that Bush has ruined the reputation of the United States, I'm up to it. Just like you, I'm willing to say anything it takes to get you elected, I won't mean a bit of it, and I'll change my stand on the situation when it is politically convenient.

Shipping/Handling charge for this item is $15.00, we only ship to Massachusetts. Payment must be received within 3 days of auction close. We accept Paypal (Mastercard, Visa, E-Checks), Money Orders, Certified Checks, or fraudulent donations from Moveon.org in US Funds and cash. As soon as I receive your payment I'll mail off the press release to CNN, Fox, ABC, NBC, and CBS stating the fact that we have a relationship going back to the start of the Bush presidency. I am the ultimate online fake leader of a foreign nation!!!!

*****THIS DOES NOT MEAN I AM YOUR REAL SUPPORTER!!!!!This is only pretend!!!!!***** When our time is up, right before the election, I'll send out another press release stating that this was all fake. Hey, I'm out for a buck, I'm not insane. But who are we kidding, if flip flopping on the issues makes a person less trustworthy, you would have dropped out of the race already.

This is a private auction your user id will not be shown on here!!!!

Europe should expect more terror attacks

Opinion Journal passes this on from a CNN report:

"A December posting on an Internet message board used by al Qaeda and its sympathizers and obtained by CNN, spells out a plan to topple the pro-U.S. government":

"We think the Spanish government will not stand more than two blows, or three at the most, before it will be forced to withdraw because of the public pressure on it," the al Qaeda document says.

"If its forces remain after these blows, the victory of the Socialist Party will be almost guaranteed--and the withdrawal of Spanish forces will be on its campaign manifesto."

It certainly worked. The pro-U.S. government was soundly defeated in the election held just after the train bombings in Spain. The rest of Europe needs to brace itself. Spain showed Al Qaeda it is willing to turn tail at the first sign of a threat. Since Al Qaeda achieved its goal with Spain, it only makes sense they will repeat this tactic with other countries.

Will this tactic work in the United States? Hopefully we won't find out in October.

More "Passion"

The Passion of The Christ continues to draw hysterical criticism. Actor Steve Martin has written a satirical article criticizing the movie as "money-making showbusiness".

This demonstrates just how out of touch Hollywood is. Prior to the film's release, Mel Gibson was identified purely as a anti-Semitic traditional Catholic zealot. Now that the film has grossed over $200 Million he is money grubbing.

Where has Hollywood been for the past 40 years? Aren't they supposed to be in business? If this was such a sure bet from Hollywood's perspective, a studio would have made this movie years ago. Mel Gibson put up his own money for a film no one else wanted to touch and made an incalcuable risk in using foreign languages for all the dialogue. That's as far from a sure thing as I've ever heard. Now he is called money-grubbing.

Christian groups have been begging for Christian movies for years. When a good one finally comes, they attend in unprecedented numbers. Twelve days after its release, it already ranks as 47th highest grossing movie of all time (I expect another huge bump in sales around Easter). It looks to be in line for the most profitable movie ever released.

This isn't a demonstration of Mel Gibson's greed. It's a lesson in how foolish Hollywood is.

Fajitas

I made fajitas for lunch today. Took the leftovers with me to work.
Man! (or non-gender-specific exclamation), I make some gooooooooood fajita.

Why President Bush will win the 2004 election

From a speech President Bush made on March 8, 2004:

"My opponent spent two decades in Congress. He spent a long time in Washington and he's built up quite a record. Senator Kerry has been in Washington so long that he's taken both sides on just about every issue. Senator Kerry voted for the Patriot Act, for NAFTA, for the No Child Left Behind Act, and for the use of force in Iraq. Now he opposes the Patriot Act, NAFTA, the No Child Left Behind Act, and the liberation of Iraq. My opponent clearly has strong beliefs--they just don't last very long. . . ."

North Koreans for Kerry

State run media in North Korea is pushing John Kerry for U.S. President.

"Pyongyang seems to hope victory for the Democratic candidate on November 2 would lead to a softening in US policy towards the country's nuclear weapons programme."

North Korea knows Kerry will be soft on defense. Hopefully, Americans will realize it in time.

Christianity is unconstitutional?

I've been debating a man on a message board about marriage and the Bible.

I've pointed out that recent events in Canada and Europe have led to the restriction of the freedom to practice one's religion and the freedom of speech. (Christians have successfully been sued for "hate crimes" for calling homosexuality a sin).

My position is that the same may happen here. My debating opponent had this to say about the moralilty of the Bible:

I can view what i see as immorality in the bible as absolutely immoral
(this would include espousing a belief that those who believe a different religion
are going to hell. Which of course doesnt really fly with our freedom of
religion beliefs in this country)

He actually believes that Christianity is unconstitutional. He believes Christians are not allowed to hold Christian beliefs. Canada and Europe have already taken steps to prevent Christians from expressing their beliefs. Is the same thing starting here?

How to bankrupt America - 101

John Kerry again is demonstrating a sad lack of foresight. Kerry is now saying he would grant state-sanctioned gay couples all the 1,049 federal benefits married couples lay claim to.

That's fine Mr. Kerry. How are you going to pay for it?

Now regardless of your position on gay marriage, there are significant consequences to this plan. The impact on Social Security survivor benefits alone would push the federal program past the breaking point.

But then again, Kerry has already made it clear that he wants to raise taxes.

How to kill job creation - 101

John Kerry is on the stump trying to tell people how he will protect jobs. Here is his solution:

"...he would order a 120-day review of all trade pacts. He laid out specific guidelines for companies wanting to send jobs overseas, including at least three months' advance notice for affected employees as well as notification of the Labor Department, state agencies and local government officials."

That certainly would make it more difficult for jobs to be shipped overseas. Which brings up the law of unintended consequences. Pretend you are an employer with offices in Colorado and offices in Mexico. Demand goes up for your product and you need more people to make your widgets. You want to create jobs in Colorado. Now wouldn't you stop and think twice knowing that you would have to go through all these hoops if you need to relocate jobs later? Or worse, you may want to eliminate jobs when demand slumps, but worry about employees (union?) filing suite saying you are moving the jobs and accuse you of violating Kerry's regulations. It doesn't matter that you aren't moving them. You now have to pay legal expenses to show it was job elimination not relocation.

It's just too much legal liability. Nope, instead you will create those jobs in Mexico as insurance that you won't have to deal with the bureaucratic nightmare later. He blames President Bush for jobs relocating. He will do even better by making sure they aren't created here in the first place.

The Passion

I just got back from seeing The Passion of The Christ. My opinion:

Stunning.

First, how anyone can claim the movie is anti-Semitic or portrays all Jews poorly was not watching this movie. In the movie, there are members of the Sanhedrin who courageously try to defend Jesus, obviously unsuccessfully. Many others walk out of a trial that clearly becomes a farce.

I have heard other criticism that Pontius Pilate is treated too sympathetically. I saw his actions as cowardly. The movie portrays his motivations exactly as I've believed. That is, he notes Jesus was innocent, yet he is more concerned with politics of releasing Jesus than making a principled stand to free an innocent man.

Watching the torture of Jesus was horrible. Mel Gibson showed excruciating detail of what the Romans did to people. Even more moving was seeing those scenes through the eyes of Mary as a woman watching her son dying.

Through it all, Jesus message of love and forgiveness is not lost. It is emphasized even more by showing flashbacks in between scenes of the crucifixion. The short resurrection scene shows us that his sacrifice was not in vain.

Mel Gibson took "the greatest story every told" and produced the greatest movie ever made.

Comics

This one is funny.

Loyalty

Earlier this week, I mentioned that Mel Gibson refused to publicly disavow his father's discounting the holocaust in WWII. On Thursday, Little Green Footballs, posted a quote from a radio interview Hutton Gibson (Mel's father) had with a radio station and made remarks like, "“It’s all - maybe not all fiction - but most of it is."

I certainly disagree with those statements. What I find as sad are calls from LGF readers in the comments section demanding Mel Gibson publicly denounce his father.

Mel's refusal to denounce his father is a sign of his integrity. Mel Gibson made it perfectly clear in the Sawyer interview that he believes anti-semitism is unChristian. At the same time, those Christian beliefs tell him to honor (not necessarily agree with) his father and mother. It is not his place to publicly condemn his father's views.

Languages

People say its a good thing to know another language. I've never really had the aptitude for it though. I figure, if God wanted me to speak a foreign language, He wouldn't have invented English.

A boy!

About a half hour ago my sister-in-law gave birth to an 8lb 15oz baby boy. Welcome to the world Cody Charles. Congratulations Julie and Shawn.

Women exposing themselves

Dennis Prager wrote on interesting article on the continuing trend of women exposing their bodies. He believes it is the promotion of the ideal that mean and women are the same.

He concludes that women are saying: "I am a woman. And I will declare it in one of the only ways left to me -- I will show you my female body."

My thought is what happens when even that is taken away. After Janet Jackson revealed her breast on national TV, some people tried to defend it by saying "What's the big deal. It's only a boob." In essence, they are saying that breasts are no longer sexual, and by extension, not definitively feminine.

Thankfully, most men don't agree. If it was "just a boob" it would not have been the most "Tivo'ed" moment to date.

John Kerry and "Honorable" service

John Kerry is a deeply confused man when it comes to military service. In the current campaign, he can't say more than two sentences without referencing his Vietnam service.

Many pundits are calling his service "honorable". He did, after all, receive three Purple Hearts and other medals for his actions in combat. I don't know if his service was honorable. For me to call it honorable, I have to believe was doing what he thought was honorable. Yet in 1971 he made a speech before Congress that the LA Times credits with convincing many Americans that the war was immoral. During the testimony he accused all levels of the military of committing the most horrible atrocities.

He now tries to claim is proud of both his service and his anti-war protests. Kerry believes the war was immoral. So how can he be proud of participating in a military action responsible for so many atrocities? He can't have his cake and eat it too. He cannot have served honorably in a war he believed to be immoral.

Let's call his service "brave" but not honorable. John Kerry is responsible for casting a poor light on his service by his protests following his combat experience.

Kerry emphasized his moral bankruptcy by equating service in the National Guard (and by extension all military reserves) to draft dodging. "I've said since the day I came back from Vietnam that it was not an issue to me if somebody chose to go to Canada or to go to jail or to be a conscientious objector or to serve in the National Guard or elsewhere."

Thanks, Mr. Kerry. My time in the USMC reserves (after active duty) was just as honorable as deserting the military.

Mel Gibson and The Passion of The Christ

I just finished watching Mel Gibson's interview by Diane Sawyer. ABC posted more about the interview on their web site. I've read about Mel Gibson's convictions in making this movie. In tonight's interview I finally saw that conviction for myself.

Throughout the interview he stood his ground. He claimed that "we all" are responsible for Jesus death. When asked about Jews involvement in the cruxifiction he said: Jesus "was a child of Israel, among other children of Israel. There were Jews and Romans in Israel. There were no Norwegians there." He said Jews and Romans "were the material agents of His demise."

On the other hand, Diane Sawyer seemed to display an astounding ingnorance of Christianity. Her commentary had the tone that Christianity needed to be explained to Americans (presumably because the majority of viewers would not understand its tenets) even while she is showing statistics that say 82% of Americans claim to be Christians. She also came across as incredulous that Mel Gibson actually believed that the Bible was literally true. His answer was exactly what I believe: if part of it is not true, then none of it is true.

Near the end, he showed complete inner resolve and integrity by refusing to allow comments made by his father to be used against him. His response to Diane Sawyer was, "He is my father and I love him...Leave it alone Diane."

I will be seeing this movie.

And yes, I believe the story is true.

Kerry demands George W. Bush stay at home

Democrat presidential hopeful John Kerry proved again that he is not running on issues by criticizing President Bush for appearing at the Daytona 500. After appearing at a photo opportunity at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, WI - Kerry said, "This is not a time for photo opportunities, it is a time to create real opportunities in America," regarding the President's opening of the Daytona 500.

Valentine

You know, this day is one of the most overly romanticized days of the year.

That said, I love my wife. Happy Valentine's Day Honeybun.

Reuters: Catholics unwelcome in political process

Archbishop Sean O'Malley criticized the Massachusetts supreme court for ordering gay marriages be legalized in that state.

Reuters reporter Greg Frost characterized the Archbishop's comments as "Wading deep into the waters separating church and state"

Apparently Greg Frost believes that clergy should not be allowed to comment about, much less participate in, our political process.

News flash Mr. Frost: The first amendment prevents the government from establishing a religion. It does not limit the rights of clergy or people of faith from influencing government.

He doesn't even seem to consider that Archbishop O'Malley may be right - the court is usurping the power of the legislature in making its ruling.

Sadly, Frost is more concerned that an Archbishop is exercising his freedom of speech than that the separation of powers (where the real violation is) has been breached.

Remember the good ole days

Remember the good ole days when the Superbowl was family programming?
By now I'm sure you've heard that CBS is apologizing for Justin Timberlake "accidentally" exposing Janet Jackson's breast.

Those who saw it (I just missed it. I was looking at my wife when my buddies said "Did you see that?) know that her nipple was covered by a silver tassle.

So let me get this straight, Ms. Jackson regulary keeps pasties on under her clothes - I'm sure for just such an occasion. During the performance, Timberlake and Jackson were basically dry-humping the whole time. Combined with Nelly's "take off all your clothes" song, the whole half-time show was adults only fare.

CBS is now claiming that MTV will never produce another Superbowl half-time show. That seems to be scapegoating. CBS must have been aware that MTV was promoting Janet Jackson's Super Bowl Show Promises 'Shocking Moments'

I have a pretty high tolerance for this kind of thing. The Superbowl, now pretty much an American holday, is not the place. Keep it rated "G" for this one event please.