Opaque Lucidity

Cause I Saw It On My PC

With Christmas less than a month away, many parents who don't know the first thing about video games are trying to find the latest must-have addition for their child's collection. This week, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility released their list of what they consider to be the top 10 most violent, society-destroying video games available. On that list are some of the hottest games going: Half-Life 2, Doom 3, etc. As usual, the ICCR and groups like them are scolding game developers and the stores which sell the games, saying that violent video games lead children to violent acts.

We can debate the truth of the assertion that children who view violent acts are more prone to violent action. But I believe that there is an element to the debate which is all but ignored by the parties involved: parental awareness. It is this one crucial component which can make or break this argument.

I know parents (you do, too) who use the TV, PC or game console as a babysitter. As long as the kids aren't tearing up the house, then mom and dad are happy. These are the types of people who don't know what their kids are playing and aren't likely to find out unless they just happen to see something especially troublesome when they walk by the screen. When they find out that Johhny and Susie have been killing prostitutes and running over old ladies for two hours after school every day, they cry and wonder why the Gub'ment hasn't put a stop to the sale of violent video games. The ICCR loves parents like this. After all, it can't possibly be the parents' fault that a violent game was allowed to flourish in the house for so long. It must be the Big Game Companies (not to be confused with Big Oil and Big Tobacco) who foisted this evil upon us.

The cold, hard fact is that more people over 18 play video games than people under 18. Regardless of what this says about society, the truth is that game developers are writing games for ADULTS, not your 10-year old. All games come in packages plastered with ESRB ratings and descriptions of the game action. Additionally, there are many online game review sites (like Gamespot) that can serve as a valuable aid in purchasing safe games for youngsters.

Of course, it takes time to research the content of video games. But as I get older, I think that if you don't have the time to take personal responsibility for what your children see in your home, then you probably weren't cut out to have children in the first place.

Gay as Hero

A weak opening weekend for "Alexander" is causing the world's talking heads to opine that Americans are, for the most part, homophobic. In the final analysis, this is not about a mediocre movie whose director (Oliver Stone) is no stranger to controversy. This is about how Hollywood and other fellow travelers perceive the American people.

Large movie studios produce a product that must appeal to a broad audience in order to be profitable. Even though actors and directors want you to view them as artists who must be "true" to their "art", anyone in the industry who does not turn in good numbers will soon be unemployed. So in that way, movie makers are no different than automobile manufacturers.

With this in mind, imagine a scenario in which a large car maker (let's say General Motors), produces a car which doesn't sell well. No one really hates it, but they say that it's rather plain, gets bad gas mileage and doesn't have any exciting options. Now, imagine the public's reaction if GM issued a press release saying that the car is not selling well because the American people are, in so many words, too stupid to understand the car's greatness.

If this seems nutty to you, welcome aboard. Yet, this is almost exactly what Oliver Stone said when asked about the early, harsh reviews of his latest work. He said that Alexander lived in a "more honest time" before the dawn of Christianity (does that mean I would be gay if I hadn't been raised as a Catholic? ummmm, no). Thus, our homophobic, Christian nation is just too wrapped up in its own stupidity to embrace a gay hero.

Let's take a look at gay culture in other forms of entertainment. "Will & Grace"? Big hit. Why? Because it's funny. Some of the characters happen to be gay. "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"? Big hit. Why? Because it's fast-paced, smart and lively. The Fab Five are gay. "Queer as Folk"? A big hit for a late-night cable show. Why? Because it's about a group of friends who are exceedingly loyal and love each other. And they're all gay.

Maybe I'm wrong, Oliver (can I call you Olive?), but I don't think Americans have a problem with homosexuality. I think they have a problem with arrogant pricks and movies that suck.

Home

We arrived back in the home of the Hoosiers about 2 hours ago. I am tired beyond words. In the past seven days, I drove 2,700 miles. This is not a record for me, but it is a record with my parents in tow. More on that later.

I am always amazed by how much of this nation is completely flat. Parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Illinois and, of course, Indiana are so flat that you can discern the planet's curvature by looking at the horizon. It must've seemed like heaven to the land-starved Europeans.

...And The Band Played On

The is an editorial in the NY Post this morning concerning Dan Rather's impending retirement and who his successor may/should be. Tom Brokaw is also doing his fat lady song next week, meaning that two of the three biggies will be looking for new good hair pilots to take over the command chair.

I can't help but laugh at how big a deal this is in some circles. After all, the Big Three networks are ancient dreadnoughts heading for the scrap pier of journalism. Cable news networks and, more recently (and importantly, in my opinion) the blogosphere have forever changed how we receive information. The explosive growth of Fox News proves that people want news, not liberal opinion disguised as fact.

I see a future of fully-tailored news that is delievered in real time without commentators or commentary. If you want analysis, you will have a favorite blog (hopefully this one ;-) or talk radio to rely on. Future generations will scratch their heads and wonder why some people put so much faith in a talking head in a nice suit.

Glee

There is something unique about vacationing with small children. My oldest brother and his wife have two boys and a girl (10, 8 and 6) who came here to the beach with us. They have spent the day on the beach in front of our rooms building a sand castle and then attempting (unsuccessfully), to fill the moat around it. My idea to build a channel from the surf to the moat fell dead when I underestimated how much digging it would require. We'll have to work closer to the water tomorrow.

I often get too wrapped up in the big events of the world. I am a news junkie and an internet addict, meaning that I must be constantly bombarded with information in order to be happy. When I see our little blonde niece and nephews laughing because they have access to sand and water, it makes me want for simpler things. Their minds are not yet troubled by war, the economy or healthcare. They will soon be introduced to the petty squabbles of high school, which can ruin those years. But for now, this day, they are happy. I want to be more like them.

Turkey and the Beach

We're on the north end of Padre Island and I couldn't ask for a better place at which to celebrate Thanksgiving. We watched the nearly-full moon come up over the Gulf as I wished I hadn't sold that nice pair of binoculars. Thursday is going to be warmer, so a long walk down the beach will be in order.

We'll talk again in the morning.

Austin City Limits

We have been in Austin, TX for two days after a too-short stop in Dallas to see my best friend Peter and his family. The meatballs and pasta extravaganza we had there made my father remark (somewhere near Waco), "I shouldn't have had that beer." Well, yeah ;-)

We are leaving in the morning for the Gulf coast and a whole bunch of doin' nothin' till Saturday. My oldest brother and his wife are gracious hosts, even more so since the terrible weather has kept us indoors since our arrival Sunday night. Their children are all enjoyable characters who revere their grandfather. The youngest, Benjamin, told one of his friends that he couldn't wait to see his grandpa because "he knows everything."

I haven't caught more than a flash of news since our arrival, and that concerned the current problems in the NBA. Why is anyone surprised by this behavior? These men are treated as demi-gods from the time they're 14 or so and nothing they do short of murder is treated with anything but tolerance. They are paid ridiculous sums of money because people are foolish enough, in my opinion, to pay exorbatent sums for tickets. Thus, the NBA has the highest illegitimacy rate of any professional sport in the world and even the college ranks are now plagued with cases of violent crime and underhanded payments.

What I would like to see is every player involved in this latest incident fired from the NBA and criminal charges pressed against both the players and the fans involved. Maybe this will teach the league that being "dissed" on the court is part of the game and that real men prove their worth by doing their best and winning, both off the court and on.

Hugh Two and Gone

I had the chance to meet Hugh Hewitt and actually talk with him for a minute. He is, in many ways, the man you hear on the radio---witty, smart, kind and friendly. When I told him the name of my blog, he immediately remembered the name. He asked me about traffic to the site and told me to keep at it for the mid-term elections. I told him that we don't talk politics every day now, but that the fire is still there. I'm happy I went.

Kelli and I are leaving with my parents for Austin in about 15 minutes. I can't promise much posting this coming week because I don't know what kind of access I will have. I shall do my best. If you get a serious hankering for reading material, check out my old blog at fermi.blogspot.com.

Be well.

Hugh

I'm going to see Hugh Hewitt today after work. Hugh has a syndicated radio talk show and he's doing the show from Louisville this evening. My blog has been linked on his site before (only for a day) and I'm hoping to get a chance to meet him. He is a brilliant man who is smart enough to know that listeners want to hear from guests every now and then. He is on in about 60 markets, so it's still possible to get through on the phones. So go to his site, see if he's on where you live, take a listen and rejoice in the fact that I will be out in the studio audience. For those of you who live in Kentuckiana, you can tune in on 970AM (WGTK) from 6-9PM EST.

Delay

The site was down this morning, so I haven't had a chance to post. However, I ran across this little bit of news today which you may find interesting. I think it's old news, but I wasn't aware of it:

REDMOND, WA--In what CEO Bill Gates called "an unfortunate but necessary step to protect our intellectual property from theft and exploitation by competitors," the Microsoft Corporation patented the numbers one and zero Monday.

"Microsoft has been using the binary system of ones and zeroes ever since its inception in 1975," Gates told reporters. "For years, in the interest of the overall health of the computer industry, we permitted the free and unfettered use of our proprietary numeric systems. However, changing marketplace conditions and the increasingly predatory practices of certain competitors now leave us with no choice but to seek compensation for the use of our numerals."

Is that steam coming out of your ears?

The Doctor is in the House

You are aware by now that Dr. Condaleeza Rice is President Bush's choice to replace Colin Powell as Secretary of State. When I first heard this news, I assumed that she would get a pass from the mainstream media. After all, she has been in the public spotlight for four years and has shown herself to be a genius who is rarely caught off-guard, even when the questions are tough and offensive.

It was not to be. Two things caught my attention recently, telling me that she is going to have a rough time. The first sign was a talking point repeated by all the usual heads: Powell disagreed with the President, but Dr. Rice won't. It's as if Powell's opposition was the only thing that kept our foreign policy from driving over a cliff. This only proves that the mainstreamers' hold the belief that only liberal thought is rational thought; conservatives are always poised over the trigger and can only be held back by the hazy morality of the Left. While Powell is only a liberal in the classical sense, I believe he was heavily influenced by the lifetime bureaucrats at the State Department. Dr. Rice knows that the post-9/11 world is different, and I hope our intercourse with other nations begins to reflect that (BTW, if I get ANY comments about my use of the word "intercourse"...).

Secondly, there is the use (or non-use, in this case) of the term "Doctor". Dr. Rice has a doctorate which allows her to use the title. I have noticed, however, that almost no one in the media actually uses the term. Why is this a big deal? Because Henry Kissinger was always afforded that courtesy. Why should Dr. Rice be treated differently? I know it's a small point, but I find it to be disrespectful and indicitive of.....well, something.

President Bush won re-election. This means that he gets to appoint whomever he wants to Cabinet positions (pending Senatorial approval). He is under no obligation to appoint someone idealogically opposed to him to any position, despite what the Dems say. If they want this power back, then they need to find a candidate with character and personality for 2008 instead of recharging the Kerry-bot.

The Scrooge in Me

The company I work for has a very nice Christmas party every year. Since 2002 I, along with most of the workforce, have not been invited. Initially, we were told that the Christmas party had been cancelled after 2001 because so many people had RSVPed and then not actually attended. But rumors began to spread about an invitation-only party for the owners, managers, some supervisors and other "special" guests. Now, the secrecy is a joke. As I like to say, it's the secret everyone knows.

The owners of the company have the right to do anything they please with regard to parties, bonuses, etc. That is not the nature of my complaint. My problem is with the message such elitist behavior sends. First, there is the secretive nature of the invitation. None of the invitees are supposed to discuss the party. Why? Why not just announce that the Christmas party is now by invitation only and that not everyone is invited? If you're not willing to do that, why not? Shouldn't alarm bells be going off in someone's head?

Second, there is the issue of who attends the party. I would not be bothered if invitations were limited to the owners, managers and supervisors. But not all the supervisors are invited and some "favorites" who have no more clout than me are. To be fair, most of these employees work directly for the owners as executive assistants, but they are still non-management personnel. It reeks of favoritism.

Finally, behavior such as this helps to institute a caste system inside a company. It's as if there is a core of employees worth keeping, wooing and praising and everyone else is cannon fodder. Whether by design or merely rude oversight, it does nothing but lower employee morale and destroys any sense of loyalty a good employee may have.

My wife tells me, rightly so, that my sense of fairness doesn't jive with reality. I was blessed to grow up in a home where fairness among five children was a passion. Unfortunately, our society (and the company for which I work) does not reflect this. When I first found out about the secret, I told my dad. His first question was, "Are you going to quit over it?" "Of course not" was my answer. "Well, there you have it". Indeed. But I don't have to like it.

Leave None Behind

You have by now seen the NBC news story about a Marine who supposedly shot a supposedly injured Iraqi insurgent. Undoubtedly, the media will try to turn this incident into the next Abu Gharib. They are still yearning for a Mi Lai incident and this young rifleman may end up being their Lt. Calley.

It's very easy for us to sit here at home and render judgement on the situation. But we're not there, dealing with sub-humans who pretend to be injured only to blow themselves up when Americans approach. After a while, I would be tempted to just shoot every insurgent I found, prone or not. The Marines who fought in the Pacific had the same problem with the Japanese; after Tarawa, they almost never took prisoners.

We hold our soldiers to a high standard of moral behavior, and we should. But when they fight a group of people who don't hold to even the most basic rules of human behavior, it is, I believe, unreasonable to expect them to endanger themselves in the name of humane treatment of their enemies.

Liberals of the World, Unite

This is a flyer floating around at Penn State. Message: the facists won the election, and you should be angry about that. If this is your mindset, do two things:

1. Go look up "fascist" in a good dictionary.
2. Get your worthless ass out of the country because the blessings of freedom have been wasted on you.

This is what happens when liberals are out of power. Welcome to the Joseph Goebbels School of Sore Losers.

The Geek Everywhere

Trekkies 2 has been released, presumably only on video. Kelli and I saw the first Trekkies documentary on a quiet Sunday afternoon when nothing else was going on. It is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. As the title suggests, it is about fans of the Star Trek TV shows and movies. It is a documentary, even though some of the people interviewed reminded of characters from "Best of Show", a mockumentary about dog shows. The director found some seriously hardcore fans, including a woman who asked to be referred to as "Commander" at work (her employer granted her request) and a group of women who write homosexual erotica involving Kirk and Spock.

Of course, the point of the film is to poke fun at this little niche in our society. I was talking with my friend Mike, remembering a teenager in the film who was the co-captain (or something) of his local Trek fan club (referred to by starship name and hull number, of course). I said, "Man, I bet that guy had a hard time in high school." Mike made an astute observation that day, something that stuck with me. He said (I'm paraphrasing, Mike; please forgive me)"That guy has a circle of friends who are into what he's into, his girlfriend is into it and his family is cool with it. You can't ask for much more."

Indeed. As I read about Trekkies 2 today, I thought of all the little odd groups that we laugh at: Civil War re-enactors, adults who play Dungeons and Dragons, all-night gamers, etc. We see these fans as true fanatics because their passions have not been "mainstreamed". But consider something for a moment: how is the guy who plays computer games in his spare time any different than the guy who plays in a fantasy football league at work? Or, better yet, how is he different than the couple who buy a lottery ticket every Saturday night? They are all indulging in escapism of a sort; yet somehow, a video game is a waste of time while buying a lottery ticket is normal (at least to the government).

I think we all have an inner need to be part of something larger than ourselves. Some people find that in church while others find it in sports. You may find it a sacreligious comparison, but some would say that creating a world based around the work of Gene Rodenberry is no different than believing in an invisible being who sees everything we do.

Best. Post. Ever.

Many of you read Slashdot regularly. For those of you who don't, please allow me to explain. Slashdot is the ultimate geek site. It's full of news, reviews and, most importantly, opinions about everything from Linux to sci-fi movies. In my opinion, the comment sections make the site worth reading not because the posts are always intelligent and thoughtful, but because they are exceedingly caustic and childish. For every post that is laced with facts and thoughtful analysis, there are ten responses stating, "Yeah, but your mother....*&^^&*$%^, dude. I code for a living, so I know."

So, like a geeky lemming, I was looking through the comments this morning when I came across a link to what was advertised as "The Best Slashdot Post Ever". I was doubtful, so I clicked. Lo and behold, it is a work of genius, worthy of praise and, in this case, repeat. So, without further delay, I present you with the Best Slashdot Post Ever (you non-geeks can move along now ;-):

Doug,

Signed,
Yoda the Retard

The Message

When I was in the 8th grade, my homeroom teacher was Sister Claretta Hefner. She had been teaching since 1943, so there wasn't much that she hadn't seen in a classroom. She was tough as nails on the subject matter we covered (mostly English, something I am thankful for to this day) but she also tried to teach us to be better people than we thought we ever could be. I have engraved in my memory something she said one day right before we graduated: "Never measure friends in quantity. Always measure them by their quality."

I thought of Sister Claretta this morning when I found two voicemails on my cell phone and one on my work phone from my past. They were attempts, I suppose, at making me feel guilty about not doing a better job of communicating. What is tragic is that the caller has no clue as to why his calls go unanswered and his messages go unreturned. I'm sure he has it all worked out in his mind: I am being lied to by forces considered duplicitious. To explain the truth to him would be painful for both of us and would not, I believe, change the path he has chosen to take in his life. My silence comes with a cost, and that cost is being misunderstood by people I care for deeply. Some days, like today, that cost weighs on me heavily.

I have not always been a loyal friend to those who needed it. But I have reached that wall, the wall against which I must make my stand. I have allowed myself to feel guilty for things I should never have felt guilt over. I have tried to take the middle road until I realized that trying to please everyone pleases no one. I am long past the point of wanting to hear issue after issue debated in front of me as if my vote one way or the other is going to have some real effect on anyone's life.

When Fitzgerald's main character in Winter Dreams cried that "the thing is gone; it will come back no more", he was talking about the loves of his childhood that he had clung to for so long. When he saw them laid bare, he realized how ugly the world had become and he had to start over: "I cannot care". The things of my youth, which I wanted to cling to for so long, have gone. What is left is all that ever really mattered: real friendship, real loyalty and belief in things larger than myself.

Mourn Not the Passing

When I read the news of Yassar Arafat's death this morning, I set about writing down a few thoughts. I knew that AP and Reuters and the rest of the wire services were going to roll out their long-prepared obituaries. I also knew that these puff pieces would ignore the fact that Arafat was a terrorist of the first order who only became a "statesman" when it suited him.

I was surprised when I came across this post from Powerline, not because of what it said, but because it covered almost everything I had written about: the AIDS, the stolen money, etc. So, with proper credit to those better writers, I will reprint their post here:

"Some date the beginning of the terrorist war against the United States to the seizure of 67 American hostages at the American Embassy in Tehran by the followers of Ayatollah Khomeni in November 1979 or to the bombing of the barracks in Beirut by Hezbollah that killed 241 Marines in October 1983.

Yasser Arafat, however, is the true father of this war. First Arafat created Black September as an offshoot of his Fatah organization. He presided over the operation resulting in the massacre of the Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich by Black September in 1972. The following year Arafat became the first Arab terrorist to target Americans.

He personally ordered the assassination of American Ambassador to Sudan Cleo Noel, Jr. and charge d'affaires Curtis Moore in Khartoum on March 2, 1973. (See my "Who murdered Cleo Noel?") Arafat himself presided over the Khartoum operation and ordered the assassination of Noel and Moore by short wave radio from PLO headquarters in Beirut. Moore and Noel were only the first of many Americans murdered by Arafat's terrorist thugs.

In a bizarre footnote to his assassination of American officials, Arafat became the foreign leader most frequently hosted by President Bill Clinton during his two terms in office. The many cold-blooded murders for which Arafat was responsible in the course of his life were politely passed over in silence as they remained entirely unavenged.

As the founder of Fatah and leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Arafat waged a lifelong war on the state of Israel and its Jewish citizens. Although Arafat occasionally interrupted the war against Israel with short term periods of truce or "hudna," he never relented from his orgy of murder or ceased to pursue his lifelong goal of destroying Israel.

In November 1974, while in the middle of his murder spree, Arafat was invited to address the United Nations. He came accompanied to New York by three henchmen who had assisted or participated in the operation to assassinate Noel and Moore. He gave his speech at the General Assembly podium with a pistol and holster strapped to his hip. His many diplomatic victories were not the fruit of subtlety or grace.

Over the final four years of his life he presided over the renewed terrorist war against Israel in which he funded and personally approved the suicide bomb operations that are his true contribution to civilization -- a contribution that made him a hero in European capitals from London to Berlin. In his usual style, he had set up entities to carry out the suicide bomb operations that allowed him to deny responsibility for them. Only the willfully credulous were fooled.

In the notorious tradition of the "175ers" among the Nazi leadership, Arafat led an incredibly dissolute life. It was his dissolution that ultimately resulted in his contraction of AIDS, the disease that led to his death outside Paris yesterday. As with so many basic facts about this utterly vile human being, the truth (although baldly reported by Oriana Fallaci in the fall of 1981) remains shrouded in myth, deception and outright lies.

Late in his life Arafat took a wife for the purpose of keeping up appearances in a culture that loathes homsexuality. While his wife and political epigones fought over the billions he had stolen from his supposed beneficiaries, the scene of his death at a French military hospital outside Paris came to resemble a protracted farce befitting a second-rate Hollywood comedy. On the other hand, in an episode worthy of Kafka or Orwell, Arafat won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1994."

The only thing I would add is that it is unfortunate that this man will be treated as a hero by most historians.

Veteran's Day

Unlike many European nations, the United States never really had a military "caste". Only England really maintains her history of traditional military families, and that is fading out. America has always depended upon her ability to call the nation's sons and daughters and, until after World War Two, did not maintain a large standing army or navy. Even after the war, most of the armed forces were made up of citizen soldiers, men and women who enlisted (or were drafted), did their time, then went back to the civilian world. So Veteran's Day honors millions of average Americans, not just a select few. Some served during wartime, some during peace. This day does not distinguish between the two, for the preparation for war has done more to ensure peace than any treaty could.

Until 1954, Veteran's Day was called Armistice Day in honor of November 11, 1918, the day World War One ended. President Eisenhower believed it was more appropriate for the day to honor veterans of all the wars in which the US has fought, so the meaning and the name of the holiday were changed. The date was made flexible so that it always fell on a Monday, a move that caused some confusion. In 1978, the date was moved back to November 11.

Most civilians are very removed from military life. Only a tiny percentage of the population is on active duty at any given time, even during this war. On some level, this is disturbing, but I am comforted by the fact that we have outlived the age of large, standing armies waiting to clash on battlefields too large to imagine. Our enemies are no less fierce, but at least they are isolated. You can thank a veteran for that.

Go Zell, Go Zell, Go Zell...

Is it just me, or is Zell Miller starting to sound more and more like Hank Hill's dad on "King of the Hill"? Hussy? Wow. Pretty soon, he'll be talking about Japs and Krauts. Actually, I'm in favor of anyone who pokes one in the ribs of the NY Times.

Where Does Nosy Start?

I read an interesting article yesterday (I lost the link, but it may have been on the USA Today site) concerning how much information a company should have the right to collect about employees. We're all familiar with the usual: Social Security number, past felonies, etc. Some companies are now making the argument that they should be able to ask about marriages, living arrangements and other details previously thought to be out of bounds. Why? Because, according to them, a person's private life determines how good a worker he will be.

I'm torn about this for several reasons. My gut instinct says "hell, no!". After all, isn't my employment history and job interview enough to tell any potential employer all he needs to know? How relevant is it that my wife and I have no children or that I have only been married once?

The realist in me knows that every decision we take in life, work-related or not, is (or should be) guided by the same set of principles. The standards of honesty, loyalty, hard work and dignity should be the same everywhere---anyone who says they aren't or shouldn't be is a fraud. We've heard the same tired phrases: "Well, this is business and..." or "It's business"; they are normally followed by an explanation of why we're being screwed. But don't confuse this with rule enforcement. For example, tardiness that would be excused in other parts of life must be dealt with harshly at work for a number of reasons that relate to the smooth operation of the enterprise.

Because of my belief that one set of principles should guide each person, it is natural to assume that a man or woman whose personal behavior deviates from the norm may be an unsafe business risk. In the final analysis, does this make it acceptable for a company to delve into every nook and cranny of our lives? I don't think so. As anyone who has run a business will tell you, business is all about risk: the risk of expanding, the risk of offering a new product or service, etc. In that same way, employing someone is, and must continue to be a risk. Looking for a "sure thing" would require a change in the things we acknowledge as private, a change that I don't believe most of us are willing to accept.

Nurse Kelli

Much to my regret, I have not mentioned how much my wife contributed to my current wellness. When I got sick early Monday morning, she got up to make sure I was OK. She continued to check on me for the rest of the night, forgoeing sleep.

All throughout Monday and Tuesday, she checked in on me, called while she was at work, and basically babied me (men need babieing while sick). She's the best women in the world, and I don't know what I did to deserve her.

The Lucky Star Speakth

You heard the lady: everyone out of the pool!

For Chesty

The Marine Corps will be 229 years old on Wednesday. Even though I was a sailor, I have always held a special place in my heart for Marines. Two of my closest friends were (you never, ever say "ex") Marines and I want to remind everyone, for the record, that the Marine Corps IS part of the Department of the Navy. The Marines haven't been present at every battle fought by this nation, but they have been present at the most costly ones. From the tops of the Bonhomme Richard to Fallujah, the Marines have always made due with smaller numbers and older equipment. They have never lost.

As you read this, some young Marine rifleman is crouched behind a sandbag in Iraq, looking for a target. He is probably scared, for even the most brave men know fear. He is the most well-trained battle implement ever devised, but his mom and dad and maybe his wife and family miss him. He would rather be home with them. There are those in this country who would call him a sucker or a fool or a murderer, but these lesser beings (yes, lesser; if you're looking for a fight, start here) do not deter him from his mission. He is probably less motivated by patriotism than by the brothers fighting next to him; this isn't something he'd feel very comfortable talking to you about. He is well aware of the traditions he is being called to uphold, and he will uphold them.

Lousy

Sorry about the lack of posting yesterday. I woke up at 2:30AM Monday morning and revisited everything I had eaten on Sunday. I had a temperature of nearly 102 degrees and a headache that kept me from standing up all day. I feel a lot better, but I decided to stay home again today so that my digestive system can get back to order.

I've been asked on several occasions what I'm going to write about now that the elections are over. Part of my ramblings will be, as always, about my thoughts on various parts of life. But understand that I think about political issues a lot, and that will continue to be a part of this blog. As I've said before, there is nothing funnier (and scarier) than liberals who are out of power. They will continue to rant and rave out there in the wilderness, and I'll be there to talk about it.

To begin with, I give you this guy. You can always count on Manhattan to come through with something like this. We don't need no stinkin' mandate, liberal maaaaannnn.

A Band Apart

I had lunch today with some of the guys from the old radio show. It was good to see everyone, and I hope it happens again soon. We are a diverse group made up of people from all walks of life. We share a love of technology, but that's where the similarities end. I love that. I am better for knowing them.

Nuke 'em, Rico

According the Washington Times, the Clinton Administration planned to use nuclear weapons against North Korea if they invaded South Korea. Evidently, the planning went so far that the Air Force was actually picking units and pilots and having them fly practice missions.

I think it's time that we, as Americans, woke up to a fact: nuclear weapons are always on the table. It's scary, none of us like them, but there they are, like the bull in the living room that no one wants to talk about. As much as I hate to say it, I can't help but think that any conflict on the Korean peninsula has the possibility of becoming a nuclear exchange.

So for those of you who were jumping up and down in early 2003 shouting "Why not North Korea? Why not North Korea?", there is your answer: it's a big shit sandwich over there as soon as the first shot is fired. If you guys are fired up over Iraqi and American casualties, imagine hundreds of thousands of deaths. How would that look to the saintly Europeans?

Area 51

I'm watching a History Channel show about Area 51, a large square of Nevada desert that is, according to conspiracy theorists, home to all sorts of weird flying objects. There is no doubt that secret work goes on there, but what kind of work remains a mystery.

There was a short interview with one of the people who spend their free time trying to catch a glimpse of activity on the base. This guy was standing in front a sign warning trespassers that deadly force was authorized in that area. The interviewee was saying that if deadly force is authorized, there must be some really, really scary stuff going on.

I call BS on that. When I was in the Navy, the "deadly force authorized" signs weren't exactly rare. At one point, I was stationed at the Naval Weapons Station outside of Charleston, SC. Submarine-borne ICBMs were stored there and were guarded by Marines. They did not play. The use of deadly force was clearly explained to everyone stationed there as a way of reminding us that we were to stay on the straight and narrow and not go exploring around on our own. Did anyone get shot? Not while I was there and probably never.

Shows like this prove to me that there are many people who need a purpose in their life and are willing to invent things in order to create that purpose. Any shred of evidence, no matter how shaky, is treated with "Ah-Ha!" seriousness. You find this in politics, too (look at how angry and depressed the Left is now---just read Fark.com or Slashdot.org if you doubt me). I guess we have more free time now or something...I can't imagine my father's generation buying into some of this crap.

Lines are Open

I listen to more talk radio than I should, to the almost total exclusion of music. I won't go into my reasoning much more than to say that, in my opinion, most of the music played on the radio today is terrible. If I could find a new genre to enjoy, I might retreat from talk for a while.

Be that as it may, I have learned that most people who call radio shows have no idea what they sound like on the air. I'm not trying to sound elitist when I say this. However, I have been on both ends of the talk show circuit: I have helped host a show and I have been a frequent caller to several. Even though only a small percentage of the listening audience ever calls a given show, some of you may be facing a call at some point in the future. In the name of that, here's some things to be aware of:

-The audience doesn't care about your life. I know how that sounds, but it's true. What the audience DOES care about is your question or your comment about the issue being discussed. Thus, stay on message and don't swing off into "...my uncle, when he was fishing last weekend, caught this bass. He was calling me to tell me while I was trying to call you...".

-Brevity is the soul of talk radio. Get on, ask you question or make your comment and then hang up. The host will like you and the audience will like you.

-Don't be an ass kisser. Most talk show hosts have enormous egos to begin with (believe me on this, for I have seen it firsthand); calling and saying something like, "You are Christ returned" will make the audience sick. Say something like "enjoy your show" or "great work" and move on.

-Don't be a drama queen. This goes for both men and women. Going on and on about a problem is not interesting to the audience, and audience attention is the lifeblood of good radio. A recent caller to Dave Ramsey (a financial consultant) is a good example of this. Dave asked the caller how many credit cards the had. Instead of giving a total, the caller said, "...well, let me see...one, two, three, four, five..." all the way to 24. By the time he finished, I didn't care if his credit cards were pushing him out of his home.

-Don't try to fight the host. Disagreement is fine and encouraged on some shows. But yelling or trying to talk over the host will get you disconnected or at least muted. It's his world, and you're just visiting. He makes the rules and can change them. Coming off as a loud-mouth means that you lose your argument.

-Turn off your radio. This is universal. Everyone has a delay; most of the time, it's five or seven seconds. If you don't turn your radio off or all the way down, you will confuse yourself and the host. Plus, it makes you sound like an idiot on the air. Once you're on hold, it's time to listen to the show through the phone.

Can you tell I'm not really inspired today?

Why Did Bush Win?

With the 2004 election behind us, the time has come for the talking heads to analyze the why's and who's and when's. Hugh Hewitt advanced the theory that this election was really the death knell of the 60's for Democrats. There's truth in what he says: modern liberalism was born of Vietnam. Before that, the term "liberal" had an entirely different meaning.

I have a different take. We heard much yesterday about how the Republicans need to work on reuniting the country because, supposedly, it is terribly divided right now. Here's a news flash: it's always been divided, at least politically. Most political theorists say that elections are fought over the middle 20% of the electorate; that is, 80% of voters have made up their minds long before election day. This number is not new, but rather dates back to the mid-1800's, when the two main political parties we have today were first defined.

Take a look at the election numbers on a map, and you will see a new divide: New England and the west coast almost always go for Democrats and Republicans almost always win everything else. I am talking about national elections, for there have been and always will be pockets of Democrats and Republicans everywhere. Even in a strong Republican state like Indiana, there is one Democrat Senator and Senator Kerry won nearly 40% of the vote.

Why does this matter? Because the west coast and New England is where we find mainstream pundits, Ivy League colleges and Hollywood. We hear from these people more often than we hear from members of our family. When they look out on this country, they see a political divide because, naturally, most people who live in fly-over country don't agree with them. Worse, you have people like Michael Moore (who wears his Michigan childhood like a thorny crown) who go on crusades in the Midwest because they believe, wrongly, that all people are liberal Democrats trapped in fundamentalist bodies.

In the final analysis, I don't think Bush won this election. I think Kerry lost it. He lost because he bought into the Moore-Hollywood vision of America, a land filled with stupid cretins who worship strange gods and who yearn for enlightenment from the likes of Sean Penn and Cameron Diaz. He tried a little too hard to be one of us, and it hung on him like a bad suit. He isn't one of us, and he would've been a lot better off had he just admitted it and moved on. He should've learned the lesson I learned long ago, something my father taught me before I joined the Navy: just because someone talks slow or with a drawl or doesn't have much education doesn't mean he's stupid.

You may not believe this, but I hope the Democrats become a better party because of this loss. It is painfully obvious that the baby boomers need to move from the center stage of the political scene and make room for my generation (scary to think that my generation will bring the next crop of national leaders). There are too many scars being carried by our parents for them to ever truly bury the hatchets they wield. I yearn for the day when, no matter who wins, I can at least say that we elected good people. I hope I live to see it.

It's OVER!!! Kerry to Concede at 1PM EST

Hypocrisy?

There's something funny (or very sad, depending) going on this morning. According to Drudge, Kerry's people are still considering their options. What options, you may ask? The only one I see is to contest the election in Ohio. That's a tall order, considering that Bush won the state by nearly 140,000 votes. If Kerry were to have the election in Ohio overturned, he would win the electoral college, but not the popular vote.

Remember 2000? Remember how the Dems were crying about how Bush lost the popular vote but won the electoral vote? Remember how they complained that the electoral college was "disenfranchising" the American people?

Where are these whiners now? Michael Moore, can you pull your face away from the burger for a second and pay attention?

The Road Ahead

President Bush has been re-elected. The provisional ballots still have to be counted in Ohio, but it's pretty much impossible for Kerry to pull out a win. Typical to his character, Kerry is going to have to be hit over the head with the Bush victory before he will concede defeat. Expect him to bow out before the weekend.

And now the nation must get back to work. This election has been a gigantic, but necessary, diversion from the business at hand: the war on terror, the economy, etc. Don't look for the mainstream media or the other members of the Cabal of the Left to tone down their attacks. As I have said here before, liberals are at their worst when they are out of power for that is what they crave most. They will be even further from the throne now, based on the results from the Senate and House races. As the attacks grow worse (you didn't think Michael "Facts Confuse Me" Moore was going to quit, did you?), keep in mind that it is easier to throw stones at the people in the ring than to actually be in the ring taking the hard decisions.

We made it through. Thank God.

I Voted Today

I voted today because, 228 years ago, a group of men decided that their lives and honor were worth putting on the line in the name of representative democracy.

I voted today because this nation has opened her arms to people from all over this planet, regardless of race or religion, and has told them that not only can they live here, but they can be citizens.

I voted today because Micheal Moore and Micheal Medved can both speak freely in this country without fear of imprisonment or governmental harassment.

I voted today because men and women have fought and died for our highest ideals at places like Gettysburg, Iwo Jima, Chosin, Khe Sahn and Tora Bora.

I voted today because those men and women have fought not only for Americans, but to secure the freedom of people all over the world and defend the freedoms of our allies.

I hope you voted today.

Me No Posto

I had another class today, so I didn't really have a chance to post anything. The class concerned Dreamweaver MX, a web development tool. Look for some visual changes to the site soon. More in the morning.