Who is to Blame for High Gas Prices?

A while back I was in Paris, France. Next to the restaurant we were eating at I saw a drunken homeless guy passed out. Amazingly enough he managed to hold up his hand in the hope of getting some money. Unbeknownst to him, his cheap wine was spilling from his bottle onto the ground. That is how I equate our addiction with oil. We are vastly ignorant of the world around us, but we complain and demand that something be done about high gasoline prices while we willingly fill the tanks of our cars and trucks.

How about some perspective? No one complains when they pay $7.50 a gallon for bottled water or Coca Cola or Mountain Dew at the gas station (take a 0.5 liter bottle for $1 and do the math – 1 gallon is approximately 3.785 liters). By the same token, a 0.5 liter bottle of $3 a gallon gasoline is about $0.40. There is significantly less processing and handling with water when compared to gasoline.

No one was complaining when oil was less than $15 a barrel (a barrel is 42 gallons by the way) and gasoline was less than $1 a gallon and oil companies were losing money and laying people off. No one was complaining when gasoline hit $2 a gallon. Now with gasoline breaking the $3 a gallon barrier again this year people are clamoring for “help” and our politicians are more than ready to oblige with ridiculous legislation in order to garner our support in the upcoming election cycle. The latest Senate bill includes an increase in refining capacity and development of known oil reserves in ANWR and in the Gulf of Mexico which is important in reducing gasoline prices and our dependence on foreign oil over the long-term. However, words cannot begin to describe the exasperation that I have with the following portions of this bill:

• A gas tax holiday rebate for consumers of $100;
• Suspension of deposits into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for six months to make more oil available for consumer use; and
• Consumer Anti-Price Gouging Protection

The $100 rebate check is the most irresponsible idea to come out of Washington D.C. in recent times. This is a meaningless gesture by our government representatives to garner favor in an election year. First, the $100 will not solve the problem. It only puts a small band aid on a larger, gaping wound. Second, we have record deficits and are borrowing more than $1 billion a day. Now you want to spend even more money that the federal government does not have. Third, it will do nothing to lower gas prices.

How exactly will this work? Do both my wife and I get $100 because we both drive? Do we get $300 because we have daughter? What is the cost of producing the checks and sending them out? How much more of a burden will this have on the federal deficit? I personally do not feel comfortable with borrowing $100 from my daughter and future grand children to satisfy the reelection goals of career politicians.

Suspending oil deposits into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will have NO affect on gas prices and is also very shortsighted. Without increased oil refining capacity the extra oil will have NO impact on gas prices. Instead, the legislation should have included measures to unify the formulations of gasoline so that these refineries do not have to make a certain blend for a certain part of the country.

I am no apologist for the oil companies; however, they are making money because we consume a large volume of gasoline and diesel. Exxon-Mobil sold 89 billion gallons of gasoline last quarter. Higher consumption means more sales which translate into more profits. The profit margin per gallon of gas is roughly $0.09 per gallon. State and federal taxes per gallon average $0.459 per gallon (The federal government gets $0.184 per gallon). Who is gouging who? I would posit that they are making money through volume and not through price fixing. Will you suggest price controls? We saw how well that worked in the 1970’s.

Doesn’t the federal government already tax the oil companies’ profits? What exactly would be gained by taxing them more? Where was the government when oil companies were losing money and jobs because of the low price of oil and gasoline? The people to blame for their obscene profits are you and me because we do not reduce our consumption. We belly up to the gasoline trough on a daily basis.

Oil prices will continue to go up as China and India begin to surpass our consumption rates. That is a fact. Will the federal government continue to have inquiries and hand out checks because the law of supply and demand increases gasoline prices? The days of $1 or even $2 a gallon gasoline are long gone. The days of $3 and $4 a gallon gasoline are here. Deal with it. Use it as an opportunity to see that America has an oil addiction. Use this opportunity to look forward and invest in new technology that will make America the leader in alternative fuels and energy. We can sit around and mope and institute worthless stop gap measures, or we can heed the early warning and create and prosper by a different path. Change is upon us and unless you realize it and act upon it America will become nothing more than an addict wandering around mumbling about how it needs more oil.

If you want to do something about high gasoline prices sell your SUV, buy a diesel (my diesel VW Jetta wagon gets on average 45 mpg) or hybrid automobile, car pool, bicycle, walk, or use the bus. Stop bitching about it, because we are all part of the problem. And if you drive a large SUV like an Excursion, Yukon, or Hummer I do not want to hear your woes. You made your bed now sleep in it.

Photo by KCThinker. Street sign on side road in the Black Forest, Germany.

It is Time for a Revolution

It is time to take back our government from the special interests and the wannabe movie star-like representatives and senators. It is time to kick out the Democrats and Republicans and try something new. They have had more than 100 years to figure it out and I have had it with them. Okay, every once in awhile they have done something right (civil rights legislation, for example), but the last 15 years have seen our government representatives turn into adults with nothing more than a grade school mentality. They argue like two third graders except with bigger words and an all too willing press corps.

It is time to call bullshit on both parties. I am sick of both parties dodging the big issues in favor of steroids in baseball or complaining about how unfair the college bowl championship series is or finger pointing after Hurricane Katrina or why a United Arab Emirates company should not run some of our ports or using a controversial topic like immigration to pull out the race card. (Look over there stupid Americans while I screw you over here and over here). I am tired of hearing one party complain about the other parties’ ideas without proposing their own ideas. I am tired of our politicians changing their stances at the drop of some stupid poll that sampled two hundred people. I am sick of the pork barrel spending projects. I am disgusted by the lack of responsibility these government representatives have for our hard earned money (we are borrowing over $1 billion a day to keep this country running). I am flabbergasted that these folks do not have a single unique idea in their heads and care more for their political careers than their country.

This country needs leadership desperately. Neither party has impressed me lately. I think a comparison of the Al Franken show on Air American and the Rush Limbaugh show on the EIB network sums it up best for me. While listening to Al Franken recently I heard that the Republicans were screwing up national security and do not have a plan. Tuning into Rush Limbaugh I heard that the Democrats were screwing up national security and do not have a plan. I think both are right in a manner of speaking. Neither party has a clue nor are they willing to stick their necks out for fear of the electorate. It is a bloody shame because the time to act with common sense is upon us. We need to get serious about our skyrocketing national debt, the impending social security and health care crises, failing education, illegal immigration, and a myriad of other important topics. Let’s figure out what went wrong when something goes wrong and fix it instead of playing the blame game and having hearings after hearings after hearings, and months and years later rehashing it again because we learned nothing from all those hearings. We keep making the same mistakes over and over. Partisan bickering does not do this country any good.

We need real leaders who are willing to fight the K Street special interests and do what is right, not what is politically expedient for their careers. We need to work together to solve problems. We need to take back our representative democracy.

I used to think that the Democrats had it right. Then I decided that they did not and started voting for Republicans. Now I find myself with no one to vote for. Voting for the lesser of two evils at this point is not a real choice. Is it wrong to want real choice when it comes to our elected representatives?

Photo by KCThinker. Root in rocks with leaves and water. Catskills, New York.

Immigration Reform

Nothing bothers me more than having a complex issue boiled down to a simplistic statement on a cardboard sign while waving a Mexican flag. Americans are not racist for suggesting that immigration reform is needed. This is not a black and white issue and the time for immigration reform is long past due.

Do I mind that there are illegal immigrants here in the United States? Yes and no. I do not like that these people are thumbing their noses at our laws; however, American was built by immigrants. I am the son of immigrants.

Do we need illegal immigrants? It seems that some companies are not willing to pay top dollar for jobs that are not very desirable and Americans appear to be unwilling to do the "dirty" and hard jobs. Illegal immigrants provide cheap labor to these companies, keep prices down for Americans and, undeniably, illegal immigrants work harder than most Americans. However, I do not buy the excuse wholesale that illegal immigrants do the work that Americans do not want to do. That may be the case in some jobs, but I think Americans would do the work if those jobs paid more. Some Americans are losing their jobs to cheaper illegal immigrant labor - this is particularly prevalent in the construction industry (where people are willing to work - just not at cut-rate wages).

Should illegal immigration be a crime? Technically, it is already. If I were to enter another country by sneaking across a border, I would be entering illegally and breaking that country's laws. If I entered a country and started working on false identification, I would be breaking the law. That said, what do we do with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants? It does not make sense to round them up and deport them. It does not make sense to charge them with a felony. But it is also not fair to allow them easy legal status when those who come here legally have to jump through so many hoops. We need to implement immigration reform that requires them to register and start the process of becoming legal immigrants. However, this kind of “amnesty” means nothing without significantly tightening our border. We need a guest worker program of sorts.

Illegal immigration has burdened our social systems (health care and education), particularly in the southern states. Illegal immigrants go to the emergency room for minor issues like colds and never pay the bills and our schools have to spend money on English-as-a-second-language programs. Illegal immigration encourages identity theft. I would rather see Spanish and Mandarin Chinese being taught as second languages to grade school children. My parents came from Germany in the late 1960’s and have learned English. They did not expect the country they have adopted to learn their native language.

Our politicians need to think about this reform carefully and not rush headlong into reform for the sake of political maneuvering in the upcoming 2006 election cycle. Our politicians need to listen to the American people not the mobs of illegal immigrants protesting immigration reform. Smart immigration reform and not knee-jerk reaction will set us in the right direction. We need a debate where ideas are shared. Immigration reform without effectively dealing with the borders is not reform only maintenance of the status quos. Without addressing the border situation we will land right back where we started.

And please, get informed about the complexity of this issue before you start protesting. Don’t be a simpleton.

Photo Credit: High school students dance as they protest house bill HR4437 which calls for tougher border protection and immigration laws in San Francisco, California. Tens of thousands of Latinos protested across the United States, the fifth day of snowballing protests against plans for what they say is a racist a crackdown on illegal immigration.(AFP/Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)

What Are We Leaving our Children?

Why does no one stand up and say that we cannot place the burden of $9 trillion of debt on our children and grandchildren. We have to make sacrifices, we have to cut spending and have a balanced budget this year, not in five years. I compare this to a college student taking a cash advance with their credit card so that they can deposit the money into their checking account to pay the minimum balance on the credit card. And I know college students that have done this. Another example of fiscal irresponsibility is home owners that take a home equity loan to pay off their credit cards. You may be consolidating your debt, but you are still taking a loan to pay off a loan. That does not sound very responsible, does it? Well, neither is borrowing more money to pay the interest on the debt you already have. And I know senators and representatives that have done this.

Could you look your child in the eye and apologize for not having any food to eat or clothes to wear because you went out and spent all the money on a TV you did not need? It seems that our government representatives are too busy buying TVs.

Numbers of Interest:

• $8,347,486,113,319.40: National Debt as of March 23, 2006
• $27,800: Your share of the national debt
• $184 Billion: 2005 Net Interest on the National Debt. More than Education, Homeland Security, Environment, Agriculture, Healthcare Research and Foreign Aid combined
• 2023: Year when Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Interest on the Debt will exceed all federal revenues
• 60%: Amount Total Federal Spending must be cut to balance the budget by 2040
• 2.5 times current tax levels to bring budget into balance in 2040
• $35.6 Trillion: Social Security and Medicare (parts A,B, and D) shortfall

All numbers are from either the Government Accountability Office (http://www.gao.gov/) or the U.S. Treasury’s Bureau of the Public Debt (http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/).

Photo by KCThinker, Frieburg, Germany, 2005

The Beauty of Nature

On my way home today after spending three days in snow-choked Nebraska, I saw a beautiful site that reminded my of the beauty of nature and the wonder of spring. In the distance on east side of the road I saw a large tree with a swarm of black birds around it. As I approached, the throng of birds started moving away from the tree in the form of a strand of DNA. The teeming birds made it appear as though the DNA was twisting as it moved away from the tree, almost as if the tree were unfurling its DNA. Nature and its mysteries never cease to amaze me.

Photo by KCThinker. Butterfly in flowering bush, September 2004.

The “Threat” of Out Sourcing

"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death." ~ Anais Nin

The term “out sourcing” creates very different responses depending on who you talk to. Out sourcing is a reality of today’s global economy. It is a phenomenon that we can not dismiss in favor of protectionism and isolationism. The world becomes more and more interconnected everyday. Thanks to the boom years in the 1990’s, thousands of miles of fiber optic cable have been laid and now countries like India and China are taking advantage of that infrastructure. Information can be shared faster and more efficiently than at any time in our history.

What does this mean for the United States and Europe (the “old” economies)? We have to change and “go with the flow” so to speak. We can be unrealistic like the French youth who look to the past and see the socialistic comforts their parents enjoyed, or we can face reality and change our attitudes and embrace the opportunities that lie ahead in the global economy.

I understand that this is something that is very difficult for many people to accept; particularly those that have lost jobs due to out sourcing. Economies change, and with that change come hardships. Our economy in the United States has been changing over the last few decades from one based on manufacturing to one more reliant on information technology. U.S. companies are slowly adapting. And yes, there are growing pains.

But let us look at out sourcing more critically. Jobs are transferred from someone in the United States or Western Europe to countries where wages are less. This reduces operating costs for the companies (since the name of the game in the corporate world is “profit”). Share holders want returns on their investments. Unfortunately, these share holders and the stock markets in general have become greedy and even if a company meets the quarterly goals the stock can take a hit. That is the reality.

From a different perspective, the job that went to India, or elsewhere, provides an income for a family. That family’s standard of living has been raised. They can now afford more materialistic things. They may buy American made products, providing growth for American companies. The American companies may in turn expand their business and hire additional employees stateside.
Okay, still not good enough for you? The worker in a foreign country has a job that provides for his family. That person is less likely to be embittered and join with extremists bent on violence.

A colleague of my wife’s was recently remarking that he was worried for his children because of all the jobs being “exported” to India and China. Upon hearing this, my initial response was that he should be worried; especially if his kids are not learning the skills they need to survive in the global economy. It seems that everyone is concerned, as well they should be. However, no job is certain. You would still have to compete with other Americans in a non-global economy. You still have to out shine your peers. Your peers today are just across the ocean or south of the equator.
"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew." ~ Abraham Lincoln

Manufacturers of horse drawn buggies had to adapt with the advent of the automobile. We have to adapt to the changing economy by being better educated and better trained and more flexible. There are many opportunities out there for those Americans willing to adapt. It just requires work, something not many Americans are used to or willing to do.

Photo by KCThinker. Tree along fence line.

"That's the way things come clear. All of a sudden. And then you realize how obvious they've been all along." ~ Madeleine K. L'Engle

I Want a Do-Over

Don’t you wish that sometimes you could ask for a do-over like you did when you were in grade school? That is the attitude I have with a lot of things in life right now. From the subject I chose to study at university to our elected politicians, I want a do-over.

This is not to say that my job as a civil/environmental engineer is not stable and has not rewarded me. I have a good job with a good company. Sometimes I just wonder if I was meant to do more. I think there are many people like me that come to a point in their life when they ask themselves whether what they are doing is worth it. Approaching my mid-thirties, I am asking myself “What do I want to be when I grow up?” I have many options thanks to a great education and supportive wife. What can I do that will make a difference and answer my question. There always seems to be an excuse for not taking the risk and sticking my neck on the line. Regardless, something needs to change.

Some of my options, as I see them, are teaching and public service. I feel the need to use my education and experience to make math more interesting for kids. I hear horror stories about the lack of a decent education our children are receiving from our public schools. I hear that there is a shortage of math and science teachers. I think I could fill that gap. America needs more students interested in math and science. Unless we change our attitude towards education in this country, America will continue to fall behind. Countries like India and China will be the centers of research. They have the desire. Americans’ only desire is to wallow in mediocrity and spend our future.

My other option is public service. The latest debacle over the Dubai-based company running American ports has left me very disappointed, even ashamed, with our politicians, the media, and our citizens. My encounter with a citizen in Columbus, Nebraska recently hit it home for me. I was speaking with this gentleman about the ports deal and he summed up his opinion by saying that he did not want any Arabs running our ports. It was the way he said; almost racially. The politicians taking stock of the political winds and making an issue of the ports to gain political capital for the next election cycle made it worse for me. From the moment the deal was announced I did not think this would be an issue. Former President Carter was reported to be in support of the deal. Rush Limbaugh was in support of the deal. Bill O’Reilly was in support of the deal. Heck, former President Clinton has been reported to be working behind the scenes for the Dubai-based company. If these four agree on an issue, I would think one of two things would happen: the world would end or the ports deal would be a non-issue. I did not count on the third, a complete lack of common sense by our media and our politicians.

Last week I was New Jersey for work. On my way back to the airport I was flipping channels and trying to find some decent talk radio station. The best reception was Air America and the Al Franken show. I had found the polar opposite of Rush Limbaugh. Rush constantly attacks the Democrats and Al was attacking the Republicans. This is what our political system has turned into. Each party attacks the other for political expediency. Al was complaining that President Bush was out to lunch on the ports deal and is weak on national security. Rush was complaining the Democrats have no plan and are weak on national security. Listening to both made me realize that we need a major political change in our country. The minor issues are blown out of proportion to draw attention away from a total and complete lack of regard of the bigger issues.

An independent candidate for governor in Texas, Kinky Friedman, summed it up best for me by saying the following in an article by John P. Avlon on FoxNews.com:

“There are very few Republicans and Democrats left in Texas,” Kinky says from his ranch in the Hill Country outside of Austin, where five dogs run around and Fox News plays on the TV in the background (not a plug, just a fact). “I think there are just people who are disgusted with politicians; people who are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.”

He describes the two-parties as “the Crips and the Bloods, playing little insider games with each other, like neighborhood bullies…. The only time they got off their asses is to attack each other. And they’ll do it forever. They’ll never stop until there’s an alternative available.”

I am disgusted by Washington, D.C. and the complete and utter lack of common sense. Stupidity seems to hang over the town like thick smog choking the intelligence out of our duly-elected politicians. Here are two examples of the absence of leadership in Washington, D.C.:

The first is the most recent, the Dubai ports issue. Clamoring about national security issues, the Democrats and Republicans focus on the security risks involved with handing over management of the ports to an Arab-owned company. Never mind that the United States would still be in charge of security. Never mind that our porous border is more of a security risk than the ports (read the Tom Clancy novel The Teeth of the Tiger for a scenario in which terrorists enter the United States by being smuggled across the border). If someone wanted to get something in through the ports they can do so whether the managing company is American, Arab, Chinese, African, or European. Do you really think the Dubai-based company would spend billions of dollars to blow us up when they can bribe the right people for far less? Again, distract with a minor issue and ignore the major one. To top it all off, we get knee-jerk reactions like inspecting 100 percent of containers (do you realize how many come into the country?) and mandating that ports are managed only by American companies (have you forgotten that isolationism and protectionism are not good attitudes to have in a global economy?). The Dubai-based company was pursing capitalism, not terrorism.

My second example is less obvious, Social Security reform. I blame President Bush for botching this one. I will soon be 34 years old. I fully expect that I will not see a penny of the money I pay into the Social Security system when I retire. I want control over my money. To President Bush’s credit he put it out there. He realizes that there is a problem and that we need to address it now and not in 2017 when some far flung estimate says we really need to start worrying about solvency. However, President Bush did not want to compromise. The Democrats would hear nothing of any meaningful reform and did not present a realistic plan. No honest conversation was started. The reform suggestions of the Concord Coalition, a bi-partisan think tank, are ignored in favor of pandering to AARP members. Here again, tough decisions that would not garner political capital are side stepped because the prevailing attitude of these men and women running our country is that “We do not need to do anything because the problem is so far off and I do not want lose all my AARP votes.” Instead the problem still looms out there and becomes more and more unmanageable as more and more baby boomers retire. My daughter will be paying for the inaction of our so-called leaders today. The facts are that we need to cut benefits, increase FICA taxes, and provide a personal savings plan option. Please read Running On Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It by Peter G. Peterson for a sobering reality check and to understand why Social Security reform is needed now.

Where have all the leaders gone? There used to be real leaders in this country; business men and politicians that sought real solutions to problems that vexed the nation. We are led by the dumb and dumber crew. Today’s leaders are more interested in amassing a power base, dolling out political favors, and acting like movie stars. They are courted by special interests that flaunt money and power. Both Democrats and Republicans maneuver their staff into lobbying positions in a game of nepotism.

I would like to think of myself as an independent. I think we should provide health care to those that need it. I would be willing to look at universal health care. We could make our companies more competitive by reducing the health care costs they currently incur through a nationalized system. We also need to look at prevention of diseases instead of fixing the problems. An emphasis on prevention will reduce health care costs. We also need to streamline our health care system (I was dealing with paper work from an automobile accident more than a year after my accident).

I would like to see less taxation and a more frugal government. We have a national debt of more $8 trillion. I know these are boring topics, but these are real issues that require our politicians to make tough decisions. We need to make significant cuts in spending. Tax increases are not an acceptable solution in my opinion. I liken it to personal behavior. I cannot give myself a raise just because my expenses increase. I need to cut my expenses to be in line with my income.

I do not see meaningful leadership from our President on down. I have lost faith in our elected officials and their ability to do what is right unless it helps their political “bank”. Maybe I need to jump into the fray and start my own campaign of common sense leadership. I would like to think that I would be immune from the political intrigue and the need to accumulate power. I would like to think that my common sense would filter the smog of stupidity and prevent me from becoming yet another talking head. Or maybe I should just become a math teacher to give young men and women the tools to succeed in life and hopefully guide some of them to a career in science and engineering.

Photo by KCThinker. Flock of birds on farm field in Iowa.

The Hypocrisy of Washington, D.C.

A company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is purchasing ports in the United States. The Bush administration once again screws it all up by not talking to the right people ahead of time to smooth the waters. The administration is once again seen as being “secretive”. When will those clowns learn? All of sudden everyone is in an uproar. They complain of the security risks involved with selling the ports to an Arab company. A company based in UAE. The UAE happens to have had some shady dealings with terrorists in the past, but has cleaned up its act and is now cooperating with the United States. On the whole from the beginning I thought this was a non-issue. I was wrong. Left and right have united in outrage over this deal; another knee-jerk reaction by ill-informed people using this issue as an opportunity to show boat and claim to be tough on national security. Now they want hearings to show boat some more and position themselves for the next election cycle.

Today I was listening to NPR and they were talking to some Senator (does it really matter which one – they are all worthless) about the sale of the ports to this UAE company. A merchant marine called into the show. He has not agreed with a single position of the Bush administration until now. He has worked on cargo ships that have been into U.S. ports and recently a port in UAE. He claims that the UAE port is one of the most modern and efficient ports he has ever seen. He complained that ports in America were substandard. After seeing what he has seen he stated that he would welcome the UAE company to run ports in the U.S. And to add icing to the cake, he stated that the Senator that was on the show did not have a clue. Here is someone who has real experience in this matter and does not feel threatened by an Arab company taking over operation of these ports. Has anyone mentioned that security will still be controlled by the U.S.?

Why would a company spend billions to buy ports only to smuggle something into the U.S. to blow us up? They are trying to make money - that is called capitalism not terrorism. This is the same country that is investing $15 billion in aerospace. What forward-looking country would risk an investment like that on bombing a has-been, backward-looking country like the U.S.? Am I missing something here? Please let me know where my logic is failing. It would certainly be cheaper to bribe some officials to get the job done or just smuggle the explosives into the country through our porous borders. Which brings me to the hypocrisy of our politicians... Why get your panties in a wad over the purchase of six ports by an Arab country when hundreds of thousands of people and thousands of pounds of contraband are smuggled into our country every year across the U.S.-Mexico border? Because our border security is a politically sensitive issue and these politicians would rather insult the relatively small Arab population than the growing Hispanic population. Border security would require real work, hard decisions, and practical solutions. Our Senators and Representatives are too busy basking in the glow of the media lights than to roll up their sleeves and get real work done. That is the sad truth and that is why more and more people in this country do not have a positive outlook towards the future of the U.S.

“For hatred can never put an end to hatred. Love alone can.”
~ Passage from The Dhammapada

The Power of a Cartoon...


Outrage over a cartoon? This is what the world has come to. So some Dane wants to express his opinion that Islam is a religion of violence. Is there any evidence to the contrary? Usama Bin Laden threatens to destroy the United States and even attacks the United States, and continues to threaten the United States in the name of Islam. Moslems seem to have no regard for life and kill other Moslems. Some harebrained idea that by killing people in the name of Islam you get to go to heaven and have your way with some virgins (makes you wonder what is promised the female terrorists). Daily we see images of suicide bombers that appear to have their direction from the Islamic faith. In the name of Islam, innocents are beheaded and the whole grizzly scene is captured on tape to be replayed to the delight of millions on Arabic speaking news stations. A cartoon is published that in the artist's opinion, Islam is a religion of violence and all of sudden riots break out that lead to the destruction of foreign missions in Syria and Lebanon. Why should we believe that Islam is not a religion of violence? I do not see important Islamic figures making important speeches denouncing violence. I do not hear Islamic religious leaders calling for peace. THE CARTOON IS THE WAY THE WORLD SEES ISLAM. Maybe instead of rioting and complaining about how we are constantly offending Moslems, Moslems everywhere should sit back and wonder why exactly the world has this notion that Islam is a religion of violence. Maybe Moslems should realize that actions speak louder than words. Maybe Moslems should be concerned that a minority in their faith have hijacked Islam for destructive purposes. Maybe they should look at the root cause for religious extremism - poverty, lack of opporunities, corrupt governments, and poor education. Where does all that money go that Moslems obediently tithe? Maybe they should take responsibility for their faith. Stop blaming the heathens for the way Islam is portrayed - start looking inward at their own faith.

To top it all off, a contest was held to find some demeaning portrayal of western religion. The best they could do is put a bomb in the arms of Jesus. Last I checked there were no lunatics running around bombing people in the name of Christianity. Bush may be a Christian, but he is not bombing anyone in the name of Jesus, he is just bombing. Then the publishers were surprised that there was no outrage by Christians - no riots, no mass protests. Just goes to show that most extremists just do not get it.

I wish we could just ignore the Middle East. Forget the oil and let the region fall back into the Middle Ages as it desperately wants to and routinely acts like. As far as I am concerned the Middle East has not shown me that they are ready and willing to be part of the 21st century. Now we have a lunatic in Iran that wants nuclear capabilities. A country run by extreme religious fanatics. Wonderful (heavy does of sarcasm added here).


The other thing that bothers me is that once again religion is used to propagate hate. I tire of religion and the people that use it to justify violence, stupidity, laziness, ignorance, and small mindedness. I myself have no need for religion. I used to, but I have come to believe that religion in one form or another has been created to comfort those who need comforting, for those who need to believe in a purpose of life, and most importantly to control people. I believe in a supreme being, but that is as far as I will take it. To think that some all powerful being would give a rat's ass what we do on Earth is ludicrous. A God that picks and chooses who can get into heaven is not the type of God I subscribe to. A God that demeans a sex, a race, or a class is not the type of God I would want anything to do with. I shun religion of any kind that says that I have to believe a certain way to be accepted by a God. You do not need religion to be a good, moral, kind, thoughtful human being. You do not need religion to do good works. You do not need religion to be just. If you live your life well, are kind to those in need and those not in need, I believe that God would be pleased and let you into heaven, even if you were not a devout subscriber. Stop thinking about the afterlife and start thinking about the now. Life is too short to create suffering; it is better spent helping people, building a good life, and doing good works.

To see all the controversial cartoons and decide for yourself, visit Michelle Malkin's website.

Lately I have been hounded by an occasional depression that seems to grip me in its tight clutches for a time. During this time I am so sad. I feel like the world is going fast as it can towards a cliff. No one knows how to use the brakes. We are on a course of disaster because no one can see what I see. No one understands like I understand. I want to scream at the top of my lungs so that everyone can see where we are headed, but no sound comes out. Despite all that we have gone through in thousands of years of human history we are still very immature as a society. We are still divided by political ideology, class, religion, race, and sex. We value possessions over our relationships with people and our community. We value selfishness over selflessness. During my lapses into the darkness I imagine what kind of world my daughter will grow up in and I am only drawn into the darkness more. I have a sense that we will be falling on hard times soon. There are too many pressures on the world economy and geopolitics for there not to be a consequence to our immaturity. We seem to be bound for the stars, yet because we are always looking into the future we ignore the lessons of the past and this more than anything keeps us from progressing to the next step God intended for us. Unless we can truly embrace each other regardless of the invisible divisions that keep us apart we will remain a society of children with adult faults. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood this all too well. He was shouting it out at the top of his lungs. Millions of people have heard him, but too few have actually understood the message and acted upon it.

“We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"If you have always been spoon fed, how will you learn to feed yourself?" -KCThinker on people who only listen, read, or believe one source of information instead of getting all the facts before they make a judgement on something.

On Christmas…

It seems that the true meaning of Christmas (at least as I see it) has been lost on the general public. Instead of a time of peace and love and generosity towards our fellow companions on this spinning rock in space, we spend money on stuff and bicker about naming Christmas and how saying Christmas might offend someone. Every year the stores role out the Christmas decorations earlier and earlier; some stores had begun setting up their displays in September this year. I think that the commercialization of Christmas misses the whole point of the season. But before I opine on this much beloved holiday of children everywhere we need a history lesson of how it started and look at some its traditions.

A Brief History of the Origin of Christmas

The history of Christmas dates back over 4,000 years. Many Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before Christ was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the Yule log, the giving of gifts, carnivals with floats, carolers who sing while going from house to house, holiday feasts, and church processions can all be traced back to the early Mesopotamians.

“In the Roman world, Saturnalia (December 17) was a time of merrymaking and exchanging of gifts. December 25 was also regarded as the birth date of the Iranian mystery god Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness. On the Roman New Year (January 1), houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and gifts were given to children and the poor. To these observances were added the German and Celtic Yule rites when the Teutonic tribes penetrated into Gaul, Britain and central Europe. Food and good fellowship, the Yule log and Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees, gifts and greetings all commemorated different aspects of this festive season. Fires and lights, symbols of warmth and lasting life, have always been associated with the winter festival, both pagan and Christian.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Edit. Vol. II, p. 903)

The exact day of the Christ child's birth has never been pinpointed. Traditions say that it has been celebrated since the year 98 AD. In 137 AD the Bishop of Rome ordered the birthday of the Christ Child celebrated as a solemn feast. In 350 AD another Bishop of Rome, Julius I, choose December 25th as the observance of Christmas. According to researchers of the Christian scriptures, Christ was probably born in the fall instead of the winter. December 25th was most likely not selected because it was the birth of Christ or because it was even near it. It was probably selected because it coincided with pagan festivals such as Saturnalia.

The Brief History of Gift Giving

The idea of Santa Claus developed from stories about a real person named Saint Nicholas. Historians know little for certain about him. He was probably born in Patara, in what is now Turkey. When he was 19 years old, Nicholas became a priest. He later served as bishop of Myra, near Patara. He died during the A.D. 300's.

According to legend, Saint Nicholas once aided a poor nobleman who had three daughters. No men would marry the daughters because the nobleman did not provide any of them with a dowry. Saint Nicholas threw three bags of money through an open window of the nobleman's house to show that the daughters now had dowries. As a result, they were able to marry. The legend of Saint Nicholas as a man who brings gifts may have developed from this story.

The custom of giving gifts on a special day in winter was practiced before Christianity was founded. After Christianity was well established, Saint Nicholas became a symbol of the custom among Christians. During the Reformation of the 1500's, Protestants substituted nonreligious characters for Saint Nicholas. In England, for example, the saint was replaced by a gentleman called Father Christmas.

The Origin of Other Christmas Traditions

In Scandinavia, a period of festivities known as Yule contributed another impetus to celebration, as opposed to spirituality. As winter ended the growing season, the opportunity of enjoying the summer’s bounty encouraged much feasting and merriment. The popular ritual was the burning of the Yule Log, which is strongly embedded in the pagan worship of vegetation and fire, as well as being associated with magical and spiritual powers.

The Celtic culture of the British Isles revered all green plants, but particularly mistletoe and holly. These were important symbols of fertility and were used for decorating their homes and altars.

New Christmas customs appeared in the Middle Ages. The most prominent contribution was the carol, which by the 14th century had become associated with the religious observance of the birth of Christ.

In Italy, a tradition developed for re-enacting the birth of Christ and the construction of scenes of the nativity. This is said to have been introduced by Saint Francis as part of his efforts to bring spiritual knowledge to the laity.

A prominent figure in today's Christmas is Saint Nicholas who for centuries has been honored on December 6th. He was one of the forerunners of Santa Claus.

Legend has it that a 7th century a monk from England, used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to people in Germany. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God's Tree, as they had previously revered the Oak. By the 12th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity (It would seem that this tradition is making a come back…so that we can put more presents under the tree!).

The first decorated tree was at Riga in Latvia, in 1510. In the early 16th century, Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas Tree with candles, to show his children how the stars twinkled through the dark night.

In the mid 16th century, Christmas markets were set up in German towns, to provide everything from gifts, food and more practical things such as a knife grinder to sharpen the knife to carve the Christmas Goose! At these fairs, bakers made shaped gingerbreads and wax ornaments for people to buy as souvenirs of the fair, and take home to hang on their Christmas Trees.

The best record we have is that of a visitor to Strasbourg in 1601. He records a tree decorated with “wafers and golden sugar-twists (barley sugar) and paper flowers of all colors”. The early trees were biblically symbolic of the Paradise Tree in the Garden of Eden. The many food items were symbols of Plenty, the flowers, originally only red (for knowledge) and White (for innocence).

Tinsel was invented in Germany around 1610. At that time real silver was used, and machines were invented which pulled the silver out into the wafer thin strips for tinsel. Silver was durable, but tarnished quickly, especially with candlelight. Silver was used for tinsel right up to the mid-20th century

Why Have We Lost the Meaning of Christmas?

Merchants regularly report that over 60 percent of their annual retail sales occur during the Christmas shopping season. This represents a tremendous amount of gift buying. Most today believe that gift-giving comes from the Bible example of the “three wise men” presenting gifts to Christ. A long-standing, ancient custom of the East was to present gifts when coming before a king. These men understood they were in the presence of the “King of the Jews.” The Bible carries many examples of people sending gifts to kings or presenting them upon arrival into their presence. This custom is common today when ambassadors or others come into the presence of a world leader.

This season leads the entire year in adultery, loneliness, jealousy, drunkenness and drunk driving, family arguments (and worse), and accumulation of debt that often lasts until March. This problem is so significant that almost all churches typically report that their incomes, ironically, drop during this period as people “recover” from all their spending!

Some children expect big presents and become disappointed when they do not get them. There always seems to be ”the present” that every kid wants. It all hit home on Saturday morning after Thanksgiving when I was watching the news reports of the shopping “sales” that began early in the morning the day before. People were falling down and getting trampled in the rush to get the best “deals.” Fights were breaking out because of this. This is what Christmas has become; nothing more than a gluttony festival – harkening back to some of its pagan roots.

Then there is the whole political correctness ridiculousness. Why are we offended when someone says Merry Christmas? Why are we offended by a nativity scene? Why do we spend so much time (and in the case of the ACLU, money) fighting this issue? I used to be a Christian (I will not get into the reasons for my moving away from the faith at this time), but I am not offended by Christmas or a nativity scene. It is part of our history. Instead of rewriting history, as many liberals are apt to do, we should learn the lessons it can teach us. In the case of Christmas there is more than meets the eye because it is a culmination of many cultures and many traditions. What offends me is the blatant disregard for this season and the incessant need for ever increasing political correctness in our culture. The secularists are screaming that it is too religious. The moment you slap Merry Christmas on a store front selling widgets it has already become secularized, don’t you think? Political correctness in this country has become so bad that we are proposing to hide historical paintings and cover up famous sculptures. Don’t get me wrong, I am for being sensitive to a degree, but the moment we turn our backs on history or try to rewrite it we run the risk of repeating it.

Instead of being offended by Christmas or God in the pledge or on our money or the Ten Commandments (good general rules to live by whether you are Christian or a pagan), we should be offended by racism, poverty, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, cancer, battered women and children, and religious extremism (NO, celebrating Christmas is not religious extremism). But those issues would require too much energy to solve, so we wallow in mediocrity and are offended by inconsequential annoyances; much like our politicians who would rather debate the bowl championship series or steroids in baseball instead of rolling up their sleeves and doing something about the deficit.

I like the idea of this holiday. For me it celebrates hope and peace and family. Unfortunately, these things have been lost in the media and in our hearts.

May the holidays be good to you and may you treat others this season as you would like to be treated.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On the Iraq War…

Why are we talking about pulling out before the job is done? What did the American people think was going to happen? Did they expect a Grenada? I suppose the politicians and public are so deluded to think that democracy can brought to Iraq in the span of a reality show. I am tired of the negativity and more importantly I am tired of America’s short attention span. I maintain that if we had this kind of attitude during World War II we would have called it quits before the first troops hit the beaches on D-day. Thank god that that generation had the spine and balls to see that ugly war through and defeat the fascists before they had a strangle hold on the world. The Americans in charge of our political system today are weak, spineless, lazy, and decadent. They are more concerned about which way the political wind is blowing than doing what is right. It’s a wonder we have held it together for this long.

Did I support the war initially? NO. I did not think Saddam was a threat. I thought it would be best to concentrate on Afghanistan. Do I think that the Bush administration deliberately lied to America to go to war? NO. If you are so deluded to think that a president of the United States of America would intentionally lie to America and sacrifice the lives of men and women of this country for oil or some other far fetched idea you need some serious psychological help. Please seek help immediately. Please spare me the evidence Mr. Wilson supposedly brought back from his “trip”. Consider for a minute that Mr. Wilson could have been told what he wanted to hear. Do you really think that a bureaucrat could get real intelligence? Consider that many other countries had intelligence that Saddam had WMDs. Consider for a minute that Saddam was in violation of a number of United Nations resolutions. Consider for a minute that he had to appear as though he had WMDs to look credible in a region where power is everything. Fine, the intelligence today looks suspect, but would we have found that out if we had not gone into Iraq? I postulate that we would not have.

Well here we are. Iraq is not stable yet and we have all these factions going at each other. Killing each other in mosques, nonetheless (and we Americans get yelled at if we bomb the mosques when our enemies hide in them – yet Moslems are free to kill other Moslems in them – even during worship). DO I SUPPORT A PULL OUT? NO. WE STARTED IT AND WE MUST SHOW THAT WE ARE WILLING TO SEE IT THROUGH. What the majority of the spineless Americans calling for a pull out do not understand is that power talks. Being spineless wins no one over in the Mid East. I just do not understand what America was expecting. I was under no delusions when America went in that it would be easy. Before you enter such a situation, you damn well better know the history of the region and factions involved. I guess that kind of knowledge was not very sought out by the Bush administration or more likely ignored before deciding to get into nation building.

That said, we must see this through. We must support the fledgling democracy in Iraq to our fullest capability. To bow out now because we have lost too many soldiers and spent too much money is showing the real enemy (Islamic extremism) that America is weak and will bow if enough pressure is applied.

Are we helping the Iraqis? YES. I recently had reason to speak to a person who has been going to Iraq to help the Iraqis rebuild the agriculture machine that Saddam had run into the ground. She presented a picture of hope. She told me that a group had traveled from southern Iraq to be part of a training she was helping facilitate. Along the way they encountered a checkpoint at which point they were told they could not proceed any further because of danger. They waited and then finally got through and made the training late. But they were so excited at the opportunity of this training that they immediately engaged and did not want it to stop. She has seen hope. Yes, there are problems. The main stream media does its best by telling us morning, noon, and night of the death toll. What they do not tell us is that schools are being built and kids are going to school; people are learning about opportunities and trying to make a difference; progress is being made. I have heard firsthand accounts of engineers returning from Iraq and stating that yes, they are getting there. Will it be accomplished by the time the last person is voted off that ridiculous reality show? Probably not, but what did you really expect?

“There are two kinds of people in this world - those who are always getting ready to do something, and those who go ahead and do it.” ~ Roycrofters: Epigrams of the Day

On the French problem…

What do you expect will happen when hooligans this age have nothing to do? What do you expect will happen when none of these scum bags have any respect for authority? What do you expect in a socialist society where the hand outs are never enough?

Twelve days. It took the French government 12 days to get off their asses, admit there was a problem and implement a solution. And we thought FEMA was bad? The French solution is even half-assed. A curfew? Give me a break. How about implementing martial law? How about letting your police officers shoot to kill when shot at. Hama rules; that is all the Muslims understand.

I think what these Muslim hooligans are doing is downright despicable. Do these idiots really think that mayhem and destruction will make the authorities respect them?

More than 5,000 cars have been set on fire during the 12 days of unrest (http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/). I guess that news will at least make the environmentalist fringe happy. I think I will throw a party when say, 6,000 cars have been torched. Maybe I will protest at the United Nations at the injustice of this massive squandering of resources. I will propose that automobile manufacturers in France start a phased pull-out because 6,000 cars have been lost.

The French claim that these Arabs and North Africans are not assimilating into French culture. These ethnic groups are forming their own cohesive areas, a la Little Italy or German Town. News flash to the French: They have a lot in common so of course they group together. Maybe if France had given the youth better educational opportunities the French would not have such a quagmire on their hands. The French should spend their outrageous tax revenue on education and expanding business opportunities instead of these socialist programs that encourage laziness. Spend it on programs that help all French to get ahead not stay behind, and they may be surprised at the outcome. Other developed countries take note: We are all in the same boat. Unless we recognize that the world is changing and we need to change with it, we will be in for a long hard slog.

"Don't tell what you would do if you were someone else - just show what you can do yourself." ~ Roycrofters: Epigrams of the Day

On the Federal deficit…

In case you have not heard, the Federal deficit has recently exceeded $8 trillion. Okay, not the most exciting topic. Most of you would probably rather hear the latest celebrity gossip, but it does affect you. I am disturbed by the tax cut and spend Republicans just as much as I am worried about the tax increase and spend Democrats. I think that politicians have lost touch with what is important and why we elect them to office in the first place, which is why I have decided to start writing my representatives. I want to show them that I am watching and I want my view to heard. Below is a letter I wrote to Senator Kit Bond (R) of Missouri the other day.


Dear Senator Bond:

The Federal deficit has recently gone over $8 trillion. I am outraged that the Republican majorities of the Senate and the House have not shown any fiscal restraint, but have supported tax cuts. Tax cuts have helped our economy, but spending cuts go hand-in-hand with tax cuts.

Please spare me the excuses of 9/11, a war in Iraq, and the multiple hurricanes making deficit spending necessary. Please do not come back with the argument that deficit spending is okay. I have heard it before and those are two lines that I will not accept as excuses. If I have an unexpected expense I cut back my spending in other areas. If I spend beyond my limit I incur expenses in the form of interest on the money I borrowed which also reduces my future spending power. The Federal government should show more responsibility towards the budget and fiscal restraint. I had hoped with President Bush winning re-election that a message had been sent by the American people. My hope was finally squashed and spit on when the Senate refused a simple request to eliminate unnecessary spending in the recent transportation bill. Obviously, those in Congress were not listening to the American people as usual.

I find it difficult to support anyone in Congress that wantonly spends America's future. It is high-time that the Federal government learns to tighten its belt. If I had the same cavalier attitude towards my money that you politicians seem to have with America’s money, I would be bankrupt ten times over.

Need I remind you of the trillions in unfunded Medicare and Social Security liabilities? Spare me the argument that all will be okay until 2018 or some other far flung year based on projections. Not committing to a reasonable plan of action now will have unintended consequences far into the future.

Please support bills that encourage spending cuts and fiscal restraint. If we can’t afford it, we need get by without it.

I encourage every citizen of every persuasion to lift themselves off the couch, turn off the “reality” TV, and get involved. Unless you speak up your voice will not be heard. Please look at the links on this blog to find out how you can get in touch with your congress people.

"There is no joy in life equal to the joy of putting salt on the tail of an idea." ~ Roycrofters: Epigrams of the Day