Tales From the Noble Library

What have I been reading lately?

Well, I finally read the two other books in the Prince of Nothing trilogy by R. Scott Bakker, The Warrior Prophet and The Thousandfold Thought. Bakker has a PhD in Philosophy and that really shines through in these books. Much of the plot revolves around philosophy and no, it is not boring. This is a very dark series with no clear good guys. It also explores some interesting territory such as the nature of belief and what it means to be a messiah/savior. The only let down for me was that even though this is a self-contained trilogy, these three books are only the opening salvo for a larger story and thus the ending feels rather abrupt and leaves you hanging, wanting more. All in all very good, though.

I also read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I don't remember ever reading something so grim. This story of a father and son struggling to survive in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event is riveting and moving. McCarthy plumbs the depths of human depravity but also waxes poetic on the very best aspects of our species. The book was not a complete smash for me, though. I found the ending to be somewhat contrived. I won't spoil it here and further reflection has somewhat dampened my dislike for it, but I still think McCarthy could have done it better.

In the last week, I have read a couple of graphic novels - the Dark Phoenix Saga, a classic X-Men story and one of the inspirations behind the second and third movies featuring those wacky mutants as well as Preludes and Nocturnes, volume one of The Sandman, one of the most highly celebrated and award-winning comic book series. Both were excellent.

I think the next book I am going to read is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner.

Will Someone Please Shut Her Up?

The longer the Democratic race goes on, the more ridiculous Hillary Clinton sounds. She is crying that the process Democrats have in place to nominate a candidate is broken and needs to be fixed. I think you will find few who disagree that the Dems do need to revamp the system, but the problem for Clinton is timing. She had no problem with anything a year ago when everyone assumed she was the presumptive nominee. But now that she is going to lose the nomination to Obama, she wants to complain about the system and compare the situation in Florida and Michigan to the rigged elections in Zimbabwe. Will someone please put America out of it's misery and get Clinton out of the race? Pretty please.

The New Indiana Jones Flick

I took my daughters and mother to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull today. Bottom line is that it was good, but disappointing. I did not let my expectations get too high, but I still left the theater thinking it could have been a lot better than it was. Spoilers will follow below, so read no further if you have not seen the movie and do not want any details revealed...




Spoilers coming! You have been warned.




There were a few things that really bugged me.

• Yeah, Indy is supposed to be one tough mother, but did they really need to have him surviving a freakin' nuclear blast by climbing into a fridge?
  
• Indy's son as Tarzan. Ugh, that was bad.
  
• The MacGuffin in this one was pretty weak, even compared to the Sankara Stones from Temple of Doom. I didn't have a problem with the aliens per se, but more with the handling of them. They revealed it too early and showed way too much of them, not to mention going into the scientific babble about "interdimensional" and such. How is that Spielberg and Lucas go from three films revolving around a mystical, unexplainable, unnatural phenomenon to pseudo-science?
  
• Karen Allen reprising the role of Marion was great except for the fact that her character was weakly written and lacked much of the spunk she had in the first.
  
• It just seemed to be lacking something.
  

It certainly was not a bad film. I'll buy it when it comes out on DVD, but I'm not going to rank it as good as Raiders or Crusade. It might not even be quite as good as Temple of Doom, although the lack of a shrieking Kate Capshaw is a huge point in its favor. It also gets points for angering the Russian Communist Party. You know a movie can't be all bad if authentic Russian Commies are up in arms about it.

A Circus in Texas

So, an appeals court has thrown out the state's case for removing the 400+ FLDS kids from their homes citing that the state had failed to prove that the children were in "imminent danger." This is not surprising and, I think, the right decision. It was ludicrous of Texas authorities to turn one or two allegations of abuse into an excuse for removing hundreds of children from their homes. It's hard to see the state being motivated by much other than fear of a group that isolated itself and practices a religion that is in many ways very different from mainstream Christian beliefs. I disagree with many of the FLDS practices, but I have to say I felt for the parents when I saw them on TV pleading for their kids.

If there are allegations of abuse, then Texas authorities need to investigate those specific claims and not turn it into a witch hunt. But these are the people that elected a gun to the Senate, so how much can you expect from them?

Writing Competition

So, I signed up to participate in an informal writing competition over at EN World, a site dedicated to role-playing games especially D&D. There are no prizes other than bragging rights, but it offers a chance to hone my writing skills and have some fun.

The way it works is that you are paired off against someone in each round. Each bracket is given four pictures chosen by the judges and you have 72 hours to write a story driven by the pics. There is no minimum or maximum length; the only requirement is that you must use all four pictures and they must be a meaningful part of the story, not a throw-away piece. The judges decide which story they like better and the winner advances to the next round to do it all over again. It goes like that until the final round in which the final two have six pictures to write about in the 72 hour time span.

This is the first time I have participated and it is intense. I turned my story in just minutes before the deadline and most of the second half was written in the hour previous. I wasn't completely happy with it, not that writers are ever happy with their work even when they have years to work on a piece. I got some positive feedback from the judges and I am advancing to the next round, but mostly because my opponent turned in his piece half-finished and very late. There are some good writers in the group and a few previous competitors. Still, this first round gave me some confidence, so we'll see how it goes.

If you are curious, here are the pictures I had to use. And here is the story, I wrote. Comments and criticism welcome, of course. Just remember it was written in 72 hours and I have not revised it since.

UPDATE: Fixed story link.

The College Dilemma

College is for everyone, right? If only we could find a way to make it affordable for everyone, then every American could get a four-year degree and peace and prosperity would abound. I'm sure it's that easy, but a college professor writing a piece for The Atlantic disagrees.

I work at colleges of last resort. For many of my students, college was not a goal they spent years preparing for, but a place they landed in. Those I teach don’t come up in the debates about adolescent overachievers and cutthroat college admissions. Mine are the students whose applications show indifferent grades and have blank spaces where the extracurricular activities would go. They chose their college based not on the U.S. News & World Report rankings but on MapQuest; in their ideal academic geometry, college is located at a convenient spot between work and home. I can relate, for it was exactly this line of thinking that dictated where I sent my teaching résumé.
...
The bursting of our collective bubble comes quickly. A few weeks into the semester, the students must start actually writing papers, and I must start grading them. Despite my enthusiasm, despite their thoughtful nods of agreement and what I have interpreted as moments of clarity, it turns out that in many cases it has all come to naught.

Remarkably few of my students can do well in these classes. Students routinely fail; some fail multiple times, and some will never pass, because they cannot write a coherent sentence.

He continues.

There seems, as is often the case in colleges, to be a huge gulf between academia and reality. No one is thinking about the larger implications, let alone the morality, of admitting so many students to classes they cannot possibly pass. The colleges and the students and I are bobbing up and down in a great wave of societal forces—social optimism on a large scale, the sense of college as both a universal right and a need, financial necessity on the part of the colleges and the students alike, the desire to maintain high academic standards while admitting marginal students—that have coalesced into a mini-tsunami of difficulty. No one has drawn up the flowchart and seen that, although more-widespread college admission is a bonanza for the colleges and nice for the students and makes the entire United States of America feel rather pleased with itself, there is one point of irreconcilable conflict in the system, and that is the moment when the adjunct instructor, who by the nature of his job teaches the worst students, must ink the F on that first writing assignment.

The whole article is fairly damning of the current system. The anonymous professor says that we need to make vo-tech degrees more valuable and move away from the notion that everyone including the "people who run the boilers" need to have a four-year college degree because some people just are not cut out for it.

It is not demeaning to anyone to say this. We often have a tendency to conflate equality with sameness. We may all be equal in that we are all humans beings and American citizens, but the notion that we are all equally capable of all tasks is absurd and illogical. Each of us is different and has different talents and aptitudes. We should all have the opportunity to pursue higher education, but the notion that one must have it to attain even a minimally paying job is absurd. A high school education or a technical degree should be sufficient for a wide variety of decent paying jobs that can support a person. That's not to say that these people should make the same as someone who does get a four-year (or more) degree, only that they shouldn't feel a need to go to college in order to get a job that really shouldn't require it.

Hillary Whines About Sexism

Clinton says that the media has not been reporting the rampant sexism she has had to deal with.

...Hillary Clinton said sexist attacks on her campaign have been "deeply offensive," and sharply criticized the press for not raising the issue.

"There should be equal treatment of the sexism and the racism when it raises its ugly head," Clinton told the Washington Post in an article published in the paper's Tuesday edition. "It does seem as though the press at least is not as bothered by the incredible vitriol that has been engendered by the comments by people who are nothing but misogynists."

"…I believe this campaign has been a groundbreaker in a lot of ways. But it certainly has been challenging given some of the attitudes in the press."

Stay calm, Hillary. Someone's on it...

Weekly Music Video

The Pretenders - "Brass in Pocket"

Nutrition Info

You learn all sorts of things about various foods once you get diabetes because paying attention to what you are consuming is critical for controlling the disease. So, I learned yesterday that Diet 7-Up has zero carbs. Carbohydrates are the big thing I have to be aware of because no matter what sort of carb it is, your body converts it to sugar to use. Now over the past year or two I have cut way back on the amount of carbonated beverages I consume. Now I have a can or two every few months instead of every day as it used to be.

Anyway, I do like to drink something other than water every now and then. I have to be careful of juices because most have quite a bit of sugar. At the store getting Pepsi for my mom I happened to see a 2 liter bottle of Diet 7-Up on the shelf. Curious, I checked the label and it does not have any carbs. I bought it and found that despite the "diet" on the label, it tastes all right.

I won't be drinking it all that often, but it is nice to know that I have a good alternative when I feel like it.

Weekly Secret

Two that struck me this week.





PostSecret

Bunch of Savages

I read about this story when it first broke. I'm glad the mom is being brought up on charges and I hope justice is done, but still, it's stories like this that make me despair for the fate of mankind.

Edwards Commits

About dang time. Now when will all of the uncommitted superdelegates commit and put an end to this thing.

Watch Out Christian Bale

I had another follow-up visit yesterday with my doc about my diabetes. He's pleased with my sugar levels and doesn't see a need to adjust anything at the moment. That was good, but the even better news was that I have gained 21 pounds in the last month. So, now I have gained back nearly all of the weight I had lost. Not enough to fill out the Batsuit, but I'm getting there.

William Shatner's Ego

I suppose I can somewhat understand because he was graced with the opportunity to play the coolest freakin' guy EVAR, but still, sometimes it gets a bit old, like, I don't know, complaining about having sex with fans of Star Trek.

In his new autobiography, Up Till Now, Shatner explains how women would pretend they were being "beamed up" by the Starship Enterprise commander, shrieking: "So, this is what it's like to be in bed with Captain Kirk!"
He writes: "You can't imagine how much of a downer that is in every sense of the word."

Life's tough, eh, Bill?

Wireless Is Back

But only because I went out and bought a USB wireless card. Researching my problem last night, I found that many HP laptop owners have had the same issue with their wireless card just disappearing from their Device Manager and not working. The only solution has been to send it in to HP so they can replace the wireless card and the system board. No thanks. I'll just stick it out with my USB card.

The Terminator

Like a ruthless killing machine from the future, Clinton just won't quit. No one expected Obama to do well here and his campaign has been saying that for months. It also does virtually nothing to dent Obama's delegate lead. She picked up ten delegates over Obama in West Virginia which means his lead is only 168. There is no way she is going to make that up with the scant few delegates left. She may be angling for the Veep slot now and some are saying it is a good idea, but I couldn't disagree more. Having her on the ticket would undermine virtually everything Obama has based his campaign on, not to mention the last thing that his campaign needs is a pair of narcissistic, dishonest, power hungry cranks dragging him down. There are better ways to reach out to the blue-collar voters.

I Love Technology

But sometimes I want to throw it off a cliff. The wireless card in my laptop has apparently just given up. It was working this afternoon while I was at work, but when I got home it was not. The light would not come on indicating that the card was turned on. It was also not listed in the Device Manager. Downloading the drivers from HP's website did not help, nor did flashing the BIOS. I'm going to try a few more things, but I'm worried I will have to buy a new wireless card.

Last week I had to buy a new cordless mouse as my other one was acting up all of the time even with a fresh pair of batteries. Argh!

UPDATE: Fixed typo.

An Evangelical Shift?

An interesting article on CNN suggests that some evangelicals may be moving away from their close attachment to the Republican party and aligning themselves with Democrats. This comes as many Democrats - as seen in the Presidential race - are talking more openly about faith and religion in a positive way.

For decades, evangelicals have been seen as solid supporters of the Republican Party. That could be changing.

The religious right, a cornerstone of the so-called Reagan revolution -- the battle over abortion law, and gay marriage -- wants a change.

At least some evangelicals do.

A group of influential Christian leaders are declaring they are tired of divisive politics, tired of watching fights over some issues trump all the good they could be doing.

"Our proposal in [our] manifesto is to join forces with all those who support a civil public square. ... a vision of public life in which people of all faiths -- which, of course, means no faith -- are free to enter and engage public life on the basis of their faith," said evangelical leader Os Guinness.

I am not sure exactly what to think of this. On the one hand, I think it is good for evangelicals or anyone really to not align themselves with a single party. What happens when that party begins drifting from its core principles, e.g. the current Republican party? No, it is better to look at individual politicians. Now it may be that the individual politicians you vote for may typically come from the same party, but if they nominate a pol for a position that you disagree with on important issues, why would you vote for them? The fact that they belong to the "right party" is not good enough. If their opponent is worse on the issues, that is one thing; but if they are worse because they belong to the "wrong party," then it is ridiculous to not vote for them.

I am also not sure about the Democrats talking more about religion. I have no problem with it if is genuine and honest, but if it is the typical political pandering then I don't want to hear about it. The conflation between politics and religion with the Republicans has been bad enough. Let me be clear that I have no problem with anyone's religious beliefs informing their decisions. What I have a problem with is when the two become one and the same and political office becomes a tool of the religious to wield against all who disagree with them. That is a problem.

I do hope that more evangelicals break their firm ties to the Republican party and take a more balanced view of politics. That can only be a good thing for everyone.

Happy Mother's Day

To my wonderful mother, I say, "Happy Mother's Day." I would not be half the person I am today without her incredible love and support through good time and bad.

The Mother

There will be a singing in your heart,
There will be a rapture in your eyes;
You will be a woman set apart,
You will be so wonderful and wise.
You will sleep, and when from dreams you start,
As of one that wakes in Paradise,
There will be a singing in your heart,
There will be a rapture in your eyes.

There will be a moaning in your heart,
There will be an anguish in your eyes;
You will see your dearest ones depart,
You will hear their quivering good-byes.
Yours will be the heart-ache and the smart,
Tears that scald and lonely sacrifice;
There will be a moaning in your heart,
There will be an anguish in your eyes.

There will come a glory in your eyes,
There will come a peace within your heart;
Sitting 'neath the quiet evening skies,
Time will dry the tear and dull the smart.
You will know that you have played your part;
Yours shall be the love that never dies:
You, with Heaven's peace within your heart,
You, with God's own glory in your eyes.

-Robert William Service

I love you, Mom.

Weekly Music Video

Madonna's best song - "Like a Prayer"

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Choosing Our Political Leaders

Commenter Kyle continues to discuss the torture issue and choosing our politicians. In response to my last post, he commented:

but, and this is not a dig, the 'moral majority' were convinced of the integrity of bush. he was, in the mind of so many, a great christian. certainly he was someone that most of the 'right' looked up to. he said 'jesus' and 'god' at all the right times. _if_ he fooled us (and i leave that up to you) what hope do we have of finding someone who isnt a false messiah?

I think there are a few problems brought up by this. One, the idea that just because someone says they have "found God" or they are "born again" or that they go to church every week automatically means they are a moral person or a worthy leader. We all need to do a better job of critically analyzing people running for office. It is dangerous to assume that just because they say something that makes it true. Politicians and their staff spend much of their waking hours figuring out what to say and to whom to get what they want. Our media needs to do a better job of calling them on their crap when it's not true and every citizen also needs to do a better job of looking beyond the Emperor's clothes.

The other point that your comment brings up is that of looking for someone who "isn't a false messiah." This is dangerous territory. We need to remember that politicians are just as human as the rest of us. We can't assume they are good or evil (okay, Cheney is evil), but right in between like any other human. If we do this, I think we'll be a lot less likely to be taken in by words that sound too good to be true or assume a political opponent is the devil incarnate just because he sits on the other side of the aisle.

McCain's Hamas Comments

I've seen a few people take the road that Rod Dreher does here that it's not a bad thing for McCain to say that Hamas wants Obama to be President because they really did say that and if it's true, then what's wrong with saying it? Unfortunately, that misses the core of the problem. McCain is not repeating this as a start to a dialogue on foreign policy or to explain how he would approach terrorism. No, he is repeating this to scare American voters into voting for him. "Do you want to vote for the same guy the terrorists support?" This is slimy and beneath McCain, not to mention it is ridiculous to think that we should let foreigners, especially terrorists, influence our elections.

How Many Christian Denominations Are There?

A lot. Here is a post over at Route 5:9 that touches on the topic.

From my experience, I think the issue is related to that of education in that we tend to forget that everyone is different and has different needs. This is just as true in education as it is spiritually. If a church-goer thinks to himself, "You know, I can't think of a single sermon from the past year that has done anything for me," then the church may need to reexamine its mission. A person feeling that way is more likely to leave the church and either stop going or find a different one.

The collective aspects of the Sunday worship are important and worthwhile for members of the faith. There is something very powerful about a collective experience like that. It is also important, though, that the church connects with people on an individual level. That may mean smaller groups meeting once a month or something, but however it is done, I think this is a critical component of any successful church and would go a long way toward keeping people in the fold rather than have them go off and start another church that they feel will better meet their needs.

The Ups and Downs of Diabetes

Learning to regulate my blood sugar has been the biggest hassle so far of having diabetes. I try to write down what I have eaten when I see that my BS spikes up. There is a danger of it getting to low as well, however, which is almost scarier.

Yesterday after dinner, I went for a walk with my daughters. Half a block after we left, I started feeling a little light-headed. It continued to get worse and I was also feeling very shaky. I had to stop and sit down before I passed out. I wasn't sure if it was my MS which can make me feel dizzy and light-headed at times or the diabetes. I rested for a few minutes and then told my daughters I needed to get back home. There were a couple times I wasn't sure I was going to make it home.

I did, though, and the first thing I did was check my BS. Sure enough it was low - 60. This was only about an hour after I ate. It should have been 150-180 or so. It wasn't high before dinner and I'm wondering if I didn't absent-mindedly give myself too much insulin because I did eat enough. Anyway, I grabbed a can of pop and ate some chocolate. After about ten minutes, I started feeling much better. It seems strange to me, but I think diabetes is going to have much more of an effect on me right now than my MS.

Educational Romanticism

Here is a very smart article on the notion of "educational romanticism," or the (absurd) idea that every student can learn equally well if given the chance.

Educational romanticism consists of the belief that just about all children who are not doing well in school have the potential to do much better. Correlatively, educational romantics believe that the academic achievement of children is determined mainly by the opportunities they receive; that innate intellectual limits (if they exist at all) play a minor role; and that the current K-12 schools have huge room for improvement.

Educational romanticism characterizes reformers of both Left and Right, though in different ways. Educational romantics of the Left focus on race, class, and gender. It is children of color, children of poor parents, and girls whose performance is artificially depressed, and their academic achievement will blossom as soon as they are liberated from the racism, classism, and sexism embedded in American education. Those of the Right see public education as an ineffectual monopoly, and think that educational achievement will blossom when school choice liberates children from politically correct curricula and obdurate teachers’ unions.

I have written before about the need for more individualized curriculums. It is ludicrous to treat everyone the same. Murray sums it up:

For the good of our children, educational romanticism needs to collapse, and quickly. Its effects play out in the lives of young people in devastating ways. The fourth-grader who has trouble sounding out simple words and his classmate who is reading A Tale of Two Cities for fun sit in the same classroom day after miserable day, the one so frustrated by tasks he cannot do and the other so bored that both are near tears. The eighth-grader who cannot make sense of algebra but has an almost mystical knack with machines is told to stick with the college prep track, because to be a success in life he must go to college and get a B.A. The senior with terrific SAT scores gets away with turning in rubbish on his term papers because to make special demands on the gifted would be elitist. They are all products of an educational system that cannot make itself talk openly about the implications of diverse educational limits.

Rod Dreher offer his thoughts.

Never-Ending Story

So, even after yesterday's results mean that Clinton has fallen even farther behind in delegates and popular vote, she just can't give up. It's not like yesterday even sealed the deal. She has been essentially out of contention since March 4. On a certain level, I think her refusal to give in has been good for Obama because it has made him a tougher candidate and better prepared to square off against the Republicans in the general. Now, though, it is just ridiculous. Her narcissism and desperation for power which have led her to keep sinking lower and lower are only hurting the party. Not that she cares about that, of course, even if a gracious exit would be beneficial to her.

When Egos Collide

My money is on the Bat.

Never Forget

Patrick Roy Kramer
May 6, 1977 - October 22, 2006

Racist or Religious Loony?

:Sigh:

Mary Bunger, a 44-year-old single mom from Abington, emerged from the town's general store on Wednesday, the only place to purchase a snack in a 10-mile radius.

"I am definitely going to try to go with Hillary," she said. "I almost feel like (Obama's) the anti-Christ from the Middle East."

The Horrors of War

Check out these chilling photos taken in the aftermath of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima.



Most of us are so distanced from combat, but I think it is important to remember what the consequences of war are. Not all results are going to be as horrific as those of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but death is still the ultimate outcome. War may be justified, but even if it is we cannot forget the cost.

The Menaissance Has Begun

A month back or so, I wrote about the decline of traditional male virtues and my new favorite word - menaissance.

Well, the menaissance is beginning. Check out this awesome website: The Art of Manliness. It is dedicated to bringing back real men, not the sitcom variety that sits on the couch, is sloppy, openly leers at women, and gets drunk all of the time. No, it has articles on topics such as grooming your beard, how to be a gentleman on a date, how to select and wear ties, and how to start a fire without matches. This is great stuff.

I joke about being a man and menaissance, but I do think it is a serious issue. Making women equal to men in our society does not mean emasculating men or making everyone the same. It means understanding that we do have differences and that sometimes those differences are okay. Men and women are different beyond our reproductive organs. Our brains our different. We think differently. Instead of trying to change our differences, we need to embrace them.

So, bring on the menaissance!

Weekly Music Video

Perhaps my favorite piece of classical music, Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata.

A Business Venture

After giving it a lot of thought, I have decided to start my own computer business. I have had a few opportunities arise in the last few weeks and I am going to capitalize on them.

My good friend, Jeromy works for an organization called Peacemaker Ministries which helps people with Christian-based conflict resolution. He approached me about hiring me to build a donor database for his company.

At the hospital I work at, St. Vincent Healthcare, I have built a database for our security department to keep track of daily incidents. I would like to do more with it, but much of it has been on my own time. Two women from our Performance Excellence (aside - who comes up with these names?) met with the security director about Joint Commission requirements. He showed them the database I created and they really liked it so they wanted to meet with me and see what else I could do with it. Everything they wanted is stuff that I already had on my list of things to do, but since I do it on my own time, it is slow going. However, I know that if I have my own business, I can talk to the security director about hiring me and paying me for my work.

I also have a lot of experience helping people troubleshoot computer problems and training people in computer use. All that said, I am going to start a business geared toward home computer setup and repair, database development, and training. I could use a few extra dollars for bills and credit cards not to mention helping my mother keep her house.

Thinking of a name has been the hardest part. "Noble Computing Solutions" is the only one I have sort of liked so far, but I'm not completely sold on it.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

A Torture Rant

Reader Kyle commented on my recent post about torture.

i've been writing our elected officials on this very issue for six years now.
for me, the question isnt "when is bush leaving office?" but when is the american public going to stand up and condemn torture.
up to this point, the american public at large has condoned torture. if we honestly believed that torture was wrong, we would not have re-elected our current president. we knew, way back then, that torture and extrodinary renditions were taking place.
when i first started hearing of the crimes against humanity carried out at the behest of our president and his administration i thought very seriously of leaving america.
this is the very reason i refuse to be a "one issue voter". i refuse to allow abortion (which the president is highly unlikely to change) to effect my vote more than torture or our treatment of the rest of the world (which the president (as shown during the last 8 years) CAN effect.

I think the problem, though, is that most people are too complacent about anything that isn't directly impacting them. If we have a leader who condones and authorizes torture, most people aren't going to care because it doesn't really affect their lives. If Joe Citizen's brother was being carted off to Gitmo there might be more outrage, but otherwise people are just content to go on with their normal routines. If you ask them, most would, of course, say, "Torture is bad. I don't support it," but they don't get worked up enough to do anything about it.

That means we need leaders with integrity. Sadly, politics doesn't seem to attract people like that too often. Or if it does, they don't keep it very long. Still, I'm not sure we can get anyone worse than Bush.

"Kind of a Dork"

Nothing keeps the ego in check like the sharp words of seven-year old girls. Brenda, a good friend and co-worker of mine was telling me that her granddaughter whom I have met maybe a handful of times told her the other day, "He seems like a nice guy, but he's kind of a dork."

I embrace the label, but it's still a bit odd hearing it come from a seven-year old.

The Race Question

Is there any doubt that race and racism are playing a part in this campaign when you read stories like this one.

After his speech, I left the county courthouse and crossed the main street to talk to a small group of demonstrators holding signs next to McCain’s campaign bus. J. K. Patrick, a retired state employee from a neighboring county, wore a button on his shirt that said “Hillary: Smart Choice.”

“East of Lexington she’ll carry seventy per cent of the primary vote,” he said. Kentucky votes on May 20. “She could win the general election in Kentucky.” I asked about Obama. “Obama couldn’t win.”

Why not?

“Race,” Patrick said matter-of-factly. “I’ve talked to people—a woman who was chair of county elections last year, she said she wouldn’t vote for a black man.” Patrick said he wouldn’t vote for Obama either.

Why not?

“Race. I really don’t want an African-American as President. Race.”

What about race?

“I thought about it. I think he would put too many minorities in positions over the white race. That’s my opinion. After 1964, you saw what the South did.” He meant that it went Republican. “Now what caused that? Race. There’s a lot of white people that just wouldn’t vote for a colored person. Especially older people. They know what happened in the sixties. Under thirty—they don’t remember. I do. I was here.”

I think the racism found in the older generation will be Obama's biggest hurdle in the general election. Thankfully it seems to not be as rampant amongst younger generations. Still, it's here now and Obama must contend with it.

Courtesy of Andrew Sullivan.

Dialoguing Abortion Part V

In which we start drifting toward a debate on education...

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV

I don't disagree that pro-life advocates need to take creative and tactical approaches in fighting this issue. That has been and will continue to be done in a variety of ways. In fact, I think the battle currently lies with state governments. The pro-life movement has also done a great job educating the public at a grassroots level over the past three years. But to the point at hand: I'd agree that fighting Roe v. Wade should not be the only method for defeating abortion.

I completely agree that pro-lifers will be more successful at the state level. It goes back to my bottom-up small scale approach.

And where does the lack of engagement come from? What is it that is keeping parents from being involved?

The thinking that has evolved is, "Well, the school will teach Elijah all about sharing, and honesty, and oh good, they’re going to have the sex conversation with him too. Whew."

I would argue that it is not schools teaching all this stuff that has made parents disengaged, but a massive cultural shift in which people don't want to do anything hard. It's easier to hand off anything difficult, including parenting, to someone else. We lead escapist lives trying to hide from anything that makes us uncomfortable or challenges us. Parents not getting involved with their children's education is only one symptom of this.

Our lives are ordered in such away that neglecting the important issues with our children is becoming easier and easier. This is most evident in the portion of the population where teen pregnancy is the highest- among the poor. Many folks in this demographic have formed a “the system will do it for you” mentality in regard to just about every aspect of their daily lives, including sex ed.

I agree the welfare state is a problem. We may have to have a similar discussion about it someday. Segueing into politics, I will say that one of the things I have liked in Obama's campaign is his call for individuals to stand up and take some responsibility for themselves. Oh, I have no illusions about his desire for increasing the government's roles in many areas, but it is refreshing for a liberal politician to also be talking about people standing on their own two feet.

This approach hasn’t worked when teaching evolution or history, for example. So with something like sex-ed, which is at least AS morally charged, we can expect, and have seen, the same results. You don't give a teenager who just wrecked the family Buick the keys to a Semi.

Well, the big difference is that evolution is science. I have no problem with biology teachers mentioning that not everyone agrees with evolution as long as they also point out that the people that do have not put forward a theory that fits the evidence near as well as evolution. The good biology teachers will also have no problem saying that the theory of evolution is an evolving (hee, hee) one and will continue to evolve as our knowledge grows. As soon as IDers or YECs can cobble together some sort of real theory backed by science, I won't have a problem with it being taught in schools. Good luck on that, though.

What do you have in mind when you mention history as not having a balanced view taught?

In terms of moral or philosophic discussions in school, I think it would go a long way toward getting students more engaged. Instead of just learning something like "Karl Marx was born in the early 19-century in Prussia. He was most famous for writing a book called the Communist Manifesto which was a socioeconomic examination of history," students can have a discussion on the the influence the book had on history. What is communism? What are the pros of such a system? Cons? Can Lenin and his Russian contemporaries really be called communists? And so on. Make the issues come alive rather than being rote facts and you'll see more kids excited about school. The same can be done with abortion or any other controversial issue. Better to meet them head on than to pretend they do not exist.

You can't change a culture through the structural constructs that have helped to create and perpetuate that culture in the first place. You're trusting a broken, dysfunctional education system with providing a clear, objective and accurate discussion on one of the most morally charged and personal issues of our day.

Except the structural construct does not exist in a vacuum. It was created by people, but us. Yes, the construct has cracks and serious deficiencies, but those deficiencies were created by us as well, so we need to and can fix them. I don't expect magical solutions, but I do expect that they can be fixed.

You've stated yourself that "I think that those who oppose abortion need to take a bottom-up approach. Talk to family members, friends, fellow church goers about abortion." Sex education became an issue in the first place because healthy sexual behavior disintegrated alongside the disintegration of families. The schools see the symptoms of that, and as a reaction now mandate sex education. But the education system is only attacking the symptoms of deeper issues that must be addressed at a family and spiritual level. As a result, the school system's efforts are proving more destructive than helpful.

I didn't mean to imply that schools should not include parents in their children's education on such topics on abortion, only that kids having homework that includes talking to their parents isn't going to suddenly make parents involved. Yes, yes, yes, parents must become more engaged. There is no doubt that this must be addressed. I disagree, though, that what schools have been doing is "proving more destructive." If schools had not been teaching sex ed, parents wouldn't have suddenly stepped up and done it. My mom did not have sex ed when she went to school, but her parents also never talked to her about it. I picture the schools more as putting a band-aid on the wound which actually needs surgery. They're doing something, but it's not enough because we need societal change, not just education reform.

Also in 2004, the Attorney General for California issued a legal opinion that “California schools cannot inform parents if their children leave campus to receive certain confidential medical services that include abortion… The opinion was prompted by resistance from teachers unions and groups such as Planned Parenthood... [to a 'parent-friendly' confidentiality proposal]."

A similar confidentiality policy is currently in place in Montana.

This is asinine. I didn't realize we had that in place here in Montana. One more thing to write to our legislators about, I suppose.

And if you're interested in what the future holds, the UK teaches abortion in schools now, and as the preceding web site indicates, teachers are publicly organized to propagate the pro-choice stance within the public school system.

Well, in some respects I think UK is doing worse off socially than we are here in America. When you've got the Archbishop of Canterbury saying that the country may need to adopt parts of sharia law, you've got some serious issues.

Isn't Love Grand?

How long do you think this couple is going to last?

A newlywed couple spent the night in separate jail cells -- she in her wedding gown -- after police said they brawled with each other, then members of another wedding party, at a suburban Pittsburgh hotel.

The fight started Saturday night after a reception when he knocked her to the floor with a karate kick in the seventh-floor hallway of a Holiday Inn, according to police. It escalated when she attacked two guests from another wedding party who came to her aid, police said.

The melee moved to an elevator and then to the lobby, where the couple threw metal planters at the two guests of the other party, causing minor injuries, police charged.

[snip]

The couple declined comment upon their release Sunday morning.

She left with her father, still dressed in her white gown.

Wielechowski left alone, sporting a swollen eye, tuxedo pants, a bloody T-shirt and one shoe.

Wow.

When Is Bush Leaving Office?

'Cause it can't come soon enough. The Justice Department is telling Congress that the CIA is legally allowed to torture.

Recent letters from the U.S. Justice Department to Congress state that intelligence agents working on counterterrorism can legally use interrogation techniques that might otherwise be banned by international law, The New York Times reported in its Sunday editions.

The Justice Department's interpretation shows the Bush administration is contending that the boundaries should have a degree of latitude, the Times said, despite the president's order last summer that he said meant the CIA would hew to international norms on the treatment of detainees.

Write to your Congressional representative and tell them that this is unacceptable. Something needs to be done about this.

I Can Still See...For Now

I saw my optometrist on Thursday to get a full eye exam. Everything looked good - no sign of diabetic retinopathy or cataracts or any other fun eye disease. Checking my vision as it stands now, it is close to 20/20, but he did say that in all likelihood as my blood sugar gets better regulated and is not up and down then my vision will return much closer to what it was. I have to go back in a month or so, assuming my blood sugar has been normal for at least two weeks, to see what I'm at and if I need a new prescription.

As it stands now, my vision is still pretty damn good without my glasses so I have not been wearing them. It is an odd feeling, though. I have worn them since junior high and I keep touching my face expecting them to be there.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Weekly Music Video

An awesome metal song with one of the coolest bass riffs EVAR!!1! "Peace Sells" by Megadeth.

Free Your Feet. Doff Your Shoes.

A fascinating article about why shoes are bad for our feet. It's not a hippy, back-to-nature thing, either.

Our Beautiful Universe

Check out these incredible pictures from Hubble of galaxies colliding over at Wired. I never cease to be amazed at the beauty around us whether on our planet or out in the universe.

Vista Woes

Add me to the growing throng of people getting fed up with Windows Vista. It came with my new laptop, so I thought I would try it out. I tried to remain open-minded and for awhile I thought it wasn't as bad as some people were making it out to be. Unfortunately that is changing and I am getting more and more fed up with it.

I don't have automatic updates turned on. I check periodically on my own which I did the other day. There were a few updates to download which I did. Well now my computer takes three to four times longer to boot up and Access runs much slower and likes to lock up. Argh! What kind of update is that? It is frustrating as hell. My old XP disc should be laying around here somewhere. I may have to dig that up and "downgrade," because this is getting ridiculous.

Woot! Fantasy is Back, Baby!

I am very proud of my daughters. I have written about my daughters not wanting to read fantasy novels because magic (even the fictional variety) is evil. This has been very frustrating because the only answer they can give as to why this is so is because their mother and grandmother have told them so. They admit they have heard nothing about magic from their church or their school; it is only mom and grandma who have said anything about it and the only reason they have given is "that's what the Bible says." :sigh:

So, I have had lots of talks with my daughters. I ask them tough questions to make them think about why they believe this (and other things, too) and make them see logical fallacies in their arguments. I stress to them that I am not trying to tell them what to think, only how. In all honesty, I would be disappointed if they did ultimately decide that yes, magic is evil and tempts people to Satan. I could accept it, though, if I knew that they had honestly thought through it and could lay out exactly why they felt that way (beyond, "But, Mom said!").

Anyway, I seem to have made headway. We have started reading the Dragonlance series again. They said their only fear is that their grandmother will find out and yell at them. Their psychology toward her would be fascinating if I wasn't their father and have seen what a destructive force she has been in their lives. They can't even lie to her for self-preservation. Anyway, they are very enthusiastic about the book. Fantasy video games are also okay now. Erica wanted to install Neverwinter Nights on her computer. To my shock, she chose to play an elf...mage.

I think the best moment was tonight, however. I introduced my daughters to that most evil of games - Dungeons & Dragons. I started helping them make their very first characters. Tomorrow night we should finish and they can start playing their very first adventure. I am so excited!

For anyone who wants an inside look at Satan's game, I offer this "hidden camera" glimpse into this occult game.



UPDATE: Fixed typo.

Thanks to My Sisters

Thank you to my sister, Shawna, for bringing my insulin to work yesterday when I forgot it (Thankfully, I rarely do that). Also, thanks to my sister, Sharie, who bought some groceries for my mom and I last weekend.

Both were very much appreciated.

"Worst of all Worlds"

That's what Andrew Sullivan called yesterday's Pennsylvania results for the Dems.

It doesn't change the race's dynamic or the math; but it will give Clinton just the tiniest sliver of an argument that she should not drop out. But what is striking in the exit polls is the polarization on three lines: gender, race and age. It was dead even with men; but a massive advantage for Clinton among women. The racial difference is obvious as well. But what really leaps out is age. Obama lost every cohort over 40; Clinton lost every cohort under 40. Race also affects the generations in turn: 67 percent of whites over 60 voted for Clinton - a massive 24 point advantage. Among the younger generation, there is much less racial polarization: under 30, whites split evenly. This is a fascinating result. It appears to me as the future struggling to overcome the past. On the process, I stick to my view that she needed double digits to have reason to stay in. Right now, she doesn't have it. But she won't leave. She will never leave. Ceding to someone younger is unthinkable to her. It's a form of death for her.

But here's what she does have: total shamelessness, and an absolute belief that she is the rightful nominee. Shamelessness: the appropriation of the message and even the words of her opponent; the portrayal of one of the most privileged and advantaged candidates in memory as an insurgent underdog; the eager embrace of the tactics - and message! - of the Rove right if it could help in any way; the picture of a candidate who saw a 20 - 25 point lead dissipate into single figures as a candidate for momentum. What sustains her is this deep, deep sense of entitlement and an absolute refusal to let the next generation take over. She will take this to the last day of the convention if necessary.

If Obama thinks he has a right to actually be nominated by the Clinton Democrats because he has won more votes, more states and more delegates, he is sadly mistaken. They will never let such a person win without a death struggle. And that is where the Democrats are now headed.

This is not good for the party. The superdelegates need to step in and end this, but they seem to be either scared or maneuvering for their own political gain. Isn't politics grand?

Quote of the Day

"She's winning the states that matter."

-Terry McAuliffe, Clinton campaign chairman, tonight on CNN.

Does that mean that states Obama won do not count? I'd like someone to ask her that.

The Pennsylvania Primary

CNN has projected Clinton will win in Pennsylvania's primary held today. This is not a surprise. She has held a lead there in most polls done there, though her lead has been continually shrinking. Because of that, because her victory is so close, little is going to change delegate wise. Clinton needs blow-out victories in order to be able to go to the Democratic convention and make a serious case for her candidacy. That's not happening. He has more pledged delegates, more of the popular vote, and more state victories. Her narcissism doesn't allow her to concede this race, but I can't imagine any of the superdelegates looking at the numbers and giving the nomination to Clinton. It would tear the party apart.

Unfortunately, that means we have another month of campaigning to look forward to from Clinton. I am sick of her and her husband anymore.

Dialogue on Abortion, Part III

In which my friend, Jeromy, and I talk about the big A.
Part I and Part II

I didn't expect, Jeromy, that we would have wildly divergent views, however, I do find it interesting to explore the topic.

To point 1: "Pushing to overturn Roe vs. Wade is not helpful..." I don't think that pushing to overturn Rove v. Wade has resulted in the cultural language shift surrounding the debate, as you suggest. Rather, I think that this shift in the way the argument is framed is a result of the pro-choice movement gaining even more traction in the mainstream media. We should continue to fight the Roe v. Wade decision for two reasons:

I suppose I didn't make my point clearly in that I am certainly not opposed to overturning Roe v Wade. What is not helpful in my mind is is pushing for a complete overturn of it right now. I think that it has become so entrenched that it is going to take a patient, tactical approach to get to that point. You said:

When faced with something as blatantly dark as this decision, we've got to do everything within our power to see it overturned, even if it is a David vs. Goliath battle.

I agree, but there are other ways of tackling a problem other than a heads-on approach. Abortion is certainly an issue to get fired up over, but we need to not let that blind us to ways of dealing with the issue. Attacking the issue around the edges by moving to limit abortions and educating people on this issue will be more effective in my opinion than jumping straight to overturning Roe v Wade.

I agree that we need to take these steps, along with fighting Roe v. Wade. The danger of course is that people think they have won the war by winning a few battles.

This was in response to my idea that we need to take steps to limit abortions first. No matter what the cause, though, people will almost always become complacent if it isn't affecting them directly in some manner (look at the torture issue). That is why we need leaders on this issue, people who are taking up the mantle. And I'm not just talking about someone with a national podium, but people in their families, neighborhoods, and churches who will champion the cause and make sure that people they know do not forget about the matter. Unfortunately, most people are sheep in desperate need of a shepherd.

Re: parental notification of minors wanting abortions

To point 3: Yes, yes, and yes. When I was going to college in Minnesota there was a piece of legislation before the state congress that stated that 1)women contemplating abortion needed to be informed of the possible health and psychological consequences of their "medical procedure" 2) parents of minor girls needed to be informed of their child's intentions (which is already required for nearly every medical procedure but abortion) and 3)required a 3-day waiting period.

It was easily shot down by the pro-choice lobbyists, despite a great deal of public out cry.

Was there enough "public out cry," though? Politicians are for the most part rather pragmatic and if enough of their constituents tell them what they want they are probably going to get it. They know if they do not, they may not get elected again. This is where having community leaders can help because they can get people talking about the issue and working together to tell the politicians, "This is how we feel about legislation __________ and if you don't do __________ about it, we will elect someone who will." Get enough people together and it will happen.

Re: abstinence education vs. teaching about birth control

This is an entirely different issue in my mind, but is somewhat related.

Related in that if fewer children are getting pregnant, we are going to have fewer chances for abortions.

The mere fact that our children are "educated" in school about such a deeply moral and personal issue is ludicrous. I know the immediate argument is "well, parents aren't doing it, so the school has to." I'm not sold on that argument for several reasons: school sex education has made little difference on teen pregnancy, the education system's attempts to take over on such integral issues only encourages parents to be less engaged on this issue, and it s one step closer to a homogeneous view on sex (the majority of educators appear to be pro choice, by the way).

I don't think parents need to an encouragement to be less engaged than they are. Most are not engaged whether or not their kid has sex ed in school or not. I also think that you can have a program that teaches all sides of an issue. Teachers could explain that some people do not believe in birth control or that sex is something only for married couples. I think that school is the perfect place for moral discussions as long as viewpoints are not being forced on anyone.

I'm also curious on your comment that most educators are pro-choice. Do you have anything to back that up? I haven't seen anything about that.

That said- school sex education is here to stay, so should abstinence be taught? How about this for a curriculum change- each student is given a set of questions and discussion points to take home to their parents, or somebody they respect. The students' grade is dependent upon them turning in a report detailing the discussions they have with their parents about their family's values and stances on this issue. This facilitates an important conversation, fulfills the school's perceived obligation to educate kids about sex, and allows families to retain influence over their children's views on this issue.

That sounds like a great idea, but the pessimist in me has a hard time imagining this actually working out. You mention parents not being engaged, but then want to do this? I don't think kids bringing home assignments like this is going to magically make parents become more involved with their children's education. Oh, sure, some may take the time for a meaningful discussion, but I see more of them going one of three routes.

1) "I don't have time for this. Ask your [mother, father, uncle, whoever]."
2) "Goddamn schools. What kind of assignment is this? I'm calling the administrator tomorrow. If I wanted you to know how the birds and bees worked, don't they think I would have told you all ready."
3) *embarrassed look* "Uhm, sex is, uh, well it's when a man and woman, uh, well, you know..." *gestures* "It's when they, you know, uh...come together and, well, uhm, make, uh babies. You should probably be married before you, you know, uh, do it, but if you don't, just, be, uhm, careful, okay?"

Like I said, I think school is the perfect place for moral discussions. It needs to be carefully regulated so that teachers are not pushing one set of beliefs over another, but I think this is doable.

Your thoughts?

Was Blind, But Now I See

I've mentioned my recent difficulties with my vision lately brought on by my diabetes. Well, in an odd twist today, I have found a "cure." Feeling frustrated that I could barely read because the blurriness kept coming and going, I was sitting on my couch staring at the walls. My glasses were chafing my nose a bit, so I took them off. After a second, I realized something. There was no blurriness. In fact, I could see better than I have in years. The license plate on the car across the street was visible. I could read book titles from across the room. It is the strangest thing. I have kept my glasses off since.

I still need to make an appointment with my optician, but I sure hope this lasts. I don't really mind wearing glasses. They've been on my face since junior high so I really barely notice them most of the time, but not having to wear them would be great.

Weekly Music Video

Ever since Jeromy posted a great "attack ad" against Obama featuring Bruce Springsteen, I've been listening to a lot of The Boss's music. Here he is performing one of his greatest songs, "Born to Run."

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Who's an Absent-Minded Professor?

I am which means it sometimes takes me awhile to adapt to a new routine. For example, I need to measure my blood sugar and take insulin before every meal. Now that I am back at work, I have to make sure I have all of the supplies to do so with me as I travel between work and home. So far I have:

*Left my lancets for pricking my finger at home on Wednesday. I used the needle to poke my finger instead to get a drop of blood.

*Left my insulin at work on Wednesday. I was about to sit down and eat dinner that night when I realized this so I drove all the way back to work and then back home.

*Left my test strips for the glucometer at home today. I also skipped eating breakfast at home since there wasn't much to eat. That meant I couldn't test my sugar before breakfast and I won't be able to do it before lunch either. I still need to give myself insulin, though, so I can eat. Not wanting to give myself too much, I am giving myself the bottom amount on my sliding scale. We'll see how high that makes my sugar at dinner time.

It doesn't matter how many notes or reminders I give myself, I invariably do things like this until I have time to settle into a new routine. I can tell you the first fifty digits of pi, though, if you're curious.

It's a Beautiful Day

Going back to work on a Wednesday can mess up your schedule. I just checked my calendar and realized it is Thursday. I get to pick up my daughters after work and that makes today a great day.

No More Snow!

What the hell is wrong with this picture?


Can't global warming help me out and stop it from snowing here in Billings?

Yo-Yo Dieting

At my appointment today, my doctor told me I have gained twelve pounds since last week. That gives me some comfort, so I'll probably cut back a little on the food intake. I have been piling on the calories to gain back some of the twenty-five pounds I had lost, but now that I am making good on gaining that back, I'll ease up on the food which should in turn help bring my blood sugar down. The doc wants me to up my evening lantus injection to 20 mg because my sugar is still above 200 in the morning. Not eating three or four plates of food at dinner should help.

He also stressed that I need to pay attention to my feet because diabetics can have trouble with their circulation and not realize they are getting sores and infections in their lower extremities. That means daily inspections. He also wants me to have an full eye exam so that I have a baseline to look at down the road as diabetics become prone to all sorts of wonderful eye diseases.

He also wants to continuing seeing me weekly for now until my blood sugar is regularly under 110, but the longest I get to go without seeing him once everything is under control is three months. Good thing I have insurance.

The Dem Debate

I didn't catch the debate tonight, but Andrew Sullivan live-blogged it. He called it a loss for Obama and ABC.

The big winner is John McCain. Then Clinton who seemed at least awake. Then Obama whose calm was nonetheless trumped by obvious exhaustion. Yes, the Clintons have shredded him. But that's what they know how to do. It's also what the GOP knows how to do. Obama has got to get used to this and find a way to withstand it and fight back without enabling the very cynicism it represents. That's not easy, and we are discovering if he has it in him. Tonight he looked and felt depleted beyond measure. Which is when his supporters have to take the weight.

The loser was ABC News: one of the worst media performances I can remember - petty, shallow, process-obsessed, trivial where substantive, and utterly divorced from the actual issues that Americans want to talk about. At the end of the debate, it appeared that the crowd was actually heckling Gibson. "The crowd is turning on me!" complained Gibson. He has no idea. But he will soon enough.

Isn't our media great?

An Invitation to a Dialogue on Abortion

My good friend, Jeromy, quotes Obama and Hillary on abortion from their appearance at the religious "Compassion Forum" recently. His response is a beautiful picture of crap. Literally.

Anyway, what I would like to do is extend an invitation to Jeromy to a dialogue (or debate or whatever) between our blogs on what government policy toward abortion should be or at least how anti-abortionists should approach the issue. I think that Jeromy and I both agree on abortion itself in that we both find it abhorrent. I also think that we would both agree that in a perfect world, it would not happen. Where I believe Jeromy and I may differ is how best to get closer to this ideal.

I have written about the issue before (here and here chiefly), but I will reiterate and summarize here.

1) Pushing to overturn Roe vs. Wade is not helpful. It polarizes people and allows pro-abortionists to frame the debate as individual rights vs. big government taking away your rights. We Americans are big on our freedoms and rightly so, of course, but it is hard to argue about even something as critical as taking a life when your opponent says you want to take away someone's rights.

2) What is more likely to work at this point is limiting abortions - late-term abortions, partial-birth abortions, etc. More people can get behind laws like this right now than for complete bans on abortion. Until we have a massive culture shift in where a majority of the population stands against all abortions, we need to take baby steps getting there.

3) Part of #2, really, but bears emphasis...parents of children under 18 should be informed if their child is wanting an abortion. Their minors for cryin' out loud! No doubt they are worried about how Mommy and Daddy are going to react. They damn well should be worried 'cause they screwed up. They need to accept the consequences.

4) Abstinence only education is a joke and should be abolished. It doesn't matter whether or not one believes that people should wait until they are married before they fool around. The fact of the matter is that people including teens and young adults have sex. We are all human beings and have human urges and desires. Even the best of us fall short. We can teach our children that it is best to wait until they are married, but, if they don't they need to use protection. The fewer people getting accidentally pregnant, the fewer chances of having abortions there are and that is something we can all support.

So, what do you think, Jeromy? Agree? Think my arguments are a pile o' poo?

Fill My Eyes With That Double Vision

Strangely, I think my diabetes is going to have more of an effect on me physically at least in the short term than my multiple sclerosis. I've been struggling this last week with double and blurry vision. It was bad enough today to give me a headache. My doctor says that it should go away once my blood sugar is more even and not up and down as much as it is now. That will be nice because constantly trying to blink away blurriness is aggravating to say the least.

Teflon Obama

Clinton's desperate attacks on Obama over his "bitter" comment are not working.

Despite a weekend of negative coverage following his controversial remarks about some small town Americans, Barack Obama appears to be holding steady or making gains in the next three primary states, according to a just released poll.
...
The poll also shows Clinton only holds a 5 point lead in Pennsylvania (48 to 43 percent). That margin is among the slimmest measured between to the two candidates and is significantly less than the double digit lead Clinton held there two weeks ago.

A less divisive and polarizing politician may have been able to make more headway after Obama's slip. Not Clinton, however. She is just coming off as desperate and shrill by continuing to make an issue of this. Certainly this will come back on Obama in the general election, but there is no way Clinton is going to be able to stop Obama.

Returning to Work and Thanks

I go back to work tomorrow after taking the last week off to deal with my health. I want to offer my most sincere thanks to all of the family, friends, and co-workers who have offered kind words and support to me this past week. It means a lot to me and reminds a cynic like me that there are still good people out there. I certainly feel as if is more than I deserve and I hope that I can repay everyone in some small way.

Again, thank you all who have been there for me.

The Alien Menace

I love conspiracy theories. They can provide a lot of amusing "what if?" scenarios as well as good laughs. Check out this one for example.

Those of us involved in the emerging field of exopolitics attempt to make sense out of the huge body of evidence available to us involving extraterrestrial reality. I believe the stakes are very high for all of humanity that we collectively understand our situation relative to UFO/ET reality. Developing this situational awareness involves understanding the real reasons for 60 year old UFO/ET cover up even while we struggle to end it.

The pattern I see emerging which I think is reasonably accurate is that we can define two categories of extraterrestrials, colonizers and liberators, interacting with humanity that are the most important for us to understand. I have written previously that there are two very basic evolutionary strategies in nature competition and cooperation, and because we are part of nature our society is driven by these evolutionary forces.
...
What the religious texts seem to indicate is that there has been a longstanding attempt by less ethical predatory colonizing extraterrestrials to take over this planet that are being resisted and thwarted by more ethical cooperative extraterrestrial races. All I am trying to do is bring the public up to speed on modern developments in what seems to be an end game scenario resulting in extraterrestrial colonization if we don´t get smart fast.

Of course, anyone at all into conspiracy theories needs to read Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. It is one wild read.

Sex Offender Sentencing

This country really needs to rethink how we deal with sex offenders.

Johnson has been arrested a staggering 53 times — the majority for groping women on the subway, police and prosecutors said.

In the latest incident, Johnson was being followed by plainclothes officers who recognized him from police photos, authorities said. He was charged with persistent sexual abuse, and if convicted this time, he could be sent away for life. The district attorney's office branded him a "recidivist transit grinder" at a court hearing earlier this week.

53 times. Most of them for sex crimes. I am all for trying to rehabilitate people which we sadly do not focus enough on in this country, but I continue to read too many stories about repeat sex offenders and the inability for the majority of them to change. Couldn't we use some of the billions we spend on locking up the occasional dope smoker to come up with better ways of dealing with sex offenders?

The Trials and Tribulations of William Shatner

Poor Shatner. He gets into a motorcycle accident and people just shout Trek phrases at him.

Unfortunately for Shatner, the image of him bloody and bruised riding a motorcycle almost naked, attracted unwanted attention from other motorists.

He adds, "People are driving up and college kids are yelling at me.

"Finally they uttered the ultimate insult, 'Beam me up Scotty,' so I gave them the finger."

Is that really what Kirk would do?

It Goes All the Way to the Top

We continue to learn more and more about the Bush Administration's torture program.



This is disgusting. Yes, everyone who signed off on this should be brought up on trial for war crimes. Unfortunately, as stated in the report, Congress seems little willing to do anything and that gets me as fired up as Bush and company signing off on this. How far our country has fallen.

Thanks to Andrew Sullivan.

Obama Hits Back

Obama stops being defensive about his "bitter" comments and comes out strong. I have to say that this is one of the problems with the long campaign cycle and our media. There's nothing substantial to report from either campaign so we get a bunch of hullabaloo over nothing. Don't even get me started on how desperate Clinton is to be making a mountain out of such a mole hill.

Eating Woes

It will take awhile for the reality of diabetes to set in. Like any life changing event, understanding and comprehension take time. Hell, I'm not sure that the full reality of having multiple sclerosis has hit me. The one aspect that is starting to sink in, though, is my changing diet habits.

Over the last two years, I have been trying to become a better eater. I drink very little pop anymore (as opposed to almost a six-pack a day), have cut way back on red meat, upped my intake of fruits and vegetables, and cut back on the amount of food I eat. Overall, I have to say my diet is much more healthy than it used to be. The one weakness I had was sweets. I have a bit of a sweet tooth and I have been known to mindlessly eat half a bag of Hershey's Hugs while watching a movie. Well, no more. In fact, no longer can I just eat whatever I feel like in between meals. Oh, no. I have to eat stuff that is low in carbs (veggies, meats, stuff high in protein), so that my blood sugar doesn't spike.

It's not the eating healthy that bothers me. It's the fact that I have lost the freedom to eat whatever I want whenever I want. Oh, sure, I still can; I'll just suffer the consequences. It's especially trying when my daughters and mother are eating a tasty apple pie with whip cream right in front of me and I'm helpless. I'd take an extra three shots a day if I could go back to eating sugary stuff whenever I had the desire for it. Ah, well. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Eventually.

Weekly Music Video

Kansas - "Dust in the Wind"

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Problems With the Mainstream Media

It's things like this that get people riled up at the news media.

* Please note Fidel did bring social reforms to Cuba – namely free education and universal health care, and racial integration. in addition to being criticized for oppressing human rights and freedom of speech.

Thanks, CNN, for making sure we're not too critical of dictators. That might make them cry and we can't have that.

No Link Between Depictions of and Actual Half-Naked Women

Depressingly, a study confirms that there is no link between posters of scantily-clad women and real half-naked women. This has got to come as a major blow to men all over the country, though I'm sure they will not let this stop them from trying. Their perseverance is enough to bring a tear to my eye.

The Torture Veil Continues to Be Lifted

Now we find out that members of the administration including Rice and Cheney sat in on meetings discussing specific torture techniques and how best to deploy them. I have to admit a little bit of surprise at seeing Powell and Rice on that list. I just lost a lot of respect for both of them and would have difficulty supporting either of them for any public office should they choose to run.

The Petraeus Testimony II

Obama has tough questions for the General and Ambassador Crocker.

Meanwhile, Fred Kaplan has a nice summary of the testimony from these two men.

If things in Iraq get worse, we can't cut back, lest things get worse still; if things get better, we can't cut back, lest we risk reversing all our gains.

Thanks to Andrew Sullivan.

Latest Readings

I finished reading Fahrenheit 451 last weekend with my daughters. I have read it before, but it was back in high school, I believe, so many of the small details had been forgotten. It is an excellent book, of course, and my daughters really enjoyed. I think the best part, though, came from the discussions afterward. We talked about censorship and the different forms it can take and why it is so bad. Coming from a home that is very rabidly pro-censorship, it was good for them to get a different take on things. I hope they will keep it in mind when they hear some of the garbage they do at home.

Master of Puppets

My sister made a comment on a previous post about all of the "needle sticks" I will have to give myself. That's made me curious how many it will be, so let's add 'em up.

3/day (21/week) - blood sugar tests
4/day (28/week) - insulin injections
1/day (7/week) - copaxone shot (MS)
1/week (1/week, duh) - avonex shot (MS)

That adds up to...57 needle pokes a week. Wow. I'm in serious junkie territory here. I think this calls for a Metallica music video, one of the greatest metal songs of all time and about the subject at hand.

"Master of Puppets"

Healthcare Fun

This afternoon was an exciting adventure in running around as no one seemed to be of much help.

I had a follow up appointment this morning because my doctor wants to closely monitor my blood sugar until I see the specialist Friday. He told me that my blood sugar level yesterday was 849. The normal range is 70-130 or so. One of the nurses I talked to said, "You're the one with the enormous blood sugar level. Some of us were talking and we couldn't believe you're still up and about." The glucometer again could not read my blood sugar level because it was so high so I had to give them a vial of blood. The doctor also said that he wants to treat the disease more aggressively now rather than wait for the specialist. He gave me a prescription to get a glucometer and supplies. He told me to go pick it up and sometime after lunch come back and he would have a nurse show me how to use it and give me a supply of syringes and insulin.

I went and picked up the glucometer and went back to his office a few hours later. The nurse told me she hadn't used them much, so she busted out the instructions and together we figured out how to operate the machine. We were doing fine until we pricked my finger and put my blood on the test strip. Suddenly the machine just stopped working. I told the nurse it was probably the massive amount of sugar in my blood; the machine couldn't handle it and just fizzled. She got another nurse and we decided that it was probably a bad battery or unit. They looked for one at the office I could have, but none could be found.

So, that meant a trip back to the place I got the glucometer. The girl who had set me up was cute and it was fun giving her a bad time about "giving the guy just diagnosed with diabetes and a blood sugar level over 800 a bad piece of equipment." She apologized over and over and got me another one. She worked on setting it up this time to make sure it worked, but admitted that she is not a "gadget girl" so she ended up calling my doc's office to talk to a nurse about what the settings should be. Finally, she got it figured out. She smiled and told me I could call her if it didn't work. She's probably got a boyfriend, though.

Leaving, I got a call from the nurse at my doctor's office that had been helping me earlier. She told me that another doctor at the office is diabetic and said she would make sure the glucometer was set up properly for me. I drove back there and waited around while she looked it over. Finally the nurse brought it back and said it was properly calibrated and such.

Now the problem is getting blood. I might have to mess with the settings on the skin pricker because I tried it four times on three different fingers and on my palm and I could never get more than a tiny drop of blood no matter how much I squeezed. It was never enough for the machine to read. I never thought not being a bleeder would be a bad thing, but what do I know? Maybe I'll just have to get my knife out and slash open a good vein somewhere.

I did give myself an injection of the insulin before I ate dinner and I have to say that I felt much better this evening. Of course it was probably the first meal I have eaten in weeks that my body was semi-able to process. Thank God for modern medicine, eh. Maybe I can start gaining some weight and not look quite so much like the anorexic white boy as some at work have dubbed me.

Captain Autoimmune

Perhaps this should be my new title. Or maybe I can just tell people, "Autoimmune is my middle name."

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes today. For the last few weeks I have had some symptoms that I was sure were not related to my multiple sclerosis. I have lost a lot of weight (20 lbs or so), had constant thirst, frequent urination including a few times a night (my daughter, Erica, asked me if I had an enlarged prostate because she had seen a commercial about it), extra fatigue (to the point I was literally shuffling around at work by lunch time), and a sharp increase in blurry vision. I researched the symptoms myself and was pretty sure it was diabetes.

Sure enough, when I went to see my doctor today, he said it was diabetes. He wanted to admit me to the hospital since my blood sugar is so high, but I was disinclined to acquiesce to his request. I talked him into giving me some small doses of insulin until I get in to see the diabetes specialist on Friday. He also wants me to come in every day to get my sugar checked and make sure I don't collapse and go into a diabetic coma or something.

The doctor told me that having one autoimmune disease such as MS makes me more likely to get another. I have two now, so maybe I should start planning for which one I would like to get next. Perhaps I can get one that won't require shooting up. As excited as I get about injecting myself with drugs, I think two diseases requiring it is enough. The next one can have meds in a pill form and I'll be cool with that.

Now that I've been through this twice, I think I can easily say what the absolute best part of being diagnosed with a disease is. It's not when the doctor comes in and tells you what's wrong with you. No, it's when he leaves the room and you're left sitting there alone. You are all alone struggling to grasp what you have just heard. Everything around you seems to fade away. Neither of the diseases I have are life-threatening, but they do change your life on a certain level. That time spent sitting alone in the room after you've heard the diagnosis, but before you can leave, is the worst part of the whole trip. It's so easy for your brain to run wild and start coming up with horrible scenarios.

I admit to being somewhat depressed today after hearing the news. I'm sure it will continue off and on over the next few weeks as I come to grips with this new disease. It's natural, but I know that I will come through. I believe that everyone is tested in their own way and I think this will be one of mine.

I'm up to the challenge.

The Petraeus Testimony

General Petraeus will be testifying before Congress Tuesday and Wednesday.

Some Pentagon officials, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates, had hoped to continue the drawdown in order to relieve the strain of repeated combat tours on U.S. troops and their families. But Gates recently sided with Petraeus on the wisdom of a period of "consolidation and assessment" expected to last at least several weeks, and possibly months. Gates and Admiral William Fallon, the outgoing chief of the U.S. Central Command and Petraeus's direct superior, have expressed concern that leaving 140,000 troops in Iraq will continue to erode U.S. military readiness. But President Bush, mindful of the centrality of Iraq to his legacy, has made clear that what Petraeus wants, Petraeus will get.

The problem is that neither Petraeus nor Bush have answered the question of why the surge is continuing when the stated goal of the surge - space for political reconciliation - has not been met. It doesn't matter how safe we make it in Iraq if the Iraqi government does not come together and form a functional body. Bush has done nothing concrete to pressure Maliki to make something happen. If Maliki has no incentive to form a coalition government, then he can screw around forever and our troops could be there for "one-hundred years." Is that in the best interests of America.

Weekly Secret

PostSecret

Weekly Music Video

The awesome Van Halen with "Hot for Teacher."



I wonder if the almost daily stories of inappropriate conduct between teachers and students can't be traced back to this video. People do seem awfully inclined to believe most of what they see on TV. Not that I think we need to get rid of this great video, though. That would be a crime against humanity. Rather we should teach people to use their damn heads. That is a Herculean task, but one that needs to be undertaken.

Charlton Heston Has Passed Away

Charlton Heston, well known for his larger than life persona, has passed away. He was in so many great movies from Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments to Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green. It's too bad he couldn't come up with a miracle to save himself. He will be missed.

Oh, I'm Dead Serious

I feel like I have a relatively good grasp of the female mind, as good as any male can have anyway. I've been surrounded and outnumbered by them all of my life. When it comes to dating them, though, I feel clueless.

I've asked two girls out in the last couple of months. Both situations were remarkably similar. Both girls had flirted with me a lot, not the mild flirting that happens all the time, but the kind that goes beyond that in word and deed and to me anyway indicated an interest in something more. I asked both girls out. Both said in the aftermath, "Are you serious" and then told me they had boyfriends.

I, of course, felt stupid afterwards in both cases, though I know I shouldn't have. Neither had a ring on their finger or ever said anything about a boyfriend. Both flirted very heavily and it wasn't just me thinking it. I had other people comment on it. In my view, both were giving off signals that they were interested in more than flirting, but as it turns out they really weren't.

So, is this normal? Is that how ladies of my generation act? Is it just me or do other men out there have similar stories?

Clinton Is At It Again

How many times are people going to give Clinton a pass for lying. This time it's about a mother at a hospital. I used to (way back when) defend Clinton to some of her rabid detractors. I can't anymore. She just keeps sinking lower and lower without shame. I'll be glad when the primary is over and she is out of the spotlight for awhile.