Just What I Think... I Could Be Wrong

2009-12-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

My Dad sent me this and I thougt I would share it, its pretty good. Enjoy your day.

This is a wonderful piece by Michael Gartner, editor of newspapers large and small. In 1997, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. It is well worth reading, and a few good chuckles are guaranteed. Here goes....

My father never drove a car. Well, that's not quite right. I should say I never saw him drive a car.

He quit driving in 1927, when he was 25 years old, and the last car he drove was a 1926 Whippet.

"In those days," he told me when he was in his 90s, "to drive a car you had to do things with your hands, and do things with your feet, and look every which way, and I decided you could walk through life and enjoy it or drive through life and miss it."

At which point my mother, a sometimes salty Irishwoman, chimed in: "Oh, bull----! she said. "He hit a horse."

"Well," my father said, "there was that, too."

So my brother and I grew up in a household without a car. The neighbors all had cars -- the Kollingse's next door had a green 1941 Dodge, the Van Laningham's across the street a gray 1936 Plymouth, the Hopson's two doors down a black 1941 Ford -- but we had none.

My father, a newspaperman in Des Moines , would take the streetcar to work and, often as not, walk the 3 miles home. If he took the streetcar home, my mother and brother and I would walk the three blocks to the streetcar stop, meet him and walk home together.

My brother, David, was born in 1935, and I was born in 1938, and sometimes, at dinner, we'd ask how come all the neighbors had cars but we had none. "No one in the family drives," my mother would explain, and that was that.

But, sometimes, my father would say, "But as soon as one of you boys turns 16, we'll get one." It was as if he wasn't sure which one of us would turn 16 first.

But, sure enough, my brother turned 16 before I did, so in 1951 my parents bought a used 1950 Chevrolet from a friend who ran the parts department at a Chevy dealership downtown.

It was a four-door, white model, stick shift, fender skirts, loaded with everything, and, since my parents didn't drive, it more or less became my brother's car. Having a car but not being able to drive didn't bother my father, but it didn't make sense to my mother.

So in 1952, when she was 43 years old, she asked a friend to teach her to drive. She learned in a nearby cemetery, the place where I learned to drive the following year and where, a generation later, I took my two sons to practice driving. The cemetery probably was my father's idea. "Who can your mother hurt in the cemetery?" I remember him saying more than once.

For the next 45 years or so, until she was 90, my mother was the driver in the family. Neither she nor my father had any sense of direction, but he loaded up on maps -- though they seldom left the city limits -- and appointed himself navigator. It seemed to work.

Still, they both continued to walk a lot. My mother was a devout Catholic, and my father an equally devout agnostic, an arrangement that didn't seem to bother either of them through their 75 years of marriage.

(Yes, 75 years, and they were deeply in love the entire time.)

He retired when he was 70, and nearly every morning for the next 20 years or so, he would walk with her the mile to St. Augustin's Church. She would walk down and sit in the front pew, and he would wait in the back until he saw which of the parish's two priests was on duty that morning. If it was the pastor, my father then would go out and take a 2-mile walk, meeting my mother at the end of the service and walking her home.

If it was the assistant pastor, he'd take just a 1-mile walk and then head back to the church. He called the priests "Father Fast" and "Father Slow."

After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If she were going to the beauty parlor, he'd sit in the car and read, or go take a stroll or, if it was summer, have her keep the engine running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio. In the evening, then, when I'd stop by, he'd explain: "The Cubs lost again. The millionaire on second base made a bad throw to the millionaire on first base, so the multimillionaire on third base scored."

If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the bags out -- and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream. As I said, he was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and still driving, he said to me, "Do you want to know the secret of a long life?"

"I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre.

"No left turns," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"No left turns," he repeated. "Several years ago, your mother and I read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic.

As you get older, your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it said. So your mother and I decided never again to make a left turn."

"What?" I said again.

"No left turns," he said. "Think about it. Three rights are the same as a left, and that's a lot safer. So we always make three rights."

"You're kidding!" I said, and I turned to my mother for support. "No," she said, "your father is right. We make three rights. It works." But then she added: "Except when your father loses count."

I was driving at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I started laughing.

"Loses count?" I asked.

"Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens. But it's not a problem. You just make seven rights, and you're okay again."

I couldn't resist. "Do you ever go for 11?" I asked.

"No," he said " If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it a bad day. Besides, nothing in life is so important it can't be put off another day or another week."

My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her car keys and said she had decided to quit driving. That was in 1999, when she was 90.

She lived four more years, until 2003. My father died the next year, at 102.

They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bought a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom -- the house had never had one. My father would have died then and there if he knew the shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.)

He continued to walk daily -- he had me get him a treadmill when he was 101 because he was afraid he'd fall on the icy sidewalks but wanted to keep exercising -- and he was of sound mind and sound body until the moment he died.

One September afternoon in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging conversation about politics and newspapers and things in the news.

A few weeks earlier, he had told my son, "You know, Mike, the first hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred." At one point in our drive that Saturday, he said, "You know, I'm probably not going to live much longer."

"You're probably right," I said.

"Why would you say that?" He countered, somewhat irritated.

"Because you're 102 years old," I said..

"Yes," he said, "you're right." He stayed in bed all the next day.
That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we sit up with him through the night.

He appreciated it, he said, though at one point, apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said: "I would like to make an announcement. No one in this room is dead yet."

An hour or so later, he spoke his last words: "I want you to know," he said, clearly and lucidly, "that I am in no pain. I am very comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth could ever have."

A short time later, he died.

I miss him a lot, and I think about him a lot. I've wondered now and then how it was that my family and I were so lucky that he lived so long.

I can't figure out if it was because he walked through life, or because he quit taking left turns."

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it & if it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it."

ENJOY LIFE NOW - IT HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE!

Respect

2009-07-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so honesty first, this Gates issue, now on its fifth or sixth day is getting old. The result is as consistent as most frustrations sensed from the chosen topics of our modern media. Why do we focus on the dramatic of a few when there are so many truly dramatic topics our media could be educating a generally ignorant public on?

This brings me to the reason I sat down at my PC over the past three evenings. Respect. So many topics we are hearing about in the media would not be there if there were simply more presence of respect in our daily lives. Would Gates be in the media today if he had respect for the police officer who approached him and simply asked him what he was doing and to produce some identification? Let’s not forget, the cop was “called” there to look into a “suspected burglary”. No, if he had done what most people would have done when faced with the same situation what he would have done would have been to comply, tell the officer exactly who he was and that he lived at the residence. “Sir, here is my license, there must be some sort of a mix up, I live here, you are welcome to come into my home and I’ll show you several personal items that will confirm this is my home. Can I offer you something while you wait?” Oh, and by the way, since I’m such a respectful neighbor, why don’t you invite my neighbor who called over and we can figure this out right now, I’m sure we will all get a good laugh out of it.

Rather than be respectful, this jack ass decides to standoff with an officer of the law and start grandstanding! Where does this behavior come from, and how on earth can the president (that I voted for) defend, in any way, this guys behavior and claim the officer acted “stupidly”? After a statement like that, I’m guessing there are more than a few people in this country wondering who the “stupid” one is. On the flip side, I’m sure the officer got a bit short and possibly even belligerent with this guy, who has been accused of breaking and entering and hasn’t denied it. Can anyone put themselves in this situation as an officer and argue that they wouldn’t have? I’m actually quite amazed they didn’t take this guy to his face and break his arm getting him in cuffs. Putting myself in the shoes of an officer, I would have gotten pretty damn rough with a guy who was smarting off and not answering my questions. Respect was completely absent from Mr. Gates in this situation.

It may be that I’m getting old, but I’m starting to sound more and more like my parents, but what happened to good old fashioned respect?

Respect for your elders, your wife, neighbors, policemen and women, firefighters, your boss, your siblings, parents, teachers, and friends. What about respect for the flag, military personnel, veterans, pets, other people’s property and belongings. What happened to respecting one’s self enough to not break the law? What about just respecting the law? How about kids who respect their toys, having nice cloths, and being able to attend school? There are children who consider it an honor to have the privilege to attend school and be educated, our children feel it is a burden and parents treat schools like glorified daycare centers to raise their children while they go about their lives as though their children’s issues are someone else’s fault. How about the respect a parent is supposed to show a child? The bulk of this respect is to come during the formative years when respect is taught. Father’s who insist that their son’s open doors for girls, say yes sir and yes ma’am with respect vs. that smart mouth tone and insist that they respect their Mothers. Equally important is the Mother who insists that their children respect their Fathers and each other and follows through on punishments as well as rewards for good behaviors. These things take work, concentration and energy, they don’t happen because of good schools, church and reading books, it take examples, leadership and guidance from people who know the difference and have been taught the difference between fundamental rights and wrongs. I won’t get derailed on a religious tangent, but morality doesn’t come from religions; (read a decent article about that subject here) it comes from evolution, parenting, common sense and logic, along with laws designed by men to protect respectful people from disrespectful ones.

Ultimately this issue has infected every aspect of our lives. Respect for each other, human life and the sanctity of the human experience would practically eliminate the issues of Sudan Darfur, Palestine, Jerusalem, Bangladesh, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Gaza, and Rwanda to name just a few. I could get into my personal take on the effects of religion on these respect issues, but let’s not get sidetracked on that, but rather let’s just say that weather you rub a little fat man’s belly or you pray to an invisible bearded white man who lives in the sky, how about we all just respect each other’s rights to believe whatever the hell we want to, assuming that respect is extended in all direction by all groups to all other elements of life on this small planet? There is so little tolerance by the religions, each of them in their own way is disrespecting the others by the simple fact that they are saying, our way, is the right way, and if you don’t think they way we do, you are wrong. That is starting the conversation with an intolerant tone and very little to talk about in way of options. Where is the respect in this? (Sorry, I promised I wouldn’t get derailed, so I’ll stop)

How do we begin to instill the necessary respect in our children they will need to have to do this correctly, but also to tolerate all the disrespect they are going to encounter during their lifetime? Should we put up our modern day media, politicians, sport figures, musical stars, television actors, or religious figures up to our children as a qualified example of respect? I don’t know anyone who would. How do we begin to instill lessons in our children that can only be learned through struggle, hardship and adversity when our lives have become an endless rendition of supersized meals, movies, air conditioned environments and jobs that pay a student out of high school more money than 25 families combined would make in most underdeveloped countries. With a very select few exceptions of those who volunteered it is likely we will have up to four generations of people (including mine) who have never witnessed war in any other way than through the lens of a FOX or CNN news camera and will never know what it is to work a single day of physical labor during their lives.

It must be our responsibility as a civilized nation and as parents and citizens of this great country to take responsibility and lead our youth. We need to educate our children the truth about evolution, technology, health, and the well being of our planet. They must come to understand that getting a trophy for every place is wrong. Not keeping score at little league games and buying them every luxury they could ever want before they are even old enough to know they want it is not the answer. My own children are so underwhelmed by some of the most expensive gifts we buy them while on the other side when asked what she wanted for her birthday my 8 year old daughter replied simply, “a box of yarn Dad”. This is a great example of how our children want for nothing and yet we try to provide them the world. I believe all they truly want from us is our time. Slow down, read a book, teach them about respect and what it is to truly appreciate some of the more simple things in life like a walk in the woods, the smell of a hay field or lying on your back in the grass and searching the clouds for imaginative shapes. At the same time, we need to be incredibly diligent about teaching our children all the things they won’t learn in school. If you want to teach your children religion, teach them about “all” religions and expose them to immense diversity of religious studies. Explain to them all the differences between the religions of the world and describe all the various rituals, traditions and holidays of each. This, not unlike exposing a child to a variety of different activities during their childhood will better prepare them for a global experience and a healthy future.

Respect is a cornerstone of what will get us to the next horizon. It is what separates us from Darwin’s version of success. (Dan Dennett’s talk on Darwin “funny and educational”) Respect each other, respect those around you and respect what you leave behind when you are no longer here. But, that’s just what I think, I could be wrong.

2009-03-25T07:07:00.000-07:00

2008-12-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else miss “fast food”?

I’m sorry to those of you who have had to sit through this rant of mine in person and are now having to read it too, but some things simply have to be written down. On our way home from our Christmas marathon the kids were hungry for some “normal” food… so you know what that means, we are stopping in Waterloo for a McDonalds run. Now this is an event I recall fondly from my own childhood and one I wish I could give my own children, however, that will never be the case. A full 20 minutes after entering the building my wife comes to the booth with our food. Now I want to set the stage of this debacle. It was 6:30 on a Sunday evening. The weather was fine, traffic was typical and the restaurant (I use this term loosely) was not overly busy. There were no out of the ordinary issues one could see that should have given this location any reason to be providing less than adequate service.

I found myself sitting there, observing this scene much the same way I imagine a dying person would view themselves on the operating table just before passing away from some fatal flaw made by an incompetent physician. I couldn’t even be upset; all I could do is stare in awe of the human frustration I was witnessing. There were at least 8 to 10 people standing in the counter area of this McDonalds waiting for their orders. Please understand, this is not a unique situation, this has become the norm for fast food. In this particular scenario I choose to pick on McDonalds because this is my fast food restaurant of choice and the one I choose to be violated by most often, but make no mistake, you can expect similar treatment from almost any place with a drive up window.

Has everyone forgotten where the bar was once set? Has every American citizen become so accepting of mediocrity and poor quality that we have simply given up on the dream Mr. Kroc started and was copied by Hardies, Wendy’s, Culvers and Burger King? Ray Kroc would run naked through the streets with unfettered madness if he could see what has become of his glorious empire and burger joint.

What I’m old enough to remember:

· Getting “fast” food at a fast food restaurant:
o The way it used to be: You walked in, stood in one of several lines of people which moved fairly efficiently toward the counter where people ordered what they wanted, where quickly provided with hot, fresh food and drink. They paid, and they left or found a place to sit and eat.
o The way it is today: You stand in line for a considerably longer time, trying to determine who is ordering, and who is now waiting for their food. When you do make it to the ordering portion of the new process, you will be given a receipt with your order on it. (which you will need to check because the system is terribly broken and is rarely done accurately) When you do receive your prefabricated, recently slapped together food and empty glass for drink, you will have the privilege of making your way through a mass of frustrated customers who are both waiting to order and waiting to receive their own orders. Many times you orders do not come out in chronological order so now people who ordered after you may actually receive their food before you. In addition to this especially pleasant group of mutually frustrated patrons, you will also have the added pleasure of bumping into a group who are stopping in to rent videos. Oh yes, this little trophy is a special bonus when you stop at your favorite fast food hot spot. Not only has the service been slowed to a pace that really works for the staff, but you can now fight your way through people who are stopping in to both rent and return their favorite video’s from the machine that is also taking up space in the counter area.

· The 10 minute rule:
o The way it used to be: I remember the McDonalds rule that said, if a burger has been under the heat lamps for more than 10 min, it got thrown away. [This is the concept once employed by many fast food chains which enabled them to prepare food “before” it was ordered so that when a customer came to a counter and ordered a burger… IT WAS READY TO SERVE TO THEM!!!!]
o The way it is today: Every aspect of the meal is prepared and assembled after the order is made. The burgers are delivered to the restaurant “pre-cooked”. Most McDonalds don’t even have a grill in the building anymore! Can anyone that’s not a lawyer or an accountant explain this to me?

· Hot, griddle-fried burgers with “melted” cheese
o The way it used to be: Raw frozen patties arrived and were grilled and made into a predetermined group of a variety of sandwiches determined by popularity. Sandwiches were assembled and kept warm under a heated shelf area where people taking orders could easily access them and give them very quickly to the person who had ordered them. From time to time, you would receive a burger that was so fresh you could potentially receive a slight burn from dripping grease! Is there anywhere you can now go to receive such a lunch wound?
o The way it is today: Pre-cooked burgers come in frozen and are “warmed” to be made into burgers and served. No more grease, no more melting of cheese. This is also a forgone practice our children have been cheated of and will never experience the hot, melted pleasure of a McDonalds burger, grilled in grease, on a hot griddle, where cheese was applied so it could patricianly melt before being placed on a freshly toasted bun, which by the way are no longer toasted either.

· Hot apple pies:
o The way it used to be: Deep fat fried apple and cherry pies, served quickly after being fried in cardboard boxes. This was many times a dangerous adventure due to the extreme heat you could expect. Ironically, this menu item is classified as a desert. When ordering food at a fast food restaurant most times the entire meal is ordered at one time, hence, one would “want” the desert portion of said meal to be “hot” so that when this portion of the meal is consumed… it is still of high quality and satisfaction levels can be maintained.
o The way it is today: The original apple pie left of well over 10 years ago and was replaced by the lower quality (healthier version) you have come to know in today’s McDonald’s. I haven’t got a clue where or how these are prepared, but I can make a pretty good guess they come off the truck frozen and meet their serving temperature inside that delicious little box you see them distributed from when you collect two of them for the dollar menu.

· Being served a cold drink:
o The way it used to be: You ordered a drink, the person you ordered it from was the person who pulled the appropriate sized cup, scooped the ice and hit the button on a very cool machine which would automatically fill the cup to the top. They would then put a lid on your cup for you, pull a straw and place the set of items on your try.
o The way it is today: You get to do the above. In other words, you’re the customer, do it yourself!
[Special sidebar here: I completely recognize the labor cost involved here, I am also sympathetic to the sizing issue, the sanitary issues with handling the ice, the room behind the counter the equipment takes and the issues stemming from people who spill drinks from trays they carry with drinks away from the counter. I don’t give a s#%$... I don’t care, it’s called customer service… and I really miss it!]

I could continue on several different notes, the craziness that is the “Play Land” and I have two small children who “love” them. I still think it’s crazy that someone should have to deal 20 screaming children when they are stopping in for a “QUICK” meal. Or, how about the never ending attempt to make McDonalds or any other fast food restaurant a healthy place to eat? What the hell people, we have known for over 40 years that this stuff is bad for you, if you want health food, go to an all you can eat salad bar and stay away from thick burgers and double quarter pounders with cheese!

I would suggest we all boycott the lot of them… they all suck at what they are supposed to be providing. Now, if only we could quit flying with the major airlines, staying in hotels and buying products from Walmart and Target… the world may stand a chance of recovery!

I don’t know, it’s just what I think, I could be wrong. See ya!

We will miss you Boston Legal!

2008-11-25T21:32:00.000-08:00

One of the all time greatest shows on TV is going away... So long Boston Legal!

Check out the Boston Legal Web Site to see more!

Check out photos from the most recent DeKam event

2008-11-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

Photos Of the DeKam German night!

Now check out the movie!

Video 1
Video 2
Video 3

Delicious Irony

2008-11-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

Delicious irony from people flying private jets with tin cups in their hands! I think we have to save the car companies in an effort to save the economy, but there is a huge point being made in this video!

Watch’em squirm!

2008-11-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

Three Days In June

2008-11-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

Something I thought many of you would appreciate.

Three Days In June

2008-11-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

When we put X-Mas lights on our houses on Black Ivy Ct... it involves heavy equipment! Let the season begin! This is a short clip of Cooper and I watching Chris and his son see just how high the lift will actually go!

Cooper's First Basketball game!!!!

2008-11-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

What a riot!

This is a slide show, but if you click out to the link below, you can watch several video's of the historic event!

2008 YMCA BB

It Seems Impossible... but it's not.

2008-11-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

Follow the below link to view a more clear version of this slide show. I have confirmed with several of my Muslim friends that they are a bit appalled by this too. This is not a "Muslim" issue... this is an ignorance and fear issue. Some groups in this world deserve to be, no, must be "offended" by the rest of us. The very existence of our world depends on our ability to right this ship and specifically "offend" those who need to be offended; in exactly the same way our soldiers "offended" the people who committed the horrific events in our past. The same way we should and have offended those who mistreated the Native Americans, the African slaves, the current day people of Darfur. If you think the event of the holocaust were wrong, you agree. I haven't confirmed the comments about the UK in this slide deck, but it doesn't matter if that part is true or not, if it is, it's sad, but even if it's not true, so what, the message is the same. Let’s not stop "offending" those who deserve to be offended. At least, that's what I think, I could be wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbv_3Q7YL1M

I have listened to this one... and I liked it!

2008-11-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Edward Tabash - The U.S. Presidential Election and Secular Values Voters
Friday, October 17, 2008, 7:00:00 AM
Edward Tabash is a constitutional and civil rights lawyer in Beverly Hills, California. He has chaired the National Legal Committee of Americans United for Separation of Church and State since 1995, and has argued and won before the California Supreme Court. He also sits as a part-time judge for the Los Angeles County Superior Court system. He has successfully represented the scientific outlook and secular humanism in public debates against the leading Christian philosophers around the world. In addition to serving on the Board of the Center for Inquiry and chairing the Council for Secular Humanismâs First Amendment Task Force, he chairs the Center for Inquiry's Los Angeles branch. In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Edward Tabash explores issues valued by secularists and why they hang in the balance in this U.S. Presidential Election. ÂHe talks about gay marriage and abortion, and how both of these rights depend on a government neutrality in matters of religion. He details ways that pseudoscience and junk science are used to advance religiously derived public policy arguments against gay marriage and abortion. And he talks about global warming skepticism, and the need for scientific integrity in public policy. He emphasizes how the next U.S. President will reshape the Supreme Court, and what that portends for science and secular values. He also explains his role in gay rights victory with the Supreme Court of California earlier in 2008, and why he opposes Proposition 8, a proposed ballot measure in California that would amend the State Constitution to deny marriage rights to homosexuals.
POI_2008_10_17_Edward_Tabash.mp3

2008-11-04T18:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, now I try not to project too much on my friends in this area, but when I see an opportunity to bridge a gap, I’m taking it! This site addresses some of the casum that exist between those individuals of theist persuasion and those of a non-theist viewpoint. I have not listened to everything on this site, in fact, I have only listened to two episodes, but I was so impressed with them I was compelled to post here. Take time to listen to the two podcasts I have listed here and I encourage you to puruse the site and listen to other postings on this site. I hope you find it as informative and enlightening as I have. Remember, it’s not what I think… and it could be wrong!

Rev. Michael Dowd - The Marriage of Science and Religion
08/22/08
The Reverend Michael Dowd, along with his wife, science writer Connie Barlow, have lived permanently on the road for years, sharing a "sacred view of evolution" with religious and secular audiences of all ages. His new book is Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will…

Rev. Michael Dowd: Thank God For Evolution
08/15/08
The Reverend Michael Dowd, along with his wife, science writer Connie Barlow, have lived permanently on the road for years, sharing a "sacred view of evolution" with religious and secular audiences of all ages. His new book is Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will…

2008-10-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

My close friend put me onto this... and it is well worth your time!!!!

Tami's mad... So I have to write! Love you Tami!

2008-10-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

It’s just what I think… I could be wrong:

My friend Tami sort of got after me for not writing to the blog recently, so here are some random things on my mind as of late.

It is often discussed amongst friends how much tougher we had it as kids and how our parents had it tougher still than us, and their parents tougher than them. This lineage goes back seemingly forever establishing a trend that as we progress, life gets easier. We typically comment during these quintessential conversations how there must come a time in our existence when the next generation has it more difficult than the one prior to it. Is it possible we are witnessing that time? Is it possible that the 30 to 45 year olds of today have experienced the last generation of ease and that what we are presenting our children with is a future of more difficult times and harder decisions with more sacrifice?

Americans are the most spoiled people on the planet. We are killing our children with childhood obesity, laziness, overindulgences, violence on TV is at an epidemic level, the training of attention span a child receives is that if it last for more than 3 to 4 seconds, it takes to long. Our kids have exposure to stimulants and chemicals that weren’t even around when we were kids. On the other hand, we had led paint chips on the front porch railing while they are facing human growth hormones in their processed chicken nuggets and their breakfast cereal, [Hormones in our food] so who’s to say who the lucky ones were! It may become difficult to argue that the days of a 10 year old building a raft out of scrap wood and floating down a creek were somehow more dangerous and detrimental to a child’s health than parking their asses on a couch in an air-conditioned home, watching Sponge Bob while playing their DS; listing to music in one ear on their MP3 players; IM-ing their friends on their cell phones that they can take a picture with and post directly to the internet… and whining that they don’t have enough to do.

Now, you lay on top of that the things we may or may not be doing to our planet and our global economy by having to live on dollars we haven’t made yet and driving vehicles we can’t, or at least shouldn’t, afford and using products we don’t need… (my loving wife has eleven bottle in our shower, what the hell is that all about?) It’s a wonder our kids aren’t getting pissed at us. Now the news isn’t all bad and I’m not trying to present this glass as half empty. Our children have opportunities to do things that will likely amaze and astonish us in the coming years. [Amazing Kids] They will have to fix the things we have broken, but I believe in them and think they have the ability to create a global exchange of ideas through open technologies that our parent could have only dreamed about.

It has been interesting to see how interconnected the worlds markets truly are. [World Economic Forum] In a very sick and strange way, it provides a level of comfort knowing that if one goes down, we will likely all go down. In some ways it mimics the cold war between the former Soviet Union and the USA. Everyone has bombs, so nobody uses them. With the economy, everyone had better spend money and keep credit flowing… or we will all likely starve and be out of work. It seems crazy to me that as long as we keep spending money like there is no tomorrow and producing products as though we can’t live without them… we’ll likely be fine, but if we conserve, save and pull back, we effectively hurt our own economy? That shit’s messed up.

I will try not to get off on a tangent in the next couple of paragraphs, but what about Religion? Popularity of religions in the US is actually on the rise! [Adherents.com] Logic would tell you that as we become more intelligent and more educated on the science of how things work, the less dependent our society would become on things like religion, superstition and folklore. This is not to say that formalized religion would disappear completely, but that it would become a more realistic, intellectually honest, system of community support and socialization it should be in today’s society. It used to be that everyone sort of kept to themselves with their religion. They did their thing, and kept quiet about it (translation in my terms, respectful of others and whatever they might believe). Now religion is in the news daily, its part of our politics, (which it was never supposed to be) [Religion and Public Policy] schools are filled with the melting pot of ethnic groups and religions seem to come as a variety pack. There are over 1700 versions of Christianity, 1400 in the US alone, all claiming the others are fundamentally wrong. (Does anyone think that is what a savior named Jesus would have wanted, or do you agree, everyone should admit they may be wrong?) You take those 1400 versions of the one religion, mix in some Islam, Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist, Hinduism, Chinese traditional religions, Buddhism, primal-indigenous, African Traditional & Diasporic, Sikhism, Juche, Spiritism, Judaism, Jainism, Shinto, Cao Dai, Zoroastrianism, Neo-Paganism, Unitarian-Universalism and let’s not forget the Scientologist… and you have to ask yourself, what the fuck? I’m not sure where the rest of you learned right and wrong, but not everyone can be right on this deal, somebody is dead ass wrong and that’s that. Some of the above listed parishioners are praying to a monkey… others to a stature and yet others to a book they just made up, and unlike Christians, Jew and Muslims they admit they made it up! Now for those of you who are my religious friends, don’t get all worked up into a froth, I’m not question “your” faith… and I’m not mocking. I’m merely in question of religion, and that is ok… I could be wrong… can you say that?

I would argue the mixing of religions and ethnic groups in this way is a fantastic aspect and the exposure “should” create an environment of tolerance and better understanding; however, I’m not sure that is the case in our country. Socialization, or the social studies of religions seems to have been effective in many of the European countries, but it has failed to take hold in our own country, why? Why don’t we teach our children about “ALL” the religions of the world. Why don’t we treat them all with equal emphasis? Could it be we are prejudice in favor of our native teachings about religion? Isn’t that the very thing we are upset with Muslims about in the Middle East? Many religious people in our country actually “cling” to their faith and cherish the fact that it is an unknown which is bigger than them and therefore something they “truly believe” in. It just seems crazy to me that carbon date testing is questioned, while un-provable stories written thousands of years ago are taken as “facts”. Even more than that, some, if not most of them are put out there as having been written by the big guy himself. (Credibility is critical to all religious books/doctrine so saying the words were actually written by “the GOD” seems to be the easiest way to clear that up) It would seem to me it should be the other way around, but you know me, I could be wrong. It would seem that in many parts of our country, especially major metropolitan areas it is causing a rift between the various sects of religion. At some point people are going to have to begin accepting the fact that they don’t know the truth. Religion is “all” based on a smattering of factual documents, (some religions are based on some facts, others are completely made up) “all” of which are incredibly old and “all” of which are, at the end of the day, non-provable. No one even argues about that, actually, most embrace the unknown as the part to cling to and call it “faith”. Anyone who would “kill” another human being in the name of defending religion has completely lost me. What creates such indignation, hatred, and desire to be right? Why does any of it matter? If people can be trained to believe in all the craziness that religion presents to people, (people are still searching for an arch in which some guy who lived to be over 600 years old gathered up two of each species on the planet to save them from a flood… are you serious?) why is it so difficult for people to believe that it “might not be so”? Many skeptics, agnostics or atheist would say, if you can believe in heaven or hell, (which by the way, are equally as provable and plausible as the existence of Santa Clause or the Tooth Fairy) believing that they may not be true should be a walk in the park.

It’s ok to admit you might be wrong! If every person, pastor, priest, monk, rabbi, cleric and councilor would stand up tomorrow and simply admit they “might” be wrong… the world would be a better, brighter and stronger place. People in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Northern Africa, Jerusalem and Palestine and many, many other countries around the world could set down their guns, spears, bibles and Korans and have a drink together (for those who drinking is against your religion… welcome to the Lutheran/Catholic side of religion!). But for thousands of years, they have been unwilling to admit they might be wrong. These are the lessons we teach our children in Sunday schools and Masks all over this country. We have gotten smarter about it over the years, we disguise it in niceness, kindness and community support. We have adopted acceptable philosophies of guilt and shame which help to fill the coffers of the Church. We have set up rules for the Church that make it tax exempt, secretive and for members only. Your way is the “only” way… it is the “right” way… and everyone else is wrong… What the hell people, wake up and smell the fuse burning. Can’t you see there is some inherent bad coming from all this unfettered belief? It scares me a little I’m not afraid to admit, and it should scare you too.

Ok, sorry, I said I wouldn’t get off on a rant and I obviously did. It would seem that our country has become so comfortable with debt that it simply accepts that it is ok to spend money we haven’t made yet. What example does that set? What precedence does that set? Have we set our children up to be the first generation of children who actually have it worse off than we did? I don’t know for sure, but it has been something on my mind lately. It’s just what I think, I could be wrong. Now go out there and do some good would ya?

Take care,

JC Vestweber
10/21/08

Logic does not hold water in politics today...

2008-10-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of oovoo?

2008-10-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

2008-10-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

Interesting stuff I ran across last night...

This is not what I think... but is what someone else thinks... they could be wrong

Inside this Article
Introduction to 5 Green Myths
Green Myth 5: When Appliances Are Off, They Don't Use Power
Green Myth 4: Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Are the Same
Green Myth 3: Organic Is Always Better
Green Myth 2: Hybrid Vehicles Are Better Choices Than Standard Cars
Green Myth 1: Planting Trees Will Fix Global Warming
Lots More Information
See all Green Science articles

2008 DeKam Family Weekend Part I

2008-09-29T07:55:00.000-07:00

These are posted on YouTube and I have them on my facebook page too. Hope you enjoy a look into one of our most treasured summertime activities.

2008 DeKam Family Weekend Part II

2008-09-29T06:01:00.001-07:00

Part II of II

We have lost sight of what it means to be "A Conservative Republic”

2008-09-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

I'm no longer on the left or the right on this deal, nor should anyone else be, but I am good and nervous about our economy and have a fair amount of respect for Pat Buchanan. I don't agree with everything he shouts from the mountain, but this article points out some very good (bad) things. It's time to circle the waggons boys, get back to what really matters in this country and start taking care of our own. Shed the debt and stop living with our heads in the sand.

The Party's Over: By Patrick J. Buchanan

Just what someone else thinks, they could be wrong.

2008-09-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

I stumbled onto this fantastic article today and would like to pass it along. It sums up a ton of frustrations I have had with both our presidential candidates. The source is pretty fantastic, I would encourage all of my readers to peruse it's content. Enjoy the article.

McBama vs. America
by Craig Biddle

2008-09-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

To all of you who have been to the Sutliff Bridge with us, I thought you would appreciate this.

A Tribute to the Sutliff Bridge

You can see pictures, other videos, and more at: KCRG.com

2008-09-20T08:00:00.001-07:00

How Spoiled are we?

This week has been crazy. The AIG bailout, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, WaMu, Lehman-Barclays, Morgan/Wachovia, and don’t think it’s over yet.

Headline CNN:
12th bank failure of the year announced!
Detroit wants its bailout too
Why the Fed pulled the trigger on AIG

At the end of the week, the DOW off just 33 points… the S&P up 13.

Is anyone else a little embarrassed? I almost feel a little ashamed. I have been talking to my friends for the past several years about the continued growth of the US and asking the question, how can it continue? I’m not the smartest cookie in the jar and I went to school for all the wrong reasons, but I’ve spent a few years trying to fill in the alcohol soaked, blank learning years of my youth. After a bit on contemplation, I think our expectations might be a bit exorbitant.

How Spoiled are we?

How big is big enough? This is an article about a home in Connecticut that boasts 33,500 square feet of space. Are you kidding me? Does anyone in this country still wonder why every other country in the world thinks we are fat, arrogant, ego driven, bigger is better, oil gorging, energy sucking, money grubbing, gas guzzling, we are the greatest country in the world… Americans?

Now don’t get me wrong, I still love this country and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else… yet. The question I can’t stop asking myself is when is enough enough? How much money do we have to have? How big do our homes have to be? How much does a company have to grow every year? How much do earnings have to go up every year to satisfy the stockholders? When do we get to a point where doing as well as we did last year is satisfactory? Admittedly, I’m not an actuary; economist or historian, so I lack the ability, faculties, or education to speak intelligently about any of this. I do, however, have the ability to be self aware and see what is going on around me. We are spoiled. We as a county need to simmer down, take a good dose of humility, let go of some of our SUV driving, bigger is better attitude and simply be happy with everything we have.

Has anyone else started to ask themselves what happened to the days when people saved, (Remember that words, for those of you who may have never heard of this word, it is defined as: to set aside money for later use, often adding to the sum periodically) their money to buy something “before” they purchased it? Ok, in this scenario I get to be the pot and you (the reader) can be the kettle. Of course I’m as guilty as anyone on this note, I’m just admitting its wrong and we should address it. Everyone who has a household income of 75K a year feels it’s normal and sensible that they should be able to live in a 300K dollar home. Not only is it crazy that people feel this should be ok, but it’s even crazier that there are banks, mortgage brokers and lenders who would allow it. Maybe what this country, and all the people in it really need is a good strong dose of reality and a good swift kick in the ass. Just what I think, I could be wrong.

2008-09-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you who loved the Sutliff Bridge…

Little tribute to the Cedar River

Little tribute to the Sutliff Bridge

We Live In A Great City... Cedar Rapids

2008-09-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

So tonight I went to the Cedar Rapids Citizen Feedback meeting sponsored by the City of Cedar Rapids. I have to tell you, I left feeling pretty damn great about being a citizen of Cedar Rapids. When you consider what this community has been through in the past several months, with the flood and all the devastation that has taken place. To have a city manager, staff and city council that has persevered through this and is still willing to take personal time to sit down with citizens and listen to feedback should make every citizen stand up and consider what a great community we live in.

I can't help but reflect on how strong a community we live in. For anyone doing random searches about Cedar Rapids, or considering moving to this great community there are definitely things you should consider before moving here. You may be doing your "Pros" and "Con's" SWAT list of qualities to determine if Cedar Rapids is a community you would want to move your family to. You will be considering things like schools, entertainment, and local attractions. One thing you simply cannot demonstrate to those who have never lived here is how genuinely good the people are in this city. No, not every person and no, not every day. But when the chips are down and times get rough, this community will be there to care for those in need. Businesses will rally around those in need and decisions will get made in an effort to manufacture results, make mistakes, move things forward and make more decisions. As much as this community will accept help from organizations like the state and federal government, you can rest assured it will not wait for handouts or complain that what they do receive isn't enough. I sincerely believe that if there had been zero dollars given to Cedar Rapids, this community would have recovered from this disaster within five years to a point where evidence of the flood would be difficult to find.

I wish there was a way to demonstrate to those unfamiliar with Cedar Rapids what a great place this can be to call home. It's true, different strokes for different folks, and if skiing, deep sea fishing, scuba diving, or mountain climbing happen to be your hobbies of choice, you may be setting yourself up for a dose of culture shock. However, if wholesome living amongst generally honest, hardworking decent people where the accidental leaving of ones laptop computer on the passenger seat of an unlocked car won't lead to a police report in the morning is what you're after, I recommend you come visit our fair city and meet some of the people here. You won't be disappointed. If you'd like a personal guided tour, give me a call or drop me some feedback here and I'd be happy to help in any way I can. You should also take time to check out these sites: The Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce or The City of Cedar Rapids Website.

I was just thinking: Cedar Rapids and People not voting:

2006-10-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking: Cedar Rapids and People not voting: