If you have forgiveness in your heart for Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold than you're a bigger person than I am. I'd be lying if I said I didn't hope that they are burning in hell but today isn't about that, nor should it be. We as a society forget too much, too fast. Columbine was 12 years ago, how many of you even remembered or thought about it today without being reminded by someone or something you heard/saw? Be honest. That is not to say you are a bad person for not remembering, it just goes to the point that we forget too much, too fast. Admittedly distance is part of the healing process but there are people out there will never heal from those events. Part of the problem being that the two perpetrators chose to end that despicable act with a final act of cowardice by taking their own lives thereby robbing us of any chance to even try to understand why it happened.
When one student asked Eric and Dylan what they were doing when they burst into the library that fateful afternoon the response was as simple as it was evil..."Killing people" was the reply. I cannot possibly fathom how a heart could be so black; what could possibly motivate someone to sink to that level of depravity. Since that day there has been much debate regarding gun control. The far left and far right are both so far off base that they do not represent what I believe (and hope) to be the vast majority of peoples opinion on the matter. The trite old sayings of the far right make me sicker than bad dairy eaten during a drunken binge. The line guns don't kill people, people kill people is as overused as it is inaccurate. The fact remains that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold would never have been able to unleash upon the innocent student body of Columbine the abject horror that they did without guns.
Our friends from the left have called for a total ban on handguns. To the liberals I say that outlawing hand guns is an impeachment of our civil rights, and would not stop these senseless acts of violence. The people of Washington D.C. actually tried this, they outlawed handguns. It was a failure in stemming violence and was ultimately struck down by the court system anyway.
To the right I’d ask how it makes an ounce of sense that it is harder to get a driver’s license than it is to get a gun? I’d also suggest they actually read the second amendment rather than just quote your favorite part of it like a school child repeating a catchy chorus from the Billboard top 20. The entire second amendment reads "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”, but the right wing only ever recites the right of a people to keep and bear arms. For Christ sake the word regulated appears in the amendment! It is not my position that we should have a ban on handguns, but certainly we can and must do a better job with gun control.
Thomas Hobbes wrote in Leviathan that one of the main reasons man enters into a society is to protect himself from the “war of every man against every man”. That the main impetus for the formation of societies is we make tiny sacrifices so that we may be afforded some kind of protection from each other, and random acts of violence. Yet as society evolved and became more sophisticated, the places that we should feel the safest, the grocery store, work, SCHOOL, have become scenes of bedlam and bloodshed. Can anyone tell me why? Or can anyone tell me how to stop it?
For starters why don’t we set a minimum age in which someone must be in order to own a handgun? Make it a crime for anyone under the age of 21 to even own a hand gun (exceptions made for those in the armed forces and police). There is no other reason someone under 21 needs to own a hand gun. Secondly we absolutely must do a better job controlling what happens at gun shows. Background checks aren’t run, and a lot of straw sales stem from these shows. I don’t necessarily believe, nor do studies show, that stiffer penalties are a deterrent. However, what stiffer penalties can, and will do, is combat recidivism. The longer someone is in jail, the harder it becomes for them to commit another crime. Those who deal/sell guns illegally need to be subjected to the stiffest penalties allowable by law. Those who illicitly deal guns are no better, and in some ways worse, than drug traffickers. They should be treated as such.
We should also punish gun makers/manufacturers who knowingly make guns that can be easily transformed in to automatic weapons. While we are it, I would even support an outright ban on many, if not all, fully automatic weapons. There is just no rationale behind a person owning a tech 9, an uzi, a street sweeper etc let alone two or three of them! Remember what Hobbes said…..we make tiny sacrifices in order to afforded some kind of protection, I think foregoing ownership of fully automatic weapons is a small enough sacrifice we can/should all make. I don't profess to have the answers, but what I do know is we need to make it as difficult as possible for guns to end up in the hands of children.
We would all like to believe that what happened at Columbine was preventable but I am not sure. As long as free will exists, than so too will evil. The shootings were an act of terror and my thoughts and prayers are with families of the victims as well as the survivors. It’s been twelve years , 4380 days since that fateful morning. I still remember when the news broke. I was in my senior year of college and was playing FIFA soccer on play station instead of going to class (real surprise). My friends and I caught the breaking news and looked on in disbelief. I remember looking at Frank Leone, Pat Tuohy, Beav and others who were at my house and saying “what the fuck? We are bringing guns to school now??” I was both dumbfounded and heartbroken. I had been in high school just four years earlier and had never imagined something like that happening. Our country was forever/irrevocably changed on the 20th of April 1999. I simply ask today at some point you remember those who were brutally terrorized and executed for no other reason than they were at SCHOOL.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Philosophy of Failure
During Obama’s presidency I have grown tired of hearing about what people are entitled to. Whatever happened to duties and obligations? There can only be one answer, socialism places entitlements above duties and obligations. But let us not forget that Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery (Winston Churchill).
Many state attorneys general have noted that ObamaCare is the first time Americans would be forced to buy a good or service, which is why they are challenging the constitutionality of it. So how do they justify this? As a bit of a fitness fanatic I bet we could save just as much money by literally forcing people to work out. Obama tried to pass a law that for the first time in American history would force Americans to buy a good or service, so why not force them to buy a gym membership and force them to work out? Is this ok with you socialists out there? If the justification for forcing them to buy health care is b/c it is good for them, well I submit so isn’t working out and would absolutely improve their overall health, thereby making it cost less to insure them. So Socialists is that ok? Socialism is absolutely an infringement on individual rights, socialists cannot get around that fact no matter how hard they try.
For the record I reread the constitution and only found the word entitled (or any permutation thereof) once in Article IV Section 2 basically stating that a citizen of any state had the same rights as the citizen of any other state. Interestingly enough Article IV Section 2 also guarantees a “Republican Form of Government”.
Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude. This country was born out of a set of ideals, the key components of which were rugged individualism, that the best government is the government that governs least, and that individual liberties must be protected. That no one was to be given a free ride, and that government was meant to treat us all as equals before the law, and give us all one vote. Government was never meant to be, nor should it ever be, meant to make us all equals in terms of wealth, property ownership, or even the level of education we all receive. It is about guaranteeing equal opportunity, not equal outcome.
Obama has said on more than one occasion that the rich need to pay their fair share, according to figures from the IRS it appears to me that they already do. “The top-earning 25 percent of taxpayers earned 68.7 percent of the nation's income, but they paid more than four out of every five dollars collected by the federal income tax (86.6 percent). The top 1 percent of taxpayers earned approximately 22.8 percent of the nation's income (as defined by AGI), yet paid 40.4 percent of all federal income taxes. That means the top 1 percent of tax returns paid more in federal individual income taxes than the bottom 95 percent of tax returns. The bottom 50% on the other hand paid just 2.89% of income taxes collected. “
I support a progressive tax, it is the only way this country will work but as Sam Seaborn once said " I paid my fair share, and the fair share of twenty-six other people. And I'm happy to because that's the only way it's gonna work, and it's in my best interest that everybody be able to go to schools and drive on roads, but I don't get twenty-seven votes on Election Day. The fire department doesn't come to my house twenty-seven times faster and the water doesn't come out of my faucet twenty-seven times hotter. The top one percent of wage earners in this country pay for twenty-two percent of this country. Let's not call them names while they're doing it, is all I'm saying". I find it offensive when the president, or anyone for that matter says the rich need to pay their fair share for the exact same reason Same Seaborn did. I am not in the top 1%, may never be, but that doesn't mean I support taxing them at a ridiculous rate when almost 50% of this country pays no taxes at all. If he honestly believes that the rich are not paying their fair share then he is more out his mind than Charlie Sheen banging 7 gram rocks. To even suggest the rich need to pay more, or their "fair share", is socialist.
Being a citizen of the greatest country on earth is not about entitlements, even though this president would have us believe that being a citizen of this country is something that everyone is entitled to, including those who broke the law to get here. It is about duties and obligations. It is our duty as citizens to work hard and pay the taxes we owe. It is our duty that if we choose to have kids that we raise them right, and provide them with a safe home that fosters stability and is conducive to learning. Sometimes I get the feeling that this White House feels that government is better for children than parents are. That it looks at 40 years of degrading and humiliating free lunches handed out in a spectacularly failed effort to level the playing field and says let’s try 40 more. This White House that says of anyone that points that out to them that they are cold and mean and racists and then accuses the Republicans of using the politics of fear. And just yesterday a school in the city of Chicago (Obama’s hometown) banned kids from bringing lunches made at home. Are you f-n kidding me? If that is not clearly an infringement on individual rights, and a move toward socialism, than I do not know what is.
As Cecil Palmer once said ““Socialism is workable only in heaven where it isn't needed, and in hell where they've got it”.
Many state attorneys general have noted that ObamaCare is the first time Americans would be forced to buy a good or service, which is why they are challenging the constitutionality of it. So how do they justify this? As a bit of a fitness fanatic I bet we could save just as much money by literally forcing people to work out. Obama tried to pass a law that for the first time in American history would force Americans to buy a good or service, so why not force them to buy a gym membership and force them to work out? Is this ok with you socialists out there? If the justification for forcing them to buy health care is b/c it is good for them, well I submit so isn’t working out and would absolutely improve their overall health, thereby making it cost less to insure them. So Socialists is that ok? Socialism is absolutely an infringement on individual rights, socialists cannot get around that fact no matter how hard they try.
For the record I reread the constitution and only found the word entitled (or any permutation thereof) once in Article IV Section 2 basically stating that a citizen of any state had the same rights as the citizen of any other state. Interestingly enough Article IV Section 2 also guarantees a “Republican Form of Government”.
Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude. This country was born out of a set of ideals, the key components of which were rugged individualism, that the best government is the government that governs least, and that individual liberties must be protected. That no one was to be given a free ride, and that government was meant to treat us all as equals before the law, and give us all one vote. Government was never meant to be, nor should it ever be, meant to make us all equals in terms of wealth, property ownership, or even the level of education we all receive. It is about guaranteeing equal opportunity, not equal outcome.
Obama has said on more than one occasion that the rich need to pay their fair share, according to figures from the IRS it appears to me that they already do. “The top-earning 25 percent of taxpayers earned 68.7 percent of the nation's income, but they paid more than four out of every five dollars collected by the federal income tax (86.6 percent). The top 1 percent of taxpayers earned approximately 22.8 percent of the nation's income (as defined by AGI), yet paid 40.4 percent of all federal income taxes. That means the top 1 percent of tax returns paid more in federal individual income taxes than the bottom 95 percent of tax returns. The bottom 50% on the other hand paid just 2.89% of income taxes collected. “
I support a progressive tax, it is the only way this country will work but as Sam Seaborn once said " I paid my fair share, and the fair share of twenty-six other people. And I'm happy to because that's the only way it's gonna work, and it's in my best interest that everybody be able to go to schools and drive on roads, but I don't get twenty-seven votes on Election Day. The fire department doesn't come to my house twenty-seven times faster and the water doesn't come out of my faucet twenty-seven times hotter. The top one percent of wage earners in this country pay for twenty-two percent of this country. Let's not call them names while they're doing it, is all I'm saying". I find it offensive when the president, or anyone for that matter says the rich need to pay their fair share for the exact same reason Same Seaborn did. I am not in the top 1%, may never be, but that doesn't mean I support taxing them at a ridiculous rate when almost 50% of this country pays no taxes at all. If he honestly believes that the rich are not paying their fair share then he is more out his mind than Charlie Sheen banging 7 gram rocks. To even suggest the rich need to pay more, or their "fair share", is socialist.
Being a citizen of the greatest country on earth is not about entitlements, even though this president would have us believe that being a citizen of this country is something that everyone is entitled to, including those who broke the law to get here. It is about duties and obligations. It is our duty as citizens to work hard and pay the taxes we owe. It is our duty that if we choose to have kids that we raise them right, and provide them with a safe home that fosters stability and is conducive to learning. Sometimes I get the feeling that this White House feels that government is better for children than parents are. That it looks at 40 years of degrading and humiliating free lunches handed out in a spectacularly failed effort to level the playing field and says let’s try 40 more. This White House that says of anyone that points that out to them that they are cold and mean and racists and then accuses the Republicans of using the politics of fear. And just yesterday a school in the city of Chicago (Obama’s hometown) banned kids from bringing lunches made at home. Are you f-n kidding me? If that is not clearly an infringement on individual rights, and a move toward socialism, than I do not know what is.
As Cecil Palmer once said ““Socialism is workable only in heaven where it isn't needed, and in hell where they've got it”.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Half the man...
On my best day I am half the man my father is. I cannot spell out it any simpler than that. The older I get, the more aware I become of this fact. We share many character traits my dad and I...a penchant for the drink, gambling, sarcasm, loyalty, intelligence and insanity. However, it is impossible for me to tell you how many times in my life someone has asked me " oh your last name is Boulay, is Ed Boulay your dad?". Now my dad and I are extremely close and have joked that we should always ask why someone wants to know if we know the other before we answer....but without exception when asked, I hold my head high, pump my chest out, and respond "yes he is my father" the response is always "he is a great guy".
Filled with pride I always reply "yea, he is" and anticipate that the conversation will end there. It never does though, instead it typically continues with the inquisitor insisting on buying me a drink, which makes me think two things:
1. Thanks dad for managing to buy me a drink when you're not even here
2. Umm dad how many f-n drinks have you bought people in your lifetime that this total stranger is insisting on buying me one? Not that I mind...just wondering...
Success can be defined many ways or measured by millions of different metrics. Life is arbitrary like that. One man’s failure is another’s success, and vice versa. Monetary success, to me, is the least important of them all. I have always believed that money does NOT change people, no matter what the mass media may have us believe. In my opinion, it just underscores or exaggerates who that person already was. A scumbag with millions is just a bigger, more notorious scumbag, you need look no further than the NBA/NFL to see that (Shawn Kemp, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Cromartie, Chris Henry--he gone). And a billionaire philanthropist in all likelihood was always a charitable giving person, upon achieving success they just had more to donate. Is it any wonder that the two richest men in the world have decided to donate their fortunes to various charities rather than leave it all to their families?
Now my dad is no multi millionaire who donates bundles of money to charities across the globe, but don't be mistaken he is generous and philanthropic beyond measure. Generosity with money comes easy to him. Throughout his life he always, ALWAYS, told me money meant nothing. That if he had it, and a friend needed it, then it was his duty to help them out and not ask questions. Without exception he has walked the talk. He has lived humbly and helped many people out when needed. But his generosity goes so far beyond that, that it is really difficult to comprehend and impossible to quantify.
A more generous man there has never been. He donates his time to those around him far beyond whatever is asked of him. Growing up this often manifested itself as him coaching every single team me and my two brothers played on. He never put work ahead of any of us, and in all of our years he never missed a game. We never wanted for anything as kids, except maybe a little bigger house. Let's be honest...that place was bedlam growing up. I would like to believe we put the fun in dysfunctional, but mainly we just put our parents patience to the test. As we grew older our parents footed the bill so that we graduated whatever college we wanted to go to with zero debt. Something I for one did not deserve, if for no other reason than I am convinced I had the highest cost per class attended of anyone who has ever walked the face of this earth. As we grow older our parents spoil their grand kids, making an annual Disney trip almost a given at this point. My father also donates huge chunks of his time to a friend who suffered a stroke years back. Taking him everywhere, just trying his best to be a good friend. I can’t say I have seen many, if any, people go to the lengths he does.
It would be remiss of me not to mention my mom as well. As they say, behind every great man is a great woman. My mom stands behind 3 great men, my father and two brothers. Admittedly I don’t have as much in common with her as I do my dad, but to say she is a saint is a bit understated. A woman who has spent 40+ years with my father, and raised 4 kids (3 boys only 5 years apart and major pains in the ass) shows she is a woman of infinite patience, something I both admire and lack. They have always provided me support without judgment, love without condition, and have been bedrocks of stability for their kids. And I can say this authoritatively…knowing their kids that was not easy!
Tragically today I am attending a funeral of a very close friend whose father passed away. I feel so empty and helpless bc I know nothing I say can assuage his anguish. However, what I can do is remind all of you who feel the way I do about their fathers to tell them before it is too late. Furthermore, I can let the world know how lucky I am to have the father/mother I do. I am proud to be able to call Ed Boulay my friend, prouder still to be able to call him my father bc there are only four people on this planet so privileged.
Filled with pride I always reply "yea, he is" and anticipate that the conversation will end there. It never does though, instead it typically continues with the inquisitor insisting on buying me a drink, which makes me think two things:
1. Thanks dad for managing to buy me a drink when you're not even here
2. Umm dad how many f-n drinks have you bought people in your lifetime that this total stranger is insisting on buying me one? Not that I mind...just wondering...
Success can be defined many ways or measured by millions of different metrics. Life is arbitrary like that. One man’s failure is another’s success, and vice versa. Monetary success, to me, is the least important of them all. I have always believed that money does NOT change people, no matter what the mass media may have us believe. In my opinion, it just underscores or exaggerates who that person already was. A scumbag with millions is just a bigger, more notorious scumbag, you need look no further than the NBA/NFL to see that (Shawn Kemp, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Cromartie, Chris Henry--he gone). And a billionaire philanthropist in all likelihood was always a charitable giving person, upon achieving success they just had more to donate. Is it any wonder that the two richest men in the world have decided to donate their fortunes to various charities rather than leave it all to their families?
Now my dad is no multi millionaire who donates bundles of money to charities across the globe, but don't be mistaken he is generous and philanthropic beyond measure. Generosity with money comes easy to him. Throughout his life he always, ALWAYS, told me money meant nothing. That if he had it, and a friend needed it, then it was his duty to help them out and not ask questions. Without exception he has walked the talk. He has lived humbly and helped many people out when needed. But his generosity goes so far beyond that, that it is really difficult to comprehend and impossible to quantify.
A more generous man there has never been. He donates his time to those around him far beyond whatever is asked of him. Growing up this often manifested itself as him coaching every single team me and my two brothers played on. He never put work ahead of any of us, and in all of our years he never missed a game. We never wanted for anything as kids, except maybe a little bigger house. Let's be honest...that place was bedlam growing up. I would like to believe we put the fun in dysfunctional, but mainly we just put our parents patience to the test. As we grew older our parents footed the bill so that we graduated whatever college we wanted to go to with zero debt. Something I for one did not deserve, if for no other reason than I am convinced I had the highest cost per class attended of anyone who has ever walked the face of this earth. As we grow older our parents spoil their grand kids, making an annual Disney trip almost a given at this point. My father also donates huge chunks of his time to a friend who suffered a stroke years back. Taking him everywhere, just trying his best to be a good friend. I can’t say I have seen many, if any, people go to the lengths he does.
It would be remiss of me not to mention my mom as well. As they say, behind every great man is a great woman. My mom stands behind 3 great men, my father and two brothers. Admittedly I don’t have as much in common with her as I do my dad, but to say she is a saint is a bit understated. A woman who has spent 40+ years with my father, and raised 4 kids (3 boys only 5 years apart and major pains in the ass) shows she is a woman of infinite patience, something I both admire and lack. They have always provided me support without judgment, love without condition, and have been bedrocks of stability for their kids. And I can say this authoritatively…knowing their kids that was not easy!
Tragically today I am attending a funeral of a very close friend whose father passed away. I feel so empty and helpless bc I know nothing I say can assuage his anguish. However, what I can do is remind all of you who feel the way I do about their fathers to tell them before it is too late. Furthermore, I can let the world know how lucky I am to have the father/mother I do. I am proud to be able to call Ed Boulay my friend, prouder still to be able to call him my father bc there are only four people on this planet so privileged.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
I have been on a hiatus the last few months, life gets in the way all too often, and by life I mean Budweiser, cookies and sandwiches. I promised myself that I would write more in 2011, and it did not take long to find a reason why. The federal government can always be counted on for many things, taxes, irresponsible spending/decision making, wide stances in public bathrooms and activist judges who in the past have ruled that our pledge of allegiance is unconstitutional. Today a 3 judge panel ruled that a cross in a cemetery in San Diego is unconstitutional. What is even more frightening is that they ruled 3-0, meaning not one of the three judges had enough common sense, or guts, to say that we have taken political correctness too far. Maybe I shouldn't be shouldn’t be so surprised given the ruling came out of California, a state who currently has a worse credit rating than Kazakhstan. Borat has better credit than the state of California. FACT. So clearly we should entrust national decision making to such a responsible people. After all, if they had their way they would also allow Borat to vote even though he is not a citizen of this country. I make this point bc it is clearly delineated in the constitution that you must be a citizen to vote but many counties (i.e. San Francisco) in California allow, and even encourage, illegal aliens to vote in local elections and have gone as far as saying illegal aliens should be allowed to vote in statewide and national elections. I think maybe they need a dictionary and this entire controversy could have been avoided. It seems very reminiscent of an incident involving Dr Nick Riviera when he blows up his office because he didn’t understand the definition of the world inflammable and yells "inflammable means flammable? Ugh what a country!" I can make no other conclusion than California is being governed and judiciated by thousands of Dr Nick Riviera's....you mean unconstitutional does not mean constitutional? What a country!
The reality is that the cross existed long before Jesus. Is it a symbol often associated with Christianity? Sure. But for starters that’s a pretty damn big group, Catholics, Protestants, Anglicans, Lutherans, Evangelicals, Baptists, Adventists, etc etc. But the cross itself stands for much more than that, and is no more unconstitutional than the phrase "In God We Trust" on all of our currency and a recent Gallup poll showed 90% of Americans supported leaving that saying on there(the 10% who disagreed were 'vacationing' at Guantanamo).
Personally I have divorced the Catholic Church (I like using that word since the Church itself would not allow divorces for so long....it's like the Seinfeld when George preemptively breaks up with the blonde who is about to leave him. They get back together, then at the end of the episode she leaves him and emphatically says NOW I AM LEAVING YOU!...that’s how I feel with the church....I digress). I cannot and will not support a group whose leadership acted the way it did during the whole sex abuse scandal. Cardinal Law, and now the Pope, having knowledge of the problem(s) and standing idly by are irreconcilable for me. Furthermore, I do not believe in original sin, never could, and as such will never have a desire to have any children of mine baptized, not that I judge those who do, I am simply saying I would not. I could go on and on, but my point is I divorced the church but still find the cross to mean something much more than just a symbol of Christianity. Over time the cross has come to be, in my mind anyway, the ultimate symbol of sacrifice; the very embodiment of the word regardless of religious beliefs.
When used to adorn a cemetery or a grave the cross symbolizes the sacrifice that was made by those who are interned there. Much like Jesus died for his beliefs (whether you believe he was the messiah or not there is no debate that Jesus existed and was crucified), the soldiers in those cemeteries laid the ultimate sacrifice upon the altar of freedom for us. They died so that we may live freely. They died because they believed this country and its ideals were worth dying for. When called upon to serve, they did not waiver, they did not question, rather they made “uncommon valor a common virtue”. And now, rather than let them rest in peace as the heroes they are, we choose to bicker about whether or not the cross is constitutional. COME ON!
Those men and women sacrificed their lives protecting the very constitution that these moon bats are now trying to use to remove a symbol of the sacrifice they made. What’s next? Do we remove the stand alone crosses in Arlington National Cemetery? According to the judges who ruled the cross unconstitutional at Mount Soledad we would have to. I am as big an advocate of the first amendment as anyone, but let's be clear about what the first amendment says...it says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;". Tell me where the violation is. The cross at the cemetery neither prohibits the free exercise of any religion, nor does it represent a law respecting the establishment of a national religion. It symbolizes a sacrifice made by honorable men and women who we are now dishonoring. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has taken common sense and made it an uncommon virtue.
The reality is that the cross existed long before Jesus. Is it a symbol often associated with Christianity? Sure. But for starters that’s a pretty damn big group, Catholics, Protestants, Anglicans, Lutherans, Evangelicals, Baptists, Adventists, etc etc. But the cross itself stands for much more than that, and is no more unconstitutional than the phrase "In God We Trust" on all of our currency and a recent Gallup poll showed 90% of Americans supported leaving that saying on there(the 10% who disagreed were 'vacationing' at Guantanamo).
Personally I have divorced the Catholic Church (I like using that word since the Church itself would not allow divorces for so long....it's like the Seinfeld when George preemptively breaks up with the blonde who is about to leave him. They get back together, then at the end of the episode she leaves him and emphatically says NOW I AM LEAVING YOU!...that’s how I feel with the church....I digress). I cannot and will not support a group whose leadership acted the way it did during the whole sex abuse scandal. Cardinal Law, and now the Pope, having knowledge of the problem(s) and standing idly by are irreconcilable for me. Furthermore, I do not believe in original sin, never could, and as such will never have a desire to have any children of mine baptized, not that I judge those who do, I am simply saying I would not. I could go on and on, but my point is I divorced the church but still find the cross to mean something much more than just a symbol of Christianity. Over time the cross has come to be, in my mind anyway, the ultimate symbol of sacrifice; the very embodiment of the word regardless of religious beliefs.
When used to adorn a cemetery or a grave the cross symbolizes the sacrifice that was made by those who are interned there. Much like Jesus died for his beliefs (whether you believe he was the messiah or not there is no debate that Jesus existed and was crucified), the soldiers in those cemeteries laid the ultimate sacrifice upon the altar of freedom for us. They died so that we may live freely. They died because they believed this country and its ideals were worth dying for. When called upon to serve, they did not waiver, they did not question, rather they made “uncommon valor a common virtue”. And now, rather than let them rest in peace as the heroes they are, we choose to bicker about whether or not the cross is constitutional. COME ON!
Those men and women sacrificed their lives protecting the very constitution that these moon bats are now trying to use to remove a symbol of the sacrifice they made. What’s next? Do we remove the stand alone crosses in Arlington National Cemetery? According to the judges who ruled the cross unconstitutional at Mount Soledad we would have to. I am as big an advocate of the first amendment as anyone, but let's be clear about what the first amendment says...it says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;". Tell me where the violation is. The cross at the cemetery neither prohibits the free exercise of any religion, nor does it represent a law respecting the establishment of a national religion. It symbolizes a sacrifice made by honorable men and women who we are now dishonoring. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has taken common sense and made it an uncommon virtue.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Lessons from my little people
As much as we have teach to children, they have an equal amount to teach us in return. But only if we pay attention. I would like to think I am a good uncle to my 2nieces and nephew, collectively my “little people”. I love teaching them new things, new words (albeit it sometimes it’s words like Budwesier to an 18month old, funny nonetheless).But those are the easy things in life, when it comes to the hard stuff we could learn so much more from them, than they could ever learn from us.
Kids aren’t jaded from that dirtiest of four letter words—life. They are the epitome of the phrase tabula rasa. They don’t prejudge….ever. Wish I could say the same about myself. They have an inate sense of fairness, and they detest hypocrisy. Nothing makes a child more angry, perhaps frustrated is a better word, than hearing “you can’t do that because I said so”. Do as I say, not as I do just doesn’t’ float with them, and truthfully how can we blame them? Think about the last time you were in a situation at work or with a peer, who would rail against a certain behavior or habit, then turn around and do that very thing. If it’s enough to piss you off, imagine how frustrating it must be for a child who doesn’t have the same ability to reason and understand that we do (or that some us do). We would do well to follow their example and not prejudge, or be hypocritical.
They also appreciate the little things way more than we do. Bring a kid M&M’s or their favorite candy and see the way their face lights up, it’s the best 87 cents you can spend, it’s return on investment is immeasurable. Play catch with a young boy when he really wants to, and you can’t help but notice how this most American of past times can put a smile on his face and create memories that will last a lifetime, free of charge. Kids never miss a chance to laugh, never miss an opportunity to hug, and they smile ear to ear just because. We should all do the same.
My little people have also shown me time and again how important it is to get over things/disappointments. Sure they dwell on things, but nothing like adults do. A kid may protest for all of 2 minutes, which by the way is a disproportionate amount of their lifetime, they might even cry for 5 minutes (takes me much longer to get over a Michigan loss, tears included), but without fail they rebound and are back playing and laughing within 10 minutes every time. They don’t really dwell on things, they don’t hold grudges against anyone, which leads to the most important lesson I learn time and again from my little people….they only know how to love unconditionally, and they don’t know how to hate (except vegetables—this seems to be universally true). Their love doesn’t come with conditions. I’ll only love you if I get to live in a big house just isn’t a thought that enters a kids mind. They just love, expecting nothing in return. It’s that simple.
They certainly makes us laugh with the things they say and do, and if we pay attention they teach us more than we teach them.
Kids aren’t jaded from that dirtiest of four letter words—life. They are the epitome of the phrase tabula rasa. They don’t prejudge….ever. Wish I could say the same about myself. They have an inate sense of fairness, and they detest hypocrisy. Nothing makes a child more angry, perhaps frustrated is a better word, than hearing “you can’t do that because I said so”. Do as I say, not as I do just doesn’t’ float with them, and truthfully how can we blame them? Think about the last time you were in a situation at work or with a peer, who would rail against a certain behavior or habit, then turn around and do that very thing. If it’s enough to piss you off, imagine how frustrating it must be for a child who doesn’t have the same ability to reason and understand that we do (or that some us do). We would do well to follow their example and not prejudge, or be hypocritical.
They also appreciate the little things way more than we do. Bring a kid M&M’s or their favorite candy and see the way their face lights up, it’s the best 87 cents you can spend, it’s return on investment is immeasurable. Play catch with a young boy when he really wants to, and you can’t help but notice how this most American of past times can put a smile on his face and create memories that will last a lifetime, free of charge. Kids never miss a chance to laugh, never miss an opportunity to hug, and they smile ear to ear just because. We should all do the same.
My little people have also shown me time and again how important it is to get over things/disappointments. Sure they dwell on things, but nothing like adults do. A kid may protest for all of 2 minutes, which by the way is a disproportionate amount of their lifetime, they might even cry for 5 minutes (takes me much longer to get over a Michigan loss, tears included), but without fail they rebound and are back playing and laughing within 10 minutes every time. They don’t really dwell on things, they don’t hold grudges against anyone, which leads to the most important lesson I learn time and again from my little people….they only know how to love unconditionally, and they don’t know how to hate (except vegetables—this seems to be universally true). Their love doesn’t come with conditions. I’ll only love you if I get to live in a big house just isn’t a thought that enters a kids mind. They just love, expecting nothing in return. It’s that simple.
They certainly makes us laugh with the things they say and do, and if we pay attention they teach us more than we teach them.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
I am willing to wager that on 12 September 2001 there was not a single American, political hack or ordinary citizen, who would have supported the building of a mosque at ground zero, so why is it less than 9 years after that fateful day we are even considering it? Or worse yet some people are even supporting it? Please spare me the first amendment rhetoric. For one thing the local or state government could easily declare the area a national historic landmark and end the discussion right there (after all Pearl Harbor is a NHL—as well it should be). The site meets the main criteria listed by nps.gov b/c it is definitely a site “That is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to, and are identified with, or that outstandingly represents, the broad national patterns of United States history and from which an understanding and appreciation of those patterns may be gained” (it meets many other criteria as well, see for yourself if you so desire http://www.nps.gov/nhl/QA.htm#2). Certainly we can agree it has more historical significance than say the 9th Fairway, between the tee and Green of the Pakachoag Golf Course, right? As a matter of fact the very building that they are proposing to turn in to a mosque has been under consideration as a NHL since 1989 and something like 30 other buildings in that neighborhood have been granted that distinction. Only about a week or so ago did NYC vote against making that particular building a landmark. The federal gov’t could end this nonsense and make the designation if it wanted to since the building was indeed damaged during the 9/11 attacks, but a small part of me is happy they have not done so.
The reason I am happy is that would be the easy way out and quite simply I am tired. I am tired of avoiding the hard decisions (like standing up and saying no you can’t put a mosque at ground zero, social security/Medicaid/Medicare reform). I am tired of every time I read/listen/watch the news these days I inevitably read/hear (depending on the medium) someone telling me that Islam really is a religion of compassion, peace and understanding. I am tired of the fact that we dance around historical FACTS when discussing their religion. I am tired of how obsessed some people in this country have become with political correctness that we are afraid to even tell the truth. I am by no means saying all Muslims or practitioners of the Islamic faith are terrorists, but since its inception Islam has been a religion of intolerance dedicated to converting everyone to its beliefs or….wait for it….not accept them….execute them. History is rife with examples of the intolerance, even of those who try to help them! Just 20 years ago when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was on its way to invading Saudi Arabia, it the was the US who stepped in to save that muslim/islamic nation. The US armed forces were the ones who ultimately stopped Iraq in Operation Desert Storm, however the forces stationed in Saudi Arabia at the time, protecting them from Iraq, were not even allowed to hang Christmas lights or wear crucifixes around their neck. Yea that sounds like a tolerant people. Sounds like a religion of compassion and understanding doesn’t it? Why is it that Muslims all over the world rioted about a cartoon of Muhammad in a Danish magazine, even setting fire to the Danish Embassies in Syria, Lebanon and Iran, but yet they tell us we need to accept their mosque, when they couldn’t even accept a cartoon without trying to blow something up? It seems quite hypocritical to me.
I am tired of people choosing the path of least resistance; tired of placating those who deliberately chose to attack us in the most vile and heinous way imaginable. This is not about the freedom of religion; it’s about what is right and wrong. There is no simpler way to put it. It is wrong to put a mosque at ground zero. Period. It is even worse when you consider that the CEO and Executive Director of the project is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. In case that name doesn’t ring a bell, let me remind you that Rauf said on 60 minutes that the United States was "an accessory to the crime that happened on 9/11". Hey Rauf: The only crime that happened that day was 3,000 people were executed for no other reason than they were American you douche! That is like calling a woman who has been the victim of a rape an accessory to the crime. It’s obscene to put a mosque, backed by that man, in the same place where 3,000 American citizens were murdered by Islamic extremists. To put a mosque at ground zero is an insult to those who died there, and to the families who lost loved ones there. Ground zero is a burial ground that represents the martyrdom of innocents in a free society, and should be treated as such. Don't make this about tolerance, especially tolerance of a historically intolerant people. I am not saying we shouldn't allow Muslims to build any more mosques, I am simply saying we shouldn't allow them to build one there.
The reason I am happy is that would be the easy way out and quite simply I am tired. I am tired of avoiding the hard decisions (like standing up and saying no you can’t put a mosque at ground zero, social security/Medicaid/Medicare reform). I am tired of every time I read/listen/watch the news these days I inevitably read/hear (depending on the medium) someone telling me that Islam really is a religion of compassion, peace and understanding. I am tired of the fact that we dance around historical FACTS when discussing their religion. I am tired of how obsessed some people in this country have become with political correctness that we are afraid to even tell the truth. I am by no means saying all Muslims or practitioners of the Islamic faith are terrorists, but since its inception Islam has been a religion of intolerance dedicated to converting everyone to its beliefs or….wait for it….not accept them….execute them. History is rife with examples of the intolerance, even of those who try to help them! Just 20 years ago when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was on its way to invading Saudi Arabia, it the was the US who stepped in to save that muslim/islamic nation. The US armed forces were the ones who ultimately stopped Iraq in Operation Desert Storm, however the forces stationed in Saudi Arabia at the time, protecting them from Iraq, were not even allowed to hang Christmas lights or wear crucifixes around their neck. Yea that sounds like a tolerant people. Sounds like a religion of compassion and understanding doesn’t it? Why is it that Muslims all over the world rioted about a cartoon of Muhammad in a Danish magazine, even setting fire to the Danish Embassies in Syria, Lebanon and Iran, but yet they tell us we need to accept their mosque, when they couldn’t even accept a cartoon without trying to blow something up? It seems quite hypocritical to me.
I am tired of people choosing the path of least resistance; tired of placating those who deliberately chose to attack us in the most vile and heinous way imaginable. This is not about the freedom of religion; it’s about what is right and wrong. There is no simpler way to put it. It is wrong to put a mosque at ground zero. Period. It is even worse when you consider that the CEO and Executive Director of the project is Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. In case that name doesn’t ring a bell, let me remind you that Rauf said on 60 minutes that the United States was "an accessory to the crime that happened on 9/11". Hey Rauf: The only crime that happened that day was 3,000 people were executed for no other reason than they were American you douche! That is like calling a woman who has been the victim of a rape an accessory to the crime. It’s obscene to put a mosque, backed by that man, in the same place where 3,000 American citizens were murdered by Islamic extremists. To put a mosque at ground zero is an insult to those who died there, and to the families who lost loved ones there. Ground zero is a burial ground that represents the martyrdom of innocents in a free society, and should be treated as such. Don't make this about tolerance, especially tolerance of a historically intolerant people. I am not saying we shouldn't allow Muslims to build any more mosques, I am simply saying we shouldn't allow them to build one there.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
what are we so afraid of.....
To face our biggest fears in life, we must first identify them. Some are easy, whether it be a fear of heights, failure, snakes, rejection, the dentist, creepy crawlies or other things that go bump in the night . Those fears are easily identified and to a large degree easy to face, and whether we know it or not, those are not our biggest fears. When I pondered this question I noticed a tremendous paradox; in order to face/identify our biggest fear we must explore the deepest recesses of our subconscious, which in of itself might be everyone’s biggest fear, so first we must overcome our biggest fear to find out our biggest fear?!?! I think I just blew my own mind. I got lost in this paradox, this riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. The more I thought about it the more it seemed as if there was a fortress built around these most inner/personal thoughts. We are afraid of what we might find there, the things we don’t talk about at parties, and would never mention to another human being…..our own inner Dexter if you will. I worked relentlessly to penetrate the fortress built around that part of my subconscious and in so doing I couldn’t help but wonder if that fortress in a way is an engineering marvel of evolution designed to save us from ourselves…...from literally driving ourselves crazy.
I struggle(d) mightily with this, to the point it consumed me much like a fire engulfs a dry piece of wood. Could I penetrate that fortress? Did I truly want to, or was I afraid of what I might find there? As the seconds turned in to minutes, the minutes into hours, and the hours into days I couldn't’t let go of the question or the paradox. Every interaction I had with someone the thought entered my mind, and also made me wonder if they ever thought about these things, and what their true biggest fear was. Some part of me wanted to grab each person I came across and shake them like a British nanny, asking them why they didn’t seem to be struggling with this issue? How could they just go through the day and never wonder or ponder these things? I decided I had to let it go or it wouldn’t be long before I was hauled off in a straight jacket and dumped in a padded room. The second I did, wouldn’t you know the answer came to me in a dream.
I dreamt that I was dead but it wasn’t a fear of dying that is my biggest fear it was that no one was at the funeral…..it was that I was “forgettable”; I realized that was my biggest fear…..to be forgotten, to be forgettable. Now in close to 33 years on this planet I have been called a lot of things by a lot of people, but never once has it been forgettable. I can’t help but wonder that if that is because deep in my subconscious that has always been my biggest fear, so it has shaped my approach to life, my personality, who I am. Could it be that our biggest fear (even without us knowing it) determines who we are, what we do? Another question for another time.
I struggle(d) mightily with this, to the point it consumed me much like a fire engulfs a dry piece of wood. Could I penetrate that fortress? Did I truly want to, or was I afraid of what I might find there? As the seconds turned in to minutes, the minutes into hours, and the hours into days I couldn't’t let go of the question or the paradox. Every interaction I had with someone the thought entered my mind, and also made me wonder if they ever thought about these things, and what their true biggest fear was. Some part of me wanted to grab each person I came across and shake them like a British nanny, asking them why they didn’t seem to be struggling with this issue? How could they just go through the day and never wonder or ponder these things? I decided I had to let it go or it wouldn’t be long before I was hauled off in a straight jacket and dumped in a padded room. The second I did, wouldn’t you know the answer came to me in a dream.
I dreamt that I was dead but it wasn’t a fear of dying that is my biggest fear it was that no one was at the funeral…..it was that I was “forgettable”; I realized that was my biggest fear…..to be forgotten, to be forgettable. Now in close to 33 years on this planet I have been called a lot of things by a lot of people, but never once has it been forgettable. I can’t help but wonder that if that is because deep in my subconscious that has always been my biggest fear, so it has shaped my approach to life, my personality, who I am. Could it be that our biggest fear (even without us knowing it) determines who we are, what we do? Another question for another time.
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