Why is it that you can't write a book on Christianity without it becoming either blasphemy or canon?
A few centuries ago a guy named Dante Alighieri wrote a book on what he thought the afterlife would be like, and to this day people speak of the nine circles of hell as though they were real. Lord knows what Dante really thought - was he serious, or just the JRR Tolkein of his time?
In recent times, books like The DaVinci Code and the Left Behind series are being taken far too seriously. The former has all the airy data of a Von Daniken book. It is not a serious idea - it is a James Bond vs. The Vatican story. As for Left Behind, I have met people who are convinced that the book is prophecy - even down to believing that the characters described are living out there, somewhere. It's a good thing nobody has named their child Nicolae Carpathia - his life would be in danger.
Does nobody out there understand that it is possible to write fiction based on the Bible? That having Jesus as your protagonist does not make the story real, or even sensible.
Get real, people. They are interesting stories (mostly), but that is all they are. Their writers are not prophets, the world is not ending, and if Jesus did have a child, neither the Masons nor the Knights Templar ever had anything to do with him.
And Dante managed to make hell seem more interesting than Heaven. Somehow, I don't think that's correct.

I there ANYTHING we can all agree on?
Free Speech? Well, so long as it isn't "inappropriate", I suppose so . . .
Freedom? Only if the majority (or most vocal minority) thinks your actions are acceptable.
Civil Rights? So long as they don't affect business, sure, I guess.
Reason? Science? Culture?

Today, more battles are being fought for Intolerance than for any other reason. We are no longer willing to let that guy over there go on thinking the things he does, and they aren't willing to let us do the same. We shoot, they bomb, we slander, they slander, we all inflame the fighting until we explode.
Does anyone remember the quote "I disagree with what you said, but I will defend to the death your right to say it!"? Why can't everyone agree to disagree, and go back to their lives again?

Why don't we just start the second American civil war and be done with it?
Day after day, the fanatics on both sides do more and more to pull the moderates to one side or the other. There is no rapprochement, there is no attempt at rapprochement, between the left and the right, on topics like the war, abortion, free speech, the government, or civil rights.
Now the battle has moved to the children. Right and left wingers now can choose politically-affirmative children's books to spread their opinions to the next generation. Children will now grow up never having seen or heard any arguments opposite to their parent's politics.
Meanwhile, the FCC is moving to really crack down on "indecent" content on the Web, cable, and satellite.
What is "indecent"? Let's say that Endangering out Troops is indecent and inappropriate. Who decides what is endangering our troops? The media? The government? The special interests?
What if criticizing our leadership is called Endangering our troops? Can the government then cut off all dissent? Don't mock - a lot of people on the right consider questioning government decisions about the war to be traitorous and inappropriate.

The last election nearly brought the country to blows, with all the rhetoric about voting fraud. The next election will be even more desperate, with the far right hoping to stave off the reversal of all their reforms, and the left determined to undo the damage caused by the neo-conservatives. We may yet see war in America.

I have added a new link box. About halfway down, you will find a link for Congress.org, a non-partisan site vital to anyone who is or wants to be politically savvy. Not only does it give you the basics on how Capital Hill works, not only does it give you the names and titles of every honcho, mover, and shaker on the Hill, but it also lists EVERY BILL currently in front of Congress, along with sponsors and status. It also has addresses for your congressman - hell, for everybody's congressman - and the means to contact them. Quite invaluable, old chap.

I noticed something missing when I last checked the site. There are no bills concerning Homeland Security currently being submitted. Nothing about funding new initiatives, more agents, staff, or checkers, nothing about beefing up security around fuel tanks, industrial sites, harbors, or airports.
I guess we must be safe.

I wonder how long before the right wing blogosphere starts ragging on the Reverend Phelps and his parishoners for protesting at soldier's funerals.
The good reverend maintains that they died - that God killed them - because they were defending a country that supports gays. He and his flock turned up with signs that read "God Hates Fags" and "God Hates You".
Phelps, God loves you. And everyone else. Even - especially - when they break his heart they way you do with your hate and fear and stupidity.

Eat more bananas. While you still can.
Why? Because before you depart this mortal coil, you are likely to see the extinction of the banana.
The genetic diversity of the commercial banana is zero. There is one banana - called the Cavendish. All the billions of bananas grown and sold worldwide are clones of one plant. They are all tasty, all nutritious, and all vulnerable.
A little background. In the beginning, the banana sold commercially was a breed called the Gros Michel. Until the '60s, it was sold worldwide. However, a fungus known as Panama disease pretty much killed it off.
Today, the banana sold is the Cavendish. And a new species of fungus has appear that is killing it off in Southeast Asia. Experts believe that it is only a matter of time before Panama Disease Race 4 hits Africa and the Americas - after which the Cavendish will be no longer commercially viable.
For more information check out this Popular Science page. Kudos to SciTech Daily for the link.
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,20967,1076199,00.html

As we either complain or commiserate with the Iraqi over their inability to write a constitution, I can only wonder whether the American people could write one today.
Can you imagine Founding Fathers Rove and Wolfowitz debating with Kennedy and Kerry over the contents? Would topics like The Right to Life make it onto the table? How about a State Religion - yea or nay?
I don't think the divisions between the average red state republican and blue state democrat are all that great - we all want freedom, safety, health, and justice. But this country isn't ruled by the average men, any more than Iraq is. Just as the untractable warlords and clerics wrestle over that country's oil profits, so too is this country's politics governed by its extremists.
And that's what's wrong with America today. The Warlords and Clerics. Thank you.

As you can see, I've aded a few useful (?) links on my blog. At the top, the online dictionary/thesaurus will help you look up any words you might not understand, while, just below it, the translator box will help you look up any non-English word you find ( or, if your birth language is not English, it will translate that complex English word into something more familiar).
The sidebar now contains an online reference desk (check out all the features - you'll be amazed you ever got along without it!), a set of massive databases which can help you look up anything about anything, a site which checks political quotes for accuracy, and an online encyclopedia or two.
I hope you people will find these tools as useful as I do in making sense of this strange world around us.

Looks like it's time to revive the Whigs.
The third party debate has gone on for years, with the major argument against it being that the other two parties are to rich and well entrenched.
But the Democratic party is in disarray. They have no strategy, no policy, and no consensus within their membership.
The Republicans are starting to tear themselves apart as well, with the old school conservatives and moderates stepping away from the radical neo-cons.
Maybe the time really has come for a new movement to gather together the reasonable and competent, and form them into a political force, aimed at making the United States a good place to live in, and an inspiration to the world, rather than the feared land of excess that the US is seen as today.

Dear Pat Robertson. I have had enough of you.
I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt back on Sept 17, 2001, when you stepped back from Jerry Falwell's comment that 9/11 had been caused by "the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way. . ." - you didn't apologize, but you did state that you had "misunderstood" him. But this is not a misunderstanding.
You said "We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability."
You said "We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."
Thou Shalt Do No Murder.
Every body of law, secular or religious, from Hammurabi to Scalia, contains some version of those five words, Mr. Robertson. And although I do not doubt that many others, from Rove to Anne Coulter, echo your sentiments and defend your words, they do not claim to speak for Jesus Christ. You do.
Your words betray you as a demogogue, sir. A reactionary full of xenophobic venom and control issues, who has found that your message gets better reception if you pin a cross to your lapel and carry a Testament. But though you may call yourself a Christian, sir, your ideas are not. They contradict everything Christ taught and stood for, and you are no man of God for having uttered them, sir.
You do your country no service by spreading such ideas, and you do your faith no service by implying that such ideas are Christian.
You are forgiven your words, Mr Robertson. God has forgiven them, and as a Christian I do also. I shall follow the tenets of my faith, and oppose your ideas with the words of the Lord.
"If you love me, you will keep my Commandments." John 14:15.
"But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matthew 5:39.
"For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" Matthew 5:46.

A lack of competence afflicts our society, and may yet destroy it.
Most people might not connect the problems of the Space industry with that of the car industry, but in both cases we are seeing the same problem. we aren't as smart as we need to be. We aren't able to do the things, as a culture, that we must. The Space Shuttle is the most advanced piece of technology in existance. It must function within exact tolerances. When it doesn't, when the O rings are not maintained properly, or the foam not applied, shuttles crash. A bad piece of equipment is made, then not checked properly, and as a result, a probe crashes.
Driving a car doesn't require as much competence as rocket science - most times, that car in front of you is NOT going to stop suddenly. But, if it does, your brakes better work.
We have allowed too many people to graduate with a D average. We have hired too many people who only know about 50% of what they need to know. As a result, 50% of what needs to be done is being done wrong.
We are seeing the fallout of Jock culture. In hundreds of movies and TV shows, nerds are the comic relief, while slackers and tough guys are the role models. Now, we get technicians who either talk, or bully their way out of messes, just like in the movies.
Except in real life there is no happy ending. The Shuttle crashes. The car flips, killing the passengers. No amount of "ah, shucks!" and cute grins bring the dead back.
It's time we stopped passing people with D averages, stopped letting them go through college, stopped issuing them licences - and stopped making those damn movies.

I keep reading that bringing the troops home from Iraq would cause the US to lose the war.
OK, we can't have that. So, let's decide what constitutes victory, and work from there.
1) Get rid of Saddam. This was the main reason for the invasion in the first place.
Saddam's trial starts soon. Done.
2) Get rid of WMDs. Saddam had NBC weapons (nuclear, biological, chemical) which endangered America.
The country's been gone over with a fine tooth comb. The WMD were either never there, removed, or destroyed. Either way, Iraq has no WMDs. Done.
3) Rebuild country. Iraq suffered under Saddam. It needs to re-enter the global community as a free democratic nation.
Well, except for security, this is more a job for Condi and Haliburton than for the Army Corp of Engineers, much less for a mechanized infantry battalion.
4) Destroy terrorists. The military presence in Iraq is drawing all the terrorists in the world to Iraq, protecting the US.
There are a few problems with this.
a) This reduces the Army's role in Iraq to a live action Whack-a-mole with real bullets - if that. You can't stop a constantly resupplied enemy by killing them one by one. There's more of them than there is of you. Plus, it gives all the advantages to the enemy. They choose when, where, and how to engage their opponents. Very bad strategy.
b) It isn't working. Home-grown terrorists have shown up in England; America is no doubt next.
c) It's not fair to the troops. They signed up to be America's defenders, not America's human duck decoys.
In other words, it's the wrong strategy to use troops. They need a covert force - something that doesn't have "US ARMY" written all over them. Something that can sneak around the shadows and nail these guys.
Remember, terrorist cells are not armies - they are 5 guys with plastique and rifles. A SEAL team with good intel could go from place to place, killing these guys off piecemeal. Tanks cannot sneak. Send them home.
5) Rebuild Iraq's security forces.
Again, this is not a job for combat troops. They aren't supposed to be teachers. Security consultants can do the job. If they are smart enough to avoid uniforms, screen their applicants, and adopt a non-American sounding name for their organization, they should be a lot safer and less likely to be attacked.

In short, they have accomplished all they can do, and are now trying to do jobs they are ill-equipped to do, that others could do better, that do nothing but make them human targets.
It is time to replace them. This is not surrender, this is removing units unsuited for the current task, and replacing them with organizations better suited.
This is not defeat. This is strategy.

This week's Doonsbury strips bring up ideas rarely talked about in the music scene.
When you're young, you listen to "your" music. Everything else is Oldies, or fogey music, or uncool - whatever.
Around the age of 25, though, you start to notice a few things.
1) Covers. The new artists are doing songs that YOUR favorite group did. If you're savvy, you investigate at this point and find out that your favorite artist was covering someone even earlier.
2) The new guys aren't as good as the oldies. That's because you've forgotten most of what was playing back then. Sturgeon's Law states that 90% of everything is crap. The difference between old music and new is that the new music's 90% is on the air. The oldies stations are playing the 10% that made the cut.
3) They had good music before you were born. If you're REALLY into music, you eventually learn that there's a good reason why Sinatra was a star, and that those reasons are still valid today. You start listening to Everything, from Latin to Classical to ethnic, and you find good tunes everywhere.
And finally,
4) Half your friends/acquaintences never learn this. They cling to their oldies, or continue to sneer at anything not on MTV.

In Africa, there are people who have never tasted real candy, and don't know what they're missing.
Pity them too.

I'm having a little trouble figuring out who to link to.
I want to cover both sides of the political spectrum (along with a few non-political sites, but that's another story). What I don't want is pure opinion sites.
You know the type - "Mr. X's actions clearly show that he is a crypto-fascist who hates America!". They come in both Democrat and Republican varieties, and I do not want them cluttering my site.
There are serious challenges to our way of life occurring right now. We need to explore ideas to combat these challenges. We need to evaluate the ideas on their merits. Statements like the above are merely opinions, which neither validate nor repudiate ideas. Flames and slime are of no use except to amuse those too fearful to confront the challenges ahead.
I will investigate any site or blog recommended in the comments.

I wonder if anyone south of Texas reads Canadian newspapers?
Just DAYS after signing the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), the US Government stated that it doesn't consider itself bound by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This was after the tribunal ruled that US tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber are unfair and illegal.
The Canadians are fuming. I wonder how long before the Mexicans and company get the shaft?
* * * * *
On another note, to anyone who has been asserting that the War in Iraq is keeping all the terrorists close to Bagdad, would any of you care to comment about the attacks in Bangladesh and Jordan?

The Minutemen have just declared that they are going to patrol the Canadian border to prevent terrorists from getting in.
Three points.
1) Unlike Mexicans, Canadians are not pouring over the border after a new life. Just better shopping.
2) Where are they getting the manpower for this? Maybe the Army recruiters should take lessons from these guys.
3) They don't have a hope in hell.

I just saw a program about bullying in schools and I have to wonder.
Why is everyone trying to teach people not to be bullies? Isn't bullying currently the American Way?
American politics is almost 100% bullying today. Someone opposing your bill? Attack them in the media. Someone running against you in the primaries? Smear them, and get your friends to smear them. Under inditement? Scream that it's a plot by your enemies.

It's true that any kid in America can grow up to be President.
But only if he's a bully.

Should the US have dropped the atomic bomb in 1945?
I know I'm a little late posting on this topic (The Hick likes to read several opinions before posting his own.), but here's my take on it.
It was the perfect time to have used the Bomb for the first time. It may have saved civilization.

No one had any idea what an atom bomb could do in 1945. As far as anyone could tell, it just made a bigger crater than a conventional bomb.
If the Bomb hadn't dropped on Hiroshima, we would have gone on thinking that way. We would not have developed the fear of atomic weapons which led to standoffs by the superpowers, rather than WW3.
If we didn't have the example of Hiroshima back in 1963, how do you think the Cubam Missile Crisis would have ended? Would Russia have backed off, or would the two powers have lobbed missiles at each other?

In 1945, the war was over except for the details. There was no need to use more than 2 Bombs, and no chance of anyone firing any back. The examples of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have preserved the world for over half a century.
Cold comfort to the Japanese, but if anyone can say that their sacrifice saved humanity, it's them.

A little comment on Intelligent Design. Pay attention.

Turn on a light switch. What happens?
Electrons flow down the wire, heat up the filament, and leave via the other wire.
The filament glows, due to heat. Light is produced.
A little simplified, but suitable for our purposes. OK? Everybody clear?

OK. Why does heat produce light? Why do electrons produce heat? Why are there electrons?

Theology states that God made the rules.
Science is the action of discovering just what those rules are.

God is perfectly capable of creating a system where creatures (including us) evolve from other creatures. Given his known reactions to pomposity and pride, he is even LIKELY to have done so. Science doesn't question God's judgement. Science looks at the evidence and tries to determine what exactly God did.

It may distress certain people to learn that God didn't create them special, and that we are just ONE of His creations. Pity. Live with it, snob.

Evolution is the method science has determined, from the evidence, that God used. If that offends your high and mighty opinion of yourself, then the fault is in you. Get off your high horse and face the truth.

What will the Bush government do Iran, if it becomes necessary?
Attack? With what? The Army is overstretched in Iraq, recruitment is down . . . Unless he's willing to nuke the oil fields, Bush has few options.
Forget about allies - after Bolton's appointment, the UN and its member states will undoubtedly take a perverse joy in saying "No Thanks." Bush is going to regret that appointment.
Diplomacy? Yeah, right. Not this government.

So, what will they do?

The Bush government is selling NUKES?!!
Am I hearing this correctly? The Bush government is selling nuclear technology to India, both civilian and military technology? Have they lost their minds?
I realized a long time ago that these people were short term thinkers, unable to realize the ramifications of their actions, but PLEASE - even they can't seriously think that this is a good idea.
What if the government changes, from (slightly) pro-American to anti- American?
What if the Indian Atomic Energy Department has been infiltrated by Islamic terrorists? The US can't even do security checks on the members of a foreign country's ministry.
Madness. Madness.