Scandal Brewing...Again

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has the facts."

            - Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930)

It seems that a big part of politics today is attempting to catch your opponent lying or doing something scandalous.  The latest of these episodes involves columnist Robert Novak's identification of a CIA agent, thus blowing her "cover." 

What the Democrats have their panties in a wad over is that someone in the White House was supposedly the source of Novak's revelation.  The informer's motive, purportedly, was to get back at Ambassador Joseph Wilson who was sent to investigate the Iraq/Niger uranium connection.  He returned to the U.S. reporting there was no evidence that a deal occurred, thus challenging Bush's claim that Saddam tried to buy uranium in Africa.

In an appearance on CNN Crossfire, Novak has denied that anyone in the Bush administration asked him to leak the story.  He also denied it here.  This seems not to matter to those who already have their minds made up.

There's a good outline of the details of this debate over at Grim's Hall and another at The Rant. 

I think the days are long gone when we can work together on the problems we have in this country instead of constantly attacking those who are trying to get the work done.  I thank big media and partisan politics for that. 

Working for Uncle Sam

"I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United States.  The only thing is I could be just as proud for half the money."

          - Arthur Godfrey (1903 - 1983)

Rebecca Hagelin over at The Heritage Foundation informs us, among other things, that we have to work until July 11 every year just to pay all our taxes.  Sobering indeed.  We invest half the working year for our government.  Not for ourselves, or for our families, but for our government.  Think about that!

A couple of buddies of mine recently emailed me a list of all the taxes that we, as U.S. citizens, have to pay.  I was flabbergasted.  I knew we paid many, but this list was two pages long!  Deciding to investigate further, I trolled over to the Americans for Tax Reform site and searched their archives.

It turns out that my friends were on the money.  In addition to income and social security taxes levied upon us, there are literally dozens of other "hidden" taxes that we must pay.  Read Grover Norquist's article if you want to know more.

Funny thing is that there are some people I meet who think that we should pay MORE taxes.  Lordy!  Then we can work until August to pay the bill. 

Governor Mike Huckabee down in Arkansas had a solution for folks like this.  He proposed a "Tax Me More" line on the state return that would allow individuals who wanted to pay more to do so.  A fine idea, I think, but they've only received $1,900 so far. 

I, for one, believe the more dollars we send to our government, the more it will spend.  So why send more?  Would you rather let your congressmen decide how to spend your money or prefer to make those choices yourself?  The answer is a no-brainer for me.  

 

 

My Other Selves

"I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision."

            - Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962)

Over the years I've come to realize there were many "me's" that I projected to the world.

There was the "me" who led various groups in the business world, with different versions of "me" that I presented to my employees, my peers, my bosses, my customers and my contractors.

There was the "me" I displayed to my friends.  I had a "me" for close friends, another for regular friends and another for acquaintances.  There was a face I used for large social engagements and another for small, informal get-togethers. 

I had a "me" for my family too.  My uncles, aunts and cousins were treated to a different "me" than my dad, mom, brothers, nieces and nephews.  There was a unique "me" for my wife and sons.

Who was this chameleon?  All the "me's" were variations of the real me, and I can't say I consciously switched roles as I encountered different people.  It was more or less an automatic response driven by what seemed expedient at the time. 

As I became older I noticed that I began shedding some of the "me's" that I had used over the years.  I behaved more and more like the "real me" with anyone I happened to be around.  Perhaps I became more comfortable that who I am was okay, and I didn't need to play a role to be successful in my relationships. That felt better.

Oh, I still have a couple of "me's" in reserve that I can use should the need arise, but it's a lot easier to just be me with everyone I meet than to worry about what "me" is most acceptable to them.  And, gee, the people I find myself with might appreciate the fact that the person they're talking to is really who he seems to be. 

Wish I'd thought of this sooner.  It would have made life simpler.

Just Messing Around

"Giving never moves in a straight line.  It always travels in circles."

          -  Dr. Robert Schuller

Do you ever need to know exactly what time it is where you are, or anywhere in the world?  Check this site.  A map of the world shows you where it's night-time and where it's day-time.  You can change the timezone that you access by clicking your location on a map of the U.S.

Do you work crossword puzzles, write, or just want to know the definition of a word?  Try the Visual Thesaurus.  When you type in the word you want to know more about, this neat program displays all its synonyms for your edification.  Click on one of the synonyms and another series of words appears.  Play with it a bit.  It offers many options.

Want to know how to do something?  Anything?  Here's the place to get your instructions.  Detailed and complete.

How about the weather?  Do you need to know whether it's raining or there's a heat wave anywhere in the U.S. or the world?  Fifteen day forecasts are available with a click of the mouse at AccuWeather.

Want to test your skill at putting?  Try MiniPutt.  The windmill will drive you nuts!

If you're looking for just the right quotation, go to the Quotations Page and type in a keyword.  Any quotation in the database with that word in it will be listed.  If you are interested in a particular author, simply type in his last name, and voila, all his quotes appear in front of you.

Have fun!

Good Friends, Good Times

"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved--loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."

        - Victor Hugo, writer (1802 - 1885)    

I've returned from my little jaunt to the mountains.  I'm posting some of the  pictures I took to give you an idea of what it was like.

I've known some of these men for over 30 years, many over 20.  One of them was with me when I began my career in 1965.  I love them all.  We've been visiting this place for a long time, and I assume we'll continue doing so until there are none of us remaining. 

We arrived on Monday.  Rain kept us off the course, so we had to sit in the cabin and shoot the bull.  This was time well spent.  It's always nice to get re-acquainted apart from golf.  We had a fine meal, watched Denver beat Oakland, caught part of the Braves game, and told lots of jokes.

In the mornings we had breakfast at the Busick Cafe.  We learned that the lady proprietor, Jewell, has just discovered she has cancer.  Even though she'll be having surgery sometime this week, she was right there preparing our food as if everything was okay.  Under her smile, however, we could sense the worry and concern.

Tuesday through Thursday gave us beautiful weather for golf.  I thought we might have some fall color to enjoy as we played, but there was none...even at the highest elevations.  Our 18-hole scores ranged from 75 to well above 100, but to a man we enjoyed the experience no matter what the final tally.  Golf, like life, gives you a constantly changing set of challenges. 

At night, we ate, drank, talked, laughed, played poker and after we had all we could stand, turned in and slept like logs...noisy ones!  I really hated to leave.  The time together rejuvenated me and made me realize again how important these guys are to me.  It's always a treat to be with them.  I'm already looking forward to next year's trip. I hope they are too.

 

 

 

 

 

Heading for the Mountains

"I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.

          - John Burrough

I'm heading for the western North Carolina mountains to play some golf at Mt. Mitchell and see my friends, some that I haven't seen in over a year.  I don't have wireless or remote capability, so there will be no posts until next Friday. 

I'll take some pictures and give anyone who's interested a recap of the trip when I return.  I expect to eat and drink too much, hear a lot of lies, solve all of the world's problems, and possibly play a little golf.  All things considered, I will have a great time?  I always do with these guys!

Someone please tell me you're going to miss me!  LOL!

More Random Thoughts

"Never let yesterday use up today."

          - Richard H. Nelson

Madelaine Vitale, staff writer for the Press of Atlantic City.com, covers a speech by Ambassador Richard Butler, one of the former weapons of mass destruction inspectors in Iraq.  He says, "Terrorists are nothing more than people who commit indiscriminate homicide to promote their point of view."

This report by Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting reveals the many stances new Democratic Party presidential candidate, Wesley Clark, has taken on the war in Iraq over the past year.  He doesn't seem to be able to make up his mind.

National columnist Molly Ivins trashes the administration's relaxation of clean air rules over at The Naples Daily News.  The only problem is that most of what she says is wrong.  Juan Non-Volokh makes the case in his post.

Finally, this presentation on The Philosophy of Liberty is fun to watch and will give you food for thought.  Turn your sound on.

On a personal note, while I was walking Inky today, I saw a gent on a bicycle "walking" his dog.  Actually, he had a tether attached to his pet and she was running along the bike path pulling her owner and his bike.  At first glance, I thought he was asking a bit much of the animal, but when they passed me, the dog seemed to be having great fun.

And geez, my wife, Lisbeth, has a bad case of the "shanks."   Anyone know a cure in case this one doesn't work?

 

 

Random Thoughts

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty."

       - John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963)

Not to beat a dead horse, but since my post last night I've found more reports from soldiers returning from Iraq.  The best, I thought, was a story written by Hank Sims, a staff writer for The North Coast Journal.  The interviewee is U. S. Marine Josh Ingram, one of the town's native sons.  Josh says, "They loved us..."

There was another rather lengthy post over at Porphyrogenitus in which a Lt. Colonel gives an account of what's going on in his area of responsibility.  It's pretty detailed and gives you a feel for "being there."  

And earlier this morning I discovered a great speech over at the Center for Individual Freedom titled "Patriot Day."  It was delivered by Bruce Herschensohn, a Pepperdine University professor.  He says, "Settling for peace while ignoring the threat of losing liberty is easy.  But peace without liberty is surrender."

Dwayne Burnette at Tech Central Station has written an excellent article titled "What Would Sun-Tzu Do?"  Sun-Tzu, as you may recall, wrote The Art of War, the oldest military treatise in existence.

See you tomorrow.

What Is the Truth?

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."

       John Lubbock, English scientist (1834 - 1913)

Almost everything about Iraq that I'm reading in newspapers and seeing on the networks is negative.  There are a few bright spots, but the majority make it sound as if no part of the campaign is going well.  On the other hand, as I visit weblogs and read reports from soldiers and civilians who are there or have been there, an entirely different picture emerges.

Chief Wiggles, written by a soldier who is stationed in Iraq, just wrote a post on the situation there vis-a-vis what we see and hear in the news.  His view: "I am forced to ponder the value of a news media that only reports a distorted view of events."

Susan May Danseyar of the Belmont Citizen-Herald writes an account of soldiers who have been there: "Ninety-nine percent...is a good story," they say.

And Eric Olsen provides us with a civilian's view of what's happening at BlogCritics.  His friend says, "I would watch the CNN reporters describing...Iraq and think they must be living in an alternate universe."

Then a speech by Judge Don Walters posted by Barbara Bessent.  Judge Walters was sent to Iraq to evaluate their justice system.  He was against the war prior to his visit.  Now he's not.

Who to believe?  I lean toward the "regular" people who have been there and interacted with the Iraqis, and not with the media.  Why?

Why indeed?

 

 

Fiscal (In)Sanity

"The trick is to stop thinking of it as 'your' money."

         - Anonymous IRS auditor

I learned financial responsibility from my parents.  While I haven't avoided frivolous debt all of my life, I have generally managed to spend less than I make, save some funds for a rainy day and enjoy a somewhat financially secure retirement. 

Given my feelings about handling my own finances, I've always had an interest in how my political representatives utilize the money we've entrusted to them.  I pretty much expect them to handle spending for us as they would handle it for themselves---taking care of necessities and being frugal with discretionary outlays.  

Lately, our President, and his Democratic and Republican associates in Congress, have gone on a spending spree unlike any I can remember.  This disturbs me a lot, for they are incurring debt that will have to be shouldered by our children for generations to come.

While I wholeheartedly support President Bush in our war on terrorism and his position on tax cuts, I am having some real misgivings about his seeming disregard for how many taxpayer dollars are being spent on his watch.

Andrew Sullivan, a blogger I enjoy visiting, has just penned this post in which he outlines his concerns about this issue in a much more eloquent manner than I ever could.  I quote some of his post below:

"But in three short years, this president has so ramped up government spending that he has turned a fiscal surplus into a huge and mounting debt...If you take defense and entitlement spending out of the picture...Bush has upped domestic spending by a whopping 21 percent..." 

You should read the whole thing.  And while you're thinking about it, if you agree with Mr. Sullivan and me, fire off a letter to your Congressmen.  They need to hear from us about this.  Don't know how to do that?  Here's a site that will help.

Isabel

"Vows are made in storms and forgotten in calm weather."

         - Thomas Fuller, British writer (1608 - 1661)

For days now most of us who live on this island have been watching the Weather Channel for news about when and where Hurricane Isabel will make landfall. The highest point here is barely 20 feet above sea level and the average elevation is less than seven or eight feet.  A Category 3 storm such as Isabel would wreak havoc if it hit us.

The last big storm we had in South Carolina was Hugo,  but the one that did the most damage to our island was the Great Sea Islands Hurricane of 1893.  It left a major portion of Beaufort County underwater and claimed hundreds of lives here, thousands in the state.  Recalling the ferocity of these monsters can make you very nervous about what this one might be like.

It is difficult to take in how powerful a storm like Isabel can be.  While I've never had to endure a Category 3 or 4 hurricane face-to-face, I recall visiting south Florida sometime after Hurricane Andrew ravaged that area.  The destruction was total...like I would imagine a place would look after a nuclear explosion.   

I worry about the folks in North Carolina and northward who are in the path Isabel is projected to take.  I have friends in Wilmington and their home will most certainly be in danger.  I'm hoping she will continue to weaken and everyone will have worried for nothing.  Perhaps that's a bit much to ask, but I'm asking just the same.  Even if I get my wish, there will always be another.  But I think I'll be more prepared when the next one comes.  I'd better be.

The Party of the Rich

"Political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies."

    -Dr. John Arbuthnot, English physician, 1667-1735         

The Democrats are fond of saying that Republicans are the party of the rich.  Interestingly, they're anything but as Tom McMahon points out in a September 14 post on his weblog.  The link to CNN's June 13 story accompanying Tom's chart reports the Senate Democrats as five times wealthier than their Republican counterparts.

But that doesn't matter because we know the Republicans are in the pockets of big business and wealthy individuals who make large contributions to their party, don't we?  Oops!  Wrong again!  The Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog organization, published a June 27, 2003 report outlining where both party's contributions come from.

Guess what?  They found that donors who gave less than $200 to political parties contributed 64% to Republicans and only 35% to Democrats.  On the other hand, the big givers who wrote checks for $1,000,000 or more gave 92% to Democrats and only 8% to Republicans.  Democrats got the lion's share of their funds from supporters giving more than $100,000, while Republicans got most of theirs from those giving less than that.

Another not-so-surprising finding was that candidates who outspent their opponents won 94% of the time.  If you've got more money than your challenger it's a very good thing.

So the facts don't support the claims of the minority party that  the GOP is the party of the rich.  Not only is the Democratic leadership considerably wealthier, but the majority of their contributions come from those with deeper pockets. 

And why would the Democrats continue to promulgate such a falsehood?  Why to get the votes of the poor, of course.  Why else?

Does Being "Right" Really Matter?

"Maturity begins when we're content to feel we're right about something without feeling the necessity to prove someone else wrong."

  - Sydney J. Harris, journalist, author, 1917-1986

I know some people who always think they're right.  And they're not content in simply believing they are the ultimate authority on any topic you might care to bring up.  They have to point out how you're wrong about it.  I've often wondered why they feel it's necessary to do this.  Why can't they simply bask in the personal knowledge that they know the answer without trying to prove that you're wrong?

It's interesting to watch the dynamics at play when two characters who are both like this get together.  Talk about the irresistible force meeting the immovable object!  Usually, they can't be friends, at least for very long.  It's just too hard to relate to someone who won't let you prove him wrong because he's too busy trying to prove you're wrong.

I usually interact with these individuals by simply not responding to their challenges.  If they have a need to be right, I let them be right.  Frankly, I don't give a hoot, and over time I've learned that it's difficult to convince someone like this that they should check their facts or re-examine their argument no matter how sincerely you try.  They're just too busy advocating their views to listen to you. 

The unfortunate thing in all this is that these people drive potential friends away.  No one wants to be around them, and most of the time they don't have a clue as to why.  I, for one, don't believe it's very likely that anything you might say will change their behavior, so if you like them despite their need to be right, you just have to let them be right.  And if they're wrong, well, you just have to let them be right.  A cop-out perhaps, but heck, it works for me.

 

We Will Never Forget

"To live in hearts we leave is not to die."

          - Thomas Campbell (1777 - 1844)

This is a follow-up to my post of September 11, 2003.  Over the past week I've read and viewed many tributes to the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001, but this is, by far, the best one I've seen. 

If you have dial-up access with a modem, it will take 5 or 6 minutes to download, so you have to be patient.  But, trust me, it will be well worth your wait.  Sound accompanies the photographs so be sure to have your speakers turned on.

And oh, by the way, you'll probably need a box of tissue near your monitor. 

Will Power

"Man cannot remake himself without suffering."

         - Alexis Carrel, French biologist and surgeon (1873 - 1944)

I watched a television special about obesity and losing weight tonight.  The good Dr. Phil was talking to people who were bursting out of their clothes and explaining that they could slim down if they would change their eating habits.  Duh!

Most of these folks admitted they had a problem and wanted to do something about it but practically all of them had failed, not once, but many times.  There were clips showing them eating huge servings of the wrong kinds of food and more clips showing them snacking at all hours of the day and night...solid evidence that they alone were the reason for their failure!

As I watched I thought of my own experience with this.  I don't consider myself fat, but know I could stand to lose a few pounds.  Probably, most of us could.  I actually started walking about an hour a day some time ago and was feeling pretty good about myself.  But then I stepped on a scale a couple of months into my new regimen and discovered I'd gained 5 pounds!  Crap!

What happened, I think, was the exercise was making me hungrier and I actually ended up eating more than I had been before I began the walking.  I also had no goals.  I was simply going out for my walk and letting nature take its course.  I should have decided how much I wanted to lose, weighed myself each day, kept up with my food intake and been more serious about it than I was. 

The thing is, if you're overweight, trying to slim down, and your progress is slow or you actually get heavier, it is very easy to just give up. That's not to say it can't be done, it's just hard and requires a very long-term commitment, something the majority of us don't want to make.  That Edy's French Silk Ice Cream and Double-Cheeseburger with Fries overwhelms our resolve...almost every time!

Death to the Infidels

"The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies--civilians and military--is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible...We, with God's help, call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God's order to kill the Americans..."

    - Osama bin Laden, in Al-Quds al - 'Arabi, 2/23/1998

When I was much younger, I remember watching the movie Tora, Tora, Tora with my late father and seeing him become openly emotional as the Japanese torpedo bombers attacked our fleet at Pearl Harbor.  At the time, I didn't understand why he was getting so upset about a movie.  What I didn't understand, but now do, was how real it was for him, for he had been personally involved in those events. 

Today when I think about those aircraft crashing into the Trade Center buildings, I am still angry, just as my dad was when he watched the movie about Pearl Harbor. As I reflect on what these madmen did and what those of their ilk continue to plan for us, I get even more angry. 

Simply put, these people want to kill us.  They want to kill you, me, our families, our friends.  After what they've done, is there anyone who doubts they won't do more? Is there anyone who believes they wouldn't use a nuclear device if they had one?

Remember the story of Kitty Genovese, the woman who was killed in the street below her apartment as her neighbors watched from their windows? No one came to help her.  This country, like Kitty, will get little help from its neighbors.  

These Islamic extremists want to take our lives, and will, unless we kill or capture them first.  They will not negotiate.  They will not compromise.  They are willing to commit suicide to achieve their ends.  We're in a war unlike any we've ever been in.  The sooner we understand that, the sooner this cancer that is eating away at the freedoms we've fought so long and so hard to preserve can be defeated.  I hope we have the will to prevail.

Family and Friends

Thought you might like to meet me, my family and some of my friends. 

After you scroll past the shot of me, you'll see a picture taken last Christmas at my Mom's house.  Most years my three brothers, their families and mine gather there for a meal and gift-giving.  Regan is my youngest, 32 years old now.  Hayden is the oldest at 34.

Golf is one of my passions and Elisabeth has just learned to play after being married to me for 38 years.  I enjoy going out with her most of all.

The guys in the third photo are old friends of mine.  We don't get together as often as we once did but we always have a good time when we do.  They live in Atlanta and came down to see me this past June.  We golfed, pigged out, drank and philosophied about the problems in the world.

The great foursome in the next picture was taken last winter in Palm Springs, California.  We were there with our wives for a week and all of us enjoyed this brief escape from the terribly cold east coast weather.

Every fall the group in the fifth shot travels to Burnsville, NC, for a week of golf and fun.  We play all our rounds at the Mt. Mitchell Golf Club which sits in the South Toe River Valley at the foot of Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi.  The scenery is so beautiful there that the golf is a secondary activity. 

The final shot is of Inky, an eleven-year-old Shih-Tzu, who is also a member of our family.  She is a "people" dog, has never met a stranger, and follows me everywhere I go.  She likes Cesar dog food, bagels with cream cheese and long walks.

Disagreeing with The President: A National Pastime

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success.  You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the team won't be worth a dime."

                 - George Herman "Babe" Ruth, Jr. (1895 - 1948)

As I listened to the President give his speech Sunday evening I was thinking, "You know, half the people in the country disagree with what you're saying."  When former Presidents Clinton, Bush I, Reagan and Carter spoke, half the people in the country disagreed with them too.  And many of these dissenters were actively pursuing ways to undermine and unseat these Chiefs of State just as Bush's detractors are doing. 

I wonder how Bobby Cox would fare with the Atlanta Braves if half his players and coaches were constantly attempting to subvert his leadership?  Do you think the Braves would be the "winningest" team in baseball?

And how would Bill Gates be doing if half his organization disagreed with the direction he wanted to lead his company and did everything in their power to see that his policies failed?  Do you think Microsoft would be one of the world's pre-eminent technology companies?

Observing what is happening in this country is akin to watching a giant tug of war.  Each side is heaving mightily on the rope and neither side is budging an inch.  All this amazing energy is being expended and the sum total of all the effort seems to be zilch.

I know our founding fathers were very concerned about majorities imposing their will on minorities and they provided for checks and balances to keep that from happening.  But I wonder if they envisioned anything like we have today where we have polarized into two huge camps and are absolutely unwilling to negotiate and compromise with each other for the overall good of the country?

If it's not Bush who is the bum, it will be whoever sits in his seat.  It won't matter whether he's a Democrat, Republican, or Jesus Christ.  Half the country will be against him.  You can take that to the bank.      

 

 

It Only Takes a Second

"Beneath this slab, John Brown is stowed.  He watched the ads, and not the road."

              - Ogden Nash, American poet, 1902 - 1971

I was talking on the phone with a good friend of mine not too long ago and he told me that he'd just totaled his car while driving home from the supermarket.  He explained that something fell off the seat into the floorboard and he reached down to retrieve it.  The next thing he knew his vehicle was out of control and headed into a ditch.  Fortunately, he was using his seat belt and wasn't injured, but he was shaken up and realized that he could have been seriously hurt or even killed.  He was only a block from his house.

How many of us get momentarily distracted while driving and end up "in the ditch" as my friend did?  I know I have, and recognize how lucky I've been to escape the consequences of my frequent inattention and lack of concentration when I'm driving my car.  Understanding that good luck and bad luck tend to balance out over the long haul, I'm probably overdue for some of the bad variety.

All of us know we should exercise more care and be constantly attentive when we're on the road.  But it's easy to forget the lessons we've learned from our close calls and allow one small incident to turn what might have been a really good day into a totally bad one.

How about it?  Couldn't we wait until we're safely stopped to unwrap our Big Mac, put on our lipstick, make our cell phone call or pick up that pen we dropped?  It could mean the difference between getting home safely or not getting home at all.

A Trip to the Movies

My wife and I had been hearing good things about a movie playing at one of our local theaters and decided to go see it.  It's titled Winged Migration and is directed by Jacques Perrin.  It is a documentary about the migratory patterns of wild birds and turned out to be well worth our time.

The photography was fantastic and there was some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in a movie in quite some time.  While there was some narrative, most of the footage was of the birds themselves.  You'd think that might be boring, but it wasn't. 

The review in our local paper indicated that none of the filming of the birds was computer enhanced or staged in any way.  We found that hard to believe when we found ourselves eyeball-to-eyeball with a Canada Goose flying hundreds of feet above the earth.  We got the sensation that we were flying along right beside our feathered friends as they made their way to their distant destination. 

It was a magnificent movie and I would commend it to your viewing.   If you'd like to find out more about it, go to the Winged Migration website. 

On The Campaign Trail

"Politicians are interested in people.  Not that this is a virtue, fleas are interested in dogs."

             - P. J. O'Rourke

It's getting to be that time again.  You know, when we get to vote for the man or woman of our choice, the one who will lead us out of the swamp into a bright and prosperous future.

I get so amused watching the candidates on television, reading about them in the newspaper and magazines, and checking them out on the internet.  What they all say is pretty predictable.

For starters, whoever they're running against is the most incompetent, uncaring, fiscally and socially irresponsible, out-of-touch with the common man politician that ever came down the pike.  Whatever their opponent has done during his incumbency has taken the country down a dark path from which only a fresh face like theirs can rescue us.

It doesn't matter which party is in power or which one is out.  Almost all address their opponents in the same manner.  Often, to make their point, candidates will revert to personal attacks as well.  Since there are no perfect human beings that I know of, anyone brave enough to run for public office subjects not only himself, but his family to such aspersions.

Don't you get tired of it?  I believe the majority of Americans do.  On the news the other day, they were covering the recent Democratic Party debate before a live audience and about 80% of the observers couldn't identify any of the candidates by name.  How could that be unless they're simply tuning them out and refusing to listen to their respective pitches?  I think they are, and that is truly sad. 

Some of My Neighbors

These guys and many of their friends live in my backyard. 

The gators are generally not aggressive, but occasionally when I'm fishing they think the fish is theirs, not mine.  Shortly after moving here I was fishing and had one come out of the water after me when I popped him on the nose with the end of my fishing rod.  He was getting too close and I figured  that he'd back off if I hit him.  He didn't.  Hearing of this incident, someone asked me how fast a gator can run.  I responded, "Just a little slower than me!"  Needless to say, I have a healthy respect for these critters.  Their teeth are very sharp.

I've almost given up trying to feed the birds because the squirrels and raccoons annihilate the feeders and hog all the food.  The raccoons also love to get into the garbage can to see what they can find.  Of course, they don't put anything back like they found it.  Currently, I'm tying the lid down with bungee cords.  They still turn the can over, but so far haven't been able to remove the cords.  It's just a matter of time though.  They're smart as hell.

The Great Blue Heron had wandered up onto my patio and I snapped his picture through the window.  I've never seen one of these big birds so unafraid of getting near the house.  I assumed he was looking for something to eat, but he may have been casing the joint for a later heist.

The eight-point buck was busily pruning my shrubbery in broad daylight when I snapped his portrait through my den window.  If you look closely you can see the velvet on his new antlers.  Most of the deer here have little fear of humans and will stroll into whatever lawn they choose to help themselves to any plant that is available.  They love new growth on almost any kind of flower or shrub and can be a real nuisance if you are into gardening.  Most people who want to protect a particular plant from the deer will cover it with netting or spray foul-smelling chemicals on it.  Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't. 

Double click on any of the photos for a better view.

I'm Losing My Friends

"For years I wanted to be older, and now I am."

             -Margaret Atwood

Until just a few years ago I never gave getting older much thought.  In fact, as I neared the end of my career I was wishing that time would move more quickly so I could retire and get on with all the things I wanted to do.  At the time I was in good health, still strong and could participate in about any physical activity I chose to try. 

Well, retirement finally came and I found myself free to follow any dream I desired.  Then I got cancer.  Without going into detail, it was a long and arduous battle, which hopefully, I've won.  So then I'm ready to get on with the big plans, but find myself sitting in a church paying my last respects to one of my best friends...younger than me I might add. 

I'd hardly gotten over that loss when another buddy who accompanied me to Ireland on the golf-trip-of-a-lifetime developed chest pains and died on the way to the emergency room only months after we had returned from our overseas trip.  On the outside he looked fine.  On the inside, as we later found out, he was a time bomb.

And today, my wife and I attended the funeral of another friend who developed cancer shortly after retirement, had it treated what seemed to be successfully, then as this disease sometimes does, it reared its ugly head and came back to claim him.

That's three friends in less than eighteen months, not a pace that I'm happy with, but unfortunately one of the realities of growing older in a place where most of our neighbors and friends are retired seniors.  All of a sudden you're wondering who's going to be next.  And guess what?  I realize it could be me, and I suppose that's all right because I'm not sure I want to be the last man standing. 

Another friend who is considering retirement and is aware of the buddies I've lost laughingly told me the other day that he's not sure it's something that's safe to do.  But he probably will...despite the risks.

 

It's Not My Fault

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please.  And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."

            - P. J. O'Rourke

It seems to me that we have a lot of folks who are "victims" these days.  They make their choices, and when bad things happen they are quick to point out that it wasn't their fault.  Most of them justify their behavior by giving some excuse like they had a poor childhood, came from a single parent home, had an abusive father, mother, teacher, boss, brother or sister, were bullied in school , had the wrong color skin, were misunderstood, moved too often, or...well, you get the drift.  If they can't come up with something that sounds plausible, usually someone else will do it for them.

Today lawyers make millions suing corporations on behalf of people like this who do things like eat too much fast food or smoke too many cigarettes.  Did these companies pry open people's mouths and stuff the burgers down their throats?  Did they light up their cigarettes and inhale for them?  I don't think so.

And yet, these "victims" win many of their cases and individuals like you and I end up paying their exhorbitant awards by virtue of higher prices for the products these companies sell.   

When did we stop taking personal responsibility for our own actions?  And why?  At some point I feel that common sense must again prevail or some lucky "victim" is going to own the country. 

 

Something's Got To Be Done

"After the ship has sunk, everyone knows how she could have been saved."

            - Italian proverb

I was somewhat amused as I listened to the "experts" talking about the major power outages in the Northeast and Midwest a couple of weeks ago.  Most of them were appalled that such a thing had occurred, spent a lot of time speculating about what might have gone wrong and were calling for strong measures to be taken to ensure it wouldn't happen again. 

Why is it that when something like this happens we always have to find someone or something to blame?  Then we want to establish a new government watchdog that will impose additional rules and regulations so we can sit back and say that everything is now hunky-dory.

Spending more taxpayer dollars to fix something, that in my lifetime at least, has not been a problem seems ridiculous to me.  How often do we have blackouts anyway?  If we're honest they are rare and I, for one, am not interested in funding another bureaucracy to help my power company manage its operations.

I read the other day that 4,167 new rules were issued by various Federal agencies in 2002 alone and that Congress passed and the President signed into law 269 new bills in that same period.  Do we really need this much help?

Is Courtesy Out of Style?

"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."

         -Eric Hoffer, philosopher

I read a variety of weblogs practically everyday.  It is one of the most enjoyable means I have of keeping myself informed and entertained.  I almost always check out the reader comments because I like to see how others respond to what I have read on the log.  I also like to see how people react to each other.

For the most part, people who take the time to generate a comment or state an opinion do so in a thoughtful, objective and courteous manner.  Occasionally, however, some who comment get downright nasty.  Rather than debate the subject at hand they attack others in an antagonistic and demeaning manner.  I find this distasteful and wonder if other weblog readers do too.

It could be that the medium encourages this kind of behavior due to its impersonal nature.  Perhaps in a face-to-face discussion people would be more civil.  I do know that, for me, the nastiness detracts from the overall positive experience I get from visiting a site.  But, maybe it's just me.  Could it be that in today's world the "putdown" has become a necessary part of making one's point?