Tuesday, December 23, 2003

I can't understand what people are afraid of. I am agnostic but I have no problem at all saying MERRY CHRISTMAS to my Christian friends nor would I ever be offended when it is said to me.

As an unreligious person, I look at Christmas as a time to celebrate your family and loved ones through the ritual of gift giving and the other trappings of Christmas like trees, Santa and yes, even Jesus. (After all, it is he that the Holiday is based on, so yes, there are angels, and representations of him on our tree.) Many may see that as a contradiction, a cop out but to me it's simply an acknowledgement of the historical origins of the day. Because I have no problem with Christian based morals, it's just the supernatural side that I have trouble with.

Those who see Christmas as a religious event are more than welcome to do so.

I suspect that the athiests who raise a cry at the sight of a Nativity scene are not the athiests they think they are or why would this have any effect on them... Guilt, perhaps?

I look at such things simply as people celebrating their religion as is their absolute right in this country. Since this country is (still) primarily Christian, it is only right that such celebrations are on public display. This does not prevent those of alternate religions from displaying celebration of their own nor does it interfere with non-believers celebrating or not. I don't get it. Again, what, exactly are they afraid of?

Merry Christmas from your friendly neighborhood agnostic!

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Ok, I've added reader comment functionality. If you are actually reading this, leave a comment and say so.
I am completely fascinated with something I have recently discovered - the Iraqi Bloggers.

Here is a link to some to get started, it has links to most of the other good ones: http://iraqataglance.blogspot.com/ (beware of trolls when reading the comments)

These people are just incredible. Every American owes it to themselves to read them. This is something unprecedented in history. Can you imagine, for example, if ordinary people in Nazi Germany had been able to communicate their true thoughts to the entire world? How would that have effected WWII?

The bravery and wisdom of these Iraqis is nearly beyond comprehension to someone like me, who has led a sheltered life in the US. I hope that one day, all of their dreams for a better life become reality.

Yes, I realize that we have no way of knowing if these bloggers are real Iraqis or that they are really writing from Iraq. But I think that any reasonably intelligent person can read their words and see the ring of truth.

I strongly urge you to go check it out, no matter how you feel about the war or what your politics are.

***On a personal note, I have been feeling exceptionally wordy lately so perhaps this blog will start getting more attention from me. I want to figure out how to allow comments on my entries just in case anyone is actually reading this can leave comments or insults or whatever.

The late Dr. Atkins is my new hero. I started his diet just 6 weeks ago and have lost nearly 30 lbs so far. I am so tired of being a fat ass. I still have a long way to go (needed to lose at least 70 lbs or more) but I feel so good and so positive, for once in my life that I think I will actually succeed. I feel like a new person. Really.

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Frodo Baggins: I can't do this Sam.

Sam Gamgee: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding on to Sam?

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

****

Monday, November 24, 2003

Ok, we made it past Ramadan and didn't get nuked. So now I have a question for you. This is not a troll or flame bait so I hope it doesn't read that way.

How will we end this? I have supported this war in Iraq. I figure we didn't really have much choice. I have also become a huge fan of George W. Bush. I believe that in 100 years, if we're still here, he will be remembered as one of the great US Presidents.

Having said that, though, I have to ask - How will we get out of this? It seems to me that no matter how many islamo-freaks we kill or capture, there's always going to be another insane asshole out there willing to blow himself up for Allah. I don't think they're smart enough to stop.

I guess I need help not falling into dispair. I see the near daily deaths of our boys and it hurts me in a way I've never known before. I came of age as Viet Nam ended so I do remember the daily body counts from that war but at such a young age, it doesn't have the same impact.

I read an article on FR yesterday where some nut was calling for the destruction of villages for every American soldier killed. Obviously, thats not going to happen. We're the good guys, we don't slaughter innocents on purpose. But what can we do? We can't run.. the attacks don't appear to ever end...

I read ALL the news and take it all with a healthy dose of salt. I read the good news that comes from Iraq, and yes, there is plenty. But I don't see how we're ever going to stop the killings and get out with the results we want.

As much as it hurts to say it, I think the lives of our young men is worth the cause for which they fight. We must defeat these terrorists at all costs. But sometimes it seems like we're up against an endless tide of death.

When will we be done? What are the conditions required for true victory? When can I tell my future grandkids that the world is, once again, a fairly safe place to be?


Friday, October 17, 2003

Its really hard to write in this thing every day. I'm such a lazy fuck.

I was born 44 years ago today.. yipee.

Friday, October 10, 2003

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line." - President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program." - President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face." -Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983." -Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." -Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process." -Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies." - Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999

"There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." - Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,) and others, December 5, 2001

"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandated of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." - Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002

"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002

"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002

"The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons..." -Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002

"I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." -Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002

"There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years ... We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002

"He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do" - Rep. Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002

"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members .. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons." - Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002

"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." - Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002

"Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ..." - Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003

-=-=--=-=-=-=-

Just some food for thought....

Sunday, October 05, 2003

New York Daily News - Ideas & Opinions - Charles Krauthammer: Critics are wrong, Iraq is moving forward

I used to think I was a hippy. I wore peace signs sewed into my clothes and kept my hair as long as possible. Contrary to the typical right-wing hippy stereotype, I was neither greasy nor dirty. I was plenty high though. I suppose, had I been older, I would have been out there protesting the Viet Nam war.

I wasn't really a hippy. I grew up in the '70's, long after the summer of love. Viet Nam was over by the time I was 14. But we tried to be hippies anyway.

As I grew up, I discovered that I liked material things far too much to be a real hippy. I liked stereos and big TV's - cars, computers and cell phones. Its hard to earn money and still be a hippy.

So I made the natural progression to left wing liberal. Or, so I thought. I had some decidedly right wing beliefs - the death penalty and capitalism mostly. I half-heartedly protested the first Gulf War.. I went to a demonstration but all I did was observe. Some of the people seemed kind of silly.

I didn't protest Operation Iraqi Freedom at all. In fact, I found myself getting pissed off at the people I saw demonstrating. I couldn't understand why they hated America so much.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that now, in my mid-forties, I find myself split in half by the great divide that is politics in the 0's... (Is that how to say it? you have the ''70's, the '80's, the '90's and now the '0's? Looks funny...)

There are apparently 2 Iraqs. In one Iraq, people are dying by the truckload. Bombs are going off everywhere you look, body parts flying all over. Its Viet Nam all over again folks. Our boys are coming home in bags and its all for oil.. or for GWB's lies.. (what exactly he has to gain by lying is rarely explained...) or for American Imperialism. We need to pull our boys home and let those poor people be! No wonder the whole world despises us!

This is the Iraq that can be seen on TV and other major media outlets. Despite the apparent horror displayed by the anti-war crowd, they also seem delighted by the whole thing. There is a certain good feeling to be had by saying, "I told you so!" Also, they are gratified, apparently, by GWB being made to look bad. He's a war criminal after all.. He's ruining our relationship with the rest of the world. He MUST fail! They also seem to feel that we'd better stop before we make them really mad and they hurt us again.

Then there is Iraq #2.

In this Iraq, most of the people, the normal Iraqis are grateful that we toppled Saddam. They want us to stay and help them rebuild their country and protect them from the bad guys as they recover. Our guys are still dying but moral is up and most feel that it is the price of freedom that must be paid. We are taking out terrorist scum by the bus load. They're coming in from all over to Iraq for a chance to blow up Americans. And sometimes they're sussesful but in the mean time, we're getting lots of them and better to fight them there than on the streets of New York. Iraq has become the Roach Motel for terrorists. GWB is a hero, a visionary, a brave man who is doing the right thing for the right reasons. We're winning the fight against terrorism and though it will be a long fight and our guys will continue to be killed, we are right in taking the fight to them.

So will the real Iraq please stand up? Certain people would recoil in sheer horror, "How can you believe the lies of GWB and the VRWC!!" (Vast Right Wing Conspiracy). Oh the horror! Thats when my liberal background begins to twitch a little. But then I think, why NOT believe them? Or, why should I believe the liberal left, anti-war crowd any more than I believe GWB? How is the little guy supposed to know? Am I to believe that the libs are any less capable of fabrication than the so-called neocons?

Both sides can't be right.. there can be only one Iraq. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I know that the pro-American side sure feels better..

I feel lost.

Saturday, October 04, 2003

Ok, here we go.. This is mostly me trying to beat the writers block that I've suffered for the past, oh, 15 years or so?

There might be personal stuff in there.. there might be political stuff. I like to end my sentences with "..." . You'll see that a lot. I'm not sure why...

See, I have a life long love of literature. Ok, most of what I read, some folks would probably not call literature but, fuck them.

I decided when I was 18 or so that I wanted to be a writer. I wrote a LOT of stuff.. all the time. Most of it was crap. A lot of it was drug inspired. Some of it wasn't half bad.

I have always loved Science Fiction and Fantasy. I wanted to write SF first. I soon realized that I'm too uneducated to write SF.. I don't know shit about science and I'm too lazy to research. So, fantasy.. Swords, barbarians, magic... guys with made up names like "Tormad". I did better with this but one day I realized that almost everything I wrote in that genre was bordering on plagiarism.

That was the start of my writers block.

So then I started trying to come up with odd combinations of things, trying to be original. A Sword and Sorcery style story set in modern times. An SF story set in the old West.. Some of that stuff was pretty good.

One day I read through a lot of my work and it all seemed so trite, hackneyed and cliche' that I fell into despair and haven't been able to write a word since.

That sucked.

Here's some writers that I admire:

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (yeah, that damn commie)
Michael Moorcock
P.J. Farmer
Roger Zelazny (I miss you, Mr Z.)
Stephen King
Glen Cook (Yeah, I sort of stole my nick from his "Black Company" novels. So sue me.. er, no, wait.. please don't. It was done out of admiration. Everyone go buy his books and read them right now!)
Dan Simmons
George R.R. Martin (wtf does R.R. stand for and why do you have 2 middle names?)
Damon Knight

...well, that could go on a long while but those guys top my list..

Ok, I don't read much so-called "serious" literature. Maybe some day.

The other purpose of this blog is maybe some political or topical ramblings. I'm very confused politically and have never tried that kind of writing so we'll see how that goes. There sure as hell is plenty to talk about these days.

Maybe some music talk as well..

I'm going to try really hard to update this thing on a daily basis and to pretend that someone is actually reading it. Wish me luck!