Ethical quandary?

This is the story I wanted to write about yesterday but didn't get around to it. It is really important to understand this situation and what exactly it means. I also feel the need to explain what it means to me.

Fight over baby's life support divides ethicists

Story Highlights from CNN:
• Fight over baby's life support pits mom against hospital, divides ethicists
• Texas law allows hospitals to withdraw life support against family's wishes
• Hospital says treatment is painful, futile for 17-month-old Emilio Gonzales
• Mom acknowledges son is terminal but wants life support continued

First off I want to display the ridiculous logic displayed here:
Emilio's mother, Catarina Gonzales, on the other hand, is fighting to keep her son on the ventilator, allowing him to die "naturally, the way God intended."

OK next is where I surprise all of you. I morally disagree with keeping this child on the ventilator. Yes, taking the child off is euthanizing the baby, but the facts are the facts. This infant is experiencing a quality of life that is next to torture. OK.... you are probably not surprised by me saying that. Here it is: If the mother wants to keep her child on life support she should have the right to do this. I believe that this is the mother's choice, and I think Texas law is wrong. It is hypocritical of the state of Texas to allow life support to be withdrawn against a family's wishes, when a terminal patient who wants to die, can't even legally make that decision for themselves! Here's my pet peeve with government: They should not dictate morality beyond the universals. By universals I'm talking about the universally accepted ideas of heinous acts, murder, stealing, vandalism, creating disorder etc. What makes this worse is this isn't about right or wrong. Who ever put this law into effect likely did so because insurance companies (some of the most powerful institutions out there) were paying out more than they wanted. The only person who should be able to pull the plug is, the individual them self, or a parent or spouse if the individual in question is incapacitated to do so. Allowing the hospital to do this is just asking for abuse, and I'm certain that it has and it does occur on a regular basis.

I believe this mother is morally WRONG to keep this baby alive, however I understand why she is doing it. Her faith tells her that there's a chance for a miracle, that the doctor's don't know what they are talking about. Even though the facts show otherwise, who am I or any one else to tell her what to do? It isn't as though she is purposely abusing a child she is doing this out of love... and unfortunately it isn't the right choice. It is similar to an expecting pregnant woman who is told a few months into pregnancy that she has a high chance of dying while delivering, and that the fetus may die too, but she refuses to consider abortion out of moral beliefs. In my opinion, it would be immoral of any one not to encourage her to do the right thing and save her life, rather than have her family and her significant other lose not only a potential new family member, but one that is already alive and should have a long life in front of her. But can we as a society force people to make what we feel are the RIGHT decisions in these circumstances? NO... I have no business, and no one else has any business forcing these people to do something they are against. Live and let live, do right by your own family and by your friends and loved ones and set an example rather than force people to be like you. At least that's how I think we ought to live.

Now a part of the article I find REALLY ironic, I don't know about you.

The law, signed in 1999 by then-Gov. George W. Bush, gives Texas hospitals the authority to stop treatment if doctors say the treatment is "inappropriate" -- even if the family wants the medical care to continue. The statute was inspired by a growing debate in medical and legal communities over when to declare medical treatment futile.

This from the same president who sided with Terri Schiavo's parents to keep her alive in a vegetative coma against her and her husband's wishes, this from the same president who is against stem cell research because it is immoral, this from the same president who ran in 2000 with a hands off attitude against Roe vs. Wade, and has worked rather openly to abolish abortion ever since. GEORGE W. BUSH SIGNED A BILL AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS ALLOWING HOSPITALS TO EUTHANIZE CHILDREN WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT. Now if that isn't irony I don't know what is.

Perhaps this lends legitimacy to David Kuo's "Tempting Faith" Kuo formerly of Bush's "Faith Based Initiatives" claims that W's Christian Conservatism is all an act.

According to Kuo "National Christian leaders received hugs and smiles in person and then were dismissed behind their backs and described as 'ridiculous,' 'out of control,' and just plain 'goofy.'"

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!

Yes booze is the answer....

Fruity cocktails count as health food, study finds Mmmmmmmm fruity booze. Now we just need a study that beer is a health food. How about Pete's Wicked strawberry blond? One of those blueberry beers? At least give me hard cider... come onnn!!!!

Physicist Hawking experiences zero gravity Just a real cool story. Pretty inspiring if you stop and think about it. The power of the mind can take you wonderful places, search for your quest and grab a hold the reins!

MY THURSDAY

Tonight I actually made it to the gym. Then I went to Qdoba and had a nice chicken burrito with Kate. Kate had gone to a book reading at the book store in Porter square (Where Bally's is) so it was convenient for us to meet up. We had a nice evening and took a walk back to Harvard Square from Porter where we got on the train.

TGIF!

A night at my Fenway...

The atmosphere was great, my Fenway Franks were delicious, and my beer was cold and over priced... AND I LIKED IT!!!

But then there was the little problem about the actual game itself. Tavarez pitched first off... and I fully expected to lose. They put in Snyder as a reliever, who's ERA actually was 3.46 to start the game... Not any more. Four errors, not counting countless embarrassing boggles of catches and just piss poor fielding. The culminating moment for me was when Manny caught a ball off the Monster and then spun around and threw it without thinking or looking. The ball went down as soon as it left his grasp, lacking any arc. It bounced off of the outfield about 20 feet from Manny and the whole team sort of shocked just stared in horror. I burst out laughing at this point, everyone booed. The guy sitting next to me said "I could have done that!". It was just pathetic and embarrassing. The bad pitching was the least of the problems. I'm wondering how high they'll let Taverez's ERA get before they finally figure out that he's barely worthy of playing single-A baseball, let alone in the majors. The Fenway crowd was unusually quiet. A highlight of the game was probably a guy up in the right field upper deck who tried to catch a foul and dropped it into the grand stands. First everyone laughed and snickered, and then booed him, shortly before they resumed booing the Red Sox.

My seat was GREAT, about 5 rows behind Pesky's pole almost right on the field. I've probably only had a nicer seat once when I was close to 1st base & 5 or 6 rows back. I do have to admit that my favorite place to sit in Fenway really remains the Bleachers. It's just so much more of a party out there, although you have to expect to be distracted by beach balls, but that's part of the fun.

There were these ditzes behind me that wondered why there were four "bullpens". They called the dugouts bullpens as well. They also did not know where Toronto was, and neither did there boyfriends.... who did know the words to some lame boy-band emo crap they played during the game. During about the 5th inning one of the girls asked why they played the "Blame Canada song". One of the boyfriends said, "oh I think you mean the National anthem?" The girl then proceeded to start singing the southpark lyrics to the "Oh Canada" tune. The other boyfriend interrupted saying "I think they play that at a lot of parks" Then the other one said... hey maybe that's where Toronto is? Other gems included "Pesky's pole is called Pesky's pole because its pesky", "Lugo is Lame", and "The green monster isn't very big". One of the guys was mesmerized with the beach balls over in the bleachers and his girlfriend said "Don't worry baby, those seats are wicked cheap, I can buy you those anytime!". These people weren't teenagers, they were in their mid twenties, but they talked with the dialect of stoned twelve year olds. One of the girls actually said "Oh my god! My parents are here too.. like wave at them! That's so totally cool!" Makes me wonder what her parents do, obviously the brain dead kid's got a trust fund OR SOMETHING.... and I can't really see doctors or lawyers bearing offspring that retarded (and yes, in this case retarded is appropriate to use).

Anyway Wednesday... I'm going to try and go to the gym today... Thursday I supposed to go as well and meet up with Kate after in Porter square for a quick, late supper at qdoba's. Mmmmmm burrito......

A Taste of Summer

FINALLY...

This past weekend was a good one. A lazy one, but a good one. I managed to accomplish some errands and some other boring tasks, however outside of that it wasn't really eventful. I watched The U.S. vs John Lennon, which was good, however it was more like a Yoko Ono sanctioned version of the Documentary "Imagine" than any thing else. Seeing Lennon's actions however is a reminder of the creative genius that he was. Not just when it came to his art, but also when it came to fighting for what he believed in a manner that was non violent, and over flowing with wit. He was able to effectively relay to the youth the level of senselessness in many outdated conservative traditions, and point out the hypocrisy of the U.S. government on multiple levels.

Kate came over on Sunday, and we had a wonderful day walking around. I surprisingly managed to get a little bit of a sunburn!

Monday work was a road trip to Worcester for some company business, and that evening I met up with Jason Chaloux, a childhood friend, and his girlfriend Kelly. We went into Boston where we met up with Kate. Kate was sitting on a bench in the park by the long wharf when I snuck up behind her and poked her in the back. She was pretty pissed off at me. So much for my attempt to be silly :( . Kate's irritation was short lived, as pizza cures all ails. :) (sorry about the emoticons.... I just CAN'T help myself) We originally intended to go to Joe's American Grill and sit outside. There was an hour wait so we went to Regina's in the North End instead. We went to Mike's for Gelato afterward and Kelly was very much pleased with her tiramasu gelato.

Jason and Kelly had to fly out of logan early this morning so they stayed at my apartment.

ANYWAY... I'm going to the SOX game tomorrow... looking forward to it.

HAVE A SNAPPY TUESDAY!

A mish mash collective for Thursday Night

I worked late tonight, I didn't go to the gym and I feel GUILTY. Dun-Dun Duuuuuhhhhh......!

Last night's southpark was GREAT. I watched it again tonight, because I REALLY AM that pathetic! Yes, Trey and Matt typically know how to entertain me and last night was no exception to that rule. I'm just waiting for people to say they encouraged violence against the homeless. There's so much going on in the news right now, this probably won't happen however.

Hmmmmm......
McCain Revives Song Parody to Make Point on Iran

Check out this polling report that shows multiple polling centers and American public opinion on abortion over the ages.
http://www.pollingreport.com/abortion.htm

In other news: The Supreme Court votes to Elect Hillary Clinton the Next President of the United States.




Here's a montage of the Jesus Fish portion of a Seinfeld Episode... classic. A bit disappointing because they cut out the part where the priest makes a devil face back at Elaine and Puddy.

UBURGER!!

U Burger is a fairly new trendy burger joint in Kenmore Square in Boston where Kate and I ate tonight. We initially had plans to go to a new Popeye's Chicken which just opened up, but there were no tables, and I think after a long day at work, we were both looking to sit down. Popeye's will have to wait for another time. Now you folks outside of New England are probably incredulous, I mean what is so special about Popeye's? Well, they are few and far between up here, and word has it that they have the best fast-food fried chicken. Mmmm-mmmm!! Come ON! How can you NOT get hot and bothered over that!

Anyway, UBurger was someplace we had talked about visiting, so all worked out well. I enjoyed my burger. I got fries with mine, and Kate had onion rings, and we shared each other's fried sides. The portions were nice, not too big, not too small, and the prices were reasonable. I babbled on about "A Clockwork Orange" while I ate, which I watched last night in completion for the first time ever. I also continued to complain about the whole VT reaction. I guess society's need for internalizing this problem is what gets me. Its as though some twisted part of people enjoy the sorrow and self-invoked depression over a distant senseless act. I almost feel like we are feeding in to Cho's vision, we are likely acting precisely as he thought we would. Its a complicated and twisted scenario.

After dinner, Kate & I went for a walk, and our night ended at J.P. Lick's in Coolidge Corner where we split a sundae. We chose coconut almond chip ice cream, far out huh? It was tasty.

Well... that's all folks... I've gotta try and watch the new Jericho episode online, and maybe I'll catch the new Southpark in its entirety.

Fed up.....

Am I the only one who is absolutely sickened with the coverage of this VT tragedy?!

To me, the kid who did this was ABSOLUTELY mentally unstable, and it is unfortunate, but the way media and society responds to this almost is enough to make the way the kid snapped seem to make sense.

I turned on the TV to see his sneering roommates get interviewed by Gary Tuchman of CNN, one of them smiled throughout the entire interview as if the whole thing was a big joke, and now everyone got to understand his "hysterical" unusual roommate. They both broke out in laughter when they shared a story about the murderer's "imaginary girlfriend". This is an excellent example of the type of behavior which probably helped push the kid over the edge... and there's not a doubt in my mind that contrary to their assertion, these smiling f*cks were mentally abusive jerks with absolutely little to no care for their strange roommate. When asked point blank if they thought it was amusing the kids actually said "yes".

Then you have the knee jerk reaction of parents to kids at VT. The tragedy took place in an "Engineering" class room but you know a bunch of sobbing hysterical self involved parents must have called up the college to see if their little art student was alive. And then every kid in the school suddenly needs psychiatric treatment because our pathetic weakling society coddles them to the point to make them believe this tragedy is personally theirs. VT is like a small town, and yet when someone down the street from me gets murdered I won't get a government sanctioned personal counselor. Well... give it time.

Worst of all... the 911 syndrome is already occurring and the media and society is demanding retribution against someone else. VT security is responsible, no wait it is the police, no its the students. How about this kid's parents or sponsor in this country?... they might at least have something there. O'Reilly was railing about how VT security should be held responsible for not being able to predict the future better. Now everyone is demanding that there should have been a magical way to read this kid's mind and prevent all of this.

I haven't heard the "ban guns" call yet, but I'm sure it can't be far behind. Maybe we can get a five day waiting period on heavy chains too.

If we let the irrational loony toons have their way in dealing with problems like this, we will have a world that increasingly discriminates those who are different, we will encourage fascism, we will discourage independent thought, and we will make it increasingly more difficult to do a job right. People will not want to go into security or law enforcement because of the potential they will be scapegoated into the blame of a problem they are completely innocent of.

I'm sick of this story, and I'm sick and tired of society's emotional rather than rational response. The pathetic thing is a leader should be able to say "times are tough but this is how we are going to deal..." but in today's world that makes that person heartless and disconnected; but this is one of many reasons why the world is so screwed up and people can't cope with anything.

Chance of Rain 90%

Well my original intention for this long Massachusetts weekend was to head up to Bar Harbor/ Acadia for some hiking with Kate, however that was thwarted by Ma Nature. Snow, Rain, torrential rain at that, wind, high tides, and flooding. Had there been locusts I would have been a little concerned. I was able to cancel our hotel reservations earlier this past week and instead we had a quiet weekend here in the Commonwealth. Saturday night Kate came over and I had bought a Harrow's chicken pot pie. Now chicken pot pies don't sound particularly special by any stretch of the imagination, but this little Mom & Pop joint in Reading definitely has perfected the pot pie craft. I made up a nice salad with some raspberry vinaigrette dressing to compliment it. Additionally I picked up some fresh baked rolls. We watched some TV and pretty much just lounged around. On Sunday we did manage to catch a film. We saw "The Namesake" which was an excellent independent film about the story of a first generation Indian-American family and how they deal with the culture differences, and the story of the events that brought them here. It was a well done film that championed the importance of family and creating a balance between tradition, and personal choice and independence. The film was Kate's pick and it was a excellent one. The film is based on a Pulitzer-winning novel of the same name. If interested see the IMDB link provided for some reviews.

Prior to seeing the film Kate and I went to "The Chateau" in Waltham, which was convenient because the movie played at the Embassy Theater off of Moody St. I've had The Chateau's catered food, but I had never actually been to the original (or any other location) restaurant in Waltham. Tim Hayes had mentioned it several years back when he lived in Lowell with me, and I recall Scotty saying that his brother worked at the one up on 93 (In Andover?). Anyway it reminded me of Valle's restaurant that I used to go to as a kid. They used to have several locations, the last of which was in Portland next to the Westbrook exit. It was very much essentially the same sort of place, an old fashioned Americanized Italian restaurant where you can also get good steak and seafood. It served as great comfort food on a dreary day. Kate had ravioli, and I had chicken catchatori. The bread was nice and the restaurant had the type of atmosphere that made me feel as if I'd already been there a dozen times.

On the way out of Waltham I drove Kate by the 100 Beaver Street, where Genome Therapeutics once was. Genome was the first place I worked when I came to the Boston area, and now the building is empty and the business is gone. It was a bit sad. It was a vivid reminder of how fast time goes by and how transient and volatile the world in which we persist is.

Monday Kate & I again indulged in lunch. We went to Colombo's Pizza & Cafe in Reading which was excellent. It was a cute little Italian diner and coffee shop close to the commuter rail station in Reading. We got individual portions (Kate a calzone, myself a pizza), and bruschetta for an appetizer. We ended up with so much food, we likely will have enough for a couple more meals, and Kate & I got two boxes and divided it up.

Well.... work is likely to be a pain this week (thankfully it will be a short week) and I need to get to bed.

Aieee! Politics

My man Gingrich speaking the truth yet again. Ah, I long for the golden age when I actually used to like republicans. Although the following are two examples of Republicans that please me.

Gingrich vs. Kerry: Shoot-out at the climate change corral

CNN's story highlights:
• Gingrich says incentives should be used to reduce carbon emissions
• Kerry: Waiting on market like saying 'Enron, you take over the pensions' for U.S.
• Gingrich, Kerry exchanged words at climate change debate in Washington

The best portion of this article:
"Gingrich said he accepts there is a general consensus among scientists that Earth has gotten warmer over the last century and that humans have contributed to that problem, conceding that his views might not find favor with some of his fellow conservatives.
But the former GOP speaker said he believes the best way to solve the problem is to unleash the spirit of American entrepreneurship, not the power of government. That means using tax credits and other incentives to encourage the development of technology to reduce carbon emissions, rather than capping them by government decree. "

And additionally in the lime light due to this topic of climate change, the governator himself:

Schwarzenegger pumps up green movement

CNN's story highlights:

• Schwarzenegger says environmental movement needs image polished
• He backs cars that run on biofuel and hydrogen fuel
• He warns politicians to follow his lead or watch votes melt like polar ice caps

And my favorite part of this story:
He issued a warning to other politicians who don't follow his lead.
"Your political base will melt away as surely as the polar ice caps -- I can guarantee you of that," Schwarzenegger said. "You will become a political penguin on a smaller and smaller ice floe, drifting out to sea. Goodbye, my little friend."

I think Gingrich has a point about encouraging entrepreneurship, however I don't believe it is enough on its own. There have to be stricter regulations, because we know big business is not responsible enough to do it on its own.

People talk a lot about "tough decisions" and how they often are the right ones. Tough decisions are very much a part of the Bush administration's lexicon, however they fail to get tough on the environment favoring business instead. The real irony is that independence from oil will only bolster the American economy, and its security. At first there will be some sacrifices, and some people will suffer but this has to be done. It is the responsible thing. If you can't embrace it for environmental reasons, I think an even more important reason is for national security and global stability. We must stop pumping money into regions of the world that have a growing base of people that want us destroyed. It is common sense!

This time article claims this to be a surprise, but I'm not surprised at all:

Poll: A Surprising G.O.P. Edge for '08

People know that the left can't lead on the economy, and as far as corruption goes... while the Bush administration and his style of republican (Delay, Lott, and Hastert amongst others) set new standards for the GOP, in the past the Democrats were very much in the mud, and very connected so we say. The Democrats have always traditionally been very much aligned with the mob, Unions... many which are essentially a socially accepted contingency of the mob, and have a long history of un-kept promises and political maneuvering that makes Karl Rove look like an amateur. (The dems continue to look golden because they cover their backs rather than scoff at "the people" openly) Unions are a necessary evil, something well intended that turned into a monstrosity. I often wonder if in today's world if there wouldn't be better ways to enable, or give individuals power to exercise their rights as employees. Anyhow I digress....

The problem with the polls that are cited in the Time article are: Neither John McCain or Giuliani will win the primary. As the article says, "They aren't traditional republicans". I'm not certain I'd go as far to say that, what I would say is they deviate from today's status quo for Republicans. They don't cater to the religious right (A relatively new power force in the GOP). Nixon and Reagan both were less "socially conservative" than Bush and many of his loyalists. Unfortunately for people who count themselves as fiscal conservatives and support less government oversight and the free market: Because the south is a stronghold for the social conservatives, and because the electoral college is tipped in their favor, it is more probable, that Romney (despite his John Kerry like behavior) will be the nominee, or someone else entirely. Romney might have a chance against Hillary, but for anyone else it will an uphill battle.

I'm almost tempted to register as a Republican so I can vote in the primary, because it will be more important than the final vote. The results of the primary, may be decisive enough to let one easily predict the outcome of the presidential election.

Lastly the latest oops:

White House: Millions of e-mails may be missing

I know its a bit of a diversion, but I'd like to know how the Clinton Administration handled their email so we can better understand if this is legitimately an unprecedented cover up action or simple neglect. Of the five million, do they include emails only from questionable times? Or does this encompass the entire period W has been in office? This unfortunately will have to be investigated, and it is almost irritating enough to warrant punishment even if this wasn't a specific "cover-up" attempt of the administrations actions. Handling of this information should have been treated with great importance and that it wasn't shows incompetence and disregard for the law. This will cost the U.S. tax payers millions of dollars and divert the attention of our legislative branch from areas of greater importance. Some one's head should roll.

Mondays suck... just in case you weren't aware.

Don Imus... On his way out? He should be, and if I was making the decision at CBS radio, and NBC it would be a no brainer. Racism should not be tolerated, shock jock or not. Put something worthwhile listening to instead of that garbage spewed out by a bitter, grumpy, old man. THAT BEING SAID.... this pisses me off:

For Sharpton, the apology was not enough. He told CNN's "The Situation Room" Monday afternoon, "We want him fired."

Sharpton has no business trying to take the high ground on racism.

See this commentary for examples: Al Sharpton: The Democrat's David Duke

Here's a globe article discussing Sharpton's racism in the midst of the last presidential campagin: The race-baiter in the campaign

Wikipedia had the following, Sharpton on Barack Obama: Media reports have suggested tension between Sharpton and Barack Obama. According to the New York Post's political reporter Frederick U. Dicker, Sharpton has launched a "big-time" effort to tear down Illinois Sen. Barack Obama as a candidate for president.” The Post quotes a unnamed prominent black Democratic activist who knows Sharpton as saying, "[Sharpton is] saying that Obama never did anything for the community, never worked with anybody from the community, that nobody knows the people around him, that he's a candidate driven by white leadership.”

The bottom line is, Al Sharpton perpetuates racism. Jesse Jackson and that whole crew are nothing more than white collar crooks who black mail and threaten people and corporations for their own personal gain. The preach futility rather than possibility to "their community" and are nothing more than a giant anchor around the legs of all those who follow them.

Here is a nice example of Jackson's fine leadership: Judicial Watch represents Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson in claims against Jackson
Here's some follow up details to the incident described above: http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive/2006/jackson-report.pdf

Moving right along,

More bad news, Iran is making progress in achieving their goal. Our failed foreign policy over the past few years coupled with Western leadership that just doesn't seem to get the severity of the situation, has allowed this building catastrophe to occur. White House: 'We are very concerned' about Iran's nukes

Fifty percent of adults would not vote for Clinton The Harris Poll says that Hillary STILL is just as polarizing as ever. Half of voting-age Americans say they would not vote for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) if she became the Democratic nominee for president in 2008. Would Hillary win if she is nominated. If she has a chance, now is the time. I'm going to have a tough time voting for anyone who pushes National Health care to the front of their campaign. This is an old idea which would bankrupt our government and destroy the American economy, and honestly the economy is on precariously thin ice as it is. Giuliani is looking to be the most promising in my opinion of the candidates as for one reason or another I'd be more likely to vote some independent out of protest than any of the other candidates. If McCain shapes up, I might be convinced, but it will be a tough sell.

In Arizona, Bush addresses immigration legislation: President Bush on Monday took the first steps on the long road to signing a comprehensive immigration bill into law this year. Bush really needs to push this plan, his ideas are the best and most reasonable of those which have been laid on the table. Kicking all of the illegals out of the country is unrealistic, but preventing a continued undocumented flow MUST be done. Bush has the ability to accomplish this, and it could be the one legitimate accomplishment of what is turning out to be another useless legislative branch.

My Monday: Not much to say really. I got to work a bit late due to some delays on the red line, that and I probably should have headed in a little earlier because of a few things I needed done early in the day. I was snatched up as soon as I walked in for an in process meeting upon my arrival. The irritation of others was duly noted, however my notification of the meeting was at the end of the day on Friday and I missed it.

I didn't eat lunch till 1:30 and had a wonderful salad (sarcasm). I meant to go to the gym after work, but realized I accidentally pulled my gym towel out of my backpack when I was looking for my mp3 player this morning. Hopefully I will make it to the elliptical machine tomorrow. (sigh). I'm trying to juggle too many tasks at work on top of some report writing. The frustrating thing is right now it appears that the end will be in sight, but I have the feeling that something else will more than likely come up and derail the train I'm on.

I had some left over Easter ham for supper, and some Goya cheddar & broccoli rice. It was a delight. I've been nursing some chips and salsa for desert.

Anyway... It's time to retire from the blogosphere for the evening and dive back into "The Brothers Bulger" which I finally managed to start reading this weekend.

Have a Terribly Terrific Tuesday

The wind opens the sea

As usual, Newt is right on target. The Bush administration didn't do anything wrong in firing the judges, but their side stepping and lousy handling of the matter has been a disaster. Gonzales must go for the good of the country. I'm certain congress has many other useless items on their to do list which they would much rather waste time on!

Article Highlights (As noted by CNN)
• Gingrich: Gonzales credibility destroyed by the botched firing of U.S. attorneys
• "This is the most mishandled, artificial, self-created mess," Gingrich says
• Gingrich's comments point to building bipartisan support for a new AG
• Gonzales is scheduled to testify April 17 before the Senate Judiciary Committee

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/08/fired.prosecutors.ap/index.html

Hopefully everyone had a nice weekend. I ate too much junk, too much ham, too much candy, too much pizza, too much cookies, and the list goes on.

I visited with an old high school friend, Jason Chaloux. I met his girlfriend Kelly, and her daughter. We sat around and chatted for a bit, drank a couple of Bud Lights and watched Kelly attempt to teach her two year old daughter how to play Candyland. She was too distracted (the little girl) by a balloon which she had just got from Friendly's prior to my arrival. I sympathized as I always thought Candyland was sort of lame. It's just a tease, where is the actual candy? Their cat was stashed in the bathroom, and was mewing for attention. This was for my benefit as I'm allergic to the kitties... I was willing to see how I handled the cat, but they insisted on the seclusion of the poor creature. (I must admit I was laughing a bit at the cat's misfortune).

After hanging out there for a while I returned to my parents and watched the conclusion of "The Ten Commandments". To my great surprise I was enjoying this movie immensely. I'm sure I saw it as a kid, but was probably a bit bored by it. I really got a kick out of the voice of God. The pillar of fire was awe inspiring.

Check out the cool pillar of fire clip above. I guess the one thing that did strike me as legitimately "well done" about this film, is how the enemy was humanized, rather than demonized as is often seen in such films.

The Easter Bunny Hates You

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See the Easter Bunny rip sh*t up (above).

Anyway... I must get ready for my week!

I hope your Monday is marvelous.

Breaking News: Coyotes prefer Quiznos over Subway

There is a great Commentary which was front and center today on cnn.com. Collins: Why this scientist believes in God. Evolution, and scientific discovery in general should NOT deny an existence of God. They only people who are threatened by this are corrupt institutions who want you to believe that they are the only path towards salvation. There is NO conspiracy to prove or convince people there is no God. If anything science creates more questions with each answer it finds. An excerpt from the article:

So, some have asked, doesn't your brain explode? Can you both pursue an
understanding of how life works using the tools of genetics and molecular
biology, and worship a creator God? Aren't evolution and faith in God
incompatible? Can a scientist believe in miracles like the resurrection?

Actually, I find no conflict here, and neither apparently do the 40
percent of working scientists who claim to be believers. Yes, evolution by
descent from a common ancestor is clearly true. If there was any lingering doubt
about the evidence from the fossil record, the study of DNA provides the
strongest possible proof of our relatedness to all other living things.

I still claim to be agnostic. I feel there is something beyond death, and there is a bigger picture than simply our time on Earth. What does it all mean? I haven't the foggiest idea, I just try to do right with my time here, and try not to pass judgement too harshly on the M.O. of the melting pot of different cultures and faiths out there.

The idea that there is one path to salvation is something that is lost on me. As the teachings of my childhood faith says: We are all sinners, I think that says it all.

If you didn't see this, it is pretty far out. A coyote somehow ended up in a Chicago Quizno's location. Check out the footage. Coyote in sub shop

This speaks for itself. I always knew my favorite beverage was divine. I'm certain right along with Peter Rabbit and Mary Magdalene that this was somehow covered up from the last supper by the Church. What Would Jesus Drink?

my lumps

I have a new found respect for Alanis Morissette after this doosey! Way to dis the Black Eyed Peas.... sing the song slow enough to hear the lyrics, and act...... Just like Fergie. Freaking Priceless.

An Enjoyable Sunday

Kate and I had a nice Sunday. We ate a nice lunch at Whiskey's which is near "the Pru" in Boston. Kate had a pulled pork sandwich and I had a cheese steak sandwich which had Poblano peppers and a spicy cheese on it. Our meals were served with great fries, cucumbers in spicy vinegar with onions, and Kate's came with Cole slaw which was nice. I had a Longtrail along with my meal which was satisfying.

Next, on a whim we rode out to Braintree on the red line and walked around the town. It was a nice walk, and it was a decent day for it as it was probably in the mid to high 40s. I went to Borders as well where I picked up the new Modest Mouse album "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank". I also got the book "Flags of our Fathers" by James Bradley. This was recently made into a film directed by Clint Eastwood. I've been on a history kick with my books recently. I finished John McCain's memoir "Faith of my Fathers" (which I believe I already mentioned) and it was excellent. I'm currently reading "1776", about the American revolution, and "The Brothers Bulger" by Howie Carr.

After our adventures in Braintree, a community so quaint it doesn't seem like it should be on the Red line, we returned to Boston. We went back towards the Prudential center and had some Ben & Jerry's for desert (which really was more like supper). We walked around a bit more. We took a wrong turn heading back to Haymarket station and walked through the Financial district. It was desolate to the point of being scary, and we quickly made a U-turn out of it. (I was reminded a bit of those Jack Naiper scenes in Batman, where Bruce Wayne's parents meet an untimely end.) Kate rescheduled the feast she cooks for me from Wednesday to Thursday. Ahhh... the extra time away will be tough. I'll manage.

IN THE WORLD

On the Brewing Unrest in The World: Argentina is once again trying to take over the Falkland Islands. Bizarre to say the very least. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/03/30/argentina.falklands.ap/index.html

In nearby Chile, a nation which has made economic and democratic progress in recent years leftists are protesting, violently at that.

Police injured, hundreds detained in Chile protests

And since there is unrest in South America, why not tie this in, as it could prove to be a prelude, an omen per say, of what is yet to come.

Chavez's Arms Build-Up Concerns State Dept.

Taken directly from the article: Venezuela is going on a "buying spree" for military equipment that goes beyond the country's legitimate needs, according to the U.S. State Department.

STATESIDE:

Newt Gingrich is taking some flak for perhaps a poor choice of words, however I believe his sentiments are right on. A lot of people don't want to hear it but as a government we need to draw the line somewhere rather than cater to every person's needs. It will make everyone who comes to America MORE SUCCESSFUL if they learn English. There is nothing that says you can't speak English and still hold onto your culture. People who think otherwise are ignorant (I'm sorry, but I'm calling it as I see it) and their idealistic views cloud sound judgement. They are in denial of facts and statistics.

Abolish bilingual education, Gingrich urges

Many uninformed people may give this a cursory overview and think Gingrich doesn't want American kids to learn a second language. This is not what this is about. It is about people coming to this country and continuing to learn in their native language rather than learn English like they should. It hurts communities that have to support it, and it hurts the kids who will end up with lousy jobs because they can't communicate.

Newt Gingrich is the man. The "right" jumped the shark when they ran him out of office.

Gates calls for Guantanamo closure

From this article:

Of the 385 detainees at Guantanamo, fewer than 100 would be considered hard-core, Gates said. He said he assumes there would be room in the military prison system for them.

Gates describes "hardcore" as prisoners who would come back to the U.S. and try to harm us or our interests. This begs the question, what are the other 285 doing there? Getting training from the dangerous 100? I know I'd be pretty pissed off if I was held against my will for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.