A state of cowboy

I recently got to see Bowling for Columbine. It was interesting to say the least. It is clearly one sided, but that said the message is still valid.

A key question that Michael Moore asks is why is there such a high incidence of gun violence in the USA and not in other countries with just as high a gun availability as the US. His answer seems to be that the US culture is one based on fear. While that seems to have a solid basis, I will offer another cause. It is the cowboy culture that is prevalent in the US. Starting with the current President, we have a underlying shoot first, ask questions later mind set in the US. This explains many key differences between the US an most European cultures and the one in Canada. They are all much more consultative and pondering. The underlying mind set is to gather the information, discuss and consider it, and then act. While this often slows down the process, the results may be more stability and better long term decision making.

The Cowboy mind set has also lead to the get it done as quickly as possible,clean up the mess later approach often seen in the US, especially in business. While this works for a short while, eventually it will come back to haunt you and bite you in the proverbial butt. The US constantly has a thirst for a quick fix, e.g. tax cuts to boost the economy, instead of long term investment in education, international trade development and the environment. As long as we act like cowboys we will get shot!

The Bush legacy that must never happen

Quote from the NY Times September 14, 2004:

"THE BUSH RECORD
New Priorities in Environment

By FELICITY BARRINGERPublished: September 14, 2004

Every fall, after raising their young near Teshekpuk Lake and the Colville River, tens of thousands of geese and tundra swans leave the North Slope of Alaska for more southerly shores. Some end their journey at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in the flatlands of North Carolina.

Both habitats could be transformed if current Bush administration initiatives come to pass. The birds would have oil rigs as neighbors in Alaska and be greeted by Navy jets simulating carrier takeoffs and landings in North Carolina.
That such projects could bracket the birds' path is not surprising in light of the priorities of the administration. Over the last three and a half years, federal officials have accelerated resource development on public lands. They have also pushed to eliminate regulatory hurdles for military and industrial projects.

In a recent interview, Michael O. Leavitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, summed up the Bush administration's philosophy. "There is no environmental progress without economic prosperity," Mr. Leavitt said. "Once our competitiveness erodes, our capacity to make environmental gains is gone. There is nothing that promotes pollution like poverty."
The administration's approach has provoked a passionate response. Asked about his expectations in the event of President Bush's re-election, Senator James M. Jeffords, the Vermont independent who is the ranking minority member on the Environment and Public Works Committee, wrote in an e-mail message: "I expect the Bush administration to continue their assault on regulations designed to protect public health and the environment. I expect the Bush administration to continue underfunding compliance and enforcement activities."
Mr. Jeffords concluded, "I expect the Bush administration will go down in history as the greatest disaster for public health and the environment in the history of the United States." "

There is little to add to this clear disaster that the Bush regime has created. This onslaught against our precious and fragile natural resources and environment must be stopped. It must happen now, in November we all have the power to stop the lunacy and the destruction. Take action and vote against this destruction of our future.

Texas sun

The one thing I can say about Texas is that we sure have spectacular sunsets. Texas does not have the spectacular landscapes and scenes that can be found in many other place, but the light at sunrise and sunset frequently is stunning. On ozone action days the sunrises and sunsets are often particularly rich and extensive. What an irony that the dirty air helps to make the sunrise or sunset look so good. Nature and physics at play to reward us despite our careless attitude and disregard for the earth we live on. Texas must have more trucks and SUV's than anywhere else. Together with the don't care attitude form the state government about pollution the air quality is constantly degrading. When will we wake up? Clearly not as long as we have the current government (both state and federal). It is up to us to take care and take the initiative. Politicians living of the fat of their corporate sponsors sure as heck will not.

Whither the grey wolf

It is all gone. The color that is. The stunning array of color I saw this morning when I stepped out of the house to walk the dog. The reds, purples and the pinks on the horizon, reflecting of the clouds as the sun approached, warning of its imminent arrival in a spectacular display of intense color. Only nature can provide such a display. The subtle nuances and the constantly changing tones and mixtures of hues and intensity are unique to nature. Man simply cannot match it.
 
The grey wolf will also soon be gone if the current administration continues with its plan to take the grey wolf off the endangered species list.  Of course I expect no less from an administration that clearly does not care two hoots about the environment and the creatures that live in it, including us. Once the grey wolf is no longer protected it will again be at the mercy of the millions of mindless morons with hunting rifles that take pleasure in killing wolves for the simple pleasure of killing.  There is no value in killing a wolf. There is no need to kill a wolf. It is pure unadulterated and mindless pleasure seeking. (Who gets pleasure form killing a majestic animal that is simply trying to survive I don't know, but history has shown there are thousands, if not millions that do).
 
Let's keep the color in the sky, let's keep the grey wolf protected.  It does not stand a chance without us helping. Let's get an administration that cares about us and our environment again.
 

A little rough, but the message is right.....

I heard this on the radio today. Eric Schwartz Someone else that is tired of the religious extreme trying to tell us all how to live and dictate outrageous new laws that fly in the face of the Constitution trying to force us all the live their way. This is America. We all have the right to live the way we choose as long as that does not harm others and infringe on their rights to do what they want.

We really do need a change..............

I had dinner with some folks in Minneapolis one night last week. It was rather refreshing to talk to people who have not all been dragged into the broken world of the reigning White House. People who do not believe all the nonsense, and some that have been shown to be outright lies. Who agree that we should never have attached Iraq. That we are now less safe than we were before. That Iraq has now been turned into a terrorist breading ground. The exact opposite of what we supposedly set out to prevent. What seems to be forgotten is that Iraq was a sovereign country. Right now it is an occupied country dancing to the puppet masters music. But, step back, if we attached Iraq because the leadership was so horrific and we needed to 'free' the people, are we going to do the same for every other suppressed nation in the world. Free all the oppressed and topple every regime in the world. I think not. We would have to invade over half the nations in the world, by the way that would include our beloved Israel. Here is country that is oppressing thousands, torturing and killing daily, yet we send money, weapons, technology and who knows what else to help them. We speak with forked tongue.

I am not a religious person, so I cannot say that I pray for a change in the White House this year, but may all the powers of rational thought prevail to bring about the change we need, just about anybody else could do a better job that the current bunch.

Finally the truth is out

In today's edition of USA Today there was an interesting article that finally published what some of knew to be true, but nobody was saying. In this debate about jobs, especially those that are going offshore, the argument has been that sending jobs offshore will create new jobs back home. The insinuation has been that they will also be better jobs. Well the data says it is not so! The data says, yes we are creating jobs alright, but on average they are lower paying jobs, and often part time or barely permanents jobs since they are heavily in the service sector, such as food services. So this is really going to help us in the long term. As our skilled, high paying jobs go offshore to other counties to lift their economies and standard of living, we are lowering ours and creating a larger and larger very low paid underclass. The divide between the haves and havenots will keep growing. The social consequences of that are not trivial. The economic impact on the US is also significant. There may be more jobs, but since they are low paying the taxes being paid to run the country are decreasing and the overall spending power of the average American is dropping. This is not what we expect and is not the plan we want. So be careful when you are told things are getting better, do not be blinded by statistics. They may not be painting the true picture!

Now the Kurds are coming...........

So this is getting to be interesting. Before we invaded Iraq we had little problems with either Iraq or terrorists per se. The worst terrorist atrocity on US soil had been perpetrated by a white American citizen, born and bred in the heartland. Then we invaded Iraq, which was falsely justified as being a strike against. Terrorism. Instead of really attacking the terrorist links in Saudi and Pakistan, no we attacked a tin pot dictator that was himself a target of the Taliban and others. We go ahead and help the fundamentalist terrorist movement by getting rid of someone that was in their way and open up Iraq to become a hot bed of terror. Now we run around and blame the deaths of Americans on the 'terrorists' we unleashed. I have yet to hear the government point a finger at Saudi. No that would be a problem since that is where the OIL comes from,and the personal friends of the Bush's would be offended. Money would be lost by a few exclusive folks. How sad. Instead hundreds of innocent Americans must die for no reason, and thousands of middle eastern folks must die for no reason other than they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Now the Kurds are wreaking havoc in the northern regions of Iraq. What have we unfurled on the world. Definitely not peace, freedom and prosperity.

It is so, because we say so............

I grew up in a country other than the US. It was a police state and despite have 'elections', it was effectively a dictatorship, albeit well disguised at times. On of the key capabilities of the then government was to invent facts to suite their needs. Have 'security' personnel testify in court to events that did not occur using fabricated evidence. Events this week with the current incumbents of the White House grimly remind me of those days. The 9/11 Commission provides physical evidence that an someone is physically in the US, when the White Claims that he was meeting with terrorists in Europe on the same day and time. When confronted with this Dick Cheney simply dismisses the physical evidence as 'wrong' since it does not match his version of the truth. I hope Americans realize what a scary path we are on. Where the powers that be chose to believe their own lies and rhetoric in spite of overwhelming hard evidence that they plain screwed up. What happened to honor, integrity and truth. Oh, well, I forgot, these are politicians were are dealing with, and in this case money hungry, profit driven politicians.

Thinking about religion

In yesterday's Wall Street Journal there was a letter in which the author said "America is a very religious country and primarily a Christian one". While I am not affiliated with any organized religion I do not care that other people choose to do so. That is their personal choice. What I am bothered by is that statements like the one above imply that because many people are Christians, gives them the right to assume that everybody agrees with them and if someone does not agree with them, they should. This creates an intrinsic conflict and a mindset that skews all thought. It also places anybody who does not conform to this religious mindset in a position where they need to constantly consider the Christian view of everything to get things done and to not unduly offend those around them.

The founders of this great country very deliberately created a constitution that separated church and state for a very good reason. They had suffered under the rule of governments driven and directed by religious ideology instead of rational thought. This current wave of religious fervor that is constantly intruding into the daily running of our country is both troubling and very dangerous. The country must be run based on facts, rationale thought and the principles of fairness and equality, not preference for those that are part of the faith. Remember the Spanish inquisition, it was driven by irrational and blind belief, not driven by rational values that would improve the life of the citizens.

So we have been hearing a lot of different statements being made about the legacy of Ronald Reagan this week. I heard one pundit claim that he was responsible for rebuilding the US economy. I statement I find rather strange considering we had the largest deficit in history by the time he left office to be almost immediately followed by a crushing recession. What he should has said was that apparent economic prosperity was bought by mortgaging the future. What is more relevant to our current time, is the our current President is following the Reagan model. He has taken a cash surplus and created what is now the largest deficit in history (of the US at least) to buy what looks like economic strength. The question is whether it is real and if history is being repeated. We have all seen that Dubja has ignored just about every lesson of history and keeps repeating the same mistakes as many before him. Will his legacy also be that the facade of economic prosperity is immediately followed by a very real and devastating recession as we once again pay off our debts and pay for the uncontrolled ego of a man that should never have been given the change to cause this chaos in the first place.

Summer came early to Texas this year and with a vengeance. May started fairly mildly and then bang at the end of May and now into June all hell breaks loose. 106 degrees in June! What happened to easing us into the heat. Someone should tell the boys running this show that summer starts around June 20th.

Well we have had some very active weather this year, lots of tornadoes and heavy rain, droughts, you name it. It would appear that things are getting more severe all the time. Maybe that global warming thing is true after all. (Note the sarcasm!).

Hopefully more and more people in the US will notice how ignoring the environment comes back to haunt us later. The current pain unfortunately cannot be directly blamed on George DubYa, but much future pain can and should be. His record on air pollution, helping the oil companies ravage our country and environment and allowing just about any large corporation that wishes to run roughshod over us and our fragile earth is both pathetic and alarming. Lets make sure this poor excuse for man does not get to do this to us again in assigned term. He has to go. One term is too much! Just about any alternative candidate will be better. They surely no one else cause as much damage as he has in his 4 short years.

If you ever get to drive in Texas you need to be aware of a great threat to you while on the road. It come in several forms, but is very easy to recognize. The first form is slow moving, erratic and appears to move aimlessly invariably in a manner to maximize your frustration and often putting you at risk with unexpected moves. The second form, while physically looking identical to the first moves at maximum speed, will go over just about anything to get to it's destination and could not care about anybody else on the road. Yes I speak of the white pick-up truck. You have been warned! No excuses. (The speed demon white pick-up truck has a close cousin, just as easy to spot, namely the black pick-up truck. While there are much fewer of them, they are just as deadly).

Once again our freedoms are under attach. This time from stealth censorship. Not so stealth actually. Pretty blatant censorship in the form of penalties from the FCC on radio shows. This is yet again the ultra Christian right forcing their views on us. The time has come for us to say enough is enough. We do not want others telling us what to think and say.

Wow three posts in one day, must be that long absence that has bottled up a lot to say.

I attended a conference in CA this week and had 2 similar and interesting experiences that reminded me how important it is to treat people well and respectfully and not to burn bridges as you move forward in your life.

At college I studied Chemistry and did a Masters in Theoretical Chemistry. When I started working it was as a software engineering virtually from day one. So what? Well this conference was the bi-annual American Chemical Society attended mainly by Chemists. I was there selling software that helps them do computation work more effectively.

So what happened?

I met a fellow during one session and we started talking. Turns out he was a member of the team at the University of Arkansas that provided one of the key programs I used to complete my masters and we had corresponded 25 years earlier. Moreover he was still in contact with my advisor from those days! Well thought it was interesting. Second event is even more unlikely. I was scheduled to have lunch with a Prof. Of Chemistry form Oxford on Monday and during our conversation I discovered he had been the best man at the wedding at one of my professors in South Africa where I grew up and studied. Bizarre to say the least. What are the odds of that. (Bear in mind the guy in South Africa had a class of 4 the year he taught me)!

So, lesson re-enforced, treat people with respect and dignity, you never know when or where they will cross your path again in the future.

It has been a while. No I did not fall off the face of the earth, just been too busy.

Flying back from LA last night the person next to me was reading a book called the Sovereignty of God. I could not help but to notice some of the writing this book. By now it must be clear that I am not religious in the traditional sense. That does not mean I m not spiritual. One comment in particular I found irrational is the "wrath of God will come down on the wicked". Well if God is supposed to be all loving and forgiving why must we fear the wrath? More fundamentally I see that most religions in the world (that I am aware of at least) are based on fear of the unknown, and that they are a shameless exploitation of this fear. What is really frightening is that many really intelligent people have fallen for this trap. Blind belief in something all powerful (and wrathful apparently) that there is absolutely no proof of other than a centuries old belief that it exists and is controlling us and all that surrounds us.

Believing in an all powerful controlling being is one thing, but to go out and start killing people who do not believe what you believe is another. That appears to now be a growing issue in the current state of the world. At least 2 fundamental groups who both have a God they believe in, but have drastically different beliefs about that God and appear to be totally willing to kill other who disagree. So this is the rational outcome of irrational thought, based on an irrational belief. Pretty scary that the future stability of the world as we know it is based on such a flimsy and unstable thought.

By the way do not get me started on the mixing of state and religion as is currently practiced by Dubja (George W Bush for those who do not know him by his real name). That leads to even more irrational behavior than you can imagine. This guy is making Victoria (Queen of England that is, not the one with the secret), look liberal and free spirited. (Sorry, but I can't leave Dubja out of the picture, he is always inviting this kind of comment).

Sunday morning there was a wonderful sunrise. It was missed by most people since it was early and lasted only for a few minutes. The deep pink edge of the sky was a color and richness only nature can produce. Sunday was also depressing with the news that over a hundred dolphins had beached themselves of the coast of Mexico. Most died. We have no idea why dolphins and whales do this. Many reasons have been suggested, maybe we need to consider the thought that they are staging a protest. The ultimate protest of dying to make a point. Dolphins are very intelligent creatures, maybe they are getting tired of man using their home, the sea, as a garbage dump. We dump raw sewage, oil from tankers, waste and who knows what else into the sea every hour of the day. At some point this mindless action has to trigger a reaction. Maybe the dolphins and whales are trying to warn us of the impending issues from our actions. It may be time to pay attention to their warning.

Finally we had some fresh cold weather to clean out the cobwebs. Cold weather wakes me up and gets me going. Everything is crisp and bright in the winter sunlight. The trees are bare skeletons, beautiful structures that appear now that the leafy clothing has been blown away. The blue sky is deep and fresh. Inviting. Walking outside is refreshing with a cool wind in your face or at your back. The dog charges around while we walk. The cool of winter has put a bounce in his step as well. He does not like the heat of summer either.

This year is starting well. Lots of good things are happening. It is good to be alive.

2004 has started hot and muggy. I hope this is not a bad omen. They say the economy will be a lot better this year. I suspect that will be true for the very rich. The average worker will probably be no better of than in 2003 with work still hard to find and cost of living gradually increasing. Hopefully the economy will not help Bush keep the Presidency. I am not sure we can handle another 4 years of his divisive and destructive policy making. The environment has suffered and will keep suffering for a very long time as a consequence of his approach. Take whatever you want, not what you need, and make as much money while you are at it. Rape the earth for your personal gain. No problem there.

Well I hope we will make the right choices going forward, choosing leaders that care for more than their personal wellbeing and that we can start to turn the tide of destruction back to one of caring and balance with the earth we so desperately depend on.