Why I aughta...

The world is crumbling?
Kids today are so terrible?
They're damned ingrates?
We were never like that, were we?
We appreciated all we had?


These guys had it made compared to my upbringing!

"What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?"  - Plato, 400 bc

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint" - Hersoid, 800 bc


It seems young folks being a pain in the ass is nothing new. I know they're frustrating. But usually, I find it is mostly me, forgetting what it was like being a kid myself :-)

Still, if that boy of mine doesn't straighten up, I'm gonna clobber him good !

Good News ... well, maybe

 

If National Geographic Magazine can be believed, A new study  would suggest that cell phone radiation may protect against and even slow the effects of Alzheimers Disease.

This is good news, if it's correct. At least, for me, it's good news ;-)

It's good in as much as cell phone usage has become ubiquitous.
So much so, that I often wonder what we did before we had such conviences. We actually had to seek out payphones if we needed to make a call on the run.
Not only have we come to rely on the phone's calling convenience, we demand so much more from our phones now. They must text, email, have web access and a host of advanced things unheard of just a few years ago. My phone makes toast (milquetoast?). 

Is our reliance on mobile phones just another in our growing list of technological dependencies? Do these dependencies make us stronger?

                                                             this is my current POS phone

Ha, I just now see the irony of asking those questions in this format :-)

Come back anytime, buddy.

Recently, our blogger buddy oneblood seemed to disappear.
I had been trying to locate him, emailing and whatnot.

I heard from him, just now :-)

He's fine.

He mentioned time constraints, familial obligations, and schoolin' were a big factor. Ya gotta respect those priorties!

He'll be missed around here, surely. But, I suspect he may pop in from time to time, even if he didn't say as much.

Faith ! What good is it?

I think the fact that we can't prove god exists is a given at this point.
But, "Ya gotta have faith", you say.
Why?



saying it much better than I could ever!

I suppose if you have faith, it's OK for YOU. But, please understand that your faith does not, in any way, make the object of your faith any more real.

Understand that having faith and, indeed, even prayer may get resutls for you. But, just as likely, so will meditation to yourself.
It is the human mind, in my opinion, that causes the faith and prayer to work, not some distant cosmic power.

Let's give ourselves credit. We are the gods!

When you can't be all that you can be.....

There's talk around Wahington about lifting the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military. Even General Colin Powell (ret USArmy) has gotten behind the lifting of the ban. Powell, you may remember, was previously against homosexuals openly serving in the Army. He said it was a "behavioral characteristic", unlike skin color, which was a "benign characteristic".

Powell now says, "If the chiefs and commanders are comfortable with moving to change the policy, then I support it. Attitudes and circumstances have changed. Society is reflected in the military. It’s where we get our soldiers from."
Other than ending his sentence with a preposition, he's right.

The Army has long been a forerunner in civil rights. Black Americans were integrated in the Army before society at large accepted them as equals (if they are today?). The complete desegragation of races was not implemented overnight. It was a slow process. Many fine examples of valor among "negro" units exist. From the Buffalo Soldiers to the Tuscagee Airmen, black Americans had fought and died with distinction - only to be segragated.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell was a landmark decission, to be sure. Up to that point, homosexual Americans had been barred from service in any branch of the military. Don't ask, don't tell provided a way for homosexuals to serve. However, serving came with restrictions. They had to stay in the closet, living in secrecy.



Race is a bit harder to keep secret. But, should anyone be forced to deny a most fundamental human right as basic as loving who you wish to love? In the United States?

C'mon folks, let's end this bigotry quickly!
What's the great fear? Does anyone really believe homosexuals are less capable to wage war? Is it really any of our business who an adult loves? Are we afraid we'll somehow get gay blood on us and morph into drag queens on the battle feild?

Sure some people aren't going to like it. But, a lot of people weren't comfortable with the idea of intergratin of races either. Would any reasonable person now say that was a bad idea ?