Justinian's Flea

Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe by William Rosen

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
so, I finished this one up. It was the kind of book that didn't deliver what I thought it was selling. What I did learn though was about the fall of the Roman Empire, how bacteria works and the role of the plague in ending Roman dominance. I'd never read it again, but I have to say I have definitely gained knowledge.

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Just Doesn't Seem Right

I read this article about the economic plan presented by our President Elect. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/11/24/obama-set-unveil-new-economic-team/There was at least one part that didn't seem quite right. 

"We've got to restore some balance to our tax code and the Bush tax cuts were disproportionately targeted to the very wealthiest Americans --those who were making more than a quarter million dollars a year can afford to pay a little more," 

Is it me? Am I biased or does it seem wrong that prosperity has made the successful a target?  I don't make $250k a year, but if I did...I know that I would feel like I am being treated unfairly. I suppose there is something to be said for a flat tax.  I wouldn't mind being wealthy, but not if I am to be vilified for it. If this is a sign of things to come...then government is out of control already.

Speaking of which, watch this devotional about the Moral Purposes of Law and Government by Robert George:

http://byubqt.byu.edu/BYUForum/2008/10/BYUForum20081028-2345.mp4 

He doesn't talk about taxing the wealthy...he talks about Abortion and same-sex marriage, but the overall theme is the role of government as a vehicle to advance and protect the well-being of the citizens. He makes clear that people are not a cog in the wheel of Government. It isn't about the citizen working for the benefit and betterment of government but the other way around. It seems to me that the idea of taxing the wealthiest for the greater good...goes contrary to the ideal upon which our nation was founded. 

Civil Rights...a 2-Way Street?

This is just disturbing. A 69 year old lady shows up to support prop. 8 in California. Being an 

obvious threat she is assaulted and protesters make every  effort to deny her her constitutional 

right to free speech and peaceful assembly. All done through intimidation  and physical force. I don't want 

to hear anything more about  civil rights and same sex marriage. They're a bunch of  hypocrites.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450884,00.html

Not Even Funny in Minnesota...

Are you all following what is happening in Minnesota right now? Same thing that happened here in Washington. Republican Dino Rossi won the election but through continuous re-counts ended up losing the race for governor by a very close margin.

Now, in Minnesota, Al Franken, Comedian turned Senator, was down by over 700 votes and now has closed to 206 behind the incumbent. They're finding votes in cars, going through rejected ballots trying to get them accepted. Next I'm sure they'll hit the obituaries....

Above I mentioned that Al turned from Comedian to Senator because I believe that it's going to happen. They will find those votes come heck or high water. It will still be close, but when it's all said and done, Franken will have won and there won't be a single vote that his Republican challenger will be to fabricate to win it back. 

Ticks me off...but just like Tuesday, bleh. It's truly an obamanation (abomination).

Miracle At St. Anna Movie Tie In by James McBride

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Well. Finished this one...I walked away from it wondering what had happened. I gave it two stars just for the look at history it provided. Seemed disjointed. I would never read it again. I don't recommend it either. I will say that it sort of picked up at the end and turned out to be a rather sad ending. And pretty sorry way African American soldiers were thought of and treated. Giving their lives for the country they loved, that didn't love them back. A shame really....

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The Democratic Process

I just finished reading the following article on Foxnews.com

 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,449024,00.html . It seems that there is some anger and frustration on the part of those California citizens who are in a same sex marriage or support that ideal.  Some of the more interesting comments:

 "They just took marriage away from 20,000 couples and made their children bastards," he said. "You don't do that and get away with it."

 and

 "The main focus is going to be going after the Utah brand," he said. "At this point, honestly, we're going to destroy the Utah brand. It is a hate state."

 That's just the two most notable comments from the article.

 And how about another article http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,448825,00.html  that relates this: 

 "Gay rights activists produced a commercial that portrayed Mormom missionaries rifling through the home of a lesbian couple and marching off with their rings and their marriage              licenses."  

Honestly...like something like that would ever happen. It's ridiculous. I challenge anyone to provide any type of credible evidence that anything like that was perpetrated. I know  they probably don't claim that it's based on an actual event (real or fabricated) but it's way the heck out there.

It's the democratic process. Part of the great thing about this country is being able to stand up for our moral convictions. The LDS church may have encouraged members to contribute their time and money to this effort, but I'll guarantee now that 99% of active church members already agreed with defining marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. 

 

Truly, the real fact of the matter is that Californians voted their conscience. The church didn't put the same focus into the ballot initiatives in Florida and Arizona, but they failed too. Apparently a majority of people seem to agree that marriage should be defined as a relationship between a man and a woman. Just accept the results of the democratic process and move on. If you don't like those results, then keep a civil tongue and start working on your next initiative. As screwed up as things seem to be...if you keep trying long enough eventually you'll win.  The success of proposition 8, especially in a liberal state like California actually gave me some hope for the world.

I bet you believed in the democratic process and the voice of the people when Obama was elected president. You can't only be satisfied with the democratic process when it goes your way. 

 

Kids Say the Darndest Things Don't They?

Ok, switching from hopeless to normal Stan mode. This is too funny not to share...

An Evening Home with Dad

I'm not going to call it baby-sitting, my wife would take issue with that but one night I was home with 3 of my kids. We were up in my bedroom watching TV. I was sitting on the bed and they were sitting between me and the TV in an arm-chair. I could only see the top halves of their heads over the back of the chair. We were watching an ultimate cage-fighting program.  My daughter is 11. My son is 8.

Extenz

During the commercial break a commerical came on for a product called Extenz. Guaranteed to make "that certain part of the male anatomy bigger." I had seen this commercial often enough that I knew that the kids would not get what they are talking about and so I just let it go. 

Halfway through the commercial I see my son's head cock to the side. I couldn't see his face, but if I could have it would have had a puzzled look on it. He looked at his sister and said, "what?" My daughter looked back, shrugged, and said, "I don't know." 

He stood up and looked at me and thought for a few seconds then finally said, "I know what they're talking about! Their talking about their butt!"  I said, "no...that's not what they are talking about."

Reckless Enlightenment

I said to him, "no....dude, a certain part of the male anatomy."  He got the most curious look on his face and said, "Their wiener?" He laughed like only an 8 year-old boy can laugh and asked, "why would someone want their weiner to be bigger?"

Panic Born of Recklessness

What do you say to that? I started formulating a lie that they would buy when my son yelled out, "Oh, I KNOW!"  Now I was really nervous and not a little curious. In absolute triumph he announced, "So you can stand farther away from the toilet when you pee!" 

"That's right," I replied, "until then...please start standing a little closer."

Coming down off the ledge a little?

Some time has passed and, for me, a cooler head is prevailing. I'm still a bit miffed that everything...let me repeat...EVERYTHING that I voted for, except one local representative...went the other way. So...virtually everything I wanted, was contrary to what a majority of my fellow Washingtonians wanted. That being said...for that local representative, watch out! The ballot count isn't over! I could doom you as well. Funny that the first day under the next term with Gregoire...my taxes have already gone up (sales tax increase...but the point is new taxes already)..and we asked for it. Stupid Sound Transit. Good thing it will do nothing to solve congestion problems.

I was just watching CNN. Boy they are excited! Not only is the US saved, but the world is saved. We are on the road to recovery from a financial standpoint as is illustrated by the sell off today (lost, what? 400+ points). Media is all in a flurry. What I don't understand is this...about half the country was pleased, the other half disappointed in 2004 when Bush was re-elected. Yet, all I saw on the news websites was how shocked and dismayed the country and the world was. 4 years later, about half the country is shocked (25% actually scared) 
and the other half happy (although only 33% excited) yet I haven't seen a single negative report. It's a mystery. If I were a cynic I would say it's media bias. Reality, I just haven't searched hard enough. The thing is, in 2004, I didn't have to search at all.

I'll be interested to see what happens in the next couple of years. Will it really turn out to be a bad thing? When the 2010 election occurs, will the remaining Republican senators who are up for re-election be subject to the same, "95% of the time he/she voted with Bush!"  Egad. Dollars to donuts that's exactly what we hear. It worked this time, why not next?

In 2012, when Obama runs for re-election, and it is without doubt true that he will...heck some of his flunkeys were talking about it on the news last night (8 years of Obama) will the tide turn again? Will voters say, "Holy cow, let's get this nut job out of office!" Will it be time for another change? Will they go back to blaming all the country's woes (from 8 years ago) on Bush and the Republicans? will we hear, "If you vote for Smith, you will be voting to go back to the mess we had under the Bush administration 8 years ago." How much mileage is left in that one? I think quite a bit.

The Lunatics are Running the Asylum

It's kind of a surreal feeling tonight. It's hard to believe that we would elect such a liberal democrat president and then imbue him with such tremendous power by providing him with a democratic majority in the house and senate.  Oh the mileage all these democrats got out of bashing George Bush. How could we overlook the fact that their own approval rating was lower than Bush's? Change is on the way alright. For those who voted for him...this is soon to become Utopia. For those who worry about his presidency...this is soon to become Southern Canada. For those who are really worked up about his election...this is soon to become Northern Cuba. 

Either way, I'm going to go buy a generator, store up on gasoline and food,  buy a shot gun, and get ready for the inevitable attack soon to come to test him. 

Oh and by the way...how can anyone criticize the choice of Sarah Palin as a Vice-presidential candidate and not say anything about Joe Biden who sticks his foot in his mouth every time he opens it?