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September 6, 2004:
Mrs. Gaffer:
She says there should be a law. Any engineer who designs something
for public use should have to live with it in a real life situation
for a year. For example, her current rage is directed toward
people who design refrigerators. They should have to use it for
a year and clean it thoroughly at least once per month. They
should especially have to clean out all of the little cracks
and crevices.
Truman:
I believe he was an almost honest man, perhaps the only one we
have had in the oval office since Lincoln. As a consequence,
he tended to do things he considered to be ethical and to not
do things he considered to be unethical. That is not to say he
was always right, but he tried to be.
About Ethics:
We need people in leadership who can set the example of ethical
behavior. There is only one ethic. It's not a multiple choice.
You do what you believe is right regardless of the consequences.
Anything else is unethical. Our entire government, both political
parties, and most of our citizens are unethical. That is the
sad reality. American democracy was a magnificent promise that
got sold out to expediency.
Ambassadors:
I used to wonder why men who were poor to mediocre presidents
sometimes became such great ambassadors for America afterward.
I think I have figured it out. It is simply that they stopped
being politicians and began being humans and Americans. This
has never been more evident than in the services rendered by
Carter. Noticing this makes it clear why some ex presidents will
never be good representatives for us. They are just too selfish
and political.
Humor:
In America, subtle humor does not play well. Very few people
get it. That is good because those very few people are exactly
the very few people I am trying to reach. I am simply going to
have to put more effort into subtle humor. In some company I
could be as gross as Foxworthy if I chose. I have even proved
it on occasion to the satisfaction of all present. Even so, I
much prefer the light touch of a Benchley or a Twain.
Illusions:
So long as the majority of the rabble need comfortable illusions,
such as religion provides, there will be no emotional growth
in mankind. Emotionally, we have not evolved since the time of
Socrates. We are still childishly dependant on our superstitions.
Now I lay me down to sleep.
I'll close my eyes and hope to keep,
the demons neath my bed asleep.
If they get me before I wake,
I'll go to heaven for beer and steak.
The War:
The war on terrorism is not a war on Arabs as some people believe.
It is a war on extremists who choose violence as a viable solution
to political problems. They will always have a primitive religious
mentality. They are not all in the middle east. Many are in Europe
and the British Isles. A huge number of them reside in America
awaiting their chance. We must deal firmly with these people
wherever we find them. They are a disgrace to mankind. They are
a scar on the psyche of the human community. They are an insult
to the very god they pretend to believe in.
Abusing Kids:
Child abuse is still common and widespread. It almost always
begins in the home and is carried forward in the schools. Adults
have attitudes about children which are inherently abusive and
they do not even think of it that way. We think of children as
less than citizens. They have no rights. They have no protections
under law. That is how we think of them. That is how we treat
them. If someone treated us the way we routinely treat kids we
would scream for justice. We would hire an attorney.
Cell Phones:
Kids are getting cell phones in increasing numbers. What seemed
a rare privilege a few months ago, now seems to be a necessity.
I heard a very articulate kid on TV news who was about to begin
college make the case for highschool kids having them.
"Would I have liked to have a phone in highschool?
"Sure!
"Did I need one?
"No, but it would have been nice to be able to call home
and tell my parents when something comes up rather than having
to hunt around for a pay phone."
A good case I think. We should notice that, because of thugs,
pay phones are getting harder and harder to find. The thugs trash
them just to get the few quarters they contain. Sometimes they
trash them for no reason at all. So, a cell phone is becoming
a viable option. I would add just one other option. After considering
what happened at Columbine and the recent kidnaping of youngsters,
I would suggest a panic button on each phone. This would be a
simple red button that would alert the local police. The kid
would only have to press it. All else would happen automatically.
Yoga or Bologna:
I watched a news segment of TV wherein people were shown doing
bending and stretching exercises. They were in classes and had
an instructor who called what they were doing Yoga. The hype
was about how great Yoga is for human health. I am convinced
that bending and stretching exercises are good for human health
just as are relaxation techniques. I can testify to that as I
have been doing these things for many years. The point is, you
can call it Yoga, Bologna, or bending and stretching. It is still
the same and it works and you do not need a class or an instructor.
If you want it to be healthy and also have a social event the
class and instructor may be useful.
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