This is ridiculous! Michael Reagan said it last year, referring to first the smoking bans around the country, then an alderwoman in DC proposed an alcohol ban, not a ban on artificial trans-fatty acids. "If the government is going to pay for your health care, they are going to tell you how to live." Well said, well said. I need to start reading my Escape Artist magazine a little closer and begin paying more attention to nations where personal freedoms are a little higher than here in the States.

In reference to the political left's continuous babbling of today's working poor, the five million more that live under the poverty line under Bush, my question is how do we define poverty in the US? In the third world, it's easy: basic shelter (grass hut), food (one meal per day) and clean drinking water. Anyone with that I am sure would not complain about their poverty. What about in the US? I don't want monetary figures, I want basic needs.

Regarding my recent post on distributing oil profit to the people of Alaska, William Easterly talks about the same thing in his book "The White Man's Burden." He is comparing levels of democracy in rich and poor societies and comparing and contasting when it tends to work and when it tends to fail, noting that it tends to fail in unequal agrarian societies because:

...it alternates between populist demagogues attempting redistribution and the rich striking back with military coups.

Hence, he notes:

"The big successful Communist revolutions occurred in poor agrarian societies, - Russia in 1917 and China in 1949 - not in industrialized countries, as Marx had predicted."

However, he goes on:

A natural resource oligarchy is particularly inimical to democracy. Oil is infamous for undermining or preventing democracy.

Why, you ask:

Oil revenues are very easy to redistribute, so wealthy and well-connected insiders who benefit from oil controlled by a dictatorship have a lot to lose from a democracy that would surely result in redistribution. Hence we get oil societies desperate to prevent democracy, ranging from the oil-rich Middle East to Africa.

He then quotes NYU politics professor Leonard Wantchekon who...

...documented systematically the association of resource wealth with autocracy in Africa...he shows that new democracies have succeeded in Africa mainly in resource-poor places such as Benin, Madagascar, adn Mali, while oil-rich states such as Algeria, Cameroon, Gabon, and Libya still have dictators. Worldwide, oil producers were on average in the worse fourth of the world's countries in democracy in 2004...

I'm not that smart of a man, but it makes sense to me. Probably another reason why force-feeding democracy into the Middle East (i.e. Iraq) will not work.

So, to answer my own question from the post, yes, it could work, but it won't. It would mean that dictator's would have to give up government control of the resources, thus "sharing" or "redistributing" it to the people and thus weakening their power structure. Not going to happen.

Did I mention how much I hate ND? They are the kind of team that plays like crap for three quarters and then scums out in the end. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

So two years ago I chaperoned Prom at my high school and was amazed when not only did the DJ play "Candy Shop" by 50 Cent but also put up the video on the big-screen.

Then last year when I chaperoned Spree and it was Kid Rock and "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" on the big screen.

Tonight at Homecoming it was Kanye West and "Gold Digger." Have you ever seen that video? What do you think 892 high school kids at a dance are doing when that song it on and the video on the screen? Unbelievable.

I'm no prude, but I don't think that should be up there. I'm all right with the songs, but the visual encourages the licentious. Am I wrong?

I lost a lot of respect for Ohio State fans this morning. Game Day was there and here is a few of the signs I saw in the background:

Paterno: Boxers or Briefs? Depends.

Paterno: Urine our house now.

I'm all for rivalry and getting ugly with the enemy, but I think this went too far.

What if developing countries did this? Each person gets a share of the profit instead of the government hoarding it all? Would/Could it work?

I hate Notre Dame and am not a fan of Charlie Weis, but my hats off to him for opening his post-game conference yesterday with the truth: "'They deserve their just due,' Irish coach Charlie Weis said. 'I think it's important to understand that team just came and whupped us pretty good.'" No excuses, no blaming the refs or turnovers or anything, they just got whupped. Thanks Charlie!

On a totally different line, and I may be totally wrong here, but today I went into Express to look for some pants. I had found a coupon that expired almost two weeks ago, but I thought maybe they'd still honor it, maybe I should have known better, but I thought I'd give it a shot. So I go up to this clerk working the men's section and ask her if they'd still honor that coupon. She laughed at me, "No, I don't think we could do that!" if a very sarcastic tone. My response should have been, "Well, then I don't think I could shop here." Now, I know it was expired, I knew I had about a 1% chance of being allowed to use it, but I did expect more respect from a saleslady. A little, "I'm sorry sir, our store policy says...could I help you with something else..." anything other than a laugh in the face and sarcastic comment. I've never had good experience with their clothes anyway.

Props go out to the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and even CNN of late for some great TV of last. Last night I got stuck watching "In the Footsteps of Bin Laden" on CNN, then "Is Iran the next Iraq?" on the History Channel, and I know that Discovery has had some good stuff of late.

A little rant if I may as well. First, some background. Lisa and I are about as home-body as you can get. Our weekends are for laying around, cleaning, relaxing, maybe some take-out, that's about it. It's a rare event if we have something planned, it's just the way we are. We know we are the exception to the rule. For one, we are pretty cheap, so we hate going out and wasting money on stuff we don't even like, and two, we just like being home with our kids.

Having said that, as you know, Maiya started pre-school at this little Lutheran church that just has the pre-school, and it started this week so on Friday during my lunch I went to pick her up. I was the only guy there waiting for the kids, and being the eavesdropper that I am, once again overheard their conversations. One lady asked if the other was going to church this Sunday as it there was some worship event going on, with the other replying, in a very dramatic tone, "Oh no, we're going to Chicago this weekend. Then on Sunday we have to rush back to go to the Packer game. I didn't want to go, but you know my husband hates to miss a game, and I promised I would go with him..." with the other responding, "Yeah, we are heading up to the cottage this weekend, one of the last you know, then we have to rush back for..." Spare me! That's why in ten years they'll have their houses foreclosed on when inflation and energy costs rise so high that we'll have a tough time feeding ourselves much less own two homes and two cars. I guess as I hear so many saying right now, let's enjoy life, you never know what tomorrow will bring. I don't mind that attitude, but just be prepared for what the future may bring, and know Uncle Sam, which will then be run by China, will not be there to bail you out.

I hesitantly admit that I am an eavesdropper. If I'm in a coffee shop, restaurant, airport, etc. and a group next to me is talking loud enough for me to hear, often I'll tune in. I doubt I'm alone.

So our treadmill is broke at home so I went over to the school this morning to work out. After my run, while stretching, two older ladies were walking on the treadmill and I just happened to hear one of them complaining that her and her husband had been invited to some step-nephew's birthday or baptism or some sort of party. "They only invite us for the gift. We only see them 15 minutes a year, they invited 64 people to this thing, all they want is a gift...we're not going..." SO DON'T GO. I'M SURE THEY WON'T MIND! IF YOU ARE GOING TO GO WITH THAT ATTITUDE I BET THEY'D RATHER YOU STAY AWAY. WHY DO PEOPLE FEEL THEY HAVE TO ATTEND EVERYTHING THEY ARE INVITED TO. YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS LADY WANTS TO GO, SHE IS NOSY AND IT WILL KILL HER TO MISS THIS, SO SHE IS GOING TO MAKE UP FOR IT BY COMPLAINING TO EVERYONE SHE SEES! THIS DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!!!!!!

A while back I emailed the Sports Guy and suggested some sort of contest where the winner could hang with him for a day, visit the SG Mansion, provide input on an article, visit the local Starbucks with him, etc. I guess he didn't grab it, but I've got a new suggestion.

In his article today he talks a lot about his wife, how she will pick against him this year, how she argues that he makes up all of the quotes he attributes to her, but he says she made them, just has forgotten due to her college days, too many Dead and Phish concerts, etc. In light of that, I'm suggesting a contest where the winner gets to hang with the Sports Gal all day long and make fun of Bill. She can tell wild stories of how lazy he is, the truth behind the articles, are his buddies real or did he just make them up, etc. How could this miss. Screw meeting and hanging with the Sports Guy, the Sports Gal is the new thing.

Interesting day in the Nate household. Maiya had her first day of school. Granted, it's pre-school, three days a week, two and a half hours a day, but it's still her first foray into school. She liked it, didn't miss us at all. Here was the email that greeted me this morning at work, started off the day balling!

Dear World:

I bequeath to you today one little girl ... in a crispy dress ... with two blue eyes ... and a happy laugh that ripples all day long and a flash of light blonde hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I trust you'll treat her well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning ... and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine. Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Good Bye"... and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse.

Now she'll learn to stand in line ... and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears to the sounds of school-bells ... and deadlines ... and she'll learn to giggle .. and gossip ... and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy across the aisle sticks out his tongue at her.

And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry.

No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch steps on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in a sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn to kiss lilac blossoms in the morning dew.

No, now she'll worry about important things.

Like grades ... and which dress to wear ... and who's best friend is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls.

And now she'll find new heroes.

For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and father and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers ... which is only right. But, no longer will I be the smartest man in the whole world.

Today when that school bell rings for the first time ... she'll learn what it means to be a member of a group. With all it's privileges. And it's disadvantages too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud. Or kiss dogs. Or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms. Or even watch ants scurry across cracks in the summer sidewalk.

Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to become a woman.

So, World. I bequeath to you today one little girl ... in a crispy dress ... with two blue eyes and a happy laugh that ripples all day long .. and a flash of light blonde hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I trust you'll treat her well.

Related to my last post, the Sojourners today includes the following quote:

'All bark, no bite'
"[The Sudanese government] sees the international community as all bark, no bite, and unfortunately they're right."
- Dave Mozersky, Sudan analyst for the International Crisis Group.

With the situation we find ourselves in in Iraq, Sudan is staring down the international community and winning. They are being allowed to destroy an entire people group, rape, pillage, murder, whatever they please, and we act as though we are powerless. This is a perfect time for troops to be deployed (taken from Iraq if necessary) and, as my friend Jared used to say in college, "lick balls and take names."

I finally got around to reading the 8/28/06 issue of Sojourners, "Nonviolence v. Terrorism." I had previewed it when it arrived but never had the chance to read it through. I just had that chance, and it wasn't too bad. Wallis said some good things, stressed that we are not to confuse nonviolence with appeasement (though that is often how it appears) and did get to the heart of the issue when he noted the political nature of this 21st century terrorism. Where I disagree, however, is where he cited the examples of King, Ghandi, Day, etc. and how their nonviolent tactics worked during their respectives times. My contention with that is that yes, they worked, they worked very well, but they also worked with Western nations where there seemed to be an overriding culture of morality present, maybe not that in which these people were oppressed, but a "Judeo-Christian" worldview, for lack of a better term. Once the US saw how brutally the blacks were being tortured and abused, the tide shifted. I'm not that familiar with Britain's response to Ghandi, but I would guess that it was very similar. Today, our enemy is different, they play by a different set of rules, they have a very different value of life, their end goal is the destruction of the West. So while I may agree with nonviolence as an idealogy, we are in a war (separate from the War in Iraq, which I am becoming more convinced is nothing more than a sham, I'm all for cutting loose and running, although I am worried what that would do to that nation and that region) and war is not pretty, it may take some violence at times. Diplomacy is a good goal, but I don't know how we talk with these people. It's an interesting subject and one in which I have set the goal to learn about more this fall. Your thoughts/opinions are most welcome.