Stranger Than Fiction
Here's a plot for a western movie. A small gang of thieves and killers has been roaming the west, creating all sorts of trouble, including murdering large numbers of people.
One town wants to protect itself and maintains a large posse of heavily armed gunmen. One day a few members of the gang ride into town, shoot up the place, kill a few residents, take one as a hostage, and ride away.
The posse quickly organizes, perhaps forty men, and pursues the fleeing outlaws. Suddenly some neighboring communities launch a huge protest. It is excessive force, they say, for forty armed men to pursue only five. The posse is labled as aggressors and terrorists.
Soon the posse overtakes the gang and a fierce gunfight ensues. Now the neighboring communities become more outraged at the posse and start demanding an end to the violence.
These neighbors meet independently and hammer out a plan to end the shooting. They decide the fighting must stop and they will send some weak and helpless enforcers to guarantee that the gang will never again raid this community. The gang is asked if they will comply. They agree, but openly declare that this community still must be wiped off the face of the earth. With the gang's agreement in hand, the posse is now pressured to accept as well.
The gang is not charged with having raided the community in the first place, and everyone ignores all their past crimes. Protected from the posse, they are now provided time to heal their wounds, rearm and plan further conquests. The posse is widely criticized for responding so aggressively.
(Not) The End.
What? You think that story line is ridiculous? I guess you are right. I've just been watching too much news coming out of the Israel/Lebanon border.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Any witches among you? Depends on whom you ask.
Remember your history about the Puritans of early New England? They believed so strongly in their religion that they lost contact with reality and actually burned alive some innocent women because of a warped idea that they were witches. Think about that! They tied these ladies to a post and lit a huge fire at their feet. What a horrible way to treat any living creature. And it was done because people thought their religion required it.
Believe it or not, there are people with those religious convictions today. They are the radical Islamists, and they are no less cruel than the Puritans. Parents allow their children to blow themselves to bits in order to also kill a few non-believers. They do it because they believe so strongly that their children will immediately go to paradise and escape the harsh realities of living in poverty.
In case you think their targets are only Christians and Jews, remember, radical Islamists in Pakistan are attacking Hindu India and Chechans are killing innocents in atheistic Russia. What will happen when they turn their attention to the one billion non-Muslim Chinese?
I remember well the late 1930s when we listened to radio speeches by Adolph Hitler. He would rant and the crowds would scream and cheer. It was pretty scary and made even scarier by the strange echo effect that accompanied all trans-Atlantic communications of that time. We all, including this young farm boy, knew Hitler was a madman. But, pacifists like Charles Lindberg used their considerable influence to convince many Americans to stay out of "Europe's War". So, we gave Herr Hitler free rein until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. By that time, Hitler was almost too powerful to stop. Millions of innocent people died as a result of our delay.
Our local newspaper published an editorial today, blasting Miguel P. Garcia, a New Mexico State Representative who called for a trade boycott with Israel because of what he called "the state-sponsored terrorism that Israel is unleashing on Palestine and Lebanon". The editors said Garcia was badly misinformed or merely ignorant. I say he is a dangerous threat to the world.
If people like Rep. Garcia succeed in stopping the civilized world from overcoming these radical Islamists before they become even more powerful, I fear the Holocaust of the 1940s will be exceeded beyond the bounds of our imaginataion.
Adolph Hitler was a radical leader of a very civilized state. The German people did not share his desire to murder millions of people. Once he was overthrown, they again became full partners in the civilized world. The Islamists are not the same. They are not a state being dragged along by corrupt leaders. They are a population in whom the desire to kill non-believers has been deeply ingrained. Destroying their leaders will not change them.
This past weekend, at an Art Festival, I was surrounded by many artists, very talented people all. Many of these people are Liberals because they live in la-la-land. The only thing on their radar is their art. They want to end poverty and take away the military budget to build hospitals and schools, etc., etc.
I have no problem with these people so long as their energies are directed toward their art. However, they do vote, and they would vote for the idiot Miguel P. Garcia, solely because his name is on the Democratic side of the ballot. And that is what scares me about this year's elections. I truly believe that the pacifists will control our future if the Democrats regain control of the government. If they prevent the civilized world from stopping radical Islam, it is only a matter of time until someone decides that we are all witches.
Remember your history about the Puritans of early New England? They believed so strongly in their religion that they lost contact with reality and actually burned alive some innocent women because of a warped idea that they were witches. Think about that! They tied these ladies to a post and lit a huge fire at their feet. What a horrible way to treat any living creature. And it was done because people thought their religion required it.
Believe it or not, there are people with those religious convictions today. They are the radical Islamists, and they are no less cruel than the Puritans. Parents allow their children to blow themselves to bits in order to also kill a few non-believers. They do it because they believe so strongly that their children will immediately go to paradise and escape the harsh realities of living in poverty.
In case you think their targets are only Christians and Jews, remember, radical Islamists in Pakistan are attacking Hindu India and Chechans are killing innocents in atheistic Russia. What will happen when they turn their attention to the one billion non-Muslim Chinese?
I remember well the late 1930s when we listened to radio speeches by Adolph Hitler. He would rant and the crowds would scream and cheer. It was pretty scary and made even scarier by the strange echo effect that accompanied all trans-Atlantic communications of that time. We all, including this young farm boy, knew Hitler was a madman. But, pacifists like Charles Lindberg used their considerable influence to convince many Americans to stay out of "Europe's War". So, we gave Herr Hitler free rein until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. By that time, Hitler was almost too powerful to stop. Millions of innocent people died as a result of our delay.
Our local newspaper published an editorial today, blasting Miguel P. Garcia, a New Mexico State Representative who called for a trade boycott with Israel because of what he called "the state-sponsored terrorism that Israel is unleashing on Palestine and Lebanon". The editors said Garcia was badly misinformed or merely ignorant. I say he is a dangerous threat to the world.
If people like Rep. Garcia succeed in stopping the civilized world from overcoming these radical Islamists before they become even more powerful, I fear the Holocaust of the 1940s will be exceeded beyond the bounds of our imaginataion.
Adolph Hitler was a radical leader of a very civilized state. The German people did not share his desire to murder millions of people. Once he was overthrown, they again became full partners in the civilized world. The Islamists are not the same. They are not a state being dragged along by corrupt leaders. They are a population in whom the desire to kill non-believers has been deeply ingrained. Destroying their leaders will not change them.
This past weekend, at an Art Festival, I was surrounded by many artists, very talented people all. Many of these people are Liberals because they live in la-la-land. The only thing on their radar is their art. They want to end poverty and take away the military budget to build hospitals and schools, etc., etc.
I have no problem with these people so long as their energies are directed toward their art. However, they do vote, and they would vote for the idiot Miguel P. Garcia, solely because his name is on the Democratic side of the ballot. And that is what scares me about this year's elections. I truly believe that the pacifists will control our future if the Democrats regain control of the government. If they prevent the civilized world from stopping radical Islam, it is only a matter of time until someone decides that we are all witches.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Eastern Bias
I know, that's silly, but let me explain. First, some statistics you may have never heard. The "Lower 48" United States span four time zones. Believe it or not, a lot of Americans do not realize that.
50% of the population of the "Lower 48" live in the Eastern Time Zone.
30% live in the Central Time Zone.
5% live in the Mountain Time Zone.
15% occupy the Pacific Time Zone.
Ever notice how TV announcers proclaim that a certain program will be aired "at 9:00, 8:00 Central"? (As a rule, programs are aired in the Pacific Zone at the same clock time as the Eastern Zone.) So, what time will the program air in the Mountain Zone? Who cares? The population there is too small to be important.
I live in the Mountain Time Zone and am often in my office at 6:00 a.m. Since we do business with people in the Eastern Zone, it is not uncommon to receive calls as early as 6:00. The caller asks for someone by name. I reply that the person they are calling is usually not in the office until 7:00 a.m. Most frequently there is a silent pause, after which the caller says,"Uh... what time is it there?"
Yesterday there was record breaking rainfall in El Paso, TX, which is located on the U.S./Mexico border. The city was flooded, roads washed out and many residents evacuated from their homes. The temperature plunged during the thunderstorms that brought the rain.
I turned on a national cable TV news channel to see if they would mention El Paso in their weather reports. They did not. As always, the weather reporter stood in front of the map of the "Lower 48", completely blocking our view of the entire Mountain Time Zone. Numbers over the map indicated temperatures in the high 90s or low 100s over most of the nation. When the weather person did briefly move to the viewer's right, the number 68º was seen posted for El Paso. That was at least 30º below temperatures of cities on the Canadian border. Doesn't that seem a bit strange? Would you not expect the reporter to note that extreme? Not a chance. El Paso is in the Mountain Time Zone. Who cares?
But, Eastern Bias goes beyond just ignoring us. A lot of Easterners think Westerners are all hicks. About 25 years ago I was at a business meeting in Pittsburgh, PA. A speaker was reciting results from a successful new advertising technique used in Pittsburgh. A member of the audience (an Easterner, but not from Pittsburgh) asked the speaker if he thought an advertiser could expect the same results "in a less sophisticated city, such as Oklahoma City." Hmmm!
All the way home I thought about that remark and wondered what constitutes a "sophisticated city" and why Oklahoma City (in the Central, not the Mountain Time Zone, but clearly considered to be 'in the west') was not one. Back in my office, I started looking up statistics, trying to find something that would point to sophistication. No luck. I did note, however, that Oklahoma City's population contained a higher per cent of college graduates than did the population in Pittsburgh.
I know, that's silly, but let me explain. First, some statistics you may have never heard. The "Lower 48" United States span four time zones. Believe it or not, a lot of Americans do not realize that.
50% of the population of the "Lower 48" live in the Eastern Time Zone.
30% live in the Central Time Zone.
5% live in the Mountain Time Zone.
15% occupy the Pacific Time Zone.
Ever notice how TV announcers proclaim that a certain program will be aired "at 9:00, 8:00 Central"? (As a rule, programs are aired in the Pacific Zone at the same clock time as the Eastern Zone.) So, what time will the program air in the Mountain Zone? Who cares? The population there is too small to be important.
I live in the Mountain Time Zone and am often in my office at 6:00 a.m. Since we do business with people in the Eastern Zone, it is not uncommon to receive calls as early as 6:00. The caller asks for someone by name. I reply that the person they are calling is usually not in the office until 7:00 a.m. Most frequently there is a silent pause, after which the caller says,"Uh... what time is it there?"
Yesterday there was record breaking rainfall in El Paso, TX, which is located on the U.S./Mexico border. The city was flooded, roads washed out and many residents evacuated from their homes. The temperature plunged during the thunderstorms that brought the rain.
I turned on a national cable TV news channel to see if they would mention El Paso in their weather reports. They did not. As always, the weather reporter stood in front of the map of the "Lower 48", completely blocking our view of the entire Mountain Time Zone. Numbers over the map indicated temperatures in the high 90s or low 100s over most of the nation. When the weather person did briefly move to the viewer's right, the number 68º was seen posted for El Paso. That was at least 30º below temperatures of cities on the Canadian border. Doesn't that seem a bit strange? Would you not expect the reporter to note that extreme? Not a chance. El Paso is in the Mountain Time Zone. Who cares?
But, Eastern Bias goes beyond just ignoring us. A lot of Easterners think Westerners are all hicks. About 25 years ago I was at a business meeting in Pittsburgh, PA. A speaker was reciting results from a successful new advertising technique used in Pittsburgh. A member of the audience (an Easterner, but not from Pittsburgh) asked the speaker if he thought an advertiser could expect the same results "in a less sophisticated city, such as Oklahoma City." Hmmm!
All the way home I thought about that remark and wondered what constitutes a "sophisticated city" and why Oklahoma City (in the Central, not the Mountain Time Zone, but clearly considered to be 'in the west') was not one. Back in my office, I started looking up statistics, trying to find something that would point to sophistication. No luck. I did note, however, that Oklahoma City's population contained a higher per cent of college graduates than did the population in Pittsburgh.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)