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Opinari - Latin term for Opinion. Opinari.net is just what it seems: a cornucopia of rants, raves and poignant soliloquy. |
Friday, May 31, 2002
A Time to Be Thankful for What You Have, and With Whom You Share It...
A dear friend of mine was worried today, and nearly all of last week. She was worried because she feared her job would be lost. Knowing her, I knew the timing was bad, and I knew she must be a mess inside. Prayers were said. Hopes were steadied. Concerns were shared. What if...? Well, the time is over, and she was spared the corporate ax. She and I are both thankful for that fact, but it made me think (as I am prone to do).
Many times, I have that classical Israelite mentality from the Old Testament. This stinks. That is not good enough. This has to change. Et cetera. After listening to her, and knowing how crushed she was to lose some of her co-workers in a classic example of corporate downsizing, I realized something. Life ain't that bad. Not really.
I'm not homeless. I'm not starving. I'm not sick. I'm not unemployed. I have a terrific family back home, and an unbelievable set of friends who would stand beside me, no matter what I did, or whom I angered in the process. Despite myself, they are always there.
Amazing, truly. Not that I have such a wonderful life, but that I can find the time in it to complain. I'll probably still do it, as we are all prone to do. But I just wanted her to know, and every one of my friends out there. Today, I am thankful. Thankful for you all. God bless you always.
Today, I want to post something this same friend sent me. It is a series of philosophical truths. Some may apply to you. Others may seem silly or trite. In any case, here they are.
Learn the rules and then break some.
Remember that your character is your destiny.
Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for one another is greater than your need for one another.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
When you realize you have made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to, as you get older, their conversational skills will be important.
Spend time alone.
Open your arms to change but don’t let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
Call your mom.
Remember that great love and great achievement do not come without great risk.
When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
Remember the three r’s: respect for self; respect for others; responsibility for all your actions.
Don’t let a little dispute ruin a great friendship.
Read more books and watch less TV.
Live a good, honorable life. When you get older, you will look back and enjoy it a second time.
Trust in God, but lock your car.
Read between the lines
Never interrupt when you are being flattered.
Mind your own business.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.
Memorize your favorite poem.
Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
When you say “I love you,” mean it.
When you say “I’m sorry,” look the person in the eye.
Be engaged at least 6 months before getting married.
Believe in love at first sight.
Read between the lines.Labels: Archives_2002
.: posted by
Dave
2:31 PM
Wednesday, May 29, 2002
Correctum Politi Ad Nauseum....
OK, I just finished listening to Robert Mueller and John Ashcroft. It's becoming painfully clear to me that Americans, as a whole, expect their government to bail them out of any mess, but without hassle. Why does this occur to me? Let me elaborate.
For purposes of clarity, and per the director's focus in that direction, let's rename the FBI the FBT. The FBT is, of course, the Federal Bureau of Terrorism. Both Ashcroft and Mueller explained the government agency's new "mission". Debatably, the FBT had some lapses in judgement. Fundamentally, they need a re-examination of their methods. In short, something should indeed be done.
Ashcroft and Mueller, in typical government-can-solve fashion, has promised closer ties with the CIA, more funding, reassignment of agents into counter-terrorism, streamlining procedures, et cetera. No one can argue that there is some validity to these changes. Certainly, the CIA and FBI should not be adversarial. Certainly, the war on drugs, which has been a priority, is not nearly as important as the need to secure the country, and defend its interests. Certainly, elimination of certain volumes of paperwork is welcome in any bureaucracy.
However, I think Ashcroft and Mueller missed the fundamental issues. The issues I refer to evade political correctness. It saddens me to realize that PC permeates our law enforcement divisions as well as our schools, and such. The issue I speak of is profiling. We know that the Eastern world, and its oppressive mind set uses its religious culture to galvanize the ire of the polity against all interests American. We also know that the militant Islamic world would be thrilled at the prospects of a "holy war" against the infidels of the West. If you don't believe me, read the state sponsored newspapers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. Even the cultures considered Anglo-friendly are, in fact, not so under cover.
That being said, I realize that an "us v. them" mentality is neither conciliatory, nor pleasant. But, this is reality, 2002. If green men wearing Wal-Mart smocks were threatening to eliminate the nation's power supply links, I would beware of any green, Wal-Mart smocked men roaming near oil pipelines, power grids, or nuclear plants. Doesn't it make sense to quit crying foul over profiling, and do what's best for our safety? Profiling on the basis of known activity is not prejudicial, nor is it racially inflammatory. It's pragmatic, and it's common sense. Hopefully, Mueller, Ashcroft, and the FBT will have the foresight into this fact before another 9/11 happens. Labels: Archives_2002
.: posted by
Dave
4:16 PM
Thursday, May 23, 2002
My Day, My Thoughts, My Lunacy....
File this one under Politically Incorrect: Charles Barkley has decided that the NBA should not have switched to synthetic leather from authentic leather. Barkley, in typical sarcastic form, not only ridiculed the NBA's stance, but went on to attack PETA and its positions. Barkley said so while eating a hamburger in protest. PETA's response? They want Barkley to switch to veggie-burgers and become their spokesperson. Hmmm. Can you say "snowball's chance in hell"?
Have you ever wondered why radio talk shows are heavily right wing, while leftists tend to use the printed word? My theory: Right wingers can justify their stances by refuting asymmetric arguments. Lefties can only write, and cower as a litany of verbosity and logic renders them useless. But.... I digress.
Another victory for home-schooling: The National Geographic Bee winner was not only the youngest of the entrants, but he was also home-schooled. I can hear the NEA grinding their teeth now.
Stop the press! Hillary speaks on national security. Quoting the Washington Times:"The President knew what? My constituents would like to know the answers to these questions. Not to blame the president or any American. But just to know." Spoken by someone that hardly understands national security. She further chooses to reminisce about her days in the Oval Office. However, Hillary stopped short of explaining why her "other half" neglected to respond to terrorist acts all through the Clinton"ista" administration. Ahhh... the convenience of omission.
This just in... Mike Piazza might be gay. Who cares? He hits the ball a ton. He's a competitor. And even if he hit .220, so what? Why is innuendo being considered news?
I ask you.... has Jimmy Carter ever met a dictator he didn't like?
If any of you out there are getting this chain letter about the jdbgmgr.exe virus, stop sending it to me! Read my keystrokes. No.... New.... Virus! This file is a Java debugger. Not a virus. Trust me!!!!!
Today, we find out that Mexican soldiers fired shots at our border patrol. Someone should think seriously about forgetting the Alamo. And this quote from Colorado Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo: "...we recognize that if we can't rely on Mexico to curtail their own military or federal police, then we're going to have to put a lot more effort into securing our own borders..." You think so??
Finally today, I want to offer prayers and condolences to the family of Chandra Levy. 13 months after her disappearance, she's found dead in a secluded DC park. (An aside: As someone that lived in DC, I can tell you the place she was found is NOT a place for jogging or sightseeing. There is definite foul play here.) Mr. and Mrs. Levy, no one can understand losing a child in this manner unless they have done so personally. I sincerely hope the perpetrator of this crime is found and justice is served.Labels: Archives_2002
.: posted by
Dave
12:55 PM
Tuesday, May 21, 2002
Random Musings for the Day....
Can someone in Washington please remind Dubya that he is supposed to be a Conservative? This vote buy in welfare-for-farmers clothing is making me ill. Does GW fashion himself to be the next FDR? Come on, Pres... the New Deal for Agriculture?
I find it amusing that no one wants these 13 Palestinian militants in their country, even the Palestinians themselves. Remember in Superman, when the evil trio is exiled into outer space in a supernatural polygon? Works for me.
When did Bono become an international authority on governmental policies? This leads me to the next obvious question. When will he finally find what he's looking for?
From the absurd excuse file: John Magaw tells Congress he's decided not to allow pilots to carry firearms. Apparently, carrying a cumbersome firearm will be a distraction, and they "need to concentrate on flying." Magaw neglects to acknowledge the obvious fact that many pilots are ex-military (READ: trained in firearm usage).
Perplexing. Simple perplexing. I check my portfolio this morning. Business news headlines. "Home Depot profits rise 35%". The stock price? It falls $2. This is why God invented the financial planner.
Zero Population Growth proponents rejoice: "Removing ovaries can prevent breast cancer." Let's get rid of those bad boys! Yeah, right. And castrating my dog made him more docile.Labels: Archives_2002
.: posted by
Dave
11:50 AM
Today's Cyberanxiety....
This one hits close to home for me, and for multiple reasons. Here in suburban Connecticut, a thirteen-year-old girl was befriended online, and murdered by a Brazilian man. Subsequently, her body was dumped in a nearby town. The man has since been taken into custody.
Everyday, we read about horrific stories such as these. Many think that we live in worse times than the past, and perhaps we do. The advent if the Internet has been both a good and a bad thing. As with any ubiquitous item, it can be used for many things, and by many types of people. In this case, its utilization was dark and dubious.
Personally, it would be nice to see this man not be deported, but hung by his genitalia from a tree. In many ways, Hammurabi had good ideas when he devised his ancient code of justice. In America, we tend to feel sorry for the perpetrator, without remembering what the victim endured. This is one such case, I imagine.
However, the greater lesson is this: parental responsibility. An unsophisticated teenager cannot be expected to discern between friendly banter and seductive guile. No one should blame parents for such atrocities. Americans tend to confuse cause-and-effect issues frequently, and this is no exception. However, parents should, especially in this day and age of technology, accessibility, and anonymity, take measures to ensure that their kids are protected.
Common sense items such as anonymous Internet nicknames, refusal to divulge personal information, knowledge of whom your kids are chatting with online, and web filtering are examples that every parent can follow. Most importantly though: love your kids, and spend time with them. If you do, they won't vegetate in the family room giggling online with 20 strangers, one of which could be lurking, literally, just outside the door.Labels: Archives_2002
.: posted by
Dave
10:11 AM
Monday, May 20, 2002
If This Doesn't Make You Angry, Nothing Will....
The Washington Times, on May 17th, runs an article entitled "Obeying a Holy Duty to Kill". In it, we read about a young mother dressing her child in the garb of a "homicide" bomber, encouraging him in his aspirations of being one of many to fatally wound the Israeli faithful. And we in the Western world are to embrace this faith as peaceful and docile? How is this possible? How many deaths will it take to realize the real agenda here is not self-preservation, but the extermination of the Jewish state altogether?
There has been ample evidence in the complicity of Yassir Arafat in the funding and encouragement of these mini-bombers, yet no one acts, except Israel. Even the United States, and the Bush administration cannot seem to fashion a consistent response. They rebuke Arafat verbally, but not in kind. They demand his compliance in rebuking the Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians, yet any such verbage is delivered in English or Hebrew... not Arabic, which would directly address the relevant participants.
Muslims claim "sacrifice" to be their highest honor. They believe it brings them great wealth and joy in the afterlife. As long as their despair and hopelessness is continually exploited by the likes of the Arafats and the Husseins of the world, the western civilization we all know and love will face these bombing threats.
I read the newspapers here in America with disgust as I see partisan politicking replacing the national unity we have had for resolving the terrorist situation. This is what the despots of the Middle Eastern wanted from the initiation of this melee, and that's what they are getting: blame the leadership, question, wonder aloud... never mind if there is some secondary political benefit for yourself, right? This is the question I ask MY legislative leaders. Where did the unanimity go? What would you have done differently if YOU had known the exact day of terrorist attack? Profiling? Please.
So where does this leave us? It leaves us with a leadership without the political will to demand accountability of the Palestinian leadership. It leaves us with a bloodthirsty Democratic party acting as if the Bush administration tacitly allowed the September 11th attacks. It's time we swallowed the bitter pill of common sense here, throw out any aspirations of political correctness, and call a spade a spade. Situational ethics must be set aside. So should sanctimonious hindsightful jabs at the executive branch. Evil DOES exist, and we are staring at it in the face. In order to convince the parents of the Middle Eastern world that their children are not intended to be human explosives for the glory of Allah, we must first replace the heads which do the talking to them. Labels: Archives_2002
.: posted by
Dave
11:45 AM
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