LABOR: Something needs to change...

There was a very interesting article in the Sunday Detroit News by Nolan Finley, a conservative columnist. The title of his column was THE REASON WHY WE’RE POORER and it explored reasons why the state of Michigan is suffering so much in this current recession / depression.

Basically, he blames our current poor economic condition on us. Detroit was the Motor City; the automobile capital of the world. Unions made uneducated, unskilled workers pretty well off with high wages and benefits. Many people migrated to Michigan for a chance at one of those high paying jobs.

The middle class created by those union jobs had Michigan humming with prosperity. I remembered people from high school having no further ambition than to graduate and apply at Fords. My parents were not buying that; it was college or nothing.

Michigan leaders knew that being a one industry state was dangerous and Michigan needed to diversify its economy or suffer the consequences when things went sour for the auto industry. Well, we did not listen and we had many years of prosperity based on the auto industry but many kept saying that big paychecks for unskilled and uneducated labor was unsustainable and will eventually bite you on your ass – and it did!

So here we are now and today’s headline was “Tug-of-war within the UAW” 9/8/2010.

The auto companies, especially bailed-out GM, know that things have to change if they are to remain viable in the global marketplace. The UAW leadership knows that changes have to be made in how labor is paid but not the rank-and-file; they want their fat paychecks back or they will close the auto companies down. Do you think that is a stupid attitude to have? Do you think people should be thankful for having a job at all? Nope!

A GM plant in Indianapolis was slated to be closed when a buyer emerged but with the stipulation that the union workers take a pay cut; the union workers voted to close the plant.

GM announced that they will build new models at the Orion, Michigan plant where 60% of the union workers will make fat paychecks ($28 / hour) while 40% will make less ($15 / hour); union workers do not like this and may strike. We are talking about 1,550 jobs here.

Workers are saying that the lower wages are too low to raise a family. Well I will have to disagree with that statement. My father, who was unskilled and uneducated and did not work for an auto company, managed to raise us quite well thank you; we did not want for anything but, of course, we did not want much either.

I guess it all comes down to degrees. Yes, fat paychecks mean you can but more stuff and lower pay checks mean you buy less stuff, but you can survive and make it work – if you had to!

Here in Michigan, we created a union labor monster that is hard to slay but it must be killed if the state is to remain viable and if the auto industry here is to remain viable; at least the auto industry is trying instead of just leaving the state for more labor friendly states down south.

It appears that an auto industry vs. union labor Armageddon will have to take place and the sooner the better. The auto companies will have to take a stand or disappear at least from here, because the global marketplace will just crush uncompetitive companies.

I see the UAW leadership caving to member demands even though they know better. I also see the auto companies opening up their jobs to non-union contract workers willing to work for the lower wages and believe me, there are a lot of those who would gladly work for those lower wages; they would be happy just to have a job!

Michigan’s future will brighten if we bring in industry that requires educated, skilled workers that earn high salaries but to do that, we need to educate our population and that is not an easy task as you look at the utter mess that is Detroit’s Public School system.

Parents need to urge, no, demand their kids get a higher education or learn a skilled trade. Cost too much? I managed on the GI Bill and my brother took out loans and now is paying for his own Master’s Degree.

Where there’s a will, there is a way…

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STEM CELL RESEARCH: Summit in Detroit!

The WORLD STEM CELL SUMMIT starts today in Detroit. The University of Michigan announced today that it has created a “stem cell” line of cells to be used in research.

Archbishop Allen Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit and Dr. Eva Feldman, Director of the Medical Research Institute at the University of Michigan, debated the ethics of embryonic stem cell research in the Free Press today.

The Archbishop toed the usual Catholic line of an embryo is a potential human life and therefore cannot be destroyed or used for experimentation. He equates an in-vivo (in the body) embryo with that of an embryo in a Petri dish.

The reality about embryos is that due to in-vitro (test tube) fertilization procedures which are quite common today, excess embryos (tens of thousands) are destroyed by throwing them in the trash or washing them down the drain, on a regular basis; no one seems to mind that.

The Catholic Church cannot alter its stance on this issue; it has painted itself into a corner. The fact that stem cell research will be used to save lives and is therefore a pro-life effort holds no water with the Church; its all about what they think is pro-life or, I guess, life in general.

The Archbishop bases his argument on a law that makes it a crime to hurt or kill a fetus (embryo) during an assault, while an assault on an embryo in a Petri dish is not a crime.

I will say that the Archbishop prefaces his remarks by acknowledging that great strides are being made in medical science to hasten cures for some of our most debilitating diseases but he stops at the use of embryos which he calls our citizens-to-be which they are not since the cells used for research cannot grow into a person.

I too believe life is precious and should be preserved as best we can by making it possible for people to live long, healthy, productive lives.

As to embryos and our human reproduction model, well, Mother Nature has given us a way to reproduce that has worked well for thousands if not millions of years and will continue to work into the future as millions of new human beings are created BUT do not equate our reproductive process with the life of an existing human being; one is a bunch of cells and the other a living human being.

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RELIGION: How ignorant are we?

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There was quite an interesting survey taken by the PEW FORUM about religious knowledge in America. The results were interesting but not surprising (to me at least). They showed a very religious nation but a nation quite ignorant about religion(s) in general and Christianity in particular.

Out of all the adults surveyed, the average score on the religion test was F.

Out of all the adults surveyed, the groups that scored the highest (A) on this religion test were atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons. I think these groups know more about religion because they actually take the time to study religion(s) so as to form an educated opinion(s) about religion or at least know why they are religious and to know why they practice the specific religion that they do.

Thinking about my own religious education (Catholic), I remember in grade school, nuns basically hammering the catechism into my brain. I once remember asking a question and was doused with holy water because the devil was making me ask questions. I learned you did not ask, you listened and learned.

In high school (Holy Redeemer) I also asked questions in religion class and was taken aside by the civilian male teacher and told that he would be fired if he entertained my questions in class. He did direct me to the library at Wayne State University where I could find answers to my questions – and I did and I have been studying religion ever since.

I will admit that I am a puzzled why religious people know so little about their chosen faith. I remember growing up Catholic and being told what not to read (Bible) because I could develop or be led into “wrong” ideas about my faith; only those in the know (priests) could interpret writings “correctly” for me and keep me from straying into dangerous (evil thinking) territory. So the Catholic Church of my childhood (1960s) practiced a policy of “ignorance is bliss”. I am not sure about current policy but I doubt things have changed much.

I remember asking my mother (the ultimate Catholic) if she knew that Jesus had a number of brothers and sisters; she looked at me as if I was Satan himself.

I guess what I am questioning are the strong opinions of many religious people that are based on what? Do they just believe what they wish to believe or what they are told to believe? Do individuals have their own personal religion but belong to a larger religious group just to belong?

How can anyone have a religious opinion about social issues when they really don’t know why they hold those opinions? How about judging Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc. based on total ignorance of those religions?

We Americans are an interesting group to say the least…

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MEMORIAL SERVICE: A little different approach...

Last Sunday, we held (at our house) a memorial service for my father-in-law Michael Bylo. At his request, he was cremated and we did not go the traditional funeral home route.

My wife decided to have the service at our house because he spent his last days here and died here but also because he was a frequent visitor here sitting in his usual spots at the house; it seemed to be a lot more personal than to hold the service at a hall or at a restaurant.

We were expecting close to seventy (70) people so space was a consideration. We put up a large tent over the driveway with tables and chairs and also had a porta-john outside to ease the burden on the inside bathrooms but alas, all for naught since the chilly weather kept everybody inside; it was cozy to say the least.

We invited a Baptist minister even though my father-in-law was a Catholic, mainly because my wife liked his easy style and he was not overly religious as priests tend to be. He read some familiar Psalms and recounted the world that Mike Bylo lived through starting with the end of WWI in 1918, being in the Navy during WWII, and working for Ford for 30 years and retiring for more years than he actually worked. After a few more prayers the grandkids (all in their 30s) took to the floor.

My daughter Tanya read a poem by Kahlil Gibran from his book The Prophet (1923):

Foe what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?

And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

My niece (Kim) talked about how talking with her grandfather always made her feel better especially when he answered the phone with…my you’re looking good!

My son Zak’s piece was longer and more emotional:

TELL ME THE STORY AGAIN…

Catching baseballs hit over the wall into the street behind Tiger (Navin) Field during practice and turning them in to get into the games (for free).

Swimming in the Detroit River and getting whipped by the Coast Guard for crossing the line between Detroit and Windsor (Canada).

Selling newspapers all the way down

Michigan Avenue

when he was just a  little kid.

Going to the library with his sisters, who were all smarter than he was.

Carousing with his best friend Bob Simon at the piano bar.

Running away from home…

When I was younger, I didn’t quite understand why he needed to tell the same stories over and over again. It was something I figured I had learned about “old people” and was just one of those amusing little things you deal with.

Funny thing is, the older I got, I found myself doing the same thing; just ask Kimberly. And I realize now that I do it more for myself than for the other person. A lot of times it’s simply more comforting to relive past experiences, even if they were somewhat traumatic, than to deal with the stress of talking about what happened today and what’s going to happen tomorrow and the next year and so on…

At a certain point along the way, I discovered that the comfort he felt telling me the stories was shared by my comfort in hearing them. I cherished the moment each one started, as if they were on a mental conveyer belt. They had the same pacing, the same build up and the same genuine excitement in reliving the past every time. His experiences started to become my experiences vicariously and it was exiting for me to relive HIS past.

I often worried that the stories of my life’s history, to which my children and grandchildren would one day be privy, would pale in comparison to those experienced so vividly upon listening to Poppa. But as hard as it is for me to believe now, I know that my life is rich in its own way and all the more so because I knew him…and all his stories.

He chocked up at the end and my wife didn’t even attempt to talk.

After the talks came a song and quiet reflection. The song was from a group of songs compiled by our great friends from North Carolina (Steve & Susan). The compilation was composed of Carolina “Beach Music” something the locals listened to when at the beach. The song in question had lyrics that included the refrain “…satisfy my soul and heal my heart…” it was perfect for the occasion and many hearing it had tears in their eyes, it was that moving.

Children in attendance were quiet and paid close attention to the service. Some grew quite emotional and asked their parents to explain their feelings and where did the person they saw at many family occasions go.

After the service, people gathered in groups to talk and reminisce and eat a fantastically catered spread of finger foods and deserts; the bar was on the deck where the alcohol kept everyone there warm enough.

Many people commented that they have never been to such an affair or such an alternative to the normal funeral routine and they liked it better. Maybe we started a trend but I know we prefer this for ourselves when the time comes.

Many talked about how they were dissatisfied with normal funeral services as not being personal enough with the priest not knowing the deceased but the only one talking about the deceased. Hey, maybe this will change how people say goodbye to their loved ones even thought it would be detrimental to funeral homes and churches.

We stayed up late talking about what just occurred and agreed that it was indeed a good send-off and that Mike Bylo would have appreciated the effort and all the people that came to say good-bye.

The next day, as also per his request, we, in-laws and niece, headed out to

Rotunda Drive

near the original Ford Rouge Plant where Ford maintains its baseball diamonds. It is here that my father-in-law as a Ford white –collar worker played on the Ford team(s) and later helped coach other Ford teams including his favorite female team. According to him, these were some of his happiest moments; he wanted his ashes spread around second base and we did so.

It was a windy, grey day as we placed a sunflower on each base including the pitcher’s mound (he pitched). Linda read a sentiment sent to us by our great friends George and Kate from Monterrey, California:

“Many cultures believe that when a body is cremated, the soul’s inner spirit is then free to journey to their chosen place or their birth place.

I am sure that your dad will be coaching many more teams on that ball field”.

After that, we drove to Chilies for lunch.

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR: Only Rick SNYDER will do...

Our candidates for governor of Michigan are very wide apart as far as the polls are concerned; Bernero (D) is trailing the Republican candidate Snyder by a very wide margin.

Bernero won his Democratic primary only by attacking his opponent Dillon who proclaimed to be an avowed pro-lifer with no circumstances where an abortion would be legally allowed. Well that sealed Dillon’s fate as Bernero hit him with everything he had and Dillon, who led early on, drowned in his own stupidity, believing that Democrats are now somehow anti-choice.

Bernero, knowing that abortion is still such a hot issue in Michigan, brought it up again (in desperation?).

Snyder, who calls himself a businessman and is running to help Michigan’s economy and job’s market, is after all a Republican. Early on, Snyder said that he will not delve into social issues because that is not his primary focus; he would not act on social issues such as abortion.

As a matter of policy, he reiterated that he is pro-life in principle (who isn’t) but believed abortion is and should be allowed in cases of rape, incest and if the woman’s life was in danger.

I am an avowed pro-choicer but I will accept Snyder’s stance on this issue wholeheartedly and will absolutely vote for him in November; he is the best hope Michigan has.

As for Bernero, he will attempt every desperate tactic to turn the tide against Snyder but he will fail. Dillon would have been a much better candidate against Snyder since he was a businessman also and has a record of bi-partisanship unlike Bernero who is a life-long politician (no real job). Too bad Dillon was so stupid on the abortion issue; who was his advisor?

Bottom line, I respect Rick Snyder for making abortion a non-issue which it is and for sticking to what is important for Michigan.

I recommend SNYDER for governor!!!

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TEA PARTY: Are they the answer...

I have been reading a lot about the so called TEA PARTY movement to kind of gauge what, if any, influence the party may have on the November elections.

It is no secret that most of us are fed up with our government and our political parties and there is a general mood among voters to basically throw the incumbent bums out and replace them with someone new and fresh and not tied so tightly to their respective party ideologies.

Tea Party candidates that are receiving financial help from unknown sources present a quandary. They are new, inexperienced and hold a variety of political views. They run as Republicans in primaries against established Republicans who they deem to have lost their Republican core beliefs; small government, no new taxes and cut spending to a bare minimum.

Karl Rove, the Republican guru is livid. He feels these Tea Party upstarts are ruining the political plying field for “real” Republicans. He called Christine O’Donnell who defeated an older, established Republican running for his senate seat in Delaware, a loony and if you heard her talk, you would agree with that characterization. Hey, Sarah Palin supports these people so that should tell you a lot about their character.

Democrats feel the Tea Party is good for them because they make easy targets in November but I am not so sure; they resonate with a lot of people that are exited about the upcoming elections and want a real change and they WILL vote.

Right now, the Tea Partiers are all about the economy. They follow Friedrich Hayek (1899-1992), an Austrian born economist that championed the free market and capitalism against socialism and the policies of John Maynard Keynes who favored massive government intervention in a nation’s economy.

I can go along with that but underneath the economic positions they hold lies a pretty solid conservative social agenda and this is where I would have some issues.

I have just noticed that Mayor Bloomberg of New York City, a nominal Republican, is positioning himself for a possible run for the presidency in 2012 as a moderate willing to back both Democratic and Republican moderates as opposed to extremists on either side; I could back a person like that!

Maybe more people should run as independents or maybe a third party should come into being. I guess what I am saying is that I am sick of both Democrats who can’t get their shit together or the Republicans that have no plans of their own but just say NO to everything and I am looking for something else but I am pretty sure the Tea Party candidates are not the answer…

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POPE: Did he insult the British?

I just have one more comment on the pope’s visit to the UK.

I spoke before about the pope insulting Britain with some of his remarks. I forgot to mention the biggest insult was his original purpose for visiting the UK; to beatifie or move towards sainthood, Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890).

Newman was an Anglican priest / bishop who converted to Catholicism. Last year, Pope Benedict made public an invitation to Anglican clerics to come join the Catholic Church and retain some of their Anglican practices. He was doing this when the Anglicans decided to allow gays to become bishops; not all Anglicans were in favor of the move and it is still a controversial decision which may eventually split the Anglican Church.

To me the beatification of Newman and his fishing for Anglican converts while visiting Anglican England is offensive, to say the least. But the Brits were polite even when the pope was not!

King Henry VIII would have known what to do...

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POPE: UK Protesters have their say...

I was not disappointed in the Brits; they protested the Pope’s visit as I expected and as they should. The Pope has insulted their country (called it a third-world country) and insulted their intelligence with his absurd pronouncements and beliefs that not even Catholics in the UK follow or believe in (why the hypocrisy).

Over 20,000 people marched in London in protest against the pope and his visit. Many were outraged that taxpayer money (~$19 million) was used for the “state” visit when the Vatican is no state (even if it thinks it is).

Protesters had a variety of issues with the pope with many angry with the way the Vatican handled priestly sex abuse cases. Some angry at the Vatican’s stance on contraception and especially the ban on condom use even in AIDS infested Africa. Gays were out in force saying that they are people too and not the evil creatures the pope portrays them as.

All in all it was a good protest and I hope it gets the media coverage it deserves…

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DETROIT: New council may not be any better...

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I had such hope for the new Detroit City Council. The old council was corrupt and plain stupid but the new council had young, smart people and things would absolutely change but alas, I am no longer optimistic.

Something that has struck me is the fact that three (3) council members, including the president of the council had money woes and face foreclosure. Charles Pugh (president) did work out something with his bank but Kwame Kenyatta walked away from his home and now Saunteel Jenkins will lose her condo and is being sued for unpaid debts.

One immediately thinks that people with money troubles are prime targets for corruption as they need money desperately.

Another thing to think about is if these people cannot manage their own money, how capable are they managing a whole city’s money?

They say that since many in Detroit are in foreclosure, council members in foreclosure know first hand what Detroiters are going through?

I am not buying that as a positive experience but I also question if there is anybody in Detroit that is a suitable candidate for the city council. We finally have a mayor that is a regular, honest guy with a brain after all these years but he basically volunteered to run the city. Should others who are capable and honest volunteer also? I can only think of retired people that would not need the money and would serve because they love the city and would not want anything from the city.

Bing’s plan to downsize the city is a great plan that would work but did you see the popular opposition at the meetings he has held so far? A normal politician (like those on the council) wants to be re-elected so he has to listen to the crazies in Detroit and do what they want or else. A retired person (like Bing) can just do what he thinks is right and not be swayed by those screaming the loudest…

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THE POPE: Visit to the UK...

Pope Benedict is on a state visit to the UK and has been drawing some pretty good crowds; not as large as Pope John Paul drew, but still pretty large for a secular country.

The Pope apologized for the priestly sex abuse debacle but his apologies all ring hollow and insincere as he has not moved to punish the bishops that allowed these abuses to go on after learning of them and has not instituted rules and regulations that would prevent those abuses from ever happening again. In fact, he seemed puzzled how priests that swear before God to be good representatives of Jesus on earth, behave in such despicable ways. The reason he is so puzzled is because the entire Vatican is made up of very naïve people that don’t have a lick of sense when it comes to the real world and should not be representatives of anything especially Jesus and should stay the hell away from kids – always!

In his initial speech in Scotland, the Pope thanked England for standing up to that Nazi Hitler who wished to eradicate God from society. Here again, I think that the speech was written by somebody other than the Pope, but to not know your historical facts makes him and his speech writer just plain stupid.

Hitler was a Catholic and many members of the Nazi party were Catholics. In fact many German Catholics supported Hitler whole heartedly. Pope Benedict was a member of the Hitler Youth Corps when he was 14 but now says he was forced to join and his father never liked Hitler anyway, so there!

Hell, Pope Pius XII who was pope during WWII has been accused of being a Nazi Pope because he did not vigorously oppose the Nazi regime and did little to protect the Jews from the extermination plan he knew Hitler had initiated. No, Pope Pius XII is up for sainthood – figure that one out will you?

Hell, the Church encouraged anti-Semitism in past history as killing the Jesus murderes. Even Martin Luther (German) preached against the Jews. Hell, its not atheism that condemned the Jews, it was Christianity you morons!

The Pope was also condemning the “aggressive secularism” that is going on in Europe and especially the UK. Many British writers no longer just accept religion and religious people as equals and treat them with respect, no, they tell it like it is and don’t mince any words calling religion and religious followers as stupid for believing in fairy tales and superstitions; Benedict does not like that kind of grownup talk.

I realize that he is taking an aggressive stance at winning back some of the respect the Vatican lost in the priestly sex scandals but realistically he knows he will always have those blind followers who see no Vatican evil no matter what the evidence. He realizes and has said so in the past, that the Catholic population will shrink as those who are aware of what is going on in the Church leave the faith and try to find another religious denomination that will not be so arrogant, naïve and so full of itself. And yet the pope will not change and the Church will not change even though it has in the past and needs to right now – is that stubborn or plain stupid?

I am surprised that there has not been a larger protest against the pope in the UK where many if not most, oppose the Vatican views on social issues such as banning condom use in AIDS stricken Africa and other such gems.

More on his visit later…

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COMMUNIST CUBA: I told you so...

I am going to gloat a little bit about the recent developments in Cuba. My wife leans leftward; some of her friends are either socialists or unabashed Communists and they all support Cuba as if it was some idealistic nation arguing that their system of government is the only fair system as opposed to a quite unfair capitalist system here at home.

Well I am happy to symbolically kick them in the ass and call them naïve, misguided twits now that Fidel Castro himself has stated that their system (Communism) will not work for any other country (Venezuela, etc.) because it does not work in Cuba and has not worked for a long time (if ever?).

Today, Cuba announced that it is firing 500,000 government workers because they are not needed. Fidel himself said that up to a million workers will have to be let go because they are redundant (they pretend to work and Cuba pretends to pay them). Up to now, 85% of workers in Cuba worked for the government.

When asked where are these laid-off workers supposed to find jobs, the reply was in the private sector but there is no private sector in Cuba? Raul Castro (brother of Fidel) has been trying to ease restrictions on private enterprise but expecting 500,000 workers to start their own companies overnight is absurd.

In the past, Cuba was subsidized to the tune of billions of dollars by the Soviet Union but obviously the Soviet Union’s Communist system collapsed some time ago and they became the poor man among nations and could no longer give Cuba any help; Cuba had to rely on their economic model all alone and see what happened?

Fidel will not admit that he was dead wrong and his revolution only condemned the happy people of Cuba to a life of poverty and want. I wish I could rub his face in shit and say see you moron what you have done?

But if we want to help the long suffering people of Cuba we need to do what we did to China; open the flood gates to capitalism. Let investment flow in. Build resorts and spas putting people to work and bringing in tourist dollars.

Allow private ownership of farms and factories; Cuban cigar and rum for everyone! Of course we would have to get rid of the Communist government first; maybe they would be willing to just dissolve themselves.

I will say that the misery of the Cuban people was prolonged by the U.S. insistence on blockading the island and guaranteeing the people would remain in poverty to this very day. That policy was misguided and plain stupid; who were we really punishing?

I call on President Obama to open talks with Raul Castro and ease all restrictions on Cuba in response to Cuba easing all restrictions to a free market system in their country. I would love to visit Cuba in my lifetime and have a drink and cigar where Ernest Hemingway used to do the same!!!

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FRIENDS FROM THE PAST: What a blast from the past!

I had a great blast from the past this weekend.

Because this goes so far back, I have to set the stage a bit. I came out of the Air Force in 1970 as a medic / laboratory specialist. Signed up at Wayne State University on the GI Bill for what was then a degree encompassing marketing / public relations / journalism / business. I was living at home.

Wanted to get married but was harshly informed that I needed to get a job first? Saw an ad for a midnight position at Garden City Hospital – perfect; go to school during the day and work at night.

Joining me on the late shift were a number of interesting fellows, all going to school during the day. Garden City Hospital back then had a pretty busy ER so there was a need for a number of us to cover the lab.

One fellow that worked with me was going to U of M for a masters in public health. His name was Paul Pongpitoon and he came from Thailand where he worked for the U.S. military during Vietnam and it was those American soldiers that encouraged him to come to the United States for a better chance at a good and successful life. We worked well together and grew to become friends.

Eventually, I went on to start my own business in 1981 manufacturing laboratory reagents and analyzers and he moved to St. Louis where in 1985 he started a reference laboratory.

I received a call from him this weekend saying he is visiting his daughter who just had a baby girl (his first grandchild) and who lives in Birmingham. I told him that my daughter and my two grandkids live in Birmingham also. We met for dinner at the Big Rock Restaurant in Birmingham and that brought back such memories. Memories of struggle to get our businesses off the ground floor while still maintaining and supporting our families. And we brought pictures of our kids and grandkids and their stories…

We are both looking to retire and see what else we can do. He has over 100 employees now and is worth many millions. His goal after retirement is to go to Thailand, to his village and maybe fund scholarships for children that need a chance at a good life. He got that chance once; why not give others a chance too.

I relate this story to show what determination, dedication and a willingness to work very hard can bring you and of course you need a lot of smarts which he has in abundance.

He will be visiting his granddaughter often so we will have more chances to reminisce.

BURNING KORANS: Why?

Wow, what about all the hubbub about burning Korans / Qurans in Gainesville, Florida?

Here is Terry Jones who has barely any parishioners in his church, on the news channels worldwide and potentially inciting rioting all over the world because he has decided that a passage in the biblical book of ACTS, calls for the burning of Korans?

We all know that you can find justification in the Bible for about anything you want so that’s not a big deal but the fact that he wants to do this is why? He needs more parishioners, more money, likes being on the news, is a total Looney bird in need of treatment?

He has every right to burn books as long as the fire codes allow it. I have railed in the past about cartoons depicting Mohammad that led to riots as an over-reaction by Muslims; I defended the right to print those cartoons and decried officials trying to assuage Muslims by banning their publication.

The fact that this twit has garnered all this world attention is problematic and in some way, mimics the Muhammad cartoons issue; they are just cartoons. Eventually all books, Bibles and Korans, etc. get old and need to be burned or disposed of.

Americans hate when people burn our flag but the Supreme Court established the act of burning as a free expression right and I agree with them. Burning Korans is symbolic and a free expression right. I suppose Muslims can burn Bibles but I don’t think Christians would get all bent out of shape about that; they would just print more Bibles and I think here lies the problem. Muslims feel a need or even an obligation to somehow defend their God, Prophet and religion against people that they feel defile or insult them and they take this to absurd levels; remember Salman Rushdie and his book?

The fact that all these high officials are publicly repudiating Jones just leads to more attention for Jones. We have blown this issue way out of proportion and really, it is a media issue since no one gave a shit about Jones until the media got a hold of the story.

I had enough with the mosque issue but now this…

PILLARS OF THE EARTH: See the series, its great!

We just finished watching the series called PILLARS OF THE EARTH on the cable channel STARZ. We actually added Starz to be able to watch this series which had all the elements we absolutely love.

First, it took place in England during the Middle Ages (1100) which is a fascinating time in history. It involves the building of a cathedral, an honest prior and an evil bishop. It has a lot of palace intrigue among nobles trying to influence the king. It has good guys and very bad guys and a story that just envelops you; we could not wait till the next episode.

Now that the series is done, it is available at ON DEMAND if you have Starz. When I added Starz to my Comcast channels, I actually received a lower rate than I was paying before; go figure. Anyway, we recommend the series whole heartedly.

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