The Noble Pundit

For Sports Fans

Ok, so I'm a day late (almost two), but the Friday Fanfest over at SportsBlog might be of interst to you. It's a compilation of sports related posts from general interest blogs.

Go take a look sports fans!

Quick Links

Sorry about the lack of posts today. I was over in Sebastian taking out cabinets and pulling up flooring. I'll be around more tomorrow so you should see more posting.

On immigration - Excellent opinion piece. Should be a must read article.

Poland Says It Was Mistaken in Report That Troops Found Newly Built French Missiles in Iraq - I'll bet Chirac doesn't realize that this story was so hot because it was so believable. No he still thinks that he can get away with trying to convince the world that a decade is fifteen years long.

Blue Cross of California to accept Mexican ID cardholders - Well this is mighty progressive of them. Let's take the costs of illegal immigrant health care and transfer them from being a responsibility of the entire state and make them a cost to be borne by those fortunate enough to be insured by Blue Cross.

Oxygen not booze draw students to local bar - No second hand oxygen for them! But isn't unfair for them to be hoarding and wasting all this precious oxygen when oxygen poor kids are suffering outside of third world polluting power plants?

Sins of omission - OK, maybe the time between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur should be used as a time of reflection. And maybe Sharon's government is a little arrogant. But is that sufficient reason to think that dialogue and gradual capitulation will make anything better? The real Palestinian side of the story gets out. It's not Israel's fault that the Palestinian story is racist, anti-Semitic and offensive.

Medical examiner accused of keeping breast implants after autopsy - OK, he's a teacher also, right? If he kept them for educational purposes it is in poor taste and morally questionable. But if he kept them for any other reason, they need to throw him with all the other sickos. Either way, it's disgusting.

No Redneck Days?

This is getting simply ridiculous. First they insisted on diversity and acceptance of cultures "different" than your own. But now some parent up near Pensacola has declared that Redneck Day at school is a celebration of the "ignorant, white racist."

Bull. The term redneck applies to any white manual laborer who works outside. Planting crops, harvesting them, digging ditches, mowing lawns all involve looking down at the ground which has the effect of exposing the back of the neck to the sun. On us white folks, this will normally lead to a sunburn on the neck, hence the term "redneck."

"Redneck" does not connotate racism. We already have a term for that, it called racist. If you don't like that term, we also have an adequate synonym, bigot. If the person is of a lower socio-economic background we have to word poor to append as an adjective. You could possibly even use the phrase low-class. Why the necessity to twist the meaning of a perfectly good word when we already have a decent vocabulary with which to describe a low-class, poor, racist bigot?

Is it because it is a word that is often used to describe white people, particularly some of us in the South?

It doesn't have the historical connotations of a word like "cracker" (which is another I'm not particularly thrilled that they have turned into a racist term) which was a description originally of white, slave owning Floridians - a corruption of the sound, or crack, of the whip. It later, during the last part of the 19th century and into the 20th century became a term used to describe Floridians who wanted nothing more out of life than to sit on the front porch of their cracker homes, watching the world go by and the crops growing.

It doesn't have the undertones of Klansman or supremacist. It's a term to describe a hardworking, low wage earning white person. Why are we looking to automatically declare that person a racist?

At my kids' bus stop in the morning there is a parent like the one who made the racist quote. Everything that might possibly even be thought that it could be construed as a racist comment is over-reacted to and blown completely out of proportion. In this case, the parent is reacting to a stereotyped prejudice against poor, rural white folks. Is that not racism itself?

Kind of sounds like the pot calling the kettle black to me.

Quick Links

Polish Troops Find New French Missiles in Iraq - If Chirac understood the concept of shame, this might be big news, but since he doesn't, I don't think anyone is really all too surprised.

ESPN's Jackson reportedly threatened to resign if Limbaugh stayed - If this is true, I will lose some respect for TJ, but ultimately I watch Sunday Morning Countdown for the sports analysis, not the political commentary. That is why Tom Jackson is on the show - and why Rush never should have been on it to begin with. See my comments here for how I feel about the issue.

Ghettopoly Causing A Stir - The game itself sounds like it probably is trite, but the responses of the PC crowd are priceless. "Racist pornography?" Give me a break. It's just obnoxious and in your face. It may not be pleasant to deal with, but deal with it. There are more pressing issues in Detroit than Ghettopoly.

Less Then 300 Ships?

It's official: the US Navy has the fewest number of ships since prior to World War I. What was that Santayana quote? Those who fail to learn from history?

Like it or not, America has been, is, and will continue to be a maritime nation. We cannot function effectively without waterborne access to foreign supplies, particularly of oil. The sea lanes are our lifeblood, without them we lose much of our strength.

As such, we have a real need to maintain the freedom of travel on the high seas. Sure we've got the Coast Guard to help in that regard, but the blue water Navy is still the ultimate guarantor of our unfettered access to the oceans.

The Navy is also critical in quickly, effectively, and forcefully projecting American power in remote parts of the world. I've said it before and I'll say it again, when an overseas crisis rears its ugly head, the President doesn't ask where the artillery is, he asks where the carriers are. Many times, they are still the best, quickest, and most forceful way to make our interests understood by those who don't seem to appreciate the nuances of diplomacy. No one is scared by the sight of C-17s flying towards bases hundreds of miles away, but when you can see that looming mass that is an aircraft carrier on the horizon, you know then that your goose is cooked.

But what really scares me are quotes like this:

While many conservatives worry about the growing Chinese threat, several analysts said China's navy is decades away from challenging the U.S. fleet.

"No one is going to challenge us at sea for the next 20 years," said analyst and naval historian Norman Polmar.

20 years? I don't think so. How long did it take for Nazi Germany to create a credible blue water threat? How long did it take for the Soviet Navy to create a real threat? What makes us think that the Chinese can't have a credible blue water navy in the next five or ten years if they decide to focus on that goal? Maybe they can't launch a Nimitz, a Ticonderoga, or an Arleigh Burke, maybe they can't build a Los Angeles class or a Seawolf, but they damn sure can build a threat in short order. We fight with technology. They can choose to go the old Soviet route and fight with numbers. Don't believe for a second that they can't build a real and credible threat in less than 20 years.

Do we need a 600 ship Navy? No. The threats are different than they were during the Soviet years. But we do need more than 296. With all the support ships, that makes it real tough for to sail an adequate number of warships to both protect the sea lanes and our interests overseas.

We have cut too deep across all branches of the military, not just the Navy. This needs to be reversed before we slip to a point where we have foolishly exposed ourselves to potential threats. If we have to take care of Kim Jong Il while we're still in Iraq, what happens if there is a threat from Hugo Chavez in Venezuela or our old nemesis Castro in Cuba? Will we have the resources to defend our interests or possibly even ourselves? Anymore, I don't know and that is very disconcerting.

One of the most basic duties of our government is to provide for the national defense. Are we giving them a pass on that responsibility?

A Night In The Life Of A 'Canes Fan

I figure Red Sox fans spend their entire lives telling the world how terrible it is to be a BoSox fan, so I thought I would give a little window into the world of a longtime Miami Hurricanes fan.

Last night the Miami Hurricanes defeated West Virginia 22-20 in the cozy confines of the Orange Bowl. But West Virginia was really beat by the Orange Bowl Mystique.

Now I have friends, Gator fans specifically, who don't believe that there is an Orange Bowl Mystique. The believe that the Orange Bowl is no more special a place than the Swamp, than the Doak in Tallahassee, than the Horseshoe in Columbus or the Big House in Ann Arbor. They all keep telling me, the Orange Bowl is just another stadium - an old dirty one at that.

But look at what happened last night. For 48 minutes and 14 seconds, Miami played West Virginia football. For 48 minutes and 14 seconds, Miami looked mortal and the Orange Bowl looked like just another stadium.

I was standing in my living room, yelling at the TV. My girlfriend asked me if I was going to be upset for a week if Miami lost. I told her I would be pissed until next Saturday when they played FSU. She called me crazy saying it was just football. I had to correct her: it wasn't just football - it was Miami football.

At the same time, Lee Corso is jabbering on ESPN about how the Orange Bowl was quiet and how the 'Cane fans were scared. Sure we were scared. Sure we were concerned. This was not Miami football.

And then after three horrible plays left Miami in a 3rd and 13 on their final drive, Larry Coker called time out. At that point I was ranting and raving and sounding irrational, but during the time out, it all changed.

The Orange Bowl came alive.

The Super Bowls. The National Championships. The Perfect Season. The 52 game home winning streak. The images of Bob Griese, Dan Marino, Larry Csonka, Jim Kelly, Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, and countless other Dolphin and Hurricane greats all started to make their presence felt. The history of the stadium, of Miami football, made itself real and palpable. The Orange Bowl reared itself up and said "Not in my house."

When the 'Canes broke from the timeout, there was no question anymore. They were going to win. They knew it. West Virginia knew it. The fans knew it. The Orange Bowl knew it. Call it confidence. Call it swagger. You could even call it arrogance. It was the Orange Bowl Mystique at work.

Immediately, even in my living room, I felt it. No more throwing a fit; no more being upset. Instead there was the feeling that Miami would live up to the tradition of Miami football and would not lose.

Don't convert 3rd and 13? That's ok. Throw it to Winslow on 4th and 13 and let him forever become one of those ghostly images on the field. March it down to the 6 yard line without a shred of doubt. For 1 minute and 46 seconds, Miami played Miami football.

As they made the march down the field, ESPN kept showing images of the West Virginia players laying on the turf along the sideline. Their eyes did not exude hope. Their eyes did not betray confidence. Their eyes were full of fear. After that timeout, West Virginia knew it was over. They were done. They were watching with awe and terror as the final drive played out. They knew the heart wrenching kick was coming and that it would be good. There would be no Wide Right for Miami. There would be no Wide Left. The Orange Bowl would not have allowed it last night.

West Virginia played well enough to beat Miami last night - had the game been in Morgantown. But it was in the Orange Bowl - that old dirty stadium that is full of history and mystique.

Last night The Orange Bowl said "Not in my house." The Hurricanes may have defeated the Mountaineers and got the W, but it was the Orange Bowl that beat West Virginia.

This will also be cross-posted at SportsBlog.

Quick Links

No quick links tonight as I spent this evening watching the Cardiac Canes squeak by West Virginia 22-20.

Back to normal tomorrow.

Bye Bye, Bob

Aw, gee. It looks like Bob Graham is dropping out of the Presidential race.

I can't really say I'm disappointed, even though he's from Florida. As a native Floridian, I have to say that his campaign was an embarrassment. He was obsessive (the diaries?) and when he spoke, he made Al Gore sound like the Great Communicator. Florida deserved better from its Presidential candidate.

Bye bye Bob. Can't say I'm sorry to see you go.

This Is A Weak Teacher

An eighth grader has been suspended for harrassing a teacher with a religious pamphlet. Rather than being a failure on the part of the student, this is a failure on the part of the teacher and the administration.

Apparently during a discussion of the big bang theory a few students brought up the Creationism theory at which point the teacher told them she couldn't lead a religious discussion. OK, I can understand that position, although I don't like it.

This led to a rumor mill about the teacher's religious beliefs "that was harmful to the teacher" and that culminated in a student being suspended for "encouraging another pupil to put a religious pamphlet on the teacher's desk."

This is where I believe that the teacher and the school's administration failed. They never should have let the issue get to the point that it did. As soon as there was an indication of a problem, someone from the administration should have come into the classroom to have a discussion about why it was considered inappropriate for the teacher to hold a religious discussion.

The issue was never acknowledged and was allowed to fester. Combine that with a thinskinned teacher and you have a recipe for an overreaction - which is exactly what happened.

Is placing a pamphlet on a desk a form of harassment? Only if you're emotionally weak.

The teacher should have shown more maturity. Rather than sending the student off with an overwrought office referral that led to a suspension, she should have sat the student down and had a discussion about the appropriateness of the action. In my opinion, the teacher failed to handle this like an adult.

This was a wonderful opportunity for the teacher and the school administration to teach the students about the idea of the separation of church and state. It was an opportunity to discuss using better judgment. In short it was an educational opportunity that was ignored in favor of punishment. Given the fact that the mission of the school is to educate, this is unacceptable.

So You Have Comment Spam

I've been reading quite a bit on various blogs lately (here and here and here primarily) about comment spam. I noted a while back that I was getting porn comment spam.

Well, today the took it to a new level. My other site on this server, Noble Coins, has a simple order page. It's just a basic form that you submit that sends me all the information in an email. A very unsophisticated way of handling my orders, but it works.

When I got home, I opened my email to find that someone is trying to spam me via my order page. I have gotten at least 6 "orders" that are nothing but someone trying to send an HTML email via an order form in which the longest field is maybe 50 characters. And they have so much in the <head> section of the HTML that they never actually get to the body so I can't figure out what in the hell their trying to sell me (as if I'd ever buy it from them anyway!)

You would think that they would have a clue about what a formmail email looks like. You would think that they would know that trying to send HTML spam via formmail there is no way to make the HTML work, unless the recipient goes through and laborously reconstructs the HTML coding. And who is going to go through all that only to find they have a generic Viagra email and say "Oh! Generic Viagra. I got to get me some!"

The spammers are getting really, really bad. It used to be that they were just annoying. Now they're annoying, offensive (sometimes), and incompetent.

I guess it might be time to start using this to weed them out of the comments. Another thing for my to do list.

Rush, Football And Racism

At lunch today, every TV in the restaurant was breathlessly reporting on the Rush Limbaugh/Donovan McNabb story and Rush's comments about his comments that created the whole furor.

Now I'm no great fan of Rush and I thought that ESPN was really taking a chance bringing him on board. And as it turns out, that decision has come back to bite ESPN in the rear.

But what about Rush's comments? I'm going to hang myself out here and defend him, although maybe not in the way he would have liked.

Rush, in essence, said that McNabb is the phenomenon he is because the media wants to see a black quarterback succeed. And to a large extent this is true. But is it true solely for racial reasons?

I don't think so. I agree that the sports media wants to see a successful black quarterback. But not just because he's black. Sport is the ultimate equalizer. Your success or failure on the field is based solely on merit. I cannot believe that there would be a single person reading this who would knowingly deny someone an opportunity to play QB in the NFL solely because they were black. There is, however, an unspoken and unwritten assumption that the QB position is a white man's position. Think about the great, winning quarterbacks of the game. Do the names Warren Moon or Doug Williams come to mind? Likely not. But they were both solid quarterbacks who were black and who won. Maybe there are some sportswriters who are writing with an agenda of breaking the "white man's position" reputation. If highlighting the successes of a quality black quarterback furthers that goal, good and so be it.

I'm guessing that more often than not, the current crop of black quarterbacks, McNabb included, get so much attention, not because they're black, but because they bring a new dimension to the position. Think about it. McNabb in Tennessee, Daunte Culpepper in Minnesota, Steve McNair in Tennessee, Michael Vick in Atlanta - they are all considered to be special quarterbacks because they bring a real run threat to their position. They bring excitement. They put defenses on their heels and fans on the edge of their seats. Excitement sells, both at the ticket booth on Sunday and on the newsstand on Monday.

And it's not all racially motivated. Jake Plummer, a white quarterback in Denver probably gets more attention than he's earned - because he, like McNabb, Culpepper, etc., brings that added dimension on Sunday. On the other hand, Quincy Carter the black quarterback in Dallas doesn't bring the run threat to the table and he is generally regarded as a run of the mill quarterback. So race really doesn't determine whether or not a quarterback is considered great, solid, or mediocre. It doesn't even determine if they're overrated or overlooked. More often than not, that is all judged on what they bring to the field every Sunday. But again, if highlighting the successes of a black quarterback brings more opportunity that's fine. The ultimate judgment of success in made on the field, not the newspaper. Breaking the "white man's position" stigma equalizes opportunity, not outcome.

Now many of the commentators on the situation have almost seemed to have been accusing Rush as saying Donovan should not be playing the position because he is overrated in the media, which in turn was based on the color of his skin. Now I didn't read anything in those comments that indicated that Rush doubted McNabb's ability to play the position. He only seemed to question the level of regard given to McNabb.

McNabb is a solid quarterback. I remember watching him when he played for Syracuse against the Miami Hurricanes. He has talent. He has leadership ability. He is playing in the NFL because he earned that position.

To determine if he is truly overrated, we have to examine the true job of an NFL quarterback. Part of it is throwing the ball, part is running the ball, but the largest component is leadership.

McNabb is a leader. No one has ever questioned his leadership ability either in Philadelphia or at Syracuse. The players in Philadelphia seem to have faith in him and believe in him. McNabb inspires those around him; he makes them want to play at a higher level. If leadership is the most important aspect of quarterbacking, it can be argued that McNabb is underrated, not overrated.

Obviously he can run the ball, but it is always his passing game that has led to the questions about him. True, McNabb doesn't have the best completion percentage and he can be inaccurate at times, but you really can't hold the poor passing game solely against him. He has never been blessed with a great receiving corps. He has never had a go to guy that could make spectacular grabs as a matter of course, or that could make an average play a great play, a la Jerry Rice. Even given the best receivers in the football, McNabb likely would not have the best passing numbers, but they would certainly be better. The receivers help make the QB, and you can fault the Philadelphia organization for not having surrounded McNabb with better receivers.

So is McNabb overrated? Maybe a little, it depends on how much you want to weight his leadership skills against his passing skills. Has he opened himself to criticism through his action? Probably. His passing game hasn't really improved any during the time he's been in the league. Donovan has a responsibility to himself, to the team and to the fans to work to improve himself. It could be argued that he has failed or possibly even ignored this responsibility. But that still doesn't take away from the fact that he is an NFL caliber quarterback and that, up until this year, he's been a winner.

Defense may win games, but not too many. Offense may win games, but by itself, it won't win too many either. A winning team, which Philadelphia has had, is made up of both a good offense and a good defense. A great defense may reduce the burden of perfection on the offense, but it will never fully eliminate it. And this is where Rush was wrong. Philly's defense never could completely cover for Donovan if he was a failure. He would have been exposed as such in his rookie year, just like Ryan Leaf was.

So what did we learn from the Rush brouhaha? That he's a more astute political commentator than sports commentator - nothing we didn't already know. Politically, he correctly called out the sports media - although for the wrong reasons. Sportswise, he incorrectly placed too much value on physical skills and not enough on mental and intangible skills.

If the end result of all this - the media focusing on successful black quarterbacks and Rush focusing on the media focusing on successful black quarterbacks - leads to more equitable opportunity for black quarterbacks then where is the harm? I don't think that Rush intended his remarks to be racist. I think he was trying to point out that successful black quarterbacks get more press time than similarly skilled white quarterbacks, which I believe is a fair observation. Is it wrong? That's up to each of us to decide.

All I know is that as a football fan I want to see the best possible players playing on Sunday. That's all.

But if the Miami Dolphins ever get a choice between McNabb or Culpepper - they had better take Daunte or they'll be getting a nasty letter from me.

Lovable Losers

This morning as I'm driving in to work, I notice that the Orlando Sentinel billboard just north of town (it's kind of cool, it uses light bulbs - like a car dealership sign - to promote three things every morning - articles, sections, coupons, whatever) is promoting an article in today's paper that examines why movie heros are such losers right now.

I haven't read the article in the paper yet and they don't seem to have it linked on their website, but I figured that I would go ahead and comment on the loser hero concept anyway, as the Sentinel article really won't change my position in the least.

Loser heros are so popular because people like losers. Admit it, you know someone like Jack Black in that new movie The School of Rock. They might be a coworker, a neighbor, a relative. But someone, somewhere in your life is a loser.

And while you love watching their incessant screwups and you love how they make you feel better about yourself, deep down inside, hope springs eternal. Even though they're a loser - an unreformed, uninformed, unrepentant, and unlikely to change loser - you still pull for them to, for one moment, one day, to actually do something to contribute to society.

And that hope welling up is why we like the loser hero movies. It gives an opportunity to root for the lovable loser who finally makes good, unlike that lazy coworker. It gives us an opportunity to believe in the potential of losers, despite the actions of your loser brother-in-law.

Movies with loser heros are movies of hope and goodness. They act as a salve in a cyncial and oftentimes negative world.

Loser heros give us hope. That is why we love the losers.

UPDATE: Curt of The Happy Husband has pointed out that the Sentinel finally has the story linked on their site. Here it is for your reading pleasure.

Quick Links

California Law Undermines Air Safety - Another reason to not like the new driver's licensing scheme in California.

Racism In Federal Hiring - Got to love the whole color blind society implementation.

US losing the war of ideas in Muslim world - Another in the line of "why do they hate us" type stories. Why care why they hate us? If we know, will they then like us? I don't think so.

Debt, Debt, Debt & More Debt

In a BFO (Blinding Flash of the Obvious) it is now being reported that excessive debt is being blamed as a reason for the rise in personal bankruptcies. Well, duh.

During the later half of the Nineties people, myself included, were piling on huge, unsustainable, amounts of debt. To a point, it hasn't stopped and we're building a huge housing price bubble on the back of excessive lending. And now, as the recession is becoming protracted instead of being short, the chickens are coming home to roost.

When I worked as a broker, I saw people taking on huge debt loads, without ever realizing it. Think about how much debt you really have?

Got a mortgage? How about a car loan? Credit cards? Here's one that trips a lot of people up - do you own any investments on margin? Making payments on a boat, an RV, a Jet-Ski maybe? A business loan? Remember, not all debt, margin is a significant exception, has to be paid on each month.

I used to see folks that had accounts with $200,000 worth of stock and they were $125,000 on margin. They never thought of it as debt - the firm didn't hold them to a repayment schedule.

I used to talk to people who knew they had too much credit card debt. Many of them didn't care - they figured they would just declare bankruptcy if it got to be too much to handle.

I'd talk to people who were talking about taking out home equity loans so that they could invest the excess equity in Treasury Bonds.

Almost never would I talk to someone who understood that they were taking on too much debt by doing these things. They figured they always had an out - bankruptcy.

A few months back, I started the process of getting my financial life back together somewhat. It hasn't been easy, but it's working. Little by little, things are getting better.

But I'm watching people continuing to take on huge debt burdens with no real consideration for how they plan to repay those debts (my current employer does this). I watch people thinking that home equity loans or another credit card will be the route to their financial salvation.

If this recession deepens or even worse, turns into a deflationary recession, many of these people will find that they have no way to repay these debts. And then the burden will shift to the lenders, who in turn will shift it to the employees, which in turn will lead to more recessionary and/or deflationary pressures. The bursting of the credit bubble will not be a pleasant experience, to say the least.

Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic, but I think that over the next few years, the people who will do the best and will become the financial foundations for the next boom (yes, it will come - everything is cyclical) are the people who are currently living on a cash or close to cash basis.

It's going to be tough, but again, responsibility will be rewarded.

Interesting Do-Not-Call Side Question

Earlier today I was talking with a coworker and we were discussing the National Do Not Call Registry and the fact that it has been, for the time being at least, ruled an unconstitutional infringement on the free speech of the telemarketers.

For the record, I don't like telemarketers. I've said so in the past and I still don't like them. I believe the National Do Not Call Registry should be legal and should by ruthlessly enforced. But that's not the topic of this post.

The way I understand the ruling by Judge Nottingham, it is ok for a telemarketer to use my private phone line to attempt to sell me a product I don't want.

Now I can quantify the exact cost of each call that a telemarketer makes to me based on the amount of my basic service and the number of minutes in a billing period. The cost may be tiny, but there is in fact a real and quantifiable cost to me for that telemarketer to begin his pitch before I hang up on him. There is a cost if I simply pick up the receiver. And the judge's ruling makes this involuntary appropriation of my resources for the benefit of the telemarketer legal.

I don't like that. My phone line is not a public place. It should not be considered fair game for anyone who can get the number to it. Advertising should not cost the target of the advertising anything. But this still isn't my point.

Let's take this decision to the next level. What about those ubiquitous "No Solicitation" signs on most every business? Can they now be considered an infringement on the free speech of the door to door salesman?

Look at the similarities. The rent paid for the space is the equivalent of the phone bill. The facility may be private property, but it could be considered a public use facility. And the salesman, like the telemarketer on the phone, is simply trying to earn a living in a manner that the business owner finds objectionable.

Why should the courts discriminate against the door to door salesman in favor of the telemarketer? Isn't everyone entitled to the same right to free speech?

Heck, if I really wanted, I could probably even stretch this into a justification for a salesman to set himself up in his competitor's place of business on free speech grounds. It'd be a stretch, but the argument could be made - and some court would probably accept it.

The big problem with all these scenarios is that they involve a weakening of the rights of private property. Why should I have any fewer rights with my phone line than a business owner does with his storefront? Why can he decide that solicitation is an unfair use of his resources while I can't do the same with my resources?

Is this a significant weakening of the concept of private property? It's hard to make a case for the idea that this decision alone will lead to wholesale appropriation of property. But this decision, combined with a while host of other little, insignificant nibbles at the concept of private property will eventually build up into a real loss of significance of private property. How useful is owning a something, whether it be a phone number, a business or your home, if everyone else can use it as they see fit - without your approval or acceptance?

This little matter - and it really is insignificant in and of its own merit - has huge implications for the state of private property in our country. I hope that some judge, somewhere, will stand up for the private property concept on which our entire economy is based.

If not, we're really sailing off into uncharted waters, especially given the activism of the judiciary today.

The New "Carnival of the Capitalists"

Jay Solo and Rob from BusinessPundit are teaming up to create a new theme post called the Carnival of the Capitalists.

It will operate similarly to the Carnival of the Vanities, but each post will need to be in some way related to a capitalist topic:

What are relevant topics? Posts on business, management, marketing, accounting, finance, economics, sales, capitalism; anything of that nature that logically fits something called "Carnival of the Capitalists."

I've already volunteered for one to host one of the weeks. If you have any questions or would like to host a week, contact either Jay or Rob using the contact information on the linked page.

Should be fun!

Carnival Of The Vanities Is Up!

The new Carnival of the Vanities is now up over at Dodgeblogium. For the first time in a while I've gone and submitted two entries for it.

Looks like there are a bunch of good posts in this week's edition. Go take a look!

Quick Links

Sharon defies US on West Bank fence - Sharon really needs to start watching out for the best interest of Israel, not the Roadmap. This is probably a good start.

Canada Author Causes Stir with 'Trouble with Islam' - Glad to see that the leaders of Islam are open to contructive criticism.

Ayatollah Rohallah Khomeini's Grandson Promotes Freedom and Democracy - In 1979, you'd have thunk that we'd be seeing the Ayatollah's grandson rebuking the revolution less than a quarter of a century later?

Roman souvenir of wall found - This really makes me wish I could get back to London to see this in person.

Sex At Sam's Place: Our Readers Get Wild At Wal Mart - Playboy is prepping the market for a new Women of Wal Mart issue. They really must have a much different Wal Mart crew than any of the ones I've ever been in - or they're now targeting the AARP crowd. Gives me shudders just thinking about it. (This ought to be good for a few wierd Google hits)

So We've Identified The Sympton

The Census Bureau released a new finding this morning which shows that the number of Americans without health insurance has risen. The primary reason given was a decline in the number of people covered under employer sponsored healthcare plans (our local news station, which has no website, mentioned this morning that the decline in employer sponsored plans was due to rising costs - a completely reasonable statement, but one that is not made in the press release).

OK, so we've diagnosed a symptom. We've even found evidence of the true underlying issue, but it is the one that everyone seems to be afraid to touch.

Healthcare costs are going through the roof. A lot of people say that also, but again, it's only a symptom.

Why are healthcare costs going through the roof? Mainly due to extortionist malpractice lawsuits brought on by greedy lawyers and patients.

If a doctor commits true malpractice, they deserve everything they get. But too often anymore, the definition of malpractice is getting expanded far beyond its intent. Malpractice was never intended as a bludgeon against good faith errors in diagnosis. It was intended as a way of punishing those who deliberately or through egregious oversight did harm.

Yet too often, lawyers will file lawsuits with the intention of forcing the doctor or insurance company into an out of court settlement due to the cost in both money and time of fighting a lawsuit, no matter how unmeritorious it may be.

These payoffs lead to the insurance companies having to raise malpractice rates to cover their expenses and to make a profit. This in turn causes the doctors to have to raise their rates to cover the excessive malpractice insurance premiums. This causes the health insurance companies to have to raise their coverage rates to insure profits after paying the doctors for services rendered. This in turn causes employers to drop sponsored healthcare coverage, in order to protect their profits.

All of which leads to the employee becoming uninsured, just like the Census Bureau has found.

We do not need national health insurance. We really don't need reform of the malpractice laws.

We do need a reform of the legal system to discourage or punish those who file unmeritorious lawsuits in order to benefit the lawyers at the expense of society.

Why are more Americans going without healthcare coverage? Too many lawyers acting like they're better doctors than the doctors.

DWS: Driving While Sleepy?

About a month ago New Jersey put a law on the books that makes it a crime to drive while sleepy. Again, it's a law that takes the place of basic common sense, but this one isn't a bad law, right?

Apparently, the law states that a person must have been awake for at least 24 hours (ok, so far) and must be knowingly driving while drowsy. Now how do you prove, outside of a confession, that someone was knowingly driving while drowsy? It is a very subjective requirement. Without there being an objective standard, I don't see this as being really an enforceable law. I can even see a court striking it down as being too vague as I don't think that there is a reasonable acceptance or standard for "knowingly driving while drowsy."

Like I said before, it is a law that really just codifies common sense. It really says something about how far away from the concept of personal responsibility we are as a society that we need to pass a law like this. But given how far away from that concept we are, I can grudingly accept the need for the law.

It just simply needs to be better written to take away any ambiguity or subjectiveness.

Exploitation At Its Purest

The shock rock group Hell on Earth has decided that, despite the illegality of their action, they will go on with their concert this weekend which features them opening for a public suicide.

The city of St. Petersburg has just passed a new ordinance making the commercial exploitation of a suicide illegal (why in God's name we have to pass such common sense laws I will never understand or accept). Under Florida state law it is already manslaughter to assist in a suicide.

Yet the band plans to defy both laws. Apparently, the show must go on.

I can understand the band's desire to work to change the assisted suicide laws in Florida. I don't agree with them, but I can understand. But how does the exploitation of a terminally ill person's desire for death further their cause?

Do they think that some lawmaker watching this suicide take place (and I'm sure more than a few will) is going to turn around and change their position on assisted suicide? Do they think that the people watching on their website are going to suddenly be stirred to writing letters to their lawmakers urging the legalization of assisted suicide?

No. The people watching it will be voyeurs. They have little to no interest in the assisted suicide laws. They have little to no interest in the politics that surround the issue. They want to see someone die. In their sick, twisted way, they want to see the blood and carnage of an unnatural end.

In that way, they are simply the extreme end of the people who watch NASCAR solely for the wrecks. They are the extreme end of the people who search the web for autopsy photos. They are the extreme fringe of violence voyeurism.

Unfortunately, as a society we cannot go after the viewers, no matter how contemptable their taste in viewing may be.

But the State must go after the band. The band is not doing this for altruistic reasons. The band is doing this to raise awareness of who they are (will anyone know the victim by anything other than "The Dead Guy?") and to make money. That's all well and fine when it's done legally. But this involves premeditated illegalities. They plan to use the death of another human being for their commercial gain. It is sick. It is contemptable. And it is backfiring on them (look at the gigs they've already lost because of this).

But at its core, this is exploitation at its purest.

Quick Links

A Tale of Two Leaders - Has Arafat outfoxed Bush?

Gaza Children Undernourished - Mr. Arafat, Where is the Money? - It makes you glad that he's looking out for the well-being of the Palestinians instead of just simply exploiting them for personal gain, huh?

Muslim slays daughter in 'honor killing' - Why do some people feel that tribal tradition should trump the laws of their new home country?

The Surprises of Suicide Terrorism - Has some very interesting points.

Anger overmanagement: Some men simply can't get mad - I don't think that people would accuse me of having this problem.....

Time For The Tables To Turn

The gay community fights tooth and nail to keep the church out of governmental affairs claiming separation of church and state. When they do so, they lose the moral high ground on which to build a case for the right to impose the government on the church.

O'Hara Catholic School.

It's a private school run by the Catholic Church. Right there are two reasons why there is no justification for the courts to get involved in this matter.

Fair is fair, if you want to keep the Church out of the courts, you have to keep the courts out of the Church (criminal acts excepted).

Is Amtrak Trying To Commit Suicide?

Today when I got home from work I turned on the TV and found it on the local all news channel. One of the big stories they were talking about was the possibility of Amtrak workers walking out on Friday.

If you're an employee in a failing business that is in desperate need of a bailout, what do you do? Do you look for another job? Do you make sacrifices for the company? Or do you threaten to go on strike if the bankers don't give you enough money?

Someone needs to remind the TWU that Amtrak is not fighting for market share or for greater profits, it is fighting for relevance. If the Amtrak workers walk out, will very many people really care? If Amtrak stops operating, is it really going to have a significant impact on our nation's transportation grid?

The answer to both questions is "No."

When Eastern Airlines or Continental Airlines or Pan Am went through strikes there was a measure of sympathy that could be had for these great corporate icons. When the private railroads turned passenger rail operations over to Amtrak in 1971, there was a sense of loss as people realized it was the passing of an era.

If Amtrak suffers a strike that permanently shuts the company down there will be none of those feelings. Amtrak isn't a great company, it's been a ward of the state since inception. It won't lead to the mourning of the passing of an era as that would indicate that people actually felt nostalgic about the Amtrak era. Even among railbuffs Amtrak is referred to derisively as either Slamtrack or AmCrash.

I like riding passenger trains, I really do. I even support the idea that intercity passenger rail service should qualify for public funding as a common good. But Amtrak has been a government boondoggle since day one.

The only reason it has survived this long feeding from the public trough is because of political inertia and pork barrel politics. It operates too many money losing routes and misses the basic point of travel: it rarely takes anyone where they want to go.

There are entire states that have no rail service via Amtrak. There are other states that have only one or two stops. And then there is Florida where, on a good day, you have so many stops it takes at least four and half hours to go from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale - a three and a half hour drive. No one ever rationalized the Amtrak route structure. No ever looked at real market demand. The trips cost too much, don't go where you want them to, and tend to drop you off in a fairly rough part of someplace you don't want to be when you get there.

And for the most part, they tend to accomplish all this with a surly, don't care attitude.

The TWU is claiming that they fear a major accident or disruption in the next year. OK, but why do they fear that? Excepting the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak doesn't own the rails they travel over. Is the union claiming that there will be some sort of equipment failure? If so, how will increasing the funding help? If it's a major wreck that they're anticipating, that tells me that it is because the equipment is simply worn out and needs replacement - something that most likely cannot be accomplished in one year or for even a billion dollars.

How would the TWU propose that Amtrak spend the extra money? Or are they going to simply propose that their members need to get paid more money so that these types of accidents don't happen?

I hate to say this, but if the workers walk out on Friday, it will almost certainly be the end of Amtrak. And I can't really say that I'll mourn it's passing.

It's long since been time to denationalize the passenger rail network anyway.

More People Observations

This morning, as I was taking the kids over to the bus stop so they could head off for school, I noticed one of those things that makes you want to go "Ewwww..."

No less than three people were out cruising the neighborhoods - garbage picking. And this wasn't discrete picking, this was stop the car in the middle of the road so it holds up traffic so that you can go over and rummage through the rubbish. I got stuck behind one lady in a fairly new minivan who stopped on the main road out of our neighborhood, turned on her emergency blinkers, got out and found a broken broomstick handle in someones trash can, opened the back of her van - which was full of other garbage - tossed in the broomstick and then left. I had to sit there through the whole ordeal as there was too much oncoming traffic to go around her, but the most amazing part was the amount of garbage she was hauling around in the back of her van.

Now it's not like I live in some tony neighborhood - I think, think, we're one step above the ghetto. And it's not like these folks were taking anything that might be worth something - like a broken TV or a washing machine.

No, they're taking broken broomsticks and split pieces of PVC pipe. And they're picking through God only knows what to get it. Are things really that bad?

I do have to say that I am now offended that no one went through my garbage. What, I'm not even good enough for the garbage pickers??? This has to be a violation of some right, right?

One word: Ewwwwww.

Quick Links

German president: UK gave in to Hitler - Yeah, Neville did cave to Hitler, but is it really accurate to compare the plight of the Holocaust Jews to that of the Germans displaced after the war? Just the scale and barbarity of the Holocaust makes the comparison repulsive.

Dean of Students Shuts Down Affirmative Action Bake Sale - U. Cal Irvine shuts down a bake sale as unfair because the pricing is preferential based on race and sex. The whole point of the sale was to prove that affirmative action is unfair because it is based on race and sex. The Dean proved the point. But will they notice? The same thing happened at SMU recently. Where is the students right to political protest?

Inside the Islamic Mafia - So maybe the Islamists aren't the religion of peace people they would like you to believe that they are.

TV Talk Dirtier Than Ever Before - Yesterday, I noted a problem. Today, FOXNews notes a possible reason for the problem. Now all we need is a solution.

Hamas: A Peace Loving Charity?

The Central Bank of Lebanon has begun a probe into the finances of Hamas. Hamas' response? Not an offer of cooperation; not an acceptance that as a charity their financial dealings should be open to review. No they label the probe as a "big mistake or a fatal mistake."

Doesn't sound like they're all too charitable to me. That sounds more like a threat, specifically a terroristic threat.

I'd like to hear Hamas try to reconcile this kind of threat with their position that they are a peace loving charity. I've never heard the Red Cross make veiled and not so veiled threats whenever their finances were probed. If there is nothing to hide, why the uproar?

Are Things Getting Ready To Change In Israel

Yesterday, in a post about Israel considering a deal to release terrorists, I said:

...they will have to deal with more than a few of these terrorists again...

Today, we find out that the Rosh Hashana terrorist was a member of Islamic Jihad and had, in fact, just been released from an Israeli prison two months ago. Sometimes the chickens come home to roost much quicker than expected.

A few days ago I also noted an article in which Israel was grounding pilot who were refusing to fly missions in the territories. Today, we find out that at least one is having second thoughts as he has realized that he had made a grave mistake in signing. The Israeli government is giving every indication that they will allow one opportunity for these 27 to retract their statement or else they will be out of the IAF. And it seems that some are starting to realize that the government is serious about maintaining discipline within the ranks.

We also have an article today in which the Israel News Agency is lambasting the Israeli newspaper industry, claiming that the newspapers are failing to lead in a time of national crisis.

The sense that I'm getting is that the war in Israel is about to escalate, again. The timing of everything is just starting to seem too coincidental. I'd be willing to bet that plans are being made within the IAF for how to handle the escalation, which is why the pilots signed the petition. But under normal circumstances, I don't think that even in Israel, you have seen as quick and as forceful a reaction, unless something was being planned.

And I think that the Israeli people are getting really tired of taking the high road all the time. They seem to be tiring of the constant attacks, especially when they're being perpetrated by repeat offenders. And it's starting to show in the tone of some of the articles in the media and about the media in Israel.

Israel seems to be a nation bracing for a widespread conflict. Just how widespread and how soon remains to be seen.

The Hidden City

Another attempt at a fictional short story. It'll be my entry for the worst story in the blogosphere in the next Spherewide Short Story Symposium.

Marcus was getting tired. He had broken camp just before sun up and the late afternoon desert heat was starting to take his toll on him. He knew from talking with other traders heading west that he was getting close, but how much further could it be?

Marcus had been plying his trade on these sands for nearly 20 years now and had done fairly well for himself. Today, he was hauling a load of Italian wine and Egyptian grain - a prize load to say the least. Worth a small fortune it was. But only if he could find this city.

Marcus didn't know exactly where this city was. In all his years of trading he had never left the province of Syria, much less the boundaries of the empire. This city was a new addition to the empire. He had heard of it, knew of its supposed riches, but had never been there. He also knew that the city was supposed to be hidden and had trade routes to the east. What if he had already passed the entrance?

But surely that couldn't have happened. For such a supposedly rich city would have walls to rival those of Jerusalem or Damascus. And he knew that he had not passed any city walls today.

Another trader came along. Marcus asked where he had been. The trader indicated he had been in the city and told of its riches. He even showed Marcus the aureii he had received in trade there. There had to have been at least 10 and he was only trailing one mule, not two like Marcus.

"Where is this city?" Marcus asked.

"Just over the next ridge. Follow the path to the left. You'll recognize it as soon as you see it. Trust me," the trader replied.

Marcus could see the next ridge ahead. He figured it would take an hour or so to get over it to find this "path." Looking at the sun, he figured he had at least three more hours of daylight left. So he took a drink from his water pouch and began the trek towards the ridge.

As he came over the ridge, Marcus was expecting to see a grand city with massive fortifications. But instead he saw more desert as far ahead as he could see. He saw the path the last trader had told him about. He saw the turn to the left. He also saw that it turned into a crevice in a cliff. "Now how could there be this grand, wealthy city in a cliff?" Marcus asked himself.

Now more on curiosity he continued and followed the path as it turned into the crevice, known locally as a siq. It was imposing. The cliffs must have been as tall as the walls of the Amphitheater in Rome and they had this beautiful reddish orange color to them. But the path was just that - a path. Surely a rich city would have a stone road. These barbarians had a lot to learn about the ways of Rome.

But then as the siq began to make a slight turn, Marcus came upon a stone road that was better maintained than anything he had seen outside of Rome itself. He also noticed water flowing down channels in the walls. Could these people really have aqueducts?

Ahead, Marcus saw a shrine. "Ah. I will stop and give my blessings to Jupiter for having safely delivered me to this place," he thought. But as he approached it, he noticed that there was no figure of Jupiter or any other god for that matter. There was only a square inside the niche. There were offerings around the shrine, but what kind of heathen worshipped a square? This made even less sense to Marcus than the Jews in Judea with their Yahweh. But so long as they used Roman money, he didn't care. The gods would see to their punishment.

Off to the right of the shrine Marcus noticed a pool. He took the mules over and let them drink as he refilled his water pouch. The water was cool, not what he expected to find here in the middle of the desert. This place was turning out to very interesting.

Refreshed from his cool drink, Marcus continued down the road. He studied the wall of the siq as he walked down. He noticed that there were niches cut every so often and that they had lit oil lamps in them. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen a lighted road heading into a city. Some of the wealthy cities would have lighted roads within the walls, but never outside.

The road down the siq must have been at least a Roman mile. It just seemed to go on and on, twisting and turning among the cliffs. Every so often he would pass another shrine to the holy square, each one with more offerings than the last. After the last shrine, he noticed that the siq began to narrow and the cliffs seemed to get higher and higher. Soon they were almost closing in over the top of him.

And then he came around the final turn in the siq and there before him was one of the most beautiful buildings he had ever seen. It must have been as tall as the great statue of Nero back in Rome. Four great columns across the front with some of the most intricately carved capitols he had ever seen. Two giant equestrian carvings either side of the portico, each at least five times life size. It wasn't until he started to study the great urn beneath the pediment that he realized that it wasn't a building at all. Instead it was a carving in the side of the cliff.

As he looked around, he noticed that there was nothing to the left, but that the road continued down to the right. So off down the road he headed.

As he was walking along he studied the buildings around him. They must have all been two or three story buildings. Each was at least half as tall as the building at the entrance and each was nearly as intricately carved. Door pediments worthy of the Palatine, columns and facades worthy of the best that were had to be offered in the Greek speaking world. The beauty of this place was simply amazing to Marcus.

Soon he came to a widening in the canyon. Here was the market, but up on roads carved into the sides of the cliffs above the market were some of the most beautiful homes he had ever seen.

Marcus approached one of the market vendors to inquire about a place to stay for the night.

"Have you an inn for travelers, good sir?" he asked.

"No, we do not. But you can stay with me. I have a humble home just across the plaza here. Come. You will be my guest this evening," the market trader replied.

As they entered the home of the market trader, Marcus noticed that the walls contained one of the most interesting paintings he had ever seen. It was as if the wall had been striped with reds, oranges, blues, greens and yellows in a loose banding pattern. Marcus touched the various colors to see if maybe he could identify the pigments used - they must be worth a fortune.

"Those are not paint. They are the natural coloring of the stone from which the house was carved. Quite impressive is it not?" the trader told him.

"This is not a paint? No stone could possibly be colored like this," Marcus exclaimed.

"No? Here let me show you." And with that the trader took a hammer and chisel and broke off a piece of the corner, which he then handed to Marcus.

Marcus was stunned. The piece of rock he was holding was banded all the way around, as was the wall from which it was taken. "Incredible," was all that he could come up with to say.

"Come," the trader said. "Let me show the rest of my city. It is growing again now that the Romans have taken over."

As they left the trader's home, they continued down further into the city. The trader showed Marcus the new amphitheater, the new Temple to Jupiter ("Built for the Romans, not for the locals."), and the new Roman palace high over the city. Marcus noted that the Roman buildings were constructed of quarried limestone, whereas the native buildings were carved directly into the cliffs. Marcus inquired as to why.

"Simple," the trader replied. "The gods shake the earth here every so often. Free standing buildings, like the Romans are building, will be destroyed. Our buildings, which are part of the earth will survive, just as they always have."

"Why do many of the buildings have facades that are upside down?" Marcus asked, as that had been one of the most curious things he had noticed in this fascinating city.

"See the openings just below the point of the facade?" The trader asked.

"The second story windows?" Marcus ventured.

"Ah, but they are not windows. They are tombs. You bury your ancestors in the ground. We keep them in our home. Those are their tombs. What you call the facade is in fact their staircase to the heavens. Do you understand now?"

This was one strange place, Marcus thought.

That evening, Marcus and his host sat down to enjoy a sumptuous meal of meat, vegetables and fruit. It was one of the best spreads Marcus had seen since he sat for dinner with the general Vespasian in Caesarea. They talked of business and of their lives in general. It was all in all a pleasant evening for Marcus.

The next morning the trader pointed Marcus towards the businessmen that would be most interested in his wine and grain. Marcus ended up selling his goods for nearly 45 aureii, not bad for a 20 aureii investment in Joppa. He bought some rare spices to take back with him and left town headed back west with two mules of spices, 20 extra aureii in his coin pouch, and a pack full of foodstuffs given to him by his host the previous night. He also had his piece of striped rock so that he could prove his unbelievable story.

As he crossed the first ridge, he came across a trader heading east.

"Do you know where this city of untold wealth is?" he was asked.

"Just over the next ridge. Follow the path to the left. You'll recognize it as soon as you see it. Trust me."

And with that he continued his trek west, enriched by his adventure.

Quick Links

Ship comes in for tanker-chasing team - OK, I can't say I've ever surfed a tanker wake, but I have run Jet Skis and a regular boat through tug and barge wakes. Not quite as big wave wise, but an incredible rush nonetheless and probably just about as stupid and dangerous.

ISLAMIC 'JUSTICE' TKO'D - This is probably the brightest thing I've heard coming out of Nigeria in a while, but then again, most of what I hear from them consists of "Dear Sir, I am the son of a tribal chief...."

Why Denmark Decided to Participate in the War Against Saddam Hussein - An excellent and well written reminder that not everyone in Europe is an evil Chiraci. We need to cultivate and strengthen our friendship with nations like Denmark. Found while perusing this post at Free Republic about NATO considering joining the coalition in Iraq.

Whatever happened to customer service? - What happened to customer service? Automated phone system hell, that's what. For being a service based economy, we are really starting to suck at service.