Date Added: 2005-11-13: It's Your Choice

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 73)  

I'm tired of hearing people complain about their lot in life. I'm sick of seeing people on television waiting for and demanding handouts. No one in this country is entitled to anything other than life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence. That does not mean that you will be happy, it means that you have the right to make your own decisions and pursue happiness. Happiness is completely up to you. If you don't achieve it, it is your own fault and I don't want to listen to your complaints.

Date Added: 2005-11-27: Beating a Dead Horse

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 76)  

I keep hearing people complaining about the war in Iraq. The news channels are filled with self-important politicians telling all about what is wrong in Iraq and what the current administration’s shortcomings are in regards to the war. Every day television gives airtime to grieving mothers and self-appointed “political activists”. Disgruntled former soldiers seem very popular these days as well. What we really need to be asking ourselves as our airwaves are inundated with these reports is: “Is this really news?”.

Date Added: 2006-01-03: Free Southern Illinois!

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 76)  

Hollywood celebrities often attach themselves to humanitarian efforts of noble purpose but with little hope of actual success. A great example of this is the “Free Tibet” movement. Over the years notable actors such as Richard Gere and Harrison Ford have attached themselves to this movement and lobbied for change. For those who are unaware, the Tibetan plight can be summed up something like this:

Date Added: 2006-01-03: Merry Christmas

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 68)  

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Yes, that’s Merry Christmas, not holiday, not season, but a Merry Christmas. I don’t care if you don’t celebrate Christmas and I don’t care if you even know what Christmas is. I am wishing you a Merry Christmas anyway.

Date Added: 2006-01-03: New Year's Resolutions

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 81)  

People often have trouble coming up with resolutions of their own, so here are a few suggestions for certain people to consider in the new year: Tom Cruise – Resolve to keep your religion to yourself. Most of the people in this country don’t even know what Scientology is. They don’t really care either.

Date Added: 2006-01-05: Is Something Bugging You?

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 74)  

So the CIA is eavesdropping on the phone calls of people that have ties to al Qaeda. They are conducting surveillance on these people without having gone through the effort of obtaining a court order. So what’s the problem here? Isn’t that what the Central Intelligence Agency is supposed to do, spy on people? In fact when I first heard the news I was a bit perplexed. I found it rather funny that such a thing would even be newsworthy. I’d always assumed that the CIA spied on people and listened to the telephone conversations of suspected terrorists. It never occurred to me that they would or even should seek court-sanctioned permission for that either.

Date Added: 2006-01-16: Too Much Stress for Nagin?

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 60)  

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has spent a lot of time in the news over the past several months. Ever since Hurricane Katrina first threatened the city, Nagin has been an almost permanent fixture in the news. All the months of blame laying and fault shifting may have finally taken their toll on him, however.

Date Added: 2006-01-28: Let Me Out

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 66)  

Ask someone under 45 about their retirement plans and you might discover something disturbing. Of course if you yourself are under 45, it probably won’t come as any big surprise. The conversation of course will revolve around that person’s 401K savings and perhaps their company retirement account. In the wake of the retirement account scandals of the past few years, they might express concern about how their plan is being handled. Some people will of course have no plan or thoughts about it yet, but one thing tends to be the same when you talk about retirement: No one expects Social Security to be a factor. The general consensus seems to be that “it won’t be there when I’m ready to retire”.

Date Added: 2006-02-05: On Second Thought

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 57)  

Ten years ago, a group of American Indians filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government over alleged mishandling of more than $100 billion worth of royalties generated from their land since 1887. Last week, a U.S. District court ordered the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to pay $7 million dollars for the plaintiff’s legal expenses. This order stemmed from a petition by the plaintiffs that the government (whom they are suing) pay for the costs of the lawsuit. They had originally requested $14 million.

Date Added: 2006-02-19: No Excuse, No Sympathy

( Date Added: Mon Jun 12 2006   Visits: 56)  

Vice President Dick Cheney shot his longtime friend Harry Wittington last week during a hunting trip. There has been a lot of discussion in the media and in various blogs about who is at fault, why it happened, how it could have been avoided, and what if any penalties should be levied against Mr. Cheney. As you would expect opinions vary from one extreme to the other on every regard. Some people feel that it’s Mr. Wittington’s fault for not announcing his presence. Some feel that the Vice President should have known where everyone is and still others are of the opinion that no one is at fault and it’s just a case of “S**t happens”. I’ve heard arguments that the V.P. should be arrested and charged with some crime or another and I’ve even heard it said that Mr. Cheney was actually trying to shoot Wittington, although that hardly seems credible. All of these arguments contain some level of logic, but they are all essentially incomplete or wrong.