Belly Button Lint Is Often Blue

Friday Random Musings

2008-10-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

It's early. The stock market just opened a few minutes ago and it's down 500 points. This looks like some serious bad news.

I was listening to Sean Hannity on Nazi Radio 1600AM Redding the other day. I'm convinced he's the very worst hate-baiting echohead wingnut on the radio. He's so shameless in his punditry that, like my friend Aaron, I have a hard time believing that HE believes what he's actually saying. He is after all a paid entertainer.

Rush is still the best the right has. I disagree with him almost all the time, but he's witty, occasionally very funny, and actually stomps echoheads instead of Hannity, who seems to welcome them.

Newsvine.com is a cool centrist site. Tip to Jim who turned me on to it. I've stopped visiting Drudge because it's too depressing and DailyKos I only visit for the abbreviated pundit roundup.

Listening to: Bon Iver, MGMT, Radiohead.

Reading: Marc Hauser, Ian McEwen, Joseph Campbell

Watching: Prizefights, Bad Campaign Ads.

Work was a whirlwind this week. Barely came up for air. One thing I've learned is that not all of us are cut out for change. For some, it's a 430lb ogre. I used to be like that in some respects. I'm better now.

Today's is my first day off in 11 days. I get to hang with Elias. I think we'll paint something cool, eat ice cream, go buy mommy something nice, and cook. A full day.

Economic Confusion

2008-10-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

There are many days when I wish I had taken Economics at say, 11am rather that 8am when I was in college. I might have retained more of it and wouldn't be at such a loss trying to understand why our country's financial markets seem to be in such a tailspin.

I've always considered speculation in the economy to essentially be a house of cards because the value tied to the objects on the market isn't real value, it's projected. So when the bubbles burst, investors that took the risks of such investments should learn to live with the losses. I'm not sure that's fair though, considering that an overwhelming majority of folks rely on financial "experts" to manage their portfolios.

I'm not sure how effective the bailout will be in stabilizing the market, I hope it does some good because that's a lot of corn to waste if it doesn't. This is like giving "the invisible hand" a very expensive manicure.

What I'm reminded of is the Bush plan to privatize Social Security. Can you imagine the disaster that might have developed had we collectively decided to take that road? Yikes.

I really dig my car

2008-10-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

This is my 2000 M Coupe. I've had it now for about 6 weeks and it's a huge jump up from any car I've ever owned. I REALLY enjoy driving it. It has super-stiff steering and suspension that make cornering a whole new experience. The engine is 240HP, smooth and strong. The power to weight ratio make this thing a real rocket. My mechanic says he can flash the chipset on it to provide me with 50 more HP AND better gas mileage. I'm reluctant. Mostly because I like it just the way it is but also because it could easily become too much car for me and that might spell disaster. Maybe I'm getting old. Mortgage, wife, and child tend to move to the forefront when it comes to making decisions.

Speaking of which, let me be the first to admit that this is not a practical car for a father of a young child. But, my wife really likes driving it too and I got it at a cost that, barring a bad wreck, almost guarantees I won't lose money on it. Besides, Elias really likes it too. "Daddy car fast, vrooooom"

The presidential election is starting to get ugly and I'm probably going to tune out the rest of the way. My mind is pretty much made up. I can use the time to catch up on my voter packet so I can get informed on local issues and state political legislation.

A few quick opinions:
The GOP is desperate. They're starting to dig up dirt on Obama to get the focus off the economy. So much for the high-road McCain promised to take.

Palin is still a joke. Her early admission in the debate that she "didn't care" whether she answered the moderator's questions - coupled with the fact that she will likely not do another sit down interview (outside of Faux News) prior to the election, - means simply one thing; She cannot answer a cold question because without her talking points notecards, she is completely lost. Why? Because she doesn't know her ass from a hole in the ground. Still, her journalism background serves her well and she's effective when she has a prepared speech to give. You read it here first that Florida will go GOP.

Still, I'm convinced she cannot think on her feet. Call me a cynic, but I want someone smarter than I am to be in charge.

Her winking during the debate was the funniest subversive attempt to be appealling by a political candidate I think I've ever seen.

The 140 billion dollars added to the bailout plan makes me want to puke. Shameful.

Ok - enough of that....

I saw a boxing match last night. Sergio Martinez fought and stopped Alex Bunema. Martinez is someone to watch. He's very quick, has an excellent jab, and uses good movement. He's exciting. I look forward to watching him go again.

Random Thor's Day Musings

2008-10-02T05:11:00.001-07:00

Good gravy, it's about time I got around to adding another post.

Top Ten Boxers P4P

1. Manny Pacquiao - Look at his resume and try to argue against it.
2. Joe Calzaghe - Until someone beats him or Pacquiao loses, this is his spot.
3. Juan Manuel Marquez - Came the closest to beating Pacquiao, most well rounded in the game.
4. Antonio Margarito - Welterweight Kingpin got here the hard way, he earned it.
5. Kelly Pavlik - Sure he's flawed, but he finds a way to win and he can crack.
6. Paul Williams - Went from welter to middle in last fight and dusted the guy with one punch.
7. Israel Vasquez - Heart and toughness.
8. Nonito Donaire - Filipino slickster is turning heads every time he fights.
9. Ivan Calderon - Puerto Rican is as good a pure poxer as you'll ever see.
10. Chris John - Debatable win over Marquez. Needs a rematch to prove exactly how good he is.

On the rise: Andre Berto, Jorge Linares, Chad Dawson, Arthur Abraham, Chris Arreola

Why isn't Hopkins on this list? Because he's old AND his last 8 fights have been foul-filled SNOOZEFESTS. That's why.

On to other things.....

May I opine on the presidential election? Sure.

I think McCain is a fine American and a decent man. I also think that his current incarnation is modestly different than the man who cultivated a reputation as a reformer/maverick. I wish he'd picked a different running mate. Sarah Palin's inclusion is a terrifying prospect for the country. Having said that, I think that the GOP has a good shot at winning, not because they have a particularly scintillating vision for America, it's because I have a low opinion of the political IQ of most Americans. Single subject voters (God, guns, and gays) can turn the tide in rural areas and keep the race close. Couple this with America's unhealthy desire to see "ordinary" people in position of great responsibility and power, and we just might have another GOP executive.

Obama, is inexperienced and I think he generally wants to use government to cure most of the big problems we have in this country. I'm a small government guy so I'm skeptical. He made , I think, a sound choice in selecting Biden as a running mate. The Delaware senator is a perfect counter-balance to Obama's lack of experience. I've heard folks mention that he can't control his mouth. Big deal. He knows statecraft and if he had to step in and become President, I wouldn't be screaming in the streets. Palin might make me do that.

I think Obama won the first debate on substance and McCain won on emotional appeal.

October is one damned fine month to be alive in Redding, California. It's gorgeous.

The Cubs are in the playoffs. For my grandpa's sake, I hope they go a good long way.

Almost a Year

2008-03-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Kenai and Elias had a pretty good time playing around during a week-long visit from my Bro and Sis. I'm finding that my son is a bit of a brute and Kenai is a sweet and very smart little boy.

I'm going to try to post to this more if time allows. I'm feeling the effects of life's acceleration these days as I try to balance work, fatherhood, marriage and friendships. We shall see.

Saw 'Atonement' the other day, finally. The movie was excellent but the novel is by far the greater masterpiece of the two.

Teaching World Religions to HS seniors this semester. I'm enjoying it. I think they are too. We're covering Hinduism now and they seem to have renewed interest in the class, my guess is that because it's so very different than what they have come to accept as true is a big reason why.

Redding is a damned fine place to be alive in March and April. I absolutely love living here.

Almost time to head out to a social gathering where my son can discover colored eggs to commemorate the resurrection and ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Lovely.

-ck

Elias Update

2007-04-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

He's scooting all over the place now. Trying hard to talk and eating anything we feed him. Enkiweb.com will be updated soon.

Kenai and Elias

2006-12-30T10:13:00.000-08:00

They're cute now, but my brother and I just know these two are trouble down the road.

Gregory Colbert

2006-12-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

In the Spring last year I went with my wife and folks to Tahoe to see an old friend and enjoy the new Montbleu casino. In the Opal bar and restaurant, the most amazing videos were playing. My pal told me the name of the artist but I quickly forgot it. I finally found it.

Maggie Lynn Jordan

2006-11-20T17:31:00.000-08:00

My dear good friends Jim and Dana became parents yesterday. A baby girl, Maggie Lynn.
7 lbs 3 oz. Mom and baby are doing fine.

I'm excited to have companions like Jim and Dana on this journey called parenthood. They're both excellent people and will make great parents. Cheers to you both!!!

And a BIG Welcome to you Maggie Lynn.

So I guess Jim and I will have to learn Maggie's Farm and Maggie May and all other songs with Maggie in it, just for fun.

Can't think of any songs with Elias in it....

Speaking of Elias --> Updated Gallery FINALLY!!!
AND He just started ROLLING.

Sticking Around

2006-09-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Our plans for relocation have been scrapped. I took a job at a local community health center and will for now be staying in Redding. It's not all bad, I truly enjoy living in this area. Great weather, a growing cultural experience, and tons of outdoor activities coupled with the great friends we've made here all make sticking around an easy choice. Apologies to friends and family in WA whom were teased into thinking we'd actually come. We were packed and ready to go...this offer came along quite out of the blue.

The job is a challenge to say the least. Might be the most difficult thing I've ever done. But I'm working hard and time will tell. I have a great big motivation in the form of a month old Elias to remind me to stay focused and kick some booty.

Well, back to work. (sigh)

I Miss Fred Rogers

2006-09-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

I, like so many of my generation, grew up with television. Before my ascencion to the wonderful world of cynicism and free inquiry, Mr. Rogers was a bastion of goodness in my little blissful existence. I was thinking the other day of a speech I saw him give about the opportunities that media (TV, really) largely squanders when it comes to managing its' influence. I think I found it.
Enjoy.

How Do We Make Goodness Attractive? By Fred Rogers
Prior to his death, Fred Rogers agreed to contribute this Essay, excerpted from the remarks and the acceptance speech he gave in 1999 at his induction into the Television Hall of Fame, in recognition both of Newton Minow, a fellow advocate in the quest for improved television programming for children, and of the cause they shared.

I’m not that interested in “mass” communications. I’m much more interested in what happens between this person and the one person watching. The space between the television set and that person who’s watching is very holy ground. I was in my parents’ home, and I saw this fairly new thing called television. I thought, “This is going to be something that could revolutionize our country in a wonderful way.” And so after I graduated from college I went to NBC in New York. I was assigned to such programs as the Gabby Hayes Show and the Kate Smith Hour. I found out that educational television was starting in Pittsburgh, so I was one of the first to help launch WQED [part of NET, the National Educational Television,precursor to PBS].
Someone said, “Well, we will need to have a children’s program.” Josie Carey and I said, “Well, we’ll make a children’s program.” We called it The Children’s Corner. We just developed things as they came to us. I had this bag of puppets at home, and I would bring them in. The Children’s Corner was on the air eight years. A friend of mine who was head of children’s programming at CBC in Canada asked if I would do a program for him. Fred Rainsberry said, “Fred, I’ve seen you talk with children. I’d like you to translate that to television.” I said, “You mean, in front of the camera?” We did that for a year. Joanne and I decided that we would like to raise the boys in Pittsburgh. So we came back from Canada, and people asked if we would integrate some of the Canadian material into programming for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. We feel on the Neighborhood that whatever is mentionable is much more manageable. For children to be able to see us dealing with such things as the death of a pet, or the trauma of living through a divorce—these are all things that are allowed to be talked about and allowed to be felt. What some children can put up with, grow into, and then later flourish and help others with, is a wonderful mystery.

“Fame” is a four-letter word; and like “tape” or “zoom” or “face” or “pain” or “life” or “love,” what ultimately matters is what we do with it. I feel that those of us in television are chosen to be servants. It doesn’t matter what our particular job; we are chosen to help meet the deeper needs of those who watch and listen, day and night.
The conductor of the orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl grew up in a family that had little interest in music, but he often tells people he found his early inspiration from the fine musicians on television. Last month, a thirteen-year-old boy abducted an eight-year-old girl; and when people asked him why, he said he learned about it on TV.
“Something different to try,” he said. “Life’s cheap; what does it matter?”
Well, life isn’t cheap. It’s the greatest mystery of any millennium, and television needs to do all it can to broadcast that—to show and tell what the good in life is all about.
But how do we make goodness attractive? By doing whatever we can to bring courage to those whose lives move near our own—by treating our neighbor at least as well as we treat ourselves and allowing that to inform
everything we produce.
We all have only one life to live on Earth. And through television, we have the choice of encouraging others to demean this life or to cherish it in creative, imaginative ways.

More Elias Pix

2006-09-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Things have been a bit busy but now that I have a moments' peace....

Go back to the Elias Quinn Kitzman post and check those links again. I've changed the pictures out.

--ck

To know, or not to know

2006-08-24T18:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I have to thank the cosmic playwright that I am the last in my family to have a child. The benefits of this are that everyone close to me has already gone through every decision-making process there is; from circumcision to vaccinations to discipline.

I was troubled to find that many of the vaccinations currently given to infants are simply unnecessary, at least for me. The Hep B shot is designed to protect inner city kids from infections. Such a locale is where parents might not be monogamous and needle drug use is prevalent. Autism, perhaps the single greatest affliction for the modern generation of children began its meteoric rise roughly concurrent with the advocacy of infant vaccinations.

There are times I want/need to be informed and others when I wish I were a caveman.

My sister Maria talked to me at length about not cutting lil' Elias' foreskin. She and Aaron W are they only two to be so vocally against it. Most other folks are either indifferent or at the very least less passionate. This could be a by-product of many things; respect for it being a personal choice, a general apathy, who knows? My brother Jason simply said he decided against it for a myriad of reasons but among them the fact that he would be taking from his son something he could never return. This position resonated with me. I can't explain why.

So still, no decision. Leslee favors it and she has her reasons. I'm still riding the fence like a coward.

My son is adorable. I'll post more pictures soon.

Elias Quinn Kitzman

2006-08-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned, many more photos to come!!!

7Lbs 8 Oz
21 1/2 inches long
Born 5:08pm Aug 13 2006

Mom is doing fine, had no complications. She was absolutely amazing through the whole process.

Elias is feeding well and ripping through diapers like there's no tomorrow.

I'll get more photos posted hopefully today!!!!

Photo #1

Photo #2

Photo #3

Photo #4

Photo #5

Photo #6

Photo #7

Photo #8

Movie clip

Peace!

Holding Steady

2006-08-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

12 days past due date. Didn't have the greatest Doctor visit today. He was rushed and didn't seem too concerned about our questions. He simply said that if baby doesn't come out on it's own by Monday, we'll have to induce.

My sister Barb will dig that. Her B-day is Tuesday and she's already told me that it'd be the greatest present to share it with our child. Keep your fingers crossed, Barb.

Les is still having contractions, they aren't painful and they're relatively infrequent. We're trying to keep our spirits up by playing cards and going for walks. The wait is wearing on us both though. Wish us well.

Whatchugonnadowithnoflap? Become a Rabbi?

2006-08-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know the sex of my child yet. Having to think about whether or not to circumcise has been well, a little more difficult than I imagined it would be.

I'm cut, I think everyone in my family is except little Kenai, my little nephew. Originally I favored to have the procedure done for no better reason than to have my kids' willy look like mine. Not a good reason admittedly but there you have it.

Arguments against it are as follows: It hurts the baby. (physical pain does don't you know.)
Health and hygiene concerns were commonly cited in years past as an excuse to simply perform it on nearly every male infant. But that perspective was a holdover from years when we didn't bathe as frequently as we do now. So it seems that these days, that's a moot point. And although we live in a fast-paced world, you gotta be busier than a one-legged man at an ass kicking contest to pass on cleaning the "turtle". Cool argument when you consider it's my first child. I imagine years down the road....a circumcised 35 year-old college dropout playing video games in my basement that smells like a cross between urine and beer....thinking "If I'd left that flap on maybe he wouldn't be the lazy lump he is today...after all, cleaning the turtle is the hardest thing anyone has to do these days....everything else is automated!!"......A good strong work ethic in males starts with penis hygiene. I think a gym coach told me that once.

Insurance won't cover it. In part to save $$$ I would suppose, but also they seem to side with the modern medical community that it simply isn't necessary. So if you want the procedure, you have to pay. Furthermore, if you don't want baby to grow up and kill you in your sleep, you need to fork out some extra corn for a numbing shot to minimize the trauma.

I'm on the fence. If we do have a boy, I'll let the wife decide. Then I can blame her if he turns out evil. But this might all be an exercise in futility anyway. We'll likely have a girl.

Two Days Late and Counting

2006-08-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

BABY UPDATE: Doc says not to worry, completely normal for first timers...Still, I have to admit the frustration.

I'm also a little disappointed in the lack of comments on behalf of friends and family but hey, that's selfish of me.

I read this essay the other day by H. Bloom. Thought I'd put it here for your enjoyment. It got me thinking.

--Over 200 billion red blood cells a day die in the interest of keeping you alive. Do you anguish over their demise? Like those red corpuscles, you and I are cells in a superorganism whose maintenance and growth sometimes requires our pain or elimination, suppresses our individuality, and restricts our freedom. Why then, is it of any value to us?

Because the superorganism nourishes every cell within it, allowing robustness none of its individual components could achieve on its own. Take for example, the Mediterranean superbeast known as the Roman Empire. Rome was an evil creature with a despicable lust for cruelty. Julius Caesar, according to Plutarch, "took by storm more than 800 cities, subdued 300 nations and fought pitched battles at various times with three million men, of whom he destroyed 1 million in the actual fighting and took another million prisoners. he didn't carry out these deeds with kindliness. When he leveled enemy cities, he occasionally killed off every man, woman, and child just to teach would-be resisters a lesson.
The governors sent to rule the Roman provinces periodically lost their tolerance for nonconformists and punished them brutally. They crucified a backcountry preacher of peace and humility named Jesus, because his views differed from the standard-issue dogmas approved by imperial authority. But the former carpenter was only one of thousands who twisted for hours, hanging by nails from a crude wooden beam. Even the affluent folks back in the city of Rome were hungry for the sight of blood. Their favorite recreation was an afternoon at the Coliseum watching desperate captives disembowel each other in the arena. Roman sports fans took bets on which contestant would manage to live until nightfall.
Rome stamped out or swallowed entire rival civilizations. She even reduced the land she most revered -- Greece-- to a sleepy sycophantic occupied territory. Rome was a vicious society, one whose habits could make anyone with the slightest scrap of moral sensitivity physically ill.
Yet Rome's rise was part of the world's inexorable march to higher levels of form. By force--sometimes sadistic force-- she brought an unprecedented mass of squabbling city-states and tribes together. In the process, she allowed an exchange of ideas and goods that radically quickened the pace of progress. What's more, during the 300years between Augustus and the imposition of Christianity under Constantine, she made an additional contribution. She introduced pluralism, an easygoing attitude that allowed wildly diverse cultures to live peacefully side-by-side.
Just how much the empire contributed to her sometimes-oppressed citizens could be seen when Rome fell. A set of heroes impelled by ideals of ethnic conquest led their rebel bands against the colonialist power. The mavericks toppled the hegemonic tyrants forever and turned the city of Rome into a ruin.
In the process, they brought deeper despair to Europe. During the next two hundred years, half of the Continent's population would die. Plague ran rampant. Multitudes starved to death, denied the food that had once been transported on roman ships and roads. Without the stable organizing force, the paved highways on which provisions had traveled sank into disrepair. On land, bandits and warrior chiefs ended the lives of any who might contemplate a trip along the old paths to carry desperately needed supplies. At sea, pirates destroyed the former Med lanes of trade. The grain that had once sailed from Egypt in fleets no loner came across with the tides. In the Gallic town of Barbagel, the complex of roman-run mills that had turned the imported wheat into flour for eighty thousand consumers fell into disrepair causing millions to perish.
Those who survived learned to live as prisoners in self-contained fortress communities, cut off from the ideas and the delicacies that had once made life sweet. The barbarian "freedom fighters" had loosed the chains, not of life, but of death. For Rome had been an oppressor, but Rome has also been the source of nourishment and peace. In her absence came pestilence and war.
The superorganism is often a vile and loathsome beast. But like the body nourishing her constituent cells, the social beast grants us life. Without her, each of us would perish. That knowledge is woven into our biology. It is the reason that the rigidly individualistic Clint Eastwood does not exist. The internal self-destruct devices with which we come equipped at birth ensure that we will live as components of a larger organism, or we simply will not live at all.
Hegel said the ultimate tragedy is not the struggle of an easily recognized good against a clearly loathsome evil. Tragedy, he said, is the battle between two forces, both of which are good, a battle in which only one can win. Nature has woven that struggle into the superorganism.

Waiting.....

2006-07-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

Cool Clock <-- Click to check it out. Then click Back on your browser to return.

These last few days have been both wonderful and frustrating. Due date is Sunday, I've been believing all along that she'd be early. It sucks to wait through being wrong on your guess.
Next time I post, I should be a Dad. Unless the bugger stays in there for another week!!!!
It's 110 degrees in Redding all week long. I'd stay in there too. At a steady 98.6, it's actually cooler!

Keeping Track of the Whack in Iraq

2006-07-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

I've been debating a few folks in an online forum for the past few days about the war in Iraq as well as the shellings in Israel and Lebanon. I thought it'd be just fine to spout a little and wait for some feedback.

Some things I should admit freely, I supported Afghanistan in the hopes of removing the Taliban (some early success but we haven't completed that mission yet), and tracking down and either killing or bringing Osama bin Laden to justice. (so far we've failed) I did not support the invasion of Iraq even though Hussein was clearly in violation of UN Resolutions and had been for some time. I saw him as no threat, and I was unconvinced by Powell's dog and pony show at the UN. It's ironic that among the Bush administration elite, he was the one I had the most respect for, perhaps for being the only one to have experienced battle, perhaps because I never considered him a career politician. Either way, I'm sure he'll look back on that episode of his life and feel regret.

I don't think Bush is a bad guy. Admittedly, I disagree with his ideas on religion, stem cell research, managing the war, and trouncing the Constitution. But I really believe that if you surrounded him with different people, you'd have an altogether different presidency. In short, I think he's a puppet. I don't hold that against him though as many folks do. ""If John Kerry were president, things would be worse!!!" -- I hear this all the time. You can't disprove a hypothetical. Yep, it's a conversation stopper. Seriously, how do you have a discussion with folks like that?

I don't buy the fear argument either. Never have. "They want to kill you Charles, they want to murder you and your family, etc." Blah blah blah. What good is it to live in fear all the time? the minute I start buying that garbage is the moment they have the upper hand. We take US army boots off the Arabian peninsula and tell Israel she's gotta go it alone and Haddji doesn't give a rip about you or me.

I don't care if Bush and his cronies made a bad sales pitch for the invasion of Iraq. I don't really care if it turns out that they knowingly lied. Politicians are not my heroes, I fully expect them to lie. I place blame at the feet of the US citizenry for being too gullible or uninformed to know better. I do get nauseated by the endless post facto arguments for and against this war. We're there. Let's do the job and get out.

I've told many folks this and I still believe it, if democracy takes hold in Iraq and 50 years down the road has a domino effect in middle east, history will be quite kind to Bush. If Islam can liberalize though the intervention of western ideas, the world will be a better place, no question about it. Do I think it has a chance? I'm not holding my breath. We can't kill them all. Correction, we can, we just won't.

I put the dead Iraqi photo up on the top on purpose. Don't like looking at it? Me either. But that's someone's brother, dad, son, friend. There's more where that came from. On both sides.

Arguments for the Existence of God

2006-07-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

1. TRANSCENDENTAL ARGUMENT
(1) God exists.
(2) If God exists, then if reason exists then God exists.
(3) Reason exists.
(4) Therefore, God exists.

2. COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
(1) If I say something must have a cause, it has a cause.
(2) I say the universe must have a cause.
(3) Therefore, the universe has a cause.
(4) Therefore, God exists.

3. ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (I)
(1) I define God to be X.
(2) Since I can conceive of X, X must exist.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

4. ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (II)
(1) God exists.
(2) Since God exists, God must be perfect.
(3) That which is perfect must exist.
(4) Therefore, God exists.

5. MODAL ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
(1) God exists.
(2) God, existing, is either necessary or unnecessary.
(3) God is not unnecessary, therefore God must be necessary.
(4) Therefore, God exists.

6. TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
(1) Check out that tree. Isn't it pretty?
(2) Therefore, God exists.

7. ARGUMENT FROM MIRACLES
(1) My aunt Helen was most likely to die from cancer.
(2) She didn't.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

8. MORAL ARGUMENT
(1) In my younger days I was a cursing, drinking, smoking, gambling, child-molesting, thieving, murdering, bed-wetting bastard.
(2) That all changed once I became religious.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

9. ARGUMENT FROM CREATION
(1) If evolution is false, then creationism is true, and therefore God exists.
(2) Evolution can't be true, since I lack the mental capacity to understand it; moreover, to accept its truth would cause me to be uncomfortable
(3) Therefore, God exists.

10. ARGUMENT FROM INTELLIGENCE
(1) Look, there's really no point in me trying to explain the whole thing to you stupid atheists -- it's too complicated for you to understand. God exists whether you like it or not.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

11. ARGUMENT FROM INTIMIDATION
(1) See this bonfire?
(2) Therefore, God exists.

12. DORE'S ARGUMENT
(1) I forgot to take my meds.
(2) Therefore, I AM CHRIST!!
(3) Therefore, God exists.

13. ARGUMENT FROM GUITAR MASTERY
(1) Eric Clapton is God.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

14. ARGUMENT FROM AMERICAN EVANGELISM
(1) Telling people that God exists makes me filthy rich.
(2) Therefore, God exists.

15. ARGUMENT FROM BLINDNESS
(1) God is love.
(2) Love is blind.
(3) Ray Charles is blind.
(4) Therefore, Ray Charles is God.
(5) Therefore, God exists.

16. ARGUMENT FROM SMUGNESS
(1) God exists.
(2) I don't give a crap whether you believe it or not; I have better things to do than to try to convince you morons.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

17. CALVINISTIC ARGUMENT
(1) If God exists, then he will let me watch you be tortured forever.
(2) I rather like that idea.
(3) Therefore, God exists.

18. ARGUMENT FROM UPPERCASE ASSERTION
(1) GOD EXISTS! GET USED TO IT!
(2) Therefore, God exists.

19. ARGUMENT FROM HIDDEN LOGIC (II)
(1) Atheists say that God doesn't exist.
(2) But they only say that because they want to look cool and
intellectual in front of their peers.
(3) They don't fool me!
(4) Therefore, God exists.

20. PEACOCK'S ARGUMENT FROM LIMITED VOCABULARY
1) You use lots of big words.
2) Therefore, I cannot possibly be expected to understand your refutation of my position.
3) Therefore, God exists.

21. ARGUMENT FROM DIVINE ECONOMICS
1) Protestant Christian nations are rich.
2) Therefore, God exists.

22 .ARGUMENT FROM TEEN/TWENTYISH CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT
1) God is so totally awesome, dude, and if you would pretend that Creed and POD were good bands, you would realize that.
2) Also, our Youth Group leader Skip once, like, cured a broken leg using only the power of the almighty Lord.
3) Therefore, God exists.

23. ARGUMENT FROM DESIGN
1) If there is a designer, then God must exist.
2) If I find a watch in a forest, there must be a designer
3) *throws watch into forest*
4) Therefore, God exists.

24. ARGUMENT FROM FUTURITY
1) I will prove the existence of God in the following argument.
2) Therefore, God exists.

25. ARGUMENT FROM PREFERRED ANCESTRY
1) I don't want to be related to monkeys.
2) Therefore, God exists.

26. ARGUMENT FROM PERSECUTION (II) / ARGUMENT FROM IDIOCY (I)
1) Jesus said that people would make fun of Christians.
2) I am an idiot.
3) People often point that out.
4) Therefore, God exists.

27. ARGUMENT FROM BIGOTRY (FRED PHELPS'S ARGUMENT)
1) The Bible says that anal sex is yucky.
2) I agree.
3) Plus, some gay people died of AIDS.
4) Therefore, God exists.

Dementia Pugilistica - My Top 5 P4P

2006-07-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

Richard Brautigan and Lisa Fulk

2006-07-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

My buddy Lisa has probably just squeezed little Elijah Fulk out into the world as I write this. Welcome Elijah.

Here's to a healthy baby and a quick recovery. Cheers!

About a hundred years ago, Lisa introduced me to the writings of Richard Brautigan. He's sometimes referred to as the last of the Beats. I think he has his own style and it stands solidly on it's own merit thank you very much. Revenge of the Lawn is a great read although his most popular work might be Trout Fishing in America. Check them out if you're looking for a great summer read. Here are two of his poems that I enjoy:

KARMA REPAIR KIT: ITEMS 1-4

1. Get enough food to eat, And eat it.

2. Find a place to sleep where it is quiet, and sleep there.

3. Reduce intellectual and emotional noise until you arrive at the silence of yourself, and listen to it.

---------------

Here's the other:

---------------

THE BEAUTIFUL POEM

I go to bed in Los Angeles

thinking about you.

Pissing a few moments ago

I looked down

at my penis affectionately.

Knowing it has been

inside you twice today

makes me feel beautiful.

3 A.M. January 15, 1967

The Invisible World. A Weapon?

2006-07-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

Humans rally around ideas because they solve some of our problems, because they offer the biological blessings of the illusion of control, and because they are the threads that hold us together in the vast network of a superorganismic mind, weaving scattered individuals into a cooperative entity of awesome power and size. 200 years after the Fall of Rome, a merchant named Mohammed lived in the desert town of Mecca, a bleak and isolated community on a caravan route over which passed camels carrying goods to far-off, elegant cities like Damascus. At age 12, still an apprentice to his uncle, he traveled to Syria to learn the import-export business. At 25, he married a well-to-do woman and became a respected burgher; his ideas were listened to. He has a mid-life crisis at 39. He began to have visions. Sitting in a cave, praying, he claimed that he had been overwhelmed by a blinding light, and the angel Gabriel had grabbed him an a great hug and forced him to recite a message from God. From that day forward, he would function as God's spokesman on Earth. Some hold Mohammed's story as sacrosanct, others believe that perhaps it was fits of epilepsy. His contemporaries might have believed the latter. Indeed, they mocked or ignored him. There is a story of one unbeliever who put a slimy camel fetus down his neck as he was praying. Others tried to kill him. Among those who believed? Close relatives, a good friend, and many slaves.

The uproar caused by city slaves ignoring their duties made Mecca a place of great tension. The community hatched a plot to kill Mohammed but he fled successfully to an isolated town 200 miles away, Medina. There, he found more willing listeners. Within a few years, he came to control much of the city's political structure.

He was not a man of peace. He held power by having opponents assassinated. He then began to attack Meccan caravans and the armed escorts sent to protect them. The Meccans, worried about Mohammed’s new power attacked Medina. The prophet led his followers against the intruders and won. This military success impressed some of the fiercest tribes in the area and soon they signed up for this new religion. A few years later, the prophet took his troops to the Jewish town of Khaibar and conquered it. He and his followers killed all the men and carried off the women and children as slaves.

In 630, eight years after he fled Mecca, He had his vengeance. With an army of 10,000, he marched on the city. The Meccans surrendered without much resistance, they had heard about the fate of the Jewish town. He was then able to convert the town that had so recently dismissed him over to his way of seeing things. The sword stayed out of the sheath after Mecca, wealthy merchants and Bedouin tribes joined the army and off they went to conquer the world. During the next hundred years, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia (all magnificent ancient civilizations) as well as Northern Africa, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, parts of India, Spain, and even some of France fell to the actions of the faithful followers. Amazing.

Within a few generations of the prophet's death, these followers of a street corner ranter, these men from backwater towns and primitive desert tribes, had built an empire of enormous size. The notions of a man who had claimed to meet an angel in a cave would spawn battles whose bloodshed would soak the earth for the next fourteen hundred years...and counting.
Think about that.

The next step.....

2006-07-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be a Dad for the first time in the next few weeks. It's a role I'm looking forward to. My wife and I have waited a long time for this and we're starting later than most couples. That's fine with me. I hear so terribly often from couples who started at a younger age how they feel that parenthood robbed them of part of their youth. I don't know how true that is for them but my wife and I have done a fair degree of traveling, fine dining, witnessed plenty of entertainment, in short, I feel like we've gotten our YAYA's out. It's our hope that parenthood can become our focus now. It will. We really have no choice do we?

We're hung up on names. Boy name is pretty much set. Elias Quinn. Girl name is elusive thus far. I like Meira, Adarah, and Matilda. Wife likes, Sera, Summer, and Amber. Any input would be welcome. Time's a runnin' out!

I should give a shout out to my Dad, my bros J and K, Robert Ferris, Dean Germano, John Davis, Bill Misslin, Don Groundwater, Nathan Zeliff, Herc Rowe, and Alex Garcia in no particular order. These are all exemplary fathers. Gentlemen, I may seek advice from you at some point. Fair Warning.

I'll post a link to baby pix when it (don't know the sex) arrives.

--ck