Judging Others

Sometimes I feel like I should be in a twelve step program for judging. I could start out by stating, “My name is so and so, and I like to judge others”. This is something that I have struggled with my entire life. It is something that I am not proud of and have recently addressed it in my faith walk.

I remember hearing if you tend to look at people harshly, try putting on a new pair of glasses. Not the glasses that you get at the eye doctor – these are the glasses you receive by coming to our Heavenly Father in prayer. These new glasses allow you to look upon others with Christ like eyes. In other words, not judging, but rather love and compassion.

To help me on this journey, whenever I feel the urge to judge, I think of these words to keep me focused:

You are…

a child of God,
made in the image of the Most High….
and I will respect you as such.
You are uniquely made, without duplication, without equal.
You are the pinnacle of creation given absolute dominion over all creatures that wander the land, fill our skies and swim in countless seas, lakes and streams.
You are the one who the Maker of all things, great and small, has known since before time began. Every hair on your head is numbered and your name, your purpose, has been determined before the fall of man.
You are important and unique. In the vastness of creation you are very small, yet you play an incredibly vital part of God’s rich plan.
Yes, you are a child of God, our Heavenly Father - and I will respect you as such.

Be the (New) Creation

Some of us have seen the show on the National Geographic Channel called “Be the Creature”. During the show, the Kratt Brothers try to become like an animal by learning as many of the characteristics and behaviors as possible. The purpose is for the Kratt Brothers, by imitation, to really experience and learn about the animal. At the end of the episode, the Kratt Brothers stop pretending and go back to simply being men.

Paul tells us in Second Corinthians that we can become a new creation. We can do so by taking advantage of the greatest promise the Bible contains. Our Heavenly Father will make all things new (that’s us!) by accepting and following Jesus Christ, our eternal gift. When we become new in Christ, there in no pretending and no going back. We are His to follow and to always live in His will.

Every now and again I ponder this newness which I have been given. Thinking deeply about this gift scares me, astounds me, and most importantly, humbles me. We have become a new creation not to serve ourselves; we have been created to serve and advance the Kingdom of God. In short, we have been made new for a purpose that far exceeds us.

I recently read a message that asked, “Now that you are saved, so what? In other words, what are you going to do with it? As a new creation, are you to going to “cocoon into your faith” or be a servant where needed, both near and afar”. Those words convicted me as I, like others, have been very comfortable in my faith cocoon.


Yes, we are the new creation. We are the hands and feet, the heart and soul. We have been given the greatest commission ever. We have the gift of newness, now and forever. Praise God for all things new!

My Indisputable Facts of Life

I have had this on the wall in my study for years. I initially constructed them for my two girls, however every day it is I that endeavors to abide by each of these:

· Always be more tolerant of other people than they are of you.
· Try to kill other people with kindness (don’t worry – they won’t die).
· If you live on the edge, you will never have any margin – the smallest misstep will be either a game changer or a life changer.
· If a mistake is made, go from it (don’t dwell on it) and grow from it (become better by learning from it).
· People that succeed are able to turn lemons into lemonade – the more lemonade that can be made, the more success that can be obtained.
· ALL people are born free – someone has to take that freedom away from them. Protecting freedom is one of the most noble of all causes.
· Happiness and joy only come from within you. Never rely on things or other people to create happiness and joy for you.
· Always expect to give more in a relationship than you receive. In the long run, you will receive more than you give.
· Balance in life in more important than money. Without balance, all the money in the world will not satisfy you.
· Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and give unto God what is God’s. Just make sure that Caesar does not get too greedy.
· Life is tough, but is a lot tougher if you are ignorant. Never stop learning.
· Your friends will come and go, your family should always love you, but it is God who will never desert you (even if you have deserted Him).

Gary

I have often thought as we travel life’s journey, we will meet many different people that will effect out lives in different ways. One of those people was a young man named Gary that I met while stationed in Okinawa in 1970.

Gary was from Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska (Big Red). He graduated with a degree in Chemistry, and after graduation knew the draft board has hot on his trail. Rather than going to Viet Nam, he decided to enlist in the Navy and serve four years as a Cryptology Specialist. Gary was sent to Okinawa and that is where our paths crossed.

Gary was a great guy. He was tall, athletic, good looking and smart. Looking at him, and talking to him, one would think that Gary was the type of guy that would be suitable to marry your daughter. Gary did have one major flaw however – he was a rock hard atheist.

Gary and I use to have many discussions about politics, history, science and religion. Even though my faith was young and unformed at that time, I was very uncomfortable talking about the nihilistic version of God that Gary embraced. I never did figure out if Gary was raised with faith and then lost it in the halls of academia, or if he never had it from the start. I do know that Gary had developed many good arguments on why God did not exist.

Gary use to tell me one thing over and over again that I would try to argue with. He would say “Believing in God just makes it easier for us to die”. Using my immature theology, I would argue with him. “That’s not true Gary”, I would say. “It is much more than that”. And that is as far as I could take it. I did not want Gary to be an atheist, but I did not have the words to share that would have dissuaded him. Also, I never asked God to touch his heart. In short, I did not do much at all.

If I were to have the same discussion with Gary today, I would have responded differently. When he told me that believing just made it easier for us to die, I would agree with him. Believing in and following God does make it easier for us to die as we know what is waiting. But there is another side to the story. I would also tell Gary that having a relationship with Christ makes it easier to live. Not that we will escape the trials and tribulations while on Earth – we just won’t have to face them alone.

I have thought many times about Gary and his atheism since that time in Okinawa. I could not imagine what life would be like to say to God, “Sorry, I don’t need you, I don’t want you, and I don’t even know if you exist”. To me, being an atheist would bring a spiritual loneliness that would make life seem empty and pointless. I hope and I pray that Gary has found our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Even though Gary was not looking for God at that point in time, God knew exactly where Gary was. Gary may have given up on God, but God never give up on Gary.

Wither WAMM?

After picking up the Minneapolis Star Tribune during the George W. Bush administration and reading an article on WAMM (Women Against Military Madness), I was relieved. I thought during the Clinton administration the organization had either gone on hiatus or had been eviscerated. To hear that they were back and growing was a relief not only to me, but also to many who live in the great state of Minnesota. Now it will be interesting to see if they once again go silent during the Obama administration.

Much has happened since the Reagan era, when the WAMM crowd was so active. However, since Bush (41) left the presidency, nary a word was heard from WAMM. With all the evil that has transpired in the world that related to “military madness”, I began to wonder if the true name of this organization should have been LWAUSMD (Liberal Women Against United States Military Deterrence) instead of WAMM.

Lets’ looks at the last two decades in the world and see the opportunities that WAMM had missed:

Iran/Iraq war where not only were hundreds of thousands killed in normal warfare, but the Iraq Army also used chemical weapons on Iranian military and civilian targets.
The use of chemical weapons in against the Kurdish people in Northern Iraq by Saddam Hussein.
The numerous civil wars in Africa (remember Mohamed Siad Barre of Somalia?) have led to the starvation and suffering of millions of innocent people despite generous aid coming from the Western World.
The near genocide in Haiti under the leadership of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A brutal dictator in the image of Stalin.
The mass murders in the Balkans under Sloboden Milosevic. His final solution was tantamount to what Pol Pot did in Cambodia or Adolph Hitler did in the final stages of World War II.
The “death squads” that inundate the country of Columbia in the name of cheap drugs for America.
How about the Soviet Union and now Russia in its treatment of Georgia and Chechnya?
What about Al-Qaida in the terrorist acts that have been perpetrated all over the world and topped off by September 11th?
The freedom fighters in Iran being butchered in the streets?

I have always admired people that take a principled stand, even though at times I might not agree with them. However, if a stand is truly taken on strong principles, then it must be consistent. For example, if one is to protest the United States School of the Americas, then one must also protest the Chinese embassy for the numerous human rights violations that have taken place in Mainland China.

My principled stand is that I believe our military to be an expensive, imperfect organization that quite often has not shown itself to be the best steward of our tax resources. On the other hand, this imperfect organization won the most dangerous war of the 20th century – the cold war. What many people don’t realize is the cold war took an ominous turn in the mid 80’s. The Soviet Union, which was already bristling with ICBMs aimed at every major city in the United States, had now deployed SS-20 intermediate range missiles that could reach every major city in Europe in a matter on minutes. The Soviets were not in the mood to negotiate as they believed they finally had the leverage to back NATO down and gain strategic advantage. Under the leadership of Ronald Reagan, the United States developed the Pershing II missile, which was a far superior weapon to the Soviet SS-20. Although never deployed, we advertised it as a missile which was so accurate, we could target and hit Leonid Brezhnev’s bathroom window ten minutes after launch. That was enough for the Soviets – they agreed to pull the SS-20s out of Eastern Europe if the United States did not deploy the Pershing II.

However the final blow to the Soviets came from another weapon that was never deployed – SDI, or “star wars”. Ronald Reagan, despite unrelenting criticism from the Left and some of our allies in Europe, informed the world that the United States was going to develop and deploy the Strategic Defense Initiative. The Soviets, who were having severe internal financial and political issues, knew that economically and technically, they could not counter SDI. It was the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. Two weapon systems, Pershing II and SDI, never deployed, helped bring a peaceful end to the Cold War. Military Madness? No, military genius.

By the way, lets not forget the Gulf War. The Left still contends it was a war for oil. Ask the people in Kuwait what they think this war was all about. We went up against the 4th largest army in the world and defeated them with minimal US causalities in a ground war that lasted 100 hours. Kuwait was freed and the Gulf was open for the commerce that Japan, Europe and the United States need to run their economic engines. Military Madness? No, suburb military strategy.

I am glad that WAMM has found its voice after going mute for most of the 90’s. I believe in the diversity of opinions that exist in this country – it is what has made us the great nation that we are. However, we must remember two things:

1) We must rely on historical facts and not fall victim to hyperbole or conjecture.
2) Our military has been far from perfect, but it has allowed us to live free and freely express our opinions – even the ones that are expressed in hypocrisy.

Questions I wish were asked in High School

I have been facinated and concerned about education in today's world for quite a while now. When my kids were in Middle School or High School, I would quiz them on different items that I learned in high school civics. Not to brag, but both girls are very smart. However, if you are not taught something, it is very hard to know it. A couple years ago I came up with some questions I would like to see all high school seniors answer correctly prior to being allowed to graduate. Some are a bit dated, however, most are still applicable for today's enviornment.

What are the similarities that exist in the tribal conflicts that take place in Iraq and the tribal conflicts that take place in the Balkans? What are the differences?

What are the similarities in the leadership style of Saddam Hussein and Sloboden Milosevic? What are the differences?

Is there a difference in the genocide that was directed by Saddam Hussein in Iraq as compared to the genocide that was directed by Sloboden Milosevic in the Balkans? If the answer is yes, please explain.

Is committing mass murder or genocide on people of a different country considered an act of terrorism? Is committing mass murder or genocide of a people in the same country considered an act of terrorism? Please explain your answers.

In 1939, if the United States knew of the depth of the “final solution” in Germany, would it have best to enter World War II at that time? Knowing the genocide that was being committed in Europe, would it have been acceptable to let Europe handle it?

Was Hitler a megalomaniac, a despot, or both? Sloboden Milosevic? Mohamed Siad Barre? Pol Pot? Saddam Hussein? Please explain your answers.

If the United States left Iraq in six months, what would be the ramifications? If the United Nations left the Balkans in six months, what would be the ramifications?

Should the United States become isolationist as it was prior to World War I? If isolationism is at one end of a scale and imperialism is at the other, what are the different levels of engagement that the United States could demonstrate that would lie between those two extremes?

In your opinion, did Europe and the United States care more about the atrocities committed in the Balkans because the victims were Caucasian and not Arabic or African? Please explain your answer.

Is the war on terrorism the United States response to what really is a holy war? Are radical Muslims interpreting the Qur’an that the murder of Westerners is acceptable? If the answer is yes, is there anything that people in the West can do to abrogate this threat?

What is the IMF? The WTO? Why are they protested so much on a world-wide scale? Should the United States be for or against each organization?

What are NAFTA and GATT? Are they good or bad for the United States? Canada? Mexico? Europe?

Should the United States be interested on how the dollar is valued compared to the Euro? Why?
What is meant by “Old Europe” and “New Europe”? Is the attitude different in both? IF so, why?

Is the United Nations still viable? How is the United Nations different than the League of Nations?

Should the development of the new fuel cell technology be privately funded or government funded? Which would bring results faster?

What is the future of secondary education in the United States? Is it still effective? Is it worth the time and cost?

Is it acceptable to have Iran and North Korea a part of the “nuclear club” that the United States belongs to?

Is it acceptable to have Taiwan as one of our allies when one of our largest trading partners (Mainland China) disagrees with that policy?

Should NASA be publicly or privately funded? Regardless of the funding, is NASA a good investment for the United States at this time? Please explain your answers.

The above questions may be answered with the help of the internet or any printed reference material. However, the answeres must be yours. You will have two weeks to complete this test.

Farewell to my Pal

Sue and I have a great dog right now - her name is Sadie and she is a black lab. She is a comic - not the brightest bulb, but always the clown. We enjoy her daily and she is an important part of the family. However, she is not our first lab - that was Pepper. We lost Pepper at an early age after a short but fatal illness (the vet thought it was Pancratic Cancer). She died in the early morning while at the vet's hospital for treatment when Sue and I were not there. After I received the phone call, it became my unhappy duty to drive up to Sue's school and share the news. It was a bad day, it was a sad day that I will never forget.

The following is the goodby I wrote to Pepper the day after she died. I still have trouble reading it without a tear welling up in my eye.

Farewell to my Pal

I am writing this note to say goodbye to my friend, my pal, Pepper. I am sorry that I couldn’t say goodbye to you before you left us, but I didn’t know you leaving so soon. Oh, I knew you were very sick – in the back of my heart I was afraid that this was something that you would not come out of. But now you are gone, and I am left with my thoughts of our time together.

In the midst of all my sadness, I am comforted to know that every day of your life you knew that you were so very loved. When I was at home, you were my constant companion. When I was outside, you would lie down close to where I was working. When I was home office, you would lie behind my chair. Quite often when I would sleep, you would sleep next to me. When I was away from home, I felt comforted knowing that you would protect with your life the ones that I held dearest to my heart. Yes Pepper, you were the all around good dog.

Mom and I and the girls are very grateful that we were able to adopt you at the Humane Society on that July day, eight short years ago. Ever since that day when you joined our family, you have fit in like you always belonged. Now that you are gone, there is a hole in my heart that will take a long time to mend – but I will never regret the day that you became a member of our family.

Pepper, our life will go on as it must. You will always be remembered, and always missed. After the sting of you passing subsides, I will think of you with a smile on my face as the good times we had together will always be in my heart. Every time I throw a Frisbee, wander down in “Pepper’s Hollow”, or even sit in home office, I will think of you. You have enriched this family, and changed this family in a way that I could have never imagined.

Now Pepper, as hard as this is, I must now let you go. Thank you for being my friend, my pal, my dog. To quote a friend of mine, the only thing you ever did wrong, was to die.

The Oldest Question

In 2004, my oldest daughter Amanda was engaged to Brian. Now, I don’t want to sound prideful, but I could not think of a finer young man to take my daughter’s hand in marriage. Brian is an absolute Servant of Christ and he and I have had many good conversations in the back yard over a beer or sometimes a cigar (yes, we do indulge at times).

Brian has been fascinated for some time by Christian apologetics. I find it interesting, but not to the level that Brian does. My philosophy has been that old adage, “For those that believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible”. In other words, I don’t believe in empirical evidence in matters of faith. If someone does not believe, lets have a discussion on the matters of the heart.

With this in mind, this is the letter that I gave out to friends and family in Christmas 2004:

Mankind has always been fascinated by what is the oldest “anything”. For example, who was the oldest man, what is the oldest tree, how old is the oldest rock and so on. However, the question which has caused man to ponder the longest is, “Am I the created or the creator?” In other words, did God create man, or did man create God?

Over the centuries, mankind has poured enormous energy into the justification that God does not exist or that God is dead (we don’t need him anymore). Some believe that we created God so we would not feel so alone in the cosmos. Others believe that we created God so it would be easier for us to die. Finally, some believe that we needed a god type entity to be a force in the universe that will explain all the tough questions that our scientists cannot.

Those that believe that God created man believe so because of the flimsiest of reasons – faith. In other words, based on no empirical evidence what so ever, some people believe that they were created by God. A God that no one has ever seen that exists in a place that no living person has ever been. And this is the rubber meets the road.

Faith teaches us to seek God in ways that are not empirical in nature. Faith allows us to listen and feel with our heart instead of our other senses. Faith allows us to accept our Creator’s will and to surrender completely into that acceptance.

I too, have pondered the oldest question. I have looked at it many times in my life ranging from when my faith burned hot to when my belief was tepid. My conclusion to this question is as follows:

· I believe that God created the heavens, lit the stars, formed the Earth, filled the seas, and yes, created mankind in His own image.
· I believe that Satan exists and his mission is to separate man from God.
· I believe that mankind suffered a fall in the Garden of Eden and we have been a broken people living in a broken world ever since.
· I believe 2,000 years ago, God sent his Son to Earth, as a man, as a gift, to offer hope and redemption for us all.
· I believe that Christ was tortured, crucified, died a horrible death and saved us by doing so.
· After Christ ascended into Heaven to be with the Father, we were given another gift to sustain us – the Holy Spirit.
· I believe that God created me, as well as all other people for a purpose and a reason.
· I believe that my God is truly our Father, and ALL are loved equally and no one is excluded from His love and mercy.

All of these things I believe without one shred of physical evidence. However, I know them to be true more than I know the sun will rise in the morning.

We know that we don’t have to find God – he has already found us. All we need to do is open the eyes of our hearts to witness His glory.
God is truly our Father and we are truly His children. He is the Creator and we are the created. We worship, we praise, we glorify the Holy One. All hail King Jesus!

I think of one of Susan and my favorite songs by Rich Mullins, Creed. In that song, Rich talks about his faith. He states, “I believe what I believe…..I did not make it, but it made me”. Rich was right. We believe what we believe. If we listen to our hearts, God will tell us the Truth. Its funny, the more one gets into scripture and faith matters, the more one realizes that the Truth is all around us. After a while, the hardest part of the journey is to not see the Truth.

The Paradigm Shift

This is something that I put together for my two girls as they were leaving high school. The purpose was to succeed in college, the thinking or paradigm needed to shift. I sure could of used this myself when I graduated from high school - I failed initially in college because I still was using the high school model rather than the college model.

HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE
1.) I am all caught up. 1.) I am never caught up.
2.) I have nothing to do. 2.) I have too much to do.
3.) I read when I have to. 3.) I have to read.
4.) I have a social life. 4.) I will have a good life.
5.) I hate to study. 5.) I need to study.
6.) I need time to chill. 6.) I need more study time.
7.) Organization is waste of time. 7.) Organization keeps me from wasting time.

8.) My parents work against me. 8.) My parents work with me.

Growing up in a Post Modern World

The following is something I wrote for my kids a few years ago - I think most of it still applies today...

Know and understand the world in which you live.

o The world today is much different that the world that people grew up in 30 to 40 years ago. Not better, not worse, just different.
o 40 years ago, this country was at war with Viet Nam. A brutal, directionless war that was fought 100% on foreign soil. If you were a young man living in this country, the war would affect you in some manner on the way to becoming a man.
o Today we are at war. Have no doubt, this country as well as most of the western world is at war. We are at war with an unseen enemy that does not claim a country nor wear a uniform. This enemy is in this country right now with the dual goals of destroying our economy and killing our people. They don’t want to change us, they want to kill us.
o Whether we like it or not, our economy is becoming segmented into haves and those that do not have. Training and education are the best tools that a person can have to ensure that they will not become a “have not”. This nation has made a decision in the 1990’s to greatly increase our immigrant population. Many of these people have no skills, no training, and no education. However, most are hungry and highly motivated. These are the people that you will be competing against in the job market if you decide not to have advanced education or training.

Health care/health insurance is your biggest expense.

o If you can work for an organization that offers benefits (health insurance), great. It is still very expensive as organizations tend to pay less and less of the cost every year.
o If you do not have benefits were you work, health insurance can be prohibitively expensive.
o This is critically important. As a young person, the best strategy to being covered by health insurance is to STAY IN SCHOOL. By staying in school, you will be able to be covered by health insurance until you are 25.
o If you get sick without having health insurance, you will be taken care of. This is a law in our state. However, the health provider will be coming after you for years for remuneration.
o If you get sick in a socialist country like Canada, be aware they have rationed health care. Elective treatment may have a waiting list of months. Many Canadians come across the boarder for treatment of illness as time to wait and quality of care is much better in this country.
o Many in this country think that the health care crisis will be over in 5 to 10 years in this country. The cost growth is simply not sustainable. You will have the opportunity to be part of the solution to fix it.

Not having plans and strategies are no longer options

o In the post modern world, having strategies for success are just has important as putting gas in your tank. Not have strategies and Plan “A”, Plan “B” and so on, will leave you defenseless against the onslaught of the ever changing world.
o One of the things that the former Soviet Union did well was to keep five year plans on everything. In other words, where to you want to be in five years and what are the steps in getting there. Everyone should do the same with their lives. Where am I now, and where to I want to be in five years. This could be physically, educationally, vocationally, financially and so on.
o “Plan the work and work the plan” is an old business adage which simple means once you have the plan, implement it.
o Write your plan and strategies down. Many of the aspects of your life plan are too complex to remember. Also, having it written down makes it easier to modify and validate as time goes on.

Make friends with God

o This is the most important one and yet it is in last place.
o As you go though life, you will have some close friends and you will have some friends that will greatly disappoint you. Many of your friends will come and go as time goes on. In this world, it is your parents that will show you the most unconditional love. However, your parents will not be here as long as you will be.
o There is only one constant for eternal love and acceptance. There is only one friend who will never desert nor betray you. Nothing you have done in your life has changed that love one bit.
o Faith makes facing death much easier, but it also makes facing life much easier also. Having a strong relationship with God will not solve all your problems, it just makes them so much easier to bear. Many people that become friends with God notice that ALL aspects of their lives start to improve. God created us all to succeed.

Oil

This is another post that I did a few years ago on my former blog. I think most of it is still germane today so I decided to repost it....

Every now and then, I need to put something on this blog that is secular in nature but still very important to me. As we all know, the price of energy the past two to three years has risen sharply. We have heard all the reasons (China growing, India growing, nervous about Iran, Iraq war, hurricanes and so on), but no solutions. The only thing that we can do well is blame each other for what we have done or not done to get us into this mess.

First, a bit of history to set the stage. On October 6, 1973, the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, Egyptian forces attacked Israel from across the Suez Canal, while at the same time Syrian troops were flooding the Golan Heights in a surprise offensive. After early losses, Israeli counterattacks quickly pushed into Syrian territory in the north, as troops outflanked the Egyptian army in the south. Israel, with help from the U.S., succeeded in reversing the Arab gains and a cease-fire was concluded in November. But on October 17, OPEC struck back against the West by imposing an oil embargo on the U.S., while increasing prices by 70% to America's Western European allies. Overnight, the price of a barrel of oil to these nations rose from $3 to $5.11. [In January 1974, they raised it further to $11.65.] Even though the U.S. and the Netherlands, in particular, were singled out for their support of Israel in the war, the embargo affected most of the western world as the price of oil went up for everybody.

This is now a tale of how two different growing economies dealt with this history changing event – the United States and Brazil. At the start of the embargo, the United States, which was far more dependant on foreign oil for our economy than Brazil was, took one approach. Brazil took quite another.

On August 4, 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Organization Act (Public Law 95-91), centralizing the responsibilities of the Federal Energy Administration, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Federal Power Commission and other energy-related government programs into a single presidential cabinet-level department.

Since the time of the inception of the DOE to the present, we (the American people) have spent over ¼ of a trillion dollars ($250,000,000,000) on this newly created cabinet post. In 2006, we are over the same barrel (of oil) that we were over in 1973. Most of our imported oil still comes from unstable, unfriendly countries that would like to see our wealth and power transferred to them.

Brazil on the other hand, did not create a new multi billion dollar cabinet post to take up space and tell the population bad news about how they were driving. Instead they decided to create a synthetic fuel out of sugar cane waste that could be used to augment the oil they could get domestically or from friendly, stable countries. Last month they announced that after three decades of research and focused retooling, Brazil would be 100% free of OPEC oil in 2007. In short, they have been able to tell OPEC to stick their oil back in the sand.

When Ronald Reagan was president, he caused a huge fire storm by suggesting that three of the cabinet posts could be eliminated due to redundancy or not serving an end item purpose to the American People. One of those cabinet posts was the DOE. Think of the billions of dollars we could have saved if we had taken President Reagan’s advice.

In 2006 during the State of the Union, President Bush (43) stated that we need to develop better synthetic fuels like corn and switch grass to take the stress off of our oil imports. Our government has finally admitted for the first time in three decades that we are addicted to oil. Now that is news!

What do we really do now that will make a difference to our children and grandchildren? First, admit our mistakes. The last 30 years have been a disaster from an energy standpoint. We can’t change the past, we can only learn from it.

If we are going to keep DOE, retool it immediately. Have the main focus fuel cell development (I know fuel cells have been around for years – I mean a “go to market” fuel cell), synthetic fuels, renewable energy and internal combustion efficiencies.

We need to do as Brazil did and establish energy independence as a national priority. Just as we did in World War II with the Manhattan Project or in the 1960’s with going to the Moon, we need to set energy independence up as a priority, get our best minds on it, offer tax incentives for new energy developments, AND THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. We need to set a date certain and drive towards that date. We are only one hurricane, terrorist attack or embargo away from a real mess where price will not be the issue – supply will.

This is a crisis that is real and will not go away. As China and India continue to grow their populations and economies, our finite sources of fossil fuels will become scarcer and thereby more expensive. We need to stop looking like a herd of “deer in the headlights”, come out of our stupor and do something! We are Americans! We know how to solve big problems, win big battles, and work together for victory and success. We need to stop blaming each other, admit the blame belongs to all of us, and then move on. We owe this not only to ourselves, but to the generations that will follow us.

Five Ways to Happiness

After suffering though a catastrophic computer crash and finishing the painful job of reconstruction, I found this very short item I put together a few years ago. I wanted to sum up a philosophy of life which was not long, not complicated, yet complete. The following is that list:

1. Free your mind from worry.
2. Free your heart from hatred.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

I believe whatever mess our country is now in can be mollified by adherence to the construct of this list. It has helped me considerably with trials and tribulations that I have been through recently in my life.

Father's Day

This weekend is Father's Day. My Father, gone over 5 years now, is missed more and more every day. Even though my Dad lived to be 90, I committed the same sin that many of us do - at times I took him for granted when I should have cherished each moment instead.

This weekend, rather than spending time with my Dad, I will think back on the rich times we shared and the part of him which is still with me. As a tribute to Father's Day, I am publishing the eulogy that I wrote for his funeral. As much as I tried to encapsulate what he meant to me, my words fell short in describing the richness of his life.

On Sunday, I will say "Happy Father's Day Dad - and thanks, thanks for being there for me each day, every day."

When I was growing up there was a popular song called “My Dad”. Although, I have long since forgotten the words, it started out, “My Dad, now there is a man…” The song went on to extol the virtues of this young man’s father and how much he meant to him. When I now think of that song, I think of my Dad, my friend.

My Dad truly was a special man. I know that quite often in death it is tempting to make someone greater than he was in life – however, with my Father that is not necessary. He was not a perfect man, but a very good man indeed. He was kind to everyone he met, and loved to talk and share experiences. He was a loving devoted husband to my Mother for over sixty-six years, was a wonderful father to my sister and myself, and a very caring grandfather to his nine grandchildren.

Dad was a part of the “greatest generation” not only by being born in the time period and serving in the Army during World War II, he was part of the “greatest generation” by the way he lived his life. He brought to life such anachronistic terms as nobility, virtue and chivalry. In short, my Dad was a true gentleman.

Although he never had the opportunity to go to college, Dad was a life long learner. It was hard to see him in his chair without a mountain of books next to him. He became a self-taught expert on many aspects of American history, in particular the Civil War.

He worked for the same company for over 40 years and retired at age 70. He loved manufacturing and was very knowledgeable of it. I believe he was thrilled when after college I ended up working for three different manufacturing companies. Although a different type of manufacturing than Dad was used to, he was very interested and always had many questions for me.

I have always been proud of my Dad. I was proud that in YMCA Indian Guides, he and I were “pals forever”. I was proud of the example that he set for me on how to live life itself. I was proud that he was with me the day I went into the Navy and was with me the day I retired. I was proud when he and my Mother visited our house so I could show Dad the different things or projects I was working on. I was proud that every dog and cat that we have ever owned, Dad treated as if they were his. Most of all, I was proud to call him not only Dad, but also my mentor, my guide, my friend.

Reset; Reboot

Lately, it seems like we can't go one day without hearing (or reading) about this being the worst economy since the Great Depression (or the Carter years). Regardless if this is true or not, one thing is for certain - "things ain't like they use to be".


Ever since the "Dot Com" bust followed by the 9/11 market meltdown, I have wondered how robust (or fragile) our economy really is. I have looked at it as an investor, as a citizen and most importantly, as a "baby boomer" getting close to retirement. Like many of us, I had been living in a matrix - generated by Wall Street. And like many of us, I went though the 80's and 90's fat, dumb and happy - totally oblivious unless one peeked underneath the economic covers. My 401k was zipping along nicely and visions of a very comfortable (and early) retirement were dancing in my head. Because I was employed at IBM, working side by side with many technology companies, I became heavily invested in the NASDAQ. In March of 2000 when the NASDAQ soared above 5,000 (some thought it could go even higher) few realized the profit projections made by many of the Internet based companies were beyond normal market speculation. In other words, they were smoke and mirrors. Once the NASDAQ went into free fall, many began to look at the tech market through a different lens. Licking our wounds from the carnage that resulted from the NASDAQ collapse, we fled to the more stable Dow investments. As we all know, the second shoe fell at 8:45 EDT on September 11, 2001.


After a few months, the slow recovery started after having a major attack on our financial infrastructure. To help speed the recovery, our government told us to "go out and buy something". We did, however in reality we set our financial sights on shorter and shorter financial objectives. Long range strategic thinking all but disappeared and was replaced by making the current quarter and "beating the street". Stock price inflated, bonuses and options handed out like candy, and CEOs were enriched beyond reason. We will worry about tomorrow, tomorrow - we were living the dream and ignoring the developing nightmare which no one wanted to believe. Everything was for the moment - it was financial hedonism. Our financial house, which was once built on a solid foundation, was now dependent on soft wood which would soon become sand. Due to poor management and strong arm tactics from the United States Congress (thank you Barney Frank!), we were giving out "NINJNA" (no income, no job, no assets) loans to people who did not have a prayer of paying them back. Mortgages were bought and sold many times without anyone paying attention to their value. By the time the toxic nature of these mortgages were realized, the poison had already been ingested. It was not only risky people that were getting ill advised loans - it was also companies which were not capitalized properly. We were watching a perfect storm of financial collapse which seemed to happen overnight. However, if we had been watching the ball instead of having a ball, we would have seen this coming long before October of 2008.


Since the crash of 2008, we have been dusting ourselves off and attempting to determine what happened (and most importantly, how it happened). Because of ill advised knee jerk, panic responses, we are taking a rapid fire dose of financial cures which may be far worse than the disease itself. This is not political - it was embraced by two administrations and members of both parties of congress. TARP, stimulus, buyouts, rescues, give aways and on and on. We are trying to fix the economy by spending an amount of money which is nothing less than staggering and unsustainable. Currently, our national debt is projected to be between 10 and 20T dollars. If we add in the projected payouts for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the total amount we are leaving our children and grandchildren could reach far beyond that. In other words, compared to the financial opportunities my parents left me, I am leaving a real mess for my kids. For whatever part I played in creating this travesty, I am truly sorry.

Enough about history - now what? First, if we try to fix the economy so we go back to where we were, we will take this ride all over again. We are now living in a brave new world with not one straight path to follow, but rather numerous circuitous routes. We need to rethink and re-do. One of my former managers use to say when things got really screwed up, a "do-over" was in order. We need to take a "do-over" right now with every aspect of our economy. We need to reboot or hit the reset button. Yesterday's solutions will not work in today's world. We need to look at education, health care, manufacturing, investing, infrastructure - basically everything. And we need to reset the economy without going into bankruptcy during the journey. However, not all change is good - things that worked well in the past and are sustainable should be retained. Things that did not work well or are not sustainable should be taken out with the trash.

I have been giving much thought to this topic during the past few months. Where to go from here will be addressed in subsequent posts. Stay tuned... and please, if you agree or disagree, lets have a dialogue. Respond to this post (and subsequent posts on this topic) with your ideas. We are all in this boat together, and if it sinks or stays afloat depends on all of us staying engaged.

War

When I was overseas in 1970, I often pondered the concept of war and peace. The Viet Nam conflict, which was very active at that time, had been going on (seemed like) forever .Two of my cousins, Richard and Jim had been involved in Korea which (seemed like) happened immediately prior to our involvement in Viet Nam, which another one of my cousins, Walt was involved in. War, it seems, often comes from short sighted acts of national leaders which usually are regretted when lives are ruined and countries are sullied. Once the line is crossed, there is no going back. Normalcy, if possible to regain, may take years or even decades. Now here we are again, living in a dangerous world made this way by some very bad actors. The nuclear genie is again out of the bottle. Only this time it is Pakistan, North Korea and Iran all either have the bomb or very close to obtaining it. For the purpose of this post, I will focus on North Korea even though the current events taking place in Iran are daunting. Just to make sure the history of this region is somewhat correct, the following is what Wikipedia recalls about the Korean conflict from the early 1950's:

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea) with major hostilities beginning on June 25, 1950, pausing with an armistice signed on July 27, 1953. North Korea has since unilaterally withdrawn from that armistice, having announced its intent to do so on May 27, 2009. The conflict arose from the attempts of the two Korean powers to re-unify Korea under their respective governments. The period immediately before the war was marked by escalating border conflicts at the 38th Parallel and attempts to negotiate elections for the entirety of Korea. These negotiations ended when the North Korean Army invaded the South on June 25, 1950. Under the aegis of the United Nations, nations allied with the United States intervened on behalf of South Korea. After rapid advances in a South Korean counterattack, North-allied Chinese forces intervened on behalf of North Korea, shifting the balance of the war and ultimately leading to an armistice that approximately restored the original boundaries between North and South Korea.

At 67 and in declining health, North Korea's "Dear Leader" (Kim Jong il), is getting ready to hand off power to his youngest son, Kim Jong un ("Brilliant Comrade" ). However to set the stage for his son, the "Dear Leader" has announced that North Korea will not abide by any United Nations sanctions, WILL weaponize any uranium or plutonium that resides in North Korea and worst of all, launch a nuclear strike against any country that takes part in an embargo or aggressive sanctions. Right now, with the entire Korean Peninsula destabilized, it is unclear which country (Japan, South Korea or United States) is in greater peril. I have said for years the only type of person I fear is one who has absolutely nothing to lose. In a country that is plagued by starvation, has very few utilities and endures chronic human rights abuses, North Korea truly has nothing to lose. They are the desperate thug who suddenly acquires a handgun. Due to the selfish, short sighted "leadership" in North Korea, we could be standing on the precipice of yet another world changing event. Besides having a fully functioning nuclear device, North Korea has also perfected the multistage Taepodong-2 missile, which could reach Alaska, Hawaii or the west coast of the United States. In addition, it is believed that North Korea has anywhere from one to three dozen single stage No-dong short range missiles that could easily hit South Korea, Japan or our bases in Okinawa or Guam. Finally, it is not going to take much of a technology leap to come up with a longer range missile that could reach any target in the United States. Should the North Koreans ever be able to light off even a low grade nuke at high altitude over the United States, it will be "lights out" - literally. The EMP effect of this type of detonation could wipe out most of our electric grid, everyone's stored electronic data as well as numerous other essentials (By the way, the Heritage Foundation has a video out called 33 Minutes which also addresses the North Korean threat to our homeland). In other words, should North Korea ever achieve this evil deed, our country would look very much like North Korea for years, if not decades.

As I wrote in my journal in Okinawa in 1970, the following poem is still germane:

Here I stand a man among men,
I know no evil, I practice no sin.
I burn, destroy, kill and maim,
Its' funny I don't even know my name.
I cover the path that peace had trod,
Some call me man, but I call me God..

This poem I now dedicate to the Dear Leader and his son the Brilliant Comrade. They need to read it and understand it - now, more than ever.

The Real Story of Iraq

This is something I wrote awhile back because I was getting sick of all the banter and revisionist history. While I am anything but a war monger, I do appreciate a heavy dose of the truth every now and again. I am publishing this as we are still in Iraq and every now and again it is good to revisit how and why we got there. No politics, no guessing, only the facts.

It is hard to drive around town without seeing bumper stickers or lawn signs that say “Stop the war! Bring the troops home!” It is also hard to watch TV or listen to the radio without hearing some pundit talking about the evils of the “Bush war” or the “war for oil”. I have heard and seen enough of this dribble to move me to action to set the record straight.

First some recent history concerning our relationship with Iraq. On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait for the expressed purpose of annexation. United Nations Security Council Resolutions 660 and 662 condemned Iraq's invasion and annexation and called for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi forces. Resolution 660 has never been rescinded by the United Nations. A United Nations ultimatum, Security Council Resolution 678, followed on November 29, 1990. It stipulated that if Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did not remove his troops from Kuwait by January 15, 1991 a U.S.-led coalition was authorized to drive them out.

Early in the morning of January 17, Baghdad time, the U.S.-led coalition launched air attacks against Iraqi targets. On February 24, coalition ground forces begin their attack. On February 27, Kuwait City was declared liberated, and with allied forces having driven well into Iraq, President Bush and his advisers decided to halt the war. A cease-fire took effect at 8:00 the following morning.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, signed by Iraq on April 3rd, 1991 spelled out the conditions by which the cease fire would remain in effect. From a viewpoint of how the United Nations charter works, if resolution 687 was violated, then resolution 678 (which authorized hostilities with Iraq) would be in effect.

As we know, it is well documented that Iraq has violated the terms and conditions of 687 numerous times. So many times in fact, that the United Nations passed an additional 17 resolutions condemning and warning Iraq to adhere to the conditions of resolution 687. To use an analogy, Iraq was on probation after committing a crime and violated (many times) the condition of probation. The results of Iraq’s actions were that Desert Storm (under resolution 678) would and should continue.

Holding Iraq in “material breach” of its obligations under previous resolutions, the Security Council decided to afford it a “final opportunity to comply” with its disarmament obligations, while setting up an enhanced inspection regime for full and verified completion of the disarmament process established by resolution 687.

By the unanimous adoption of resolution 1441, signed on November 8, 2002, the Council instructed the resumed inspections to begin within 45 days, and also decided it would convene immediately upon the receipt of any reports from inspection authorities that Iraq was interfering with their activities. It recalled, in that context, that the Council had repeatedly warned Iraq that it would face "serious consequences" as a result of continued violations.

This brings us to the current situation in Iraq. Iraq was warned numerous times to comply with resolution 687, culminated by the final warning in resolution 1441. The United Nations should have first imposed economic and military sanctions on Iraq and then followed that up with a resumption of conflict by a newly created coalition. Due to the inability of the United Nations to execute those remedies, the United States, along with a much smaller coalition than Desert Shield/Storm, went into Iraq and removed its government.

The Miracles of Pensacola

Max here....I would like to start out my blogging with some of my favorite stories from my previous blog. This is one of them that changed the course of my life....

Many of us had seen things on television or read about events in books or magazines that were considered by some to be miracles. Very few of us have ever thought we experienced a miracle, although in retrospect, many of us probably have. There is no set definition as to what a miracle is. Miracles can be of any size or of varying degrees of significance. In short, the only common denominator for miracles is that they are divine in nature.

While I was in the Navy, I was twice stationed in Pensacola for schooling. Both times, I witnessed what I believe to be miracles. During my first visit to Pensacola when I was very young and early in my Navy career, I was selected to attend Cryptology School. The rule of this school was because it was very expensive to attend, failure was not tolerated and there would be no second chance for those that failed. The next tour of duty was out to the fleet to be a general Seaman doing deck duties.

The rumor mill had it that Cryptology School was the second hardest school in the Navy, right behind Nuclear School. The segment of the school that I was enrolled in consisted of learning Morse code and then increasing in proficiency (speed and accuracy) every week. This was coupled with considerable (and difficult) book work. My cousin Betty was now living in Pensacola and resided at the local convent. I would go over to the convent on weekends and the nuns accepted me as if I lived there. Once in a while I would take my Jewish roommate, Ira, with me. Ira loved the nuns and they loved him. There was never any conversion talk by anyone. Every time that Ira and I would get back to the base from visiting the convent, Ira would call his parents in New York City and ask that question from Funny Girl, “Would a convent take a Jewish boy?”

As time went on, the coursework grew harder and I started to fall behind. My parents were scheduled to visit Pensacola and Betty had secured lodging for us while they were in town. I did not have the courage to tell my parents that I was failing and would probably not be able to spend any time with them. The school dictated that immediately prior to a failing student being dismissed and sent to the fleet, the failing student was put on mandatory overtime. Everything was done to attempt to get the failing student caught up. Every student had to achieve the “speed of the week” by close of class every Friday. The “speed of the week” was the number of words per minute of Morse code that could be copied at 95% accuracy. The week before my parents were to arrive, I was five going on six speeds behind the speed of the week. I would be on mandatory overtime the week that they were there and probably dismissed the week after. In other words, if things did not turn around in a monumental way, my parents and I would both be leaving Pensacola the following week.

The Sunday before my parents arrived, I was at the convent for dinner. I guess I did not have much of a poker face since Betty asked me what was wrong. I poured out my heart and felt so lost. The nun that was in charge of the convent, told me that they would pray for me the next morning at vespers. I thanked her. To me, telling someone that you will pray for them was like saying “good luck”. It was a nice gesture and I appreciated it. I did not think that it would do any good, but it was kind to offer.

Monday morning I entered the classroom, got behind my typewriter and put on my earphones. I was ready for another day of frustration. As the code started to come across my headphones and filter into my ears, it was clear and concise. I knew which keys to hit. It was no longer code – it was another language that I understood as clearly as English. To make a long and glorious story short, by lunch time, I had passed five speeds and caught up to the speed of the week. My instructors were mystified and I know they were trying to find out if (or how) I was cheating. By the end of the day, I passed another four speeds and was way ahead of the speed of the week! My parents came down, Betty and I were able to spend time with them, and I was going to be able to finish my training.

The postscript to this story is as follows: I never again doubted the power of prayer. Was this a miracle that happened? It was to me. It had a profound effect on my life and I will never forget it. I was so far ahead in my speed of the week, I ended up getting promoted to the class ahead of mine and finished third overall.
On that Monday in Pensacola, God in his infinite wisdom said “No, this will not be a day of frustration; this will be a day of victory”. Why did God lift me up that day? I don’t know – but I do know it was for a reason. Maybe the reason was for what I am doing right now. I have told this story many times and will continue to tell it in the future. My belief is that God loves to shine His light at many different times, but it shines the brightest when the room is the darkest.

The second miracle of Pensacola happened a year and a half later. I had finished by first tour of duty in Okinawa, Japan and was accepted into Direction Finding School in Pensacola. Again, Betty was still living in Pensacola, but this time not in the convent. She and another nun had moved out of the convert and were living in an apartment. My parents thought it would be fun to again come down to Pensacola to visit while I was stationed there. Cousin Betty was able to find lodging for us on Pensacola Beach.

Both Betty and I were accomplished swimmers. Betty had at one time had obtained a life guard certificate. I had just received my training and certificate prior to entering the service. Shortly after my parents arrived, we were having a nice afternoon of visiting and telling old family stories. It was not a very nice day for weather however, as there was a weak tropical depression off the west coast of Florida. The waves and surf were spectacular to look at from the beach home.

Betty and I decided out of pure foolishness to get our suits on and go “body surfing” in the storm driven waves. It was tough surf that day. If you could get beyond the first sand bar, the chances of catching a huge wave was excellent. The trick was getting past the first sand bar in that wild surf. The rip tide was so strong, it would take your legs out from under you. The under tow and the waves were in a constant struggle to see which could pull you the hardest. However, to catch one of those huge waves and have it take you twenty or thirty yards, made it all seem worth it.

On one set of waves, Betty was ten to fifteen yards further out that I was. She was standing on the “sweet spot” the final sand bar where the big waves really cranked up. As she was getting ready, I could see a monster wave develop right behind her. I yelled at her to watch out, but she could not hear me over the roar of the surf. I watched in horror as the wave hit her while she was in an unprepared state. The wave then hit me and I struggled to keep me head above water to I could keep my eye on Betty. She came to the surface in serious trouble. The next thing I could see was another big wave catch her again. This time she did not reappear.

Here I was, maybe thirty feet away from where Betty went under the water that was so churned up that I could not see six inches below the surface. The rip tide was dragging me down the shore and the waves were knocking backwards. I did not have a clue on where to start looking for my cousin. I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that Betty and I had made a foolish decision and we were about to pay for that decision with Betty’s life. I knew that I had a slim chance or no chance of finding Betty. However, I did remember the lesson that I learned from my first trip to Pensacola – the power of prayer. I prayed, “Oh dear God, please help me and give me the strength to find Betty, please!” I dove under the churning water and reached out with all my might. Into my hand came Betty’s arm.

Now I could say that I found her by luck, good guessing or dead reckoning. Or I could say that God used me to rescue Betty because He had other plans. Betty and I have talked about that day many times in the following years. Betty knew as she was loosing conciseness that she was probably going to die. She knew the chances of me finding her in that surf was very remote. That day, in the ocean, in the middle of a turbulent storm, God again taught us all a lesson. He is in control. Absolutely, constantly, undeniably, in control.

I thank God for the many years that we had with Betty after that day. Yes, God did finally call Betty home – but it was when He wanted her there. Betty was here to attend our wedding, knew both of our children and continued to be the selfless, giving saint to the entire family. Perhaps the reason God gave us Betty for all those extra years was to bless our family. I don’t know, but I do know this. Betty and I did something foolish on that stormy day in Pensacola and did not deserve anything but a bad outcome. God in a demonstration of His magnificent grace said, “No, not this day. You will live to do wonderful things for my glory”. Amen.

Off and Running!

After a hiatus of almost 3 years, I felt it was now time to get back into the world of the blogosphere. As described in the title, this blog will be named maximus garrulous, or given to fluent or excessive talk (to the maximum degree). That title is a bit tongue in cheek as I do try to say what needs to be said in the fewest words possible. However, from time to time, my dear wife does accuse me of beating a dead horse (on a discussion topic) and then in great detail, describe the beating itself.



I will publish new material from my new perspective on life (getting ready to turn 60) as well as posting some of the items that I had on my previous blog. I think it is going to be fun. If not a soul reads any of it, this will still be good therapy for me as I have been a frustrated writer for many a year.



With that, I will close this preamble and start thinking about how I will start the first chapter on this new endeavor. Until later.....