1. Taboo Plaza (The Long Form)

I've been thinking about Albert Mohler's blog post: "Is your baby gay?  What if you could know?  What if you could do something about it?" (posted March 2nd.) 
I find his smug assuredness in science's potential discovery of the cure for queer quite devilish, manically exhuberant and  dull in scope.  His eye appears to be carefully trained on seeking Truth where faith has seemed to fail. 
The capital T in that last sentence is not placed there on accident.  Albert Mohler is talking about the discovery of something so basic to human nature that nothing else compares except maybe you favorite flavor of ice cream. 
Mohler is talking about sexual preference. 
Do you really suppose that some gene simply controls whether or not you like men or women?  Then maybe there's another gene that controls whether you like blonds, brunettes or redheads in the sack.  I think the same gene probably plays at least a bit of the role in all of that.  And if we can discover something like that in our genes then what about finding the piece of the puzzle that accounts for murder and rape. 
Mohler at last has no real sense of indignation in the end. 
I mean homosexual?  Wouldn't murder and rape be a bigger concern.  Why not focus on the real problems?  Queer is as old as Socrates, but Albert Mohler has developed a 10-tract strategy on how to deal with the cure. 
The primary strategy?  No matter what scientists discover, the Bible still says that a queer is a queer and 'they's condemned to hell.'  (I made up the part in quotes, but that's because I'm a big child.) 
Mohler suggests that the sexual preference gene will be decoded (possibly in the next 10 years) and then we'll start fixing people.  I find the idea of Mohler's posting fairly unimaginative in the grand scheme of things.  I find his lack of faith in God surprisingly open and unrestrained.  He seems all for "fixing" what God made in the first place. 
With all this in mind, I dedicate my analysis of uncertainty to Albert Mohler.  
Thou ubiquitous, obsessive determiner of facts. 
Thou demander of faith in a central authority.
May your conscience rest easily, my friend.


2. Current Affairs

The House of Representatives passed a $144 billion Iraq- Afghanistan supplemental spending bill Friday night 218 in favor and 212 opposed.  Attached to this enormous, non-budgeted amount of money is a deadline for moving out of Iraq.  This would be binding; meaning that if the Senate passes it and the president signs it: it becomes law.
Some people applaud House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for uniting the Democratic party against the Iraq War and the Bush administration.  President Bush has pulled every dick move he can out of his bag o' shit because he's just going to veto it anyway.   
'Heh, they're wasting time.  There's guys dying out here, while Congress ain't getting me the money.  For God's sake have some compassion.  Military buildings aren't getting repaired and our troops aren't receiving adequate training.  They need some money.'
Bush is truly a scum bag for using these excuses while acting as if Walter Reed and the ill-equipped fiascos at the beginning of the Iraq War never took place.  Vice President Cheney has begun the spin that is a symptom of the root problem in our govenrment today.  This is all just a big game and here's the rules this time around. 
The president asks for extra money to spend on the Iraq and Afghanistan "War" while making the announcement:  'Heh, I finally have a strategy.' 
Now it is very difficult for Congress to argue with the president on this because he's got a solution.  If they criticize then immediately they receive the rejoinder: 'here's my solution.  Where's yours?'  
In addition, the money is for our troops.  The president can always fall back on simply pointing that out in an argument. 
The Congress cannot make any real move at this point, because everything they do before the actual vote will be scrutinized and evaluated as gris for the spin machine.  The spin machine will try to turn anything and everything into someone being against the troops. 
This is where Congress has power though.  Congress controls the purse strings.  The president may be barking at Congress to give him money, but the fact of the matter is that if Congress wants to protest the war now is their time.  Congress controls the purse strings and nothing would be more American than Congress withholding the money if they don't feel the war is justified.  The problem is that Cheney is waiting in the wings to spin that into the Democrats in Congress are weak on security and don't support the troops. 
Congress plays it cool.
The president says he's going to veto any type of bill with a timetable attached.  Congress has pretty much figured out that they can't outright decline the president's request for money, because the political fall out will end their careers.  They instead attach a timetable knowing that the bill will ultimately get vetoed by the president.
It would seem then that the spin machine would have nothing, but look at Cheney work.  Spin Cheney spin.
This is the problem with our government.  There is no honest expression of facts or opinions, but rather a series of political manuevers that are designed to ensure longevity of individual positions and power but not accomplish much for the general public. 
And that boys and girls is merely one way in which our country is corrupt in spirit and in mind.
                                                                                    -A Proud American

3. Then Humans Discovered...

And the beat goes on....

4. Getting to Know Your Government
Last week’s batch of Senators averaged 10. 5 years in public office as U.S. Senators. This week’s batch of Senators average 12.5 years as U.S. Senators.
 
Norm Coleman (Republican, Minnesota)
Religion: Jewish
19??: Hofstra Univeristy, BA
1976: University of Iowa, JD.
1992 to 2002: Mayor of Saint Paul, MN
2003 to present: U.S. Senate

Amy Klobuchar (Democrat, Minnesota)
Religion: Congregationalist
1982: Yale University, B.A.
1985: University of Chicago Law School, J.D.
2007 to present: U.S. Senate

Thad Cochran (Republican, Mississippi)
Religion: Baptist
   He was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award   
1959: University of Mississippi, B.A.
1959- 1961: United States Navy
1965: University of Mississippi School of Law, JD
1973 to 1978: U.S. House of Representatives
1978 to present: U.S. Senate

Trent Lott (Republican, Mississippi)
Religion: Baptist
1965: University of Mississippi, B.A.
1975: University of Mississippi, J.D.
1973 to 1989: U.S. House of Representatives
1989 to present: U.S. Senator

5. Our Nation is Dumber for This…Thank You for Your Participation!

March 22nd Arizona Representative Jeff Flake and Illinois Representative Luis Guitierrez introduce a 700-page "comprehensive" immigration reform bill under the name STRIVE (Security Through Regularized Immigration and Vibrant Economy.  It could be good.  Some say it might be bad.  There are really only two things we know at this point.
The bill is comprehensive, because a majority of print new sources have consistently used that term.
The bill is 697-pages long.
The great thing about this bill is that nobody can possibly claim to have read it all the way through and yet people have already endorsed it.  It claims to secure the border.
It claims to have solved illegal immigration.
Employers can still hire illegals legally.
Sight unseen 700-pages of potential law endorsed.  Done.  Where's the next one?
Who will read the 700-pages and properly digest the whole thing.  Bills like this get written and sometimes passed, but who really read it?  Lawyers and judges will be the ones to read the STRIVE Act if it passes.  That's the beauty of a 700-page law, from an audience's perspective, after it passes the judges and lawyers have to read it saving the audience that wrote it a lot of extra time.
If you can sell it you become a star in Congress.  The judiciary can clean up the mess.   The problem here is a lack of understanding. 
First of all, most people can't read 700-pages in relatively short periods of time.  It took Stephen King's The Stand and John Steinbeck's East of Eden to get me through that many pages of text and I'm pretty sure that Jeff Flake is not a comparable writer to either of those two.
I keep asking: who is going to read 700 pages?  It's important.  In fact, it may be the most important aspect of communication to understand before you write.  If you want to influence behavior through common understandings, you must deliver your message within the attention span of your least attentive audience member.
If your prose is really long and stong in ambigious language; generally that's because you don't really have a firm grasp on what you're writing. 
I haven't read the 700-pages from Flake and Guiteirrez, so I don't know what category the STRIVE Act falls into but my question still stands.
Who's going to read those 700-pages?

6. Down On Rage Street
And the beat goes on...

7. I Sure Do Hate It for You

Joe Rogan has brought the hate on to Carlos Mencia last week.  Joe says some pretty extreme things about Carlos and I have to admit that I don't care much for Mencia.  Joe didn't affect my attitude, he merely confirmed what I thought.
Rogan has some pretty funny things to say in his stand up about us making it. 
That's pretty smart stuff and definitely worth a listen.

8. Tip of the week

Recognize those special days for what they are and make someone happy.

9. Birthday Shout Outs (3-18 to 3-24)

March 18th

   Grover Cleveland (1837) He was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States of America.
   Peter Graves (1926) One of the best characters in the movie Airplane.
   Wilson Pickett (1941) He had the funk.  He supplied the rock.  
   Vanessa Williams (1963) She's done a bunch of things.  She started as a Miss America though.
   Jerry Cantrell (1966) Singer, songwriter and guitarist in Alice in Chains. 
   Dane Cook (1972) He's funny, but he also demonstrates you can make money by acting like an idiot.

March 19th

   Ricky Wilson (1953) In the B-52's at one time and only on this list because I can't get this song out of my head after 18 years.
   Bruce Willis (1955) He's done some great work.  Pulp Fiction, Unbreakable, Beavis and Butthead Do America, Die Hard and Look Who's Talking.

March 20th 

   Fred Rogers (1928)  He didn't have the flash of Sesame Street or the Electric Company, but aside from being a little creepy: he was captivating.
   Jerry Reed (1937) He's got the Waterboy and Grand Theft Auto in his credits and that doesn't even touch on Smokey and the Bandit or his singing career.
   Steve Borden <aka: Sting> (1959) He had the potential to be the biggest wrestling star in the world, before the Crow impersonation began.

March 21st
   
   Johann Sebastian Bach (1685) When people remember your name this many years later, you can say you've contributed to the culture.
   Gary Oldman (1958) He made the list for playing Drexel in True Romance.
   Matthew Broderick (1962) It's Ferris.  How can you not wish him a happy birthday?
   Chris Candido (1972) This guy had the work rate and a great in-ring personality. 

March 22nd
   
   Chico Marx (1887) A Marx brother and a very talented man. 
   Louis L'Amour (1908) This guy has been truly prodigious in his writing.  
   William Shatner (1931) It's Captain Kirk.  Nuff said.
   George Benson (1943) He's got some great songs in his catalogue.
   Bob Costas (1952) He somehow just adds class to the game.

March 23rd
   
   Joan Crawford (1904) If it wasn't for her "wire hangers" would probably not carry an air of violence.
   Wernher von Braun (1912) He proves that apparently not all Nazis were bad.  If you had the potential to build up the military prestige of the Allies you too could be a good Kraut.
   Ric Ocasek (1949) The lead singer of the Cars.  These guys were awesome.
   Jason Kidd (1973) He was considered the best point guard in the NBA until Steve Nash exerted his influence.

March 24th
      
   Harry Houdini (1874) He was a magician and people still know his name.  That's kind of impressive.
   Joseph Barbera (1911) The second half of Hanna and Barbera.  What would my Saturday Mornings as a child have been without this guy?
   Norman Fell (1925) Mr. Roper from Three's Company.  He's not Don Knotts, but he certainly held his own with Mr. Furley.
   Colin Peterson (1946) He played drums for the Bee Gees.

March 25th
   
   Aretha Franklin (1942) She's an institution.  This sister is just bad.
   Elton John (1947) He's had a lot of success.