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10:37:26 PM EST

A huge congratulations is in order to the democratic party.  The republicans finally self-destructed to the point that it was impossible to hide their collective ineptitude.  Good news.

Now what?

We have come to the campaign slogan of democrats - we aren't republicans.  Congratuations.  The strategy finally worked as the republican party just simply became too complacent and apathetic to ward off a viable attack.

Now what?

We are back to the same problem.  There is no democratic plan.  Congrats on the win, but now what's the plan?  Troop pullback in Iraq - disasterous at best.  Increased troops.  Find the money and support and I'm all for it.  Tax increases to fund the war deficit - unlikely to fly in a slim majority.  Tax decreases - not and eliminate the deficit.

The good news is that the religious right agenda will likely come to a screeching halt.  Hallelujah.  But what comes in the place.  Remember, all the president has to do is veto an act of congress, and it requires a 2/3 majority to overrule.  Unlikely with close margins.

Does this mean we get out of Iraq.  Probably not with such tight margins.  At least it's on the table for discussion, but certainly not action.

So what does the mid-term victory of the democrats usher in to being.  Absolutely nothing tangible.  But now, there is at least a voice of opposition that must be heard.  No more third reich.  There is a possibility the world powers may take our musings seriously for once.  Especially without Donald Rumsfeld.  Just for the record, the "light footprint" model didn't work in Vietnam either.

I will admit myself as one of the surprised.  I had predicted a narrow democratic house majority if there were any gains.  The writing was on the wall, it just seemed too far out of the realm of possibility.  Well, move over bacon, now there's something meatier.  I think.

We still never heard the democratic plan for the middle east.  All we know, is it's not "stay the course". 

As a staunch independent, I went to the polling place, and voted for anything that had a (D) next to it.  For better or worse, we have change.  God help us all.

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12:23:24 AM EDT

Back to the geo-polictical rants of a mad-man.  LOL.

No evidence ever linked Iraq with weapons of mass destruction, but we attacked them.  All evidence supports that Iran has future capabilities, but we haven attacked them.  North Korea detonated a nuclear warhead, and we haven't attacked the.  Pakistan, a known state sponsor of terror, has hundreds of warheads.  We haven't attacked them.  Israel, a know terrorist state (I'm an equal opportunity offender), has nuclear weapons that destabilize the region.  We haven't attacked them.  In the latest offensive with Lebanon, an oil depot was intentionally target by Israel creating an oil spill twice the size of the one caused by the Exxon Valdez.  Exxon had to pay billions of dollars in reparations.

Back to the WMD.  Russia has known stock piles of chemical weapons.  Lets attack them.  As a matter of fact, we have immense stock piles of chemical, nuclear and biological weapons.  Let's attack ourselves.  Better yet, France supplies most of the enriched uranium for countries who can't make their own.  Let's attack them.  While we're at it, let's get China for the same reason.  And, maybe India also.

But let's look objectively at North Korea.  The underground blast was less than a kiloton (Hiroshima was 15 kilotons, modern warheads are on the order of 100), and there was no detectable radiation leak.  The U.S. can't even conduct a nuclear test without a radiation leak.

More than likely, the North Koreans chose an underground site they knew we were monitoring, created a lot of activity in a bunker 100 feet under ground lined in 2 foot concrete, and detonated about 5 truck loads of C4 plastic explosive.

Time to narrow down the war on terrorism.  140,000 died in Hiroshima, 110,000 in Nagasaki, and 35,000 in Bhopal India, 130,000 on the Korean peninsula, nearly 1,000,000 in Vietnam and Cambodia.  600,000 Iraqi civilians have died since March 2003.  We committed all of those atrocities.  Who are the real terrorists?  I'm not an apologist for terrorism, but before we point fingers, we need to see what we've done in our decades of unchecked power and figure out why we are a target before starting any more wars.

Bill Clinton lies under perjury for sex acts with an intern and is impeached during an unprecedented period of political stability and strong economy.  George Bush Jr. leads an army with nearly 3,000 military casualties and 600,000 civilian casualties, spends nearly $2 billion per day on a war with the support of less than 30% of the U.S. people, and runs up a $4 trillion deficit in only 6 years following $1 trillion annual surpluses, and we can't even find it in ourselves to manage a censure, let alone riot in the streets?

 

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10:59:33 PM EDT

Departure again from geo-polictical-economic ranting...

My kitty died last night.  Rimsky.  He was old and tired, but he did a good job hiding it until the very end.  He waited for me to say goodbye.  We got to talk for a little while first - well, obviously I did the talking.  I told him the story of our life together.  I held him, gave him comfort.  Hayden and Sydney told them they love him and feel better.  I haven't told them he's gone.  He listened, and I begged him at first to be alright, but when I realized how sick he was I told him it was OK to move on, and he did.

It's the first time I've really experienced death.  When my brother died he was far away, and when my dad died I wasn't at the hospital, and when my nephew died he was far away, and when my friend Laura died she was far away, and when my other pets have died they have gone to the vet and just not come back.

Experiencing the death of a loved one first-hand is something I don't think I really have the words to describe, and I may not ever have the words.  I expected there to be some sort of magical type of certain second of sudden nothing, but there wasn't a "moment" really, just a fade. 

So here's to Portland - silly little wild cat.  Pet store employee found your litter in the forest abandoned.  Wouldn't sell you to just anyone.  I pulled you out from under a display, and you purred immediately.  I left the store, but came back for you the next day.  You were a plain looking tabby cat - who knew you were a fluffy Maine Coon? 

So here's to Southern Oregon.  You were very sad when your cat friend Mindy died, so in came your new friend Pumpkin.  He misses you Rimsky, by the way - you don't come when he calls for you.  I miss you too, but it's maybe easier for me to understand.  I haven't told him yet.  3 very unhappy years in Southern Oregon.  You almost didn't make it onto the moving van when it was time to leave.  The house was empty, save a cup of orange juice, and I couldn't find you and figured you ran away while the doors were open.  You jumped out of a cupboard and made complete trash of the kitchen in one big flurry of juice and claws and fur.

So here's to Seattle.  This time the door got left open and you left for a week.  It was a really urban area, and I didn't figure I'd ever find you, but I tried.  You made your way down four flights of stairs and into the open door of old man who kept trying to run the imaginary cat out of his apartment.  I tried to convince him you were real, and to call me when he saw you again.  I don't think he believed me, because he chased you out again.  The apartment manager found you, and it took 3 people with gloves to get you out of the bushes.  You were very happy to see me, and purred right away.

So here's to the move to Los Angeles.  Moving van day 1 - made it to Redding.  To say the accomodations were lacking is putting it mildly.  And, you and your contraband buddy Pumpkin kept Shayna and I up all night trashing a motel bathroom.  I still don't know how cat litter gets stuck in a shower head.  Moving van day 2 - 600 miles of flat open farm land and no scenery made us a bit slap happy.  But you wouldn't know how boring I-5 is through most of California.  You and your little party-like-a-rock-star friend slept soundly - that is until my moment of complete tantrum pounding on the top of your cage yelling "wake up you furry little bastards".  That's just what 10 hours of looking at grass and cows will do to a person.

So here's to Valencia.  2 new friends - this time canine.  You kept your distance, and that was probably a good idea, but you were never mean to them.  2 more new friends - brand new little baby twins.  I think you were scared of the tiny noisy people at first.

So here's to the move to Virginia.  One man, 2 cats, 2600 miles, 3 1/2 days, 3 hotel rooms.  You decided to leave Albequerque, Ft. Smith and Kingsport intact along the way.  I understand - you get a little older, and a little of the adolescent angst goes out of you.  It was sort of a male bonding trip - listening to music, stopping for some reassurance and scratches behind the ear and food.

So here's to Virginia.  You got a big place, and an upstairs hangout place.  You watched 2 babies turn into 2 toddlers who learned your name.  At first it was just "Kitty", but you became "Rimsky" to them.  Thanks for coming down in the evenings with Pumpkin and visiting all of us.  And thanks for being nice to C.R. - she needed a place to stay, and you were very accomodating.

Thanks for being good to people and other animals.  Thanks for following me around everywhere.  Maybe it was just the fluffy tail, but you touched lives of many people, and were a good friend, and in ways a little more than just a cat.  Don't worry about the hairballs and the "accidents", they don't matter.

I.M.O. Rimsky.  Born sometime in April 1994, Portland, OR - died October 2 2006, Williamsburg, VA.

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11:35:49 PM EDT

Warren Buffett has two rules of business.  #1 - make money.  #2 - always remember rule #1.  I'm not one to argue with Mr. Buffet.  Our bank account balances show that either time, luck, or wisdom have made one of us a billionaire and not the other.

But there is a new world of business emerging.  In the old school teachings (and even in some current and respected business schools) companies were entities that produced items, theoretically termed "widgets".  Companies purchased raw materials to produce their "widgets" and then sold them at a profit with the goal of gaining market share over competition.  This isn't the reality of most of the current business world.

It's not as much a change in business practice as it is a change in currencies.  In days far past goods were bartered.  Then tokens were used to represent value.  For most of modernity up to nearly the end of the 20th century currency was based on the amount of gold a country had in their treasury.  Now, and most people don't realize it, all currency is electronic.  Even the cash you use is based on an electronic credit or debit, and is actually just a convenience item.  Rather than gold having a currency value, currencies have value based on how they counter trade with other currencies and interest rate differentials.  The standard for value is relative volatility, which is produced through the electronic currency markets.

Enough economic talk.  What does it mean?  It means companies don't actually make products any more in order to make money.  There are even scenarios where companies don't make a product, or prevent products from being made to make money.

Amazon.com has just started turning a profit.  But, the profit is not based on the shipping of units or production of "widgets" - they are profitable because they have returned money to their investors.  With a market capitalization of over $13 billion, they on paper have more cash on hand than most countries.  Having survived the dot.com bust as the brand name of where to buy your books and music, they have created value where there was none before, based only on speculative stock investment.

With few exceptions, furniture companies don't make furniture anymore.  People in countries other than where labor is affordable (i.e. not the U.S. or E.U. countries) design and make furniture.  Corporate shoppers scope the markets and find the couches that meet the price/design/quality specifications they want.  Then, they contract a number of units to be produced and purchased.  Those items are then shipped back to the U.S. or E.U. countries where they show up in Ethan Allen and other such stores.  So Ethan Allen doesn't make furniture?  Absolutely not.  They provide the capital to have furniture produced, and the store fronts to view and purchase the furniture, but it's highly unlikely there is an Ethan Allen employee who has recently had a work related splinter.

How does a company survive in the new business picture then? 

* First, to give up the notion of market share.  The days of big box retailers, megamalls, and complete domination of industries as a business goal are gone (don't tell Microsoft).  There are going to be some painful merger lessons in the next couple of years that are already starting to unfold (AOL/Time/Warner).  The new generation of under 40 consumers don't want what everyone else has - they want something custom.

* Second, to find the specific way to find the specific customer wanted.  Information is everything, and data mining is the new gold mining.  Mass television media marketing is an ultimate waste of money now.  It used to be that "everyone" watched certain shows.  That's not the case anymore.  Even the most popular shows don't attract enough viewers to justify the tens of thousands of dollars (cheap end) to produce a commercial and purchase commercial space, and devices such as TiVo disable commercials anyway.

* Third, to be the person selling the commercial space.  It has no value, and no one needs it, but everyone wants it.  It's going to be maybe another 2 years before the heads of huge companies with top-down structures listen to their employees and customers enough to figure it out.  Take the profit while it's there to be taken.  It wasn't that long ago that bottled water seemed like a silly idea.

* Fourth, to change with the market CONSTANTLY.  As noted above, you won't be able to give away television ad space in about 2-3 years.  Don't build a 5 year plan based on passing fads and a new world of constant change.

* Fifth, to be the passing fad.  Be the buzz.  No one really knows what's going on now - it's too confusing.  It used to be possible to tell everyone at the same time that a certain thing is good.  There's no way to saturate all of the markets enough now to get a buzz.  The very impression of being cutting edge makes a company look cutting edge.  Sorry Sears, you just aren't cutting edge any more.  As a matter of fact, if anyone over the age of 18 has heard of you, you aren't cutting edge.  Just remember 18 year olds don't have much money to spend for the most part, so walk the fine line - create a buzz, then find the people who have the money to buy your buzz.

* Sixth, to not sell an actual product right now.  It's the wrong part of the U.S. business cycle right now to even attempt it.  Sell a service, sell an idea, sell a concept, but by all means don't try to sell a product.  For now, leave that to the companies outside of the U.S./E.U. trade zones with cheap labor.

* Seventh, recognize the cycles are happening more rapidly than they used to, and be ready to actually sell a product again at a moment's notice.  It gets back to the whole constant change thing.  Just how long is it that Chinese laborers will make $40 children's toys before their workers look at what they're making and say "I wish I could afford for my kid have one of these"?  Not much longer.  With the combination of spiraling energy costs and growing U.S./E.U. resentment, the days of outsourcing are just about over.  Good news - tens of thousands of furniture makers in western North Carolina will start making furniture again.  Bad news - the cheap labor markets we've exploited for the last 30 years are going to be a little resentful, so don't expect imported raw materials to be cheap.  And don't be too shocked of the images of the people you see on television (if you still watch it) burning the American flag and shouting "Death to America".  The people outside of the U.S./E.U. trade zone outnumber us 5 to 1 now, and the margin is growing.

 

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10:25:02 PM EDT

We never start out calling these things "World Wars".  The history books are usually written by the winners, and we did quite well in the first two.

Who started WWI - some go back to an assassination in Serbia, other point to a power vacuum by a fallen Prussia, but it's clear who won - the good old U S of A.  When things got ugly in Europe we, against our better judgment, jumped in and helped the allies to a victory.  Forget that most of our immigrants at the time were German and Polish, and Britain had sworn at least 5 times in the proceeding 100 years to wipe us off the face of the map and tried twice. 

What about WWII - was it Hitler or Hirohito?  Well, for us, it was Hirohito, but Hitler had, as early as 1933, made no bones about taking over Europe.  Japan was equally as aggressive in Manchuria.

Only historians for the victors will be able to put a finger on WWIII.  Was it 9/11 - that started the unilateral war in Afghanistan, but didn't have any connection whatsoever to the invasion of Iraq.  So maybe it was the invasion of Iraq.  That in itself will likely not be a catalyst.  Look at the under trooped quagmire in Vietnam in the name of Communist Containment that eventually went belly-up with no world-wide consequences.  Maybe it is the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and blockade of Gaza?  Better possibility.

Or possibly our ire over attacks on country and resultant lashing out created the whole thing?  Maybe the goal of al-Qaieda is to start WWIII.  Maybe, but I really just think they had a terrorist plot cause destruction beyond their wildest dreams.

Are we fighting a nation?  Not yet.  As much of a "Dove" as I am, I would not be opposed to open declared military actions on North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and a few others.  We could consider letting Cuba and Lybia off the list.  We should be mindful of China, India, Pakistan, Khazakstan, Russia and every country in Africa.  The world is not friendly to us right now.  5% of the population controls 45% of the resources.  That is never a means to a happy ending.

Does WWIII mean nuclear/non-conventional weapons - not necessarily.  It all depends on us.  Thanks to the strategy developed during the 90's, we created a military presence allowing us to fight almost instantly 3 regional wars successfully.

WWIII is not a given.  It is possible that all of our long time allies will decide that it's worth neither the cost nor the discomfort to get involved.   Countries will comfortably align themselves to avoid take-over, but other than that will stay our of the way.

Or, we may sell to the world the bill of goods that we are locked in an epic battle of civilization, and those who wish to take it away.  Good luck, but there are a few out there who owe us some very big favors.

War is the most expensive thing any empire can choose to do.  All resources are diverted from civilian work products, and into a military/industrial empire.

So what will it take to start WWIII.  I believe it is more deliberate terrorist attacks aimed at the U.S. - the previous ones were meant to be symbolic, and they worked possibly worked too well.  Which would have a more devastating effect on U.S. psyche and sensitivities -  An explosion under the Holland Tunnel (plan in the making several times.) or a series of near lunch time bombs detonated at suburban shopping malls in the U.S.?  What would make you go to war?

I know I would love to join the National Guard.  I'd love to be on the first line of defense in case of a natural disaster or a home attack.  I also don't want to be deployed for 2 years to a "war on terror" in Iraq.

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9:31:28 PM EDT

The 2006 midterm elections are coming up, and that means only one thing - political ads.  If I spent any time watching TV I would be thrilled to catch a break from the fruit snacks and cars that are usually being peddled.  Of course, those still pop up on my Internet, so there is really no rest for the weary.

I've been intently listening to the Republican message that has been blaring through the static - "GOD, DEAR GOD, PLEASE LET US KEEP CONTROL OF CONGRESS!"  I admit there's a little of my own spin on that.  The official party line is to be tough on the war on terror (where is Bin Laden?), rebuild after Hurricane Katrina (what percentage of New Orleans has 24 hour electricity and plumbing?), show the world we will stand up to the terrorists (not much new construction going on in Lower Manhattan right now, not much of a memorial at the Flight 93 crash site in Pennsylvania, but some darn pretty lights at the Pentagon) and demonstrate how strong the economy has become (the dollar falling against foreign currency is a good measure of that, right?)

I've just as intently have been listening to the Democratic message.  Unfortunately, I mostly hear crickets.  "We don't like war!"  Good.  Glad to hear that.  I'm pretty against war myself, with all the maiming and dying and innocent pain and loss of life.  "The economy doesn't have a leg to stand on!"  Good call - recent increase to a seven month housing inventory, legacy companies unable to fund their pensions, spiraling trade deficits - yep.  Looks like a failing economy.  "The government needs to stay out of our personal lives."  I guess the 5 U.S. legislative days trying to keep Terry Schaivo alive were a little creepy come to think of it, and 72 U.S. service men and women lost their lives overseas in that time.

Does this mean I agree with the Democratic message for midterm 2006.  I might, if they had a message.  They are campaigning on the same platform they used in 2004.  "Hey - we're not Republicans".  It lacks the catchiness of "We Like Ike", but hey, if it works, go with it.  Oh yeah, that's right - it didn't work.

I get the feeling the world is feeling a little sorry for us right now.  Not as a governmental entitiy - there was a meeting of 120 heads of state in Havana last week that proves that.  I think deep down inside, people understand that we a stuck with a perverse political leadership system that is badly out of touch with the people.  And I don't think we are being led by bad people.  True, Donald Rumsfeld may be more qualified to be Poet Laureate than Secretary of Defense, but we are in a situation where the guy in charge doesn't want to hear an opinion any different than his own.  In the marketplace of ideas, it leaves you with quite a few extra "New Kids On The Block" t-shirts, but isn't that what the free market is about?

So here's the problem.  A huge Democratic victory this November would mean nothing.  There is no strategy to get us out of a very dangerous war, there is no plan to piece together the economy, there is no solution for a failing Medicare Drug plan, there are no plans to rebuild New Orleans, there are no plans to prevent future attacks, there are no plans to substantially increase the security of our airline, shipping, or trucking industries, there is no plan to stabilize national energy prices.  The only thing we would have if the Democrats manage to eke out majority is a floundering group of vision-less fools protecting their home state interests and using their power and position for personal gain.  Don't we already have that?

Here in Virginia, we have an interesting Senate race going on - you have the choice between the Republican who refers to people of Asian India descent as monkeys, and a Democratic candidate who is on the record as having stated women should never lead troops into combat.  So do I vote for a racist because he's not a sexist, or vote for a sexist because he's not a racist?  Is there a plan C?

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1:01:21 AM EST

It's been awhile, but here is a new entry for the 3 of you who are monitoring this site.  OK, 3 is a little ambitious.

Not to be one for drama, but we have witnessed the beginning of the 10th crusade.  And all this time, we though the year 1271 had brought and end to the battles between Christendom and Islam (barring of course those annoying Northern campaigns).

With the torching of embassies in Syria, the ongoing war against the United States by Islamic extremists, and the long imposed "jihad", which though the Islamic religion defines as "struggle" the new generation of Islam has defined as "war against all that is not Islam", the crusade is on.

Some have gone as far as to say I'm an apologist for the Islamic terrorists.  After all, I have pointed out in the past how it is understandable that the vast wealth of the U.S., mostly on the backs of those who have supplied us with the cheap oil on which we built our empire, can make it conceivable that there would be those in the world who would envy, and thereby hate us.  But the recent events in the Islamic world go far beyond just a socialist/communist sort of equalization.

This is war.  And it was not declared by the United States, Western Europe, or even Israel this time. 

Though I understand how there can be rage against the former imperialist powers of the 16-20th centuries, the world is entering a phase where bygones can actually be bygones.  Revenge is no longer the means by which to equalize the prior errors of the world.

That is, unless you have a religious agenda to achieve.

Don't get me wrong - we have no lack in our own country of religious zealots who would like to dictate to all people what constitutes moral behavior.  But the world has largely ignored our internal domestic bigotry.  Even internally we have started the process of choosing individual liberty over the agendas of those who choose to impose their will over the rest of us.

But now, the real attacks have started.  These attacks are in the name of Islam versus Christianity.  It's not just the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.  Now, we have London, Madrid, and the embassies of Norway and Denmark.

It's not just the "West" - there are now implanted insurgent groups in Sri Lanka, Indonesia (lest we forget the atrocities in the formerly peaceful Bali), Bhutan, The Philippines, and even Tibet -all places formerly untouched by Islamic violence.

And it's not just the "fringe" areas - Al Qaida has declared war upon all states who do not subscribe to an Islamic Theocracy.  Even Egypt, Pakistan, Algeria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia aren't safe now from the terror attacks of the cowardly religious minority.

The war is on.  Iraq would have been a future target as a secular Arab country, but we took care of that rather handily. 

And as for the American agenda of "The Spread of Democracy"... we saw how that went in Palestine.  While we were foolishly hoping for the victory of a secular moderate party (not that that has happened here), the oppressed people of Palestine decided to elect the radical religious Hamas party (funded by Iran, by the way).  Why would the people of Palestine make this choice?  Hamas has been their only voice.  In a world where diplomacy failed to make gains in independence for the oppressed, the vicitimization of fearful civilians seems to have worked wonders.

Welcome to Crusade #10.

So how do we win?

Good question.  I would have said military might 3 years ago.  We have now proved in Iraq that not only can we not fight simultaneous regional wars (the 1999 Defense Department goal) we can't even really fight one at a time.  And that is after spending astronomical amounts of money on this war.  It's approaching $1,000,000,000,000 - that's an amount that would keep Social Security afloat for the next 400 years.  Not an exaggeration - a fact.

Now the world is "united" against an Iran potentially armed with nuclear weapons.  That is, as long as it doesn't interfere with anyone's oil supply.

So how do we win?

At the point where the world decides that this is a struggle of civilization vs. anarchy rather than Islam vs.Christianity we will start to win the the struggle.  Or is that "jihad"?

 

 

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10:33:55 PM EST

There's a debate going on across the country regarding how or even if to teach the theory of evolution in the public schools.  Even though the Scopes Monkey Trial of the earlier portion of the 20th century was supposed to put this question to rest, a vigorous religious revival is bringing the question back into the public eye and the courts.

The new buzzphrase of the fanatic religious right is "Intelligent Design" - the idea is that an all-knowing and all-powerful God has set the wheels in motion for all natural order.  It is proposed that this be taught either alongside of or instead of the theory of evolution.

It is noted that there are gaps in the theory of evolution - but just as intelligent design does not explain how nature works, only why, the theory of evolution does not try to explain why nature works, only how.  Darwin did not propose that life on Earth is just a freak cosmic accident, rather observed the patterns present in nature.  It didn't especially matter to Charles Darwin how the patterns were created.

Similarly, in a country where we have GUARANTEED right to a separation of church and state, it shouldn't matter to the state funded public schools whether or not God created the natural systems.  Public schools are in place in this country to provide an education to everyone regardless of their sex, race or religion, and the Supreme Court has upheld this many times.  The question of what God did or didn't create has no place in the public school system.

The proponents of intelligent design have packaged their propaganda as a rational alternative to the prevailing Godless thought of a wayward society so that we can raise moral and upstanding children.  There is as much vigor in the push of the religious right to bring God into our everyday lives as there was in Soviet-era Russia and Maoist China to remove all traces of religious culture from everyday lives.

Anyone reading this may have the impression that I'm an atheist.  That is far from correct.  Just this morning on the drive to work I was admiring the beautiful fall colors, and pondering the interconnection between the elements of nature, and thinking that it all had a greater purpose than just a great cosmic accident of molecules and energy.  Then, like being jolted from a beautiful dream, I heard a news story on the radio about a group in Kansas that is trying to promote the notion ofintelligent design as a way to teach kids how to better understand the world.

Here is my message to the political activists of the religious right - leave me the hell alone!  Don't tell me when life begins, don't tell me who created the Earth, don't tell me what my greater purpose is, don't tell me how the universe works, don't tell me it's sinful to drink on Sundays, don't tell me what I can and can't do in the privacy of my home, don't tell me what books I shouldn't read in the library, don't tell me what words should offend me on television, don't tell me Howard Stern is evil but it's O.K. for Pat Robertson to call for a political assassination in the national media, don't tell me what scientific research can and can't be done, don't tell me what medicines are morally acceptable and which ones are not - but above all else, don't tell my children what to believe.

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11:04:00 PM EDT

I was much happier before tens of thousands of people lost their homes and jobs in Hurricane Katrina, and I was much happier before hundreds of people lost their lives.  Those are obviously the real tragedies.

But there is something that especially bothers me in the aftermath - there is a prejudice that I have of which I was not aware until now.

I'd like to think of myself as free of prejudice - anyone who tells you they are is lying - but I understand that it's an ongoing process to rid yourself of negative stereotypes.  I understand that there is "trash" of all races, and trying to classify people by stereotyping to the worst traits of a group is just plain wrong.

Not all prejudices are negative, and that's the problem.  I have a positive prejudice that is just as dangerous.  I have been living in my comfortable white suburban world thinking that we have solved, if not erradicated, most of the race issues in the United States.  I've taken pride in thinking that there are opportunities for all people in this country regardless of race. 

Unfortunately I've shielded myself from what's really going on.  There are parts of cities that I know only in terms of exit numbers and what a bad idea it is to go into them.  Living in a comfortable world, it's easy to forget that there are large numbers of people living in squallor.  They are mostly not white, and they are living below the poverty level in cities lacking adequate infrastructure, transportation, jobs, safe places to meet, decent or even acceptable schools, and police forces equipped or willing to serve and protect them.

All this time I've believed the whole "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" thing.  Don't get me wrong - I'm as bothered by black-on-black violence and crime for the sake of crime as the next person (or as the next person should be).  And, it is true that there are opportunities for just about anyone who wants them.  It's just a question of how hard those opportunities are to find.  It's not enough to just have a society where it's "possible" to better yourself - we need to work on creating a societly where it's likely that all people can better themselves. 

Hurricane Katrina showed that New Orleans was a disaster prior to the flooding.  Many thousands of people already lived in substandard housing in crime-ridden neighborhoods, sending their children to substandard schools - all under the "protection" of an underfunded and somewhat corrupt police system.  There are a number of displaced people who are glad to have the opportunity to start a new life - an opportunity they might not have had without the disaster.

But beyond New Orleans, think about the problems in Oakland, Richmond, Toledo, Washington, or pretty much any other large U.S. city.  The civil rights movement is far from over - and the mistaken ideal that I share with others is as dangerous to society as the overt prejudice of the past.

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11:36:48 PM EDT

As a country we've been thinking a lot more about disaster preparation since Hurricane Katrina.  The U.S. government is now making plans to deal with an outbreak of avian flu - six months ago it would be unlikely that you would be able to get the attention of anyone on Capitol Hill regarding this matter, as remote of a possibility as it may be.  There is even concern now that we have not complied with a post-September 11th piece of legislation mandating the distribution of iodine pills to anyone living within 20 miles of a nuclear power plant by 2003.

Democracies have a tendency to be moved only by a crisis.  Now that we've had a recent crisis, there is a narrow window of opportunity to discuss contingency plans in case of a natural or terrorist disaster.  This is good.  We are in the mode now where the time is right to discuss what can be done during and after a disaster.

But what about rebuilding?

Hurricane Katrina has literally reshaped the coastline of the Gulf Coast.  There are some pieces of land that simply no longer exist, and the option to rebuild on them doesn't exist.  What about New Orleans - it was a poor idea in the first place to allow urban and suburban sprawl in swamplands and deltalands that are primarily below sea level in a hurricane-prone area.  Now that tens of thousands of homes have been leveled, should they be rebuilt in the same place, only to be possibly destroyed again?

Physical resources are obviously important, and we can scarely afford to allow resources to be used to build up areas that will certainly be destroyed.  FEMA policies certainly encourage people to rebuild in areas that are in designated flood zones and are sure to be destroyed again.  On the other hand, there are people who have lived in their houses for decades and are now being told that they have to leave the only place they've ever known.  Neither seems very fair.

Sometimes geography plays a strong role in where people want to settle - ocean views, mountain views, sheer cliffs and forest vistas usually come with the likelyhood of tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, fires, and other calamaties.  Then there are the economic considerations - the presence of ports, oil, timber, ores and other resources force difficult choices.  San Francisco has a perfect deepwater port - should we not utilize it due to the earthquake danger?  ShouldNew Orleans, a wonderful port, fishing and oil production area, be abandoned?  What about the history?

It really comes down to the desire of the people who live in any given place.  There are always people who have such a sense of location loyalty that they would live in a place even with a certainty that they would die there due to their choice. It is important to provide a way for those who will not leave to live safely in a place, but there is also a need to use resources wisely. 

There is no easy answer.  We have to make sure we deal with the die-hard loyalists of New Orleans in a sensitive manner, while not wasting public resources to cater to the whims of a few people with unrealistic expectations.  Most of all, we should remember that we are dealing with lives, and not just statistics.

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