A Painter, A Code, And A Traitor

Since I started this site a month or so ago, most of my posts have been fairly light-hearted, focusing on things that, in the big scope of things, aren't the most important in the world. Baseball....gas prices...idiotic liberals in Hollywood...Outside of writing about having to have my dog put to sleep, the topics haven't been super-heavy. However, between all of the hoopla surrounding the release of the movie version of The DaVinci Code, and a post I read on a blog published by my wife's cousin, I actually would like to try to open up a serious dialog on here regarding these topics. Granted, a dialog may be difficult, as I think I only have about 5 regular readers, but it is what it is! I gotta think big!

Going back to the post I referred to above, I read a few sentences regarding The Lost Gospel of Judas, and was prompted to leave the following comment on her site:


"The Lost Gospel of Judas. Wow. I can't believe someone is actually talking about a religiously-based piece of fiction OTHER than The DaVinci Code! I've not read either, and though I've heard a million things about The DaVinci Code, I haven't heard much about The Lost Gospel of Judas, so I certainly do not claim to be an expert. However, just to play devil's advocate for a moment...which is a bad choice of words, come to think of it, as what I'm about to type advocates NOT reading these....hardly the devil's position, I would think.....

I think you are on the right track by saying that if your faith is solid, reading this will not change it. However, everyone's faith CAN be shaken...whether it will or not, is very difficult to say. Look at the disciple, Peter, who is often referred to as the disciple with the strongest faith. Jesus Himself was standing mere yards away from him, yet Peter lost his faith when he attempted to walk on the water toward Jesus. Can we compare ourselves and the level of our faith today to someone who lived with, traveled with, physically saw on a daily basis, Christ? I don't know the answer to that. I DO know that although we/I may believe we have a strong faith, I also believe that we are entrusted with a certain level of responsibility as to what we take in and ponder on.

You wrap up your post by saying that you have the highest hopes that we can discover our reason for being. For those of us that consider ourselves Christians, don't we already KNOW our reason for being? Personally, I believe we know that our reason for being is to glorify our Creator in all that we do. So, coming back to my original point....looking at the other side of the issue.....shouldn't we consistently ask ourselves if what we are doing, reading, listening to, etc. IS bringing glory to our Creator?"



So, here's what I would ask of those of you that are reading this....

1. Take a moment to tell me what you think about the controversies surrounding The DaVinci Code, and The Lost Gospel of Judas. If you consider yourself a Christian, are these things that you feel you should read/watch? Why or why not? What if you do not consider yourself a Christian? Do you even care?? Are you simply tired of hearing about it?
   
2. Please refer this post (heck, the whole SITE would be nice) to anyone you know that may be interested in commenting on this. Outside of the fact that I'd like to expose myself (or at least my writing) to as many people as possible, I'm particularly curious to hear many opinions on this.

Thanks for your time reading and responding to this. I promise after this I'll do my best to get back to the really important stuff in the world, like who's going to win the World Series this year, how Jack Bauer is going to escape the evil Chinese that kidnapped him at the end of season 5 last week (reference to the TV show 24, for those of you that are still living under a rock and not yet watching the best thing to happen to television since...well, quite frankly, ALF), or even like why Taylor Hicks never should have won American Idol since everyone knows Chris Daughtry was better (OK...that one was for my wife.)

"I'm sorry, sir. The poodle can go on board with you, but you'll have to check the axe and the pool cue."

As some of you already know, I'm travelling to Philadelphia/Delaware tomorrow for a job interview. What many of you might NOT know is that this is the first time I will be on an airplane or inside an airport since before 9/11. So, in order to be as prepared as possible, I recently visited the website for Pittsburgh International Airport to check out security guidelines, info for carry-ons and the like. I quickly navigated to the security tips section of the site and found all the standard stuff along with some things that were pretty amusing.

Let's start with the standard, even pre-9/11 question that everyone that flies is asked. "Sir/Ma'am, has anyone that you don't know asked you to carry anything on board the flight?" How many things are wrong with this question?? If you look at it from the point of view of someone who happens to be a terrorist and is hoping to wreak havoc on the airplane, I hardly think Mahmood (yes....I'm profiling.....get over it) is going to say, "well, the dude that gave me the underwear bomb is someone from a cell I never worked with before, so, yes...". On the flipside, if you look at it from the point of view of an innocent traveller, you've gotta question whether this person is smart enough to even buy an airline ticket if he's allowing complete strangers to give him items to take on the plane. Is this question REALLY necessary?? (To be fair, I spoke with someone in the airline industry, and he did give me some examples of how this question could be helpful to ask.)

Progressing past that question, I then found a list of things that were acceptable and unacceptable to pack in your carry-on for inside the plane. Many were self-explanatory and made a lot of sense, and you would expect to see them on the list as the assumption is that at some point, someone tried to take one of these things onto a plane. Examples here would be "all guns and rifles", "automatic weapons", and "knives". However, as I looked farther down the list, I began to wonder if the FAA is trying to be pre-emptive, or if people are really historically bringing these items onto planes:

• axes - c'mon.....there's really THAT many lumberjacks that actually are flying places?
• baseball bats/cricket bats - as many of you know, I'm a HUGE baseball fan, but even I can take a multi-hour flight without feeling the need to start a pick-up sandlot-style game in the middle of the plane. I wonder if I can at least bring my glove and play catch in the aisle with one of the flight attendants?
• bows and arrows - is there really a need to practice your archery skills at 30,000 feet? Furthermore, does anyone NOT on an Olympic archery team actually OWN a bow and arrow?
• dog repellant spray - this one confused me a little, as "pets" were mentioned as items that actually WERE approved to bring as a carry-on. So....the guy sitting in 11B can bring his man-eating pit bull with him, but I can't have a little, tiny bottle of dog repellant spray, just in case?
• dynamite/plastic explosives - I'm sorry, but I actually disagree with this one. If someone is going to bring explosives onto an airplane, I don't want them down in the cargo hold where no one can see them....I want them right there in first class where they can be properly monitored. Do the airlines actually think that the dynamite will do less damage if it explodes in your checked luggage, as opposed to your carry-on?
• hammers/screwdrivers/portable power drills/portable power saws - Darn! I was planning on finishing that addition to my kitchen during my "down-time" on the flight.
• hockey sticks - see "baseball bats/cricket bats", but pretend I said I liked hockey instead of baseball
• pool cues - I can live with this one because a) I don't play pool, and 2) unless you're flying on Air Force One, I mean, c'mon....is there really gonna be a pool table??
  
• road flares - is there REALLY a problem with people trying to bring these as a carry-on item? Can you think of ANY possible reason for having this with you on the plane? If my plane breaks down en route, I really doubt my biggest concern is going to be putting flares out to warn other planes to slow down and go around.
• ski poles - I've been on some flights where it was pretty cold in the cabin, but does it really get cold enough to SKI???
• tear gas – so, you mean to tell me that if I swing by the airport gift shop and pick up a jug of tear gas AFTER I’ve already checked my luggage, I’m out of luck, and I can’t take it with me??

Now, obviously, I'm just having a little fun with this list, as I can certainly understand the reasoning behind not allowing these items on an airplane. It's just that I come from the school of common sense, and common sense tells you that even if you are travelling with items from that list, that you shouldn't try to take them to your seat with you.

On a serious note, please keep me in mind, and, if applicable, in your prayers as I head to this interview tomorrow. I'm really getting tired of this unemployment gig, and am extremely anxious to get back to work, wherever that may be, and once again resume my life as a productive member of society. And oh yeah, pray that I can get my carcass out of bed on time for my 6:40 am flight! I'll report back on Friday as to how things went, unless I'm in jail for smuggling dog poo or some other contraband onto the plane.

Can we PLEASE change the subject?!?

What’s the "subject" I’m referring to? Gas prices. So, here’s the part where I contradict myself. The title implies that I want to stop talking about gas prices, and then I promptly spend multiple paragraphs talking about gas prices. I get a little confusing that way sometimes. Bear with me.

I saw a poll online recently. Now, I typically don’t pay much attention to polls and surveys, as the results can be completely swayed based on how the questions are worded. But, I paid a little attention to this one. The survey went something like this:

"Which of the following is most important to you as we approach the upcoming primaries and elections?"

1. making income tax cuts permanent for all taxpaying Americans
2. continuing the war on terror
3. reducing gasoline prices
4. investigating Major League Baseball due to the steroid controversies

5. ensuring that fair, impartial judges and justices are appointed that will uphold the Constitution as law
6. work toward establishing health care for all Americans

Like most other things I read in the media, the results frustrated me. Approximately 50% of those that responded said that reducing gas prices were the most important issue to them heading into the elections. (Although, I think a few people from Florida voted twice and had their votes thrown out.) FIFTY PERCENT! That’s frightening to me. Never mind that permanent tax cuts would lessen the pain at the pump, as we'd have more of our own money to work with. Never mind that we have American soldiers fighting right now to keep us safe from evil regimes such as Saddam Hussein's, and to establish a foothold in the Middle East for America and democracy. Never mind right-thinking justices. Americans care about gas prices.

Let’s put things into perspective. Everyday Americans pay $1.29 or so for a 20 ounce bottle of Coke or Pepsi and don’t bat an eye. No one’s in an uproar over $8.25 a gallon for soda pop. Not to mention the fact that people pay that much for bottled water everyday as well. Water. Mind you, this is the stuff you can go get for free (more or less) in your kitchen. No, no one complains about these things, and there’s one reason for it. The national media is not screaming at us everyday that PepsiCo is making billions of dollars in profit. We aren’t hearing that CocaCola’s CEO received a huge bonus based on profit last quarter. But we ARE getting ExxonMobil’s profits shoved in our faces day after day after day as if we are to believe that it’s a BAD THING that the company is profitable! We’re supposed to be ticked off that “big business” is sticking it to us. Never mind that the reality is that it’s TAXES that are sticking it to us in gasoline prices (see chart on right), as only 9 cents a gallon go to oil company profits. Do you really think we’d feel better if gas was $2.91/gallon instead of $3.00/gallon? Some have even said that we need to have Congressional Hearings on gas prices so that we can make sure the government sticks it to the oil companies if it's determined that they're making "too much" money. I can't even list all the things wrong with that line of thought. (I wonder if those same people would want the government to subsidize the evil oil companies if they were LOSING money?)

Americans, as a whole, are short-sighted. Many vote for or against candidates solely on one issue. Many look only at how something is going to effect them, not the nation as a whole. We don't look at the big picture. The government has a responsibility, according to the Constitution, to provide for the common defense of the nation. It does NOT have a responsibility to limit the profits (or losses) of companies. It does NOT have a responsiblity to ensure that products are priced at the liking of every American citizen. American citizens have that responsiblity. If it costs too much to buy something, don't buy it. Or at least, buy less of it. Instead of making 2-3 trips to the store in a week, make one. Instead of letting your kids drive to school everyday, have them take the bus. (Yes, I know it's not cool, but desperate times....) If it's really that bad, buy a car with better gas mileage (although I strongly support the right of anyone to drive big, SAFE, huge, fuel-burning SUVs if they desire....just don't complain about your gas mileage). In short, take responsibility for your own actions and the effect they have on the world around you, and quit expecting the government to do it for you!

NOW can we change the subject?

A Disappointing Day

Well, once again I'm completed disappointed in the American justice system, and am more convinced than ever that we need to have professional, trained well-paid jurors. (They can be paid out of the LARGE sums of tax dollars generated from gasoline sales everyday.) Of course, I'm referring to the sentencing in the trial of 9/11 Al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui yesterday. The same jury that only a month ago found Moussaoui eligible for the death penalty decided yesterday to sentence him to life in prison instead. How they got from point A to point B is beyond me.

Oh yeah....in case that wasn't bad enough, the Pirates lost....again. Ian Snell pitched a relatively solid 5 2/3 innings against his boyhood idol, Pedro Martinez, striking out NINE Mets, but gave up three runs. The Pirates scored twice to tie it up with two outs in the ninth inning to force extra frames. Three pitches into the Mets' half of the twelfth inning, the leadoff batter planted a Mike Gonzalez pitch firmly into the outfield seats for a walk-off home run. To add to the disappointment, the home run was hit by Carlos Delgado, the man who historically has refused to stand with thousands of fans, players, coaches, and umpires during the playing of "God Bless America" at ballgames, because of his opposition to the war in Iraq. Why, oh why, must someone stoop to politicizing BASEBALL?!?!?

What is this world coming to?