Category Archives: Deep Thoughts

Life as a father of a child with Type-1 diabetes

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Terry| 1 Comment

ClockJune 1, 2004.  My son was just over 1-year-old when he had started acting lethargic, sleeping a lot, and acting grumpy.  On a weekend trip before June 1st, we also noticed he started drinking a lot of water.  When returning home, I looked up the symptoms and my heart dropped.  I knew my very young son had Type-1 diabetes.  I didn’t want to alarm my wife until I knew, but a trip to the doctor’s office confirmed my suspicions.  Then came the hardest call I ever have had to make, the hardest moment I’ve ever had in my life…calling my wife and telling her to meet us at the hospital, where he was being admitted.

It’s been almost 9 years since that day.  After a rough first year after diagnosis, we found a pediatric endocrinologist who is wonderful, and we’ve learned to manage the disease as best that we can.  On a day-to-day basis, the routine is now second nature.  Checking his blood sugar about 10 times a day.  My wife and I taking turns getting up in the middle of the night to check him, to make sure his blood sugar isn’t going low.  Carrying supplies with us whenever we leave the house.  All-in-all, the ‘extra’ tasks we perform to deal with the disease aren’t that time-consuming, and they’re now routine. As something we’ve been doing for years now, even the disease itself is sometimes forgotten, even as we’re checking blood sugars and maintaining his insulin pump.  We’re a very happy little family.

But then, periodically you get reminded of the seriousness of the disease, and some of the problems your young son may eventually face.  This week, a friend at work told me the story of a young man who has had Type-1 diabetes for about 15 years, hasn’t taken care of himself in recent years, and is now facing some of the inevitable long-term complications of the disease.  As a father of a young son with diabetes, hearing a story such as this is like being hit with a sledgehammer, jolting you back to the harsh, long-term realities of the disease.  You realize that the extra challenges your son will inevitably have to deal with.  You look at his giggling, cheery face and start to think thoughts about his future that no father should ever have to think about.

We’re managing the disease quite well.  He has had an insulin pump since he was two years old, and with our very aggressive attempts to control his blood sugars, we can at least comfort ourselves with the fact that we’re doing everything humanly possible to prevent or significantly delay any long-term effects of the disease.  We’re hopeful that modern medicine will continue to develop new treatments of the disease, and will eventually find a permanent cure.

But in the meantime…the clock is ticking. 

After hearing the story of the young man with complications yesterday, it certainly makes you appreciate TODAY, that there are no guarantees in life, and that you need to live life to the fullest while you can.  We’re now going on a train-based vacation this summer!  We’re taking a 32-hour train ride to Portland, staying at Cannon Beach for a week, and then returning by train.  We’re spending far more on the train that I thought I’d ever spend for transportation, including a “Harry-Potter” style train cabin that my son is already talking about nonstop. 

Life is short. No one knows that better than the parents of a child with a serious disease.

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Pope Francis – “Biggest Moment in the World”? Uh…No.

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Terry| 2 Comments

And, there’s a new pope.  Pope Francis.  First Latin American pope, or pope from the western hemisphere.  First Jesuit pope.  What a historic moment, a moment we’ll all remember years from now.  Well, that’s the storyline you’ve seen on the news today.  On CNN, one writer wrote that this is the “biggest moment in the world“. 

In reality?  It’s yet another old white guy with an incredibly outdated view on life, a man whose real impact on the world is minor.  The man who wrote that this was “the biggest moment in the world” was, predictably, another western, old white guy.  As expected, on the first day of a new pope, most of the stories are about “Francis’s” views on humility and helping the poor. Admirable views.  What also has come out are his fight against gay rights, with a vigorous opposition to Argentina’s law regarding gay marriage.

This isn’t one of the “biggest moments in the world”.  Despite the “newness” of a South American pope, despite the newness of having a Jesuit, it’s not a move that will dramatically alter the direction of the Catholic Church.  It’s not a move that will make Catholicism more relevant in a 21st century world.  If the man’s history is any indication, the Catholic Church is likely going to continue to alienate large segments of the world population.

It’s a testament to the Western view of the world that this is viewed as the “biggest moment in the world” by so many.  Yes, there are about 1.2 billion professed Catholics in the world.  That’s less than 20% of the world’s population, and there are one hell of a lot of those 1.2 billion who may be Catholic in name, but likely are alienated by the outdated Catholic Church policies.  As for the other 5.8 billion people in the world?  Do they think this is the “biggest moment in the world”?  What do you think Muslims, Hindus, other Christians, atheists, or other faiths think about the announcement of a new pope?  As one of the “biggest moments in the world”?

The sun continues to set and rise.  Governments continue to do their work, for good and for bad.  Wars continue to be fought.  The world continues to march on, and in reality, whoever is named head of the Catholic Church has very little if any effect on how people live their lives. 

And…if Pope Francis continues down the path the Catholic Church has been following in recent decades, that influence will continue to dwindle as an outdated Church and outdated Pope become increasingly irrelevant in a modern world.

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My kind of hero

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Terry| 2 Comments

I’ve seen the word “hero” a lot this week.  The one that bothered me the most was the term “hero” being applied to Ray Lewis, linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens.   ESPN and others had used the term over the past week in association with Lewis and the Super Bowl win by the Ravens, calling out Lewis for his “inspiring” leadership.  Lewis was charged with 2 counts of homicide back in 2000 before a plea deal (Lewis testifying against those with him at the time) was made and the charges were dropped.  A hero?  Given his past alone, I’d have a very hard time using the term.   I’m sorry, but even if the man has led an exemplary life off the field, I find it very hard to equate accomplishments on the football field with the term “hero”.

So what does constitute a “hero”?  In the past few months, we’ve come into contact with a woman who will never receive any accolades, never hear the term “hero” applied to her.  She teaches my son piano, coming to our house once a week for a half-hour lesson.  How is a piano teacher a “hero”?

Over the past few months I’ve heard her personal story.  She and her husband have four children, all adopted from overseas, all of whom have special needs or health problems.  In the past few years, her husband has developed Alzheimer’s.  With all of the health challenges facing her family, she teaches 7 days a week, working very long hours as a lone source of support for her family.  With all of the adversity facing her, she’s doing everything she possibly can for her family.  That’s a hero.

Recently, her car broke down.  Given that she teaches piano onsite at people’s houses, a lack of transportation is a big set back.  Given the needs of her family, money is incredibly tight, and she wasn’t sure how she could afford to get a new car.  In stepped a local attorney.  After hearing her story, the attorney called the piano teacher and told her to meet them at a local car dealership.  The dealer and the attorney showed her a very nice van, with the attorney telling her that they thought this is the type of transportation she needed.  The dealer asked what she thought she could afford.  Given expenses for her family, the answer was “not much”.  The dealer and attorney talked for a bit and came back saying “we’ve got a deal for you”.  The attorney decided to pay for most of the cost of the van.  He obviously had no obligation to this woman.  He had heard her story and just wanted to help.  That’s a hero.

Two every day heroes, who certainly deserve more accolades than some guy with a sketchy past who won a football game.

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“God” is a Republican

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Terry| 1 Comment

Sjogren’s 1, Terry 0.  That’s the score the last week or so in my battle against Sjogren’s Syndrome, and it hasn’t been much of a contest. I’ve done pretty well since I first got hit with Sjogren’s Syndrome out of the blue, starting in June.  I’ve been doing pretty good ignoring it, carrying on as if it weren’t there.  But it’s been impossible to ignore over the last week, with a mouth as dry as the Sahara, and on-and-off again fatigue that sometimes makes me want to curl up into a ball and sleep for a month or so.

And how does this relate to the blog post title?  Well, today at work I really, really wasn’t in a mood for a conversation, given how I felt.  I ran into someone in the hall though, someone in a chatty mood.  When I tried responding, I ended up coughing for a bit, leading them to ask if I were OK and had the flu that was going around. I explained the Sjogren’s, and how it zaps the moisture in your  mouth (among other fun things).  Her response…a cheery “Well, everything happens for a reason!!” Ah, one of my favorite lines, right up there with “God wouldn’t give you anything you can’t handle!!”.

Hence, my reasoning that “God” is a Republican.  If there were some all-powerful, omnipotent “God” who controlled the universe, how do you explain misery and suffering?  My little family of 3 has been “blessed” in that all three of us now have a big health thing to deal with.  If there were an all-powerful God…why would such things happen?  Why would disease exist?  Why would famine, drought, and idiots like Rush Limbaugh exist?  My only conclusion..”God” is a Republican.

You see, Republicans in the U.S. have become one cold-hearted group of SOBs.  They’d rather ensure the filthy rich keep every break they’re “entitled” to, rather than pay for programs that help the less fortunate.  They have the POWER to help others, but instead, choose to sit back and watch as suffering and misery occurs.

A = B, B= C, thus A = C.  “God” is a Republican,because if “God” were indeed an all-powerful entity, he/she too has chosen to sit back and let the misery happen, rather than step in and help.

Here endeth today’s combined political/theology lesson.

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You are NOT entitled to your opinion – Shut the hell up

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Terry| 1 Comment

From Patrick Stokes, here’s a nice piece on why you are sometimes NOT “entitled to your opinion”.   The point he’s making is that you are only “entitled” to an opinion that you can make a coherent argument for.  He uses an example of anti-vaccination paranoia to make his point, where the manic anti-vaccine crowd doesn’t have a scientific leg to stand on.  Science is science, fact is fact.  If your opinion is based on conjecture, intuition, “faith”, or other factor not supported by the facts?  Then you are NOT entitled to your opinion, when trying to argue against science and against fact.

Thus, a “Shut the Hell Up” topic for this post.  As we enter the home stretch of the presidential election, it’s rather laughable to read some of the opinions of those on the right.  Do you believe any of the following?  If so, then please do everyone else a favor, and save yourself some embarrassment.  Just Shut…the…hell…up.

- Obama Muslim? Obama a non-citizen? – Do I need to even mention these? Are you a disgusting, racist, pig-of-a-human being who believes Obama is not a citizen?  Do you believe that historical newspaper reports and a birth certificate are simply part of some massive conspiracy? Are you a disgusting, racist, pig-of-a-human being who refers to Obama as “Barack Husein Obama” and believes he’s secretly a Muslim?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, PLEASE…SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Evolution Denial – Science is based on theory.  Theories are tested, with evidence either supporting or negating hypotheses.  With evolution, the evidence is extremely clear, both in the fossil record, and in real-world, observable processes.  Do you believe in creationism?  I really don’t care if you believe some omnipotent, all-powerful entity created the earth and the universe, IF you can reconcile that in your own mind with the science.  Do you believe evolution is false?  Do you believe evolution is a “lie straight from hell”, like Paul Broun, quite possibly the most ignorant congressman in the U.S.?  Do you belive the earth is just a few thousand years old?  If so, then SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.  Save yourself the embarrassment that’s sure to come whenever you open your mouth.

- Climate Change Denial – Possibly as soon as 5 years from now, the Arctic will be ice-free in the summer for the first time in at least 13 million years.  The U.S. is about to set a record for its warmest year ever.  Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, and the scientific evidence continues to overwhelmingly point to not only a warming climate, but a warming climate caused by anthropogenic activity.  Do you believe climate change isn’t real?  Do you believe scientists and liberals are involved in some unprecedented, massive conspiracy to somehow consolidate government power by pointing to climate change?  Do you believe that climate change is occurring, but humans have nothing to do with it?  If so…SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Polls are politically biased – Just one week ago, before the debates, conservative talking heads and blogs were expressing outrage over the liberal bias of polls that showed Obama with a healthy and growing lead over Romney.  Obama with a 6-point lead in Ohio?  A 5-point lead in Florida?  BALONEY, said those on the right!  It’s a liberal conspiracy to discourage Republicans and depress voter turnout from the right!!  One short week later, and an Obama debate flop has the poll trends strongly reversing towards Romney. Hey Rush?  Do you still think the polls are biased toward Obama?  How about you other buffoons and blowhards who scoff at polls when they show Democrats ahead?  GMAFB.  The very success and long-term continuance of polling entities depends on them being RIGHT.  If they’re wrong, they are ignored in future elections and the polling group goes out of business.  Are you one of those idiots who thinks political polls are purposely biased towards Democrats?  Do you think there’s some conspiracy in the polls to depress Republican turnout?  If so, then SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- 1997 Michigan was better than 1997 Nebraska - A bit off topic, but…do you believe the 1997 Michigan Wolverines would beat the 1997 Nebraska Cornhuskers?  Do you believe the Wolverines were “robbed” when a perfect, 13-0 Nebraska team finished first in the coaches poll, while the Wolverines finished first in the AP poll?  Puh-lease.  The Nebraska ground game easily wears down the Wolverine defense, and the Blackshirts dominate the Wolverines.  Final score if they’d have played?  Nebraska 31, Michigan 13.  Do you believe the Wolverines were the better team?  Laughable!  SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Unemployment numbers manipulated by Obama and Liberals - Unemployment numbers out last week were good by any measure, with unemployment falling to 7.8%.  Good news, right?  Well, to nutjob conservatives, ANYTHING positive that could EVER be attributed to Obama has to be a lie!  A liberal conspiracy!  Clearly Obama has somehow influenced the unemployment statistics!  Are you one of those conservative wackos who believes last week’s unemployment numbers were altered by Obama?  Please, just SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Romney Budget Miracle - Do you believe that you can simultaneously 1) Cut taxes 2) Maintain or raise military spending, and 3) balance the budget?  Romney/Ryan seem to believe in such a formula for long-term fiscal sanity.  Do you believe it’s possible?  GMAFB….SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

- Voter ID Regulations Are About Voter Fraud – Report after report show that voter fraud in the U.S. is insignificant.  However, a number of states have pushed strict voter ID regulations, with Republican-led state legislatures and governors leading the charge to increase scrutiny of in-person voters.  If in-person voter fraud isn’t an issue, if very few instances have been documented…why the push by Republican state legislatures to push for very strict voter ID laws?  Under oath, I don’t think you’d even get most Republicans to say the laws are about curbing voter fraud.  It’s about suppressing votes by minorities and other groups who historically lean very heavily towards Democrats.  It’s a form of discrimination, it’s a form of racism, it’s about voter suppression.  If you believe it’s actually about voter fraud?  You’re an idiot…SHUT…THE…HELL…UP.

Posted in Culture Wars, Deep Thoughts, Politics

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People believing what they want to believe

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Terry| 4 Comments
Cigarette Warning

It's a lot easier for a smoker to deny the facts, than it is to accept that their habit may be killing their friends and family. People are wonderful at ignoring fact, if it doesn't jive with their own lifestyle or beliefs.

From Slate.com today, a story about smokers, with only 28% of smokers saying second-hand smoke is very harmful to others. 63% of nonsmokers think second-hand smoke is very harmful.  This brings up a question…why the HELL do people “believe” what they believe?

I put “believe” in quotes, because frankly, the way people answer a question like this may differ from what they truly believe.  Do nonsmokers really think all that extra smoke floating around isn’t harmful?  Or…do many of them just try to convince themselves that it’s not harmful, knowing the truth, but trying their best to deny it, just so they don’t have to face the fact that their bad habits are not only harming themselves, but also harming others?

It’s amazing that an age of free information flow, where your computer or smart phone can instantly lead you to answers for practically any question you may have, that ignorance appears to be GROWING, not lessening.  Granted, it doesn’t help when any quack with a computer can set up a website saying the earth is flat, or that aliens are secretly running the earth.  However, just as smokers HAVE to really believe in their hearts that second-hand smoke is harmful to others, I think it has to be the same with climate change denialists, evolution denialists, or others that deny sound and well-established science.

Some right-wing wacko can listen to Rush Limbaugh or go to a right-wing “climate” site and hear plenty of “evidence” that climate change isn’t real.  But even as cynical as I am, I find it very hard to believe that deep down, people are truly that stupid, that they’ll believe a Rush Limbaugh over an actual climate scientist.  Life-or-death situation, if your immortal soul is in the balance…would even a right-wing wacko go with the word of a Limbaugh, over the established science?  I find it very hard to believe that someone would do so.

It’s human nature to be, well…stubborn.  God knows my 8-year old son can vouch for that.  People are also selfish sons-of-bitches.  Does Shell Oil or Exxon spend money denying climate change science, because they don’t believe it’s real?  Of course not, they fight climate change science because it could affect their bottom dollar.  It’s the same with an individual human being.  We’re selfish, we want to live our lives in comfort and style.  If some annoying piece of information clashes with how we want to live our lives, if something causes us a bit of GUILT…our first reaction is to react defensively, and dispute the information, rather than changing our beliefs.  And that’s true if it’s smokers denying the danger of second-hand smoke, Humvee drivers who scoff at climate change, or even evolution-deniers who don’t want to face their own mortality without the comfort that their religion (and eternal life) provides them.

People will “believe” what they want to believe, facts be damned.  As a scientist, that can be awfully damned maddening.  But what’s dangerous is that this form of “personal ignorance” has become an accepted component of politics and collective thinking.  There’s no way in hell Republican leadership truly believes that climate change is a hoax.  There’s no way in hell Republican leadership thinks evolution is false.  But they are certainly willing to use people’s own biases and personal ignorance for their own political ends.  And that is even less forgivable than an individual trying to deny the danger of second-hand smoke, just so they feel less guilty about puffing away.

 

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Perspective – Both Humanity’s, and Mine

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Terry| 4 Comments
USS Zumwalt Destroyer

The U.S. Zumwalt class destroyer, the latest in high-tech destruction. All for the bargain price of $7 billion APIECE. ONE ship, cost billions more than we spend on cancer research, or diabetes research or cardiovascular research.

This will be my last post for…awhile.  This post is on perspective, both from my own personal standpoint, and from the standpoint of humanity as a whole.  We’ll start with humanity as a whole.

The U.S. Navy is building a new class of destroyers.  The highly advanced ships are specifically designed to deal with the “Asia/Pacific” strategy of competing with and containing China.  They are “stealth” ships, with one-of-a-kind weapons systems that can hit targets from over 100 miles away.  They’re massive…the length of 2 football fields.  And the cost?  The cost to build each is just a “mere” $3.8 billion.  With R&D that’s gone into it, they will have spent $7 billion per ship.

$7 billion for one ship.  The Navy had wanted 24.  Now they may “only” get 3.  $21 billion, for 3 ships.  Obviously this is just the tip of the iceberg for our military.  The new F-35 fighter jet program is up to $400 billion, and rising.  The lifetime cost to run the F-35 program?  $1 trillion. 

Perspective. The ENTIRE National Institutes of Health Budget for the most wealthy country in the world?  $31 billion this year…or the price of 4 new Navy destroyers.  Breaking it down to funding devoted to some of the biggest diseases affecting our citizens:

  • National Cancer Institute – $5.2 billion
  • National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases – $3.1 billion
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease – $4.9 billion
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders – $1.7 billion

It was estimated that 572,000 people died from cancer in the U.S. last year.   There are at LEAST 30 million Americans with diabetes…and likely many more.  The best estimate is that at least 300,000 Americans suffer from Multiple Sclerosis.   And the list goes on…and on…and on…

But yet as the richest nation in the world, we decided to spend $700 billion on our defense budget…and only $31 for the NIH.  We decided to spend $7 billion for ONE destroyer…just in CASE we might ever go to war with China in the Pacific Ocean someday.  We spend more for ONE Navy destroyer than we spend on cancer research, diabetes research, or cardiovascular research.

Perspective.  What does this say about America?  What does it say when millions of Americans are suffering and dying from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases, but we spend more on a handful of ships than we do to combat disease? 

Which leads me to my own perspective.  I do find it cathartic (see blog title) to bring issues like this to the attention of folks.  But…it’s time I take a bit of time to help wrap my own mind around “perspective”.  My little family has hit the jackpot, it looks like we’re going to be a perfect 3-for-3 in terms of each having some wonderful health challenge to face. 

Perspective.  I’m finding it hard to care too much about the upcoming election or other political and environmental issues at the moment, knowing that in the big picture…humanity will continue to have a completely skewed perspective, with small men (mostly!) fighting their small battles over power, money, and notoriety, while ignoring what’s really important in life.  And in the “little” picture…I need to take time to put things in perspective myself. 

Signing out for a while…

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“Take the keys away” from men

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Terry| 7 Comments
Hand over the keys, guys

OK guys, we've had our chance, and we've been a complete and utter disaster. We've had our 5,000 year run. Time to hand the keys over to women.

CNN has a story tonight about the Secret Service scandal involving prostitutes, and notes that one issue is that there simply aren’t enough women in the Secret Service (it’s about 3 men for every 1 woman).  The story just simply states that “Women don’t get into trouble the way men do”, and that having a male-dominated culture at the Secret Service is a BIG part of the problem.

Even as a man, I couldn’t agree more!  I think the world would be a MUCH more pleasant place if men were taken out of ANY position of real responsibility, and women were solely in charge.  What I propose…a proverbial “taking the keys away” from men, from the very moment they’re born.  Might as well start early, and remove ANY chance that men are ever put in charge of ANYTHING.  Want your little boy to run for president of the 5th grade class?  TOO BAD!! Girls only!!  The football coach of the local high school team?  MUST be a woman!  I think you could make it kind of “unofficial” rule for kids under 18, but the moment a man turns 18 or enters the work force, it should be a rule that no man can EVER be placed in a position of power over any woman.  No, even simpler, make it so no man can ever be placed in ANY position of power, ever.

I’m convinced such a system would eliminate 99% of the world’s problems.  As it is now, it seems that most of the world’s problems are caused by an excess of testosterone.  As a man, I confess that as a sex, we are selfish, egotistical pigs who seem to be ONLY driven by the need to compete and “beat” our fellow-man at, well, whatever life throws at us.   The macho bravado that typifies men playing any kind of sport?  It really isn’t ANY different in everyday life for 99% of men.

We all see it every day, from the moment we leave the house in the morning.  You’re driving to work, and inevitably some guy who simply MUST be ahead of you will drive like a complete jackass, either cutting you off, passing you, or just giving you the ol’ one-finger salute for daring to be on the same road as him.  You get to work, and the macho bravado continues, with a large proportion of men treating work less as a cooperative venture and more like a sporting competition, where the only real goal is to gain personal glory, no matter who gets stepped on along the way, or how it may hurt the company or group you’re working for.  Certainly my LEAST favorite aspect of work, by far, is dealing with people who only seem to care about ‘credit’ and putting themselves up on a pedestal.  And…the vast majority of those people are men.

Take that line of thinking up to positions of REAL power, and it only gets worse.  Give a guy an army to play with, and you’re just ASKING for bombs to be falling somewhere in the world, for a war to be happening somewhere, no matter whether it’s actually necessary.  As men, it seems like we can’t help ourselves.  We’re just not happy unless we’re trying to beat the hell out of another human being, either literally or figuratively.   I dare ANYONE to dispute that the world would be a much nicer place if we immediately removed all male world leaders, and replaced them with women.

No, given the machismo that permeates all men to some degree, I wouldn’t expect men to take such a drastic change without putting up a fight.  But think about it, men. No more dealing with the stress of competition.  No more stressing out about work, and trying to climb to the top.  Hell, it could even mean the end of neighborhood “lawn wars”, where men can’t help but fertilize and treat the hell out of their lawns in order to make their yard one-quarter shade greener than your neighbors.  Think how much more free time we would have, since right now, I think we each spend, on average, about 10 hours a day in some weird form of manly “competition”, be it at home, work, on the road, etc.

As my son would say…just “chill-ax”, guys.  Stop $ucking things up around the world.  We’ve be dominating the human race for, oh, 5,000 years or so.  It’s time to admit we’ve failed, and hand over the keys to what is UNDOUBTEDLY the “better half” of the human race.

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Whiny Americans and the Blame Game

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Terry| 4 Comments
Missouri River Flooding

Montana and Wyoming got a year's worth of rain in 2 weeks in May. Snowpack in the upper part of the Missouri River basin was at record levels. On Missouri River Dams, water was necessarily being released at record levels, for three straight months, to try to deal with an unprecedented amount of water. So of course, this being America, nature doesn't get the blame for a natural disaster! No, it's the damned government!

I’m a federal government employee.  Given the atmosphere in the U.S. right now, that seems to make me and all other government employees a target of every Tom, Dick, and Harry who has a gripe.  It seems like every problem in the U.S. is somehow blamed on the government.  High gas prices?  It’s not Middle East tensions, skyrocketing demand in China, or the fact that Americans continue to insist on driving the most massive and inefficient vehicles on the planet.  No…it’s the damned government’s fault!  Damned Obama, HE’S causing high gas prices!!   And what about the economy?  Damn government!!  THEY should be able to snap their fingers and “fix” it, while also simultaneously cutting spending on tools that COULD potentially help to fix it!!

To me it all stems from the attitudes of Americans in general, where personal accountability and just plain ol’ common sense seem to be in very short supply.  In America, if your life sucks, it is NEVER your own fault!!   There’s always someone ELSE to bitch about, some evil person who is personally causing your own shitty life.  I’m sure the lawyers of the world LOVE Americans and their craving to always blame another human being for all the ills of the world. 

I was reading the Lincoln Journal-Star this morning (given we’re Nebraska natives), and came across this article about farmers along the Missouri River who are having to deal with massive amounts of sand dumped on their fields from last year’s floods.  The floods also had a big impact up here in South Dakota, and given the attitudes of folks up here about government and the role it supposedly played in the flooding, I guess I should have known where this story was heading.   One of the farmers in the story is talking about sending a $100,000 “bill” to the government, to pay for the clean-up of sand on his fields.

In the Great Plains in general, agricultural profits in general are vulnerable to a host of issues, but on a regional scale, two factors tend to drive profitability for a given year… 1) the weather, and 2) government incentives.    With the Missouri River flooding, it seems that folks are now starting to blame the government for the weather and other naturally occurring events.  Record flooding on the Missouri?  Clearly record snowpack and record spring rains in the upper part of the Missouri basin weren’t the cause of the flooding!  No, it was that damned Corps of Engineers!  Clearly the damned Corps should have been able to magically snap their fingers and make record amounts of water in the Missouri Basin just disappear!

Given just how heavily Great Plains farmers depend on government programs to maintain profitability of ag lands in the region, I find it pretty laughable to have these bozos blame the government for the flooding.  The people who blame the government for everything that’s wrong in life and for being too intrusive overall also seem to often be the same people who bitch about the government not doing enough to solve their every day problems.  TAXES ARE TOO DAMNED HIGH!!  GOVERNMENT IS TOO DAMNED BIG!!!  I WANT MY TAXES LOWERED, BUT, I STILL WANT MY FARM PAYMENTS, PERFECT ROADS, AND PERFECT SCHOOLS!!!

Sorry, Nebraska farmers.  Dealing with the aftermath of last year’s flooding is tough, no doubt.  But please, just shut the hell up about record flooding being someone’s “fault”.   As a wise man once said…Shit Happens.   I can’t imagine living my life with such a bitter and hateful edge that every event in life has to be blamed on other human beings.

Posted in Culture Wars, Deep Thoughts

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British Petroleum, you owe me $71.91 in Cherries!!!!

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Terry| 2 Comments
Cherries

Yummmmmm...Cherries. COMPLETELY due to the actions of British Petroleum, I am in danger of losing a 2nd straight cherry crop this spring.

It’s 7:30 pm.  It’s March 12th.  I live in South Dakota.  Despite these three facts, I just got back from walking the dog, wearing just jeans and a t-shirt.   It just continues what has been a remarkably warm and mild winter.  I look at the forecast for the next 10 days, and all I see are highs in the 60s and 70s, approaching 80 on some days(!!!).  The LOWEST temperature predicted for the next 10 days is 37, tonight.  After that, there are no days predicted with lows below 42 degrees.  MARCH…SOUTH DAKOTA…STILL WINTER…and yet there are no temperatures predicted to even APPROACH freezing for the next 10 days.  Remarkable.

And how does that relate to British Petroleum (BP), or cherries?   Good question!  As I got back from my walk, I noticed that my hostas next to the house are starting to poke their heads out of the ground.  Have I mentioned this is early March?  Have I mentioned this is South Dakota?  I usually consider May 12th, 2 MONTHS from now, too early to plant, as we’re still likely to get frosts after that date.  But here we are on March 12th, and I have perennials starting to poke out.  And therein lies the relationship to cherries.  I have 3 cherry trees in the backyard.  Given the weather, I have NO doubt that my cherry crop will suffer the same fate it suffered last year.  Last year we had a warm stretch in the spring, followed by the typical frosts.  I lost the blooms on my cherries, and didn’t have a single cherry on any of my three trees.  Given the incredibly warm weather we’re having now, once again, I think I’m likely to lose my cherry crop, as we will inevitably get more hard freezes after this very early warm weather.

And hence the link to BP!  Ok, it doesn’t necessarily have to be just BP, it could be Exxon, Shell, or any other oil company.  I’m using them as a scapegoat, as a representative, of all the fossil fuel producing corporations.  I’m a scientist.  I know I can’t directly relate the record-breaking warmth we’re having to global warming.  One warm stretch can’t be directly attributable to climate.  But this will be the SECOND year in a row I will be cherry-less!!  Still not enough to attribute to global warming, but I don’t care!  I’m panicking!!  I’m distraught!  No cherries!! No fresh cherry pie!! No cherry preserves!! No working in the back yard and snarfing down on fresh cherries!!

I am choosing to blame BP, in lieu of blaming all of humanity.   I therefore am sending an invoice to BP for damages.  If I am not paid in FRESH CHERRIES (to heck with the cash, give me the cherries, BP!), I will sue!!   My list of damages are as follows:

- 10 pounds of fresh cherries from this year’s crop (I just have 3 little trees right now).   At $3.99 a pound, that comes to $39.99.

- 8 pounds of fresh cherries from last year’s crop.  My small trees were even smaller last year, hence 2 pounds less of an estimated “crop”.  Damage estimate – $31.92

- 1 destroyed cherry tree.  I USED to have four cherry trees in the back yard.  Last spring, we had a monster of a windstorm, and one of my little cherry trees just snapped in two, right at the base.  Research has shown that global warming will cause an increase in destructive storm events.  It’s just one storm, but…I don’t care!!  BP, I am blaming you!!!! Damage estimate – $129.99 (that’s roughly how much the trees cost).

- Pain and suffering.  Can you imagine anything in the world that’s more traumatic than looking out your window during a thunderstorm, and seeing one of your prize cherry trees snap in two?  Well…OK, so can I.  But I was suffering for a few minutes there!!  Damages – $7.58.  

If my math is correct, I therefore am owed $71.91 worth of fresh cherries, plus $137.57 in cold hard cash to replace my destroyed cherry tree, and for pain and suffering!!  BP!  Consider this blog post to be an invoice!!  You have 30 days to submit payment, or my crack team of lawyers will be in touch!!!

Posted in Climate Change, Deep Thoughts

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