"The Law is Reason, Free From Passion"

So said Aristotle.
Our politicians should be dissuaded from enacting knee-jerk reactionary laws. The latest example of lawmakers hitting their jaws with their knee caps is the meelee over the AIG bonuses paid from bailout funds.
While we can all agree that this was a horrible indiscretion by the commanders at AIG we should also recognize that our reaction is visceral... entirely emotional. To respond with laws based on visceral reactions is folly.
No matter how egregious one's actions are, the law should be made with reason and rationality, with careful consideration of all the foreseeable effects and long term consequences.
Proponents of the bill taxing the bonuses would argue that this will be a one time deal. Beware... there is no such thing as a "one-time" deal! As soon as anyone does something "once", evermore they will be able to say in the future, "we've done it before - why can't we do it again?" The mold has been cast.
On the other hand, if we didn't do it, any time someone is tempted to do it, it can be said, "we've never done it before". There is no precedent.

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

The most beloved poet of the 19th Century, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was no stranger to despair. Born in 1807, he was in the latter half of his life when civil war tore the country in two in 1861.

His heart was already heavy with great sorrow. In the same year the Civil War began, Longfellow's wife was tragically killed by a fire in their home. While attempting to rescue her, Longfellow suffered severe burns to his hands, arms and face.

The holidays which followed were difficult for him. He wrote in his journal, "A merry Christmas say the children, but that is no more for me."

Just months before the war drew to a close, Longfellow received another blow. His oldest son, a soldier in the Union Army, was severely injured in battle.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was steeped in grief.

On Christmas of 1864, however, upon hearing the chime of distant churchbells, Longfellow remembered the reason for the season and penned what would become one of his most well-known poems - "Christmas Bells". Later set to music, the poem became the Christmas Carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". Since this is one of my favorite carols, I want to share it here.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th'unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing, singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men!

The Real Censorship

It's actually a very nefarious form of censorship. It's in the form of personal insults. It works like this: One of the earliest posts I put on this blog was about gay marriage, long before the brouhaha erupted in California over Prop. 8. Someone that I know, actually, a dear friend, read the post, didn't agree with it and posted a very insulting comment.

Now, I believe that this person didn't "intend" to insult me... it was a backhanded slap... but it was insulting. It went something like this - "I can't believe, with your education and knowledge, that you could actually believe that" (I'm paraphrasing, of course). This is roughly translated, "are you actually an idiot?"

Well, no one likes to be called an idiot, much less anything like bigot, racist, xenophobe, etc... Just read the news of the last year to get a rough idea of the kinds of labels people are getting for their opinions on matters.

So, when it comes to addressing matters of controversy, such as gay marriage, affirmative action, etc., the way to keep most people silent about how they feel about such things is to brandish such epithets. They are a powerful weapon and many people in our political leadership know very well how to use them.

This is not government sanctioned censorship - and it's much more effective as it definitely chills discourse.

This Generation's Devo is Here!

I was just flipping the channels and I came across one of the late-shows (I think it was Craig Ferguson) and the musical guest was playing, and they caught my eye as something I recognized... it was as if Devo had children and they made a band called Tally Hall.

I have the worst case of "buyer's remorse"

It started during the late night episode of "the Family Guy". I was sitting there trying to figure out exactly why I don't find that show funny, and also feeling a little hungry. Not hungry for a meal, just something dessertish... like pumpkin something - it must be that time of year. But it's late and I thought I really ought to just go to bed and try to get on a better sleeping schedule. As it turned out, my craving convinced me to make a pilgrimage to the market to find something delicious.

Wandering around the in-store bakery's display, I focused in on a box of chocolate chip cookies... the selection clearly didn't impress me. To top it off, I decided that a gallon of milk would make it a snack worth the trip.

Getting home, I filled a mug with milk, grabbed a half dozen cookies and settled into a comfy chair in front of the television... Eating the first cookie was disappointing enough. The cookies are the soft, chewy variety of the in-store bakery. Obviously not the best for dunking in milk. This, it turns out, is a critical factor in picking out cookies. Without considering that I didn't have to finish my option, I trudged through all five or six cookies, until the last one was forcefully stuffed down.

I'm not often given to late night snacks, perhaps because of experiences like this one. The only thing that could make this experience worse is if TMZ comes on the television next... Oh, crap!!

It's September 1st!

Granted, these pics were taken at about 10,750 ft in the Uintas, but it's nevertheless a cold reminder that Summer's days are numbered...

I Miss John Denver

Yeah, the singer...
Anyone who is familiar with his music will understand that some of his best songs were written when he was "hypersensitive to the beauty" around him. (his words) i.e. "...like a storm in the desert; like a sleepy blue ocean..."
It's been raining here tonight. I love the sound rain makes when it falls through trees and dances on the sidewalk. The smell of freshly mown hay wetted by the rain. This is beautiful!
Especially since it hasn't rained here since June - this is a storm in the desert. Have you ever listened to the wind chasing through a grove of aspen? It's magical.
I'd like to think I'm hypersensitive to the beauty around me. Yet, nowadays (is that an old-fashioned word, or what?), I feel like a fish out of water. I wish more people were hypersensitive to beautiful things - I wish more people were at least sensitive to beauty - just aware would be a treat. It seems more and more, people have a tendency to see, if not look for, the ugly... the negatives. Heaven knows, our politicians make a living out of pointing towards the ugly, or rather painting an ugly picture. But I don't want to go political... at least not here, not now...that would draw me into the uglies.
I rather like to see the beauty. I like the admonition of Paul: If there is anything virtuous, lovely or of good report, seek after these things.