Son of Timatollah

Potpourri

Okay, a backlog of half-thought ideas that have been half-stewing in the back of my half-brain. Just for you.

People seem to think that just because someone is capable of running a mean-spirited take-no-prisoners political campaign that somehow that makes them capable of securing the national defense, conducting a war, anticipating emergencies, leading the nation through bad times. Recent history—Bush 43, Clinton, Bush 41— suggests that's not the case. If anything, recent history suggests that the correlation is negative.

What is so funny 'bout peace, love, and understanding? I don't think that question has been successfully answered.

Air traffic, for all it's problems, like Frontier's taking all the bags off of the incoming flight to Denver from Orlando to the International Gates the other day, from which they had to bring them back one baggage cart at a time (it took four trips, and my bags were on carts 3 and 4), is effectively teleportation. The very idea that you can get into a metal tube and be across the continent in less than six hours, around the world in less than a day, remains an incredible human accomplishment.

I finished the William Henry Harrison bio last week some time. Very interesting, because, as with the bio of Andrew Jackson, it concerns what was then known as The West—between the Alleghenies and the Mississippi—and the clash between US nationals and other immigrants and the Indian populations. Also, compared to the bio of Martin Van Buren, it was an enjoyable read. This may be because it was written in 1939 instead of 1996. Alas, the bio of John Tyler that I am currently reading, also written before WWII, is not as enjoyable, because the author seems intent on pushing The Noble South idea and Tyler's devotion to it.

The iPhone is truly enjoyable. The web browser actually works, and it syncs up so well with the Mac compared to the hoops I used to have to jump through to get info to sync with my old Palm Treo.

Why do so many meditation exercises focus on the breath? Well, if the point of meditation is to reduce attachment, what is the single thing one, anyone, is most attached to? Ever been around someone with COPD/emphysema?

I haven't watched these Reverend Wright videos, and I don't intend to anytime soon. Okay, so Obama's preacher is out there. Instead of asking—or implying—if Obama shares the same views, why not ask instead how it is that Obama can address patriotism from such a clear and meaningful perspective and maintain his friendship with his former minister who seems to have said some face-value unpatriotic things. There's a Covey idea which is "don't give up, don't give in," that might apply here. I look forward to hearing more of what Obama has to say about it. It is important to listen to those we disagree with, even those whose ideas repulse us, maybe especially if the people spewing those ideas are close to us, even if you are running for President of the United States. I'm not for misplaced loyalty, but I am for appropriate loyalty.

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