MR. AND MRS. JESUS?

I guess I'm going to have to read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. According to Fox News, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a high ranking official in the Catholic Church, claims that the wide spread success of this novel proves that there is a large anti-Catholic sentiment out there. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,150591,00.html

I gather that the main heresy in this book is the proposition that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and they had children. This topic has always caught my attention. Did Jesus marry? Is it completely out of the realm of possibility? And if he did...what does that change? Does it mean he can't be the only begotten of his father anymore?

I guess I just don't understand how buying and reading this book would make you anti-catholic. I haven't read the book, so I can't say a whole lot on it. But to me the whole stance this Cardinal is making on, " Don't buy it...Don't read it ", just kind of smacks of the old Church where nobody was allowed to even read the scriptures unless they were a priest. (or whatever the restrictions were) Is this yet another attempt by the Catholic Church to keep it's members in the dark? I am sure the Church has moved beyond that by now. Or have they? Not to be anti-catholic or anything.

BROTHERS-IN-ARMS

I am currently reading a historical novel called “Gates of Fire” by Steven Pressfield. It is a most excellent read about the battle of Thermopylae. My brother recommended the book, and I have found it most rewarding.

I came across a paragraph in the book that struck me so brilliantly that I actually paused to read it over several times. If the book actually belonged to me instead of my brother I most likely would have highlighted the paragraph with a yellow highlighter.

Before I share this paragraph, let me just qualify for a moment why I found it to be so profound. I have mentioned before that I work as a security guard at a nuclear installation for the Department of Energy. I know that when I mention, “security guard”, the first vision to pop into one’s head is probably some Barney Fife look-alike, in polyester black pants, a tin badge on his shirt, and a roll of quarters on his belt so he can call the real cops should something happen. LOL.

In actuality we are quite a paramilitary guard force. My uniform is military BDUs, and the training I’ve received is more along military combat training. I can’t get into many specifics, so let it suffice when I say that we are better armed and equipped than your typical police officer patrolling the streets. We train and plan for terrorism. We try to mentally prepare ourselves for the possibility of combat, and make it a practice to believe that, YES it COULD really HAPPEN. With that said let me share this paragraph from the book, and if you can bare with me a brief commentary at the end.

Nothing fires the warrior’s heart more with courage than to find himself and his comrades at the point of annihilation, at the brink of being routed and overrun, and then to dredge not merely from one’s own bowels or guts but from one’s own discipline and training the presence of mind not to panic, not to yield to the possession of despair, but instead to complete those homely acts of order which Dienekes had ever declared the supreme accomplishment of the warrior: to perform the commonplace under far-from-commonplace conditions. Not only to achieve this for oneself alone, as Achilles or the solo champions of yore, but to do it as part of a unit, to feel about oneself one’s brothers-in-arms, in an instance like this of chaos and disorder, comrades whom one doesn’t even know, with whom one has never trained; to feel them filling the spaces alongside him, from spear side and shield side, fore and rear, to behold one’s comrades likewise rallying, not in a frenzy of mad possession-driven abandon, but with order and self-composure, each man knowing his role and rising to it, drawing strength from him as he draws it from them; the warrior in these moments finds himself lifted as if by the hand of a god. He cannot tell where his being leaves off and that of the comrade beside him begins. In that moment the phalanx forms a unity so dense and all-divining that it performs not merely at the level of a machine or engine of war but, surpassing that, to the state of a single organism, a beast of one blood and heart.

Now, I know that to truly appreciate these comments one must probably truly experience real combat. I can say that in training scenarios, I have experienced this to some degree. feeling a certain kinship with another guard who I don’t even know, or even a brotherly love for some clown I don’t even really like most of the time. At least I thought I didn’t . I think Pressfield has nailed something quite poignant here. I am still trying to get my arms all the way around it. I don’t know how many people come by to read my blog, but if any with insight could comment I’d appreciate it. Perhaps someone with real combat experience might be able to validate the above comments. If I can feel it in force on force training scenarios, then to what degree does it occur in the real situation?

Week Two of The Change

Well, it today marks the beginning of week two of my new diet and workout regimen. I have to say that after a few days I got a little nervous. I felt myself gaining weight. My pants aren't fitting as loose as they were. I consulted with a good friend of mine who is a personal trainer, and he said that I should expect some weight gain after coming off from Atkins. Alot of it according to him is water weight, and not to worry. So, on I plunge into this new body experiment.

I realize that I most likely won't be able to achieve the same results as Charlie Poole from my former post. But, if in three months I can do what he did in just 4 weeks, I'd be way way happy with the results.

This last week didn't go quite as well though workout wise as I had hoped. It started off really well, but my job interfered with me being able to get a consistent workout program really going. I did manage to get a few good ones in though. This week however, my schedule is different, and I should be able to have a good solid week of eating right and consistant workouts. Hopefully, for now on my job won't be such an interference to the routine.

In addition to everything else, I have decided to take some supplements to help me on the way. One is a whey protein powder shake, and the other is Creatine Monohydrate. These are supposed to be among the top supplements among bodybuilders.

One last thought. For the next four weeks I will not be weighing myself on the scale. I know that I am heavier now than I was a week ago, but I don't want to panic myself by overdoing it on the scale.

Women's rights or common sense

I have hesitated on writing this post because to many it may seem sexist, but I think I have to speak my mind on this. There may be people who get angry with me for writing what I'm about to write, just because it is stuff that, although true, yet remains things we shouldn't say, or facts we aren't supposed to acknowledge, even though we know the truth in our hearts.

First of all, let me say thank heavens on the capture of fugitive Brian Nichols, the guy in Georgia who overpowered his police escort to court, took her gun and shot her and three other people before fleeing.

As an armed security officer this is an issue I have dealt with secretly in my mind for a long time. I have to wonder with all the equality issues between men and women, why are we forced to ignore common sense many times just for the sake of political correctness? What in the world was a female officer doing escorting a guy like this, uncuffed, alone, and a known danger??? The day before, officials had discovered shanks in Brian Nichols' shoes. Because of this the judge, now dead, had ordered beefed up security be placed on Mr. Nichols. My heck people!!

Yes, I do believe that women have a place and a role to fill in police work. But, let's be honest. In most cases women are going to be physically weaker than men when it comes to brute strength. Could this have happened if a male officer had been the escort? You bet it could, and has! Especially with a man this bold and dangerous, plus the relaxed circumstances he was being escorted in. On the other hand. Is it possible that the fact that his escort was female incouraged Nichols into the action he took? Do you think it might have been more of a deterrent if instead he'd been escorted by one or two burly, mean-looking male cops? I have to say, probably. And if it wasn't a deterrent, how quickly could Nichols had overwhelmed a male cop in comparrison to the female?

I am not trying to throw disrespect on Cynthia Hall, the female cop. She was just doing her job. And, I'm not putting forth that women should lose the right to vote, and be required to veil their faces in public. But, now several people are dead, and we have to think of that. I am afraid women's equality issues must take a back seat in this case. To me it goes waaaay beyond just giving a woman the chance to prove her worth, blah blah blah, in this case. When other lives are depending on it, we need to excercise good judgement and common sense.

That's all I have to say on that.

Yellowstone Park Pristine Wilderness

As a kid growing up in Idaho I had the chance to take numerous visits to Yellowstone National Park. My father, making his living as a struggling artist, would use the road through the park to reach various western art galleries in Wyoming and Montana to deliver his paintings. Many times it seemed these trips to the revered park were on almost a weekly basis. At the time I remember the price to get in was only a few bucks. Now it costs around $20.00 to get into the park!

I just want to know how is this fee justified? Some would say to maintain the park. I ask; maintain what? The government has long held that Yellowstone should be kept pristine. It is illegal to remove anything, i.e. pine cones, stones etc. from the park. And back in 1988 when the park was practically burning down, at first officials refused to fight some of these destructive fires. "Let nature take its natural course". This was the policy, (even though some of the fires were caused by man, not nature)

Let me get to my beef. I agree with the general theory. This is a special area. It should be protected and preserved for people to enjoy. And yes it should remain (as much as possible) in its most pristine, natural condition. Then,would someone explain to me what is so natural and pristine about: Guard gates, paved roads, boardwalks, dumpsters, outhouses, inns, giftshops, offices, bumper to bumper traffic, and even a ...TRAILER PARK? Is that what my twenty bucks goes to maintain?

Go into Yellowstone Park and you will see all of this. On the flipside, go into Idaho's Frank Church Wilderness Area, the largest wilderness area in the lower 48, and you don't see any of this. Aside from the occasional camping area, or trail,this wilderness is a much better example of the pristine than Yellowstone can hope to be at this point.

I guess what I'm trying to say is look at all the money poured into Yellowstone in comparison in an effort to "preserve its beauty". If it were up to me, I'd rip out the board walks, the shops, guard gates, and out houses. I'd tear up the paved roadways. Truly return the area to its natural state. If people want to see amazing sights like Yellowstone Falls, let them earn it by hiking up to it. And then maybe they'd actually appreciate it enough not to throw their official Yellowstone Park bottled water container into the river as they head for their car.

I don't know....maybe I'm extreme. Maybe I'm being selfish. Maybe I should just grab my camera, head to Yellowstone, and take pictures of the majestic grizzlie in the heart of its pristine eco system foraging for food, in a dumpster.

The Transformation Continues

Today marks day two of my new diet and weight lifting program. Although I won't really be giving a daily update of my progress I decided to do another post today to respond to a comment to yesterday's post. Here is one of the first websites I came accross that really opened my eyes to what a person can really do when they are motivated. bodybuilding> This is an amazing 12 week transformation! There are also a ton of good articles on the site, including some written by Charlie himself.

Anther terrific site I went to that explained alot on proper diet, nutrition, and supplementation: bodybuildingdiet> It is a good website that explains it all in good plain english.

As far as me. I am doing good mentally. The food seems so much healthier and I feel much better. Eating stuff like chicken stir fry, tuna on whole wheat, Banana smoothies, apples, cottage cheese, bean burritos on whole grain tortilla etc. I don't have that feeling that I am constantly on the cusp of a sugar binge like I did when on Atkins. Tonight hope to make it to the gym to get in some Back, biceps, shoulders and a little cardio. Gonna be harder to make it today. We shall see.

Gonna make a change

Well, today marks my first official day of my transformation. I am rededicating myself to losing fat, adding muscle and becoming over all healthier. Up until now, I have been on the Atkin's diet for about the last 2 years. I have seen some success, losing around thirty pounds. But, Atkin's just doesn't seem to be doing it anymore. Not really the diet's fault, as I just don't have the will power to eat like that anymore.

So, here I go to see what else I can do. I have adopted a new diet that I put together after visiting several bodybuilding websites. I eat six smaller meals a day, carefully mixing proteins and carbs. This supposedly will increase my metabolism, and provide protein and nutrients for muscle growth, along with energy for my newly designed workouts.

Today, was the first day in the gym where I worked my chest and triceps. It felt great!! We willl see where this takes me eventually. The best of luck to myself.

STRAIGHT GUYS MOLEST TOO?

In my locality there is a big story that has broken, and is on the front page of the local newspaper every day this week. ( www.postregister.com ) It is the sad story of boy scouts being molested at scout camp by a counselor. Apparently he was convicted some time ago, and is already out of jail. The big story is that the BSA (boy scouts of America) was succesfull up until now to keep the details of the case locked away. Now, a judge has ordered the details be opened to the public, and the local news paper has run rampant with it. Unfortunately The Post Registser's website is not free, and I can't post links to the articles, so you are going to have to take my word on alot of this.

In my opinion the writer, Peter Zuckerman, has taken every advantage to land low blows against the BSA, practically laying all of the blame in the BSA's lap. On occasion he grants the BSA a repreive to lamblast the LDS Church, who is the major sponsor of the BSA in this area. Brad Stowell, the convicted scout camp molester, seems to escape much blame in Zuckerman's stories, as the focus is mainly applied to what the church and the BSA could've should've done to prevent the molestations. Although, personally I believe that the Church and the BSA aren't blameless, and should be held somewhat accountable for what happened, I think it's fruitless and destructive to pursue the amount of blame which Zuckerman seems to promote. After all, it was Stowell who manipulated, lied, and committed the crimes.

Whether true or not, a rumor has arose now that Zuckerman is a homosexual, which would explain his obvious vendetta against an organization such as the BSA who is under constant attack by the gay community for disallowing gays to serve as scout masters. Though, not in so many words, Zuckerman seems to be saying, " See, straight guys are allowed to be scoutmasters, and they are capable of molesting too "!

It is on this point I'd like to dedicate the rest of this blog post. Many gays have submitted this argument; That sexual preference doesn't play a part in molestation. Straights as well as gays are capable of such an act. Personally I believe the percentage is probably higher in gays than straights, but let's for the sake of argument accept that the chances are 50/50 of a straight scoutmaster molesting his scouts, and vice versa with a gay scoutmaster. Cough...(yeah right) ahem....

You people out there who think a homosexual should be allowed to be a scoutmaster in the BSA, have you ever really thought it out beyond just the seeming priciple of your argument? Can you really imagine this gay scoutmaster at the city pool changing into swimsuits with his scouts? This is not a blog to argue homosexuality. In fact let's assume again for the sake of argument that homosexuality is a completely moral, acceptable thing in our society. Would you still put a gay with a bunch of young adolescent boys? Think about your young adolescent daughter...would you be comfortable with her going swimming, camping, etc. with a 30 year old man? Having her change into her swimsuit and what not right in front of him? While he stands there in the nude? I know it sounds absurd. At least it should. A male homosexual with young boys in the same situation is just as absurd as a straight male with young women. It's just a matter of looking at the facts of sexual attraction, and what is common sense.

Yes, there are straight guys out there that can prey on young men. ( yeah right, they're straight ) That is something that can't always be detected and avoided. Once in a while one of these sickos succeeds in his plots. All we can do is try our best. It is up to all of us in our community to see to it that predators are stopped before they can strike. Unfortunately in the story above, the community did too little too late.

THE ART OF THE GODLESS

I was able to catch a snippet of the Michael Medved show on the radio the other day while driving to work. He was discussing Hollywood's fascination with darkness. He stated that even though the real money making movies at the box office are the g-pg rated movies, overall Hollywood tends to produce brooding pictures with dark themes, and not only that but, those are the films that do the best at the Oscars. He was taking calls from anyone who felt like they could explain it, and one guy called in and in my belief hit the nail on the head, and I would like to share what he said.

He is an independant film maker and in summary this was his explanation. Art is a thing of passion. When an artist creates that which is a piece of art, it is something that comes from deep within. And in his belief any piece of art when it is finished will either be a thing of God or a thing of Man. He went on to say that artists in general are afflicted with a certain amount of melencholy, and alot of what is created does reflect the darker side of things. But, in general even in a dark peice of art there is a certain amount of light and hope portrayed....if the artist has a belief in God. Now, if you are an artist with no beleif in God, then what will your art reflect?....The doings of Man,which in most cases is dark. Hence you have Hollywood's obsession with darkness. One only need look at the glamorous Hollywood portrayal of Hunter Thompson's suicide for this evidence.

Well, I thought that was a very poignant statement by the caller. Evidently so did Medved as he had the caller stay on the line in order to be shipped a free copy of Medved's book.

BRAINWASHING

brainwash

v 1: persuade completely, often through coercion; "The propaganda brainwashed many people" 2: submit to brainwashing; indoctrinate forcibly

I have heard people be accused of brainwashing their children when they attempt to bring them up in a certain religion or just a beleif in God. I have often thought about this. My parents are devout in thier religion, and subsequently I believe in God, as does my brothers and sisters. Was I merely brainwashed?

On a topic such as this, how can you determine if you've been brainwashed? The dictionary defines brainwashing as: v 1: persuade completely, often through coercion; or: indoctrinate forcibly.

I guess techincally in many ways perhaps I was brainwashed. My parents forced me to go to church as a child, which would fall under indoctrinate forcibly. And I suppose I was persuaded completely in the end. But was this REALLY brainwashing? I must take to task those who would so piously claim that religion brainwahes people.

I submit that by many definitions I was brainwashed daily in public school as a child, and by Sesame Street, and Mr. Rogers too. All of them spewing forth what they would call "lessons" of society. I was brainwashed that 2+2=4 "But, wait". you say. "2+2 DOES = 4"! So, are we to assume that if it's true, then it isn't brainwashing anymore?

So, that's the question that all of my posturing hinges on. If you are brainwashed to believe the truth,...is it still brainwashing? If the answer is no, then when it comes to a belief in God, who's to say what the truth is anyway? If you accuse me of brainwashing, or being brainwashed to believe in God you are inferring that you somehow have the definitive answer on God's existence, or non-existence. And that, I am afraid you just don't have.

Of course if you answered yes, even if it's with the truth, it is still brainwashing, then You, I fear, are the one who's been duped.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

You always here about prisoners serving their time in prison to "pay back their debt to society". My question is; What have they really paid back at all? Sure it's no picnic to be in prison, but who gets paid back in the end? Certainly not the victims, and definately not society. In the end it is society who pays all around. It is we who end up paying for the incarceration of the criminal for his whole sentence, not only that, but what about government funded rehab programs? And probation programs? It is we, not the criminal who is expected to foot the bill for all these costs.

That's why I am really in favor of chain gangs. Prisoners can REALLY pay back society by helping in road clean-up, ditch digging, etc. It should be mandatory that in prison, you work. And for those too dangerous to be let out of the gate, let them pound rocks all day in the yard, or dig holes and fill them back up.

Now for my main point. What do we do with those senteced to death for the most atrocious crimes against humanity? What do they give back? Even dying doesn't pay back anything. The family and friends of the victim, remain victims themselves long after the execution.

I propose that with tax dollars the government build a replica of the ancient Colloseum of Rome. Sure! You could put it right next to Ceasar's Palace, perfect. Then you take condemned prisoners and force them to battle each other to the death. You not only charge admission, but you also televise it on pay per view. Allow legal betting to placed on the outcome of each match. The proceeds go to running the prisons, and a percentage goes to the family's of the murdered victims. Yes, it does sound barbaric doesn't it? So? Think of the profits to be made here. I bet you would have tons of money. This way the criminal doesn't just die...his actual death serves to "pay back his debt to society" in a real and tangible way. No longer would our tax dollars get mired in prison building and upkeep, the arena could cover all these costs. Think of the deterrent factor too. If you see some guy hacked to death by a battle axe on pay per view, maybe you'd think twice about committing a crime that could land you in the same spot. Just imagine for a moment.

"Let's get ready to rummmmmmmmmmmmmble"! And here we go folks. This could be the fight of the year as both fighters step to the middle of the arena. Ted Bundy is in the best shape of his life, and he's going to need all the help he can get tonight. John Wayne Gasey circles left with his weapon of choice, the mace and chain. . . . .

NO WONDER THEY COULDN'T GET OFF THE ISLAND

I was just sitting here at work guarding stuff, and thought to myself, "That'd be cool if they gave us hammocks at our guard posts". The thought of hammocks made me remember the TV show, Gilligan's Island. Remeber how Gilligan and Skipper shared a hut? I rember you couldn't have an episode without Gilligan falling out of his hammock and landing on the sleeping Skipper below at least once. It made for great hilarity. But, I just thought and had to note this down: The hut was basically empty except for the two hammocks, Gilligan's on top and Skipper's on the bottom, like a bunkbed, if you will. The question that arose moments ago was; WHY DIDN'T THEY JUST PUT THE STUPID HAMMOCKS SIDE BY SIDE? Even a more disturbing question is: WHY DIDN'T I HAVE THAT QUESTION 20 YEARS AGO WHILE WATCHING THE SHOW! That's it.

LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN

Well, here goes. . .my first post on my first blog. Hmmmm. What to say? I feel like I should say something profound, and thought provoking. I will just start out though by commenting that I am excited about this. Hopefully It will be a way for me to meet and interact with others around the world that share my interests. This could be a good thing for me. I have become somewhat of a pest on the paintball forum I belong to, cause I am always stirring the pot on some political issue or another. So, maybe this is what I really needed all along.

Anyway, there we have it. Damn the torepedos....full speed ahead!