Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Things I Have Learned Since Kindergarten and 9-11

As Makai and I went walking this morning, I was thinking about the best selling book, “All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten” by Robert Fulghum. I admit I really have not read this book but I have heard excerpts and the wisdom he writes about is universally true. I have, however, learned a few more things as I approach my second childhood and, by gum, I plan to tell you some of them and also ask a few questions.
  • You might ignore politics but politics will not ignore you.
  • Why do “Liberals” or “Progressives” refuse to discuss issues with people who have differing opinions?
  • Why do “Conservatives” feel that their values are the only values worth having?
  • Why do “Libertarians” feel that an open border policy is okay for America?
  • When did compromise mean you must give in to my view?
  • Very few good deeds go unpunished; but, keep doing them anyway.
  • Why do we apologize to Muslims when we refer to “Islamic Terrorists”?
  • Nothing is new under the Sun. While reading about the Krakatoa explosion in 1883, I discovered that Islamic terrorist from the Middle East were fomenting revolution and killings in Indonesia then and they are still doing so today. By the way, Anak Krakatau (“Son of Krakatoa”) has rebuilt itself and is getting ready for a do-over.
  • Why do we still have troops stationed in Germany?
  • What makes us think that we can “give” democracy to other societies?
  • Why isn’t the United Nations moved to a third world country so that diplomats can see their handiwork up close and personal?
  • Why are countries named “SomethingOrOtherStan” almost always home to terrorists?
  • Was Pakistan trying to tell us something when they named their capital city “Islamisbad”? Oops, my bad. It’s spelled “Islamabad.” Nevermind.
  • Why is it okay for Islamists to threaten to kill people who draw illustrations of The Prophet? What makes their prophet more important than someone else’s prophet?
  • Is the History Channel and Discovery afraid to do a show about “The Historical Muhammad” when they have no problem with “The Historical Jesus” and “The Historical Buddah”? Personally, I think these were terrific shows and would love to see one about another great religious figure. I am particularly interested in how Muhammad was able to justify robbing caravans and killing merchants unless they were mono-theists.
  • The threat of Global Warming pales in comparison with the threat of Global Cooling. Snowball Earth was not a pretty sight.
  • Over 99% of species on the Earth have gone extinct without any help from us.
  • Armadillo can be tasty if cooked properly.