A Day of Evil: The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

"You do not become militant if you wish to be a successful propagandist. Because all you will do is preach to the choir and further entrench your opposition." - Jack Nicholson, CNN.com interview, Dec. 27, 2007

This was a day of evil for Pakistan - perhaps even the whole world. Opposition leader and former (and perhaps future) prime minister Benazir Bhutto was murdered today in Pakistan. Many hoped that she was the last, best hope for democracy in the troubled country.

So who did it? al-Qaeda? the Taliban? Pervez Musharraf? Whatever the case, today was a day of evil for Pakistan - perhaps even the world.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Pakistan during the next few weeks leading up to their national election. Will the Pakistanis crumble under the pressure? Or will Bhutto live up to another title given to her today - martyr.

I think it's ironic that Jack Nicholson's quote was published today. While I don't necessarily agree with his politics, but I definitely agree with his statement.

Political Correctness Gone Too Far

There is a serial rape suspect on the loose in Chandler, Arizona. His victims, all of them young girls, have described him as an Hispanic man. The police sketch also looks like an Hispanic man. Yet a Spanish-speaking radio station in Phoenix says it's wrong to describe him as an Hispanic man. Excuse me?

The term "Hispanic" is a description, not an ethnic slur. It is intended to get a scumbag off the street before he hurts another little girl. It keeps us focused on who we should look for, rather than someone who's not even close to being suspect.

I have Hispanic friends, black friends, Asian friends, Native American friends, gay friends, elderly friends, Christian friends, non-Christian friends, Jewish friends, weird friends, and friends that can be described in various other ways - even an Iranian friend! I do not mention these adjectives because they are slurs against their race, creed, nationality, age, sexual orientation, or whatever; I mention them only because that's who they are.

Everyone is unique, and these adjectives merely are part of distinguishing one person from another. I do not discriminate based on these adjectives, nor do I ever use these adjectives when describing a friend to another (for example, "He is one of my black friends.") because that is not important to me.

When I hear the word Hispanic, I think of the wonderful culture that has graced our society. It is a culture rich in history and tradition which encompasses a different language and ethnicities (plural).

Bottom line is that there is an extremely dangerous man out there who just happens to be Hispanic (just as there are dangerous people who happen to be whatever). This radio station needs to be calling him out, as well as the gang members, coyotes, and cop killers that are giving Hispanics a bad name. We become better people when we embrace the diversity around us rather than use it to divide us.

Gloom and Doom: My Concern

My major concern with the way things are going these days is that America has grown really soft. The line between right and wrong has become blurred. There is confusion as to what are needs and what are desires.

As a baby boomer, I heard about the hardships my parents endured as children growing up during the Great Depression and World War II. I feel that most of my generation was brought up to be prepared in case such hardships arise again. But somehow the message seems lost on Generation X - and Generation Y will never hear from them. I wonder if Generations X and Y could possibly survive if a major crisis were to hit this country. Would they even know what to do?

As I have read the Bible stories of how the people of Israel witnessed some of God's greatest miracles, I have often wondered how they could possibly have wandered and strayed from Him. But as I get older and wiser, I have gained a better understanding. I have seen firsthand in my lifetime how this country has declined, and therefore it is easier to understand how that happened in Israel on many occasions. I myself am guilty of allowing myself to be distracted by the things of the world.

I am grateful for my faith in Jesus Christ. Otherwise I feel too old, tired, and powerless to be an activist against the forces causing our nation's decline. I am resigned to being a witness to history rather than a participant. But I suppose writing about it as I am now is a good start.

Gloom and Doom: US Economy

Let's face it. We've been pretty lucky with our economy so far. But like the real estate, the bubble could burst real soon.

Part of that is due to the real estate market itself, especially in light of the the sub-prime mortgage crisis. There's a fair number of financial institutions in serious trouble now that the foreclosure rate is at all-time high. Home values (which were artificially high to begin with) are dropping, and entities such as local governments and school districts who depend on property taxes are hurting. Personally I'm glad that a lot of these fly-by-night mortgage companies are going under. Their morals and ethics are as sub-prime as the mortgages they pimped on the unwary consumers they victimized. Unfortunately, many are losing their homes because they can't get a mortgage they actually have to qualify for.

Oil prices are another big factor. Osama bin Laden has hoped that oil would reach $100.00 per barrel. Well, we're right about there (in fact, it has reached $100.00 briefly). Gasoline is at or near $3.00 per gallon, and $4.00 per gallon is foreseeable. All transportation - not just the family car - is affected, as well as our utilities. All of this translates to higher prices for everything. Some economists predict that $100/barrel oil will be a psychological breaking point for our economy.

The weakening dollar - which is affected by our trade deficit (including tainted Chinese goods), the wars, the mortgage crisis, and oil prices - is also a major concern. I work in an area that deals in foreign currencies, and over the years I have witnessed firsthand how the US Dollar is weakening. The Euro started out at about $0.88 to the dollar - now the ratio is turned the other way, but even more so. The Canadian Dollar is about the same as the US Dollar (and it has exceeded the US Dollar on recent occasions).

Ironically, oil prices which affect the dollar, are affected by the dollar. Saudi Arabia now fixes their price of oil on the dollar - they refuse to take a hit because of a weaker dollar.

The best remedy to this problem is to export more goods. Gee, do we make any goods anymore? Seems like all we have are goods made in China and serviced in India.

Gloom and Doom: Pakistan

One place in the world we need to be concerned about is Pakistan. There is a lot of political unrest there, especially between the former president who was overthrown by the current president (who stands to be overthrown by the former president). Al-Qaeda and perhaps other terrorists are operating in Pakistan, which is just over the border from Afghanistan. Which leads to the scariest aspect of all - that Pakistan has a nuclear arsenal. Although that arsenal is likely quite limited, that is not the point. I'm not concerned about the government that has a lot of nukes. I'm concerned about one madman who has only one nuke.

What's Up With China?

"What is this, like the 8,000th product from China to have lead in it? ...Why don't they just sell lead? Wouldn't that be easier?" - Jay Leno, The Tonight Show

There have been so many tainted products imported from China - from pet food to toys - that it's no wonder so many are calling for an outright boycott of goods made in China. Not to mention that some of the money we spend on Chinese goods goes into supporting an oppressive regime, and very little - if any - goes to the people who actually make the products.

Unfortunately it's easier said than done to boycott China. Just about every manufactured item on our store shelves is made in China. It's not like we have a whole lot of choice when the retailers only sell stuff imported from China.

You have to compliment China on their explosive economic growth. It's a lot like post-industrial revolution America when we produced a lot of stuff for ourselves and the world. And yes, some of those products were unsafe, too. The only difference is that we know better now what is safe and not safe. The Chinese should know better, too. So what is up with China?

A Bit Light on Blogging Lately

I must apologize - I've been a bit light on blogging lately. It seems I get involved in other pursuits - trivial or otherwise - and find myself saying, "I'll blog later." Well, it's later. And Blogger keeps adding new and cool features. I'll get my act together.

Prayers Answered: Wedding Bells

Yesterday was a happy and blessed moment for our family. Our older daughter, J, got remarried. Joining our family is our new son-in-law, R, and our new granddaughter, K. They were married at the home of a good friend of ours.

J's short-lived first marriage was not a very good one. Probably the only positive thing out of it was our grandson. R, on the other hand, has never been married but he did father a daughter from a previous relationship (which is still very amicable).

We have watched our daughter go from a bad marriage to a couple of bad relationships with other losers. But R is different. I liked him the moment I met him, and I've been very impressed with how he treats not only his daughter, but our grandson as well.

It wasn't love at first sight - at least for J. In fact, she called him "the Stalker." But R persisted in his gentle way, and eventually won her over.

For years I had prayed for J to make the right choices in life. I prayed for her happiness. When R came into the picture, I prayed this would be turn out well. Those prayers got turned up a notch after he proposed to her on Valentine's Day this year. All of these prayers have been answered.

It is also interesting to note how far we have come along over the years. My wife, too, experienced divorce when the girls were quite young. Naturally, there has been animosity between her, her ex-husband, his new wife, and to some extent, myself. But regardless of what has happened over the years, time has healed many wounds. This particular meeting was the most amicable ever - even friendly. And I must say that this event has given me a profound sense of peace.

I have known my stepdaughter J for fifteen years now. She was an angry child, and in adulthood she faced substantial disappointments. I have to admit that yesterday as I danced with her, I choked up in telling her this was happiest I have ever seen her.

The photo above is one of my favorites. R's brother J was best man, and J's sister E was maid of honor. And the two new step-siblings, K and J, were flower girl and ringbearer, respectively. Aren't my girls cute? Aren't my grandkids cute? My son-in-law ain't too bad, either.

My prayer now is that this new family that was created yesterday will prosper and flourish for a very long time.

Under Construction: A New Computer

The old Gateway we bought in 2000 has served us quite well. But let's face it - she's starting to show signs of becoming obsolete. Just for fun I went to Gateway's site to see what the trade-in value would be. Zero.

Over the years, I've done some modifications to the old machine. I've added RAM, an Ethernet card, and some USB ports and I've had to replace a DVD-ROM drive. Recently, as I was replacing the power supply (the fan had become excruciatingly loud), it hit me. Why don't I build my next PC? I could put in whatever components I want, make it as fast and powerful as necessary, build it in stages over time as my budget allows, and build it for less money than I could for a pre-built model that wasn't as nice.

I did some research over the web and found a wonderful guide to building your own computer.

At this point I've started gathering the components for my new computer. And just for fun, I've added a "progress report" in the side bar of this blog showing where I'm at. I think this shall be fun.

9/11: Retrospective

Today’s date will no doubt will strike horror in the annuls of history. I've just come in after seeing our "guardian angels" flying overhead. They are a pair of F-16's and a KC-135 Tanker, very high up in the sky. They are the only aircraft in the sky tonight, patrolling over the greater Phoenix area. The F-16's appear to be doing a figure-8... The tanker flies in a wide circle around the Valley. It is a very eerie evening. - journal entry, 11 September 2001

It was six years ago tonight that I wrote those words. It was a very eerie evening indeed. We live under the air traffic pattern for Sky Harbor airport, and the sound of jet engines is nearly constant. But not that night - or for several nights. The skies were nearly silent except for the sound of the combat air patrol circling our city.

It's hard to believe that it was six years ago today that we experienced the most fearful moment my generation has witnessed. It's even harder to believe that our collective memory of that horrific day is fading away just as the smoke did over Ground Zero.

There was a lot of uncertainty on that day, and in the weeks to follow. Six years later, now embroiled in an unpopular war, I dare say we live in a time that is just as uncertain. As we debate on whether or not we should bring the troops home, we seem more concerned about the antics of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton (all whom in my opinion have overstayed their fifteen minutes of fame).

Meanwhile, al-Queda and other extremist Muslims are hell-bent on destroying our way of life. They care not whether we are Christian or not - hell, they won't hesitate to kill other Muslims to impose their narrow-minded will upon the world.

Wake up people. And keep watch, my brethren. Be vigilant.

Dog Days of Summer

It certainly feels like we're in the doldrums here. I haven't even felt like blogging. This has been the hottest summer I can remember. Phoenix has had a record 29 days with temperatures hitting 110° or more. The monsoon was rather interesting, too, with a couple days in a row where storms sprang up and hit the area. We've also had the remnants of two hurricanes reach us (Dean and Henriette), but they didn't do much.

Makeshift Memorial

Here's what it looks like at the Third Street entrance of Steele Indian School Park today:

One Lucky Dog

Meet Molly, a west highland white terrier, also known as "the Flying Dog." Sitting in her restrained portable pet carrier, Molly often would ride with her dad as he piloted a helicopter for the morning news show.

Yesterday at around midday, her dad - for whatever reason - decided not to take her along for this particular helicopter ride.

Her dad, Craig Smith, never came back. He was one of the two pilots killed in Phoenix yesterday.

Tragedy in Phoenix

The images on the left will be burned in my memory forever, I'm sure.

Yesterday, all five of Phoenix's news helicopters, along with one police helicopter, were monitoring the pursuit of a stolen vehicle. Then tragedy struck. Two of the choppers - one from KTVK (Channel 3) and KNXV (Channel 15) collided in midair and plummeted into a park below.

Each chopper carried a pilot and a photographer - all four were killed. Our local media was dumbstruck as this news story involved their own.

Ironically, no one on the ground was hurt. That is no small miracle when you consider this incident took place in central Phoenix, over and in a park surrounded by high rises and residential areas. The area's light rail is being constructed on Central Avenue along the park's western boundary. There is a hotel on the western boundary, a high school on the northern boundary. And to the east is the VA Hospital.

Eventually, the suspect involved in the stolen vehicles (he stole two) was arrested after barricading himself in a home on the far west side of Phoenix. He may possibly be charged on four counts of manslaughter.

The park and streets around it are currently closed. The NTSB is now conducting their investigation. Debris is scattered as far as 200 yards from the crash site. As far as the FAA can tell from the radio transmissions, the pilots were following procedure. But perhaps the helicopters were too close to each other. Monsoonal winds can be erratic, even when the weather is good (which it was). Some witnesses said it appeared that the two helicopters got "sucked in toward each other."

It doesn't appear that there has ever been an incident involving media-operated helicopters like this before. Kind of surprising when you consider how these choppers seem to flock together when there's a major news story. In Phoenix, if you see five choppers, you know it's big. To me, this seems to have been accident waiting to happen. The fact that it hasn't until now is a testimony to the skill of these pilot/journalists. I suppose now the FAA will be rewriting the rules on this.

I am rather familiar with Steele Indian School Park. It is where our church - in conjuction with two others on Central Avenue - hold its Easter sunrise service every year. I've also met with my Stephen Ministry care receiver there - it's a nice oasis in the middle of the city.

I wonder if my attitude toward that place will change, too.

There is so much regarding this story, so here a just a couple of additional links:
Story
Photos

Favorite Quote of the Week

"We had Lindsay Lohan booked on the show tonight, but apparently she was already booked."

- Jay Leno, The Tonight Show, July 25, 2007

2007 NBA Championship - San Antonio Spurs *

Now that former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is under investigation for betting on NBA games - including those he officiated - it could be very interesting as to what comes out of this mess.

It's bad enough that Phoenix Suns fans think they got hosed by horrible officiating in their playoff series against the Spurs. The fact that Donaghy called game 3 only adds fuel to the fire. And if others were involved in the Spurs' championship run this year? There will be hell to pay.

Lot's of folks would love to see Donaghy dead. I say place him under witness protection at least until the FBI gleans every bit of information they can (I think torture is justified since he was - after all - an NBA ref). Fine him an amount equal to whatever salary he made while he was gambling and give the proceeds to NBA charities. Then quietly take him out of protection so his mafia buddies can take care of him.

If it is found that other referees were involved, then obviously the NBA has some very serious problems.

First (but probably the least of their problems), is that the legitimacy of this year's NBA title is questionable at best. Perhaps they would have to add an asterisk next to the Spurs. Or better yet, just strip them of the title altogether (and to be truly fair, just don't give it to anybody).

Second, David Stern would need to resign as commissioner. Or face impeachment by the NBA owners.

Third (and probably the most serious), the NBA will have to struggle with their image and credibility. TV networks, sponsors, and fans will probably be more hesitant to dole out cash. If that's serious enough, the NBA could face extinction.

Pretty serious stuff.

Finally Some Relief

The monsoon has struggled to get started this year, but it was sure here this week. We'd been experiencing quite a number of 110°+ days right into mid-July, but this past week has been a different story. We've actually had some rather inclement weather. We even had two rainy afternoons to watch out our window at work. Cool! Really, it has been noticeably cool(er). Even on sunny days the temperature has struggled to reach 100°. In fact, with the humidity out there, this is probably the moistest monsoon I can remember for a long time.