As I have said before I am a news junkie. I love learning about anything and everything that is happening in the world. I truly believe that for the most part news sources try and stay impartial. They tell the story without incorporating too much of their own opinions. Of course there is always an exception and in this case the exception would be Fox News.

I loathe Fox News. Sure, regular Fox gave me some of my favorite shows including The X-Files, The Simpsons, and Arrested Development but words cannot express my disdain for Fox News. And it's not just the moronic trio of O'Reily, Hannity, and Beck, their just the poster-boys. The morning show has their share of idiots as well and here is a short (only 3 minutes) clip from The Daily Show that highlights the obnoxious hypocrisy so prevalent on Fox News.

If you have a similar example from another news provider please share, but something tells me you don't have anything as blatant as this segment.

5 GOOD BOOKS

I thought I would give you a sample of what I have been reading lately. I read a lot but here are some of my favorites over the past six months. You know, these are a few of those books that you read but can't seem to get out of your head. As usual most of my favorites are non-fiction. Do you have any suggestions of what I should add to my reading list?


Dominion by Matthew Scully

Scully is a former speech writer for President George W. Bush. However, despite being very conservative politically he takes a very liberal approach to animal rights. I thought this book was fantastic because he examines animal rights from a variety of approaches but what really caught my attention was his look at this subject from a spiritual perspective. If you have really contemplated the treatment of animals this book is for you, it will make you think and is very philosophical but it is not overwhelming like some other animal rights texts. This is an honest, straightforward, and very sensible book.


Columbine by Dave Cullen

Well here's a depressing one for you. I was out of the country on a two-year church mission when this incident took place and heard very little about what happened. Little did I know but madness was took place and Cullen provides one of the first truly accurate, heart wrenching accounts of why this happened. I just kept thinking of a line from The X-Files. There was an Emmy Award winning episode where Peter Boyle guest starred as a psychic being hunted by a serial killer. When the killer finally caught Boyle's character the killer wanted to know why he kills people to which Boyle's character responded, "Don't you get it son, you're a homicidal maniac."


Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson

Perhaps the most interesting of all the founding fathers. There is so much to admire about Franklin yet so much to be embarrassed about. For crying out loud when in Paris John Adams walked in on him and a French woman playing chess in the bathtub! He was a man ahead of his time, geesh, he was a man ahead of our own time and Franklin was a funny guy. His two characteristics I admire the most was his religious tolerance (Franklin donated money to every church in Philadelphia) and his incredible curiosity. But you can't beat the epitaph he wrote for his own tombstone (though he changed his mind at the last minute) which read:

"The Body of B. Franklin Printer; Like the Cover of an old Book, Its Contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms. But the Work shall not be wholly lost: For it will, as he believ'd, appear once more, In a new & more perfect Edition, Corrected and Amended By the Author"

Blood Meridian or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy

This book is a couple of decades old but I only recently discovered it's existence. It is a western novel loosely based on individuals that actually lived. I include this book for two reasons. First, it was by far the most violent piece of literature I have ever read. I mean shockingly violent...I mean if you can think of a way someone could be killed in the 1800s it is in this book and then some. Maybe it is just me. Second, it introduced me to one of the most chilling and creepy villains I have ever encountered. "The Judge" is as evil, cold, and calculating as any baddie I have seen in movies, television or literature. His long monologues are creepy attempts to justify his actions but be especially concerned if you begin to share his logic.


Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frenkl

Finally, let's end with a book that will cheer you up...well, it is about the holocaust but I'm serious when I say it will lighten your load. There are so many reasons this book will inspire you. Frenkl was a holocaust survivor and wrote these thoughts down in 1956 about happiness and life in general. There are so many good quotes but here is one of my favorites:

"We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: (1) by creating a work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; and (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering."

One of my favorite stories from this book was about a Nazi commandant of one small concentration camp who was actually very kind to the Jewish prisoners. In fact, he was so kind that at the end of the war a group of Jews hid this Nazi commander in the woods and would not tell the Allied Forces where he was until they promised not to hurt him. As a matter of fact, the Nazi commandant was put back in charge of the camp by the Allies until the Jews could be returned to their homes.

There you go...what do you think? Too serious? I look at this list and must admit that it looks a little morose but I rotate between fiction and non-fiction just to make sure my imagination is still working but I just enjoy the true, or attempts at truthiness more.

AHH! SOCIALIZED MEDICINE!!!

One of the stupidest arguments I have heard against a nationalized health care plan is the it is...wait for it...SOCIALIST! OH NO, SOCIALIST! Let's face it most Americans probably can't even tell you what that means. Terms like capitalism, socialism, and communism in a global economy just aren't as applicable anymore. From what I can tell we can be one of two types of nations:

1. A nation that claims to be capitalist but sends millions of it's jobs over seas to communist countries. Then, the same communist nations produce countless of goods and sell them back to the capitalist country. With the profits the communist country then provides health care for all of their citizens.

OR

2. A nation that is communist but eagerly takes the jobs away from the capitalist countries and then sells massive amounts of goods to those exact same capitalist countries. They use the proceeds to pay for health care for their people and make the capitalists look like complete stooges.

I don't want to be a stooge! I recently read that the USA owes China 767.9 billion dollars, that is more than we owe any other country in the world and guess what, their socialists. Man, that is so humiliating! It seems a lot worse to pretend to be capitalists but actually be owned by communists!

However, for me this is a spiritual issue. I truly believe Jesus Christ died for all of mankind, even those who do not believe in him. Now I'm not about to speak for the Savior but if Christ was on the Earth today would he support a health care system that provides medical benefits for all or just 5/6 of America? Jesus saved all mankind not just those that "deserved" it.

Alright, I admit it, that might be a tad manipulative but seriously, we are supposed to be like Jesus so what kind of health care program would Jesus create? In the meantime I stumbled across a article highlighting parts of the socialized medicine programs in European countries. Americans have a lot of misunderstandings of what their programs entail so here is a sampling:

• Denmark has digitized 98% of the country's medical records. Not only does such systems prevent mistakes it saved physicians an average of 50 minutes a day in administrative work. Obama pledged 19 billion to make this happen here by 2014 and it seems well worth the money.
• Germany has attempted to tackle it's chronically ill (heart disease, asthma, and diabetes) by instituting an army of nurse case managers that follow patients by calling them frequently to check their vital signs and ensure they are taking their medications to prevent the patient from entering into a crisis. Seeing as how 75% of America's $2 trillion spent on health care go toward the chronically ill this simple gesture could make a huge difference.
• France is not as socialized as Texans might think. The government provides health care for all but it only reimburses 65% of medical bills leaving 35% for the individual to come up with. More than 90% of French citizens have supplemental private insurance that picks up the rest. Therefore even the poorest have access to decent medicine but the wealthier citizens can splurge if they choose so.

These programs are all government sponsored programs. However, let's face it, there is no perfect health care system but our system is a runaway nightmare that is the number one reason for bankruptcies in America, over 60% to be exact. Think about how great it would be if we provided medicine for all, over half of all bankruptcies would vanish. Fantastic!

But more importantly you would not have to sit with your wife across from an oncologist who tells you that until you figure out your health insurance he will not even begin to consider treating your wife's cancer. Trust me, that hurts and I hope and pray there will be a time when my none of my fellow Americans will not have to be in that awful, humiliating situation.

Nothing More...

...than I LOVE YOU

My First Father's Day

I like being a dad. Who wouldn’t? I get the fun and perks of horsing around with my little boy yet leave all of the dirty little details up to my wife! Sure it was a long time coming but waiting 7½ years to have our first was worth the wait. As a matter of fact I am a far better father now than I would have been had Henry joined this world shortly after our marriage.

Being a dad is hard enough, even if Heidi is the one keeping Henry happy in the middle of the night. However, had Henry come before 2005 we would have had him during one of the most trying experiences of my life. After Heidi was diagnosed with cancer over the next year she had three surgeries, spent about 45 days in the hospital, and had fourteen near fatal treatments of chemotherapy. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown on more than several occasions. Point is if we had Henry at the time…well, frankly I don’t know how I could have been a good dad during that ordeal and thankfully I did not have to find out.

So that brings me to my first father’s day. It is a good time in the world to be a dad. As psychologist Aaron Rochlen wrote, “It’s cool now to be an active, involved father. Overall, men being more active fathers is starting to become more of the norm and less of the anomaly.” I have taken Henry all by myself to doctor’s appointments, the store, library, and meetings at work and have been told on more than one occasion that people like seeing the a “new” dad doing his duty.

Then I bumped into a Boston College study that looked at parental influence on teenage sexual behavior. Frighteningly the study found that one in four American teens have had sex and by the age of eighteen two-thirds have now had intercourse. This dangerous behavior has resulted in the spread of STDs and three out of ten girls becoming pregnant by age twenty.

However, a father that is actively participating in his teen’s life has twice the impact on a teen’s sexual behavior than an active mother. Why? According to the study this is hard to determine. But it probably has something to do with the fact that dads, “vary markedly in their roles as caretakers from not there at all to really helping moms,” according to the author. “The greater impact of dads might be that moms are more of a constant and when dads are there their impact is magnified.”

The power in mine! But there is more a family can do. “The impact of family time overall was even more striking,” the study found. “One additional family activity per week predicted a 9 percent drop in sexual activity.” So in other words in addition to being an active father, Heidi and I better start planning some fun things to do.

It all started when my sister sent me a link to an article from "The Voice" a Christian news magazine entitled: "Obama Youth Brigade: Church Attendance Forbidden." Apparently this "news" source is terrified the bill entitled "Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education" would "require anyone receiving school loans and others to serve at last three months" as part of their payback.

However, volunteering for "religious instruction or worship, constructing or operating facilities devoted to religious instruction or worship, maintaining facilities primarily or inherently devoted to religious instruction or worship, or engaging in any form of religious proselytization" would NOT count towards their service requirement. This is not a joke but in the very next sentence the article's author lamented, "This has serious Nazi Germany overtones to it." Aside from this guy really needing a history lesson the crazy part is this brain donor was 100% serious!

Normally I don't give these nut jobs the time of day but this one got to me for two reasons. First, why is it so shocking that this bill maintained the separation of church and state? But more importantly, I wanted to debunk this article to show my sister who's the boss! My historian instincts kicked in and I immediately went after the source.

As I thought about this I wondered what such an evangelical organization thought about my own faith. Typically these groups are not big fans of Mormons and I thought if I could find an article published by "The Voice" on Mormons it would not be flattering or accurate. I hoped this would show my sister that her source was unreliable. So I went to their search engine and this is where it gets weird. I typed in "Mormon," "LDS," and "Latter-day Saints" and do you know how many hits I got? Not a single one. That's strange, it seems odd that an American religious news source has never mentioned Mormons?

Perhaps I was not giving "The Voice" enough credit and they did not report on other faiths but to make sure I typed in numerous other faiths into the search engine. Apparently they do not hesitate expressing their opinions on other faiths as when I typed in Presbyterian there were 2 hits, Methodists, 3, Baptist 20, Catholic 12, Pentecostal 11, Evangelical 38, and oddly enough some of the most hits were non-Christian groups including 28 hits for Muslims, 36 for Jews, and 8 for atheists.

So how could there be nothing on Mormons...I mean come on, were such easy targets! For crying out loud we wear sacred clothing, read non-Biblical scripture, believe in living prophets, and practiced plural marriage for nearly a century! We are so easy to make fun of yet this magazine that regularly degrades every other faith has nothing to say about the religious equivalent of a black sheep?

I kept asking myself why until my brilliant wife Heidi suggested I type in "The Voice Magazine" and "Mormon" in Google and see what happens. Well, I did and there were multiple hits. The links took me to the same online journal and though I only looked at the first couple articles I was right, they don't like us. The first article was, "Exposing the Mormon Mirage," hmm, what do you think they had to say there? The second was, "Evangelicals Not Keen On Romney," can you guess one of the biggest reasons they don't like Romney?


Now kicks in my conspiracy theory instincts. First of all why do so many members of my Mormon faith constantly associate themselves with these types of groups?! We are a religious minority and these people typically aren't too crazy about any minority groups.

But the bigger question is why can I not access these articles through "The Voice's" search engine? It is almost as if they intentionally removed the ability to find anything negative they had written about us. Why would this ultra-conservative, religious-right, politically active organization attempt to hide their disdain for Mormons? Maybe I have a persecution complex as do many Mormons (with good cause) but in this case I'm more freaked out because I couldn't find anything bad. Or perhaps I just don't know how search engine work. Either way something is going on here.

Well, I have a theory of what is going on here but now way to prove it. How about you?

Mocking Marriage

There are a lot of reasons for Americans to oppose same-sex marriage. Some of those protests are reasonable while others are absolutely ludicrous. My favorite "ludicrous" objection is that some how same-sex marriage has a direct effect on opposite-sex marriage because let's face it, those who enter in same-sex unions rarely have a direct impact on heterosexual marriages. Same-sex couples just don't enter the confides of most heterosexual homes in America.

However, the frickin' TV does enter every home in America. Recently I was reading my trusty EW Magazine and came across an article announcing that FOX Broadcasting,

"once home to such hot-mess matrimonial dare as Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? and Married by America-is developing a reality show...called I Married a Stranger. The pilot focuses on a group of friends who select a man for this single, thirtysomething gal pal. If picked up as a series, each episode will end with the bride marrying her never-before-seen groom."

Such mockeries of marriage is not limited to low-brow but surprisingly conservative FOX. CBS,

"already has plans to unite strangers early next year in Arranged Marriage, a reality show...[that] will focus on three single adults who rely on family and friends to choose their future mates. The show will follow the couples through marriage and their sure-to-be-stressful new lives together."

And don't even get me started about the king and queen of them all, The Bachelor and Bachelorette shows. Never before have I seen something (although, truthfully I have never seen an entire episode) mock and cheapen the courtship process but try so hard to appear "classy."

So, thanks to Reality TV, the belittlement of marriage can successfully enter every home in the USA, that is unless you don't watch TV but come on, who doesn't watch TV? But where is the outrage? Where are the protesters? And how come I have not seen any religious authorities get up and specifically denounce these smutty programs rather than just condemning poor programing in general? Just wondering.

Have you ever heard of a Sikh?

MSNBC introduced the nation to this man. Meet US Army Captain Dr. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi. He is not a Muslim nor is he Hindu, rather Captain Kalsi is a Sikh. Sikhs demonstrate their faith in God by possessing five symbols of their faith. Those symbols include uncut hair usually covered by a turban, a wooden comb, undergarments, an iron bracelet and a sword.

Following 9/11 American Sikhs were the target of numerous hate crimes committed by ignorant Americans unaware of the fact that Sikhs are not Muslim and have nothing to do with terrorism. Quite the opposite really, Sikhs are notoriously patriotic to the countries in which they are citizens and frequently serve in the military. As a matter of fact historically Sikhs are accomplished warriors and continue so today.

Take India for example. There are more Sikhs (almost 20 million) in India than any other country in the world. However, they don't even make up 2% of the Indian population. But Sikhs passionately serve in the military in India making up an incredible 10-15% of all Indian servicemen and over 20% of India's officer corps.

Which brings us back to Captain Kamaljit Singh Kalsi. When he was a first year med student he joined the army following in the footsteps of his father and his father's father who served in the Indian and British military. He is now finishing up med school and is eager and proud to now serve in the US Army. But there is a catch.

When Dr. Kalsi goes active duty he will be required to break his religious commitment by cutting his hair and removing his turban do to a 1980s military law that does not allow religious symbols to be visible when in uniform. This bothers me because I also wear religious symbols 24/7.

Though my temple garments are not nearly as cool looking as a big beard and turban my temple garments mean a lot to me and represent a serious commitment I made. However, unlike the Sikhs I am not required to remove my garments when in uniform, as a matter of fact, I would not be required to remove a "CTR" ring if I wore one so why should a Sikh have to remove symbols of their religious commitment while in uniform?

We as Americans should be excited to have such military minded men as Sikhs joining the service. Another Sikh contemplating whether to remain in the army said, "I'm offering my life, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my religious beliefs." America is getting more diverse everyday and we could benefit with Sikhs in US military uniforms in nations like Afghanistan.

Point is I have a lot of respect for such commitment not only to their faith but to the nations they call home. What do you think? Should Captain Kalsi be forced to remove his turban and shave if he goes active duty or is it worth not having this qualified doctor serve in order to keep our military heritage?

Surprisingly Vegetarian

I don't want to seem like a hypocrite. And I don't want people to think that I am "holier than thou." So let me be honest. {Katrine} I think it's understandable-nay even O.K.- that parents feed their children crappy foods every once in a while. Like a hot dog at a BBQ or a hamburger at a pool party...but it's the how much and how often that I have an issue with.

I say this because I have to be honest when we eat at home, we eat really well, probably 2/3 of our meals are vegan; BUT we LOVE-LOVE-LOVE going out to eat. We go out to eat every 10 days or so. I know, horrible. So we are not Mr. and Ms. Healthy. Unfortunately. I just wanted to clear the air.

Eating a plant based diet though, dramatically changes where you go out to eat. And although we are eating out, it is usually relatively healthy. We usually eat ethnic food, such as Indian and Mediterranean. But occasionally we will eat at "normal" American chain restaurants. Here is our list of our top surprisingly vegetarian friendly restaurants that we like to eat at.

BEST ASIAN (and our pick for #1 overall):

• WHY WE LIKE IT: You can get EVERY SINGLE ENTREE on the menu made vegetarian. (And by doing so making some of them vegan as well.) To have a national chain that offers both vegetarian and vegan options is awesome.
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: The Orange Peel Tofu and Vegetables will make you wonder why you didn't eat vegetarian sooner.
• HINT: It's pronounced pay-way...not pee-wee.

BEST BURGER JOINT:

• WHY WE LIKE IT: You can get every Classic Gourmet Burger made with a Boca (R) Patty. (Soy based patty).
  
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: The Banzai Burger. Pineapple+burger=yum!
  
• RUNNER UPS: Fudruckers: you can get their specialty blend grain patty. Burger King: Do you need a hamburger fast, BK offers MorningStar all vegetable patty-move over Whopper.

BEST DELI:

• WHY WE LIKE IT: Jason's Deli offers a wide variety of sandwiches and salads and even has a vegetarian kids menu.
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: We like their Famous Salad Bar and soup.
• RUNNER UPS: Cafe Express: They have a great variety and sweet potato fries. Subway: They may only have one veggie delight, but at least you can make it anyway you like.

BEST ITALIAN:

• WHY WE LIKE IT: I hate to say it but the Olive Garden is really the only national Italian restaurant chain out there. When we do eat Italian, we usually hit up the little hole in the wall restaurant (ie. Angelo's). But Olive Garden does offer a variety of veggie dishes
  
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: We like the soup and salad lunch. At least that way you don't overload with calories. In the mood for pasta try the Capellini Pomodoro.

BEST PIZZA:

• Again I hate saying this, but I am thinking of surprisingly vegetarian restaurants here. When it comes to pizza we often go local, but recently we have been eating Domino's
• WHAT YOU SHOULD TRY: The Pacific Veggie. De-lish!

BEST VEGGIE PLACES NATIONWIDE:

• Mr. Natural's (Austin, TX)
• Ghandi's Indian Cuisine (Las Vegas, NV)
• Damassis (Houston, TX)
• Atlanta Bread Company (Nationwide)
• Boston Market (Nationwide)
• Sweet Tomatoes (Nationwide)
  

WORST VEGGIE PLACES NATIONWIDE:

• Pappacito's Cantina
  
• Applebees
  
• TGIFriday's

randomness

Here are some random thoughts from this past week.


Henry's left foot is, well, not symmetrical to his right. I can't tell if his third digit is really small, or if his second and fourth digits are really big? Regardless he still has the cutest feet I've ever seen.

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While at school this week, eating with some new classmates, it came up that I am [gasp] a vegetarian. The conversation ended with this guy (who is fairly overweight) explaining to me that as a parent I should allow my children to eat whatever they want. I shouldn't deprive them of, well, the American diet. He said when they are older and can make their own decisions they can choose to eat a crazy vegetarian diet-IF they want. I shouldn't force it on them. So pretty much he was telling me that I should allow my child to eat a diet that will inevitably lead to obesity, diabetes, heart problems and cancer. First off I didn't listen to him, because I'm not stupid. But secondly, I don't care if you're vegetarian or not, parents shouldn't feed their kids crap, including hot dogs, hamburgers, and any processed meat. If you are going to eat meat, make it whole unprocessed meat, straight from the meat counter...at least that way you know you aren't feeding your kids a bunch of preservatives. And doesn't this kid realize that his crappy diet is what has made him as big as he is. I'm just saying.
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And while I am ranting. As Christians we should follow the commandments. One of which is "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Most Christians don't really take this literally. They don't disrespect the Lord necessarily, they just say "Oh my G--" constantly. As Mormons this is taking the Lord's name in vain. And we don't do it.


I'm not a big texter. In fact I don't really like to text. I can't do it with any speed or accuracy and it's just easier for me to pick up the phone and call. But I do know some text lingo. Such as "BTW" is "by the way," "LOL" is "laughing out loud." I still haven't figured out "ROTFLOL" but I do know what "OMG" stands for. And it is taking the Lord's name in vain. Then why, I ask you, do LDS members who don't take the Lord's name in vain out loud use "OMG." It drives me crazy. I don't care if they justify it and say it's "Oh My Gosh"...it's not. That's not what the 100 million facebookers use it for. They use it as they say it and they say OMG. So stop using it. You're taking the Lord name in vain.
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A while ago, when we were still living in Vegas, June found my fuzzy winter hat and she played with it for days and days. Finally I got sick of it and packed the hat a way. Some how June found the hat again, and she plays with it for hours. Why do I buy expensive cat toys when she is perfectly happy with a fuzzy hat and a rubber band?
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And on that same note, why should I ever buy Henry a toy when he was perfectly happy using his bib as a super hero cape?


Doesn't he just melt your heart?


But don't be fooled by his good looks. Last weekend he went on a hunger strike. This weekend it's a sleeping strike. All I can do is pray for the babysitter come Monday.

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RIP David Carradine

I don't know much about David Carradine, the shows and movies he is best known for took place before I was born or when I was young and I never saw either "Kill Bill." But he seemed like a nice guy and clearly was a talented actor, artist, and musician. I also admire him for his talents in the martial arts, meditation, music and philosophy. Clearly he was a more talented man than I will ever be.

But then there was his death. Initially it was reported that he was found hanging in his luxury Bangkok hotel room. There are three possibilities:

1. Of course there is the slight chance it was foul play but that is highly unlikely. There is no evidence of such a scenario.

2. At first it was believed he committed suicide. His career has not always gone the way he would have liked and there is a history of drug and alcohol abuse. However, his family and friend insists this is not possible.

3. However, further reporting by the police revealed he was not found hanging but on the ground with some sort of cord tied around his neck and genitals. It was then suggested he died from autoerotic asphyxiation. In the words of on Thai police officer, "Under these circumstances we cannot be sure that he committed suicide but he may have died from masturbation."

To steal a line from the film "North by Northwest," "The entire thing would be humorous if it were not so tragic." Carradine spent his life trying to be in the public eye and now it has backfired and it definitely makes me glad most people will never care how I die.

But here is my final thought. Would you rather have the world believe you were unable to deal with your depression resulting in your suicide or would you rather have the world believe you died in a freak sex act? Tough call, eh?

I feel bad for the guy and I feel bad that we live in a world that pays so much attention to celebrities in life and death resulting in yahoos like myself writing this blog.

New and Old Guilty Pleasures

First, Heidi wanted me to set the record straight:

1. Let's Talk About Sex-Dan
2. Just Another Speech...-Dan
3. Election Results-Heidi
4. Sex Talk-Heidi
5. Why is Compassion...-Trick question, I did the first half, Heidi the second
6. Pet Peeve #798-Heidi
7. Swine Flu-Dan
8. Earth Week: Mormon Style-Dan

Lesson learned, people do not think Heidi is as opinionated as she is or they think I have opinions on everything. Interesting.

Recently I discovered the TV show "Supernatural" on the WB or CW or whatever that station is called. If you ever wondered what would happen if you took "X-Files" plus "Ghostbusters" plus "One Tree Hill" you would get "Supernatural." This is a genuinely dark, creepy, and spooky show about two brothers on a quest to answer phenomenal questions from their past (X-Files) while hunting mostly ghosts (Ghostbusters) but for some reason every town they go to there is an endless supply of young, good looking people (One Tree Hill).

So I recently added "Supernatural" to my list of guilty pleasures. You know, the things in our lives that were not exactly ashamed of but prefer they remain hidden away. Things that might be a little embarrassing. For example, a completely unrealistic show full of gorgeous people whose target audience is not my own. But I have no scruples and here are a few more embarrassing things about this annoying red-head. Oh, by the way, most of my guilty pleasures have to do with food, go figure.


Mt. Dew...one of my favorite sodas but I drink them all! Soda is bad for you, bad for your teeth, full of harmful chemicals, and undesirable colors. But for some reason I cannot say no. I quit once and awhile just to prove I can. Let's face it, carrying a soda around looks a little immature, you think I'd be grown out of it.

When I was in 9th grade my sister gave me the "Pelican Brief." It was the first John Grisham book I ever read. Since then I have read almost every single one of his books. Sure, his novels are good reads but hardly mentally stimulating (except for the non-fiction "An Innocent Man"). I mean I have college degrees in history and social work. I constantly brag about my knowledge of history, social science, psychology, politics, and religion yet take the time to read Mr. Grisham's novels.

Why can't I stop eating French Fries? I run 20+ miles a week, lift weights 2-3 times a week, I'm a vegetarian yet I still eat potatoes deep fried in oil. Yep, nothing screams maturity like double-dipping salty fries into ketchup but I do it all the time!

OK, this one takes some explaining. During 2005 Heidi spent a lot of time in the hospital because of her cancer. It was a very stressful and lonely time for me so I began to ride my bicycle everywhere to fight the stress. From home to school, school to work, work to the hospital, you name it I did it. However, Las Vegas is a very hot place and I sweat a lot. So, one day I was visiting Heidi at the hospital and noticed the little kit of toiletries they gave her at every admission included a small bottle of baby powder. I tried some on my clothes and it helped! I felt so fresh and less sweaty that I began using it regularly and I am slightly embarrassed to admit I still do to this day.


I don't smoke, so no ashes. I don't chew, so no tobacco spit. I don't drink coffee, so no bad breath or yellow stains. I don't drink, so no drunken rants. I don't even chew gum on a regular basis, so no smacking. But I do eat sunflower seeds and a lot of them but only when I am driving. I even keep a disgusting cup in my car to spit the seeds in and since I drive around a lot let's just say I have filled numerous 32 ounce cups full of empty, gross, molding sunflower seed shells. I hide this guilty pleasure when I pull into work or when I know someone will be in or around my car and know who I am.

Finally, there is this little turd. Nothing screams manhood than holding and kissing a little baby boy. I hold back in public because I'm trying to be the tough guy but even though Heidi has never seen it I have found myself staring at Henry at times and yep, I admit it, I begin to cry. He is that special and I love him that much that there are times I cannot resist it. Heidi will say it is not true but just thinking about my little buddy while writing this my eyes are welling up but Heidi can't see me, she is on the other side of the room, if she could I would be fighting it more.

There are a few of my guilty pleasures. You know, those things we all have that aren't necessarily bad but just a little embarrassing. What do you think? Am I total weirdo? How about you, any guilty pleasures or am I the only one?

At least their not gay, that's better right?

A few weeks ago an army sergeant serving his third tour in Iraq snapped. He walked into a stress clinic near Baghdad and shot to death five other US soldiers and wounded a sixth. His father was heartbroken and insisted "The army broke him."

Just the other day an army private was convicted for murdering an Iraqi father, mother, four year old daughter, and then him and three other soldiers raped the fourteen year old daughter whom he then shot to death. The trial revealed that this psychotic young man thought it was unfair soldiers were not allowed to shoot at civilians and thought soldiers would have more freedom to use violence.

Then there is an experience from my past. One day, during my advanced training all three hundred soldiers were lined up in formation as two plain clothed policemen approached. The Drill Sergeant called a soldier forward and as the officers read him his rights we were lectured on trying to hide our past. However, a couple weeks later this soldier was back, bragging that a judge had decreed that since he was in the army they would let the charges of assault and theft slide.

These three soldiers have a lot of things in common but one absurd, irrelevant characteristic is that all three are heterosexual. But desperate times call for desperate measures. We are in need of soldiers so we will take any psychopath or criminal we can get our hands on...well, unless they are gay because that's just gross.

According to an article in Newsweek:

"to meet recruitment quotas, special waivers have been issued to allow enlistment of hundreds of convicted felons, including arsonists and burglars. One man who had repeatedly beaten his wife was accused of beating prisoners in Iraq; another, who stabbed an Iraqi private with a bayonet, had been accused of assault as a civilian."


In the meantime we have Lieutenant Dan Choi, a West Point grad and an Arabic translator, who has been ousted from the military for admitting publicly he was gay. Or how about Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach, an Air Force pilot with nine air medals for distinguished service including one for heroism who will be relieved of duty later this year for being outed. These are just two examples of thousands of well qualified, highly trained servicemen and women that the military has spent a fortune on getting them out and training their replacements.

Does this make sense? We have two servicemen or women. One is distinguished and the best at what they do and the other...well...not so much. But the former is gay so instead of getting the hero you'll be going into battle with the second rate soldier. Insane.

There is one final scary aspect about the current policy. Many of those discharged are actually heterosexual. Many women have refused advances from their male counterparts and many men simply did not fall into that traditional masculine label. Destructive witch-hunts followed and good people who didn't even fall under this rule suffered.

If we don't want to allow gays in the military unlike those nations who do such as Australia, the UK, Canada, Israel and more than twenty other countries to answer our desperate need for more soldiers then I have another possible solution. Bring back the draft! Besides, doesn't it make you sad to only see poor people enlisting in the military? Where is the middle class and the wealthy? Don't they want to defend their country too?

What do you think? Would you like to serve next to the psycho or mentally ill man that might shoot you or the icky homosexual? Better yet, which one would you like to represent the greatest country in the world? Since I am currently in the service I'll take door number two but that's just me. How about you?