Nicholsclan.com : a dimension of mind...

Mandatory Reading

This is a long piece, but you can handle it. You need to. This article is just part of the intro for an upcoming book, but it is an extremely fascinating look at The War on Terror as compared to and even as a result of the Christian Crusades of 1000 years ago.

As you read it, please consider that major historical events were rarely considered as such by the people who lived through them. It is only in retrospect that an event's significance can truly be judged.

Enjoy...

Bush Relatives for Kerry

Geeze, when your own family takes the initiative to launch a website against you, shouldn't you take notice?

Or maybe you did, but just misplaced that notice along with the Post-It which was suppossed to remind you to guard the munitions in Iraq.

DIY Project

I'm sure some of you are scratching your noggins wondering what would be the perfect Christmas gift for your loved ones. Scratch no more. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like keeping those special people in your life free from alien mind control.

Yo Albert!

As we approach the 100th anniversary of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity (you have your party planned already, right?), how cool is it that some of his ideas are just now being proved as correct.

To be sure, he wasn't right about everything. By physicist's standards, he wasn't terribly good at math, and he spent the last 30 years of his life chasing theoretical dead ends. But his ability to conceive the unimaginable and convey it clearly is unparalleled in history. From about 1905 to 1916 he was blessed with a clarity of thought that most of us can only dream about.

Election Day

It recently dawned on me that there was a larger election going on than just the presidential race. Arguably, none of the other races matter as much or have as much opportunity to directly influence your life and the health of the country over the next few years, but they deserve some attention as well.

I thought I'd share my election day philosophy with regard to these other races. It's not how I typically choose candidates. I usually select carefully based on the individual's merits, ideas, and relevant track records. But not this year. This year I am using my votes to send larger messages.

Message 1: To the NYS Legislature

You are a supremely disfunctional organization incapable of managing probably the most important task before you - the state budget. Year on year you demonstrate incomprehensible incompetence. Albany needs an enema. If you are an incumbent, you lose.

Message 2: To the Republican Party

Where have you gone? I used to laud Republican ideals of small government, fiscal conservatism, and "big stick" foreign policy. (Granted, your desire to encroach on my personal rights and sacrifice the environment for corporate interests were always disquieting, but those tendencies could be kept in check.) The Neo-Cons have transformed you into something I no longer recognize, no longer respect, and often fear. You have become masters of political marketing. You have constituted leadership by preying on the emotions and passions of those who would be sheep. You make policy for it's political advantage alone.

While I recognize that the Neo-Con transformation is largely a national party happenstance, I need to get your attention. And that will only happen by influencing the local branches of the party. No Republicans will get my vote this year, regardless of their qualifications.

And finally, some advice on the presidential race. If you vote for Nader, you are an idiot. He is not electable. Given how close the presidential race is likely to be, voting for Nader is simply choosing to not vote. There have never been two more dichotomous candidates in a race for president. Pick one.

While you're choosing, consider that presidents should not be chosen because they are tall or Christian or you like their wife and kids. Nor should they be chosen based on ideological issues which are largely outside the purview of the Oval Office such as homosexuality, religion, abortion, or stem cell research. There are ample substantive issues on which to base your decision. Frankly, it comes down to two of them: The war in Iraq. The economy. Boil it down to a handful of questions. Are you glad we went to Iraq? Are you proud of that? And to paraphrase Mr. Reagan during his campaign, are you better off than you were 4 years ago? Answer those questions, your choice should be clear.

Should You Find Yourself in Kansas...

This looks like a must see event. And timely too, given the impending holiday.

Debate Confusion

Assuming you watched the 3rd and final presidential debate last night, can you explain the Republican position on the judicial branch? On the one hand, Kerry admitted to saying he would not appoint a judge who was against Roe vs. Wade. The Republicans latched onto this and were saying he had a litmus test for judicial appointments. Fair enough. He does. Bush clearly made the point that this was not an issue for Presidents. That the judicial branch should decide this issue without executive influence. It's hard to argue that philosophy, although there's not much evidence he practices that.

Yet at a different point in the debate, Bush made the point that marriage had to be redefined by constitutional amendment because the judicial branch of government couldn't be trusted.

Which is it George?

Interesting Optical Illusion

If you are like most of us aging boomers, it's been awhile since you've been stoned. Not to fear,
this will make you feel like you are. If you're really brave, make this your desktop wallpaper. I dare ya.

O'Reilly Gives Irish a Bad Name

Guest bloggerette Kim contributes the following rant:

I can't believe what I just saw on the Today show. Matt was doing an interview to promote the "O'Reilly Factor book for kids". The moron actually wrote a book on how to raise kids better. Forget the fact that Matt said in the beginning that O'Reilly was a not married before he was 46 and has only been a father for the past 5 years, "what do you know about raising kids". But at the end of it, Matt asked him "in the interest of our country's kids, why don't you make a new years resolution to stop saying "shut up" on your show to those that don't agree with you?" To which he replied, that it's only October and Matt didn't even know what month it is. Matt asked him what his worst mistake was in his life and he replied "coming on this show today". Matt said "then you should learn from your mistakes because it's your 4th visit".

The dialog between them was the only time I'd ever heard Matt Lauer talk to someone like he did. It was obvious to me that he has no respect for this guy... then again... who in the hell does?

Very funny.... (except for the fact that he actually wrote a book).

Sex in a Bar Bathroom -- Is It Legal?

On second thought, who cares if this is legal? Unless the bar bathrooms in Italy are a lot nicer than most of the joints I've been in... Yuk!

Back to Normal

Depending of course on your view of "normal". It's been a wild ride the last couple of weeks as I tried to determine exactly how many boxes it would take to contain all my worldly possessions. It turns out that my guess there was much closer than my guess about how big a truck would be required to contain all the boxes.

Nonetheless, we are settled in our new house. The boys love it, and honestly, so do I. It feels like home and we've only been here for the weekend. Now I can get back to blogging and whatever else it is I do.