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Jed Declaims
Nov. 17th, 2004
04:58 pm - Jury Duty Quote
So I have been serving on Jury Duty this week for Pickins County, SC. One of the lawyers is a large man with a deep booming voice and strong southern accent who speaks in that old elegant southern lawyer talk. I commented last night that he reminded me of the lawyer in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Anyways on with the story ... While sitting in the jury panel the guy next to me says "This guy would make a good lawyer in a movie, you know some southern lawyer in some small hick town somewhere in Georgia or Tennessee" I just looked at him but was screaming in my head "He is a lawyer is some small hick town, its your town, you live in Pickins County SC"!!"
I found it a pretty funny comment.
Sep. 19th, 2004
02:26 pm - At least Bush is Happy.
On Saturday September 18th, President Bush said he was “pleased with the progress” in Iraq. http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/0
So lets review recent events,
On Friday September 17th, 2 Americans and one Briton were kidnapped from their home at gunpoint, http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/0
On Friday September 17th, an independent intelligence report predicted the best-case scenario for Iraq in the next few years would be "tenuous stability" and the worst case is civil war. http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/09/17/us.ira
On Saturday September 18th, 10 employees from a US-Turkish company were kidnapped with their lives being threatened in 3 days http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/0
On Sunday, September 19th, three people where killed and 7 injured including four US soldiers in a suicide car bomb in Iraq. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s
On Sunday, September 19th, three people were beheaded in a taped video in Iraq http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s
So what is Bush so fricken pleased with????
And Why is Kerry not blasting him on this? Where is Kerry, is he still running for President? When is he going to start his campaign?
That’s why I am fed up why aren’t you.
Jun. 19th, 2004
12:53 am - Maxim 101
So I have this book "The Art of Worldly Wisdom" which is filled with 300 maxims written by Balthasar Gracian. It is interesting and quick reading (usually a nice compliment to the twelfth hour after eating a nice ear of corn, think about it). I had not found any of the maxims that applicable or at least personally intriguing until I got all the way to maxim 101. I find it wise in many ways or at least a worthy view. I thought of posting it now because I feel it ties in nicely to one of my latest posts concerning the constitution.
Anyways, enough from me, let me know what you think. Here is Maxim 101:
ONE HALF OF THE WORLD LAUGHS AT THE OTHER, AND FOOLS ARE THEY ALL. Everything is good or everything is bad according to who you ask. What one pursues another persecutes. He is an insufferable ass who would regulate everything according to his ideas. Excellences do not depend on a single person's pleasure. So many people, so many tastes, all different. There is no defect that is not affected by some. We need not lose heart if something does not please someone, for others will appreciate it; nor need their applause turn our head, for there will surely be others to condemn it. The real test of praise is the approval of renowned people and of experts in the field. You should aim to be independent of any one opinion, of any on fashion, of any one century.
Jun. 14th, 2004
09:18 am - Pork
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/0
Bravo Gov, Bravo!
I have discussed this article with DRJ (who has commented on my other posts).
It is my understanding that Governor Sanford's heavy use of vetoes and his latest shenanigans are in response to the legislator’s use of tack-ons to current legit bills. He is attempting to fulfill a promise and be a more fiscally responsible politician, imagine that. I find it noble and a strong stand to veto a bill that you proposed because the legislators tacked on special spending projects. I know that addons/tackons (whatever the correct term is) are very common and a fact of politics. However, I believe if something is worthy of tax payer funding then lets purpose it, vote on it, and pass it. Tack-ons always seem like they are trying to sneak something by. Thank you Sanford for attempting to bring accountability and trust into politics (at least in this instance ;) ).
Pork, That is why I'm fed up, why aren’t you?
Jun. 11th, 2004
10:48 am - Jed's Law
Many famous people have turned their worldly observations into a coined "Law" (i.e. Murphy's Law). A question could center on their fame. Did their fame make their law known or did their law make their fame? Just in case it was the latter I have decided to coin my own law in an attempt to speed my inevitable rise to fame.
Jed's Law:
When one arm is full and the other empty your keys will indubitably dwell in the full arm's pocket.
10:38 am - Red Tape Issues
I am glad you guys are viewing my blog. This is fun and I think it will only get better. It would be cool to have more viewers and comments. (tell all your friends, wink wink).
After my last post, Derrick and I got into a back and forth commenting spree. I am going to attempt to refrain from this in the future. I am not upset with Derrick and I don't think he is upset with me. That is not the reason. Rather the back and forthness seemed to distract from the original post and from others’ comments. Therefore, I am going to attempt to keep my replies to a matter-of-fact style and not so argumentative towards one view.
Do not take this the wrong way. I want, really want, comments. I really like to see the replies to comments. I think we all do. So please keep it up. Just don't feel ignored if I or someone else does not engage in a continuous on-line debate :)
Jun. 9th, 2004
10:56 am - The spirit of America, forgotten?
I want to address two topics in this post. I will start by presenting my opinion on a current and very controversial topic. I feel strongly in my beliefs on this topic but know that many people will disagree. I hope you read it with an open mind and examine the issue not the emotions. As I said, my opinion is strong on this topic but it is not the important issue in this post. Rather my second proposition is the one that I want people to walk away thinking about.
My first topic is my opinion on homosexual marriage; my second topic is why my opinion is arbitrary and you just wasted your time reading it.
Homosexual Marriage,
Correct me if I am wrong, but the only argument that I have ever heard against homosexual marriage concerns the “sanctity of marriage”. A lot of people consider marriage a very sacred bond that they define as a union between a man and a woman. There are two ways to get married; in the eyes of your church and in the eyes of the law. When talking about the sanctity of marriage, by definition, you can only be referring to marriage in the eyes of the church. The new laws that seek to allow homosexual marriage only apply to marriage in the eyes of the law. No one is suggesting that we should force churches to marry homosexuals. Considering the religious views of most denominations, churches probably should not marry homosexuals. They have the right not to. These laws are simply stating that legally, homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexuals when it comes to marriage and all of the advantages of marriage.
Food for thought:
If we should not allow homosexual couples to marry because it devalues the sanctity of marriage why do we allow a heterosexual couple that are Satanists to get married in a court of law? These satanic heterosexual couples have been able to marry for decades. Now don’t misinterpret. I am not making any implication or connection between homosexuals and satanists. I don’t think there are similarities. Rather I am taking an extreme case to push a point. It seems in the eyes of religion, (and I think most of the Religious Right will agree to this) blatant and deliberate worshipping of Lucifer is far worse than homosexuality, yet they have the right to marry without any argument from the religious right. The point is they have been marrying for years without devaluing the sanctity of marriage because they do so in the eyes of the law not in the eyes of your church. Period.
The Meat (and this following point addresses a lot more than just homosexual marriage):
As I stated before you just wasted your time. Why? Because it doesn’t matter what my opinion on homosexual marriage is. It doesn’t matter what your opinion on homosexual marriage is. It doesn’t matter what the Pope thinks, it doesn’t matter what George W. Bush thinks, it doesn’t matter what the majority of Americans think. Only one thing matters and many many people have forgotten this. In fact I very seldom hear anyone mention it but … the assessment that matters is that of the Constitution of The United States of America (which embodies the spirit of the United States).
When our Forefathers settled this country they wrote a Constitution to govern it. They were brilliant writers and wrote a brilliant Constitution. I want to address two aspects of the Constitution that I feel make it so brilliant; it’s openness and foresight.
These Forefathers knew what it was to be discriminated against. They had experienced not having the right to practice their religious beliefs or be represented in the government. That is why the United States was founded. Accordingly, when they wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights they did so with great care to make sure that everyone that lives in this country will live free and never be discriminated against.
Many people, especially the Conservative Right and the people who would disagree with the beginning of this post, love to point out that our Founding Fathers were very religious, very Christian and not ashamed to show it. These Forefathers spoke of God a lot, they prayed a lot. I agree and that is what makes my point so strong. They were very religious and Christian. Yet they only mention religion twice in the Constitution, both times banning its role in government (legal) issues (religion was mentioned once in Article IV when it states “… no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States” and again in the first Amendment when it states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …”.) Our Forefathers did this very deliberately. They acted out of an understanding of what it's like to be discriminated against, they knew it was wrong, it should never happen again, to any one, for any reason. They also did this because they had foresight. They knew that without provisions in the Constitution that Americans (human nature) would soon forget and would start pushing their views (some of religious merit) on others, they would slowly start using religious arguments in government, and would start discriminating against others that were not in the majority.
For instance, here only 200 hundred years later. People think that in order to pledge allegiance to this great country in which we live everyone should have to declare their belief in God. People believe that our legal system is one and the same/based on the Christian Ten Commandments. People think that marriage is an exclusive right granted and governed by their religious beliefs.
Wait… Don’t yell at me yet… Bravo, Bravo, to all of the people above. For this Constitution that I have spoken of grants you the rights to believe and proclaim these opinions.
I may agree with you, I may not; this is not the issue here. What is this issue is the people that think our legally recognized pledge of allegiance (which we require all immigrants applying for citizenship to repeat) should contain a line that declares a belief in a God. What is at issue is the people who think we should blatantly display Christian documents at the entrances to our courts which symbolically proclaim that in this country, with freedom of religion, you will be judge by Christian standards. What is at issue is people who think that laws should be passed so that we can legally discriminate against people who are homosexual, not allow them to marry even in the eyes of the law, because they are different from the majority and some religions do not agree with them.
Pay attention :) This next part is the point.
When considering an issue do you ever stop and ask yourself “what is my belief, what is the belief of this country and the Constitution it was founded on?” Do you ask these questions separately? You should. To me that is the true test of being an American: the ability to see a bigger picture than yourself and your opinion. To be able to say to yourself “a lot of people live in this country, a lot of people are different from me and we all deserve the same freedoms, regardless of my opinion”. That is what makes this country great; it is what makes it different and better than the rest. Most importantly it is the reason you can have your opinion.
I meant for the this post to have this impact on you; remember the freedoms of this country and what they mean, remember the Constitution and what it says. The democratic values that we enjoy in this country are not there as a means to enfource our opinion but rather elicit decisions that benefit the whole. I started this entry talking about homosexual marriage, so let me return to that subject briefly and as an aside. In the United States’ past we have discriminated against many people. We have discriminated based on Race, Sex, Age and probably many other attributes. Each and every time we have tested those practices with the Constitution and found them illegal. At those times there were people that believed we should continue with our discriminatory practices. To us those people seem to be from a different era and much unlike ourselves. We are not racist or chauvinist and we are not prejudiced to the elderly or the young. Yet here again we have a group of people being deprived of the same legal rights endowed to everyone else. This time we are discriminating against people of different sexual orientation. Trust me the Constitution and America has been asked to discriminate many times before, it will recapitulate its answer again. This country, based on freedom and equal rights, will refuse to discriminate on any basis. We extend our freedoms to all, even homosexual couples. That is what makes us the United States of America. Will you stand for equal rights and freedom or will you be one of those people that the future will fail to comprehend, just like those who fought to keep African-Americans or Women subclass Americans?
In Conclusion:
Yes we all have the right to vote and have our opinions heard. They are heard and are acted upon. However, these elected official’s major decisions, the ones that affect the character of this country, are governed by the Constitution and I for one am glad. The Constitution is a doctrine that, rather than based on emotional views, is a guideline that will align decisions to benefit the welfare of the whole and protect the freedoms of each and every one of us. I hope we all stop, reflect, comprehend and embrace these ideals. Too many people feel strongly about a topic (the answer to “what is my belief?”) but never consider or care about “what is the belief of this country and the Constitution it was founded on?”
That’s why I am fed up, why aren’t you?
Jun. 2nd, 2004
10:22 pm - Gas Prices
I, for one, am becoming annoyed by the media and public complaining about gas prices. We all like to pay less for more but sometimes things have to come back to reality. I believe gas prices are not too expensive but instead have been too cheap and possibly could still be too cheap. A number of points on this issue:
1) Every gas price that you hear quoted in the media today is the nominal price of gas. The media and public will then compare these nominal prices with past prices. Comparing nominal prices to historical prices is inherently flawed because it fails to adjust of the effects of inflation. Throughout the history of the United States we have experienced inflation (inflation increased dramatically after the fall of the Gold Standard which started with FDR in 1933 and finally collapsed with the end of the Bretton Woods system under Nixon in 1971). Inflation is defined as a persistent increase in the average price level in the economy. By definition this means not only that prices have increased over time but also wages. It is unfair to say that a $.89 McDonalds burger in 2002 1 is more expensive than the $.15 burger in 1956 2. For one, because per capita income was $2,016 in 1956 compared to $30,941 in 20023. However, if you adjust these burger prices for inflation you find that the $.15 burger in 1956 is equivalent to $.97 in 2002 dollars4. All of a sudden we realize that the burger has actually gotten cheaper by about $.08. The same applies for gasoline!
The Media and public keep stating how gasoline is at its record high. From the Consumer Price Index complied by the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics I gathered the average monthly US city price of gasoline per gallon from 1978 (first available date) to April 20045. I then adjusted the prices into 2003 dollars, compensating for inflation. According to this data the average gas price for April 2004 was $1.875. The all time record high occurred in March 1981 when gas cost $2.8093 per gallon of gas. The average price of gas since 1978 has been $1.7637. Feel free to look at all of these prices and data at http://www.clemson.edu/~jaredh/gas.htm
So why all the belly aching? Well I believe it is because gas prices have been too low for the past few years. Consider that the all time record low since 1978 was $1.1195 (adjusted for inflation of course )and occurred just a few years ago in Feb. 1999. The reason gas prices were this low is because President Clinton, in an effort to help Al Gore get elected in the 2000 presidential race, tapped our nation’s emergency oil reserves to artificially lower the price of gas6. I feel it quite dangerous to spend our emergency reserves to play politics and to simply cause slight effects on gas prices. Especially considering that most of the oil the US depends on is provided from countries that the US has strained ties with. If we were forced into a conflict with one of these countries we would not only lose that oil source but we would be forced to use more oil because of the military efforts (tanks, fighters, and battleships use a lot more gas when in war than they do when in storage). Therefore, our emergency reserves should be just that, reserved for an emergency.
2) My second complaint regarding these complainers concerns the War on Terror and the War in Iraq (trust me I separate them for good reason, more on that in another rant). An overwhelming majority of Americans and American leaders supported the Bush Administration when they decided to declare a War on Terror and A War on Iraq. I am not arguing that choice. I am asking, what did you expect? The War of Terror is a War that is predominantly focused on Muslim nations and more importantly oil abundant Muslim nations. The war on Iraq has led to fear and instability in the entire Middle East. How naive it would be to think the US could invade or at least threaten these countries and yet expect that the prices of an export that predominately comes from these countries remain unaffected.
3) My third insight comes from a practice that I partake in but I find few others do. I like to stop sometimes and ask, “What about the rest of the world?” On this topic I hear all of the American complaints about high gas prices. So I ask “what are gas prices around the world like?” Well please, have a look here, http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/li
In conclusion, I feel that gasoline prices are not too high. They have been artificially low and now as they return to normal they seem high. The media sensationalizes this story reporting of record highs while knowing that the data they are reporting are nominal prices, which are misleading and blatantly false. I know many news channels are aware of this because I have emailed them and told them (believe it or not I have not gotten a response). Considering we are at War and sitting pretty sweet compared to the rest of the industrialized world, I think everyone should calm down, stop believing the hype of the media, and write me a thank you letter. After all, if gas prices were that high would you not expect more of an effect on travel?7
That’s why I’m fed up, why aren’t you?
(1)I called McDonalds
(2)http://www.fiftiesweb.com/pop/mcdona
(3)http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/rese
(4)http://www.westegg.com/inflation/
(5)http://data.bls.gov/servlet/SurveyOu
(6) http://www.iht.com/IHT/BK/00/bk0925
(7) http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/175