It's About Time I Said This...

By now, anyone reading this blog knows a tiny bit about my political beliefs. I say "a tiny bit" because we often think we know such things about people when we really do not. Instead, we insert our emotions into our perception of others and usually distort their beliefs to fit our perceptions. Who knows? We might be right in our assessment but it's equally true that we might be wrong.

One of the problems, of course, is that we are often wrong about our own political beliefs. Sounds hard to do, right? But it's true. Let me give you an example.

My brother was, for many years, more bigoted than I could believe. I do not think he has changed and, in fact, he hasn't. What he has done is hide his bigotry by aligning with those who vocally denounce such feelings. He still hates, or makes fun of, anyone who is not white, not straight, is handicapped, or is "different" in any way from him. The only thing he has done is "join the chorus." That is, he registers as, and usually votes, Democrat. It does not change who he is, it just gives him a "lamb suit" to wear.

He even acknowledges his old feelings without remorse of any kind. For instance, he voted for Obama while telling me he neither trusted, nor liked, black people (he did not use that phrase but a pejorative one) and, in fact, didn't even like Obama for that reason.

Throughout my life I have known people like my brother; worked along side of them in every job I ever had, met them in social contexts, dated a few, even married one once. Some were ashamed, in a way, of their personal prejudices, some felt justified in them but most hid them when they thought it necessary to do so.

Most people these days think conservatives want to undo civil rights, to oppress blacks, women, and minorities. I don't think any of it is true. I think conservatives want to restore something called personal responsibility and something called self reliance in this country.

When I was in my 20's, in the Navy, and in southern California, I began to dig into politics, to think about it. Most of my friends were liberal and a few were quite radical about it. The culture around me encouraged liberalism. But what I noticed was that most of these people were concerned about the government intruding in their lives. They wanted equal treatment for minorities and women. but they also wanted more freedom to do as they pleased without Big Brother looming over them. That's pretty alluring to a young man like I was at the time. Especially since I was in the military (which is like living alongside Big Brother). It sounded good, it sounded right. But that's not what it became. Government became more intrusive as the liberals began to take charge and we became less free to do as we pleased. In other words, liberalism brought more of what I thought liberals opposed.

This has always confused me... Ronald Reagan once said "I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me"... I like to think I have remained the liberal I was in my twenties by being conservative. That is, I still believe in the freedom of the individual. And not the omnipotence of government.


I may be more libertarian than I thought.

Again?!?!

"Yes," says the Love of my Life, She Who Must Be Obeyed, Faye. "It is that time again." Each year, during the best month of the year here in Paradise (when the Snowbirds leave and the weather is near perfect), Faye and I travel to  San Diego by way of Biloxi, Prescott Valley (Arizona), and Las Vegas. Faye says we must go and, so, we go.

The trips are not all that bad. I still like to drive for hours at a time and I like the everchanging scenery. I am not all that fond of staying at hotels but that's just because most of the stays are for one night (except Biloxi and Vegas) and it's trudge in with a bag or two and trudge out again in the morning. We have worked out a system, however... we pack one small suitcase with the overnight needs (underwear, toothpaste, razor, and other toiletries) and put a few things on hangers for those "one night stands." Not a lot to trudge with. Oh, Faye reminded me that there is one bag with my tablet and laptop which I never seem to complain about lugging...

We will be staying in Vegas for 4 nights: two at NYNY and two at Sam's Town. The latter is something new, we have not stayed there before but we like the casino and Willie and Jose's Mexican Restaurant. From there, it's about a 6 or 7 hour trip to San Diego where we will stay for about a week at my brother-in-law's (Faye's brother) house.

While there, I will get in a couple of rounds of golf, maybe three if I can get away with it. We will also take my brother-in-law and his wife out to dinner at a nice restaurant (of which San Diego boasts many) at least once, maybe twice, and just take it easy while having Mexican food five or six times during the stay (usually for lunch).

And then it's time to head back home. A week or so of travel depending on how long a stay in Biloxi on the way back... probably two nights there followed by a 10 hour drive home.

This is a "retiree vacation."

 

Womanizing

As I was running about on Sunday, hunting for glue to repair my cheapo golf shoes (I have a spare pair to use in the meantime) on which the soles are separating, I began to muse about woman. Not women, woman... the word and what it means.

Being male, I have often heard the word "man" used in various ways: man up, be a man, and so on... but what about "woman?" You never hear "Be a woman!" or "woman up!" Growing up male I have often wondered what "being a man" means. It means different things depending on context, like many things I ponder, but what does "being a woman" mean? Do young girls know? Do women know?

I have thought, since my teens, that women improve with age; that women are somehow better than girls. Somewhere close to thirty, female humans blossom into their utmost form. As I passed thirty myself, I began to think that forty was the optimal age for women. And later it became 50-ish, maybe even 60. Perhaps women don't so much improve with age but that I broaden my horizons as I age.


To get back to golf shoes... Why do they fall apart so easily? They shouldn't, they aren't worn much, a few hours a couple of days (three, in my case) a week. Yet, they do not last. They invariably suffer separation of the sole (no, not soul, that's another issue altogether). You would think they'd last a lot longer than they do. Maybe I'll go back to wearing cross-trainers for golf.

Is Hydrogen the Way to Go?

I am interested in new ways to fuel cars and trucks and buses. I am interested because I was raised in a nation that believes in personal transportation. So I am often captivated by articles which tout the next big breakthrough in energy sources, including new ones... maybe especially new ones...

A power station in each home?

The story is about using the hydrogen derived through a kind of photosynthesis using an artificial leaf.  And the idea is to not fear hydrogen, to view it as very safe, even though we were once taught that it is very volatile. And we have that Hindenburg exploding back in 1937. Anyone who ever attended a Led Zeppelin concert watched that burn repeatedly in the background while the band played. We've seen that newsreel countless times.

The inventor of this artificial leaf says our fears are groundless, that hydrogen is not all that dangerous. And, in fact, claims the following about the Hindenburg disaster:

Hindenburg? That wasn’t the gas burning, Mr. Nocera said, plunging into this notorious dispute: “All the hydrogen was gone immediately. What you were watching was the shellac on the Hindenburg burn.”

Only the link provided with that quote doesn't support that contention. In fact, it disproves it:

"Their calculations indicate that, if fueled by the paint alone, the airship would have taken roughly 40 hours to burn completely, rather than the 34 seconds it took for it to be consumed. In the lab, they burned replica pieces of the Hindenburg‘s outer covering, which confirmed their theoretical calculations—and indicated that the paint alone could not have fueled the fire."

So what are we to believe? The scientists who say it's safe or the scientists who say it isn't? And that, my friends, is our predicament as consumers. After all, we are the ones who will ultimately choose the future path of personal transportation.

A number of years ago, Honda built a few prototypes of a hydrogen powered car, called an FCX Clarity, I believe. It found some volunteers willing to pay a rather high lease rate to test these cars for them. Each car was rumored to cost between $120,000 and $140,000 to produce... Of course, if they entered general production, that cost would fall rapidly but it still would be expensive.

When I was being impressed by the hybrid vehicles by Toyota last week, I was negatively impressed by the cost of them... to me, as a consumer. The one I test drove was over $40,000. I am not a rich man, I do not look at cars over $30,000 in any meaningful way. I have friends who do, however, and I would like to be able to afford one at some point in time.  But you cannot recoup the difference in cost between a conventional car and a hybrid in a few short (and, therefore, reasonable) years. You'd have to keep the car ten years or more. Maybe less, as gas prices continue to rise. But, if you mostly drive in the city, 10 years to break even would be about right. By "break even" I mean break even on the cost difference between conventional and hybrid models. I generally change cars after 5 years, myself...

I am not rich, as I pointed out, so these calculations are important to me. Still, I think hybrids are the reasonable future and the hydrogen fuel cell? Not Ready For Prime Time Just Yet.

Top Five For March

Here's the top five posts (based on "hits") for this blog:


Could It Be a Super Villain's Work? 72 hits

Marriage: A Tradition, An Institution, Needed? 63 hits

Unnecessary Changes 51 hits

Tech Support Insanity 44 hits

Not Saying Anyone is Wrong But... 38 hits
   

Enjoy!