"Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society"

The above quote, by Oliver Wendell Holmes, has come to mind several times this week, and especially today, Tax Day.

I'm sure some of you have heard about the "Tea Parties" that have been occurring in various places. I'm not a fan. I'm not a fan at all.

I've thought about this idea ever since I heard about it a few weeks ago. I've seen how it's been promoted by conservatives and Fox News - almost as if it were a patriotic obligation.

Well, in my mind, it isn't. In fact, I think it's anti-patriotic. And, dare I say, Republican Oliver Wendell Holmes must be rolling in his grave.

Paul Begala, the former Clinton staffer who works for CNN, made some great points about this day. I share a few quotes:

For those who wear a military uniform, those who serve the rest of us as policemen and firefighters and teachers and other public servants, every day is patriots' day. They work hard for our country; many risk their lives -- and some lose their lives.

But for the rest of us, the civilian majority, our government asks very little. Except for April 15. On this day, our government asks that we pay our fair share of taxes to keep our beloved country strong and safe.

...

This country has showered me with the blessings of liberty. So what do I owe my country in return? Paying my fair share of taxes, it seems, is the least I can do. Thanks to President Obama and the Democratic Congress, 95 percent of Americans will get a tax cut this year. No one -- not even the wealthiest 1 percent -- will have to pay higher income taxes until 2011.

So why are a bunch of Fox News clowns and right-wing cranks hosting "tea parties" all over the country? The Boston Tea Party, in case the clods at Fox didn't know it, protested "taxation without representation." Note the second word: without. The goofballs tossing tea bags today have representation. They voted in the election; they lost.

That a bunch of overpaid media millionaires would lead a faux-populist revolt is comical. They somehow held their populist instincts in check as George W. Bush and the Republicans cut taxes on the idle rich and put the screws to the working stiffs.

...

Instead of tossing tea bags for the cameras, the Fox phonies ought to go to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There they would find better, braver men who have truly sacrificed for their country. They deserve nothing but the best -- not the shameful and shoddy conditions they endured during the Bush administration.

You want something to protest? How 'bout protesting how little we give back to our veterans? Or how 'bout protesting that the entire budget of the National Cancer Institute (where government researchers battle a disease that will strike half of all men and a third of all women) is 0.03 percent of what we gave the bandits at American International Group alone? Oh, but veterans benefits and cancer research might cost money. It might require -- dare I say it? -- paying taxes.

If the whiners at Fox News want to advertise their selfishness, they are free to do so. But please don't dress it up as patriotism. Patriotism is putting your country ahead of yourself -- which is the precise opposite of what the tea party plutocrats are doing.

All I have to say to those espousing "No taxation with this representation" is this:

• The people voted, and Barack Obama won. Either be a loyal opposition and present concrete alternatives or move to Canada instead of doing amateurish things unworthy of a college fraternity.
• If you don't want to pay the price for a civilized society, then leave it, so that those of us willing to pay can enjoy it.
• Remember the meaning of the Boston Tea Party - a group of people who were willing to take on a tyrant because they were not represented. Taxation wasn't the sole issue - representation was the issue.
• If you want to change things, vote. If you didn't vote, no matter who you supported, you have forfeited your right to complain.

That is all.

Blow'd Up!

So, I haven't posted here in forever. Here's why (at least for the last month:

Well, not quite this bad, but I screwed up my computer...

Blogging will be intermittent until I figure out how to get a new BIOS installed on there.

Wish me luck!

True Love

On Sunday, I experienced true love.

I usually try to keep identities private in this blog in order to protect the guilty innocent, but in this case, I feel I must explain.

The Stake Patriarch for my stake, Jack Dyer, lost his wife last weekend. She had suffered a stroke last summer, and though she wasn't expected to last long, she survived for seven months. I went over to his home Sunday afternoon to help his write up his wife's obituary. (Parenthetical remark - now that there are two wards, I've graduated from ward obituary writer to stake obituary writer...) It really didn't take me long to type the information, so we began to talk. There are several things he told me that I can't say - a few I really shouldn't share, and a few I can't share until he passes on. However, every time he started to tell a story about his wife, I could see a change in his countenance. The way he looked and the way he spoke said volumes about his feelings - more so even than his stories.

I rarely get close enough to anyone outside of my own family to experience anything like this. And outside of my parents, my extended family isn't exactly brimming with examples of this. But I saw true love in Brother Dyer's eyes Sunday afternoon, and at that moment, I learned many things without any words being said. Maybe one day, I'll share a few of those things I learned - when the time is right ;)

We are family!

First, I have to plug a blog. My good friend Clint has created a new blog. So go check it out: My Name Is Not Cliff. The name was my idea :)

My grandmother and uncle have been in town for the Christmas holiday. They tend to cause issues each time they come. In fact, I usually tweak my schedule when one or both are around in order to avoid any and all contact, because I tend to become frustrated and angry by the end of the visit. I've always been the Black Sheep of the family, so I tend to not identify with many of my relatives. Things were no different this visit, as my grandmother and uncle both decided to drive me crazy with their support of the Utah Utes, a team which I grew up rooting for, and actually would have rooted for in the Sugar Bowl if not for their constant needling. But this isn't a post on that game (don't hold your breath...).

In the midst of this family fun, Lindsay came back into town. She arrived on New Year's Day, but the dorms didn't open until yesterday, so she stayed in my room (I was happily relegated to the couch, for those of you accusing us of any funny business). As we spent time together under one roof, I considered a few things about family that I have learned or realized in the past few months thanks to my marriage class, church classes, etc.:

• I love the family that I was born into, and I am glad that they are mine.
• I am my parents' child, even though at times I claim that I am not, either due to adoption or an accidental switch at the hospital.
• When I get married, I'm not just marrying a girl, I'm marrying her family.
• A family doesn't have to be defined by blood - in fact, I consider several of my closer friends to be an important part of my family.

I love my family, and I am glad to include you in that statement. My blog family is important to me, even though I don't demonstrate that in the quantity of my posts. Happy New Year, and make twenty-aught-nine a memorable year. I resolve to write more often - at least weekly. So hold me to it!

Anatomy of a split...

Well, for those of you not in Tuscaloosa or those who picked the worst week in the history of the world to not be at church, the Tuscaloosa Ward was (finally!) split on Sunday. Now where once was one overly large and burdensome ward, now two wards exist - Tuscaloosa and Northport.

It was quite interesting when I learned what was happening. My first question was what the boundaries would be - I figured (incorrectly) that the boundary between the two Elders quorums would be the ward boundaries. Once I learned that this was not the case, I did what any good boyfriend would do... brim with excitement and ask whether his girlfriend was going to be in his ward (she is). I learned what the boundaries would be, and was very surprised. The Northport Ward had the western part of Tuscaloosa - everything west of Ala. Hwy. 69 - along with everything north of the river. I then saw the challenges ahead.

I had noticed that my dad had been in a lot of meeting recently with the rest of the bishopric, and everything came together at once. I realized that almost all of the auxiliary leaders in the Tuscaloosa Ward would now be members of the Northport Ward. Even though the Tuscaloosa Ward bishopric remained completely intact, almost nothing else would remain the same. I was the only clerk in the new Tuscaloosa Ward, and was (of course) called as the Ward Clerk. No one's records could be moved until after tithing settlement ended, so I still had to help Bishop Wyatt with tithing settlement.

Anyone who is in the Northport Ward was immediately released from their callings, so Bishop Martin was in roughly the same boat as Bishop Wyatt in Tuscaloosa. This week was filled with phone calls, meetings, and submissions of names for counselors. Fun times had by all!

Few actually realize it, but both wards really have to start from the ground up, and in some ways, the new ward is better off. Bishop Martin has a clean slate to work with as he builds a new ward. However, I have learned many great lessons over the past two weeks from Bishop Wyatt - lessons that will be useful throughout my life.

With the split, each member is going to have to pull his or her weight. We no longer have enough to give some members rest. All will be needed to help both wards thrive. It will take some work and lots of help from above, but there is great potential ahead. And I'm glad I get to be on the sidelines helping!

A Quick Monday Morning Vent

So, I was almost run over twice this morning walking to campus.

Alabama state law requires drivers to yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks. As I walked across the MARKED crosswalk on Campus Drive West which CLEARLY states that it is the law to yield to pedestrians, an idiot girl in her car on her cell phone proceeds to nearly plow through me. I had already walked through half the crosswalk - she had plenty of time to see me, not to mention the huge clear yellow sign. But still, she nearly hit me at 30 mph. I then almost got hit by a truck while walking through the crosswalk in the parking lot.

I happened to see the woman who nearly hit me, and in a moment of frustration, as I passed by I said, "It's the law to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks." She told me to watch where I was walking and flipped me off.

Looks like today is going to be another I hate everyone but Lindsay day...

A Wonderful Week...

So, I've had a pretty awesome week and a half...

1. I did (relatively) well on a biochemistry exam even though I slept through the time I had allotted to studying. Despite ending up without any time to study, I made a C!
2. I was able to go up to the temple twice, which gave me a boost to help me prepare for the rest of this semester. I also got some inspiration from the Spirit and from a friend as a result.
3. I was able to visit Demopolis and speak, which meant that I got to see my aunt and uncle for the first time in quite a while. Evidently the primary has grown a lot since I was there last.
4. I did well on two tests I had to take on Thursday for my American Foreign Policy and International Relations classes. I don't have scores yet, but I went out feeling very confident with both. :)
5. Alabama beat LSU last Saturday in overtime, overcoming a deficit and horrible officiating to remain among the thinning ranks of the unbeaten. The YSA watched the game using a projector hooked up to cable, which was totally awesome!!!
6. Alabama beat Mississippi State for the first time since 2005 in a dominating performance, using big plays from special teams to pull away in the second half.

So all in all, I've had a great week. Wait, am I missing something? Oh, yeah. This:

Coughing In an MRI Tube

Well, Wednesday, I got to spend a day with my wonderful doctors taking part in what I kindly term as the most boring day ever my yearly checkup.

First, a little background. I had a paper due Monday (it was originally due the week before, but the professor was nice enough to allow extra days for those who either had other classes with tests/papers, or had brothers who had taken the laptop). As I worked on it, I became sick. The dreaded cold had attacked! The problem with college is that when one student gets sick, the other 28,600 can't be far behind. Such was my predicament. I had to deal with the cold all weekend and into this week - in fact, I missed both Family Home Evening and Institute in the same week for quite possibly the first time ever. So, I was a bit apprehensive visiting my surgeons on Wednesday. But, I had postponed the appointments twice already and had them moved by the doctors once, so I decided I'd better get this over with before I was due for my next yearly checkup.

So, I arrived at UAB early Wednesday morning, after fighting with the frost on my car (yes, Alabama does get cold). I had taken some Robitussin, so I thought I'd be fine for the wonderful 30-45 minutes inside the tube of death the MRI tube, where I would undergo an MRI of the head. I went in, was fitted with my IV tube in order to fill my body with radioactive fluid meant to turn me into a ninja turtle gadolinium halfway through the scan for the contrast portion, and placed inside the tube. About halfway through the first half of the scan, I noticed that I had an itch in my throat. I knew exactly where this was going and became worried. Sure enough, I had to cough. One problem - if I coughed and moved my head, the scan would be worthless and I'd have to sit through this again! I got in three coughs without so much as a flinch, and then as the machine paused between scans (you can tell this when the incredibly annoying beeping and other noises that drive you insane stop), I pushed the panic button and asked the radiology tech to let me cough. She got me some water, and while still lying down on the table, I drank, coughed, and felt much improved. I was able to survive the remainder of the scan without so much as a throat tickle.

I then visited with my neurosurgeon, who told me that the one small portion of the tumor that he wasn't able to remove has not grown, which means it likely won't. I then went to my otolaryngologist and had a hearing test done, where they were shocked to learn that I couldn't hear in my left ear where everything came up normal. All in all, a successful day. I finally came home late that afternoon, knowing that I wouldn't have to go back for another year that I was doing well.

BSC 450 - Biochemistry

Disclaimer: This is the last in a series of posts discussing my classes this semester. They will all be under the label "Fall Courses" if you want to look at them.

zzzzz... zzzzz... zzzzz... Huh? What? I have to get ready for class? It's not even 7 a.m. yet?!?! What class is it anyway? BIOCHEMISTRY?!?!? What the ****? No way am I going!

That sums it up. Why anyone would schedule biochemistry at 8 a.m. is beyond me.

Not only that, but the professor is dry. I mean, if you're going to have a class at 8 a.m., especially as dry as biochemistry, you need an exciting teacher. But no. The teacher is dry, the information is dry, everything just makes you want to pull your eyes out.

The saving grace: the exams are multiple choice. Yay!

PSC 413 - American Foreign Policy

Disclaimer: This is another in a series of posts discussing my classes this semester. They will all be under the label "Fall Courses" if you want to look at them.

Well, now that I'm working on the theory, it's time to put it into practice!

This class focuses on the US foreign policy from World War II to the present. Our book is written from a realist perspective, which focuses on power and security as the main objectives of foreign policy. We went through the textbook writer's perspective on why the Cold War occurred, and two weeks later, went through a study that disproved the main hypothesis of the textbook. Quite fun!

The point that I've gathered from this class so far is that no one theory of international relations truly explains everything. A combination of theories are needed to accurately explain what happens, and prediction is almost impossible.

This class is much smaller than Dr. Gibler's other class, so we're able to interact much more. He asks questions in class and allows us to debate some, within reason. We have a good spread of ideologies in the class, which adds fuel to the fire at times. In fact, we have one student who is a Republican lobbyist and works on the McCain campaign. Sometimes, I wish I could bring popcorn.

PSC 204 - International Relations

Disclaimer: This is another in a series of posts discussing my classes this semester. They will all be under the label "Fall Courses" if you want to look at them.

Well, you have to learn the theory before you can understand the practice. That's the main reason for taking this class.

International relations isn't a current events class; it's actually quite far from it. This class teaches the principles and theories that shape international relations and politics. Of course, modern-day examples are used to explain, examine, or disprove theories, but the focus is on the theories.

My professor, Dr. Gibler, also teaches my PSC 413 class. He has a blog for his classes where he also puts interesting topics he finds online about politics and whatever else. Pretty good stuff, and I'd recommend the occasional glance.

Being a 200-level course, we're in an auditorium, and there are tons of students. Many are young... very young. Man, I feel so old when I'm in these classes! The sheer number of students also means multiple choice exams, which are nice. So, so far, so good.

PSC 334 - Latin American Political Systems

Disclaimer: This is another in a series of posts discussing my classes this semester. They will all be under the label "Fall Courses" if you want to look at them.

First, I had no plans on taking this course. I had to add this at the last minute because of a work conflict, so I took what upper-level political science class was available.

The professor, Dr. Kline, is very knowledgeable about Latin America, having lived there several times in several countries. The textbook we use was edited by him. Needless to say, he's the right teacher for the job.

However, it just doesn't hold my interest. I've never been to Latin America, and it's never been an area in which I've been interested.

Dr. Kline also has the tendency to go off on tangents, which almost never have anything to do with the topic of the day. We tend to end up skipping over five or six slides to get to where he wants to be, and we don't get any of the slides to look at ourselves.

The one main positive is the fact that he emphasizes analysis rather than rote facts. He wants us to learn how to analyze situations and judge whether democracy really exists in these countries. So, I'll muddle through and get by in this class, and look forward to what's available in the spring.

UH 300 - Defining Marriage

Disclaimer: This is the first in a series of posts discussing my classes this semester. They will all be under the label "Fall Courses" if you want to look at them.

So, since this class is the one that has elicited the most questions, I figured I'd blog about it first.

It's definitely interesting to have a class on marriage that isn't an institute class. My teacher has two young children, a JD and PhD, and has worked in family law and church law for the Catholic Church, so her views are definitely affected by that. However, she is always encouraging of discussion. The class, being a University Honors course, is limited to 15 students, and honestly, I don't think there are more than eleven in the class there are 14 of us who have decided to stay in there. Men, of course, are underrepresented. There are three of us in there.

The views are varied - besides the token LDS, there are evangelicals, a few catholics, and a few that are either atheists or agnostics. I definitely like that about the class. It leads to more discussion and to more ideas. We're going to go through legal definitions, cultural definitions, religious definitions, and then at the end of the semester, we'll talk about the future of marriage. One class will be devoted to the LDS view of marriage, and the teacher wants to have a guest speaker, which is a good sign. I'm helping her get that.

With all of these classes, I'm being purposely vague. If you have any questions, ask in the comments, and I'll try to answer them.

Jack Johnson @ Lakewood Amphitheater, 8/13/08

So, last Wednesday, as a sort of last hurrah to the summer, I went  with a few friends - Kellee, Rachel, and Will -  to see Jack Johnson in Atlanta. Here's a photo gallery from the AJC - I forgot my camera. I did not know until Monday that I would be going, so this was a pleasant surprise. We left T-town at 1 PM in order to arrive around the time when doors opened, hoping that we would be able to get a good spot on the lawn, which we did, but more on that later.

The first guy on stage was Neil Halstead, and the best way I could describe his music was an acoustic Death Cab-like sound - aka really good! I was pleasantly surprised, and may have to find some of his music.

Then, after his set, came the worst part of the concert - continual ads telling us how to combat "climate change" - the new, vogue way of talking about global warming. One day, I may post my feelings on the subject or link to a meteorologist whose feelings I share, but I won't today. It was an unnecessary and pointless set of ads meant to brainwash rather than educate.

The next set was from Rogue Wave. They may have been okay, but I was unable to listen because their music was WAY TOO LOUD!!!! I actually had to walk outside in order to save whatever hearing I still have. Shame that it happened, but I don't feel like I missed much from what little I was able to hear.

Then, after another mind-numbing period of ads during which I almost was convinced that climate change is real, and that I should go and do whatever the voice in the ad told me to do, Jack Johnson finally came on stage. He was great, but there was a problem during the set. Actually, there were five problems - two guys, three girls, and a lot of alcohol.

They decided just before Jack Johnson got on stage that the small space in between our blanket and the people in front of us was the perfect spot for them to stand (or attempt to stand). They immediately began to irritate us and cause problems, but we (read: Kellee and Rachel) were the bigger people and didn't do anything other than mutter insults under our breath.

Then, one of the girls falls onto the blanket we're sitting/standing on, and starts to blame us (or we think she did) - all she could get out of her mouth was "Really?" repeated over and over again, and her friends decided to blame us too. Well, Will stepped in to try to diffuse the situation, and me and Rachel went to get a cop. We came back with three cops, who wandered around us and kept watch for a while, forcing the drunken idiots to calm down.

By now, we were into the fourth or fifth song of the set, but the rest of the show, including the encore, was incredible! Here's a picture of the set list for those of you who are crazy about Jack. He, of course, came out and did an encore, bringing out Zach Rogue and Neil Halstead to join him for a bit.

Overall, the concert was an A, which is also the grade I give the cops. The beer vendors, however, get an F for selling so much beer to the group in front of us (just during Jack Johnson, they had 2-3 beers each, and they were already wasted when they got to us). Limits, people, limits!!!

I finally have a radio station to listen to again!

First things first: I'll post later on the Jack Johnson concert I attended Wednesday. But first...

Ever since 107.7 the X moved down the radio dial (aka just after I got home from my mission), I have struggled to listen to music on the radio. When The X @ 100.5 disappeared in favor of sports-talk, it became even tougher. Lots of this is attributable to Dave Rossi, the program director for WRAX who left in 2003. He was the one who discovered artists like Matchbox Twenty, Train, and John Mayer. Here's a good blog post talking about this, and here's a story talking about how the last program director of WRAX ran the station into the ground.

But now for the good news: there's a new station in town! Live 100.5, a AAA station, debuted this morning. Here's some of the details from al.com's Nightlife blog. Dave Rossi, the mastermind of the X, is back, too. The man who helped bring great bands to City Stages, the Crawfish Boil, and various other venues and festivals in the area is back, and I'm excited.