SADNESS FACING THE END

During the last few years of my Grandpa Z's life, he became somewhat obsessed with finding a way to lose weight as his doctor had suggested, without having to diet, exercise or give up the vices he enjoyed most – booze and smoking his pipe. He constantly searched the classified ads in the back of his favorite magazines for companies that promised instant weight loss in a pill, and the top of the chest-style freezer that sat in my grandparent's kitchen became littered with the various products he purchased in a futile attempt to ward off the cessation of his life.

Whenever a new package of pills would arrive in the mail, my grandmother would complain to me about the folly of my grandfather's purchases, as if I held some mystical sway over his line of thinking, but I never heard her criticized my grandfather to his face about the pills. In fact, she was the one who routinely set the latest pill-of-the-week on my grandfather's breakfast plate each morning. She knew the pills were useless, but I suppose she figured there was nothing to be gained by fussing over an old man's folly, so she threw up her hands and went along for the ride.

I remember feeling sad watching my grandfather taking the pills that I knew could never deliver as promised, but that sadness was not born from the knowledge that my grandfather had been taken by snake oil salesmen. It came from the recognition that my grandfather was facing the stark reality of nearing the end of his mortal life. He'd led a long and productive one, but he was frightened by the prospect of having to let it go.

The sports world has been abuzz over the past few weeks over reports of pro athletes using performance enhancing substances banned by their respective sports. According to allegations published in an article in Sport's Illustrated, Baltimore Raven's star linebacker, Ray Lewis supposedly used "deer antler spray," a banned performance enhancing substance, to aid in his recovery from a torn triceps injury. Lewis, whose football career will end this Sunday after the Super Bowl in New Orleans, vehemently denied the allegation. Some time ago, aging pro golfer, Vijay Singh admitted using the substance. So did New Zealand golfing pro, Bob Charles, though both Charles and Singh indicated that they did not know the substance was banned. Meanwhile, aging slugger Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees has been named by the Miami New Times as one of many professional athletes who recently received HGH, a performance enhancing steroid banned by baseball, from a Miami clinic. Rodriguez, who is also nearing the end of his professional baseball career, denied the allegations too. And then there was the Lance Armstrong fiasco; need I say more!

Although I understand why folks are irate at professional athletes who seek out ways to cheat their respective sports by using performance enhancing substances, I find myself more saddened than anything when I read about their alleged doping activities. I've seen grown men, who like my grandfather face the end of their days and are frightened by the prospect. I know it's hard for professional athletes to let go, to recognize their own physical decline, to climb down from their public pedestal and acknowledge that the sport they knew and loved had left them in its wake. I know these athletes made millions playing a simple game and basking in the afterglow of public adoration, but at the end of the day when one is left with only his own thoughts for company, fear of the end is no less frightening than it was for my grandfather. It made me sad back in my grandfather's time, and it still does today.

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER KID GETS GUNNED-DOWN

You've probably heard by now that a teenaged student from Chicago was shot to death on Tuesday afternoon as she was chatting with a group of friends in a Chicago Park. The young lady, Hadiya Pendleton was an innocent bystander, but her innocence did nothing to protect her from the lethal firearm used to snuff out her life.

Meanwhile, earlier today, former Arizona Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, a gunshot victim herself, testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and implored the Senators hearing her testimony to take action to quell the rising tide of gun violence in America. Ironically, as Giffords testified pro-gun activists heckled and ridiculed her from the committee hearing room gallery.

It's a sad day when the right to unfettered gun ownership trumps that right to life of an innocent teenaged girl from Chicago, but that's the price gun owners all across America demand that the rest of Americans pay. You'd think they'd at least say thanks; but alas, they're too busy shooting off their mouths and their guns.

BASHAR THE BUTCHER CONTINUES TO SHED BLOOD

Residents in the Syrian city of Aleppo woke up today to the grim discovery of scores of human corpses dumped in a nearby canal controlled by government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar a-Assad. The corpses of men, mostly in their 20's and 30's, littered the canal, and by local accounts in the aftermath of the massacre, bore bullet wounds consistent with summary executions. Mass executions are nothing new from the regime of Bashar the Butcher, who has already killed over sixty thousand Syrian citizens in an attempt to squash the massive uprising against him, but Bashar's brutality appears to get more and more depraved as days go by. We can only pray for a speedy end to the bloodshed and hope that the Syrian President's days are numbered too. If not, sooner or later, there won't be any Syrian citizens left.

AHMADINEJAD IN ORBIT

BREAKING NEWS: Yesterday, officials in Iran announced that their country was successful in sending a monkey into space. While the pictures released with the announcement showed a small monkey strapped inside a space capsule, those in the know behind the scenes revealed that the rocket's actual payload monkey was none other than Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian President had planned to appear live and triumphant on television upon his return to earth, but that plan had to be cancelled when scientists opening the space capsule found that Ahmadinejad had pissed in his pants and barfed all over the inside of the cockpit.

MORE PROTESTS IN EGYPT

Egyptians flipped their fingers, so to speak at dictator, Mohamed Morsi's curfew and martial law edicts and took to the streets en masse once again to protest the dictator's most recent crackdown. Crowds of protestors in Cairo and Alexandria joined in the struggle demanding Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood's ouster. The leader of the Egyptian military, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned that the state of Egypt could collapse if a political solution was not soon reached, but Morsi remains defiant and the crowds of protestors grow each day. You have to root for those Egyptians who are refusing to submit to yet another corrupt and oppressive regime, and it's heartening to see a people so dedicated to retaining liberty and tolerance. Many here in the United States could learn a thing of two about those subjects.

A POLITICIAN IN NEED OF A LABOTOMY

The other day former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi managed to confirm what many Europeans suspected – Berlusconi is in need of a frontal lobotomy. The evidence was Berlusconi's praise of World War II Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini and Mussolini's decision to side with Germany's Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.

Berlusconi is currently in the midst of a political come-back effort, despite having been convicted of tax fraud last year. How far his current campaign goes is anybody's guess.

You wouldn't think that backing Hitler, the murderer of over six million Jews would be a popular way to garner political support among Italian voters in this day and age, but apparently there's a sizeable anti-Semitic crowd in Italy and Berlusconi is perfectly willing to stoke that fire if it gains him votes. Of course, when you have the kind of money Berlusconi has, you can pretty much stoke any fire you want. That doesn't make him wealthier, but it does shows how stupid he is.

BOY SCOUTS TO EMBRACE THE RAINBOW?

The big buzz in the scouting world is that Boy Scouts of America, the umbrella group for all boy scouts, is considering dropping the scout's ban on gay members and leaders. If the scouts do take that action, a grave injustice will finally be rectified. It's been long overdue.

PALIN AND FOX DIVORCE

By now you must have heard that Sarah Palin, the former Veep candidate and first mamma grizzly of Alaska and Fox news, America's premier G.O.P. propaganda machine, have parted ways. Both parties called the divorce amicable, but I'm skeptical because Sarah Palin never says good-bye without shooting somebody in the back. Eventually, the real reason for the split will be leaked, though probably not to this blogger, but I'm betting that Palin wanted significantly more air time than Fox was willing to provide. Green Acres and Leave it to Beaver reruns probably brought in more advertising dollars than Palin did for the Fox network, so it's not surprising that Fox would want to jettison Palin, despite the foxy mamma's appeal to the redneck crowd.

Super Bowl Prediction

Ravens 24, 49'ers 21

INVESTING IN FIREARMS *

I normally don't give out unsolicited investment advice, mostly because the last time I did so the stock I suggested tanked shortly thereafter. Yeah, that was embarrassing, but thankfully none of my friends took my advice, so the only one I know who lost any money was me. Since then, I've been pretty good at keeping my mouth shut when it comes to doling out financial advice…until now!

Here's my latest investing tip: Invest in gun manufacturers and sporting goods companies that sell guns.

Now, I make no secret about being a staunch supporter of gun regulations, and I realize that my investment advice runs counter to my gun control beliefs, but investment advice is all about making money and right now there's plenty of money to be made with guns. Take Olin Corporation, for example. Olin Corp. is the parent company of Winchester Rifle. Since the tanking of the U.S. economy in 2008, Olin Corp. stock has slowly notched its way upward, while many other corporate stocks took a dive and stayed in the basement. Olin's most recent dividend paid a yield of 3.4%, not bad when you consider that most bank CD rates are at 1% or less. Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation stock did even better. When the market tanked in late 2008, its stock dove to under $2 dollars per share. Now, it's above nine dollars per share, a 400% increase over four years. What gives?

Well, despite the gripes and groans denouncing gun control efforts that gun manufacturers put out in the media on a daily basis, liberals talking about guns and mass killings involving guns are good for business; the gun business, that is. Sales of firearms spike whenever a liberal in power mentions firearms, or some wing-nut with a weapon mows down a bunch of innocent people. I know. It doesn't make sense. Firearms are the only product on the market where word that the product killed a bunch of people actually increases the product's sales volume.

That's why, given the prevalence of gun violence in America, it's probably a safe bet to invest in guns.

* Disclaimer: I'm not really advocating investing in guns. At least I don't think so.

MORSI UPDATE

Taking another queue from the Dictator's Bible, Egyptian strongman Mohamed Morsi declared a month-long state of emergency yesterday. The degree covered three separate cities (Suez, Port Said & Ismailia) in Egypt and banned citizens from taking to the streets in those cities after nine o'clock in the evening. Presumably, violators will be shot because Morsi issued a warning that those who challenge his order will be dealt with as harshly as possible.

Thousands of people in Port Said took to the streets yesterday to participate in the funerals of thirty people who were killed by police and the Egyptian military in that city during two days of protests last week. Morsi did not react favorably to the mass demonstrations that followed and ordered the police to disburse the parading mourners. The police in Port Said moved in and killed seven protestors and disburse thousands more with tear gas. The order imposing a declaration of emergency followed immediately.

Egyptians have seen this kind of reaction to protests before, and I doubt they will stand for Morsi's actions now that they see him for what he is – just another brutal dictator. The people of Egypt were victorious in their efforts to bring down former dictator, Hosni Mubarak, and they know their strength lies in numbers. My guess is that Morsi's days are numbered.

MOVIES TO LIVE BY

Over the years, I've been moved by a number of movies I've seen and I frequently find myself pondering the message that each movie contained and how that message applied to my own life. I never tire of watching any of them. You probably have your own list somewhere in your head, but I thought I'd share mine.

Oh, God! (1977)

Out of Africa (1985)

Dances With Wolves (1990)

Regarding Henry (1991)

Philadelphia (1993)

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Forrest Gump (1994)

Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)

The Spitfire Grill (1996)

Simon Birch (1998)

What Dreams May Come (1998)

Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)

Amazing Grace (2006)

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Mubarak to Morsi - Just Another Dictator

Mohamed Morsi, the current President of Egypt and leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in that country has turned out to be a Hosni Mubarak clone, albeit one with a different group of iron-fisted supporters, and Egyptians have quickly come to realize that their initial flirtation with democracy resulted in a simple substitution of dictators. While Morsi has used his presidential position to insert himself on the stage of world diplomacy, his Muslim Brotherhood supporters have used their parliamentary power to impose strict religious law on Egyptian society, a society with a long tradition of social secularism and religious tolerance. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood have both ignored the bread and butter issues (unemployment, civil services, food access and deteriorating infrastructures) that middle and working class Egyptians are most concerned about, and the growing frustration among the populace has triggered another wave of widespread demonstration across the country.

Tens of thousands of angry Egyptians have taken to the streets in that nation's largest cities this past week, the two-year anniversary of the public protests that led to the end of Mubarak's dictatorship. The marchers have demanded that Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood step down from their positions of power and leave Egypt, the same demands that protestors made of Mubarak two years ago, and the Morsi-led Muslim Brotherhood regime has responded with the same dictatorial show of force that Mubarak employed. It has labeled the protestors as rioters and criminal enemies of Egypt and deployed soldiers and police to disburse the crowds with tear gas and bullets.

If Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood thought they would remake Egypt into a theocracy like Iran, they're sorely mistaken, because despite living under decades of Mubarak's dictatorial regime, Egyptians have come to appreciate living in a society that is not governed by religious extremism. It's not that Egyptians are not a religious people. In fact, they are very religious. They have, however, come to appreciate that religious dictators are just as corrupt as secular ones, and they want no part of either type.

I'm rooting for those Egyptians protesting in the streets. They want a better life for all of their brothers and sisters. They want a life free from dictatorial oppression and religious intolerance. They want to be free to live life on their own terms. I wish them well!

A PLUG FOR MICRO-LENDING

I'm putting a plug in for micro-lending this afternoon. It's one thing we can do to improve mankind and the plight of the less fortunate among us.

KIVA.org is just one of a host of micro-lending organizations that connect individuals willing to lend money with individuals and groups in underdeveloped (and some developed ones) countries who would otherwise have no access to lenders willing to finance efforts to improve their lives. To participate as a KIVA lender, a person must be willing to lend $25 or more. Lenders chose from among hundreds of borrowers seeking loans and donate $3.75 per loan to KIVA to cover KIVA's operating costs. For more information on KIVA's micro-lending program, visit www.KIVA.org.

To join my lending group, visit www.KIVA.org/invitedby/steven1170

Actually, my "lending group" is a misnomer, since I'm the only member, but I remain hopeful.

There is one factoid that I'd like to pass along. The highest lending team, lending $9,833,150 dollars to date is the "Atheists, Agnostic & Skeptics" team. "KIVA Christians" rank second with a total lifetime lending amount of $6,184,550. Let's go Christians. Getting beat by the atheists in the charity department is embarrassing!

TWEETING THE POPE

Here's a tid-bit for all you Twitter fans out there. According to the Vatican, the Pope is a big-time tweeter. Between audiences with foreign dignitaries, praying for his wayward pedophile priests and trying to keep a lid on the ongoing Vatican banking scandal, the Holy Father likes to keep in touch with his followers using nine separate Twitter accounts. I'm not sure why the Pope needs that many accounts, seeing as he only has two hands and a limited amount of time to devote to tweeting, but I guess that's one of the perks that comes with being a Pope.

NORTH KOREANS NEED THESAURUS

North Koreans have an affinity for using flowery language to describe their most fearless and wisest leader…that would currently be Kim Jong Un, or so they claim, but I'm of the opinion that what North Koreans sorely need the most, other than food, clothing, heating oil, medicine and habitable shelters, are proper up-to-date Korean thesauruses. It's got to be maddening to constantly have to search for new and different ways to heap verbal accolades upon their new young leader, especially on an empty stomach when the temperature outside is ten below and nobody within ten miles owns a proper coat. That's exactly where a thesaurus would come in handy.

I realize that Kim Jong Un would rather pump what little money North Korea has into building nuclear bombs and missiles capable of hitting the United States, but who would be around to sing his praises if the North sent two or three nuclear missiles our way and we respond in kind with two or three hundred of our own? Probably not too many, which is why I'm kind of focused on this whole thesaurus idea. If North Koreans had a proper thesaurus, they could keep Kim Jong Un basking in the afterglow of continuous verbal adoration, and maybe then he wouldn't feel the need to start a war with nuclear fireworks.

CONGRESSIONAL PAY PLOY NOTHING BUT POLITICAL THEATER

The Republican's latest approach to the debt ceiling sounds like a sensible first step in trying to get the government's financial house in order, but when the details are examined, it's patently clear that the Grand Old Party's latest scheme is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. The proposal I'm referring to grants the federal government a three-month extension on the government's debt limit, but ties Congressional pay to the passing of a federal budget. There are two very good reasons why this proposal won't work: (1) it is unconstitutional, and (2) at least half the members of Congress wouldn't miss a paycheck.

Article I, Section 6, Paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the United States directs that "Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services…" That means the members of Congress are entitled to be paid for their work, regardless of whether legislation is enacted or not, and any law passed to deny Congressional compensation runs afoul of the expressed wording of our federal Constitution. Denying members of Congress compensation might be a feel-good proposition for taxpayers, but it's just as unconstitutional as, let's say, banning handguns.

Moreover, it's highly unlikely that many members of Congress would miss their paycheck. The Center for Responsive Politics examined the financial disclosure statements of all members of Congress and found that almost half were millionaires. Two-thirds of the Senate fit in that category. The Center reported that the average net worth of all Senators was $2.63 million dollars in 2011, whereas the average American household income during that same year was about $50,000 dollars. The average Joe living hand-to-mouth might miss a paycheck, but not the average Senator.

A much more effective proposal than the G.O.P. advocates would be one that banned members of Congress from campaigning, conducting fundraisers and accepting political contributions during any yearly quarter where the government is running without a budget. Of course, such a plan would be just as unconstitutional as the one Republicans are now advancing, but Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public would get some satisfaction out of thinking that members of Congress had their backs against the wall too.

Nothing talks in Congress like political contributions. Shut off that spigot and Congress would surely take notice!

Relegating the G.O.P. to the Dustbin of History

Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican John Boehner of Ohio bitterly complained to members of the Ripon Society the other day saying that President Obama wants to annihilate the G.O.P. and relegate the Republican Party to "the dustbin of history." Boehner's remarks are kind of ironic, because Boehner's leadership partner in the U.S. Senate, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, famously remarked after the 2010 elections that the Republican Party's primary goal in the two years that followed would be to destroy President Obama and replace him with a Republican. So, instead of working and compromising with Democrats to build better lives for every American, the G.O.P. in Congress wasted the last two years trying to annihilate President Obama. You'll have to pardon me for having no sympathy for the G.O.P. because it deserves none.

There's a second bit of irony in Boehner's words at the Ripon Society gathering, and that irony lies with the folks in Boehner's audience. The Ripon Society is a moderate Republican think tank that promotes social tolerance, conservation of natural resources, a strong public educational system, health and safety for all Americans and increased public participation in our Nation's political system. Boehner's G.O.P. has spent the past two years trying to undermine every one of those goals, and he has the nerve blame President Obama. Wow! That's hubris!

Need I remind anybody that it's been the G.O.P. at the forefront of social intolerance with gay bashing and anti-reproductive rights legislation. The G.O.P. has led the charge in advocating for natural gas fracking, mountaintop removal in coal mining, oil drilling in environmentally fragile areas, easing clean air and water regulations and elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency. The G.O.P. has undertaken a relentless assault on America's public education system and stonewalled all efforts to insure that all Americans have access to health care. Despite the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year from guns, the G.O.P. has refused to entertain any government efforts to improve public safety through firearm regulation. Finally, it's been the G.O.P. that spear-headed voter sign-up, voter-ID laws and other election regulations that served to hinder, not increase public participation in our democratic election process. Every one of those efforts run contrary to the stated goals of the Ripon Society.

I wouldn't blame President Obama if he really did want to annihilate the Republican Party, but I'm fairly certain that President Obama has more important issues on his mind. He's also a smart guy, and I'm equally certain he realizes that the G.O.P. is more than capable of annihilating itself without his help. Those who get relegated to the dustbin of history are there because they deserve to be. If that includes the Republican Party, so be it!

NEANDERTHAL CLONING - JUST SAY NO

If you're a news junkie like me you probably couldn't resist clicking on the recent Internet news headline suggesting that scientists were searching for women to give birth to Neanderthal babies. It sounded like something right out of Jurassic Park, only involving an earlier version of homo sapiens (that's science-speak for humans) instead of dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the article didn't live up to its billing and I felt somewhat duped and disappointed.

Some scientist whose name I can't recall predicted that one day within the next hundred years researchers would attempt to clone a Neanderthal baby by implanting Neanderthal DNA in the nucleus of a fertilized human egg. I'm not sure what the point of such an exercise would be, but it does raise my eyebrows a bit because I think we already have more Neanderthals than are necessary running loose in this world. The last thing we need is to clone more!

Don't get me wrong; I'm all for science. That includes medical stuff on the cutting edge, plus anything the Vatican finds objectionable, but a guy has to draw a line somewhere and I draw mine at Neanderthal cloning.

Isn't it enough that university frat houses churn out more Neanderthal graduates each year than biologist can clone sheep? What good would a few more beer-guzzling bozos do for humanity's ever-expanding gene pool? I just don't see it!

An Inaugural Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King

Dr. Martin Luther King would be proud, because on this National Holiday saluting his dedication to the civil rights movement, a black man took the presidential oath of office for the second time in four years. President Obama's election would not have been possible, had it not been for the ground-breaking work and sacrifices Dr. Martin Luther King and other courageous civil rights activists undertook in the name of freedom and true equality. It is, therefore, fitting that today's presidential inauguration provided all Americans with an opportunity to reflect on Dr. King's legacy. American was, and continues to be blessed because he lived.

The National Rifle Association is a Terrorist Group

According to the United States Department of State and the U.S. Department of Justice, an organization can be designated as a global terrorist organization if the organization or its activities threaten the security of United States nationals or the national security of the United States. By those standards, the National Rifle Association is a global terrorist organization and its leaders should be jailed in the Guantanamo Bay prison along with the rest of the zealots of murder and mayhem that are housed there.

The N.R.A. has metastasized from a civic organization whose main goal was the promotion of firearm safety into a cancerous cadre of gun-toting wing nuts who are more concerned with boosting an individual's ability to kill than with improving the public safety. Its policies promote the sacrifice of thousands of innocent men, women and children every year for the sole purpose of maintaining the ability to own a piece of metal.

Now is the time for all Americans to rise up against this terrorist organization. Our future safety depends on it!