What A Bargain

Wow! Gas is down to $2.99/gallon!! What a bargain!

Something I'd never thought I'd say about that price just a couple of weeks ago... :)

It Doesn't Affect THEM

Despite the incredible rise in gas prices over the past week and the shortages in various parts of the country...

...plenty of people still drove their gas-sucking RV's to the local my local university to attend the football game at the local university. These are rich alumni and the like with an endless supply of money. I am sure the same thing happened at the other football games over the weekend. These are some of the THEM...the rich people who are not affected by the price of gas.

...Nascar races went on. Another incredible waste of fuel, not only for the cars participating, but also for the spectators traveling to get there.

What will it take for us as a country to change our wasteful ways when it comes to oil? Ten dollar per gallon gas? Twenty dollar per gallon gas?? Or maybe just no gas at all, period. What happened this past week is just a preview of what will eventually happen when the world does run out of oil or when a large-scale war breaks out in the Middle East or with the Arab nations. Let's not wait until it happens. Let's start changing our habits and making preparations now. It is a difficult path, but one that must be taken if we are to survive in the long term. And we need leaders who are courageous enough to help us and guide us along that path.

Send The Refugees To.....

Here are ideas for what we can do with some of the refugees from Hurricane Katrina:

1) Send them to D.C. They could stay at the White House with the First Family and share in some of the niceties.

2) Send them to Crawford, Texas. I hear there is a ranch there with plenty of room!!

Mother Nature-Terrorist

Hurricane Katrina has caused more death, destruction, misery and economic impact in this country than any terrorist attack. I doubt if the terrorists themselves have the means to duplicate such a mess. Nevertheless I am sure that some radical Islamists and Al Quieda people have been laughing and dancing gleefully for the past week.

So Sayeth The Shack

Sounds Like Something I'd Do

From "News of the Weird" in the local newspaper this past Friday...

"...And David Owen Rye, 48, was arrested...for allegedly firing at least 3 bullets into a Toyota Camry in an apartment-house parking lot because its car alarm wouldn't shut off."

Yup...sounds like something I'd do...shoot a car for making too much noise.

Of course, I'd rather shoot a Ford than a Toyota, but....

The Fabric of Humanity

A phrase that I heard a couple of times on the CBS News tonight, in regards to the aftermath of Katrina and the lack of services, was "the fabric of humanity is beginning to fray". Does this mean that the only things that make us "human" is our modern conveniences and services? That without running water and sanitation and the ability to procure food and shelter we become something less than human? That we somehow turn back into animals willing to do anything to ensure our own survival?

I ask myself...how would I act if I were ever in that situation? Would I go to any means, including looting or perhaps even murder, to ensure my own survival or that of my family? I cannot truthfully answer that question as I sit here in the comfort of my living room. I would hope that I would continue to act as a civilized human being, but unless I were to actually experience the situation, I cannot say for sure.

By the way I am not putting down anyone who has acted rashly in the wake of this hurricane to ensure their own survival. Just wondering, really, what I would do, and pointing out how dependent we as a society have become on the modern conviences of electricity, transportation and ease of shopping for food and other supplies.

Life is Bad For Us

I am afraid that some of the things that I eat and some of the things that I do increase the chance that I will die at the end of my life.

The Quandry of the Moral Pharmacist

In the Sunday, April 24 issue of my local newpaper appeared a column by Leonard Pitts of the Miami Herald titled "A moral objection does not give you license to shun job duties". Mr. Pitts starts off giving an example of someone who joins the Army and then refuses, on moral grounds, to kill enemy troops. He then likens this to a pharmacist, on moral grounds, refusing to dispense various forms of birth-control pills. This has been in the news recently. Apparently, the governor of Illinois issued an emergency decaration requiring pharmacies to fill prescriptions for the "morning after pill" after a pharmacist in that state refused to fill such a prescription. I both agree and disagree with various aspects of this situation. First of all, I commend and respect anyone who is willing enough to stand up for their beliefs and values to refuse to kill someone (in the case of the soldier), refuse to perform an abortion, or refuse to dispense birth control pills, including the morning-after pill, or even refusing to work on their sabbath. That being said, I feel that once someone has accepted a job working for someone else, knowing in advance all that that job entails and all that they will be called upon to do, they have given up their right to be selective concerning these sorts of moral issues. This means that anyone who is self-employed, whether as a doctor, pharmacist or whatever, can do whatever they want (within the law). If a pharmacist who owns their own independent drug store does not want to dispense certain medications based on moral grounds, that is OK. If they are closed on the owner's sabbath day, that is OK too. On the other hand, I feel that a pharmacist who works for WalMart, or Eckerd or any other chain must abide by the rules of the company they work for. The rules that they know of when they began their employment. They must fill whatever prescriptions are brought in. The government (as in the case of Illinois) should not need to get involved.

Some Catholics are Hypocritical

	1497.1
	With the recent passing of Pope John Paul II, many are wondering what the next Pope will be like. Many are hoping the that next Pope will have less conservative and traditional views on things like birth control, abortion, female priests, homosexualism, etc. I see a basic problem with this kind of thinking. Maybe the next Pope will be more liberal and thus will make some changes in these aspects of church law. But is it God's will for such changes to be made at this time, or is it the will of the people? Excuse me, but I was under the impression that the Pope was God's mouthpiece on earth, and not some kind of political leader that has to be popular with his subjects. I talk about hypocritical Catholics because I hear so many say, "I'm Catholic, but I disagree with this, that and the other thing". Or, "I"m Catholic, but I believe in birth control, or abortion, or whatever". I have said this before and will say it again, I do not think the Catholic Church (or any church, really), is supposed to be a democracy. A church...a real church anyway, is supposed to be run by God or His Spokesman (the Pope...or in the case of the LDS Church, the president and prophet of the church). It is run from the top down, not the bottom up. God commands us, not the other way around. He has not said, to my knowledge, that abortion, or same-sex marraige, or any of these other pressing issues of our time are anymore OK now than they were hundreds or thousands of years ago. To those who say "I'm Catholic, but I disagree with or don't believe whatever", I say would say, "you need to go to confession and then be more willing to follow your church leaders". Now I don't profess to be perfect or anything like that...far from it...I just feel that if someone professes to be a member of a church, that they should be willing to follow its teachings.

Murder, God's Will, or something else?

Terri Schiavo died on Thursday, March 31. Some will say that she was murdered, starved to death deliberately by the removal of her feeding tube. Others will say it was "God's will" that she died at this time. Others will say that it was her time to go and that she would have died than anyway, no matter what. We will never really know...

As far as "God's will" is concerned, I have a lot of problems with that. If God is so great, powerful, loving and just, how can it be his will that so many of his "children" live in such misery, abject poverty, etc while others have everything they need and want. Some are killed violently and at a premature age while others live their whole life. If I were as powerful as God supposedly is, I would make sure that all of my "children" always had everything they needed and were well cared for.

My opinion is that Terri was murdered; starved to death by the removal of her feeding tube. With no food and water, there was no other possible result than death. It is not the same as taking someone off a respirator. Some people on respirators live quite some time after being disconnected.

This is not to say that Terri had much of a "life". Certainly I would not want to live that way and I would not want my family to be going through that. If you feel the same way, make sure that your wishes are made known to your family and that you have a living will.

We Are Being Distracted From What Really Matters

Who in this country decides what is going to be news? How does something like the John Peterson case become a national news story when there are numerous murders on a daily basis in most of our big cities, and none of them make the national news? I'll bet if you or I were murdered, the story and subsequent investigation and trial would not be on "World News Tonight". What about Terri Schiavo? I am sure there are other people on various types of life support around the country that get their "plugs pulled" and we don't hear about them. One evening this week, the Terri Schiavo story took nearly 15 minutes of ABC news. For one person!! What about Michael Jackson or O.J. or the baseball steroid thing? Again, way too much information about things that have little relevance in the overall scheme of things. How about stories that really do matter? On the same night that ABC news spent 15 minutes on Terri Schiavo, they spent no more than one or two minutes on Iraq and what had happened there that day...how many had been killed. What about the situation in Darfour, Sudan? We almost never hear anything about that. What about plans for Iran and North Korea? How many people know that plans have been approved for oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Yet most people, at least in the office where I work can tell you what happened on "American Idol" or Survivor" or any of the other stupid reality shows or in the Michael Jackson trial or the stupid basketball playoffs. All things that have no importance in the overall scheme of things. Are we afraid to think about or discuss the important things? Are the TV networks afraid to air these things? (maybe their ratings will go down...that's something to really be afraid of!!). We are spending too much time, energy and money on things of little or no importance and not enough where it really counts.

The Oil Price Conspiracy

There are plenty of people getting rich on this oil situation (and I'm not one of them). They are doing it at the expense of the rest of us and driving us into poverty and bankruptcy (not very Christian of them, is it?) Think of this..the stations raise their prices, even when they haven't gotten a new delivery of gasoline. So they are taking gas that they bought at the old lower price and selling it the new higher price, thereby making that much more profit. Also it seems awfully fishy that the price goes up everywhere by the same amount on the same day, as if a decree is issued by some supreme dictator somewhere. Also, notice that the price always goes up they day after a news report about how something is going to cause the price to go up. It is all a conspiracy. There is no competition amount the stations and companies. They know very well that thay have us over a barrel (no pun intended) and are taking us on a wild ride. That refinery blast down in Texas (my condolences to the families of those killed) is probably somewhow part of a conspiracy to drive the prices even higher. The vast majority of us have no choice but to continue to drive (at least back and forth to work and basic grocery shopping) and to pay the higher prices. But that money has to come from somewhere. It will first come from things that we spend money on that are not necessary (what is and isn't necessary differs for each of us). So the overall economy will suffer because of it.

Terri--A Bad Case of Micromanagement

The President and congress have no business getting involved in Terri's situation. They are supposed to be running the country as a whole, not trying to control the life of each and every person. That is the job of lower branches of government. They will never get anything done if they try to control each and every person.

My other problem with all of this is...why are so many people so concerned about this one life, but not about all of the defenseless unborn babies that we kill each year??

Save Oil, Ban Motorsports

In the past week or so, the price of gas has gone up 10 to 15 cents per gallon. The people on TV tell us that the price increases are due to extremely tight supply and, of course, the volatility in the Middle East. If the supplies are really that tight, then I say that it is time to get rid of motorsports. Nascar, Indy cars, monster trucks, etc, right on down to the local dirt or asphalt tracks that run races on Friday and Saturday nights during the warmer months. All of these racing vehicles must use up huge quantities of fuel. Yes, it is a big industry and it makes someone a lot of money, but at the same time, there are a lot of people who can barely afford to drive to work and must cut other things out of teir budgets (maybe even food) to be able to pay the skyrocketing price of gas. While the deeper issue is our dependency on foreign oil, there are things that can be done now to cut down on how much of it we use. One of those things, I believe, is the complete elimination of motor sports.

So Sayeth The Shack

New Years--Bah Humbug!!

What is the big deal about New Year's? Why does everyone make such a big fuss about it? It is just another day, no different than any other. Just an arbitrary day marking the end of one calendar year and the start of another. What is there to celebrate? Thinks aren't going to be any different just because it is a different year. The world will still be the same god-awful mess it was before. Our lives will be the same as before...likely no better, hopefully no worse...so what's the big deal.? To me, this is the stupidest, most worthless holiday ever created. For most, it's just another excuse to go out and party and get wasted...as if people need an excuse. In my opinion, it all boils down to four letters...SSDN, which stands for "same shit, different number" Pooey on it all!!

So Sayeth The Shack
www.sosayeththeshack.com
www.gresiakfamily.com

Happy....whatever!

To everyone, whatever you may celebrate....

Happy Hannakuh

Merry Christmas

Happy Kwanzaa

Happy Boxing Day

Happy New Year

And if you don't celebrate anything, Have a happy day!!

(Please forgive me if I didn't mention your holiday!)

So Sayeth The Shack
www.sosayeththeshack.com
www.gresiakfamily.com

On "The End"

http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/20666/

Maybe this also exlpains why so many people are living so deep in debt and at the edge of bankruptcy. They believe that they may never have to pay it off.

Fear of Queers? How About Fear of God?

In the week or so following the presidential election, I read many articles bemoaning the results of the election as well as the reason for them. Many people who voted for George Bush listed moral values as the top reason for doing so. So the writers of the articles indicated that people were perhaps more afraid of the gay couple down the street than they were of the terrorists plotting their next attack on out country....more afraid of the single woman across town contemplating an abortion than of losing their job to someone in Mexico or Bangladesh. I think that maybe there is something else going on here. In the Bible, there are many times that the lesson of "prospering in the land" as a consequence of obeying God and doing His will is taught. When the people of biblical times obeyed God, they were prosperous and protected from their enemies. When they became disobedient and rebellious, they lost that protection and prosperity. Could that be what is happening to the United States? As a country, we are becoming less and less obedient to our God. There is widespread corruption and we are allowing things like abortion and gay marriage as well as pornography. So we are losing God's protection (witness the terrorist attacks) and are becoming less prosperous (good jobs are going to other countries and we are left with the low-pay, low-benefit service type jobs). Maybe people are beginning to realize that if we put God and his law first, these other things, prosperity and protection, will follow. No, I am not afraid of gay people, nor do I hate them (at least not any more than anyone else), but I still feel that what they are doing is wrong, and that, as a nation, promoting and condoning the actions of this vocal minority is leading us away from the protection and prosperity that God can provide. Same with abortion, illegal drugs, etc. I am not saying that we should hate the wrongdoers, but we should not be encouraging or promoting their behavior by passing laws that allow same-sex marriage, elective abortion, and other things. Incidently, I voted for Kerry!

--So Sayeth The Shack

Highway To Hell

This entry has a picture in it, so you'll have to visit the link below to view the picture and the related text.

http://www.sosayeththeshack.com/pai80.html


---So Sayeth The Shack

Civil War Within a Decade?

Well, the election is over, and we all know the result. We have been admonished by the candidates and others to reunite behind our elected leader and give him our full support. But will this really happen? I doubt it. In fact, this country is so divided on the issues that there is virtually nothing that will bring us together, even a common enemy. After the World Trade Center attacks, we briefy united in consolation for the victims and in hate for the perpetrators. But that union did not last long. Over the past year we have been more divided than in almost any other time in this country's history. Unless our country is seriously attacked, I do not envision any unity of the citizens. In fact, I envision an eventual split into various factions and political parties with no cooperation whatsoever between them. On the one side, there will be the "morally upright" yet warmongering and big-business favoring Republicans. On the other, there will be liberal gay, abortion-rights furthering Democrats. (No offense intended to anyone here....notice I am dissing both parties equally). I can see the nation splitting as it did before the Civil War, but this time into a Democratic group of states and a Republican group of states. There may not be an actual war between the two, but a once great nation will be split in two. Perhaps it will be even worse...perhaps there will be more and more divisions until it is down to every person for themselves. Why do I have such a dim, pessimistic view of things? Because I have been for over four decades observing the behavior of people and have seen a steady trend for the worse. (See an earlier post, "Shack's Theory of De-Evolution"). I guess deep down I hope that I an wrong, or that I die before this happens.

--So Sayeth The Shack