Painful Realization Islamo-fascism

There has been a lot of talk and its seems to be growing, about the term Islamo-fascism. If we are truly dealing with a fascistic mentality in Iraq, or even throughout the Middle-East, we are faced with a sobering reality.

We got in too soon.

Put this into historical perspective. Had England or America invaded Germany, Italy, or Japan too soon, it would have been politically unpalitable for them to conquer those countries all together. We would have been left rebuilding a resentful country. Unrepentant because after all, they would have done nothing wrong.

Of the three groups just named the mentality to the Jihadist Islamics most closely resembles the Japanese. And when we finally removed the Japanese from Iwo Jima and Okinawa we had to literally destroy the entire defending army. Of the 22,000 original Japanese combatants on Iwo Jima only 216 were taken prisoner. On Okinawa, 66,000 Japanese soldiers died or were missing with 140,000 civilians killed.

Why were the japanese so willing to fight to the death for their political agenda?

Beliefs and homeland.

For most Japanese, the emperor was decended from the Gods. They fought for the Gods. Then, as the invaders came closer to the homeland, they fought mainly to make them pay a higher price to stop the invaders from ever invading the mainland.

Applying this to what we face in Iraq is not a straight comparison. There are many middle eastern countries. There are even multiple religions in the middle east. It is simply the concept of the radicalized middle east that is the most sobering. Iraq hadn't committed enough attrocities for us to step in and catagorically convince the world and most importantantly the Iraqis and Iraq's neighbors, that the attrocities had to be stopped.

But at the base the comparison is stark. We are attacking their beliefs and we are in their homeland.

What has the reaction become? We are the perceived oppressors. The perceived enemy. This is a battle that must be won philosophically and there are no weapons I know of that can be used philosophically right now. (I can just see a whole fleet of Jehovah's Witnesses sent over to convert Iraq.)

We need to get out but if we leave now, when it implodes, it will be our fault.

If we stay we remain the focal point.

I think we should turn it over to a Middle Easter coalition of countries with Iraq trying to stick to the constitution we gave them. I realize this is a cut and run stategy; but, put into historical perspective, we're gonna get killed no matter what we do. And unlike Germany or Japan, when we went in this time we didn't level the country after years of prolonged war. The people don't need us to rebuild. They need us to get out and turn it over to them. I think that a middle eastern coalition might soften the blow somewhat.

No easy answer here.

I was informed that I have been tagged

My wife tagged me yesterday and I didn't even realize what she was talking about. I thought that she was just saying that I would probably comment on her blog.

So in the spirit of the game:

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Pizza Oven Connection Dishwasher (age 13) - It paid for my skiing
2. Boy Scout Camp Commissary Director (ages 16-17)
3. Custodian (age 21)
4. Painter (ages 23)

Four movies I have watched over and over:

1. Pride and Prejudice (the A&E version or the old black and white version, I don't really like the Kiera Knightly version) - I really wish A&E would create Les Miserables in the same way they did Pride and Prejudice.
2. Seven Brides for Seven Bothers (way more than anyone should have watched one movie)
3. Return to Me
4. Nine to Five, although I must admit I have only seen it once in the last ten years.

Four places I have lived (other than here!):
1. Cottonwood Heights, Utah(Birth - 14)
2. Kearny, AZ (14-19, and 28-31)
3. Italy (19-21)
4. Mesa, AZ (first 7 years of marriage)

Four TV shows I love to watch: (This is really hard...there isn't much I watch!)
1. American Idol
2. Extreme Makeover, Home Edition
3. House
4. Good Eats (We currently don't subscribe to that satellite package though)

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Experimental Recipies
2. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownies
3. Chinese Sweet and Sour (Pork or Chicken)
4. Chocolate Milk and Ginger Snaps (together)

Four people who I think will respond:

I'm going to cut the legs out from underneath this ponzi scheme right now. I'm only going to tag two people and hope that they respond.

1. My whiny twin, who thinks I don't know how to add.
2. My whiny older brother, who starts a blog only to let it die, all alone, out in the cold.

White and Nerdy

I read a WSJ article today about the Czech Republic adopting the flat tax. Interested that there are still folks out there talking about the flat tax I decided to go to wikipedia and see what the font of all knowledge had to say about the flat tax. I assumed (incorrectly) that it would be all about Steve Forbes' presidential bid in 1996.

In reading the article I discovered that the Czech Republic was still listed as one of the countries that had only proposed to switch to the flat tax.

I got an itch.

I had to fix it.

And so, for the first time in my life I added my two bits to the font of knowledge. It really wasn't my two bits, but if I didn't fix it, who was going to?

And now to my point. If you haven't heard the song "White and Nerdy" by Weird Al Yankovic one of the lines describing what makes the singer white and nerdy is that he edits wikipedia. Holy Cow! I'm White and Nerdy.

I have included the lyrics in this post and bolded the lyrics that apply to me, words in parenthesis are my commentary:

White & Nerdy by Al Yankovic

They see me mowin’ My front lawn
I know they’re all thinking I’m so white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white and nerdy?
Look at me, I’m white and nerdy

I wanna roll with The gangstas
But so far they all think I’m too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
I’m just too white and nerdy.
Really really white and nerdy.

First in my class here at MIT
Got skills, I’m a champion at D&D (actually I preferred other RPGs)
MC Escher - that’s my favorite MC
Keep your 40, I’ll just have an Earl Grey tea
My rims never spin, to the contrary
You’ll find that they’re quite stationary
All of my action figures are cherry
Steven Hawking’s in my library
My MySpace page is all totally pimped out
Got people beggin’ for my top eight spaces
Yo, I know pi to a thousand places
Ain’t got no grills but I still wear braces
I order all of my sandwiches with mayonnaise
I’m a whiz at Minesweeper - I could play for days
Once you see my sweet moves you’re gonna stay amazed
My fingers’ movin’ so fast I’ll set the place ablaze
There’s no killer app I haven’t run
At Pascal, well I’m number one
Do vector calculus just for fun
I ain’t got a gat but I got a soldering gun
Happy Days is my favorite theme song
I could sure kick your butt in a game of ping pong
I’ll ace any trivia quiz you bring on
I’m fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon

They see me roll on My Segway
I know in my heart they think I’m white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white and nerdy
Look at me, I’m white and nerdy
I’d like to roll with The gangstas
Although it’s apparent I’m too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
I’m just too white and nerdy
How’d I get so white and nerdy

I’ve been browsin’, inspectin’
X-Men comics, you know I collect ‘em (Not any more)
The pens in my pocket, I must protect ‘em
My ergonomic keyboard never leaves me bored
Shopping online for deals on some writable media
I edit Wikipedia
I memorized Holy Grail really well
I can recite it right now and have you ROTFLOL
I got a business doing websites
When my friends need some code, who do they call?
I do HTML for ‘em all
Even made a homepage for my dog
Yo, I got myself a fanny pack
They were havin’ a sale down at The Gap
Spend my nights with a roll of bubble wrap
Pop, pop, hope no one sees me
Gettin’ freaky
I’m nerdy in the extreme
And whiter than sour cream (never could get a tan)
I was in AV Club and Glee Club and even the Chess Team
Only question I Ever thought was hard
Was do I like Kirk Or do I like Picard
Spend every weekend at the Renaissance Fair
Got my name on my underwear

They see me strollin’
They laughin’
And rollin’ their eyes ‘cause I’m so white and nerdy
Just because I’m white and nerdy
Just because I’m white and nerdy
All because I’m white and nerdy
Holy cow, I’m white and nerdy
I wanna bowl with The gangstas
But, oh well, it’s obvious I’m white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
Think I’m just too white and nerdy
I’m just too white and nerdy
Look at me, I’m white and nerdy

Funny Names

When the blog inspiration Gods strike you must be grateful. I was reading Mormon Millie's blog this morning and I decided I should take the opportunity to list the names that we have come up with through the years that would not go well with (or would go too well with) our last name:

John


Porter - A good name just not for this family
Portia Lynn
Fayelynn Dee
Peter Jamsen
Matthew Marcluken


Those are the best on my list.

Got any more?

Mission Anniversary

Today marks sixteen years from the day that I entered the missionary training center in Provo, Utah to begin my full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Italy.

I mark this day every year and usually my wife and I will talk about it. I am glad that I went.

My mission was not filled with the same kinds of spiritual experiences that my father weaned me on growning up. I was never on top of the baptising list. I worked. I worked hard. I encountered some discouragement but not enough to ever make me want to stop working.

Today I re-read the story of Enos. He is told that his sins are forgiven and he asks, "Lord, how is it done?" He knows that God can not lie and therefore he knows it has been done so he asks: "How?" You can sense his wonder and awe. You can sence his gratitude and love for the savior.

I didn't have an apostalic mission. I didn't heal anyone's infirmities or witness great miracles. Except. I witnessed as a handful of souls were brought to ask with that same emotion and gratitude, "How is it done?"

Given the chance to relive my life there are a few things I would change. The three things I wouldn't change are: 1. Be baptised 2. Go on a mission 3. Marry my wife.

I'm NOT obsessed with Global Warming I Swear

Okay, I realize that this is my third post about global warming, but I just can't help it. The supreme court has rendered an opionion about global warming that goes one step further to legitimitize the weak science behind the concept.

Today, the court ruled that the EPA cannot ignore car and truck emissions in the Clean Air Act. Specifically, Justice Stephens said in the majority opinion, "A well-documented rise in global temperatures has coincided with a significant increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."

So, I guess the next logical step is what? We can't stop the vehicles on today's roads stop spitting out carbon dioxide. In fact the only fuel that doesn't produce CO2 is Hydrogen. (Which is not particularly easy to use as fuels go.)

More significantly, the supreme court has just made global warming official in the United States.

I guess my cap and trade idea really could make me rich if every schlub had to pay a CO2 tax at the pump to be used in carbon offsets.

I better get busy.