George Washington

"Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."

from George Washington's farewell address
September 17, 1796

Wow. Religion and morality are indispensable supports of political prosperity? Religious obligation involved with Courts of Justice? National morality can't prevail in exclusion of religious principle? What country is Mr. Washington talking about? I should very much like to live there....

Eat a Better Life

Near my home is a small bakery locally owned and operated by a French family. Inside are walls that need paint and repair; old, worn, and out-of-fashion decor; and ugly wood tables that wobble and creak as you eat on them. This bakery is located in the middle of a city block, on a major street, and has no parking lot. It is rare to find available parking spaces on the street, so if you want to visit this bakery you must park far off on a side street and walk. Yet despite these seemingly major short comings, every morning the bakery opens its doors to be greeted by a line of hungry and loyal clients. But why would people go out of their way to drive to this particular bakery and go through such inconveniences to buy baguettes and croissants, when they could go to the cleaner, more modern, and more accessible Safeway at anytime of the day, and buy bread at a cheaper price?

By buying bread from a local baker, or meat from a local butcher, or fruits and vegetables at a local farmer's market, you not only improve your quality of life through the pleasures of cooking and eating better quality foods, but you support your local economy, and in turn, strengthen the bonds of your community.

Buying food from a local vendor improves your quality of life. Rod Dreher is a writer and editor at the Dallas Morning News, and author of Crunchy Cons. In his book, Dreher says this about food: “...food, properly understood, is sacramental: it carries within it the care of the farmers who raised it and the merchant who sold it, the love and devotion of the hands that prepared it, and the happiness of the friends and family who share it” (Crunchy Cons, pg 58). Such an opinion of food may only be realized by buying food locally, which allows you meet the actual people who raised/grew it. By meeting the farmers you learn how their food is grown, and in turn carry a higher respect
for those farmers, and realize that the food you're buying is more than just bio-fuel, but someone else's lively hood, which means that the food has been given more attention than food being raised in bulk. You will find food from this source to be of a higher quality than factory food made for the masses.

On top of this, cooking with locally purchased food improves quality of life simply by the knowledge that you are preparing a meal for you and your loved ones to enjoy using the very best ingredients. Even the most inexperienced cook will create delicious dishes if the foods going into the dish are of the best quality. Dreher accurately points out: “There is no utilitarian reason to devote hours to preparing a delicious meal when you can save time by popping some tinfoil-encased gob of processed junk into the oven. Food not only nourishes the body, but it, and the ritual surrounding its preparation, nourish something in the human soul” (Crunchy Cons, pg 59). Cooking is fun! And cooking with loved ones is an enjoyable activity where everyone involved will get to share in the immediate rewards of knowing you created something that others are going to enjoy. So have some fun, try cooking a meal with someone you love using ingredients purchased from a local vendor, and you will discover an enjoyment you never thought food capable of delivering.

Buying food locally supports your local economy. So feel good knowing that your hard earned dollar is going to support people in your own community, instead of some suit sitting in an air conditioned office in some far off city. Economy is not only commerce, but as Dreher asserts, it is “... the inchoate and complex system of human relations that bound us together as a community...” (Crunchy Cons, pg 60). When the economics of buying locally are looked at in this light, we see that its not just money that helps hold our communities together, but it's us as individuals working and living together, and this in turn makes our communities pleasant, enjoyable, and worth living in.

Not everyone is satisfied with buying food locally though. Carrie Kirby, a blogger on wisebread.com, says “...I paid more at the farmer's market than I would at the store, but not outrageously so” (wisebread.com). However not all bloggers feel the same. Many have written that they pay about the same or a little less buying at a farmer's market. It has been my experience that buying food locally, not only from farmer's markets, but also from local butchers and bakers, does cost a little bit more. In fact, if cost of food is your bottom line concern, buying locally may not be the best option. But keep in mind large grocery chains are able to set up door buster prices on a single produce item, then tempt you into buying four dollar packs of soda or five dollar boxes of cereal. Also keep in mind that good quality food may only coast marginally more, if it costs more at all. Critics have also said that it's too inconvenient to buy locally. It takes too long to buy your produce at one place, bread at another, and still meat at another. It does take longer to shop your different local vendors. But with a little time management, you will find this to be a minor inconvenience when compared to the gains.

I say take an extra moment of your time and spend an extra few cents on your food and start living the good life by cooking and eating the good stuff. In doing so, you will feel the added satisfaction of knowing you are supporting your local economy, and strengthening the bonds of your community.

Biology Wars

I attended my first college level biology class today: Basic Biology: Ecology & Diversity of Life. I forgot that I was going to have to deal with the seemingly uncontested belief that the theory of evolution explains the origin of the human species. I was also a little surprised that this issue was one of the first raised during the first lecture.

It was brought up that the DNA of humans and bacteria have many similarities. The instructor therefore concluded that humans must have evolved from bacteria. She made an unqualified claim, and her statement contains the logical fallacy that since two things are similar, one must be the product of the other. Oranges are a sweet fruit that grow on a tree. Raspberries are also a sweet fruit, therefore they must come from orange trees.

Similarities in DNA between two species doesn't suggest that one species evolved from the other, but rather that both species may have come from a common source. These are very different ideas; with one suggesting that B is a product of A, and the other suggesting that both A and B are both derived from C. Common source is a more logical conclusion of the observations than evolution.

Some Quick Thoughts on Homosexuality

Many of the places I go now days I see gay couples and gay pride propaganda. In urban society it seems that if you are not gay, or at least in support of gay rights, you're somewhat passé. I can't come out and say “I'm uncomfortable around gays”, or “I think homosexuality is wrong”, without being labeled as some sort of closed minded, right wing fanatical bigot.

If sex is viewed as an act for either the procreation of children, or an act of pleasure, than homosexuality by definition can only fulfill one of these purposes: pleasure. And since when are civil rights issues fought over pleasure? It's not like homosexuality is a religion or ethnicity or a matter of gender that people are born into, but rather a choice of life style. I know that some people are very susceptible to the temptations or pleasures that a gay lifestyle has to offer, and while I don't understand it from personal experience, it seems to me that this is an issue of personal preference, and defiantly not civil rights.

I might be madly in love with, and sleeping with, a fifteen year old girl. Since both her and I are happy with the situation, why don't I, as a child molester deserve rights? Or, I may feel that to properly express my freedom of speech I should be able to conduct my day to day affairs without wearing any clothing. Don't I, as a nudist deserve rights? Both of these examples show lifestyles that are at least somewhat disturbing to the majority of Americans. Homosexuality is another such example. Why should I have to accept or tolerate this kind of lifestyle, when it goes against my own, and the majority of American's morals?

Or does the American democracy now favor the minority opinion?

I love Wilco

I love Wilco. This band has been a well spring of joy and happiness to me for the past few years. It started when I bought “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” (one of their albums), and I've been a fan every since. The music by Wilco is sort of a slower, mid tempo rock with a hint of pop, while the lyrics are often on the darker side, but occasionally spring to life with full colors and expression. And while some songs are slow and very mellow, others can jump right out of the speakers and smack you in your ear hole. But I would say the over all feeling I have when I listen to Wilco is happiness brought on by pleasant music and reflection inducing lyrics.

All of the members of the band are clearly excellent musicians, which anyone who knows anything about music can attest to after listening to just a couple of songs from any one of their albums. But Jeff Tweedy, Wilco's front man, must be some sort of music genius, a musical visionary the rest of us can only aspire to be. Tweedy is not the greatest singer of all time, but he is a great one non the less. His voice is soothing to listen to, and to me it seems he sings with the deepest sincerity. It sounds like he really believes in what he is saying.

I saw Wilco preform live for the first time about a month ago down in Colorado Springs. That night was when I went from liking Wilco to loving Wilco. I had never seen a show like that one. The band was energetic and in fine form. They reached out and took hold of the crowd, and didn't let go all night. I sat in my seat or stood and cheered or did a little dance and tried to sing a long, but whatever I was doing during the show, I had a huge smile on my face. And I could tell that everyone else in the audience was as happy and glad to be there as I was. It was easily the best concert I have ever been to.

Wilco's newest album “Sky Blue Sky” is, I believe, their best one to date. It's more mellow than any of their previous releases, but also more enjoyable to listen to. It's really hard to describe. They don't every really rock out, but they don't put you to sleep either. I guess the best I can explain it is just that it's pleasant. Pleasant to listen to over and over again. I'm listening to it right now. Wilco also has a live album called “Kicking Television”. This double disc album is also impressively good. The album is of course live cuts of many of the bands best songs, but the album also gives a little taste of what it's like to see Wilco live, which is nothing short of a religious experience.

Wilco songs are just a wonderful blend of amazing song craft and poetry that come together to deliver something that very few artists can give: pleasureful art.

May the bloody 13th!!

Wilco and the deer

Two things happend last Thursday that have had an impact in my life. I saw Wilco live for the first time at the Pikes Peak Center down in Colorado Springs. And then I hit a deer driving home from the show. Since that night, I've listened to every Wilco album two or three times, and I've been driving with a light foot, constantly searching for fearless wildlife looking to play chicken with my car.

The show was absolutely amazing though. By far the best I've seen. I was hesitant to go at first because I couldn't find anyone to go with, and it's a two hour drive to the Springs, and since I waited to the last minute to buy a ticket, I got a seat way up in the balcony. But when Wilco took the stage and Jeff Tweedy started to sing, all these small trifles were immediately forgotten. They played nearly all the songs I was hoping to hear. My seat was far from the stage but I had a clear view non the less, and the instruments they played and the acoustics in the theater provided superior sound. Despite being seated alone between two boring couples, I had a very fun time.

I left the show in high spirits. I stopped at a Conoco just out of town to fill up, as gas was thirty cents/gallon cheaper than back home. I left the fill up station, rocking out to Wilco. Ten minutes later I slammed on the brakes, causing the ABS to roar like a lion. My CDs in the back seat, my Coke, the ice scraper, everything in the car flew forward and hit the dash. I clenched my teeth, held my breath, and watched with no small amount of terror as my car slammed into a deer. Thankfully I wasn't going that fast when I hit the poor thing. I pulled over and got out of the car, but the deer was nowhere to be found. So the deer managed to get itself off the road, and there was little damage to the car. The real damage was to my nerves. I was so scared of hitting another animal, I drove 20 mph under the speed limit the rest of the way home.

That night I had a series of disturbing dreams involving me dying by hitting a deer while listening to really good music.

Anyway, it was a very eventful and exciting evening. Although, next time Wilco comes to town, I'm taking the train!