The Impact of TV on Our Daily Lives

I guess only time will tell about the impact TV has on all of us. My guess is, that as we get older, we will look back and wonder where all our time went. I have read that studies show a lot of Americans watch 4-6 hours per day. What a mind-numbing experience that must be. Some days, I probably spend that much time on my PC, but that requires a lot of input from me. TV requires nothing in return, other then watching their constant string of commercials.

I estimate my TV viewing time as between 8-10 hours per week. Personally, I would rather spend that time on my PC, but to promote harmony in the family, TV fare has become the norm as family time together in the evenings after work. I often wonder what I should be doing that I'm not doing. Should I be reading? Exercising? Going for long walks? The answer is probably yes to all of those questions. Should I go back to college? Restart my quest to play the guitar skillfully? Yes, Yes. So, why am I procrastinating? Maybe, I think there is an endless supply of days and I have yet to come to grips with the inevitability of the Endgame.

What is the endgame? Believing in God requires me to assume that when I die (as a christian), I will ascend into heaven to be with our Saviour. If I do not believe in a Superior Being, then, the Endgame involves getting as much enjoyment out of this life (without hurting others) as I can, looking at the scoreboard to see if I did well and then checking out, hopefully, without regrets.

I have never had trouble believing in God. Unfortunately, I have never had a problem believing in some degree of evolution. How can that be? Well, I believe that God made all creatures in a more primative form, knowing that they would evolve into whatever form was needed for the environment they lived in. So, I don't completely subscribe to the evolution (fish to human theory), but, I do believe that all surviving species on this earth have changed and adapted to, sometimes ruinous, environments. The "Big Bang" theory? "Black Holes"? I can't grasp those theories yet. Maybe before the endgame, eh?

I watched some of the Elvis Thing on TV the other night. This guy goes from 168 lbs in 1969 to 350 lbs in 8 years (just guessing-I have never seen an estimate of his weight at death, but I did see him in person a few months before he died.). How in the world is that possible? Could this lend support to the "Big Bang", "Black Hole" theories?

Rascal on Iraq & BRAC

Iraq is a disaster! A steady stream of dead and wounded Americans are returning to our shores every day and yet there is no public outcry. What will it take to awaken the outrage that must reside in our hearts over what is happening to our young people in Iraq. The US Army says it is having trouble getting recruits (duh?). I wonder if we could get George's two daughters to enlist. After all, if Poppy is right, wouldn't they want to lend a hand for the cause? Can you picture it as they approach their dad & mom with their decision to enlist. I think George, privately, would do everything in his power to convince them not to join, just as you or I would do with our children. No doubt about it, this is George W. Bush's war. He knows it, his wife knows it and so do his children. I wonder, if he were not able to convince them, what special treatment would they receive? Would they wind up in Iraq or Afghanistan? I doubt it!

History has been critical of the American generals in WWI saying they seldom visited the front lines, while the generals from our allies were there often. In Iraq, everyplace is the front line, so our generals are constantly in danger. I think history will credit our troops with extreme bravery, but rate our war preparation & strategic planning as poor. This blame has to be Rumsfeld's and Richard Meyers & his gang (Joint Chiefs of Staff).

George Bush received bad advice from Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld,Tenet and the JCS. Only Tenet was fired. Rice was promoted and Cheney & Rumsfeld continue to serve as before. In my opinion, all four should have been fired and the JCS should be reprimanded.

BRAC (Base Realignment And Closing) - Well, as we all expected, the news is bad. In my state, a lot of cities are wondering what they are going to do with the loss of jobs and the real estate left by the closings. As an employee in the defense industry, I know that I have to be prepared for these things. There were two major BRAC's in the 90's and a lot of the areas have recovered and put the closed bases to good use. My hope is that the money saved will be used productively and the people displaced, aided in their quest for new jobs/training.

As you can tell, I worry too much. Guess I need to bring up%2