OC Chuck

So... Bush lied about WMDs?

Bush lied about a nuclear program?

Bush lied about connections to Al-Qaeda?

Don't tell the Kuwaitis!

I'm perusing the Sunday Commentary section in the Orange County Register*, where in the Readers React section I read a column by a S. Mahmood**. While "S" tries to blame the violence of the Muslims on the West, he/she includes the following paragraph:

It should not surprise us, therefore, that in the Muslim world today - whether in the Middle East or Pakistan - if your son fails at medicine, law, engineering and everything else, you make your son a cleric. Ignorance has begotten ignorance, and in a few hundred years the weakest minds in the Islamic world have become heirs to the Prophet [missing the PBUH - ed] himself.

Wow, they take their dummys and put them in religion, where they fight the dhimmis?

*Sunday, March 12, 2006, Commentary 3

**S. Mahmood, graduated with honors from the department of Near Eastern Studies at Cal Berkeley. Oh, that explains it.

Driving home from work the other day, my mind wandered to an interesting thought (at least to me).

If you spend a long time at a company, or even an organization, chances are you will become some kind of a "local expert" at one or more things. Often, this is due to previous local experts leaving or taking on some level of responsibility. As time goes on, others become comfortable coming to you for advice and guidance.

Then something happens. The environment changes, technology changes, and you move on to something else. The activity surrounding your area of expertise suddenly increases, possibly to the point where it consumes a lot of your time. This would be due to a transfer of responsibility or charting a new course. People need to know what you know, what you did, why you did it, etc. It becomes somewhat annoying but satisfying at the same time. You can't spend the time you need on the other stuff you are supposed to do, but the "importance" of what you know is in high demand, making you feel important and vital.

But, before you know it, all of the activity disappears. No one wants your opinion on the subject anymore. Maybe someone will want to know why something was done before, but for the most part you are no longer involved. Even when you offer your services, at best people listen politely then move on. A sad realization sets in.

How you deal with it, I think, determines your outlook on life. You could become grumpy and disgruntled, or you can appreciate the experience and learn from it.

I try for the latter.

John Hawkins from Right Wing News, as one of his Q&A Fridays questions, addressed the question "What Will It Take To Make Peace Between The Israelis And Palestinians?"

Here was my response to his answer and the other commenters:

Read Ezekiel 38 and 39.

People will think there is peace in the region.

Then Russia, Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, and others will invade from the north. While they are in the Megiddo valley, a nuclear device will go off, killing all of the invaders in the valley. For seven months, the Israelis will bury the dead. Then specialists will search for skeletons, tag them, and make sure they are buried. There will be enough leftover weapons and fuel from the invaders to fuel Israel for seven years.

As they say, go read the rest for yourself.