Targets can be a crude way to look at the results of “warfare,” but in reality, people are simply targets while at war. People are a portion of the infrastructure. Bridges, buildings, armaments, communication lines, and people… they are all targets from a military perspective. The United States and other NATO allies choose to separate civilians from military personnel. Our enemies however, do not. Civilian life from their perspective is just a part of the overall military target.

The enemy’s point of view concludes that civilians are at fault for paying taxes that support the war machine or they are by default born into an enemy society and therefore must pay for its transgressions against their way of life. No civilian is free from blame in their point of view. Therefore, suicide bombers who destroy civilian lives are in fact, freedom fighters in their mind. They have been taught this from birth. Their religion supports this and their history only strengthens their points of view.

From our perspective, killing innocent civilians is against our moral code. We believe the fight is with the military and the leadership, not the standard man, woman, child, and elderly person not taking up arms. From their perspective, the enemy is at fault because of their nationality or belief. They believe in killing anyone who does not believe what they believe by any means necessary.

Suicide bombers killing civilians are treated as heroes in their culture. Their families are “blessed” and they receive monetary rewards for such actions. They are in fact, the ultimate freedom fighter in their minds. How can a human being of any nationality or religion subscribe to this blatantly insane doctrine? Human nature involves sympathy for one another. We all have a mother and a father. We all experience relationships with other human beings in our lives. How can an entire culture simply lose sight of the fact that murdering innocent civilians, including women and children, is wrong no matter what you believe? Simply put, it is just morally wrong.

I believe the nations who support and promote suicide bombers as being freedom fighters have allowed their religion to be hijacked by terrorists who are using their faith against them for their own personal gain. Using their faith is the key. They are giving them the ultimate key to their spiritual safety by twisting religion into a radical “get out of jail free” card. Religion and faith is so deeply rooted within their society that they are blindly led by their maniacal leaders. They have simply lost focus on the fact that what they are doing and supporting is morally wrong.

Military action is one thing… destroying innocent civilian life, on purpose, is something insanely different. Terrorists rely upon their faith and religion to justify their actions against civilian life. How can you combat that? Generations upon generations have been led down this path and they continue to grow in size. Until the moderate and true leaders among their society come to the forefront, the radical terrorist spiritual leaders will continue to undermine their nations and the bloodshed will continue. Freedom fighter can never equal suicide bomber when civilians are the targets.

That is the premise of the story as tragic as it is. The problem I have is what happened afterwards. Of course the mother was arrested for child endangerment and she pled guilty to the charges. Custody of the child now belongs with the grandmother. What consequences does a guilty plea draw in this case? How about zero jail time and one year of probation with an added requirement of submitting to “scrutiny” by the local drug rehab center to deal with her marijuana “issues.”

I am all for not breaking up families and doing our utmost to preserve the integrity of the family, but sometimes, things just need to be done to protect our children from their parents. It’s sad yes, but it’s a reality. Why did the judge decide that the young mother did not need jail time as part of her transgression? He believes her “evidence of remorse” was enough to outweigh her need for jail time.

Unless the criminal is a psychopath or sociopath, they ALL display remorse… some more than others, but even the absolutely insane criminal can even fake remorse. I’m not saying she was faking by any means, I’m sure she was absolutely distraught by her mistake which could have taken the life of her child. However, the one person in charge of the well being of the child endangered the life of that child as a result of her actions. Mistake or not, mistakes sometimes bring dire consequences because of the results of those mistakes.

In this case, the child almost DIED! She had better show an overabundance of remorse. What other kind of reaction to this situation would be acceptable? A simple “I’m sorry” or “I’ll be a better parent” would never be good enough. This isn’t a case of forgetting to sign your child up for summer baseball league. This is a mistake that almost took a life.

The judge in this case is being far too lenient in my opinion. Maybe all of our criminals should take this “remorse” defense into account. Plead guilty, but make sure you cry your eyes out and try and turn your life around because hey, if you’re sorry, that’s good enough right? Accident or not, mistake or not, wrong time and wrong place maybe, but you still must pay for your mistakes under such drastic circumstances.

So, with all things being relative, this particular case makes several crimes below it much more “palatable.” Why should people receive a speeding ticket if they are sorry? Why should someone be arrested for assaulting someone if they made a mistake and shook hands afterward? Why should someone who steals a shirt from the store be arrested if they are too poor to buy it but are very sorry they have resorted to such measures? I’m sure you understand. If you can almost kill your own child by your own neglect and not face any real punishment, what crimes under that theoretical line are deemed ok by being “remorseful?”

Remorse is a guarantee for any rational wrongdoer with or without punishment. But sometimes, punishment is necessary because of the gravity of the situation. The mother received the equivalent of a “time out” in this situation. She deserved her consequences and she pled guilty, case closed.

Citation: http://www.foxnews.com/

Premise of the situation is as follows. Man facing dire economic conditions has a choice: pay his house mortgage or pay for his lawn to be replaced. Now, I’m fairly certain any rational homeowner would make the sane choice in this manner and pay his house mortgage. The man of course paid his mortgage and allowed his lawn to deteriorate into a brownish display of dead grass. Wouldn’t we all? Well, his brown grass created such an outrage in his community that he was served a notice requiring his appearance in court to settle the damage created by his “criminal action.”

Like any good citizen not bullied into following the rules and regulations of those who wield power as if it’s a magic wand, he didn’t appear in court. The local judge, “enraged” by the citizen’s use of free will, decided that it was appropriate to arrest and jailed the man for 2 days. Contempt of court, show up or be jailed. Seriously… arrested, finger printed, photographed, entered into the criminal database and jailed for 2 days over a brown lawn? Yes, it actually happened.

How can something so simple be allowed to reach this level of absurdity? How hard would it have been for the Civic Association to work with the man in an effort to settle this issue without it going to court? Knowing that he is a retired individual living on limited resources, they should have understood the situation and worked on a human level to help correct the issue. However, their “rules are rules” approach led to this man being treated like a second rate individual.

A testament to the fact that humanity and rational thinking still exists, a man and several volunteers helped the man replace his lawn and make it a nice shade of compliant “green.” Who was this kind gentleman? He was a former resident and former Marine who felt the man was treated unfairly. Thank goodness for some basic common sense in our uncommon sense world.

How much time was wasted because of this lunacy? How much money did it cost taxpayers by having the courts and law enforcement involved in this “incident?” Why did this man have to be demeaned in front of his neighbors, his family, and country because of his lawn? Sometimes I just cannot fathom what our judicial system is used for when there are actual criminals roaming the streets because they don’t have the time to charge and prosecute them or place to keep them jailed.

Can’t these matters be taken care of without laws, rule books, and police involvement? Can’t we act as rational adults and work these things out without someone with a gun enforcing the “law?” Weren’t we taught in school, and even as toddlers, the ideas of compromise and helping others? Since when did we become accustomed to a third party being necessary to mediate all disagreements or arguments? I’m pretty sure people are generally smart enough to work things out in an agreeable manner without help from an “objective” third party.

We need common sense to return. Without it, we are nothing bunch a bunch of crying babies asking for mommy and daddy to come solve our problems because we didn’t get what we wanted. Next thing I know, I’ll be reading about a grandma being arrested because she left her laundry on the line for 2 days when it clearly states in the bylaws of the subdivision that all laundry must be removed 30 minutes prior to dusk. Oh, you think that won’t happen? Did you think someone would go to jail because their grass was dead before you read this?

Citation: http://www.nypost.com/

AIG felt that a $440,000 vacation was necessary for its executives to relax and come back recharged for the trek back to respectability. Oh, you didn’t know that to come back completely refreshed, it requires about $23,000 on spa treatments to clear the mind? I’m sorry. I just assumed it was a natural cost expenditure of a company retreat… All sarcasm aside, how can anyone in their right mind believe this is an appropriate use of funds when a company has failed, and is failing?

Of course there are untold counts of other companies leeching cash from their coffers to fund similar pursuits. I’m sure they are hidden within the accounting ledger and written off as sales events, customer appreciation, or working retreats. But, how can a company propped up by taxpayer money be allowed to do something so blatantly wrong? The government OWNS 80% of AIG as it stands right now. Ownership implies specific rights. One of those rights includes the ability to fire employees.

Each and every participant and decision maker of this venture should be fired immediately, escorted from their offices, and required to pay back every penny of their misuse of funds. In my opinion, what they did is a form of embezzlement. They have appropriated funds from the company for their own personal use and gain. Did the shareholders (American citizens at this point) agree to send these people on their luxury jaunt? Would we EVER? Of course not…

However, as our lawmakers fume and posture in the halls of Washington, will justice be served? Will we see those who have slapped the face of those who have helped them be rewarded with their justified consequences? I can only hope so. AIG has just given a black eye to the companies who truly need federal assistance to survive. Can people not do what is right even when we are in some of the darkest financial times our generation has ever experienced? Is it too much to ask that executives actually come to work and perform their duties without receiving golden parachutes worth millions whether the company survives or fails? Is it too much to ask that executives, when running a failing company, “give up” their luxury items and take vacations like normal American citizens? Or better yet, not take them at all because they can’t afford them…

The solution to this problem is complete oversight of taxpayer money being given to these bailed out companies. Without that, there will be countless millions of dollars wasted, we know that. Greed cannot be fixed even with failure. When we are shown and faced with this greed, we must take the next step and weed these individuals and groups from within these companies and start anew. AIG is the one who has been caught. They have made our lawmakers stand up and take notice because of their blatant disregard for what is right.

Our lawmakers must remove these “leaders” and require immediate repayment for their actions. Any less and they are in a sense, advocating what they have done. Fire them, fire them now. This is not a political debate of any kind, this is a human debate. Do what’s right because it’s the right thing to do. These employees of AIG have shown their true colors of greed and we have been shown why their company was failing in the first place. Greed eventually consumes and destroys. AIG is just one simple case. Their flaunting of greed is astounding. We can only hope that our lawmakers do what is right and reverse the damage AIG has done.

Citation: http://www.cnn.com/

Ages are arbitrary numbers, we all have birthdays. But, maturity of the mind occurs much differently for all of us. Were there in depth studies performed by our previous generations determining that a young mind can withstand such responsibilities we have associated with our current age delineations? Our past generations were thrust into society and given important responsibilities at much younger ages. The fact is they were ready for the luxuries reached by turning 16, 18, and 21. Their minds were trained and ready to deal with the ramifications resulting from their newfound “rights.” Can you honestly say the same about our current generations? Yes, we like to think we are “smarter” than our previous generations, but are we mentally ready for what young adulthood brings with it?

Research currently supports the fact that a human brain does not fully mature until the mid-20’s. Fully mature is a subjective statement if we are talking about common sense and decision making of course. However, the human brain, scientifically, reaches a mature state biologically at that time. An immature mind does not have the experience level associated with it or growth to rationally expect mature decisions from it. We are not even throwing in any side effect inducing substances in the equation that will further dilute the ability of the mind to think at this point. Our minds just do not develop until later in life. Much later than the 16, 18, or 21 ages we allow our younger generations to experience full adulthood responsibilities and luxuries.

I know there are those of us (probably 99% of us) who like to think we were smarter than the average bear and we deserved the rights we received when we reached the age milestones. If everyone is smarter than everyone else, where are the less than smarter people? Self delusion experts have some great research in that area alone. On average, what we believe is just not true when relating to those around us. There are those of us who are ready for the responsibilities of turning 16, 18, or 21, but for each one that is, there are many more that are not. The ones who can withstand the pressures and issues do not have completely mature minds, but they have something else. They have an environment around them supporting their decision making, they have something within separating them from the other immature minds around them, and they are mentally prepared to handle themselves even though they do not have completely developed mature minds.

Let’s focus on a single subject that has recently come up. Several colleges, about 100 actually, are trying to lower the legal drinking age to 18. Primary reasoning for lowering the age is that “current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.” They even mention that “this is a law that is routinely evaded … It is a law that the people at whom it is directed believe is unjust and unfair and discriminatory.” Well great, since it’s a tough law to enforce and somehow it discriminates against young people, getting rid of it is the answer right? How much more completely wrong can that opinion be? The age limit and enforcement laws are in place to keep young people safe, not to hurt them. Adding a mind, mood, and decision altering substance to the equation that already includes an immature mind, only adds to potential issues.

If the age factor is creating a binge problem, then theoretically, shouldn’t the age limit be removed all together? I mean if the age is 18, wouldn’t 16 year olds be bingeing because of age discrimination? Let’s be fair to everyone. Next time you buy that six-pack, feel free to share it with your 14 year old, or 13, or 12, it doesn’t stop. The argument to lower the drinking limit has been around for a long time. It’s because people think they are ready for adulthood at an age when they aren’t even ready to take care of themselves. If you cannot take care of yourself, on your own, with your own job, your own money, and your own willpower, guess what, you’re not an adult. Going to college is not the equivalent of making you an adult.

I’ve heard all the good arguments too. I can join the army and shoot people but I can’t drink? I can vote for the next President but I can’t buy a beer? I can get married for the rest of my life but I can’t legally drink that Jell-O shot. Maybe they have a case. Maybe those ages and luxuries should be looked at. Maybe 18 should be 21 and maybe 21 should be 25? Wait, that’s the wrong way, we want it lower so we can all do what we want to do earlier and more often. Personally, I think our younger generations are at such a low experience and mind maturity level that moving the driving age to 18 is feasible and moving everything that comes with turning 18 to age 21 sounds like a good idea also. That will never happen, but I will guarantee that our youth would be better served.

You may think I’m just some old fogey making up rules to limit the youth’s fun and rights. Wrong. As I look back on my life, I carried great school grades, displayed great responsibility during school, and earned a college degree. I can honestly admit during those years, I thought I knew everything. I was a complete adult and I could handle everything thrown at me. How wrong I was. Now, in my mid-30’s, I can look back at my past self and thank the Lord that I am still alive to experience true adulthood. Comparing who I am now to who I was then, who I was then was completely insane. People like to believe they are ready for the world at 16, 18, and 21, but they are not. We are still training to become adults well into our 20’s and we must realize this. Moving the luxuries and responsibilities some adults cannot even manage to a lower age can only result in disaster within our society today. Our 21 year olds can hardly manage their lives with alcohol, what do you think a generation of 18 years olds will do? Let’s get this party started. Shots on the house bartender, I have to get up early tomorrow so I don’t miss my bus.

Citation: http://www.cnn.com/

However, what exactly is victory in a war on terror? In WW2, victory was simple – defeat the enemy by submission to our demands. Our enemies were forced to surrender or face obliteration. Germany gave in when the result was clear and we were in clear site of Berlin. Hitler gave in by taking the coward’s way out. He sacrificed his country’s honor and never faced the consequences for his actions on this earth. Japan on the other hand, forced our hands. Of course everyone knows the history of our bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki leading to the end of the Pacific campaign. Japan’s emperor surrendered to our demands because he knew if he did not, his country and nearly every civilian in it would pay the price of death. Victory was easy to determine. We achieved unconditional surrender from our enemy nations.

Is that even possible in our current war? No. We are not fighting an entity such as a state, country, or political party. We are fighting a segment of society. This segment exists everywhere, not just in one location. There is no President or Emperor to sign a treaty of surrender. There is no city to bomb into oblivion to force a nation’s hand. There is no road to Berlin that forces the insane dictator to choose death rather than facing the consequences. We are fighting an unknown enemy, an ideology, a theoretical army of combatants that looks just like innocent civilians.

And so, the war continues to carry on. We are now 5+ years into our invasion and occupation of Iraq. Mission accomplished was forcefully stated less than 2 months after our troops entered Iraq’s borders. While the mission versus Saddam’s military was in fact accomplished and victorious, the true enemy within was untouched. The radical extremists were now loosed from their cages and proceeded to rain death, fear, and destruction upon the innocents. We won the war as history taught us that day, but we were, and are, not close to winning the war against the ideals of terrorism.

We will never be able to achieve complete victory against terrorism. There is no single entity asked to sign the complete surrender of their ideology. There is no country which political and economic embargos can be levied against. Can this particular war be won? I don’t think winning is a concept that applies to the war on terror. Winning as we know it implies an end. There is no end to this war. The conflict between good and evil has been around since the dawn of time and will continue until the earth ceases to exist. We can limit the effect evil has on our lives, but we can never truly win.

Now, here we are, nearing the end of 2008 and our troops are still in Iraq fighting an enemy we cannot directly confront. Our national media and politicians have been filling our airwaves and print with calls for troop removal for a few years now. Barack Obama has staked the majority of political capital on the fact that he is against the war in Iraq and will “bring our troops home.” We have all heard about timetables of return. We’ve heard rhetoric from every angle, pros and cons ad nauseam, and yet we still have no real answer. There is no real answer because as I stated, there is no victory here.

The article title is “Media Favorites,” there is a reason for that. Just as I mentioned that Obama and his campaign have, for over a year, proudly proclaimed that when in office, his duty is to end this war and bring our patriots of freedom back to their homes where they belong. It’s a great selling point considering we have been involved in Iraq longer than we were in WW2. Luckily, he may be able to do just that if elected. Not because of congress or votes of the public, but because the violence in Iraq is subsiding enough that internal Iraqi forces are beginning to handle the protection needs of their country. The American military’s presence at current levels is decreasing in importance. Iraqi security forces, having been trained and equipped by our forces are now able to defend their country.

President Bush has since day one, said that when the time came to reduce troops, he would withdraw our forces. However, when the time comes is when Iraq can adequately defend its government and civilians. We are reaching that point in time and this July, with little media fanfare, he announced that he agreed with a general timetable upon withdrawal of troops. I happened to see this story on the front page of a single news service the day it was announced, yet did our media waves become inundated with this new and profound statement? No. For years our media has driven Bush and his policies into the ground concerning our troops in Iraq and the day he announces something of this significance, it’s ignored? Media favorites at work. Obama is the favorite son of our media while Bush is the easy media target. It’s easy to blame a President in his last term, there is no recourse.

From CNN on Aug 7^th, supporting the statement Bush made on July 19th: “An Iraqi politician said Thursday that Iraq and the United States are close to reaching a deal under which combat troops would leave Iraq by December 2010, and other troops would leave by the end of the following year.” Additional information continues: “… U.S. troops would leave Iraq’s cities to remain inside their bases by June 30, 2009. He said the two governments had been close to reaching deal for about a week.” Two senior US officials corroborated the statements of being close to reaching a deal. How will this play out on our national airwaves. Is this the day of rejoicing our country has been waiting for? A potential concrete change positively stating that a troop withdrawal is eminent? Unfortunately, I doubt the majority of Americans will hear anything about it.

The media will continue to play the current game with Obama being the good guy and Bush and McCain being the schoolyard bullies. When the time presented itself for a potential troop withdrawal, Bush did not discard the possibility. He has allowed Iraq to become self sufficient via their own protection and now we can safely turn the country’s security over and settle on a timetable of troop withdrawal. We need to be aware of what facts we have available and not allow the media to sway our decision making just because they said so or its national opinion. I can make up my own mind and so can you. Media will always have its favorites, but that doesn’t mean it should be our favorite.

Citation: http://www.nytimes.com/ & http://www.cnn.com/

Canadian police were able to apprehend the criminal and he and his victim have both been identified. The criminal had zero criminal history and the people who knew him could not provide any evidence as to his being capable of committing such a crime. The victim was also stated to be an upstanding young man with no issues that would cause such an action against him. But, here we are, an insane criminal act by a seemingly “good” citizen against a “good” and innocent young man. How does this happen? What stopped working inside the “Lecterish” criminal’s mind? Was there something that set him off in the minutes before re-boarding the bus? Did the victim do anything to instigate or antagonize the criminal? Hopefully, the Canadian justice system will eventually find a conclusion to this crime and make sure the criminal is kept safely away from society.

This is where we begin to discuss murder and punishment. It’s a clear cut case of murder, no question. However, as with most countries, there is a distinction between first and second degree murder. First is primarily reserved for criminals who plan out and carry through with the murder of their victim. Second degree catches the rest, murders without premeditation. There are various other systems, but for the most part, that’s the general version of determining murder charges. Canada has charged the man in this crime with second degree murder. Based on their initial evidence review, they do not have enough for a first degree charge. While I agree, the man may not have “planned” the execution of his seat-mate, but should that matter in this circumstance? In the end, in my mind, murder is murder, planned or not. If what you do because of your criminal action results in the death of someone, you pay the maximum penalty for murder. There is no need to determine if there is premeditation or not. The victim has been murdered either way.

Under Canadian law, first and second degree murder charges carry maximum penalties of 25 years in prison. Criminals convicted of first degree murder receive a 25 year sentence with no parole (unless rarely receiving a parole only allowed after serving 15 years). Criminals convicted of second degree murder receive 25 years with the possibility of parole after 10 years. Oh, but wait, if you have committed murder in the past, you must serve 25 years, no parole for you. 25 years for murder? Life expectancy is near 80 these days, 25 years for the worst crime you can commit as a human just doesn’t seem to be enough. The criminal in this case is 40 years old, if he is convicted of second degree murder, he must serve at least 10 years, which puts him at 50. If the Canadian parole board at that time believes he has been “rehabilitated,” they will release this man onto the public streets. We can only hope the Canadian justice system has a backdoor which keeps this man from ever seeing the public light of day again.

Now that we have talked about Canada, how does the United States murder and punishment laws compare? Similar in the nature of first and second degree murder distinction, the United States allows Capital Punishment at each state’s discretion. First degree murder, you face potential death and if not death, potential life in prison without parole, ever. Second degree murder, you face life in prison with the possibility of parole. United States law is quite a bit stricter in the area of murder when compared to Canada, by far. But, even though on paper it sounds like we are tougher, are we?

Statistics show that murderers who have been convicted in the United States on average, serve 15-20 years before paroled (criminals usually serve half of sentenced time before parole on average according to the latest information). Even though our laws are tough at first glance, in practice, our criminals are in similar waters as their Canadian counterparts. How can this be? Why do we have laws on our books which state that a criminal must serve a life sentence for his crime only to allow him to roam free in half the time? Yes, I’ve heard all the cries about prison overcrowding and prisoners being rehabilitated, yadda, yadda, yadda. I believe that if you commit the crime, you must serve your penalty. Consequences for your actions, there is nothing remotely fairer than that. Criminals have long since known they can “beat” the system. In the United States, the death penalty is the main deterrent against committing murder, but our lawyers and our highly paid CSI wannabe defenders have almost negated the ability to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that a premeditated, first degree murder took place. They can create doubt out of thin air and “save” their client from the chair, chamber, or injection.

Murder should be treated as the most heinous crime that can be committed. As such, it should carry with it the most unbending sentences. Murder has been watered down to a simple logic issue. What can you prove? Hardly anything these days it seems. Prosecutors continually take the easy way out, looking for closure and some semblance of retribution against those who murder innocents. But even then, are we doing any good? The system Canada and the United States are utilizing remind me of a couple who are unwilling to talk through issues. There will be an issue, but they can’t confront one another about it, so they choose to “deal with it” by placing it in a closet within their mind and heart. Eventually, the issue cannot be withheld forever and will burst forth as some sort of volcanic eruption of emotion and hostility. This is how we deal with murderers. We put them away for a while so we can deal with reality and eventually, we try and forget what happened in the first place. But, when the criminal is released back upon society, a potential eruption stands to take place as we are once again confronted by the same issue we tried to hide from in the first place.

Deal with the issue today and we won’t have to deal with the issue later. Put away our murderers for good and we won’t ever have to worry about them infecting the minds of others or harming more innocent bystanders. If you’re capable of murder, guess what, I don’t want you near me, “rehabilitated” or not. Convicted of murder, guess what, you should be living your life in prison because you ENDED someone’s life and that means you threw every right you had to freedom away. Our laws are too easy. Charging this man with second degree murder and thus opening the possibility that he may only serve 10 years? That’s as insane as the crime he has committed.

Citation: http://www.cnn.com/

What exactly is $15.5 Billion? How can we possibly contemplate that amount of money? Sure, we hear the government talking about Billions here, Billions there, but really, how can we put any significance to how much money that really is? Currently, according the census clock, our country is around 300 million people. That accounts for every man, woman, and child in this country. $15.5 Billion is the equivalent of EVERY SINGLE ONE of us having $50 in our pocket. That is an absolute ton of money. It ventures into the Monopoly money realm actually. GM LOST that amount in 3 MONTHS! How can this be remotely possible? To be fair and I say this pretty facetiously, GM actually only lost $6.3 Billion on operations during the 3 month period. The other $9 Billion includes onetime charges and losses due to restructuring/etc.

Still, absolutely insane. This report comes on the heels of Exxon reporting a PROFIT of almost $11.7 Billion for the second quarter of 2008. To put that in perspective, that equates to about $40 in every single person’s pocket. Again, how is that possible! In one single three month span, GM lost the equivalent of a top 100 country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for an ENTIRE YEAR! It simply boggles my mind. I can’t even fathom such numbers. It’s almost equivalent to pondering the existence of eternity. Our human mind just cannot function with rational limitations about such limitless thoughts. How can you explain forever, eternity, or never ending? Our minds cannot fully solve that question because we are finite beings living with finite limitations.

This limitless problem exists for me when thinking about the true ineptness displayed by some of our businesses. If a company can “afford” to LOSE $15 Billion, what exactly are they worth? Where is the wealth behind these companies that can sustain such losses? Are they real? Or, are they Monopoly companies? I just took a quick look at the stock market and GM’s Market Value is around $6 Billion. Simply put, they lost more than twice what they were worth in three months based upon today’s stock value. How are you doing on that end rationalizing these facts? I can imagine you are in the same situation I am, staring at the numbers and facts in disbelief.

Paper money, paper companies, and paper notes. What exactly is keeping these companies operating? Sure, they are of utmost importance to our economies that they do stay afloat and produce, but at what cost? Who are the losers here? You may say the stockholders. Yes, they are the predominant losers in this situation, but every single consumer is also. Eventually, the car makers will have to reverse their losses and begin making money again. Who is going to foot that bill? Right, the consumer will. We all know there is a ton of markup in new vehicle sales as it is, do you think the new and improved car manufacturers of the future are going to pass along the savings to Joe Schmoe public? That is highly unlikely when their boards have felt the intense pain of losing billions of dollars.

Somewhere along the line, GM will need to earn back the $15 Billion in losses or their business plan doesn’t make much sense. That may just be the case though. Their business plan doesn’t make sense. That is the exact reason they and the other car manufacturers are in such dire straits. They misread the markets and failed to make the appropriate changes as the economic times changed. They continued to produce low MPG vehicles with little effort to expanding the gas saving vehicle lines. Toyota was basically the only company focused upon moving forward with energy saving cars NOW, not 5-10 years from now. Even Toyota is feeling the pressures from the market though. Money is fast becoming scarce. People cannot afford a $20,000 vehicle rolled off the lot which immediately becomes worth $10,000 in your driveway. Leases don’t even make much sense anymore.

Can it be fixed? Sure. But the hard times are here and they are going to be for some time. There will likely be more layoffs and plant closings for every manufacturer aimed at putting an immediate stop to the bloodletting. After things stabilize, then, and only then, car manufacturers can return to profitability. There is no short term fix here. There will be more pain and more numbers reported like those above. It seems incomprehensible, to the point where we are working with Monopoly money. However, the dice they are rolling seems to continually land them on a Hotel on Boardwalk.

Citation: http://money.cnn.com

But, throwing a tool, hitting an object, or simply destroying it by your own hands is much different than firing a weapon at one. As the person in this story has learned, it’s not a great idea to place your tools at the mercy of your personal firing squad. Well, at least not in public. According to the report, this particular man proceeded to shoot his lawn mower because it wouldn’t start. He was arrested for felony possession of an illegal short barreled weapon and also armed disorderly conduct. His neighbor also alleges the man was intoxicated. A quote from the “criminal” goes as follows: “I can do that, it’s my lawn mower and my yard so I can shoot it if I want.” Theoretically that is true. However, you cannot do that in a public neighborhood while intoxicated with an illegal firearm.

What exactly is this man facing for his rage directed at his lawn mower? He is facing a potential $11,000 fine and 6+ years in prison if convicted. I can’t imagine him receiving the maximum sentence for this particular episode of crazed mania but who knows. Our legal system isn’t all that predictable. Think about this.  If he receives the maximum sentence, for a few hundred dollar mower, he could cost himself $11,000 in fines and the loss of 6 years of earnings. That’s a pretty hefty cost not to mention the prison time itself. He would have been served much better had he lit the mower on fire or beat it to death with a sledge hammer. The end result would be the same… a horrible lawn mower death at the hands of its owner.

Sure, what he did was wrong. First, he shouldn’t have an illegal firearm. That’s a no-no. Second, he shouldn’t have discharged a firearm in public (assuming he was within city limits). That’s also a no-no. And lastly, he shouldn’t have been doing any of this while drinking. He is in trouble for these issues and not the fact that he shot his own property. For the most part, if we own it, we can do whatever we want with it. The man, not thinking clearly, more than likely, due to alcohol went a bit too far in destroying his property and he will pay a price for that.

I’ve always been one to hit the tool that doesn’t comply. Or throw, or simply slam down on the floor (hopefully concrete so it creates as much damage as possible). Tools and other inanimate objects in a man’s life DESERVE to be punished at times. We are led to believe tools have no sense of being or cognitive capability. But, if you talk to any man who has used tools for any length of time, you will KNOW tools have only the worst intentions for owners. Don’t believe me? Have you ever listened to a man while he is working? That’s proof enough isn’t it? Among the things you’ll hear is a vocabulary never heard before littered with some of the most descriptive cuss words known to man. You’ll hear tools banged around, screams, and sometimes even laughter.

If you begin to hear laughter, be worried. This is the point of near breaking. One more insult from the tool and death could be rained down upon it in an instant. My weed eater is a testament to that fact. You may be thinking good natured laughter. No, not quite. I’m talking insane laughter or cackling. It’s quite similar to what you would think a nervous breakdown would be. In all reality, it is a minor breakdown. The tool has opened up the insanity lobe of a man’s brain by acting like a teenager hell-bent on arguing with his parents. Want me to start? Good luck. Want me to do something you need done right now? Nope. Not going to happen. Think I’m in the last place you put me? Not a chance.

Tools are alive I tell you. I have found that the nicer I treat my tools, the better they work. Even then though, they are very fickle. I don’t think a tool ever reaches a human age above maybe 7. They are controlled by instant gratification every second of their simple lives. If the owner doesn’t answer every single want or need, they will revolt and your garage and toolbox will become a mass of chaos and anarchy. Oh, did I mention that tools talk to each other? I’m not crazy, the tools are!

All kidding aside, tools are a great way to vent anger. They don’t hit back and most of the time, they are cheap to replace. Sometimes, they even go out in a blaze of glory (lighter fluid and a match will make that happen). But, don’t ever decide to go into your house, pull out an illegal firearm and proceed to shoot it in front of your neighbors while you are sucking down a six-pack. You are just asking for trouble such as the man in this story is in. The lesson is, if you’re going to place your tool in front of the firing squad, do it in a rural area, with a legal firearm, while not drinking. Have fun target practicing.

Citation: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080725/ap_on_fe_st/odd_mower_madness