My Bathroom Is Granny Smith Apple Green

This week has been a very busy one for us here. We've got the bathroom renovation just about finished, but both my work and Shelley's has been very hectic despite have a holiday shortened week. Dad and Mom Snyder came over on Monday and worked on the house which was a blessing. There is some good news too as I've been able to schedule my first visit back to the States in over a year (in the middle of June and thankfully gas prices are starting to fall somewhat). I can finally collect my things that have been taking up space in my parents' house for so very long. Some of the stuff has been packed away since I left Utah over 5 years ago! It will be nice to go through it. I hope I mistakenly left a few thousand dollars in one of those boxes, but I tend to doubt it. It's been a very rainy week also which with the overcast skies has kept it relatively dark and made it easier to sleep during the days, though the dogs are still adjusting to the new sounds of the neighborghood and have 'barked' me into an awake state far too often. We find ourselves in another summer of booked weekends. This weekend is Jeff and Renee's wedding (yay!), next weekend is the third Harry Potter film opening, the following week we are celebrating Shell's birthday with a cookout, and the following weekend I'm in The Old Dominion! Somewhere in there we have to sneak in the next renovation project which will be the complete kitchen makeover!! I'm still waiting to take pictures of the new bathroom, however my wife has banned all photography until it is 100% ready (so I think next week you'll have a first look). This week's deeper thought: The devil is in the details. *by the way as a side note to Joni- next week's deeper thought will be on CANADIAN politics...heh* I read a fantastic op-ed piece in the Toronto Sun today (which you can read for yourself here: http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/Toronto/Salim_Mansur/2004/05/27/474364.html ) The author, University of Western Ontario professor Salim Mansur, makes the point that all too many people have become lost in the sidebar stories of Iraq's occupation, however justified and deserving of interest they may be, while missing the bigger picture of Iraq's liberation. He makes the case for a messy transition to democracy being seen only for the messy parts, not the transition to democracy. What struck me so much about the piece was how it fell seamlessly beside a point made by a quote from Richard Clarke's book that was passed along to me by my friend Susan. Clarke's main criticism, it seems, with President Bush was not that Bush was disengaged or stupid, but that he seemed to need the complex problems broken down into simplistic (what Clarke labelled "bumper sticker") language. What Clarke and Mansur both speak to is that Iraq, and the war or terror, and for that matter foreign policy, is a complex dilemma that requires solutions and reasoning of subtly and nuance. The problem for Bush (and by that I mean to say Karl Rove) is that they have built the legacy of the administration into a "War Presidency". Rather than defining himself, Bush has allowed himself to be defined. That isn't leadership, it is reactionary politics. By attempting to 'boil it down' to some fundamental slogan as a means of selling something to the citizenry is the first act of a bad political play. It also highlights what has long been my biggest problem with the Bush team- their lack of faith in the American people. Perhaps it hails from watching Bush 41 go down to defeat, perhaps it is from something inside this President, I'm not sure. But time and again, issue upon issue, the Bush administration has either patronized, pandered, or just plain mistrusted the very people it hopes to lead. The first two tax cut packages were clearly designed to rid the Right's memory of Bush 41's 'no new taxes' backslide- a complete pander to Conservatives at the expense of the surplus. Then, after 9/11, the Bush administration failed to trust the American people and ask for a sacrifice of those tax cuts to shore up the economy in a time of national (nee global) crisis. Finally, at every step, they have mistrusted the American people to deal forthrightly with the decision to go to war. I supported the war, and I still do. I'm a neo-Wilsonian, this is true, and while I believed the claims of WMD, it was never, for me, the only or even first reason to remove Hussein. The only safeguard to terror, the only force that can beat back radical fundamentalism, is democracy. Democracy is the engine of economic globalization, it is the engine of international diplomacy, and it must be, in the final analysis, the engine of security. Democratizing those last vestiges of radicalism and totalitarianism is our only salvation, but as theologians teach us, salvation is a long and winding road. Until next week

The Borders Edition

Hurray! I'm free to cross the border and return to Canada :) My PR Card finally arrived yesterday in all it's scary picture/magnetic stripe with everything except a DNA sample glory. When will I use it to return to the States and retrieve my long stored belongings?? Only the shadow knows. It's a holiday weekend here in Canada and that means I get Sunday night off. This weekend we are doing our first reno project- the bathroom- replacing the hideous wood panel with an actual tub surround! Hopefully I'll have some photos next transmission. I'm still waiting to hear about my University application though it is finally being reviewed at long last. I still have issues as I get used to living in Canada. One of the more mundane ones has to be milk in bags...yes American brothers and sisters, they have their milk in plastic bags. There's a dairy here called Parmalot which in my twisted world I always read as PRAMALOT. This of course sends me into fits of laughter as I can't stop singing songs from Monty Python and the Holy Grail..."I love to push the Pram a lot"...ok so at least I made Dave Andrews laugh just now :) This week's deeper thought: Lies and the lying liars who tell them. (a fun Al Franken book you should read- though to be fair read Bernie Goldberg's book 'Bias' so you can get the right wing take to go along with Franken's left wing take...but I digress). I went the whole week trying to think of something in the world of politics that was bugging me enough to write about and while there were lots of things staring me in the face, I just couldn't bring myself to write about war again this week. Then someone sent me this and I couldn't leave it alone because it is filled (to the very brim) with lies. Here's the original letter in brackets- [SOCIAL SECURITY: Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised: 1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary, 2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual incomes into the Program, 3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year, 4.) That the money the participants put into the independent "Trust Fund" rather than into the General operating fund, and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government program, and, 5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income. Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent "Trust" fund and put it into the General fund so that Congress could spend it? A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democratically-controlled House and Senate. Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding? A: The Democratic Party. Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities? A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the "tie-breaking" deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the U.S. Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants? A: That's right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party. Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive SSI Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it! Then, after doing all this lying and thieving and violation of the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away!] Now here's me again :) Most of you know I'm a registered Democrat. But I'm also a moderate one, and I'm fairly fiscally conservative. But this letter is so patently false that it made me cringe. Never let it be said that some people, when they have an agenda, don't even let facts get in the way. Here's the truth- Firstly the fund has never be in the general fund to spend. Johnson put the SS trust fund into the general accounting (see not the general FUND) so that there would be a unified budget. In 1990, Bush 41, had the ACCOUNTING put back in the 'off budget' accounts. Secondly FICA was never supposed to be tax deductible, in fact, the original law signed by FDR expressly prohibited such a deduction. Third point- It wasn't Clinton and Gore who started taxing benefits but RONALD REAGAN and the Republican Senate of 1982 who adopted the taxation law (with broad bipartisan support granted) that created benefit taxation. The tie-breaking vote Gore cast was to raise the rate level from 50% to 85% for higher earning people. Fourth point- Immigrants do not receive Social Security benefits from the trust fund. Neither does anyone who hasn't paid into the system for more than 10 years. Immigrants are sometimes eligible for Supplemental Social Insurance (or SSI which is what the writer is trying to confuse his readers with Social Security) by they have nothing to do with one another other that a) they are both federal programs and b) have the word Social in common. And as a matter of fact, the person responsible for the SSI program that helps poor immigrants was not Jimmy Carter but Richard Nixon! So let's recap shall we? Social Security taxation started with whom?? Democrats? No, Ronald Reagan. Immigrants receiving federal welfare? Bleeding heart liberal Jimmy Carter? No, "Tricky" Dick Nixon. Lesson? Next time you want to write a treatise on how lying and evil Democrats are...try remembering the words of a staunch conservative, Jack Webb..."Just the facts, ma'am...just the facts" Cheers Ron

The Country Edition

Well the move went very smoothly thanks to tons of help from friends and family. Despite the rain and cold last weekend, we loaded up in Toronto and unloaded in Georgetown to the tune of about 7 hours. Things are still a frightful mess here and we've had our share of fun new homeowner finds like an oven that shot sparks out and set off the smoke detector, a bathroom sink that doesn't want to drain NOR give us cold water, and a bedroom with two sliding glass doors that likes to pretend I'm a giant baked potato (I've taken to sleeping downstairs where it is cooler and less...oh I don't know HELLISHLY FREAKING HOT- the good news is as long as the oven is on the fritz we can safely cook baked goods in the bedroom from 10am-2pm!). We are working on these problems :) Also I seem unable to decide exactly where my desk should go in my office, luckily I have the non-felonious Martha Stewart (aka Shelley) to help direct me in the proper set up of desk, computer and bookshelves. I threw all the books up on the shelves with no attention really to organization which leaves the King James Bible wedged between Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban and a collection of reviews by Roger Ebert- librarians throughout the world shudder. Shell has managed to make it through the commute for a few days. It's a little tricky for her but she's a good scout. The weather here in the Greater Toronto Area has been really hot and humid which has played havoc with my senses at work. Here's what happens- The loading dock gets a fair bit warmer than normal and when the doors to the freezer open, the warm steam hits the ceiling releasing the frost build-up creating SNOW!!! It is quite a remarkable sight. This weekend Shell and I will be pricing a new kitchen and also seeing the movie Troy (the odds are 3 to 1 that my wife will enjoy the Home Depot trip far better but she's kooky that way). All in all things are going well at the new digs! We look to have lots of you visit over the course of our stay (don't forget to try the veal and tip your waiters and waitresses). This weeks deeper thought: Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc (after it therefore because of it). Cause and Effect, the study of how things relate to one another, the basis of logical reasoning. However there's a flaw in there somewhere because things sometimes happen for reasons we cannot understand OR for reasons that are far more complex than on the surface. The case in point is the recent murder of Nick Berg at the hands of Al-Qaeda thugs, who claimed it was a retaliation for the prisoner abuses. There have been way too many voices this week with tacitly apologizing for the actions of Berg's killers. In effect, the more people lend credence to those stated "reasons" the more they give them validity. Berg wasn't executed because prisoners were abused. He was murdered because he was an American. He was murdered because he had a Jewish sounding name (and perhaps was Jewish). He was murdered (and it was displayed for all the world to see) because the true aim of the band of terrorists is to make Americans cower and bend to will of Al-Qaeda. Vietnam, Beirut, Somalia- all have served as test cases for the theoretical means to "defeat" America. This was the real reason for Berg's public slaughter. The war on terror is a war on fanaticism. Sadly there have and always will be fanatics, therefore there is likely always to be a war on terror. No real amount of American military might will ever be able to beat back that fanaticism because it exists in the hearts of and minds of the fanatics. Sure, we can take measures to make us safer, but it will always linger. In the case of radical Islam, the battle must really be waged by other Muslims, who take a stand against terrorists hiding behind scripture. Can they do it? Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, the Taliban, Saddam Hussein, Yasser Arafat...this is the legacy of Arab Muslim inaction. While I sound this deeply pessimistic tone I point out a scenario of hope that Iraq is slowly, without realizing it, gaining some small measures of democratic freedoms. Democracy and liberty, though every person's birthright, is something that must be preciously guarded and rigidly cultivated. While at the moment it seems only the bad seeds are being planted, there are good ones as well. Time is our only salvation. Cheers Ron

Relocation Edition

"It's a quarter to three...there's no one in the place 'cept you and me..." (and 3000 boxes...sheesh) Well the time has come and we're just about ready to move from being city mice to country mice (or at the very least really far suburban mice). There's still a fair amount to do but I think we'll be just fine come Saturday morning. This will be a short update this week as we've lots to do and I've got to shut down this machine for a few days whilst it is packed away. The new phone is working and cable and internet are hot so it's just a matter of physically being present there now. Willow and Dixie are quite perplexed about all the transitioning. I had to spend Monday and Tuesday night at the new place awaiting all the installers, and they stayed with me. They love to investigate the new surroundings, but they really don't like to see the sight of cardboard boxes and suitcases. I was able to snap a few more photos of the house. I realized that there were none of the exterior and the front. The house is in desperate need of a power wash and some cleaning of all the windows but if you'll forgive those here's the front and side views: http://stamant.org/100_4255.jpg http://stamant.org/100_4256.jpg http://stamant.org/100_4257.jpg http://stamant.org/100_4258.jpg http://stamant.org/100_4259.jpg So much to do :) This week's deeper thought: Churchill wrote: "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference:. Case in point would be the guy who accosted me today as I packed my car with stuff for the move. I had to park further down the street earlier and I was moving the car in front of the house so that I could pack it more easily. I had left it running because I was trying to do it quickly and then I had to go to work. As I was making my second trip back to the house to grab another box, a stranger approached and asked, "Are you leaving soon?" in a very rude manner. "I'll be just another few minutes" I replied rather perplexed. "Well, why don't you shut off your car (looks at my car as if it is the single cause of all pollution and notices my Utah license plates)...We have a No Idling Law here in Toronto". My first reaction, sadly, when scolded by anyone NOT my father is to build a little indignant phlegm in the back of my throat. You know that burning kind when someone tells you something in a haughty manner as if THEY are the righteous and you are the wicked infidel? My interior monologue wanted to remind him that there's also a law in Toronto against breaking into cars and stealing things...but that didn't stop someone from doing it TWICE last summer and the cops were NOWHERE! But, being in a hurry and not having the energy to say something in an equally snarky way I just nodded my head (okay there was a slight eye roll). As I thought about it while looking for my jacket and the last box, I new I was wrong to have let the car run and part of my initial reaction was a bit of revulsion at myself for making rationalizations to myself to quell my guilt. I went back out and shut the car off because I knew it would be another 5 minutes before I could leave. When I came back out to get ready to go, out walks the guy who scolded me from one of the houses across the street. He jumps in his car...his car that was parked half on the sidewalk! And on the side of the street that is clearly marked No Parking! Apparently Mr. We Have Laws in Toronto missed those sections of the code referring to Parking Regulations. It would seem he clearly didn't live in a glass house either. See you all next week- Same Bat Time, Different Bat Station Cheers