The View From the Outback© 2000 Richard C. Rhodes
A great deal of what we read in newspapers, magazines, and books, and what we see in the movies and on TV is written and produced in New York City or Los Angeles. Much of the "political wisdom" comes from the PR machines of the White House, the Congress, and from the Washington media corps. In short, one might conclude that all knowledge, wisdom, and wit are confined to those who inhabit New York City, Washington DC, or Hollywood. I am now a senior citizen, in my 7th decade. My experience was gained in many cities in the U.S. and in about 30 foreign countries. That experience has included the U.S. Marines, law school, the ATF, the CIA, Fortune 500 executive, writer, public speaker, educator, editor, and publisher - for openers. Some insights come from talking with ham-radio operators in every major country and such idyllic places as the Cook Islands. For over 20 years, I have written articles off and on for various magazines and newspapers. I've had an enormous number of letters published in major national publications. The Outback is the rural area in Northeast Texas where I have lived for the past 15 years. Since most visits to my pages come from searches, I am no longer trying to keep on a regular schedule for updating the Outback. Click on a Topic to go directly to that topic. Jan. 7, 2006: In the Outback for Nov. 27, 2004 (Check "Back Issues") in discussing the failure of HD DVD and Blu-ray HD to agree on a common standard, I said that they were shooting themselves in the foot. I predicted then that consumers were tired of 8-Track versus Cassette, Betamax versus VHS VCRs, CD-R/CD-RW incompatibilities. I said that if two competing DVD HD products came to market, many consumers would bide their time, waiting for the marketing geniuses to come to their senses. Several times, I updated this with comments from the competing factions. Now, in 2006, from the CES show, comes this brilliant insight from AP and others: I took perverse joy in the following from AP: Retailers came away from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas calling the DVD HD/Blu-ray war "nightmarishly unfriendly" and "stupid." As consumers, we all knew that years ago. The Bush administration has beaten to death the argument that our invasion of Iraq will end up providing Iraq with a "Democratic Society and be a beacon for economic freedom," that will be a model for the whole of the Middle East. Maybe not. Leave it to a letter writer to the Wall Street Journal (Steve H. Hanke, Prof. of Applied Economics, Johns Hopkins Univ. 12-22-05) to put the situation into perspective in just a couple of sentences. Prof. Hanke points out that the oil sector in Iraq is state owned and accounts for 3/4 of Iraq's GDP. He suggests that Iraq's economy is - and will in all likelihood remain - a grand socialist enterprise, not a market-based economy. I might add that the state-owned oil will no doubt be a source of bribes, corruption, and political upheaval for as far as the eye can see. This year, Christmas and Hanukkah coincide on December 25, the first time since 1959. To Jews married to Christians, there will be the lighting of a Christmas candle and lighting of the Menorah. This gives true meaning to the term "burning the candle at both ends." Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. And Oi Vey, what a mess you got us into Judy when you agreed to marry me. One kid is begging mom to bake Matzoh and the other to bake chocolate-chip cookies. I have compromised, says Judy. I am baking chocolate-chip Matzoh. Not exactly Kosher. But, yummy? In previous Outbacks, I have written passionately about what a rip-off extended warranties are for most electronic items. Some extended warranties amount to an additional 25% on top of the purchase price. Yet, as much as 90 cents of every dollar in warranty revenue that retailers don't pass on to service providers and insurers flows right to the bottom line. Electronics items are not prone to fail after the initial warranty period, which now averages one year. If you pay by VISA or MasterCard, you most likely automatically obtain a one-year extension on your warranty. As an old geezer, I have developed a fool-proof answer for the "kids" in BestBuy, Staples, Office Max, or elsewhere, who ask if I want the extended warranty. "How long is the factory warranty?" "One year," is the usual answer. To which I reply, "In my condition, I will be lucky to live past the one-year warranty term. I think I'll pass on the extended warranty." I then stare menacingly into their eyes, as if to say, "Do you want to argue with me on that point? Maybe I have a terminal condition you don't know about." End of discussion. It's so much fun. I will keep doing it for 15-20 more years ... I hope. In a 1985 document, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr., President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, wrote that "the Constitution does not protect a right to an abortion." The judge wrote this on an application to become deputy assistant to Attorney General Edwin I. Meese III. Since the "single test for a judge's qualification" seems to be his or her present or past position on abortion, we can look forward to a contentious and downright nasty confirmation hearing on the part of Democrats. Memos from his days in the Justice Department are being cited as evidence that Judge Alito favors domestic spying. And this will not be the last of the "smoking guns" the Democrats pounce on. Given that a Supreme Court nominee does not need to be a lawyer or a judge to qualify, President Bush may have to look to people who have no prior history of political thought. A good choice might be a New York City transit worker's leader, none of whom obviously have had an original thought in their entire lives. The overpaid hacks at the TV networks constantly find new ways to insult our intelligence. Promoting a new show on ABC, they end with the phrase "Only on ABC." No, you're kidding. We thought the show would debut simultaneously on ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX in four different time slots - for maximum exposure. All of the furor and posturing over the NSA intercepts of e-mail and phone calls made between the U.S. and foreign countries makes for fine political fodder. Some have said that President Bush is in violation of "criminal laws" in authorizing the intercepts. Lost in all of this slobbering was one sentence . To paraphrase: "The individuals targeted were largely harvested from laptops and cell phones of terrorists." Quit whining. You and I are not going to be "caught on tape." That is, unless we call Bin Laden. That won't happen because the media blew our "sources and methods of intelligence collection" when they revealed long ago that Bin Laden was using a satellite phone and we were monitoring it. The criminals in all of this are the idiots in the Eastern Elite Media, who hate Bush and are willing to compromise national security to "get Bush." What you need to worry about are hackers who are stealing your personal information and cloning your identity. The government is the least of your worries - as loudly as the media and the Democrats want to proclaim that this is a "rouge administration." Oh, and you should worry about terrorists who have vowed to kill as many Americans as they can. The media "revelation-of-the-day" about spying by the Bush administration involves sampling the air in public space for indications of potentially harmful chemicals and sampling for radioactivity. A lot of this took place around Muslim areas in the U.S. and has all the Civil Rights watchdogs in a tizzy. In 2001, the Supreme Court said that police using an infra-red detector from outside a house to detect the lamps or other indications of illegal pot growing was illegal under the Fourth Amendment "search and seizure" clause - if done without first getting a warrant. That was a misguided decision, and portends poorly for the outcome of the lawsuits that will come from the chemical and radiation snooping. There is a big difference in just sampling air, but the "we-are-living-in-a-police-state" lawyers will make a big fuss over the government's sampling techniques. Thank God the FBI is looking for chemical or radiological traces in the air. You can't get a search warrant for a whole town. Give this a rest, ACLU and People for the American Way (the guy who runs that gives me the creeps). The FBI can drive by my house all day long, monitoring my cell calls to Bin Laden, checking to see if I have the precursors to a WMD, or have radioactive materials in my workshop. And I hope they will, but they don't have the manpower for that. So, they must concentrate in areas where such activity is most likely taking place. If investigators spent time getting warrants for every possible form of intelligence gathering, there would be no time left to do the actual work. Everybody bitched when nobody connected the dots prior to 9/11. Now, when we try to connect the dots in advance, people are still bitching. In an earlier Outback, I noted that one reason I declined to have an MRI of my brain on the oft chance that I had a benign brain tumor affecting my hearing, was that I don't like the idea of "imaging markers" being injected into the brain, or elsewhere. The FDA pushed Palatin Technologies Inc. and a unit of Tyco International Ltd. to withdraw from the market an imaging agent used in diagnosing appendicitis. The product, used to enhance the image produced by scanning equipment, was linked to two deaths and 20 other severe reactions - apparently from an allergic reaction to it. I stick with my admonition to avoid going to a doctor or a hospital unless you think you may have a serious medical problem, and be wary of submitting to every test that is known to medicine. Do some research and come back for the test(s)if you find that it is appropriate and the benefits outweigh any risk. I am still mad about the ER Physicians Assistant (posing as an M.D., and signing reports as "Doctor") who had me take X-Rays for suspected Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Nowhere in the medical literature I scanned is there any reason to take an X-Ray for suspected Carbon Monoxide poisoning. Update Jan. 7, 2006 Re: W. Virginia Miners. In the Outback for May 16, 2004, I wrote at length about my visit to ER complaining of possible carbon-monoxide poisoning - and of the research I did on the possible treatment for the problem. It has been reported that the miners who died succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning (intoxication). If there is any small consolation for the families, it is probable that the deaths were largely pain free. Carbon monoxide drives out the oxygen in your system (and brain), and you simply "fall asleep" - never to awaken. I think that one of the miners left a note to that effect - that he was "going to sleep." The sole survivor has been subjected to an intense infusion of oxygen in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. He also has lung damage, probably caused by inhalation of dust and gases while trapped for such a long period in the mine. The miners had respirators with enough oxygen for about an hour. They were trapped for 42 hours. One suggestion that is sure to come up is stationing one or more large oxygen tanks with multiple outlets near the site of deep-mining activity. All of this talk about oxygen got me to wondering how many hours of oxygen are available to airline passengers if the masks drop down. So far, I am unable to find a definitive answer. In an article at CNN.com, dated Sept. 26, 2001, was the following: "Airline oxygen masks are designed to last for 10 or 15 minutes or so. But if pilots are fighting hijackers, they might be hard-pressed to return to their control chairs and descend to an altitude where they and others onboard can breathe natural air." Normally, the airliner would descend to a lower altitude upon cabin de-pressurization - to where ample oxygen would be available in the outside air, perhaps around 8,000 feet or so. International aviation regulations stipulate that, at a plane's maximum cruising altitude, the cabin pressure normally should not exceed (8000 ft). So, if you have a problem breathing at 8,000 feet in the mountains, you would have trouble breathing in an airliner that is pressurized to 8,000 feet. (more later) Air travelers for the first time will be allowed by federal rules to bring their own portable oxygen concentrators on board aircraft if they have a medical need for the assistance. The FAA has only removed a restriction from the airlines, not imposed a mandate that requires them to allow the equipment on all flights. Specifically, the rules allow passengers to use two devices, made by AirSep Corp. and Inogen Inc., that work by filtering nitrogen from the air and delivering oxygen in concentrated form. Neither device uses compressed oxygen, which the FAA still considers a hazardous material and allows only on planes that are certified to carry such substances. Over the last few years, I have build several computers from parts I carefully selected and assembled. Normally, I have had very few problems. But, my prize Athlon 64 machine I built about a year ago, crashed on me about two weeks ago. I had a "disk image" (Acronis True Image 9 software) on an external USB hard drive and was able to bring the computer back to life, albeit with some recent data missing. All data was available on backup disks and drives, and eventually all was restored to the state of the day of the crash. Even though my diagnostic programs said that my disk was healthy, Windows XP Event Viewer showed consistent "bad sectors" (bad data reads) on my hard drive. So, I decided to buy a new hard drive and rebuild it from scratch, with a new Win XP install, reinstalling all programs and updates, and restoring data from my many, many sources of backup material. Well, this all brought me to my knees.
First, I could not get WinXP to install from a full OEM disk that I had legally purchased with the computer parts. It had earlier been telling me that I needed to re-authorize Win XP, even though I had not changed any parts in the computer that would make the secret Microsoft file think I was trying to install the disk to a second computer. When this happened three times, I finally got a message that I had run out of chances to re-authorize. What? Nobody said you got only so many chances to change your hard drive or other internal parts and then your XP disk was useless. I broke a silence of many years, and called Microsoft support. After finally getting to a tech, who was willing to walk me through some complex file renaming (in SAFE Mode), we rebuilt the "secret computer component inventory" file. This all took about an hour or more. And I was able to log on to the Microsoft site later and re-authorize my Win XP installation, using the product code that came with the disk. I ordered a new Seagate hard drive and installed it in place of the old drive that was crashing on me. But, after many, tries, I could not get XP to install. I spent most of two days trying to get the new disk to accept the WinXP OEM disk with SP2. Previously, I had installed XP on maybe a dozen machines, using a legitimate disk and code, without a problem. Using some Seagate diagnostic software, I learned that the brand new Seagate disk apparently had some bad sectors. Worn to a frazzle, I gave up and ordered two Western Digital hard drives and a brand new copy of Windows XP OEM with SP2, from a reliable vendor. I like having a second hard drive to use as one of my backup destinations. It is nearly impossible for two hard drives in the same machine to fail at the same time. Well, after about 10 times of going through the full install procedure, the new XP disk would not install the operating system. Now, I was on my fourth day. For the heck of it, I tried the original OEM disk that I had bought about a year ago. I was going to use it on the same computer, so it was legal to do so. After many, many false starts, and going through the full install cycle, I finally got the old WinXP disk to install. It apparently had something to do with a stock XP video driver not liking my very fine Matrox dual-monitor board. I have not the slightest idea what I did to finally get the machine to boot. A lot of SAFE Mode and VGA mode and deleting the C: partition, installing a new partition (with 3-rd party software) and reformatting the C: drive, reinstalling XP, and on into the night. Over and over. Now, working into the wee hours, I enabled my dialup (I do not have broadband) and dialed into Windows Update to get the updates that had come out since Windows XP Home SP2. Windows Update said that I had to get my software installation "authorized" before I could get any updates. When I logged on to the Microsoft, I got the old message, "Sorry Charlie, you have run out of chances to authorize this installation on this computer." This was a brand-new install. How could this happen? I tried again, and a message suggested I try a different "authentication code." I reached for the new OEM XP Home disk and plugged in that number. The damn thing went through and I was authorized, using a number from a disk I had NOT used to install the program. By now, I was too numb for shouting or tears. Next, Windows Update said that I needed to go through a procedure to verify that my XP install was from a genuine Microsoft disk. That took a while, but I passed the test. Then, Windows Update said that I needed a new version of the Windows Update software. That took a few minutes to install. Finally, I got to the Windows Update screen. There were 32 Windows Update files since SP2 had been issued! Thirty-two files, many of them over 1MB in size. On my rural dialup connection, it took nearly two hours to download all the updates. Oh, before that, I had installed my paid-for copy of Zone-Alarm Pro and my paid-for copy of EZ-Antivirus and downloaded the updates. There were over 3MB of virus updates alone. Now that I had all the Windows Updates, I used my partitioning software to make the first drive into C: and D: and the second one into E: and F: drive designations. I installed Acronis True Image 9, and made an "image" of my C: drive and sent it to my external USB Hard Drive. I had purposely made the C: drive a little less than 20GB, so that the image would be small and would not take long. All software, other than WinXP, would be installed on D: or E:, except about two or three that refused to install anywhere but on the C: drive.
By now, I was into my fifth day of the "Let's swap out the hard drive," project. Piece of cake - with a hacksaw blade in it. Two days later, I have most of my software reinstalled, with updates and data that I had carefully squirreled away on my external USB hard drive, DVDs, and some on my FlashDrive for triple redundancy. I have long prowled the innards of my software installs and learned where the Profile for Firefox 1.5 (C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default) and the address book for WordPerfect, and other such obscure files, were hidden. They had been backed up and helped a great deal to get me up and running - with the same Firefox look, bookmarks, cookies, passwords, etc., and addresses in the WP Address Book. I also had IE6 Favorites and Cookies backed up - and some fonts you don't get with a normal XP install. I had several pages of notes about where stuff was hidden and what my backup files were called - and a printout of the Directory Tree as a reminder of how I had my folders organized. I have literally hundreds of CD-R and DVD+R backups of programs and data. But, I could not find Paint Shop Pro 9 anywhere, and I went through a couple of hundred CDs and DVDs looking for it. I called Corel and found a very sympathetic man in Canada, who could sense the desperation in my voice. He agreed to send me the upgrade to Paint Shop Pro X at a very low price. But, I asked, would the "upgrade" go looking for Version 9 on my hard drive before it would install? Yes, he said. Oh, crap. Feeling really sorry for me by this time, he agreed to send me the full version, not just the update, at the very low price he quoted. It helped that I had a long history in their computer of being a WordPerfect and Paint Shop Pro user. The Paint Shop Pro X software came the day after I ordered it (for a $15 fee). The Airborne man must have had JATO bottles (Jet Assisted Takeoff rockets) in his butt. I never heard the bell ring or the door banged. I found the Corel box on my porch at 9:45 p.m. when I happened to look out the front window - with the outside temperature at 42 degrees F. After the disk warmed up to room temperature, the software installed quickly and seems to perform very well in short tests that I gave it. And I made a backup CD-R of the PSP X disk and will put the original disk in my safe. Thanks Corel. You have made a friend for life. I got Webroot's Spy Sweeper installed (paid for version). Just for the heck of it, I clicked on Check for Program Update. What a mistake! There was an 8MB+ update available. While that was downloading, I cleaned off my desk, did some filing and started getting some of the papers off of the floor. When Spy Sweeper was updated and reinstalled, I guessed that the Definition Update (the data file of bad stuff) might need to be updated, even though I had done it only an hour earlier with the older version of the program. Another few minutes to load the new definitions. You people on broadband have no idea what it is like to work on a rural Dialup, that rarely downloads faster than 36.6kbps. Frustration does not begin to describe it. So, am I now paranoid about losing data? Yes, but I have always been. I use an automated program as part of NERO (NeroBackitUp) to back up all of my data and drivers to my external USB 2.0 Hard Drive. In between times, usually several times a day, I run batch files that copy my WordPerfect data files, my Quicken data, my e-mail archive, and some other data to the external USB hard drive. Some of the batch files send a copy of my data to both the external USB Drive and to the internal E: drive, which if you recall is actually a second physical hard drive in my computer. Now and then, I run the automated program and back up all my data to a DVD+R. In my defense, with all of the crashes and corrupted disks, etc., I did not lose a single data file! Some of them I had backed up on several different media. Acronis True Image 9 can also make automated backups, and I am now exploring if it is a better solution than NERO. I am going to set up Acronis True Image to make a full image of my C: drive at a scheduled time every day. I know that RAID configurations can provide redundancy, but I still like doing it the old-fashioned way. None of my data backups are compressed, so I can drag and drop files back onto the hard drive if I need to. The Acronis disk image of the C: drive is compressed, but the Restore function handles that automatically. Hopefully, I won't be needing Restore for a long time. I need several months to recover from the disk swap out. FYI: Before I even closed the program I use to compose my Web page, I ran a backup of my Homepage, which included this file. I have no faith in computers, after over 20 plus years of messing with them. Acronis True Image and other programs have a provision for cloning a hard drive, so I could have cloned the old hard drive and installed the "clone" onto the new drive. Even with all the hell I went through, sometimes you just need to start with a clean slate. Cloning garbage produces garbage. Update Dec. 21, 2005. The fonts on my screens looked horrible after the new installation of XP and all of my programs. Then, I realized that I had done it again. I have two LCD screens running on a dual-video card. I had forgotten to set Clear Type fonts again this time. Will I ever get this right? Right click on the Desktop, click Properties, click on Appearance, click on Effects. Check the box marked "Use the following method to smooth the edges of screen fonts," and select Clear Type. And the updating never ends. Just after I installed Paint Shop Pro X, which I got directly from Corel, I discovered that there were already two updates 10.01 and 10.02 available. I was forced to take my laptop to the library and use the WiFi connection to download the large files and then transfer them to the desktop via a flash drive. Good grief. I also discovered that there was a free update to Acronis 9. I had to go to the library and download it over the Wi-Fi connection. Then, when I installed it, I had to plug in the Product Key again, and because it was an Update to an Upgrade, I had to dig around in the closet for the original Acronis 8 disk to get the Product Key number for that version. Those of us who actually pay for all our software sure do go through hell. It might be easier just to learn where all the "hacker" and "cracker" sites are and learn how to avoid all this constant harassment when you try to install a legitimate copy of something. Update: January 27, 2006. On December 26, 2005, I sent the above article, a letter, and the WinXP Home OEM disk that kept telling me I had tried to use it too many times on the same computer, to Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. I suggested that MS send me a replacement OEM WinXP Home disk, since nowhere is there any indication that an installation disk can only be used so many times on a particular computer, even when you make a couple of hardware changes to that computer. Get up an office pool, to guess which month, if ever, I will get a replacement disk. One month later, there is no word. Two months? A year? Never? I have my money on never. Update: August 18, 2006 After several months, I had not heard back from my letter to Microsoft president Steve Ballmer about my XP Home install that kept telling me that I had tried to use it too many times on the same computer, and/or that I had tried to re-authorize the install too many times - on the same computer. Like an Elephant, I never forget. The Wall Street Journal ran an article about several changes at Microsoft among high-level management. I picked the name of one of the top guys and wrote him a letter which began: "Let me try again." And I enclosed a copy of my original letter to Mr. Ballmer. In a couple of weeks, I got a call from a Microsoft regional manager in Texas. After listening to my sad story, he sent me a full box set of Windows XP Home, not an upgrade CD, but the full program. I am, of course, in shock! Bayer Aspirin is at it again. Telling lies, that is. On a TV ad, is the following statement: "Only genuine Bayer can help save your life when taken during a heart attack." This is a blatant lie. Where is the FTC and truth in advertising? In the Outback for March 15, 2003, I had a piece called "Why Are You Buying Name-Brand Aspirin?" The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) is a non-profit organization which sets quality standards for medicines, over-the-counter items, and dietary supplements, for example. Most all aspirin sold by major stores is made to the same exacting standards. Look for "USP" on the label. Most of the generics in major retail outlets conform to the USP standard, which ensures that the ingredients and the safety of the manufacturing process are essentially the same as for any name brand. For Bayer to claim that only its aspirin can help save your life during a heart attack is false, misleading, and deceitful. The people at the FTC must all be doing their Christmas shopping to let this one slip by uncontested. Back in 2003, I noted that a bottle of 50 Bayer Aspirin (325mg) at a local Wal-Mart costs $3.77. A bottle of 500 of a generic 325mg aspirin costs $3.47! If your calculator is broken, the Bayer costs a little more than
10 times as much as the generic. A bottle of 100 of the generic 325mg tablets costs 96 cents. At
SAM's Club, with Member's Mark brand, a bottle of 1000-325mg coated Aspirin costs $4.87.
Yes, that is 1000 for $4.87. At Wal-Mart, Bayer 325mg in a 300 count bottle sells for $10.46. The 300 bottle of the
generic is $2.37. The price differential also narrows with the 81 mg coated aspirin, the type and
dose often recommended by doctors for protecting you from heart attacks. A bottle of 120 Bayer
coated 81 mg is $5.48. A bottle of 120 x 81mg of the generic, sold under the Equate label, is
$2.97. The Equate box says "Compare to Bayer Adult Low Strength Aspirin active ingredient."
Here's a clue. They are essentially the same. Bayer can protest all they want. So, if you buy Bayer Aspirin, you a doubly a fool. One, you are paying way too much for no added benefit. Two, you are buying from a corporation that has no shame and tells outright lies in their TV ads. More than 33,000 transit workers are engaged in an illegal walkout in New York city. The strike violated the state's Taylor Law, with its resulting fine of two days pay for every day on strike. A strike lasting less than a week could wipe out the raise for the entire year under the MTA's latest contract offer. They could additionally face contempt charges or possible jail time. A judge imposed a $1 million-per-day fine for the union. The MTA was demanding that the union accept alterations to the pension plan for new hires, citing huge deficits starting in 2008. The agency called for the retirement age to be pushed back to 62, instead of the current 55 - but backed off that late last night. Just what hardships do the transit employees endure that they can retire at age 55? As I recall, the guys and gals who change the light bulbs on the subway platforms are in this union, for example. But this is New York, where young kids on Wall Street get million-dollar bonuses. The greed fever in the Big Apple is infectious. This seems like another case of extortion by the unions, who are so used to living the good life - with a minimum of skills. As union workers at Delphi, GM, Duluth and elsewhere have found out, there is a limit to how much milk can be sucked from the teat of corporations and cities by union employees who certainly are not underpaid - and whose health and pension benefits would make most anyone in a small business green with envy. From the World Socialist Web site for Dec. 14, 1999, were these gems: "With just one day to go before the Tuesday midnight expiration of the contract between Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York City could be on the brink of its first mass transit strike in nearly two decades. The base salary of a bus operator is $42,450, and that of a train operator is $45,167. Besides laboring under conditions that are extremely taxing mentally and physically, these workers have enormous responsibility for the safety of the riding public. Yet they earn barely one-fifth of the average salary being made on Wall Street, and less than a third of what newly hired attorneys are earning in the city's major law firms." The poor babies are so downtrodden. A person goes to Harvard or Yale or Wharton and gets an MBA or Ph.D. - or goes to college for seven years to get a law degree - and these Socialist pea-brains have the gall to compare the generous salary and benefits of a bus or train operator to a Wall Street job or an attorney in a major law firm. I told you all along that union folks in general, whether at Delphi, GM, in Duluth, or working in NYC mass transit, have delusions of grandeur. Thank you so much to the World Socialist Web site for putting this in such precise perspective. The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 21, 2005 that: "The average salary for a New York bus driver is $63,000 a year -- about 25% more than for similar private-sector workers... Subway motormen make $54,000 and subway cleaners $40,000. Workers get full health benefits, make no contributions to insurance premiums and can retire after 25 years of service or at age 55." One of the thoughts I had when writing this on Dec. 20th, was that NYC should do what Reagan did with the Air Traffic Controllers - fire them and hire new ones who would work for reasonable salaries and benefit packages. But, I guess this idea was churning elsewhere. The next day, on Dec. 21, 2005, writing in the WSJ, Steven Malanga said in part: "But now New York officials should take a page from President Reagan's playbook: The MTA should start sending out termination letters to striking workers for breaking the law, and hiring a new work force -- including offering jobs to current workers, but on terms set down by the MTA." And I write all this stuff for free. And to youse guys in New York in da transit union who wanna retire early, join da Army - and get your ass shot off. Maybe then, you would have somethin' to bitch about. I've been to most of the big cities of the world. But ... there is no city on earth like New York. Thank goodness for small favors. That is, that NYC stands alone as an example of a society where moronic transit-union leaders call a strike during the Christmas season - or call any strike for that matter (Well, let's add Paris). The news media keeps pointing our how resilient New Yorkers are, to be able to cope with the transit strike. The truth is that we may never know how resilient citizens of other cities might be under similar circumstances. Why? Because only in New York would a transit union call a strike in the final days of the Christmas crush, with the city loaded with tourists. For many tourists, that will be their only trip to NYC. Who needs this grief? In an earlier Outback, I said that I never could understand who and what Evangelical Christians are. On the ABC special with Barbara Walters - about Heaven - Barbara talked with Ted Haggard, the president of the National Association of Evangelicals. She asked him what it meant to be an "Evangelical." Haggard's response was: 1. We believe that Jesus is the son of God - the Saviour. 2. We believe the Bible is the word of God. 3. We believe that people must be "born again." Barbara then asked what it meant to be "born again." Haggard's response was: "Born again means that the spirit of God joins with your spirit and makes you a brand new person - a new creation. It is a slice of Heaven coming into Earth, when that moment of believing comes, that's when you are born again." This explanation of being born again was simply double-talk from which you could never understand what it took to be "born again" or how you would know if you had been born again. So, I went to the Evangelical's Web site and other sites seeking answers. At the National Association of Evangelicals (www.nae.net) we find: National Association of Evangelicals Statement of Faith • We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. • We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. • We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. • We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. • We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. • We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. • We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. This is all very interesting, but the question remains, what does it mean to be "born again"? At www.born-again-christian.info/christianity.htm, we find: To be born again means to receive salvation, and be saved through receiving The LORD Jesus Christ as Saviour.
Implicit in receiving the Lord Jesus Christ, is the acceptance that He is who He claimed to be, and who the Holy Bible declares Him to be, Almighty God in the Flesh. What does born again mean? To be born again means to receive God's Spirit, Life, and Presence into your heart by receiving The Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour from sin, death, and Judgement. At www.gotquestions.org/born-again.html Question: "What does it mean to be a born again Christian?" Answer: What does it mean to be a born again Christian? The classic passage from the Bible that answers this question is John 3:1-21. The Lord Jesus Christ is talking to Nicodemus, a prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (a ruler of the Jews). Nicodemus had come to Jesus at night. Nicodemus had questions to ask Jesus. As Jesus talked with Nicodemus, He said "...Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again...." (John 3:3-7). The phrase "born again" literally means "born from above." Nicodemus had a real need. He needed a change of his heart--a spiritual transformation. New birth, being born again, is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the person who believes (2 Corinthians 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1-4, 18). John 1:12,13 indicates that "born again" also carries the idea "to become children of God" through trust in the name of Jesus Christ. The question logically comes, "Why does a person need to be born again?" The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins..." To the Romans in Romans 3:23, the Apostle wrote, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." So, a person needs to be born again in order to have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God. A dictionary definition: Noun 1. born-again Christian - a Christian who has experienced a dramatic conversion to faith in Jesus From www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_born_again.html: Discussion The phrase "born again" is used by people of all religious denominations and all religions, as well as by people who profess no organized religious faith. In general terms, its most frequent meanings are to "begin a new life" and to "renew one's commitment to one's previously held values and beliefs." In many ways, these two definitions seem contradictory. The phrase "born again" has been in use within Christianity since the earliest days of the religion. The phrase is found in the New Testament in a passage describing a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3:1-5): "Jesus answered him, 'Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again... Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.'" (New Revised Standard Version) Traditionally, Jesus's reference to being "born of water" has been interpreted as baptism and being born of Spirit has been interpreted as receiving the "Holy Spirit" ("Holy Ghost", to use the term from the King James Version of the Bible). However, the precise meanings of the phrases "born again" and "born of water and Spirit" as used in this passage are not agreed upon across (and sometimes even within) various Christian denominations. Even within the Evangelical movement there is much difference of opinion about this subject, and there is much disagreement about whether certain famous individuals should properly be identified as "Born Again." When used as the sole identifier for a person's religious faith or religious affiliation, the phrase "born again" (or "born-again") is most frequently encountered in reference to "born again Christians," i.e., people who claim a certain types of religious experience. The phrase is usually used within the Evangelical Christian movement, a Protestant movement that began in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of the meanings that contemporary Evangelicals attach to the phrase "born again Christian" have little or no precedent prior to the 1930s. Also, until about 1960, it was rare for any person to identify themself solely as a "born-again Christian." Prior to that time, Christians would typically identify themselves in some cases simply as a "Christian" or in other settings by identifying the denomination to which they belonged. If they had experienced some kind of conversion, rejuvenating, or powerful spiritual experience, they might describe this in a testimony or explanation of their faith, but they would not use this as a basis for a personal label or classification. ------------------ So, it would seem to me that if you grew up as a Christian and accepted Jesus as being the son of God, and so forth, there would be no need to be "born again." The term "born again," appears to imply that although you may have been a Christian all your life, accepted Jesus as Saviour, attended church, read the Bible, and prayed to God, that somehow you needed a rebirth. You needed to be "born again." It is no wonder then that the phrase has confused me and others for so long. The key may be as noted above: To the Romans in Romans 3:23, the Apostle wrote, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." So, a person needs to be born again in order to have their sins forgiven and have a relationship with God (since we have no doubt sinned as we trod along the path of life in our later years, no matter how strong our conviction at an earlier age). The very concept of "sin" or "sinning" is not an easy one to define. For starters, one can read the discussion of the 10 Commandments at: www.religioustolerance.org/chr_10c4.htm. And an interesting discussion of the first 5 of the 10 Commandments at: www.religioustolerance.org/chr_10c7.htm. There is a marvelous list of a shared belief among various religions in the Golden Rule (www.religioustolerance.org/reciproc.htm). That list will open your eyes to some similarities, rather than focusing on differences. You can spend the rest of your life asking people to tell you what it is a sin and what is not. You will get a thousand different answers. To paraphrase a Supreme Court Justice, "I know sin when I see it." (Said in an opinion about what constituted pornography "I know pornography when I see it.") Now, back to the Barbara Walters ABC special on Heaven. I'm not sure she managed to really shed much light on Heaven, after two hours, except that a lot of people believe there is such a place. But there is wide disagreement, even among theologians, about what actually goes on in Heaven. Barbara asked Ted Haggard how you get admitted into Heaven. Haggard replied: "There is only one guaranteed way to go to Heaven - according to the scriptures. That is through Jesus Christ." When asked about the role of being "born again," Haggard said: "If you're not born again, then you don't have the assurance of..." - Barbara interjected "of going to Heaven." Haggard nodded in agreement. First, the necessity for being "born again" as a probable prerequisite for getting into Heaven seems arbitrary and capricious. As discussed earlier, the whole "born again" thing seems to assume that for all your prior Christian life nothing counts except this somewhat ethereal concept of being "born again." Second, what a narrow-minded view, that only "born-again Christians" can get into Heaven. Other religious leaders, from other faiths, certainly did not agree with the "born-again Christian" litmus test. Such a test is presumptuous and condescending on the part of Evangelical Christians. This is not the way to make friends. There are 30 million Evangelical Christians! We have a better idea of how they define themselves. Now, when you meet an Evangelical, ask them to describe to you that moment in time when they were "born again," and what transpired emotionally, intellectually, and perhaps physically at that precise moment. And ask them what was lacking in their religious upbringing and practice that made them feel a need to be "reborn." Seriously. It ought to be revealing and interesting. And there will no doubt be a lot of puzzled looks and groping for words. Update: I was telling a friend about the Barbara Walter's Special on Heaven and mentioned Barbara's conversation with Ted Haggard and her question to him about what it meant to be "born again." A lady friend in another room heard only part of the conversation, but asked me if I did not believe in "being born again"? I replied that I was not questioning the concept, but rather that I was interested in why a person who early on accepted Jesus as Saviour, etc., needed to be "reborn." What I got was a passionate and stern lecture about going to Hell for eternity if you were not "reborn." After several tries at getting an answer to my original question, and getting the you-will-go-to-Hell-if-not-reborn lecture, I suggested that we were in a circular discussion. My friend said that "it is in the Bible" (about needing to be born again). I said that I had quoted the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus about being born again in the piece I had written on my Web page. I stopped this circular conversation. Now that I have read the quote between Jesus and Nicodemus (in John 3:3-7) several more times, I am still unable to discern what is actually meant by being "born again." There are many other references in the Bible to "born again," but that inquiry is beyond the scope of this article, and my ability to understand the practical meaning of some of those references. I make no pretense of knowing the Bible well. When I asked my friend if Jews would not go to Heaven if they were not "born again," she said that was correct. They must be "born again." What troubles me about organized religion is that each group thinks they have all the answers and that everybody else is wrong. Suffice it to say, I will not be bringing up the subject of being "born again" with real live people. I do not want another circular lecture. Remember the Cardinal Rule, "Never discuss politics or religion." What starts out with an honest search for answers often ends up in a heated argument. Like gun control and abortion, just don't bring them up in conversation. All you will get is a narrow-minded and intractable point of view. Nobody's mind will change. In my life, I have attended the Baptist church, Methodist, Episcopalian, Christian Science (with my mother) was engaged to a Catholic girl and used to attend Mass, was seriously involved with a Jewish woman and starting studying with a Rabbi, and so on. I have had several Mormon friends and find many of their teachings of interest and value. I found many concepts of merit among Buddhists as I observed them when we lived in Laos. Muslims speak of "Allah," but it is simply their word for God. We're on the same basic page, folks. The Koran is mostly a book of peace. In general, it is only the "Radical Muslim Fundamentalists" who use terror or engage in the killing of innocents. Somebody has to be wrong - about something - but it very hard to get anyone to admit that their beliefs are not the "correct beliefs." It defies simple logic that there is only one "right view" of religious belief. The same can be said of political beliefs. Surely, the Republicans do not have all the right answers, nor do the Democrats. Yet they pursue their goals with "religious fervor," largely unwilling to listen to opposing views. I have also been thinking about the comment made by some on the Barbara Walter's Special that we will be reunited with loved ones and friends in Heaven. How many Billion people have died since the dawn of the age of man? How then, are you supposed to find anyone in particular in Heaven among that amazingly large throng? Without meaning to be sacrilegious, maybe there is a database of occupants in Heaven, with GPS co-ordinates, and access to Wi-Fi. Some of the experts interviewed on the Special said that they thought that there would be sexual activity in Heaven. Well, if that is true, why not Wi-Fi? Like I said, I am not sure Barbara's Special proved much. It did open up a range of tantalizing questions. COPYRIGHT 2000 Richard C. Rhodes You are welcome to quote sections from this page - or the whole page, as long as the source URL is included. Of course, I would be flattered if anyone linked to this page. It is very hard to be the writer, editor, fact checker, copy editor, and publisher of anything. So, I beg your forgiveness for the many mistakes that creep in. 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