Wait a second! That's not how this is supposed to go down...

March 15 and Julius Caesar are forever interlocked in history...


Long before the famous play that we all are made suffer through in high school English, the real story of the ides of March unfolded in the Roman Senate in 44 BC with the culmination of 60 different men taking a stab at the would-be dictator Julius. Ironically, only 23 wounds were recorded by  Suetonius, the physican who examined Caesar's body post-hummous, with a single chest wound being the likely fatal blow.

Apparently Roman aristocrats weren't accustomed to doing their own dirty work...

The term ides simply refered to the middle of the month for March, May, July and October on the Roman calendar. These dates were often celebrated with a festival honoring the god Mars. But then again, the Romans were forever celebrating something with a festival and parades. After 44 BC, the date took on a completely different context for the Romans, and then again for the world when Shakespeare's play debuted around AD 1599.

The Ides of March have come.

Today, most of the Western world reflects on the events of that tragic day well over 2000 years ago. The date has taken on an ominous feel that is easily understandable. The real question to ponder though is: Who were the real bad guys as the demise of Caesar played out?

Not so simple to answer. While Caesar obviously got the worst end of the deal on the ides of March, the resulting consequences of his murder would ultimately result in the formation of the Roman Empire under his heir, Octavian, who would become Caesar Augustus and the first Roman Emperor. Consequently, that title raised Octavian to the position of deity in the eye's of the Romans. An honor also bestowed to Julius some years after his death...however that works exactly.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Did the conspirators acted on a desire to preserve the Roman republic or in defense of their own positions of power? Regardless, the Roman people were completely appalled that a small group of upper-class aristocrats had the audacity to take the future of Rome's fate into their own hands and rebelled against the Roman Senate.

Excuse me!?

That's right sports fans. Instead of embracing the attempt to save a governing process with representation of the people (said very loosely), the mob rose up and supported a would-be dictator that was the first in a line of several brutal rulers over the Roman Empire. That makes no sense to our society which heralds the greatness of democracy. Why would anyone in their right mind chose a dictatorship over democracy? Wouldn't anyone prefer at least some say in how their government functions?

Maybe the Arab Spring of 2011 will become the new ides of March...but only time will tell exactly how that plays out...for better or worse.






Never underestimate the power of a good snack food...

Wow...I've not posted in over a week!

Truth be told, I don't really have anything in mind to write about today either. Funny how that works. Some weeks blog ideas roll in like waves on a windy day. Some weeks nothing. Nada. Zilch. It's not that I've not been busy either and let my mind idle. Lots of stuff in the news that catches my interest. Of course, there's Rush Limbaugh's mouth and the reaction he provoked churning out tons of blog fodder. Eh.

The kids are wide open as usual. Always great material. A Crazy Tomato post most always nets twice as many hits as...say...something about politics. Funny how that works too. I've been asked if the Crazy Tomato is as entertaining as the things I write, but those questions always come from people who don't know our family personally. Yes. She's that entertaining.

Mrs. Tony C called me the other day to tell me a great story. The CT wanted her little sister, Bulldog, to play with her in the back bedroom in her playhouse. Bulldog wasn't having any of it because a bowl of Cheez Its was on their play table in the living room. Kid loves to eat!

Being ever industrialist, the Crazy Tomato gets the box of Cheez Its and starts making a line of them all the way to the back bedroom. Brilliant! Her only kink was she placed the snacks too close together giving her mom time to discover the scheme. Doh!

I love that kid...

I must admit my mood of late has been a tad melancholy. Not the gloomy version. More serious. A sure sign I've been watching, reading and listening to far too much news on current world events. I love staying informed, but that crap takes the fun out of cake!

I was sitting at the kitchen table last week working on something with the news on in the living room. I wasn't listen closely, but for some reason, looked up at the screen which I could see from where I was positioned. The screen was filled with a scene of people literally burning as the result of a recent suicide bomb attack in Iraq. Very graphic. Parked right in front staring up intently was the toddler. Oh no! I freaked and ran into the living room in search of the remote. Grabbing her up, I carried her back into her sister's bedroom where she was playing.

Great.

Yes that is the world we live in today, but I'm not ready for that world to invade the sanctity of my peaceful home and corrupt the innocence of my two younger girls. The task of trying to decipher things for the teenager while encouraging the development of her critical thinking is plenty enough of a task for now.

For the two younger ones, an empty box of Cheez Its is all the drama they really need for many years to come... 

Let's be sure we stay on the right'eous' side of this fight...

.
 


Wow...did our President step in it or what?

Granted, I'm not far-right radical enough to criticize everything coming from President Obama's mouth. I don't like his politics in a macro perspective, but I don't fall in line with the entertainer/demagogues of talk-radio and television that try to sell to us that the man is capable of absolutely nothing good.

I like to think that I would much rather err on the side of optimism than cynicism...but truth be told...I don't trust anyone in Washington. Is that contradictory?

Back to the President. Last week President Obama gave some disturbing sound bites about America's friend and ally, Israel. Naturally, the Limbaugh's of our pop cultured world ran with the golden nugget offered up by their great adversary. This initially resulted in two distinct things...oddly enough (eye roll). The against-at-all-cost bunched yelled loudly with an OMG can he be serious!  I knew he was a Muslim!

The defend-at-all-cost bunch started bobbing and weaving in an immediate rope-a-dope (alert-unintentional pun) defensive maneuver and immediately broke the glass on the emergency Conspiracy Theory case to help put out the fires.

Blah-blah-blah, yada-yada-yada  the professional spin-masters worked their magic on both sides of the spectrum...and most of America apathetically shook their heads in perplexity once again. Thanks but no thanks Rush and Keith...I got this one.

So what makes this latest issue different from the forty-thousand previous ones in just last week alone? Read your Bible brothers and sisters...matters of Israel are very important to you know Who. Israel is much more to the world than a few ever-changing lines on a map. Christians should know that. ALL Christians should know that Mr. President.

I'm not going into a lesson on the biblical importance of Israel today. The information is too easily available with a quick internet search. But the fate of Israel is far beyond the abilities of men to alter. God's hand is directly upon the Nation of Israel, and their fate was predestined in a promise of prophesy long before the events that unfolded last century.

Ronald Reagan was the last U.S. President to fully understand the importance of Israel in the bigger picture outside of politics.

“The safety and security of the United States and the safety and
security of Israel are all part of a larger cause: the cause of human
rights for every man, woman, and child on this Earth.”

-- Ronald Reagan, remarks at White House Briefing on United States foreign policy, March 15, 1988

Excuse me please...I'm a little chocked up at the moment...

.

Freedom of speech is unfortunately protective of stupidity...

There are a couple of disturbing stories sliding under the radar this week due to the focus on Japan... and rightfully so. The world should collectively be reaching out to the island nation with acts of compassion and vows of action to support whatever they might need to regroup. The devastation is crippling. The images horrifying. Just last night watching replayed news footage of the tsunami making landfall, I realized what we were actually watching was real people dying in captured moments from last week's events.

The 3-year old was sitting in the floor staring up at the television, then suddenly got up without a word and ran back into the hallway to kick a ball and play. I watched her leave and wondered what was going through her innocent, immature mind. Conversations saved for a later date...

One of the stories I mentioned involves the events in Japan. Apparently, Gilbert Gottfried found the need to poke fun of the situation and tweet a string of very distasteful one-liners. Okay. He's known for his offensive brand of humor, but he's obviously not very bright either (I personally think the two attributes go hand-in-hand).  Gottfried, besides being a washed up comedian, is the voice of the AFLAC duck...let me restate that...was the voice of the AFLAC duck. His employer didn't find the humor being directed at a damaged nation that is, by industry estimates, 25 percent insured with their company. They fired him.

The second story involves another agitating comedian, this one turned demogogue, in Bill Maher. On his show On Real Time, Maher interviewed Congressman Keith Ellison, a muslim from Minnesota, and blasted into him about the Kor'an being a “hate-filled holy book…which is taken very literally by its people.”

Bill O'Reilly (a non-comedic demogogue...well, to a certain degree) called Maher out on the issue last night on his show and said the media was giving Maher a pass because he's a liberal.  O'Reilly claimed when an issue with Islam is sighted by a conservative commentator (i.e Juan Williams of Fox News), they become demonized by the media as intolerant. He also threw in a dig that it also might have been ignored because nobody watches Maher's show...as if that's a relevent point.

So, a liberal agitator is talking bad about Muslims as if he's suddenly Rush Limbaugh, a conservative agitator who also hates Muslims, and is called out by yet another conservative agitator, who hates Muslims too, because he thinks the whole thing is so unfair when compared to Juan Williams, a conservative demogogue, who got into trouble because he's was very clear on the air that he hates Muslims.

Everyone clear?

Of course, all parties involved are standing and spewing their venom-fillled messages while positioned under their First Amendment umbrellas that protects each of them from any censoring repercussions. After all...this is America.

Back to my 3-year old. She will grow up in a loving home. She will develop her own political ideas and principles while living in a conservative environment, guided by Christian values. The importance of both character and education will be stressed to her regularly. She will be taught she is responsible for her words as well as her actions. At some point in the future, she will find her own way out of our home and into the world. She will never be demeaned for thinking independently from me or her mother. She will answer for herself, and only herself,  to God.

I say all that to say this...I would rather any one of my daughters sit and watch the tragedies of life unfold under the guiding, comforting direction of her mother or myself than be subject to the idiotic rantings of political talking heads in the media. Liberal and conservative demogogues alike all have a motive tied to ratings and not enlightenment. To sensationalism and not education. I've blogged before about the dangerous seeds these hypnotist sow.

What troubles me most is the flippant manner in which they throw around the First Amendment to disguise and protect their vile statements. I don't believe our nation's Founding Fathers ever intented for the right of free speech to be protective of indiscriminate, loathesome language aimed carelessly among ourselves. Their focus was on keeping a restrictive government from forming in our new nation. We've twisted and perversed one of our most treasured priviledges into a dichotomy opinion so divisive and polarizing that the resulting political quagmire has incapcitated our ability to effectively govern. To protect and serve the common good.

I'm not a Muslim, and I don't agree with the basis of that religion.   I'm not a liberal, and I don't agree with the basis of that ideology. I'm not a _________, you could finish that with hundreds, maybe thousands, of things. And while I'm completely free to express my opinion on any opposing point of view to my own here, at home or even in some other form of media, I'm still bound by the principles of common courtesy and decency. There is a self-policing community standard that keeps things neat and orderly...civil...but it seems to be somehow breaking down. That scares me. Just as much as the other end of the spectrum called political correctness scares me when it becomes mutated to an extreme.

How do we get back to some ground of normalcy before this all goes too far? I think it starts by at least discounting the Mahers, Limbaughs, Olbermanns and O'Reillys for what they really are...entertainers. Each one has a motive for what they say and that motive is not the common good or making society better. In the most utopian of scenerios, their job is to find that public raw nerve that provokes emotions (justified or not) which generates attention, thus ratings, and draws sponsorship dollars. Their payday.

For the Gottfried's of the world...the comedians, commentators, talking heads and yes, bloggers, who think anything and everything can be said without consequence because this is the United States, and we have rights...think again. You are liable for what you say, and you will be held accountable when you go too far either in a court of law or the court of public opinion. Both end up being costly when catching up to you...just ask the duck.

The world could look vastly different by 2012...

We're sitting in front rows seats as history unfolds in the Middle East, but most people are already bored and ready to change the channel.

60 Minutes aired a segment last night on the 26-old Tunisian fruit vendor most Westerners have never heard of...Mohammed Bouazizi. His act of defiance was the initial domino to fall in the ongoing sequence of revolutionary events. I encourage you to check the story out here. 

Tunisians ran a corrupt dictator in power for 23 years right out of the country by protesting in mass numbers. Far too many numbers for the small government police force to try to control. Nevertheless, people died to bring change to their country.  At the center of the revolutionary movement...Facebook.

Egypt took note. So did Yemen, Bahrain and Libya with ongoing protest still to determine an outcome. Iranian revolutionaries have tried to gain some type of momentum for change, but unlike the uprisings in the fore-mentioned countries, they lack the ability to coordinate and mobilize. They lack access to the new tools of revolution...Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Americans have become so saturated with daily doses of sensationalism from the 24-hour news stations that it has become increasingly difficult to recognize what history will record as pivotal and what will be forgotten next week. I believe we are watching history on a 'once in a generation or two' scale unfold. Our country has been fighting for democratic change in neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan for a decade at the cost of thousands of lives and billions of dollars, while the action of a single, working and obscure man in one of the most peaceful nations on the planet triggered a wave of change still plowing through the region. Dictators Mubarak and Ben Ali are gone. Al-Asaad, Saleh and Gadhafi could be the next to go. Ahmadinejad can't be feeling too comfortable after Iranians protested over accused fraud in his 2009 re-election. My, my...the winds of change are whipping through the Arab region like never before.

Another crucial point to consider is the role Islam will ultimately play after all this shakes out. The Western view of democracy vastly differs from the rising views of the Middle East where democracy and freedom of religion (and thus, ultimately speech) are not interlaced. Stephen Prothero, professor of Religion at Boston University, has an excellent editorial piece in the USA Today that's worth checking out here. 

No conclusions today folks...this one's got a ways to play out. Stay informed because in the end, it's really going to matter.

 

Vlog #2 answers the probing questions...but probing where?

...and the top four questions from my Facebook survey were...

* This video has proudly been block from being viewed in some countries on YouTube.

Oh no...what have you started!

With motivational kudos to fellow blogger Shauna over at Blah Blah Blog, I launch into my first video blog (drum roll).

Sorry I'm not better looking...

* All opinions, idiotic statements, acts of foolishness and general tomfoolery are in no way a reflection of the opinions, dignity and common decency of Mrs. Tony C and should not be considered thus in any future proceedings and/or legal actions. There...are you happy?

2010 could finally be my year...(fingers crossed)!

I hope those of you who celebrated Christmas had a wonderful holiday. For the rest of you, I hope the time off allowed for more time spent with family and friends...and a few great shopping deals.

Please note that my posting frequency may suffer a bit between now and February 1st because I'm really pushed to help Mrs. Tony C with an application that is due on that date. She has graciously agreed to nominate yours truly for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee are sticklers for timely applications.



Tony C's 2010 goal






Excuse me?! What don't you understand?

After doing extensive research on the award (mostly in The Economist, Time Magazine, People and on Wikipedia), I'm convinced this blog, Tony C Today, has done as much or more than the most recent laureate in meeting Alfred Nobel's criteria that states the recipient:

'...shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.'

I submit to you that no where in the brief history of this blog (which is longer, however, than the current office occupied by the last person awarded) have I once: (a) called for war or started a rumor of war, (b) used my international influence via the internet to provoke ill-will between any nations, (c) advocated for more standing in our armed forces*, or (d) gathered/promoted a war congress.
* I know from personal experience there's already too much standing around in our armed services. It really gets old too.

Feel free to check my claim. It's all documented on this site in black and white...with a few pictures and an occasional diagram for aesthetic purposes.

Although it took a few weeks to convince Mrs. Tony C to take on the process (the application alone is over 300 pages), she was more than willing after I quoted a few excerpts from the most recent winner's acceptance speech just before Christmas. She was pretty fired up to hear a man speaking of war and the necessity for war wearing the coveted medallion around his neck. Although one quote in particular really got her going:

“At times, it even feels like we’re moving backwards. ... We see it in the way that religion is used to justify the murder of innocents by those who have distorted and defiled the great religion of Islam, and who attacked my country from Afghanistan. These extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded. But they remind us that no Holy War can be a just war. For if you truly believe that you are carrying out divine will, then there is no need for restraint — no need to spare the pregnant mother, or the medic, or the Red Cross worker, or even a person of one’s own faith. Such a warped view of religion is not just incompatible with the concept of peace, but I believe it’s incompatible with the very purpose of faith — for the one rule that lies at the heart of every major religion is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” Barrack Obama, December 22, 2009

Doesn't look like our Christian President and laureate reads the Old Testament.

She also thought that Arnold Schwarzenegger had previously won the award and was highly agitated that the man responsible for killing all those little smelt fishes in California could possibly be worthy of such a humanitarian recognition. I delicately reminder Mrs. Tony C that Arnold had won the Mr. Olympia contest years ago which has Joe Wider's image on the medal. It was Albert Switzer, the French medical missionary in Africa, that won the Nobel Peace Price in 1952 for for his philosophy of Reverence for Life .

Arnold is actually Austrian and has never publicly been linked to either Nazi or gay-Nazi organizations (source Republican Party website).

I love seeing the tree-hugger in Mrs. Tony C get fired up...most of the time.

Now, I've been ready for months to submit my application and just needed a front...excuse me...nominator to complete the process. Sometimes it just takes the right motivation to rally people to your cause.

Well, I can't take all the credit...she found out about the million dollar purse too. Wish me luck!

My theory: We might be needing a bigger planet...

I love reading and listening to podcast from The Economist...so call me a pompous geek. I get the magazine and comb through to find articles that I download to my iPod and listen to while driving to and from work. Makes Mrs. Tony C absolutely crazy.

My weekly reading isn't limited to the London based newspaper...but by far it's my favorite. I get a little bonus listening to the podcast by making fun of the Brits pronouncing Americker or Chiner. What a hoot! Two countries separated by a common language...I believe the saying goes.

Because of my job, I get to talk to a Brit almost weekly. Sometimes I have to call and repeat an instruction or direction I've already conveyed a number of times before to her, and needless to say, I'm a bit aggravated when the call is initiated. But as soon as she answers the phone with an accented How are you t'day Anthony. Good to hear from you...my aggravation seems to just melt away. She never calls me Tony, always Anthony, and she has a way of sprinkling the word brilliant enough in a conversation that I always hang up feeling a little better about myself. But I digress...

A recent cover article in The Economist focused on world population. The article surmises that world population will begin to decline soon due to the fact couples aren't having as many kids these days. The theory goes that in order to just maintain population levels, parents must produce 2.1 children in their lifetime.

Stay with me...this gets better...well at least deeper.

The magical number of 2.1 is derived from a number of variables including one that accounts for some females dying before child bearing years. Not a very pleasant thought, but number crunchers rarely are emotional about their theories and supporting variables.

Apparently this high school Science Fair participant didn't get the memo.

So the wheels start turning, and I immediately start calculating how my life fits this hypothesis. I apologize to a number of parties in advance.

I have two daughters. One from a previous marriage and one with my wife and soul mate (Don't even think I'm using the term current wife. She occasionally reads my stuff). My first daughter's mother doesn't have any other children, so within the parameters of this theorem, I'm already a negative contributor to maintaining the world's population. Two children from three parents...that math is not very difficult.

So, I backed up to a more macro view. My parents had two children. My sister and her husband do not have kids. So now we have a factor of five adults with only two kids. The outlook for civilization is growing more gloomy as I proceed. Let's take an even broader look at my particular genealogy.

My dad's parents had five kids. Those five kids married and produced nine grandchildren. My mom's parents had thirteen...yes 13...children who produced twenty-two grandchildren. So from four adults, we have thirty-one offspring (of course, I humbling admit to being the favorite...sorry cousins). Let's go another level. Those thirty-one grandchild have produced, to date, thirty-four great, grandchildren. It gets a little fuzzy here and at the previous level because there are a number of splits and mixed families, but I'm just counting the actually bodies in the bloodline at this point. So from four...we have thirty-four to date.

What does all this mean? Why is human fertility important enough to be the cover story material from my favorite publication? What does any of this have to do with economics outside of the obvious (which you understand if you're a parent)?

I have personally come to three separate conclusions: First, the Brit who wrote this article was far too selective in the countries he chose for data collection that lead to his 'world population in decline' hypothesis and maybe a little presumptuous. Second, I'm not doing my part personally to ensure I will collect Social Security after I've paid into the system my entire working life. Third, picking a favorite magazine based on accents is a really dumb thing to do, so my new favorite is Southern Living.

Maybe that second conclusion is off on a tangent and a bit too micro...

Remember Jerry...it's not a lie if you believe it's true.

Well my guest post fell through today based on technical difficulties (read here: Tony not following instructions correctly), so I'll throw my two cents out on a subject that is in the news and breaking my heart.

Scientology has fallen on hard times.

(cricket noises)

I shutter.

Officially know as the Church of Scientology by people who don't understand the true definition and origin of the word church (from the Greek kyriakon which means thing belonging to the Lord), Scientology is...and I'll be nice...a made up belief system by science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard, started in 1953 as a continuation of the concepts found in his book Dianetics.

That's right. 1950's...Hubbard...science fiction...Dianetics. For those of you thinking the self-proclaimed, self-help book was a product of the 80's, think again. Hubbard died in 1986 and his book was repackaged and released by the now legally chartered Church of Scientology.

Same crap with new and improved wrappings...and an erupting volcano on the cover. uhhhhhhh

Now France is trying to rid their country of the cult. I normally wouldn't have a good thing to say about France...but bravo. The ironic part is the U. S. State Department is being critical of France for suppressing religious freedoms. The same State Department that branded Tea Party participants in the U.S. as possible domestic terrorist...

You read between those lines.

A French court ruled the sect (Scientology doesn't have legal status as an established religion in France) was guilty of organized fraud based on separate claims brought forward by two women. The sect was ordered to pay fines close to $1M and the organizations leader in that country was sentenced to two years in prison.

Vive la France! (God forgive me)

The cult...excuse me...sect has also seen an exodus of high profile members, a move which normally draws relentless, retribution from the Scientologist. Most recently, Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis defected. Rumors have Travolta leaving after Scientology spokesperson Tommie Davis stormed off a sound set during an interview taping of Nightline when he was asked if he believed in Xenu, the intergalactic warlord reportedly at the center of Scientology's theology. ABC aired the footage to the dismay of the group.

No...I'm not making this stuff up...they are. Click on the links.

The fact that the Church of Scientology is legitimized enough to actually be taken serious by anyone is beyond my understanding. Yet, the cult continues to recruit and promote for a fantastically outrageous system of beliefs that goes beyond the supernatural into the realm of extraterrestrial...fronting the likes of Cruise, Travolta and Alley to give validity to the organization.

The United States and Australia are the only two countries that recognize Scientology as a religion. France has gone on record in Parliament labeling it as a dangerous cult. Please tell me what kind of world we live in when France actually makes more sense than the United States?

There are some things much scarier than Halloween...

'An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.' Gandhi

I've really tried to be a good American when it comes to President Obama...I really have. My commitment and whole-hearted belief in the democratic process of 'one man, one vote' combined with my faith (I Timothy 2:1-4) direct and somewhat temper my disappointment with our last presidential election. As I've exercised patience and practiced acceptance, there have been a few moments I've been able to see through the bitter partisanship currently dividing our Nation and see a few decisions I can live with from this Administration.

But who in the world are the Kool-Aide drinkers that voted the man a Nobel Peace Prize? I mean...come on!

My understanding of the selection process is the nominations had to be submitted to the Norwegian Nobel Committee by February 1 of this year. That means that President Obama had been in office for less than a month when his nomination was submitted...if he was in office at all. There's a window of accepting nominees with February 1 being the deadline.

Let's look back at the desires of Alfred Nobel, whom the annual prize is named, when it comes to the Peace Prize. Directly from his will...

'during the preceding year [...] shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.'

Mr. Nobel went as far as specify the non-militarized Norway, not Sweden, would administer the Peace Prize (one of five awarded annually). The Peace Prize was apparently a major deal to the man who invented dynamite...maybe as a conscience matter.

Given the desires of Mr. Nobel, how does a man campaigning for the most prestigious elected office in the world find the time to promote fraternity between nations and reduce a standing army that's not even his to command? Come on!

President Obama didn't have a choice in the matter, and I understand and accept that fact. However, his awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize is continued evidence of the blind following that submit to this President on a global level. Why?

Southerns are very fond of the Don Quixote line 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating.' We shorten it of course to 'the proof is in the pudding,' but it still means that the true value or quality of something can only be judged when it's put to use. In other words...results are what count. Where are the results Mr. President?

I'm sure our President had to be embarrassed by the million dollar award and winning such an undeserving honor...based solely on the Prize's credentials alone. His win is as perplexing as the fact that Mahatma Gandhi never did win....that's right... Gandhi never won the Peace Prize. I mean...come on!

#100...here it comes!

I put a lot of thought into what my 100th post should be about...and I was perplexed.

Should it be humorous, have a good moral, express appreciation for someone/something? Reflect a mixture of my other 99 post? That would be impossible. A praise post? A slammer? What should number 100 be about?

How about a list?! My 100th post will be a list of the top issues important to me, and my two cents on each. If you would be so kind as to indulge me:

1. Christians are not adequately represented by either major party.

I know...I know. Let's just jump right out of the gate with this one, but it's true. History shows both parties have a steep tradition in Christian roots with Catholics traditionally aligning with Democrats and Evangelical Protestants with Republicans. But there's a twist. White Catholics have slowly migrated to the Republican party while Latinos remain mostly Catholic and mostly Democrats (see Pew Research here). The same split can be seen among Protestants with Mainline Protestants overwhelmingly Democrats and Evangelicals voting Republican. When all is said and done...it becomes a wash for both sides. So who best represents Christian principles in politics? Republicans openly tried to distance the party from Evangelical Christians in the last election, and the Democrats are so married to liberal philosophy that the mere mention of religion and politics in the same sentence somehow triggers alarms at ACLU headquarters and automatically releases the hounds.

May God forgive me for what I'm about to say because I truly understand God is bigger than any political party or any single nation. There is an unavoidable fracture about to happen in either or both parties in the near future. The two-party system is tired...fought many hard battles...but still tired. Those of us committed to Christian principles better take our heads out of the sand and pay attention. The 'de-Christianing' of our country only really started less than 50 years ago. In God We Trust became our National Motto by Act of Congress in 1956. Can you imagine that debate just 53 years later? Minority religions are both encouraged and protected by the mainstream, yet the cry of 'separation of church and state' can be heard by secularist at the first hint of a Holy Bible being present in a public forum.

Christians need a political party that puts our Christian principles first.

(sound of crickets)

There. I said it. I'm not advocating for a 'Christian only' nation, so don't try to misrepresent what I'm saying. I firmly believe in and support the constitutional principle of Freedom of Religion. But, Christians need a voice in government on issues not lumped in with other irrelevant/contradicting party platform issues before we're legislated out of any influence whatsoever within our own country.

Is that a way to start a list or what!


2. The Nation's debt is out of control.

Do I really need to elaborate here? Our current budget balance as a percentage of GDP is -13.2%. Only Great Britain is higher at -13.9%, and we're the only countries among the world's 50 largest in double digits. We are bankrupting our country in an effort to have it all now. Balance the budget today...period.

3. The health care system in our country needs reform.

A polarized issue that has been mutated in the political quagmire of Washington while insurance companies, HMO's and certain segments of the health care field rake in the cash hand over fist. Greed will eventually bring down our health care system like it did our financial institutions recently. Do we really want to wait around for that to happen? It's not a Democrat or Republican issue to champion...it's an American issue. Fix it!

4. The tax system is long overdue an overhaul.

Our current tax code is so complicated that a computer program written specifically to determine a person's tax liability (read TurboTax) is only accurate 94% of the time. The major reason for error...putting in the wrong information. I'm sure that 6% were very elated at the penalties and interest tacked on by the IRS for their mistake. Makes you wonder just how accurate the IRS really is. We need a much more fair and simpler code.

I'll expect an audit notice soon.


5. The U.S. can't adequately fight another war.

If we are provoked into a fight with North Korea, Iran or both, our current military structure and manpower levels will be unable to effectively fight and maintain ongoing campaigns. Such a scenario would leave the U.S. completely vulnerable to an attack by another country lurking in the wings waiting to topple the big dog on the block (read Russia).

Who will jump to align with us this time? For some reason, I see Europe sitting this scenario on the sidelines. Expect a draft and don't cry about it. Our fathers went through it, their fathers endured it...freedom comes with a price... as the cliche goes.


6. Term limits for Congress are an absolute must.

How many problems would this one fix right off the bat? Professional politicians are great at taking care of one group...themselves. Tocqueville was completely sold on the concept of the amateur politician in America as opposed to the life-long types in Europe (Democracy in America). Why did we turn from this?

Give both houses an 8 year limit. That's plenty of time to foul things up.

7. Our communities must find a way to better engage our young people.

I've written a number of post on this matter and still hold firm to the view that teenagers and young adults are underutilized today. The trend has slowly increased to the point complete apathy in youth people seems concrete. Community organizations, churches, local governments must find ways...creative ways...to get the younger generations involved. Not doing so will most certainly have negative, long-term consequences on our position in the world as an economic and military power.

Also, setting low expectations for our young people will only result ultimately in their achievement of low performance.

8. The media should be held more accountable for what it says/prints.

Freedom of the press does not constitute freedom to irresponsibly act. Most people distrust and are completely fed up with our infotainment style of journalism today. Want it to change? Stop buying newspapers, listening to talk radio, and watching news programs. See how fast things change. If you expect the media to suddenly change out of a collective conscience awakening to do the right thing...you're probably still washing clothes by beating them on a rock (dirty laundry pun intended).

We've got to break from the doomsday mentality the media has created in an effort to sell advertising. Oh...I'm sorry...you didn't realize that's what it's all about? Forget journalistic integrity. Every one is wanting a piece of your budget pie. Shocking headlines get attention. Attention draws more viewers. More viewers mean more ad revenues. Always follow the money...you have more control than you realize.

So, there's my list. I can't adequately express the blessing it has been to come in contact with so many great people through this little, insignificant blog. Even the comments and emails of belligerent opposition have affected me in a profound way. Thank you for reading Tony C Today. If nothing else...I hope you've laughed a little and pondered a bit.

Reality is a point of view...(WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO)

I jumped over to CNN this morning to catch the latest from Iran. There's a lot of things going on in the country, and Twitter just can't keep up. Some of you have probably already heard about the YouTube video circulating showing a teenage girl named Neda being killed during the protest on Saturday. She has become a rallying cry worldwide for the outrageous reaction by the Iranian government in response to the peaceful protest.

Be warned- the video is very graphic and shows the teenage girl actually dying. I post this for one reason only...people need to see and know this is real and Iranian citizens are risking their lives or actually dying for their right to be heard.




I started by mentioning my visit to the CNN website. As I'm writing this, the number 1 viewed story on CNN is listed as Reality bites for Jon and Kate...

...well, reality isn't too peachy for Neda either.

God please forgive us and be with the people of Iran trying to stand up and be heard.

He rocks in the tree-tops all day long...

I came to Twitter reluctantly. The benefits of 'micro-blogging' my oft drudged daily routine to solicited followers seemed...narcissistic. Maybe there's still truism in that initial feeling, but I'm also sold on the fact that social networking mediums are a powerful force in our world today.

As I write this, the future course of Iran is playing out in the streets of Tehran...history in the making. With the media blackout imposed by the reigning power, news is finding it's way to the rest of the world via Twitter, Facebook and other such mediums. The U.S. State Department requested that Twitter delay a scheduled maintenance outage mid-week so the flow of information would continue. Just typing State Department and Twitter in the same sentence would have been completely incomprehensible to me a few months ago.

For those of you resisting the fad, Twitter is a web-based social networking service that allows users to 'tweet' 140 characters at a time to their followers. According to a recent front page Time magazine article, Twitter is changing the way we look at our world. Some would say it already has...

Most of you know I try to stay on top of the latest trends in internet innovation. My motivation is really quite simple, if it draws the interest of people...Christians need to be there with WWJD bracelets on representing Christ. As I've stated in numerous blog post, the internet is only evil because evil people are there. Evil people who need to know about the love of God...even for them.

So now, like my fellow blogging buddy Katdish among others, I'm a Twitterer (?). Katdish just calls us Twitter ho's, but I don't think that's a sanctioned title by Twitter. I'm tweeting about daily task and thoughts, prayer request, good articles or blogs I've read...any number of things each day. I must say it's quite liberating in the fact that I have yet another daily opportunity to witness for God. I receive prayer request daily from people which I add to my daily prayer list...sometimes taking a moment to stop and pray the minute they're received.

At the risk of sounding Pharisee-like, I think it's important for Christians to acknowledge our piousness to the rest of the world. After all, Christ hung on a cross in a public spectacle that changed the world as it had never been changed. I'm not trying to undermine the importance of humility by any means, but people need to know they are loved and cared about by Christ and Christ Followers. If one tweet can show that love and bring another soul to heaven...color me there.

Twitter or Facebook may not be your thing and that's perfectly okay. Just don't avoid them because of the negative stigma we often place on internet based application as Christians. God needs to be all over the world wide web too...

Don't take a knife to a gunfight....

The poor Israelis are taking a verbal beating from the United Nations for just trying to defend their sovereign borders. Naturally as one of their closest allies, the U.S. shares in part of the criticism...but what's new on that front. It always amuses me that France takes pleasure and every opportunity to scold us on the world stage. Apparently, the French have forgotten a major reason schnitzel isn't their national dish and Wagner's operas are not just heard in their original language because translation isn't necessary. Want to make someone from France uncomfortable? Just bring up WWII in conversation...bet the topic changes to global warming pretty fast. But I digress...

I'm completely perplexed by both the dubious and misguided response from the United Nation when it comes to Israel/Palestinian relations. It almost seems the U.N. is waiting for a Palestinian epiphanic moment when Muslims concertedly go, 'Hey, Jews aren't so bad. Maybe we shouldn't kill them and wipe them from the planet after all...Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho.'

I just don't see it happening...

So, why is the world community bashing just Israel? I mean, Hamas had been lobbing Qassam rockets into their country for months from Gaza, and the Israelis got tired of it. You can only say 'Stop that...' so many times before you back it up with '...or else.' But, there's a broader understanding by Israel that has left them with few options. Psychologist tell us there are only two basic human responses when confronted with harm- fight or flight. Maybe this works in the collective as well. One thing is sure, Israel has never been a nation to back down from a fight. I love that about them, and I think most Americans share that sentiment.

The irony to me is most of the world siding with Hamas over Israel...Hamas! Known terrorist Hamas. The same Hamas killing fellow Muslims in the now minority Fatah party while shooting rockets into Israel at civilian targets. Great bunch of human beings in Hamas. We should open our arms real wide and welcome them into the world community with a big kiss...make that a French kiss.

I say let Israel do what they feel they've got to do, even if the fight extends to say, Iran...we sure don't seem to have the stomach for it anymore.