Tannishblog

With all the warfare happening today, I find an appropriate quote from the Tao Teh Ching:

In the army, the Lieutenant Commander stands on the left.
While the Commander-in-Chief stands on the right.
This means that war is treated in a par with a funeral service.
Because many people have been killed, it is only right that the survivors should mourn for them.
Hence, even a victory is a funeral.

There is nothing in warfare to gladden the heart. All eventualities express the frailty and the limitations of humanity. Whatever God you may worship, war is a failure of faith. In our current state of technological warfare, too easily can the situation get our of hand. While many bemoan the deaths of civilians caught in the crossfire, any whom ignore the violent among us is as culpable as if she pulled the trigger herself.

On July 21, 1985, I married a girl smarter than me in every way. She knew more, lived more, loved deeper; she had a fiery center that cut through into goodness. She was and is a crusader of truth and a bringer of justice. She cares for all around here, and over the years she has taught me how to live.

She is my hero.

Today, upon reflection of 21 years of marriage, I thank the serendipity that brought us together, the joy I feel when I hug her, and the peace her strength has given me. Lastly, I thank her for bringing me a daughter that is more than a broken man can hope for, who validates my existence every time she smiles.

It occurred to me that the US government cannot hold back the tide of research on stem cells. If we don’t advance the science, other nations will. We can be assured of two things: American scientific leadership slipping another notch, and a grabbing of market share of any resulting viable product by foreign corporations unencumbered in their research, ensuring the US to play "catch up" in what promises to be a lucrative marketplace.

Our new-found squeamishness will cost Americans money in the long run. It guarantees a widening of the income/entitlement gap because only the richest Americans will be ale to afford to travel to France, say, for state of the art hospital care. You can bet the squeamish, religious ones will gladly pay for any beneficial care for their loved ones regardless of how the technology was obtained. Don’t ask, don’t tell.

From the Pew Internet & American Life Project comes results from the latest research study on Bloggers (PDF link). Interesting stuff.