MoWenck

Give'em the Axe. The axe. The axe.

God bless these United States of America! The rule of law is on the University of California’s side for a change and against the treetards. I am talking about the treetard occupation (*protest*/*sit in*) taking place on the western side of Memorial Stadium in Strawberry Canyon on the University of California, Berkeley campus. My hat is off to Judge Miller, who wrote a decision that both sides could claim as a victory and therefore defused a potentially explosive situation. The oaks in question (injunction?) get a stay of execution but it is only temporary while the University provides the additional requested information (technical issues with the plan submission which the judge has indicated may be legally revised). It provides ample time for the University siege and blockade to starve out the treetards so that when the court gives the full green light the oaks can be whacked with extreme prejudice and without further human intervention.

]]> Of course, there was more to the ruling than just treetards, who, it should be noted, have now LOST two rulings and are breaking the law by remaining in the trees. The case, if you will remember, was brought by three separate plaintiffs: the treetards, the Neighborhood Association, and the city of Berkeley. Well, on NPR this morning I heard the mayor of Berkeley (you remember him, the thief republican) asking the University to come to the table to discuss mutually agreeable terms for the construction to go forward. Ouch! Sounds conciliatory. The University went to the city before the injunction was filed and made a financially kind proposal for the city in regards to the University’s plans for the new facility. The offer was conditional, the city would have to not join the other plaintiffs on the injunction or continue efforts to delay commencement of construction. The city scorned the offer and joined the injunction against improbable odds. Now that the city, the treetards and the neighborhood association have lost-and clearly they have lost-the city wants to line its pockets with University money. Phat chance! As a taxpayer I can only hope the University tells the city to stick it where the sun does not shine (you know, at the intersection of Ashby and Sacramento). As for the Neighborhood Association? I feel really bad for all those people in their multi-million dollar homes with their excellent views (can we install permanent lighting at Memorial Stadium. NO!). But really, if they cared about the neighborhood, would they allow people to live in the trees and fling feces at police? I mean, come on. You chose your allies and if you make bad choices don’t be surprised when you lose.
So, back to the treetards. I love trees. The coastal oak is probably my second favorite tree on this earth (sequoia). I love to climb trees. I have had an epiphany while lazing high on the branch of a true old growth oak in the Davis Creek valley of northern California. I breathe the oxygen trees produce. I enjoy the shade they provide. I believe trees to be an integral part of the urban environment. Trees are good. Groves of trees are better (especially in urban areas). That is why I respected the “Save the Oaks Foundation” and their concerns about these trees. I just could not come around to their side on the subject. As much as I love and value trees there is no way I could chose a tree over a human life. The actions of the treetard protestors has endangered the lives of tens of thousands of people. Let me explain.
Memorial stadium was built on an active fault line and is in dire need of earthquake retrofitting. Almost 100 people have cramped offices inside the stadium and their lives are put at risk daily. If the big one strikes-as we all know it eventually will-while these people are in their offices they will likely be killed in the collapse. If the quake happens on a given Saturday in the fall, tens of thousands of people could die. So, the University came up with a plan to retrofit the stadium and, in conjunction, build an athletic facility adjacent to the stadium that would be a benefit to ALL student athletes and athletic department personnel. The facility would be conveniently built next to the stadium where a grove of oaks (planted by the University) now stands. Could the facility be built at another site? Potentially. The University performed studies on where the best site for the new facility would be. Guess what it found? No matter where they proposed to build, a tree would likely have to be cut down. Traffic and parking in the selected neighborhood would be impacted. Noise would increase. Everything you would expect for a facility of this size. The best site is next to Memorial stadium. Send in the treetards.
The treetards claim the trees to be old growth oaks. Really? Planted by whom and when? (answer: the University, in 1923) So, the treetards decide to sit in the trees to protect them. Eventually, a judge decides, hey wait a minute, actually, the treetards actions are illegal and, if the University wants, it can have them removed. The University, in all its wisdom (fiat lux) opted to let the protestors stay in their trees until the courts decided the fate of the site. Now the judge has ruled. When the Univeristy responds and completes its obligations, construction can begin. Of course, it can only begin if the treetards are out of the trees. Which brings us to the University’s latest actions of removing the support structures and cutting off the supplies to the treetards? The treetards claim these actions have endangered their tree-tardedness (their lives). This is certainly true. The recent actions by the University to remove the treetards peacefully has endangered the lives of treetards, ground level protestors, arborists and police alike. Basically everyone involved. The treetards blame the University and the police but they should really point the finger at themselves. The treetards are the ones who put themselves (and the arborist, police) in this position by ILLEGALLY living in the trees. Think about it for a second: the University would not cut the trees down illegally. Therefore the voluntary treetard occupation is symbolic at best and dangerous for certain. As we head to the endgame in this spectacle it is nice to know that rationality has once again defeated ignorance.

Allez Paris!

In case you did not notice, the USAmerican economy is in the toilet. You know, with the sub-prime mortgage meltdown and subsequent housing market collapse and the ripple (tsunami?) effect on mortgage backed Wall Street investments. Petrol prices are at an all time high, the dollar is trading at near all time lows, and the central bank is not sure if it is coming or going (the Bear Stearns bail-out looks like socialism for the wealthy to this naïve economist). Really though, is it any surprise? I mean, the incumbent president of the country couldn’t even manage a major league baseball team and yet, YOU elected him to lead the world’s most powerful (at the time) economy. TWICE!!?!!? Okay, I will give the benefit of the doubt and say once, anyone remember Florida 2000? Anyhow, enough G-Dub-Ya bashing-the poor guy is just trying to do the best he can with his limited intellectual facilities (too much booze and cocaine as a young adult). The president has however, determined to do something about the faltering economy. Stimulus! And, the real question is, how are you going to spend YOUR economic stimulus?

]]> I know how I am going to spend mine ‘cause, despite the fact I will not get it until mid-June, I already spent it! You see, I recently had an opportunity to spend a weekend in Paris (France, not Texas) visiting “mon ami”. Yes, I know, the irony of spending my tax stimulus in another country and no, I did not buy any “freedom fries” whilst in France. Of course I had to get there and so I had to spend half my stimulus flying standby on a “buddy pass” from my sister-in-law. Jennifer, a sweet, kind, gentle woman, mother of my niece Cassidy, is unfortunate enough to work for USAirways-a disaster of an airline if there ever was one-but I was able to fly SFO to Paris (CDG) via Philly for a little over 300 duckets, round trip! That’s great! Flying USAirways, not so great, but that is a subject for a different blog altogether.
So, yes, I flew to Paris for the weekend. Eifel Tower, Louvre, catacombs, the Arch D’ Triumph, all that good sh!t (none of which I visited-of course!). Julien, a friend of mine from Berkeley via Paris, has a place conveniently located in the 15th across the street from his high school and a 10 minute walk from his childhood home. He put me up for the weekend and provided a little walking tour of the city taboot on the Saturday before we attended an All Pinks (Paris’ rugby club team wears hot pink uniforms) match that evening. We, Julien and I also enjoyed quite a few beers from the bodega and on Friday night took in a show of imported culture-Galactic with special guests Boots Riley and Chali 2Na. The show was fantastic. I still regret missing them when they were in SF in October. I just couldn’t make it to the Fillmore after Cal’s crushing defeat by the beavs of OSU but, I digress. I also spent a day at Musee D’Orsay and cruising the Latin Quarter. All good stuff but still not what this is all about.
I want to address a pet peeve of mine. Before departing SFO I noticed a mother and two children waiting for our flight to Philly. Now, there was nothing grotesque or abnormal about their appearance. No, what caught my eye, my ear really, was that the youngest child-a boy-had a hacking cough that he did little to suppress. He coughed and hacked every 5 minutes or so and sitting in the terminal I hoped and prayed that the little incubator of all things nasty would not be seated in my vicinity. As luck would have it, the little biological terrorist-I know, I know, I should be careful how I label peeps in this brave new world, but that is what he was, a cute little terrorist with an arsenal of germs and, unlike So-Damn-Insane Hussein (“hey, you are just fanning the flames of hatred”) , the capability to delivery the WMDs. Indeed the child’s cough was the ideal delivery method for the germs he carried. The germs evolved for this dispersion method, damn it! Anyway, the little terrorist was not seated anywhere near me, for the flight to Philly. However, after several hours in the Philly airport, can you say, “delay”? You better learn if you intend to fly USAirways, I boarded my flight to Paris and who should sit behind me? The little terrorist and his terrorist sister. I spent the next 6 hours in a tube of re-circulated air being bombarded with germs. “BOMBARMENT!” (2 Simpson’s references.) What the fuck? Why do people insist on flying when they or their children are sick? It should be illegal. They should be treated like the biological terrorists they are. They should be removed before take off or not allowed to check in to begin with. Maybe they should be stopped at security, lord knows we stand in line at security long enough for the TSA to identify deliriously ill passengers (who am I kidding? The TSA can barely catch people with handguns). Whatever it takes, these people should NOT be allowed to fly. It is just a matter of time before the REAL terrorists figure this out and start to attack. Why hijack a plane when you can do more damage, perhaps cause an epidemic just by sitting on a long flight? The new terrorist could well be that gentleman with a slightly TB-like cough at the back of the plane. A new kind of martyr in a new kind of war. You may think I am crazy, and, you are probably right but I have spent two weeks coughing up green chunks of germs. My sinuses were so congested on the flight home my ears didn’t pop for 5 days! God damned terrorism I tell you. Terrorism. See pictures of Tyler in Paris in the photo gallery.

JMT 2007 Photos are up

I was doing a little housekeeping on the ole 'puter and finally posted some photos from my through hike of the JMT from last summer. My camera broke the first day of the hike so what you see is photos I lifted from peeps I met on the trail. I hiked about 220 miles over 5 high mountain passes (and a few "low" ones) in 15 days. It was truly awe inspiring and a fantastic experience. This summer I already have a few trips planned for this summer: 70 mile loop in the Trinity Alps, 40 mile loop in Desolation Wilderness, and a 60 mile North Yosemite loop hike with a possible summit of Mt. Matterhorn. Woohoo!
Oh, and yes, Mowenck is back, stay tuned!

California Green

In case you missed it, California finally has a new budget for the fiscal year. A compromise was reached this week and the new budget should be in place as I type this blog. Looking at the deal makes me wonder about the job our (California's) elected officials are doing. Never mind the fact that the budget legislature was about 50 days past due. The proposed budget is anything but "balanced". Even after the govonator makes his permitted executive slashes to the budget the state will not be in the black. Nothing shocking there. What really irks me about the budget agreement is the innovative accounting used to make ends meet. Not so much the use of "surpluses" that do not exist but the diversion of funds from public transportation to the general fund (in the amount of $1.3 billion!).
That's right, the state intends to CUT $1.3 billion from the public transportation fund. Now that is politics. Nobody likes public transportation, I quote Homer J.Simpson: "public transportation is for losers and lesbians." Constituencies may not care for public transportation expenditures but many of them depend on the services-albeit limited-public transpo provides. The real irony is that the state of California considers itself a leader-not just in the United States but the world-in environmental policy. The state still intends to reduce its carbon emissions while decreasing its public transportation. WTF? That makes no sense but then again, when was the last time democratic policy made sense and worked?

Gone to hike the JMT (again)

Giving the JMT another crack this summer. Leaving 27Jul07 and hoping to be in Lone Pine California on or about 13Aug07. Want to know more? Try this link: http://www.trailjournals.com/TooMuchFun/

Beat it on down the line...

Through the years I have logged hundreds-if not thousands-of trail miles and in so doing I have developed and refined my trekking style (hiking technique, camp routine, pack method) to maximize my enjoyment of “the great outdoors”. I am not opposed to adopting fresh approaches or new gear into my trail style and, so, as part of my preparations for another attempt to thru-hike the John Muir Trail I have been perusing the on-line journals of other thru-hikers for innovations and ideas to improve my chances of successfully completing the hike. The journals form a broad collection of adventure writing. I have been able to glean tid-bits of wisdom from the cornucopia of whimsical musings, spiritual reflections, detailed accounts, and rambling tales. The insightful commentaries are filled with useful suggestions for long distance hikers. Alas, most of the ideas I have already evaluated and either incorporated into my routine or discarded with the extreme prejudice of bad experience. One idea I am not willing to give a whirl is the ultra-light method.

Ultra-lighters are trail blazers-literally and figuratively-covering huge distances in short periods of time and innovating trekking as a sport. It is not uncommon for ultra-lights to cover 20, 30, or even 50 miles (depending on the terrain) in a single day! By carrying minimalist gear and supplies these freaks of the backcountry have to move fast. When hiking and camping outfitters failed to improve their products to accommodate ultra-light endeavors the ultra-lighters developed their own gear. In the process, they created a high-end niche market that could not be ignored by the major manufacturers of outdoor equipment. Thus-to the benefit of all trekkers-hiking and camping gear has been drastically improved over the last 15 years through innovative design and the development of superior, light-weight materials.
I praise ultra-lighters for their accomplishments and contributions to trekking, so why I am not willing to join the ranks? There are several reasons, the least of which being ultra-lighters are like Christian missionaries(almost as annoying) attempting to spread the ‘word’ of light weight backpacking. You can not have a conversation about trekking with an ultra-lighter without their inevitable epiphany tale of discovering the joys of ultra-light hiking and how you should convert and become a ‘born again’ hiker. Give it a rest, will you!? Trekking is a leisurely pursuit for me and as such I like to take it slow (by ultra-light standards) and enjoy the flora and fauna on the trail. I prefer a good pace not a death march. I appreciate the break from the ‘rat race’ that backcountry hiking affords but I still like my creature comforts-like a tent (not on the ultra-light gear list) or dessert (not on the ultra-light menu). Further, I think it is dangerous to trek without a proper first aid kit or, where required BY LAW, a bear canister. Gear commonly sacrificed by the ultra-lighter to shave precious ounces.
Before you fire off an angry letter, I am not saying that ultra-light hikers do not appreciate the hills, mountains, and valleys through which they hike. I am quite certain they do. Nor am I saying ultra-lighters should carry a tent, other ‘luxury’ items, or even a first aid kit (I do believe there is no excuse for not having the required bear canister). I’m just saying all that is not my cup of tea so stop preaching to me. You know what? You want to be a minimalist? Try do it like the man: John Muir would take a wool coat, chunk of bread, some tea, a cup, and some matches and set off for 3-4 days in the Sierra Nevada…in the fall! No sleeping bag. No air mattress. No tarp. No cross trainers. Of course, everyone knows John Muir was insane, so must we all, all be insane.

Good Job G-Dub!

My favorite United States of America governmental agency has always been the ATF: the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Sounded like a good idea to me and, more often than not, reminded me of weekends during my collegiate years spent at my friend’s ranch in northern California. Well, the other day I was listening to a report on NPR (National Public Radio) about a recently foiled coup to overthrow the government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Laos (the “s” is silent) and guess who was involved in the crackdown?

That is right the good ol’ boys (literally) of the ATFE. I thought I misheard the reporter, “the ATFE? What’s this?” As it turns out, the new and improved-post 9/11 ATF-is now the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and EXPLOSIVES! According to Wikipedia, the ATF-the bureau prefers to go by the 3-letter acronym (probably has to do with name recognition and branding)-name was changed “…in recognition of the agency’s role in explosives regulation and enforcement…” How did this come about? When George W. Bush signed into law the Homeland Security Act of 2002, that’s how (again, according to Wikipedia). Now, I have been critical, to say the least, of G-Dub’s administration but I would like to take this opportunity to recognize what I consider to be a solid piece of leadership. Finally, consolidating the federal agency responsible for enforcement of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms laws with the enforcement of explosives regulations. Brilliant! But wait, it gets better: as a result of the legislation the ATF came under the control of the Department of Justice (previously the bureau was a function of the Department of Treasury). “So what?” you say. Get this: the Department of Justice is also responsible for the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and now, the agencies will work symbiotically. Can you imagine when these two agencies get together? Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, firearms AND explosives!??!??!?? WOO! And HOO!
What about the Laoation coup? Well, like I said, it was foiled and the socialist regime in power in Vientienne will remain in power. On a final note, if you ever have a chance to visit, Luang Probang is one of the prettiest colonial cities in all of South East Asia.

Michael Moore is a Sicko

In case you missed it, Michael Moore has a new “documentary” he recently premiered at the 60th Cannes Film Festival. Prior to its grand opening the film’s notoriously outspoken (loud-mouthed) director told reporters how the original copy had to be flown to a secret location-on the advice of lawyers-to avoid confiscation by the US government. Isn’t that convenient? The director would like you to believe the current administration does not want you to see this movie, so much so that the government would be willing to suspend the director’s first amendment rights in order to censor him. Fooey! Personally, I would prefer LESS of Michael and his propaganda. The new feature is entitled “Sicko” and details the many shortcomings of the United States of America’s health care system. Do not believe the hype.

First of all, to this critic, Moore’s films are not documentaries. A documentary should present factual information about a subject in an unbiased and objective fashion. Certainly, Moore’s films do not fit this definition for a documentary, if anything the films would be labeled anti-documentary. Second, Moore has been alacritous to brow-beat anyone and everyone who dare criticize his work. Because of this the critics all praise his work despite its obvious and glaring deficiencies. Seriously, if anyone else made movies like Moore they would be universally panned by the critics.
Moore’s films typically present factual and/or fictional evidence to support the director’s delirious conspiracy theories about controversial subjects (gun control, terrorism, health care) and neglect all evidence that might refute or contradict the director’s theories. In Bowling For Columbine, Moore asserts that Canadians do not lock their doors (never mind the relevance of locked/unlocked doors and the connection to gun violence). Moore affirms this in the film by crashing through the unlocked doors of a few of our unsuspecting neighbors to the North. What we do not see is how many doors Moore was unable to open because they were locked. Since viewing the movie I have made it a point to ask Canadians I meet if they lock their doors. Their overwhelming response has been OF COURSE they lock their doors. Most of them said they even lock their doors when they are home, not just when they go out. Duh?! In Fahrenheit 9/11 Moore makes all kinds of accusations about the Royal Saudi family and does not allow the Saudi’s to respond despite the fact that the Royal Saudi family granted Moore a rare opportunity to access family members and to interview them explicitly for his film. Denied. Nothing the Saudis could say that would strengthen the director’s case, I mean, they are not all suffering from Alzheimer’s disease like the head of the NRA (poor Mr. Heston, being badgered by the ridiculously opinionated Moore) and therefore easy pickins. And yet, for being so subjective, Moore’s films do not provide the audience with any substantial solutions to the topics at hand. The films do not inspire anything (except rage in a few).
So why do we watch Moore’s films? I guess because he is presenting a counter to the Neo-conservative administration. But Moore’s movies are just that, movies. That’s why the current administration could give two shits about Michael Moore’s film: it isn’t policy and it doesn’t influence policy or legislation. Sure, a few liberal jerks gobble up Moore’s drivel but they are so far left (read: “whacked”) and so disorganized that sane people have a difficult time listening to them. Besides, they don’t vote like the evangicals. No, I am afraid Mr. Moore’s new movie was never in any danger of being seized or censored; it may very well have been in danger of being a flop. If we give the movie its proper due I am sure it will flop. Nice try, jerk ass.

We don't need no, education.

Spring has sprung. My allergies swing has swung. Summer is just around the corner-I can almost taste the BBQ chicken, beer brats, and beef kebabs-and that can mean only one thing: “Schools out for summer! School’s out FOREVER!” Of course, ‘forever’ only applies to those students lucky enough to be graduating and smart enough to NOT be considering graduate school. Everyone has advice for the recently graduated and so without further to do, here is mine.

Let me be the tenth person to congratulate you on your graduation. If you are a high school graduate my advice is simple and straight forward: get a summer job, get laid, and in the fall, matriculate your arse to a University-and get laid for the next 4-7 years before you take a degree.
Now then, for the newly indoctrinated collegiate graduate my advice is more, evolved. The world is a many splendid thing. Now that you have spent thousands of dollars to be educated do not succumb to the pressure to find a job. Trust me, your student loans are not going anywhere, as a matter of fact, they will always be there, or, at least it will seem that way. Besides, you are not as qualified as you think you are. Instead, get out there and experience the world’s brilliance organically. You have earned a break. Start off easy, especially if you have limited or no travel experience. You can not go from ‘never been 50 miles from home’ to vagabond over night. Take a short vacation (3 months or less) not to discover yourself but to discover what kind of world appeals to you. Travel does not have to be exotic or even international but it should take you out of your comfort zone and expose you to unfamiliar cultures. If the East coast has been your stomping grounds, head West and vice-versa. If you spent a summer studying in Italy and/or tramping across Europe, maybe you are ready for Central or South America, Africa or SEAsia. Wherever you go, plan to be back within 3 months. After this quick jaunt the travel bug (and hopefully only the travel bug) will have bitten and soon you will know if you caught travel fever. If nothing else you will probably have a new found appreciation for running water, or cleanliness and sanitation, or high speed internet, or air conditioning.
At this point you will be in debt but do not despair and DO NOT let your credit be ruined. Find a job, keeping in mind the sentiment that you are not as qualified as you think you are. Pay your bills and your loans, build up your experience and your credit and savings. Once you are qualified to do something, quit everything and do nothing but travel and that is my advice. Considering my history this advice is probably not all that surprising but then again, nothing’s shocking. Of course you could always go to graduate school (and become even less qualified to work) or you could find an underpaid overworked job like the rest of your friends. The choice is yours, you have earned it.
Do not forget to check out our updated photo gallery with pictures from our recent trip to Boonville for the 11th annual beer festival and my parents 40th anniversary bash. It’s all there and MORE!

Three Years to the Day

Today is the 12th of March 2007. On March 12, 1912 Juliette Gordon Low started the first Girl Scout group in Savannah Georgia, and thus, this date is officially recognized as Girl Scout Day (USAmerica only). Girl Scout cookies, WOO-HOO!!! They’re made from real girl scouts. You knew that didn’t you? On this date in 1985, Lawrence Bird scored a cool 60 points to set the all time single game record for points by a Boston Celtic (two words: French Lick). It also happens to be the day and month I last worked in corporate America. That is right, three years ago today I quit the rat race to pursue I life of leisure. Lately it occurs to meeeeeeeeeeeeeee, what a lonnnnnnnnnnnng strange trip it’s been.

Before I left Chiron my former manager told me he figured I would miss work. At the time I didn’t think I would but, now, as I reflect on 1095 days of unemployment, I understand what he meant and begrudgingly admit he was partially correct. You see, I have not exactly “missed” work but I have missed the social aspect of the work environment. You know, the potlucks, the water cooler talk, casual Fridays et cetera et cetera. I look at it this way, I was working 45-50 hours a week. That means I was spending more of my waking hours with my co-workers than with Mo! If I did not like my co-workers this would definitely have been a problem and, even though I liked most of the folks at Chiron-I think there is something wrong with spending so much time at work and away from your loved ones. Maybe the French are right on this one. We all know the saying, work to live not live to work, but sometimes we just get caught up with the work aspect. Can’t I live while I’m young?
When you do not have a job some how you give up your right to complain. Everyone says it, “I can’t complain, no one will listen.” Well, for the last three years that has been me. Most (affluent) people assume if you do not have a job by choice, you have nothing to complain about. Even people who love and enjoy their livelihood are entitled to bitch every now and again but never the guy who quits his job to pursue a life of leisure and travel. I know, I know, all I do is bitch and complain in my blogs but hey, nobody is listening (reading), right?
Well, a week from today I start a new job back in corporate America. That is right since last I blogged, I found employment (among many other things) and now I feel entitled to bitch a little. Why is it so freaking hard to find a good, cheap place to live in the California Bay area? It’s not THAT nice. Why are used car dealers so shady? I ended up buying privately-quite successfully I might add. Why does shopping for a used couch on-line suck balls? Thank goodness for Craig’s List, eh? Why does Ikea suck donkey balls? Because it is so cheap, I know. Enough! I must enjoy my final week of idleness by doing as much as possible. Gone fishin'.

The Hybrid Home

Just the other night I was channel surfing when I came across a show about renewable energy sources on the History Channel. As I watched the show I was reminded of an excellent profile of Amory Lovins I recently read in the January 22 issue of the New Yorker (Mr. Green: Environmentalism’s most optimistic guru by Elizabeth Kolbert). The television program and the print article stirred my imagination about sustainable living and how we-the human race-could easily reduce the impact of our existence on mother Earth. You know, reduce mankind’s debatable bearing on global climate change (aka: global warming*). The more I thought about it, the more I wondered, where are all the hybrid houses?

In his recent state of the union address president Bush called for United States of Americans to reduce their petroleum use by 20% over the next 10 years. Bravo Mr. president. It is true, alternative energy IS homeland security. The state of California is leading the way having already passed legislation to decrease carbon dioxide production and provide incentives (as if preventing the extinction of homo sapiens from the Universe was not incentive enough) to businesses and individuals who make an effort to diminish fossil fuel consumption. I am pleased to report there are over 75000 hybrid vehicles registered in the state of California. Almost every one of the vehicles has DMV issued stickers that allow the operator to utilize carpool lanes with only one passenger. When I drive on the highways and byways of the Golden State’s impressive transportation infrastructure I am delighted with the number of hybrid vehicles I see on the road. Of course, when I consider the total number of vehicles registered in the state of California (tens of millions) I am disgusted with the ratio of gas-guzzler-to-hybrid vehicles out there. Hybrid vehicles, carpooling, efficient public transportation, alternative transportation (bicycle, kayak, rollerblades, etc.), there are many transportation options for people to reduce their consumption of petroleum and thus moderate their carbon emissions. But I digress. What about our homes? Can we not make our homes more efficient?
Over the last 10 years there has been a housing “boom” in the United States of America-although, you would not have guessed it considering the estimated 3.5 million (1% total population) homeless people in the country. Nearly all those track-housing developments have gone up with little or no thought of creating an environmentally sustainable dwelling. Why not? The technologies already exist. Sure, the green option may be more expensive than the alternative, but in a long-term investment such as a home, the continued savings will eventually offset the additional expense. What kind of technology am I writing about? There are many options available that range from simple to complex. Most of the technologies can be applied to modifying your current abode into a green residence while $aving you money. It could be as simple as replacing your regular old incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. If you need to replace or redo your electrical wiring, have the contractor install copper wire that is 4x thicker than code (it will be more expensive). Lots of electricity is lost when the inefficient code specified copper wire diameter is used. For colder habitats, installing double paned windows lined with a polyester film that allows visible light to pass in but prevents thermal radiation from escaping. Solar technology is not just for heating your water. Photovoltaic (PV) solar cells can convert energy from the sun into electricity. PV systems can generate more than enough electricity to power the average home (even on a cloudy day!) and incentive programs for installation often include the option to sell excess electricity back to the grid. These systems usually pay for themselves in 8-10 years. Geothermal heating/cooling systems are a great way to reduce dependence on the furnace in the winter and the air conditioner in the summer. These are simple geo-exchange systems that pump thermal energy in or out (depending on season) of your home. The most common is a closed loop system that pumps a mixture of water and non-toxic antifreeze through a series of sealed pipes buried approximately six feet under ground where the earths temperature remains constant. Brilliant!
All of the technologies I have eluded to thus far can be employed in existing homes and should be standard on newly constructed homes. But wait, there is more! For new housing developments communities should demand that homes be constructed according to the most simple of all technologies: directional positioning of structures. Building homes facing south (in the Northern hemisphere) exposes the building to more of the suns energy during the winter months allowing for more natural lighting and heating. In the summer months the same home would have reduced exposure to the hot summer rays of the sun and thus be easier to keep cool. Natives of North America have used this type of technology for thousands of years^. D’oh! Think of it as the new green Feng Shui. And now I ask you, where are the hybrid houses?

NOTES:

* I hate the term “global warming” because it provides ammunition to ignorant fools who deny the reality of the phenomenon of global climate change. If there are record low temperatures these jackasses of dim wit are quick to quip, “Must be global warming causing all these record cold spells. Ha! Ha! Ha!” I recognize the irony and I get no satisfaction from it.

^ Unfortunately, like most native knowledge it has been ignored by the civilized cultures of the old world.

The Culmination of A Season with Cal Football

On December 2nd I found myself back in Berkeley for the conclusion of Cal’s once promising, and now disappointing, American football season. Despite the recent poor performance of the home team there was a buzz in the air of optimism. It was to be the 109th installment of the Big Game^. Optimism had returned to the home fans for several reasons: it was a home game, stanfUrd had only managed to win one of its previous 11 games, and it was senior day- the last time graduating members of the team would play before the home crowd. I did not share the optimism; it all seemed to me to be the perfect combination for yet another Big Game upset.

Despite my pessimism about the Big Game, I was up early and at the Bear’s Lair (campus pub) bright and bleary-eyed for pre-game day festivities (alcohol consumption). I can honestly say, there is nothing quite like a quart of beer for breakfast at 0900 on a crisp Berkeley morning. At 10am I left the comforts and beer of the Lair to join some friends up at Memorial stadium for the “march to victory” (basically, to show their support for the team, fans line the path the coaches and players walk to enter the stadium, wishing them good luck). I had never attended one of these happenings-it cuts into precious beer consumption time, and believe you me, you need all the pre-game boozing time you can get if you are a Cal fan. The scene was a little too much rah, rah, Rah! For my liking but, to each his own. On my way up to the “march” I walked near the West side of Memorial stadium where some members of the local community had rallied in protest to the proposed stadium upgrades and retrofit.
For those of you who are aware of the stadium upgrade project you may want to skip ahead to the next paragraph; for the unaware I will provide a brief explanation. Memorial stadium in Strawberry Canyon on the University of California at Berkeley campus was built at the turn of the 20th century. The stadium has not had a facelift in over 50 years and the facilities, as you can imagine, are in desperate need of remodeling. Coincidentally the stadium was built on the Hayward fault line. If a major earthquake were to strike (extremely probable) the structure is likely to collapse. That could mean a nasty end to the lives of over 100 faculty and staff who have offices in the stadium. And, if the earthquake-it is not a question of if the quake will strike it is a question of when-should happen during a sold out home game at least 30000 lives would be put in immediate danger. Basically, it is a catastrophe waiting to happen, and this alone should be cause for the immediate commencement of a retrofit/upgrade. But wait, there is more, Coach Jeff Tedford, a.k.a. the all knowing all seeing leader of the California Golden Bears football program, took the job at Cal and promised to return the program to prominence. Coach Tedford had one major stipulation added to his coaching contract: the University had to agree to upgrade the stadium to allow the coach to be competitive in his recruitment of athletes or he would leave for greener pastures. Coach Tedford has since delivered on his end of the bargain leading the team to 5 consecutive winning seasons (as opposed to one in the previous 10) and bringing record crowds into Memorial stadium thus generating millions of dollars for the University. Not to mention the immeasurable impact on the local economy that an extra 30000 people 7 Saturdays a year must create. Keeping Jeff Tedford around is good for Cal football, good for the University of California at Berkeley, and good for the city of Berkeley. Yet, five years into his contract, coach Tedofrd has yet to see the ground broken on upgrades to Memorial stadium. Why? Well there are many reasons. First, the University of California is a public university funded by the government. The bureaucratic red tape for a project of this magnitude is recockulous. Second, the University is located in one of the most liberal cities in the world adding even more red tape to the project. For their part, the University board of regents has worked with the athletic department at Cal to provide the necessary approvals of proposed renovations and has even agreed to pony up for some of the expense (although the vast majority of funding for the project has been provided to the athletic department through the generous contributions of alumni and private citizens). The athletic department thoroughly researched the project and ultimately finalized plans to upgrade and retrofit the stadium and expand the facilities with an addition on the West side of the existing structure. Yeah! The plans were reviewed and begrudgingly approved by the city, the board of regents and the state of California (law requires a construction project of this scope provide environmental impact studies). Long story short-too late I know-it finally appeared that everything was set and Memorial stadium would finally be renovated, the work was scheduled to commence following the final home game of 2006, the Big Game. Hold on a minute! Along come some tree-hugging do-gooders from the local community who are opposed to the project because old growth oak trees on the stadium’s Western flank would have to be cut down. What the F@#K?!?! Where were these people when the athletic department was holding open-to-the-public planning meetings? Ugh!
The protesters had invaded the grove of trees the night before and several of them had taken up residence in the admittedly beautiful oaks. I figure fine, make your point that you are going to miss the trees, so am I, and move on. But no, these folks are in it for the long haul (hence the sleeping bags and tree perches). Never mind that most of the trees are already dead or that the University is going to plant three trees on campus for every tree that is removed (per the environmental study agreement). That is not enough for these people, their point being, these are old growth oaks and new trees will not be old growth. And all I can think is “Why I oughta (fist clinched and waved above my head Homer stylie).” Anywho, as we walked briskly towards the “march” two of the protesters asked us, me and my mates, to “help save the oaks”. However as we were (and remain) inclined to believe the proposed addition was, on the whole-not without considering the amazing beauty and spirituality of the old growth oaks-to the benefit of the football program, the University and the city we politely moved on without engaging the protesters. One of them muttered an insult in our general direction about us being militant football automatons, suggesting that we had no heart and no appreciation for the oak trees and god’s green earth. My friend Ryan, and the rest of our party, took exception to this uncalled for and slanderous accusation. A not so intense discussion ensued in which the indoctrinated tree huggers claimed that the lives of the old growth trees were more important than football. As my friend Brett Lovick would say, “standard”. I agreed with the do-gooders, the old growth oaks are far more important than football but that was not the main issue here. To me, the most important reason to build the proposed addition, and therefore cut down the oaks, is because human lives are in danger. Hundreds of people will be relocated to the new earthquake safe (as “earthquake safe” as any manmade structure not made by the Inca’s can be) building thus removing them from a potentially-and literally-crushing death. For me, that is end of discussion. Human lives are more important than old growth oak trees, period. Of course these unrealistic nutters believed the addition could be located elsewhere on campus. Where? They never could specify as space on campus is already at a premium and any other potential sight likely has trees growing on it. It was enough to piss off the pope. Needless to say, it is January 23, 2007 as I type up this account and the trees and their huggers are still standing on the West side of the stadium. Boo!
Sorry about that huge digression but I just had to get it out there. You must be wondering, how did the game turn out? Well, Cal managed to secure a sloppy 26-17 victory against a game stanfUrd side. A much closer result than the home fans were anticipating, myself excluded. A stanfUrd touchdown that should have been disallowed because of an obvious, albeit athletic and impressive, offensive pass interference play was instead allowed to stand. The final score did not change the fact that Cal had won their fifth consecutive Big Game and retained “the axe” (the trophy awarded to the winning team) for another year. The victory sent the senior class out with a win in their final home game and concluded another winning, if a bit disappointing, season. Well, sort of. Cal had already been offered-and accepted-a bid to play in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on December 28th against the University of Texas A&M Aggies. The bowl invitation represented Cal’s unprecedented 4th consecutive bowl appearance. The news just kept getting better when later in the day the University of Southern California lost to UCLA, thus making Cal co-champions (with U$C) of the Pacific 10 conference for the first time since 1975! Big Woo and Hoo!
The next few weeks I spent preparing for the Christian consumer holiday, buying and wrapping gifts and helping the old man with his exterior illumination at the casa. I also took the time to start my employment search with expected, considering the season, poor results and response to my resume submissions. On December 19th I helped sister Mo, Ann Mo for those not in the know, drive down to smell.A. for the holiday. MoWenck celebrated the birth of the Christian savior with the Mo family a few days before the rest of the Christian world. Amy and I then hopped in the Mo-mobile and drove to NorCal to celebrate the world’s most famous hippie’s birthday on the properly recognized date, with my family. Basically, more gluttonous holiday celebrations, this time with gifts for everybody. The day after Christmas Amy and I once again were in the car headed south back to smelL.A. this time to move Amy north for the time being. We also had plans to attend the conclusion of the Cal American football season at the Pacific Life Holiday bowl in San Diego.
We met up with friends Marlowe, August, and Martin the day before the bowl game and drove down to Irvine where we spent the evening with another friend Ryan Steinbach whose father would be joining us all for the game the next day. Ryan had to wait for his father to drive down from smelL.A. the next morning before continuing on to San Diego for the tailgate party and game. In the meanwhile MoWenck along with Aug, Marty, and Marlowe all made for the parking lot and party. Traffic was light for the most part and we made it into the parking lot around 12pm, 5 hours prior to scheduled kick off. We quickly found our friend Kee Wilcox and his parents phat RV. The party was on like donky kong with much food and booze to keep one satiated. The lots were rather empty but kick off was still a ways off and I figured the lots would be filling up soon. Still, after a couple of hours it did not seem like the lots were filling in and there was still no sign of our friend Ryan and his father. People continued to trickle in to the lot and to our party. Soon word got out that there had been a major automobile accident with fatalities on the main interstate highway from smelL.A to San Diego. That explained the slow filling parking lot and Ryan’s tardiness. We managed to speak with him via mobile technology and determined that he was not involved in the accident but was stuck in the world’s largest parking lot/traffic jam. Craptacular. There was nothing we could do but continue to tailgate and party towards kickoff. About 1 hour prior to game time Ryan and his dad made it to the party and quickly woofed down food and beer before we all headed into the stadium. Fortunately, it appeared that most of the spectators were able to make it to the stadium and it would be a near capacity crowd for the game. I have to admit, it was an interesting mix of people. Cal is a notoriously liberal University while Texas A&M is considered to be one of the more conservative Universities in the United States. Thus, the meeting of Aggies and Bears on the American football pitch would provide a backdrop for a clash of ideologies by the respective alumni of each University. In addition to the different academic cultures the actual participants in the game played converse styles of football. The Aggies played a bruising smash-mouth brand of football often associated with the Big12 conference in which they are a member. Cal on the other hand is considered more of a finesse football team using its superior athleticism to beat teams. Cal had been struggling as of late while Texas A&M had been playing well and had most recently defeated their big rival Texas. Which team would show up? Who knew, but I was once again apprehensive about Cal.
Before a game of this stature can begin there has to be all the pageantry associated with the prestige of the game and the sponsor is responsible for seeing to that. Pacific Life sponsored this game and, to their credit, they made it a classy event. The pre-game included the standard US Navy Seal’s parachuting onto the pitch followed by the national anthem and all that jazz. The culmination of the pre-game, at least for me, was when 4 United States of America death birds (fighter jets) flew in close formation low over the stadium. The raw power of the jet engines, the ear shattering sonic boom is awesome at close corners. Makes you thankful not to be on the receiving end of what those birds are capable of delivering. Of course, the poor, helpless innocent citizens who are often the unintended target of these death machines probably never even see or hear it coming. But I digress. Cal won the coin toss and to my disappointment elected to go on offense first. After a rough three and out Texas A&M marched down the field and scored the games first touchdown. It did not look good for the Golden Bears. But, at some point in the first half Cal got their shit together and started moving the ball on offense and punishing the Aggies when on defense. Cal took the lead before half time and after a spectacular pyrotechnic display Cal extended their lead and ultimately man-handled the supposed more physical team. Final score Cal 45, Texas A&M 10. Crushing! It was a grand end to the season. Cal won 10 games (for the second time in three seasons) and only managed to lose 3. I was fortunate enough to attend every game, and, while I am no better for it, I still had a great time as a “Ted-Head”.
A few days later and MoWenck were once again in the loaded down Mo-mobile headed North for the winter. Amy has moved back to NorCal and MoWenck are currently living room and board free at the Casa De Wenck. We spent New Years eve in San Francisco at a delightful gathering of friends in the Haight at Mr. and Mrs. Meng’s apartment. Since the start of the new year I have intensified my employment search-with regrettably poor results-while Mo has started substitute teaching for the River Delta Unified School District. In my spare time, which is quite abundant, I have been playing basketball, reading, fishing, and of course looking for employment. Hopefully I will find something soon and MoWenck will be able to leave the nest (again). If you know of any promising employment opportunities please do not hesitate to drop me a line. Peace out.

NOTES:

^ The Big Game is the 5th longest running rivalry game in collegiate American football. However, during the early part of the 20th century they played rugby instead of American football (football was out of favor for a time because of the frequent serious injuries to participants). The Big Game has traditionally provided extremely entertaining games-regardless of each teams performance up to that point in the season-and a spectator is well advised to stay until the final whistle. In, what is arguably considered the greatest finish in American football history (professional or amateur), the Cal Bears improbably defeated a stanfUrd team-led by the illustrious John Elway-in the waning moments of the game. The five lateral kick return culminating in a band crushing touchdown with no time left on the clock is simply known in Big Game lore as THE Play. Pandemonium ensued. The loss ended a tearful John Elway’s career at stanfUrd. Of course, John learned a hard lesson that day, one that he could never learn in the classrooms or lecture halls of Leland stanfUrd, Junior University, that is, after you overcome 4th and 18 and you lead your team down the field over 85 yards to kick the potential game winning field goal, you do not call timeout with 8 ticks on the clock. You call it with 3. I am quite certain John learned his lesson and learned it well. He went on to become one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks ever and I believe he still holds the record for come from behind victories-not near victories as he got on that November day in 1982. Anyway, turn about is fair play, in 1990 stanfUrd turned the tables to score 9 points in about 20 seconds to defeat Cal in what was most crushing fashion.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It has been a while since last I updated you, my faithful audience. A lot has happened. For an unemployed thirty-something I have been extremely busy and therefore slow in updating the MoWenck site. Perhaps I was put off posting updates due to the pitiful performance of my beloved Golden Bears American football squad but that is neither here nor there. All will be explained if only you would allow me a moment to gather my thoughts so I can provide an accurate-with the normal exaggerations and leftist interpretations-portrayal of events in the lives of Mo and Wenck since the beginning of November. If nothing else, I promise I will proceed with the tale in chronological order.

I would love to tell you that I have been busy searching for employment, providing interviews, reviewing job offers, and ultimately joining the 96% of United States of Americans whom the government claims are employed, but that would only partially be true. Suffice to say, the New Year finds me as unemployed as ever. I have submitted my resume to several potential employers and I believe it is just a matter of time before the competitive offers start rolling in…any minute now.
Anywho, as I briefly mentioned in my final post of 2006 back on 15Nov, Mo and I had just returned from the deserts of Arizona and California. As many of you well know, the deserts of the South Western United States can be extremely harsh and unforgiving. Amy and I managed to escape the deserts fully in tact but not without suffering. We made the drive from East smell.A. to Tucson on a beautiful sun soaked Friday afternoon. We were welcomed to the city and found comfortable lodgings in a swell little backpackers hostel in downtown known as the Roadrunner (highly recommended) and settled in for the weekend. On Saturday we were up and off early in preparation for a match up of Pacific 10 conference American football between the University of California Golden Bears and the local favorite University of Arizona Wildcats. Mo and I wondered into a pub near campus and soaked up the University atmosphere of the pre-kickoff game day campus. It was a glorious day for football and Cal came out smoking. The visitors jumped out to a 17-3 lead in the first half and things looked to be going our way. Then, the wheels fell off the proverbial bike and Cal pulled a Mo going over the handlebars. Typically, the Pacific10 conference referees made exceptionally bad calls against the Golden Bears-there was a pass interference call that was particularly bad that indirectly resulted in a Wildcat touchdown and Tyler almost being arrested for inciting a riot. Fortunately for me the police officer gave me a stern warning. Looking back on the whole situation, the copper probably did not want to arrest me and miss the end of a close, exciting game dragging my insolent arse out of the stadium. Not to mention the paperwork the officer would have to complete just to eject one jerk. So, I was able to watch the conclusion of the California collapse at the hands of Arizona. Cal lost 24-20. Ouch!^ It kind of put a damper on our Saturday evening in Tucson but we managed to find a sweet little Guatemalan restaurant for drinks and dinner.
Sunday morning found us on our way back to California and a few nights camping in the marvelous high deserts of Joshua Tree National Park. We made it to the Southern park entrance without incidence by 2pm. After the customary stop by the Ranger station to pay fees and pick up information we meandered into the park in search of a suitable campsite. Along the way we stopped to observe the stunning scenery and take a few short interpretive hikes. By 6pm we made camp just as the last rays of sunshine were disappearing over the Western horizon and as a crisp cool breeze descended upon the area. It was really cold as we made dinner and the wind was unforgiving. Soon after we finished our meal we made for the tent to rest, read, and contemplate our exploration of the area scheduled for the next day. There was still a definite cool nip to the air the next morning but the wind had fortuitously died out and the sunshine instantly warmed the soul. After an abbreviated breakfast we began our exploration of the park driving to several short hikes and vantage points. It was a beautiful day and the park is just swell. That night the wind did not pick up until much later and so we were able to enjoy our meal and the night sky before bedding down. All in all it was a brilliant stay in the desert. The next day we were off, back to smelL.A.
For the week Amy worked as a substitute teacher for the Garvey School District while I ran short errands and read a lot. On Saturday, we once again gathered up our gear and made our way with friends August and wife Marlowe to the University of Southern California (U$C) and a pre-game tailgate party near the Los Angeles Coliseum. After their hapless defeat in the desert our Golden Bears still had an opportunity to win the conference crown and a coveted birth in the BCS Rose Bowl if only they could beat the Trojans of Southern Cal. With its annoying band*, even more annoying fans, history, tradition, and wealthy alumni/student body U$C is much disliked by college football fans the nation over and especially by Cal Berkeley peeps. The over-paid alumni and spoiled student body, unable to gain admittance to the UC system or stanfUrd, are generally shallow, unintelligent, and a bore. Of course their football team consistently dominates on the pitch, making their fans even more annoying. I should note here that I am a fan of USC football because of their dominance and that I root for U$C football and all other occasions except when they play Cal. We were blessed with another glorious day to play football and after hours of eating, drinking, and exchanging insults with the opponent’s fans it was time to play the game. Cal came out and looked good in the first half and managed to take the lead going into the break 9-7 (it could have been more if the officials had not blown yet another call that resulted in nullifying a Cal score and allowing U$C to score instead). The second half however, belonged to the men of Troy. They dominated play and finally, on the first play of the forth quarter they scored the go-ahead touchdown. Shortly thereafter they managed another touchdown that all but sealed Cal’s post-season fate-a trip to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl and the game. Final score U$C 23, Cal 9. Dejected we made our way back to our car for the long smog filled, traffic clogged drive back out to East smelL.A. and Amy’s moms house.
There would be no more football in November for the Cal Bears and Amy and I took the time to enjoy the United States of America’s gluttonous holiday of Thanksgiving with my family in Northern California. My brother-in-law managed to score a nice cabin on the North shore of Lake Tahoe and so Amy and I joined my parents, brother, along with his wife and my niece, and my sister along with her husband and son at the cabin for the holidays. It was quite pleasant. We celebrated the colonization of the new world by Europeans (read: genocide of barbaric native Americans) in grand fashion with turkey and all the traditional fixins. We also managed to celebrate Mo’s 32nd birthday and made a trip into Reno, Nevada to do a little gambling. I didn’t win anything, and I will leave it at that. On our way back to Rio Vista Amy and I stopped by our good friend Kurtis and Marie’s for dinner and lots of wine mixed with lots of the word-game Taboo. It was a good night and we really enjoyed our time with the Kauffman family before returning to Rio Vista. The whole three weeks was a great stretch where, once again MoWenck were together in travel and mischief.
All good things must come to an end (no, I have not found a job while preparing this blog) and the following Monday Mo returned to smelL.A without me. It was a sad parting but only a temporary one. For soon we would be together again for more holiday gluttony, more Cal football, and more adventures. Stay tuned, I promise I will get you all the way up to date if only you give me some time.

NOTES

^ I would like to make one thing perfectly clear, Cal lost the game because of poor play and an inability to overcome the unfortunate mistakes by the officiating crew. Good teams fight through bad calls. Cal was not a good team that day. I do not want you to think I am like a Boomer Sooner fan from Oklahoma (see whiner in the dictionary).

* Is that, the only song you know? It’s boring and it’s slow. Your SAT’s are low. Your mother gives good blows. Your sister is a HO. Your alumnus killed Nicole.

Where have you been?

I have been on tour with Cal football 2006. This past weekend was tough but new photos of our trip to the desert have been added. Also, additions have been made to the Family, Friends, and Fun gallery as well as the Halloween 2006 gallery. I hope you enjoy viewing our photos. Go Bears! Beat U$C!

Vote Early and Vote Often

No matter what happens on Tuesday when United States Americans go to the polls, I will be thrilled about the end of the election season. It will be nice to answer the phone and talk to friends and family again instead of some recording of Hillary and William Clinton or Rudolph �Rudy the Rock� Giuliani trying to influence my vote. Last time I checked Hillary, William, and Rudy all lived in New York so why are they calling me at home in California about our (California�s) election? I do not bother to turn on the teevee often, but lately when I do I am bombarded with campaign adverts that most candidates and advocacy groups should be ashamed to air.* I do not know what is more disgusting: the mud-slinging, the number of advertisements, or the co$t (wa$te) of it all.

]]> These mid-term elections make me think of a Notre Dame versus stanfUrd American football game in that I find it unfortunate there has to be a winner. I wish they could both lose. That�s how I feel about most of the candidates (in California and abroad) up for (re)election on Tuesday. I even have a confession to make: I am not registered to vote for November 7th and I do not intend to cast a ballot. I have joined the masses of disenfranchised citizens of the United States. Whether I am truly disenfranchised or not is a matter of semantics. The reality is I feel disenfranchised. The issues that are important to me-a healthy sustainable economy, strong education, and protecting the environment (the three �E�s�)-do not seem important to the candidates in this election. Demographics must show the war in Iraq, national security, and immigration as what really matters to the voting citizenry. Do not get me wrong, I think those are all very important issues immediately facing the United States of America but here is the catch. No one, and I mean NO ONE, is providing a clear plan or viable solution to these challenging issues. The incumbents and candidates talk about the mistakes made in Iraq and of supporting the troops but they do not address the issue of what they will do about Iraq. What policy changes-no one is talking �stay the course� any more-they will propose or support. When it comes to illegal immigration the most original idea seems to be to build a wall? Mind numbing. When it comes to my three �E�s� the politicians are even more vague.
There is a vacuum of leadership in this country. That is what I am referring to when I claim to be disenfranchised. I am not disenfranchised by an inability to vote I am disenfranchised by lack of choice if I do vote. If I cast my ballot for candidates I consider being �the lesser of two evils� than all I will accomplish is validating their election. I recognize it takes more than a fair and just electoral system^ to make democracy work. It takes more than an educated citizenry turning out to vote. The most important component of a democracy is to have viable candidates with the compassion, intelligence, vision, and a will to lead. Without this, any democracy-no matter how great-is destined to fail. That is the problem we face in the United States of America come Tuesday 07 November 2006.
FOOT NOTES:

* Thank goodness the shows I typically tune in on the tube-sports and episodes of the Simpson�s-generally have advertising costs that are out of most campaign budgets. By the way: This past Sunday�s Simpson�s Tree House of Horrors XVII was not up to par. IMHO.

^ While there are problems with registering voters and counting ballots in the USA I still believe we have a system that is fair and just-even with the whole Electoral College for presidential elections.