Illinois Smoking Law Pays Off

As a former smoker, I am hypersensitive to cigarette smoke anywhere, at any time. I can't stand being within ten feet of anything even resembling a cigarette or a smoker. I have been told that many ex-smokers are like this, and that they annoy the heck out of their still-smoking friends.

Well, tough. It stinks. And I don't know how anyone can afford both cigarettes and gasoline right now, but that's a different story and a different post.

Anyway, back to the point. I appreciate the fact that smokers must exit the restaurant I am eating in when they wish to smoke. Even while I was a smoker I would be offended by smoke when I was eating. But in a bar? What the heck do you do while you drink if you can't smoke and you're too ugly to have a date?

Anyway, back to the point. Because of Illinois' gestapo-like smoking laws, bar patrons must step outside to smoke. That includes patrons like Nicholas Sheley, the subject of an intense manhunt a couple weeks ago in the Midwest. Sheley allegedly murdered as many as eight people in Illinois and Missouri. He was captured here in my sleepy little (31,000 is not little to me) burg of Granite City, IL, smoking a cigarette outside of a local bar called Bindy's, which is right next to our Kmart store in a rather large strip mall.

It's weird how stuff like this goes down. First of all, what this guy was doing in Granite City is beyond me. I know a lot of people must have been freaking out. On the other hand, many Granite Citians are paranoid to begin with, and assume that Johnny Psycho is right around the corner anyway. So when they spotted Sheley they probably felt vindicated more than anything. He was spotted first at a local Subway shop, then made his way across a large parking lot to the bar, where he had a glass of water and went to the john. Meanwhile, the bar employees -- who had just seen this guy's face on the five-o'clock news -- were scrambling to notify the authorities that were already swarming the area.

More creepiness: Sheley, who had dumped his stolen pickup truck in St. Louis after (allegedly) killing two people in Festus, MO, was hanging around Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis asking people to borrow their cell phones after the Cardinals' ball game the previous night. Supposedly he called his wife/girlfriend and told her there was more killin' to come.

So what is really scary is that this guy was hanging around in my hometown, about 20 blocks from my house where my family was, thinking about who he could kill next that would get him farther down the road.

Even Granite's most famous son, Clint Van Zandt, was beside himself, carrying on the next day on the Today show about the make up of this nut job captured in his home town, where his mother still lives just a couple blocks from the crime scene, he said.

So if Sheley would not have had to step outside to smoke, what would the result of this have been? Would the bar employees have been his next victims? Would he have barricaded himself inside the bar? We'll never know. But Commandant Blagojevich should definitely take a bow.

A Course Has Been Set

Making a blog is not that easy, did anyone know that?

I had added some random ramblings to this blog, in hopes that my overall direction would somehow rear its head and make it obvious what I wanted this blog to be and what I should call it.

Then I was casually listening to one of my favorite groups -- careful, it's a Christian group -- called Downhere, a great group of guys from Canada. * What you see to the right here is a YouTube link to the song that inspired my tagline above, "Stir," written by Marc Martel and Jason Germain. While I am thinking about that group, whether you like Christian music or not, these guys are worth checking out. I know of no other band that is writing and performing songs like these. Their album "Wide-Eyed and Mystified" is incredible, with at least nine or ten songs worthy of airplay. The group has another album due out in September.

Anyway, if you want to hear the song that inspired me to name this blog and start stirring the pot, then give it a listen. It rocks.

So why does the pot need to be stirred? Well, the grease is forming at the top, for starters. Secondly, it's in my nature to do so.

I am a teacher, so my teaching tendencies tend to come out from time to time. I teach History, passionately so; and this leads to strong opinions on politics, culture, people, attitudes, prejudices and misconceptions. Wait, don't worry: I don't influence any of your darling boys and girls with my outrageous opinions. I leave that for this blog. I don't pretend to change anything. But if I don't say something my brain will explode.

I am a Christian, and since I don't really like labels too much we will leave it at that. But I certainly can testify that I have come from a background of self-indulgence, self-pity and self-centered behavior that made me unhappy and miserable. I had the fortune of knowing people who loved me and encouraged me to attend church when I was in my late 20s. Through them I saw the love of Jesus with my own eyes, and I have never been the same since. I am in my 40s now, and still have a lot of problems, but I take steps each day to try to improve my life and enrich my relationship with God the Father.

There will likely be more discussions of things that are really important in life at some later time. But for now, have a look at my earlier postings and see what you think. Consider the pot stirred. Here, take a sip.

Fuel Economics 101

Folks, I know it's tough out there, but I want everyone to take a deep breath and think about something for a minute. I realize that's a tough thing to do these days, but really, let's try.

There is so much hype out there in the media, and so many people that get their information from just a few sources. I feel compelled to give another side to the debate over the price of gas and how the oil companies are somehow gouging us. This is the teacher in me coming out. Class, you will need to stay for an extra few minutes, there's something important we need to discuss.

First of all, the oil companies' average profit margin is about 9 percent, meaning that 9 cents out of every dollar is clear profit for the oil companies. With gas at $4 per gallon, that translates into about 36 cents per gallon of profit. Think of all of the gas being pumped this instant ... wow! However, that 9 percent is totally in line with most aspects of business. In fact, drug and pharmaceutical companies rake in almost three times that percentage. Even manufacturing, if one takes away the awful automotive industry, compares favorably to that 9 percent.

It isn't the oil companies' fault that they provide one of the world's most demanded commodities.

And secondly, think about what the oil companies do to make those profits. They either buy the crude oil or find it and drill it themselves; then they transport it, refine it, transport it again, market it, research and develop it, and deliver it to the consumer. In other words, they do all of the work. In a capitalist system, when your commodity is highly sought after and you do all of the work in providing that commodity, you are supposed to make a killing. That's what capitalism is all about. That's the incentive. Bill Gates did all of the work and provided a product better than anyone else, and he became the richest man in America. You don't hear anyone complaining about that (unless they bought Vista).

That brings us to gasoline taxes. Here in Illinois, the gas tax is about 58 cents per gallon; which includes state and federal taxes. That puts us about fourth in the country, behind California, Connecticut and New York. So while the oil companies are making 36 cents a gallon, the government is making 58 cents a gallon. And what do they do to earn their share? Nothing. They do nothing!

Who is really doing the gouging here? The oil companies that do all of the work, or the government that does none of the work?

Besides taxing the consumer for the gasoline he or she buys, the government also taxes the crap out of the companies' profits, then taxes the workers and executives for the salaries they make. That's all well and good one might say, but ask yourself what is the government doing with all of that money that they have done nothing to earn? I say again at least the executives are doing something to earn their pay. But we condemn them and look to the government for help. Most often the government's response is, OK, we'll punish them, and tax them some more. I bet you will! Can I get in on that?

The oil companies do all of the things in the capitalist system you are supposed to do; and the government, with our blessing, wants to punish them. Folks, you must see the error and the harm in this.

And I say again, what are we getting for all of this money that we pour into the government coffers? I for one have given up on Washington bureaucrats completely. I guess what really burns my butt is that many people -- the same ones who get their information from limited sources and believe they are being gouged by oil companies -- really believe that if they elect a different Washington bureaucrat that somehow their lives will improve.

All we can truly expect from these bureaucrats is the same and more of the same. It's my firm opinion that no candidate for president has the time or desire to think about me or my family or what will happen to this country down the road if we don't make some huge changes. They are too busy being politicians, in a never-ending search for power. Either way, as long as we put our trust in men and government, we will be sorely disappointed.

George Carlin RIP

It was a sad day on Monday, wasn't it?

The news of George Carlin's death hit a lot of people very hard, and sparked an amazing spectrum of opinions about Carlin's life and legacy, ranging from "icon" and "genius" to "athiest" and "foul-mouthed."

I loved George Carlin, and he really was an inspiration to me. Of course, that was back in the 70s, when I was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Man, was he funny then! Woo hoo! However, I eventually grew up, and realized what things are really important in life. Thank the Lord, I was able to escape a life of addiction and self-absorption.

Apparently, Carlin never did grow up. He did grow very angry, though. He spent the last few years of his life putting down many of the things that I held dear. That's unfortunate, because Carlin was extremely talented.

I was thinking about what I just said as I was writing it; and wondering if I was too hard on Carlin. After all, I moved on to other interests and attitudes, but that doesn't mean Carlin or anyone else has to.

So, using YouTube and other sources, I spent much of my Monday evening watching videos of Carlin from the 60s and 70s. Guess what? That material is still funny to me. I saw the bit about football and baseball on ESPN: hilarious! I had forgotten how clever that was. I saw parts of the hippy-dippy weatherman bit on a couple different channels, and laughed out loud, even after all of these years. Even the Seven Words, which I guess will be his major legacy, was humorous to me still. I think it's because that material, although edgy, was intelligently written and delivered. That same energy and intelligence wasn't there in the later years. He was just angry, and nasty, and crabby.

It's too bad. Even until the end, I wanted so desperately to like George Carlin, just as I used to. But somewhere, we parted ways. I'm sorry he died. I hope he's in a better place right now, where he doesn't have to be so angry

Top 10 Mistakes AFI Made in Their 10 Top 10 Lists

1. No “Musical” category. I know there’s only 10 categories, but I don’t know how you explain this one.
2. No “Horror” category. If you’re not including these in “Sci-Fi,” then you must have a separate category. It’s as much it’s own genre as “Gangster” or “Romantic Comedy.”
3. Why not get rid of “Gangster” and “Courtroom Drama,” and just have “Crime Drama?” Then you can include “In the Heat of the Night” which has to be here somewhere. Change “Romantic Comedy” to just “Comedy,” then you can include Caddyshack if you thought it was so good. See No. 5, below.
4. “The Natural” missing from the Sports category. It’s probably the best sports movie ever.
5. “Caddyshack,” “National Velvet” and “Jerry Maguire” are not sports movies, and the fact that the AFI doesn’t get that is unsettling. Sports movies are about digging deep and finding inner strength, beating obstacles and achieving victory in the face of defeat. The presence of sports in the plot line is not enough. If it was, you could include “A Day at the Races.”
6. “Annie Hall.” I don’t care what anyone says, Woody Allen movies suck, always have sucked, and always will suck. They are never funny, entertaining nor romantic; and I will never watch one again.
7. “The Wild Bunch.” Again, film critics can tell me all day about the subtle qualities of this movie, but I don’t see it. The movie is stupid, ridiculous and not well-acted, from start to finish.
8. Give me a break. “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” is not the name of that movie. I know, I went to the theater to see it when it came out. The name of that movie is “Star Wars.” All the others were sequels, or prequels, or whatever.
9. “Reds” is not an epic film. What was the fascination with Warren Beatty, anyway?
10. “Harold and Maude.” Honestly, this may be the worst movie on any of these lists. It’s just awful and certainly not funny. It’s disturbing, hard to follow and just plain bad.