Ass-Backward Nation

I recently read an article in Time Magazine about how Americans tend to “live dangerously,” which in retrospect makes you really think about how blind we are to the world around us. Americans and people in general (especially those in the industrialized world), tend to weight short term risks in higher standing than long term risks, especially risks that have a direct bearing on our health. The article does indeed raise some incredibly valid questions about our life styles and why we as people, tend to self destruct. Now I am not saying that every American is guilty of this habit. But I would bet a fair amount of money (which I don’t have) on the fact that some of us are guilty of these habits.

According to this article, the cause of our lapses in judgment occurs because of how our brains are wired. The brain is wired in what the article calls a “prehistoric” manner, which was a vital asset to our ancestors. These individuals weighed risk in terms of survival, hence being able to pass their genes along to the next generation. That does not mean that prehistoric humans did not take risks; most had to. How would you feel about killing a mammoth with a spear instead of your trusty elephant gun? Chances are that no competent individual in the modern world would attempt such a feat without the assistance of alcohol (mammoths are extinct by the way). The question is then, how does out prehistoric brain wiring effect us in the modern world?

Gamblers are masters of calculating probabilities. They know their exact chances of success and failure based on what cards they received in the deal, for example. Your average Joe, on the other hand is not exactly a Vegas casino attendee. Take smoking for instance. Over 30 million Americans smoke or use some form of tobacco, which results in over 1200 deaths a day and over 650,000 in a year. In the short term, yes, smoking will probably not kill you, hence why people start in the first place. Fast forward 20 years later, that very person is still smoking (if they made it that long). There is a good chance that their health is suffering immensely from smoking in some form. That first cigarette did not kill the person, but the 6,000th very well may put that person in the lung cancer category.

A better example in this case is AIDS and diabetes (or some other nasty disease). I am not saying that AIDS is something that everyone should go out and get, because it will kill you eventually. But if treated in its early stages (HIV), there is a good chance that the individual will go on to lead a normal life span. Diabetes on the other hand is a bit different from AIDS. I understand that some people inherit it or are simply unlucky. But what about those that cram thousands of calories of pure “crap” down their gullets each day? Are they not thinking about the risk that unhealthy foods will pose to them down the road? It is a fact that better nutrition reduces the likely hood that someone will develop a degenerative disease down the road.

The article pointed out that after 9/11; more people were driving to their destinations instead of flying (which was understandable). But what many people did not know is that even though countless people perished in the attacks, especially aboard the planes (in this case), that the likelihood of perishing in a plane crash were still considerably less than being killed in a car accident. You still have a better chance of being struck by lightening that dying in a plane crash. The simple fact of the matter is that we are more concerned with short term risk and not the things in everyday life that will affect us down the road. Steroids may help an athlete right now, but liver tumors are not exaclty a pleasant thing to deal with down the road.

Let the Predictions Spur Forth

Championship Weekend looms; the Bears will play the New Orleans Saints this Sunday in Chicago at Soldier Field. The Saints have never made it this far before, as the organization has been one of the tragic stories of the NFL since they first joined. The Bears on the other hand, after fighting through a largely disappointing decade of the 1990’s, return to the NFC Championship for the first time since 1989. On the AFC side of the coin, it will be a rematch of an ever evolving rivalry; Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. Surprisingly, these two teams defeated the top two seeds in the AFC (Chargers and Ravens) with convicting victories in two games that were rather close. Being that everyone and their mother is making a prediction about Championship Weekend, I figure that I might as well join the club.

New Orleans Saints (11-6) vs. Chicago Bears (14-3)
The Bears are the favorite in this game, at least as far as the Vegas’ bookies are concerned. But many of the “professional analysts” and the Saints themselves argue that they should be the favorites. I would beg to differ on that point. Somehow the Saints lost 6 games during the regular season; I wonder why? The Saints are not the “hulks” of the football world, as many “analysts” would argue. The team is on a collective roll, which was confirmed over the course of the last few weeks of the season. Drew Brees, Deuce McCallister, and Reggie Bush are all at the top of their respective games right now. Drew Brees is the real deal in my opinion; the man knows how to pass with great efficiency and explosiveness. McCallister is running over everyone in his path and Bush is running all over the field like he did at USC.

Plus, the Saints have the collective moral support of the nation, as they hail from the devastated New Orleans. I completely agree on this aspect of supporting the Saints. It would be an awesome sight to see the Saints go to the Super Bowl after enduring a year away from the Super Dome and giving more hope to the begrudged citizens of New Orleans. I believe that the “analysts” are on board the “moral support train” as well, which has a tendency to cloud judgment. I agree that the Bears are not the team we witnessed during the first half of the season, as injuries have decimated the Monster’s of the Midway. But the Bears did win 13 games during the regular season, which to me shows that they did something right. Even with the train wreck of Rex Grossman at the helm, the Bears managed to put a high-quality season together.

With any game that the Bears have played over the second half of the season, the first issue to come to mind is whether the superior or ghastly Grossman will show up on Sunday. Grossman proved himself last weekend with solid play and poise. He did not make any mistakes that took his team out of the game. Basically, he shone through when the game was on the line. I believe the Grossman of weeks one through seven’s past will show and rise to the occasion. The defense is due for a superior game, as they have been giving a lot of points up over the past five games. I smell a Brian Urlacher-Lance Briggs domineering effort on Sunday. I also smell a Devin Hester run back at some point. He did it last weekend, but was called back after a poor call from the officials. Contrary to belief, I believe the Bears will win the NFC Championship.
Flem’s Prediction: New Orleans 17, Chicago 34

New England Patriots (13-5) vs. Indianapolis Colts (13-5)
The AFC Championship game relights the most recent and entertaining NFL rivalry between two of the league’s top quarter backs. It has been recognized that Peyton Manning has been unable to win “the big game” to solidify his place as one of the game’s all time greats.’ On the other side of the coin, he faces the current reincarnation of greatness itself, Tom Brady. The Colts destroyed the Patriots earlier in the year, but like the Bears, the Colts were a different team then. The Patriots have been the same old’ Patriots throughout the playoffs, as they have shown the resilience of a coach and a quarterback that have won three out of the last four Super Bowls. Manning has been haunted by “big game” losses to the Patriots throughout his career, but I have a feeling that he is due. He is too damn good not to ever make it to a Super Bowl.
Flem’s Prediction: New England 24, Indianapolis 28

The War Is Over

Oddly enough I am not referring to the current war in Iraq. Instead, I am referring to the American Civil War. Yes, the Civil War that ended in 1865, almost 142 years ago. Indeed, the Civil War where more than 620,000 American lives were lost at the hands of their own countrymen. I bring this up today on the eve after Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) day in the United States. The entire country celebrated the legacy and accomplishments of the greatest civil rights activist in the history of this great country. Undoubtedly, King's work and life has affected the lives of countless African Americans in life and in death.

On this most auspicious day, Senator Joseph Biden (a presidential hopeful) of South Carolina, stated that he wants the Confederate flag completely removed from the grounds of the Columbia state house. He deemed the flag’s presence as a persevering reminder of racism in this country. Six years ago the NAACP successfully lobbied for the subsequent removal of the Confederate flag from the dome of the statehouse in Columbia. Even though the flag was removed from the statehouse itself, it still remains on the grounds in the form of a tribute to the confederacy.

This “tribute” is indeed a mockery of those who lost their lives in the Civil War, much less the millions of African Americans that are descended from the very slaves that were emancipated through blood, sweat, and tears. A group of 35 individuals protesting the movement to remove the Confederate flag from the state house grounds gathered today in what can only be described as a “consorted” charade to “maintain their heritage.” These people want to maintain the heritage of their ancestors, the ones who illegally succeeded from the nation in 1861?

These “neo-Confederates” as I have termed them, are in severe denial. I live in the state of Illinois, the very state that Abraham Lincoln resided in upon his election to the presidency in 1860. This was also the man who lost his life at the hands of a rouge confederate by the name of John Wilkes Booth who disagreed with Lincoln’s emancipation of the slaves (I am firmly aware of the fact that Lincoln was rather indifferent on the issue of slavery). It sickens me to still see bumper stickers and various other ornaments decorating countless vehicles (mostly pick up trucks from 1970 that somehow still run) of those who “maintain their heritage.”

It is an insult that we should be having this debate 142 years after the end of the Civil War. The war was won by the North, not the South, plain and simple; these individuals need to deal with it. Slavery has long been outlawed in this nation. But there are those that still maintain the appalling beliefs of the secessionists. That flag represents a time in American history that many would assume forget. The Confederate flag should be removed from any governmental building in the South, much less from the psyche of the American people.

"We The People..." Right?

Today President Bush told 60 Minutes that he has the authority to act in any matter that he feels necessary in concern to sending more troops to Iraq; much less his handling of the entire war. Facing stern opposition from both parties in Congress, the president sent his chief crony, Dick Cheney on national television to reiterate the point. Cheney believes that it is the president’s responsibility to run the war, not Congress. Furthermore, Cheney said that opposition from critics in Congress would not influence decisions made by the president.

This defensive stance by the White House is nothing new, but it does come just days before both the House and Senate plan to vote on a non-binding resolution combating the president’s plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. The non-binding resolution would in no way affect the way in which Bush will continue to handle the war. But it is by far the biggest stance from Congress over the Iraq issue. Bush maybe the commander in chief of the armed forces, yet as every new day passes, his administration seems to be imitating a dictatorship.

The last time I read the Constitution, I was under the impression that we lived in a federal republic, not a dictatorship. The backlash against the president against his own war by the people of this country should signal to Bush that enough is enough; just drop it. We elect the president to follow through with the will of the people, not his own will. When a president’s own party takes a stance against its own leader, one must assume that there is something seriously wrong. What is this war really worth to the American people?

This war is worth nothing and like the Vietnam conflict, this pointless variance is further destroying the reputation of a great nation. The resistance in Iraq may not be able to break the will of the George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, but when there was no will or legitimate reason to be there in the first place, well I do not see the harm in pulling out. I feel sorry for the Iraqis, as when we do pull out we will be leaving those who want a stable country high and dry. Instead of defeating the terrorists, the president is further infuriating and giving life to those who choose to participate in this global “jihad.”

There are many critics to the war, but Cheney does have a point when he says that the Democrats do not have a better alternative for dealing with the war. I have an alternative; impeach the president. The notion has been thrown around before and even introduced to the House, but obviously, to no avail. If the Democrats are to gain a full grasp on the war and reign in presidential power, they need to show the White House that they are not afraid to stand up to this dictator of sorts. They may not act tomorrow, but when they figure out that talking to the president is comparable to talking to a wall; they will act.