Makin' You Think

Cross-Country

2009-08-21T10:44:00.002-06:00

Cross-Country Day
2009-08-20 09:30

I won't bother writing anything about the short flight we took the other day. We really didn't do much new stuff, except land on the short runway. Ok, I will write about it because that was pretty fun.

Most of the flight was just flying blind stuff again, using some of the radio navigation tools.

However, after that Jory decided it was time to try a short-field landing on an actual short field. The airport that I fly out of uses one primary runway that is about 8,300 feet long and 100 feet wide. The runway we landed on this time is 2,300 feet long and 40 feet wide. It actually went surprisingly well, but I still am not satisfied with my landing ability.

Anyway, yesterday was cross-country day. To be adventurous, we flew to Colorado Springs via the western side of Denver. I got up and filed the flightplan with the flight service people, then went to the airport and figured out our route and weather with Jory.

We started out just flying south (which is the first time I've ever flown more than a mile south of the airport). It was a little choppier than it looked like it should be, but it wasn't too bad. I got my first experiences with air traffic control, talking to Denver approach most of the way down there. Once we got closer to the Springs, we got handed off to Colorado Springs approach, who gave me my first straight-in approach (rather than flying the pattern). It actually is a little difficult the first time because you don't have any of your visual references to know when to slow down or when to put the flaps out or anything like that.

The runway at COS is 11,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. In other words, it's a full-sized commercial airline runway. In fact, not long after we landed, an MD-80 came in behind us. The landing was slightly off-center (which is what I'm determined to fix now, more on that later). But since the runway is crazy wide, it still stayed on the pavement. Still, perfection is what I'm going for.

We had some lunch at a restaurant near the airport (http://www.solosrestaurant.com), then walked back over. We made another flight plan, but forgot to activate it, which we didn't realize until we got back to Fort Collins and tried to close it, only to be informed by the guy on the radio that no flight plan existed.

On the way back, we stopped for a touch and go at Metro airport in Broomfield because it's on the way. That landing also did not go very well. Came in way too fast and Jory had to handle a bit of the lining up portion of the landing.

So tomorrow, I'm going to the airport and I'm taking the plane up by myself for a while and just doing a ton of landings until I can do this perfectly nearly every time. I'm hoping for a slight crosswind so I can get some practice.

Probably won't write much about that because I'll literally just be flying in rectangles. Perfect rectangles with sharp corners.

Flights 12-14

2009-08-14T14:33:00.002-06:00

We did these kind of out of order, so I'll write about them all together.

On Tuesday we did Flights 13 and 14, which is mostly centered on the different types of landings and some navigation. For a soft-field takeoff, you're basically pretending that you're taking off from grass or dirt. So the basic idea is to keep as much pressure off of the wheels as possible, so they don't dig into the ground. So you taxi out onto the runway more quickly than you would for a normal takeoff. You give it 10 degrees of flaps for extra lift, and keep the nosewheel off the ground through the entire takeoff. As soon as the plane lifts up, you have to hover above the ground for a few seconds so you can gain enough speed to climb away. Landing is much the same principle. Keep pressure off of the nosewheel so it doesn't dig in.

After the takeoff, we used some VOR navigation to make our way out to Greeley. Jory had me under the blindy-hood thing so I couldn't see, but I managed to put the plane straight over the top of the navigation beacon, so I was quite proud of that. We then made a circle around the Greeley/Weld County airport and did a stop and go landing. We took back off and came straight back to FNL where we did a couple of touch and go landings.

So that was flights 13 and 14.

Today I did flight 12, which consisted of doing some of the basic things that we've done already, only I did it solo. I took off and headed out to the NE over Windsor, then realized that I didn't really know what to do. So I did a few laps around this tank on the ground, then some S-turns around a nearby road. I flew out toward Greeley just because I didn't have a lot going on. The wind was starting to pick up, and I'm currently restricted to flying when the wind is less than 10 kts, so I headed back toward the airport. I made a pass over Fort Collins to race the cars because it's fun to beat them. I think that's the most fun part of flying: Getting from Mulberry to Trilby in about 3 minutes. Or possibly the ability to be flying over campus, looking out one side and seeing Old Town, and the other side to see Loveland, 10 miles away.

I did 3 landings, each one slightly worse than the one before it. The first one was perfect (should have stopped there). The second one was a little flat, but still alright. The third one I believe I had too much airspeed when I hit the ground, which caused me to bounce a couple of times. But I held it on the runway and got out of the way a couple of minutes before the Allegiant Air plane from Las Vegas came in right behind me.

All in all, a good few days. Next time we're doing a little more navigation stuff, and then the flight after that is finally time to go cross-country.

Progress Check

2009-08-07T19:25:00.003-06:00

Progress Check
2009-08-07 13:00 MDT
Temp: 32C Wind: 30 degrees cross @ 10 kts

Having the solo under my belt, and Jory conveniently being out of town at a wedding, I was supposed to go up with Jack, the owner of the flight school, today. Just to see if I'm coming along ok. Well, Jack had a scheduling conflict, so I ended up going up with a nice guy named Tim instead. That turned out to be pretty fun.

We started off by doing just a couple of patterns, finally with a decent crosswind. The wind tried to blow me off centerline when I was coming in on final, but I was able to bring it back over. The first landing was pretty flawless, even for being in a crosswind. Went up and came around for another. Had to evade a couple of planes coming in to land in the opposite direction (They were doing ILS practice).

The second landing was slightly harder, but still straight down the line, which is what makes me happy.

After that, we went back up and out to the training area just to do a couple of air maneuvers that I've been having some difficulty with. We did a couple of stalls, both with and without power, because last time I did it all wrong and it nearly made me throw up. Today went much better. It will still require some more practice, but I think I can handle it.

At my request, I wanted to redeem my crappy steep turn performance from last week, so we did a couple of those. I lost some altitude on the first one, but not enough to go outside the standards for the checkride that will come later. The 2nd through 4th steep turns were nearly spot on. I was quite pleased with them.

Headed back to the airport, got in the pattern, and made a nice landing to finish it off.

All in all, a relatively short and simple day, but now two different people are satisfied that I can fly, and that's some validation for me :)

Flight 11: Solo Day

2009-08-04T21:09:00.002-06:00

Flight 11
2009-08-04 09:00 MDT
Temp: 20C, Wind: Calm to start

Today was a momentous day in my life. Today was solo day. Today consisted of nothing but 8 takeoffs and landings. The difference is that for 3 of them, Jory wasn't in the plane. We began like any other day, only Jory was noticeably not talking as much, undoubtedly to get me used to the loneliness that would follow. He was also doing something in my logbook.

We flew 5 times around the pattern, with each landing getting slightly better. I really need to stop flaring so early. As I've said before, you flare at the very end to make sure the main (rear) gear touch down first. However, if you do it too soon, then you end up slowing down way too much, way too high off the ground, then the plane falls quite roughly into the runway, thus defeating the purpose of your soft landing. It is known as the bottom dropping out.

So that happened a couple of times, but it got to the point where Jory was satisfied that I wouldn't die, so we taxied back to the ramp, and he jumped out of the plane.

Loneliness does not begin to describe the next 3 minutes of my life. As I taxied the plane back to the taxiway and eventually down to the north end of the airport, I think I felt more alone than I ever have in my life. No one sitting there. No one talking to me. Nothing but me, a 160 hp engine, and the occasional call from another pilot in the area.

I got to the end of runway 15, and sat on the line for a minute so that another plane could land. I gave him what turned out to be more than ample time to get off the runway, then, with my heart racing considerably, rolled onto the runway and pushed in the throttle. The takeoff went as smoothly as I could have hoped, and I suddenly felt a lot more confident about all of this.

An airplane climbs much faster when someone gets out of it. It also appears to fly a bit faster, but maybe that was the tailwind. When I was on the downwind leg (incidentally, please feel free to ask for clarification if any of this terminology ever confuses anyone), I reached a point even with the end of the runway, which is where it's time to begin your approach. As I pulled the throttle out to start descending, I thought for the first time that I cannot screw this up. That if I don't land this plane successfully, I may become seriously injured and/or die. I turned base, then turned final, and it was all feeling very real at the time. I came in, and stuck the landing like it was nobody's business. I believe it to be the best landing I have done to date.

It then occurred to me that I was less nervous by myself than I usually am with Jory. Apparently not disappointing my instructor is more important to me than my own life. The next landing wasn't quite as nice. I came down smoothly, but with the nose pointed ever so slightly to the left. The third one was pretty textbook as well. I came in high because I had flown out wide to allow some spacing between myself and another plane in front of me. I did a forward slip (fun) to lose some altitude, then brought it down nice and smoothly.

One of the other instructors named JJ congratulated me on the radio, as he was waiting to takeoff. I brought the plane back to the ramp, shut it down, and posed with Jory for a celebratory photo (which I still want, Jory).

All told, today was pretty freaking awesome.

Flights 9 and 10

2009-08-01T18:38:00.003-06:00

Didn't ever get around to writing a thing about Flight 9, so I'll just combine them here.

Flight 9
2009-07-29 17:30

This flight was all about landings and emergency procedures. As far as the emergency procedures, it's basically just important to remember what you need to do immediately in the case of any kind of emergency. One that we did was an engine failure simulation, which amounts to Jory pulling the throttle to idle. Step one is to try and restart the engine through a simple procedure, while at the same time looking for a backup plan on the ground (a field). If that doesn't work, you just bring the plane (using only your pitch and flaps since you don't have an engine) to 65 kts, which is the optimal glide speed for this particular plane. I'm told it results in a 9:1 glide ratio, which should get you a few miles, but you don't have room for error, that's for sure. We also worked on an emergency descent, which is exactly what it sounds like. Dive down as quickly as possible without ripping the plane apart. Those went relatively well on the first try, I just didn't descend quite quickly enough on the emergency. It's hard to convince yourself that you need to be more abrupt about things. I'm so afraid of breaking the plane, that I end up not doing things as extremely as they should be done.

After that, we headed back to the airport to do a few touch and gos. The first one was flat (main gear and nose gear touched down at the same time...bad). It was soft, but flat. The second one was uneventful, but the third one was damn near perfect. Decided to go for one more to seal the deal. The last one was also pretty good, but hit the ground with the nose pointed about 5 degrees to the left.

Flight 10:

2009-08-01 10:00

Laura came up with us on this one to get a feel for what kind of things we've been doing. Definitely not the best day I've had so far. Since my next flight is my first solo, today was basically a review of everything we've done so far. We started off with slow flight and brought it into a stall. The first stall I did wasn't very well coordinated, so it tossed my stomach for a loop. Didn't lose it or anything, but it doomed my concentration for the remainder of the flight. I was too busy thinking about not being sick, and I just couldn't get it together to do everything else perfectly. My steep turn wasn't nearly as good as the first day. Ended up way north and headed back to the airport. My pattern entry and approach were pretty awesome. Overshot the runway on the base leg just a little bit, but made up for it with a textbook landing. Went up for one more, and made exactly the same mistake as I did on Wednesday. Second landing succumbed to the crosswind and hit just a little off center. That's a correction that I understand just fine on the ground, but forget completely when it comes time to actually execute it.

Anyway, the next flight is my first solo. No tricky stuff, just a few patterns and landings. I'll start off with Jory and if he's comfortable trusting me with a $270,000 plane, then I'll finally fly a plane on my own.

Flight 8

2009-07-27T20:16:00.002-06:00

Flight 8
2009-07-24 09:00
Temp 22C, Wind calm

This flight was all about steep turns and landings (not at the same time). We headed out NE to the training area that we always go to. I was pretty nervous about doing a steep turn, which is at about 45 degrees of bank as opposed to the 20 in a standard rate turn. You do a full 360 in each direction, one after the other, very quickly. Jory did a couple first so I could get a feel for how it looked out the window and such. The first one sent my stomach for a loop. Flying is awesome because it's like a roller coaster whenever you want it to be.

Then I did a couple. Surprisingly, they actually went really really well. I did a couple where I rolled into it slowly, and then a couple where I went into it more quickly. On the 3rd one, I actually felt the bump where you catch your own turbulence because you flew a perfect circle. Needless to say, I was quite proud...

But each flight must end with a landing. On the first one, we came in plenty high so that we could practice a go-around, which went quite well. The second time, we did a touch and go. I will tell you that landing is by far the most difficult part of flying, and I assume any pilot will agree. The problem seems to be that I am making a good approach, but then flaring (pulling up to set the rear wheels down first) either too early, or too much. I still can't completely tell which it is. But the result is that instead of floating above the runway and gently setting down, I'm actually gaining a bit of altitude, then slowing so much (because the throttle is pulled all the way idle at this point) that the plane falls back down and hits the runway too hard.

So basically, instead of that final drop being about 1 ft, it's becoming about 5, and it's quite uncomfortable. Makes it harder to control once it's on the ground, too. So, hopefully there will be a lot more work on that, because I feel like it's really the only thing standing between me and a great first solo in a week's time.

Oh yeah, I only have two more lessons, then I have to do this by myself. Sure wish I could have learned to drive in 4 weeks...

Next flight was supposed to be today, but weather got in the way. Rescheduled for Wednesday at 17:30, so we'll see how that pans out.

Flight 7

2009-07-22T10:37:00.002-06:00

Flight 7
2009-07-20 15:00
Temp: 31C Wind: Cross at 5 kts, occasionally

Went for my first afternoon flight. We had to go to Denver in the morning to get Laura's green card, and I figured some afternoon choppiness would be the final test to see if my stomach can handle flying. It can. We're good to go. In fact, I might even be able to read in the car now.

Flew a different plane for this one because someone else already took the one I usually go up in. Identical plane except 3 years older and no autopilot. Wasn't an issue. Started off with a series of touch and go's in the pattern. Not quite the crosswind we were hoping for, but enough to kind of get the idea. The first landing was a little flat, but the main gear went down first, so that's still a victory in my book.

Went around to try it again. Second landing was somewhat better than the first. Not sure if it's the years of flight simulating or what, but something always makes me come in too shallow. It's getting better, though.

Went around for a third one and then flew out of the pattern to do some other stuff. Got under the visor again for more of the "simulated instrument" stuff. Only for 18 minutes, and wasn't really that difficult. The hardest part is by far holding altitude. Went back for the turns around a point and S-turns like we did earlier. This one went MUCH better than before. Even with a decent wind, I was able to hit all the checkpoints pretty well.

After that, we flew back to the airport for a couple more landings. The first one went pretty well, but I decided we should do another one just to solidify it. That turned out to be a mistake, as the next approach actually had a crosswind component to it, and that ended up being our practice for "faulty approach and go-around". So on the last try, it went pretty well. Didn't come in quite so shallow this time.

So that was it. Pretty basic stuff. I believe the next flight is supposed to contain steep turns, so that'll be fun :)

Flight 6

2009-07-17T12:15:00.002-06:00

Flight 6
2009-07-17 09:20
Temp: 22C Wind: Calm

Today I waited for Jory to come in from a flight he was doing in the morning, and went out and did the preflight while he was sorting some stuff out inside. Ordered some gas, got in the plane, and taxied out to 33. Only had to wait for 2 planes to land before taking off today.

Did a short-field takeoff, just to simulate it. The runway is 8200 ft long but we got off in 1500. Flaps at 10, full throttle before you let off the brakes (good brakes, by the way). Plane lifted off at 55 kts. Climbed a couple hundred feet and then brought in the flaps and took it to 75 kts for a climb.

Did straight and level out to the training area to the NE of Fort Collins, then just did a few turns to see how that's coming along. I'd say I'm getting quite good at this coordination thing. Perhaps Jory will disagree, but it's certainly better than it was before.

Then came the "simulated instrument" time, which basically amounts to putting on a visor that only allows you to see the instrument panel and nothing else. So, using only the instruments, I did some standard climbs and turns. Then Jory decided to screw with me and try and make me sick. Since I couldn't see out the window, he casually directed us toward the mountains, which my meteorology friends will quickly realize leads to some turbulence. So that was incredibly choppy, yet I still didn't get sick :)

After he let me take the hood off and I realized where we were (N of Livermore, about 15 miles from the Wyoming line), we turned back to the SE. We practiced a few stalls, which went quite well. Then we headed back toward the airport. The approach went beautifully. Flew an extended downwind to get some spacing from a plane before us, and everything went great...until the last 2 seconds.

Came down to the surface, floated off the ground for a bit, came to flare, and guess I gave it too much right rudder, so the plane touched down turned a bit to the right. Took a second to straighten out, but everything was fine. I'm happy with the approach.

The next lesson is supposed to be crosswind stuff, so hopefully there will be a crosswind. Aiming for Tuesday morning.

Flight 5

2009-07-14T16:25:00.004-06:00

Flight 5
2009-07-14 09:00 MDT
Weather: 24C, clear skies, Wind 5 kts, slightly cross

I've begun doing the entire preflight check by myself now. My instructor, Jory, comes out toward the end and just makes sure that everything went well.

I taxied us out to runway 15. Doing corrections for the wind while taxiing is something that I assume will become more natural with time, but for the moment it requires some extra thought that tends to take my mind off of keeping the airplane straight on the taxiways.

We had to wait about 10 minutes for the pattern to clear up and some airplanes to land before we could get up.

On takeoff, I noticed that my rudder coordination has improved a lot as far as giving the plane plenty of right rudder on takeoff. I was able to keep the plane straight down the runway heading long enough to get up to pattern altitude and turn crosswind.

After that, we headed out to the training area, where the focus today was on manipulating the plane to account for wind drift.

First, we performed (with the auto pilot) a drift circle, where you basically turn a constant circle around a point to establish how much you drift in 2 minutes, thus giving you an idea of the wind if you can't get it another way.

Then we practiced a rectangular course, to simulate a pattern, while making corrections for the wind. We had about a 12 kt wind to work with, so I was able to see the effects of the wind on the ground track.

That went relatively well, so we moved on to turns around a point. We picked a point (a water tank) on the ground, and tried to make a constant radius turn around it. This proves challenging as you must literally change your bank every second of the turn to account for the constantly changing wind direction relative to the plane. Not ready for the checkride on that one, but went reasonably well.

We then did S-turns about a road, which are basically the same thing, but making alternating semi-circles on either side of a straight line, in this case a dirt road. Each turn was better than the last as I got better at using the ground for reference instead of the turn coordinator in the plane.

That left slips. A slip is basically pointing the aircraft one direction while flying another. You can use it to correct for wind on landing, or to descend very quickly (the off center track causes wind resistance against the side of the plane). That actually went a lot better than I thought it would, both technically and for my stomach.

After that, we headed back to the airport for a couple of approaches. The first one went relatively well. I had to pull power as I came in a bit high and didn't start to descend quickly enough. The landing was my best yet, right on the centerline, but came in a bit flat rather than tail first. We did a touch and go for one more pass around the airport.

The second went much better, the descent was more controlled and I lined up perfectly on final. Had to add a bit of power at the end, but flared at the right time and set it down beautifully. After that, just a quick taxi back to the line and we were done!

By the time we got back, the wind had picked up to about 12 kts, lined up pretty well with the runway, so it made the base leg an exercise in wind correction. Fort Collins from the air certainly is pretty. Looking forward to going south someday to see what the Denver area looks like.

Flight 6 is going to be some instrument stuff, so that should be exciting!

Recap of Flights 1-4

2009-07-14T16:20:00.002-06:00

Since I've just started doing this today, after Flight number 5 of about 20, I'll quickly recap what I've learned in my first several flights, and how it all went.

Flight 1:

I took flight 1 at 12:00 on a sunny, but slightly choppy day. It was very basic maneuvers, straight and level flight at about 6500 ft MSL (field elevation is 5016 ft). Simply went over the basics like climb speed, trim, rudder coordination, descent pattern, etc. I got slightly queasy toward the end so didn't really absorb much of the approach lecture.

Flight 2:

Pushed flight 2 back to 10:00 to take advantage of the fact that the air is often calmer in the morning. It worked. I wasn't nearly as sick at the end of that one. A lot of review of things from the first flight, and added on slow flight (with the flaps extended and all that).

Flight 3:

Laura came with us on this one to take pictures of the scenery. As a result, we took it easy and didn't do anything too extreme. Worked on sharp 90 degree turns out in the training area and some simulated approaches to work on the speed references and stuff.

Flight 4:

Stalls. I feel like that covers it. Did stalls with both the power on and off, to go over the procedure to come out of it. Made me just a little sick, but still got about 5 of them in there.

That's a very brief recap of everything before today. The next post will cover Flight 5, which happened this morning.

Auto Industry Bailout

2008-12-02T11:02:00.002-07:00

While I'm sure there is more than meets the eye, it seems as though the Big 3 automakers are serious about needing this help. Last month, the executives of Ford, GM, and Chrysler were criticized heavily for traveling to Washington in corporate jets to ask for help from the government. They appear to have taken it seriously.

Since then, Ford has made plans to sell ALL of their planes, GM over half. In addition, the executives of all 3 companies have agreed to work for a dollar next year if the government provides them with the loans they need.

While these are great first steps, I feel there is one more action that they need to take. They need to alleviate the problem that got them into this mess to begin with. The reason that our companies are failing is because while Asia's car companies are busy manufacturing hybrids and fuel-efficient cars (except Toyota for some reason), ours are running non-stop ads about how they've built the new record-breaker for "Biggest Freakin Car Ever Made."

They haven't yet figured out that while there are a few holdouts, it's time to start making smaller, cleaner cars. The 1990's SUV craze has faded to all but nothing. I think Congress needs to take advantage of this. They have the auto-industry by the sack and they should exploit that. Tell them they can have their bailout as soon as they promise to cut SUV production by 90%. As soon as they promise to increase their fleet average to 33 mpg.

They're at the mercy of the people. It's time to do what's right.

Auto Industry Bail Out

2008-11-21T17:05:00.004-07:00

I don't care if millions of jobs depend on it. I feel bad for those people, yes, but I say let them go under. I have a car already and it gets great mileage. I'll be happy to buy a Japanese car. The prices should go down anyway :)

In the same way that our banks needed huge bailouts when they made loans to people that could never afford them, our auto industry now needs a huge bailout because they, too, can't figure out how to run a business.

You may not have noticed, but the gas prices kinda sucked for the past 2 years. Yet rather than take the hint and start making some cars that got decent mileage and maybe didn't suck for the environment, Ford made it a personal challenge to see how massive of a truck they could build and still sell. So while Honda and Toyota have shifted toward more fuel efficient and green cars, every last American automaker continues to pride themselves on having the largest SUV ever made.

Then they put out ads "Gets an amazing 24 mpg highway!" My car can get 24 mpg in first gear. 24 mpg is not good. I don't care if it's "good for an SUV." You shouldn't be driving an SUV and you should be ashamed of yourself if you do. You don't need it. Get over it.

Luckily, more and more people are starting to do the right thing and trade in their tanks for an actual car. There are still a few holdouts that are stupid enough to believe that SUVs are "safer because they're bigger." But those people are stupid, and they'll die some other way anyway. But since most people are starting to wise up, the SUV sales have tanked, yet our car companies continue to churn them out rather than get the R and D guys to start making some decent cars.

So I say let them fail. They had their chance and the market has spoken. Our free market economy means nothing if we save all the companies that the market rejects.

Abstinence Only Education

2008-11-16T23:20:00.003-07:00

For your enjoyment, I'd like to present to you my take on what it would sound like if we took the "logic" of abstinence only education, and applied it to medicine instead:

(Begin Funny)

It is God's will for people not to hurt themselves. The Bible says in 1 Cor 6:19 that your body "is a temple of the Holy Spirit". It is your duty to care for this temple. Getting hurt defies the word of the Lord and mocks the church. However, children today are taught that it's okay to carelessly hurt themselves, because we have defied God by training people how to correct the situation, through medical school. By teaching people how to treat injuries, we only encourage kids to hurt themselves, because we take away the consequences of their actions. The best course of action, and the one that God would want, is to do away with emergency rooms, and instead tell children to simply not hurt themselves. It is what God wants of us.

My children should not have to be subjected to this secular talk of "pain medication" and "stitches". These are tools of temptation, all but begging children to get hurt, knowing that some doctor will come along and make it seem as though their sin never took place. With the advent of the internet, children are far too able to come across horrific images like those portrayed in Jackass.

I propose instead that we ask children to take a pledge. Let them know that the truly cool kids are the ones that stay off the jungle gym. The ones that walk carefully on the concrete and don't play football without pads. That just because they see Hollywood portraying graphic images of snowboarding and bicycling in movies, doesn't mean that they have to be a part of it. We will distribute necklaces with Band-Aid charms to remind kids anytime they are tempted to do something dangerous, they instead remember to go inside and read a book.

Children should know that outdoor activity is the leading cause of bleeding, sweating, dehydration, and other maladies. They should be told that doctors can't actually fix anyone, and that this is only a myth perpetuated by X-Gamers and the liberal media.

(End Funny)

I feel that analogies are a very effective way to demonstrate a point. A lot of my friends usually find them funny and interesting. So there's one for you to think about.

It's not the best one I've ever written, but I think you see my point. Abstinence-only education is incredibly irresponsible and utopian. Neglecting the obvious stupidity of forcing your own beliefs on everyone else (something Christians are very very good at), it's just irresponsible to actively deprive children of information. Some day this stupid culture will go away.

California Proposition 8, the Epilogue

2008-11-11T12:39:00.002-07:00

So, my fears were justified, and California passed Proposition 8. Growing up in the uberChristian-infested South, I always envisioned California as a place that we could look forward to being someday. Full of complete douchebags, but douchebags with the right view on the world.

I figured this time, it was time for California to prove itself. To shoot down this affront to equality. But they failed.

It is a strange issue, gay marriage. You will never hear me say that someone isn't entitled to disagree with the concept of it, because after all, that's just opinion. But gay marriage is unique in that millions of people want to keep it from happening....for no reason at all.

It is obvious why conservatives and liberals differ on the view of taxes and the economy. Each side has great impacts on many many people. At least abortion opponents have a good point in saying that abortion takes away a life. I don't agree, but it's certainly a good and valid point.

But gay marriage is special in that it harms no one, yet half the country is still incredibly against it. No one is forcing anyone to be gay, and no one is forcing a church to perform the ceremony. Simply some basic legal rights in the eyes of the law. The kind of legal rights that are guaranteed to us all in our Constitution.

The sanctity of marriage thing is the biggest joke ever told, I think. You have rednecks talking about how gay people want to take away the sacred institution of man and wife, while they're in mid-backswing to smack their wife for the 8th time today. You talk about traditional marriage and saving it, as you're signing the papers to divorce your 3rd wife.

Kids left in single parent households, forced to watch their mothers beaten senseless for burning dinner, and constantly wondering why they keep getting new daddies. And THOSE are the privileged kids who got to grow up in "straight households". Pity those poor kids in gay households who had to watch their two gay parents cook them a nice meal together.

Bottom line: There is no argument that you could even START to form against gay marriage that didn't start quoting scripture within 20 seconds. And that's fine. That's your faith. But it's not everyone's.

Get used to it.

Increased Gun Sales

2008-11-09T23:01:00.003-07:00

So, perhaps you've heard this. Perhaps you haven't. You're going to now.

Gun sales have skyrocketed nationwide since Barack Obama was elected president. Why, you may ask? Pretty obvious. There are an awful lot of morons in this country who have, for some reason, convinced themselves that in the midst of an economic crisis and an international war, Obama's first priority is to take away your guns.

Why exactly they've all got this in their heads, I have no idea. I'm guessing it's because they really don't have anything else to be paranoid about, and they simply can't bring themselves to admit that he might actually be a good president.

I suppose I can't be surprised though. 1 in 20 people in this election said race was the "single most important" issue to them. 15% of people actually thought Obama was a Muslim terrorist. Way back in 1999 when I was taking US History in high school, we used to look back at some of the more interesting chapters in American history. It is entertaining to think how history books will write about the world that we live in today. In 2040, will children open a book to read about the "Gun Hoarding Craze" of 2008, when thousands of people started stockpiling firearms to prepare for the apocalypse that showed no signs of coming?

I am no fan of George Bush, and 75% of the country is with me on that one. So, it would be hypocritical of me to say no one should disapprove of Barack Obama or his policies. However, there is a very major difference between Bush and Obama. Bush actually proved that he has no business being president. I did not hate him on Day 1. He earned it.

What IS abominable is saying that our country is headed down the wrong path by electing Obama, without knowing anything about him short of what some campaign ads told you.

But again I say: It doesn't matter. We have always lived around crazy people, but now we are the ones with the voice. Not them. After 8 years of absolute failure and monumental steps in the wrong direction, it is time for THEM to sit back and watch how a country should be run. Powerless to impose their misguided beliefs on us, just as we have been impotent since 2001. Change has come.

So stockpile your guns. Fill your houses with bullets and your head with propaganda. Just be sure to leave some room in your mouth for your foot. You'll be needing it in about 4 years.

Affirmative Action

2008-11-07T11:18:00.002-07:00

So a downside to Tuesday's great results:

While I'm quite pleased with Colorado turning so bright and blue on Tuesday, I am saddened by our failure to finally get rid of affirmative action once and for all. Four other states passed similar measures, but ours very narrowly failed.

I realize that at one point, affirmative action was necessary to give people equal standing, especially minorities. However, I truly believe that those days are gone. Is racism still around? Of course, and it always will be. Jesse Jackson isn't doing much to help the situation. However, I don't believe that it translates to the workforce or education to the level that a legal solution is required. I'm sure that there is the occasional CEO that doesn't promote a woman or a black man because of some deep-seeded racism or sexism, but affirmative action isn't going to change that.

Instead, you have what is quite literally reverse racism/sexism. Preferring one race or gender over another is still prejudice, no matter who benefits. Let us not forget that men are the minority in the US and in the world as a whole, yet from a young age we are programmed to believe that we should feel sorry for women because we've been oppressing them so much.

That was true at one time (1919 and before). It is not any more. At least not on such a scale that legal recourse is needed. I would be willing to bet that for every man that doesn't hire a woman, there is another woman who doesn't hire a man because she feels like she's doing something for the female gender.

No one actually benefits from this outdated policy. As a white man, I have to live with the fact that no matter how hard I work, or how much I achieve, there is the very real possibility that I won't get the job I want simply because of my gender/skin color. There is no "men in science" scholarship. No "United Caucasian College Fund". And there never will be.

How could any black person or woman actually support this idea that anything you achieve might just be because of a handicap? That society is telling you "Here's a little help. We know you're not good enough to do it on your own." If there are fewer women in science, it's because there are fewer women trying to be in science, not because of some male-dominated conspiracy to keep the women out. What possible motive could the scientific community have in keeping women out of it?

Our country has had some bad chapters in its history. White men have certainly done their fair share of screwing over everyone else. But we need to realize that while there are still remnants every now and then, it is a closed chapter, and it will not get any better than this. It is time to stop being apologetic and overcompensating by screwing over the other side instead for a while. Two wrongs do not make a right.

We just elected a black president, and 47% of the country voted for a female vice-president. I'd say we've come far enough, wouldn't you?

Why One Nation, but Not One World?

2008-11-06T09:18:00.002-07:00

Let's start this post with a couple of basic assumptions that I think we can agree on.

1) Most of the civilized world is absolutely elated that Bush's time is coming to an end.
2) They are nearly as excited about Obama being his successor.

With those in mind, I have some thoughts. Obama supporters are obviously excited along with the whole of Europe, Canada, and everywhere between here and the moon. McCain supporters plainly less enthusiastic about the whole thing. When the opinions of the remainder of the free world are pointed out to them, the response is typically something that boils down to "I couldn't care less what the rest of the world thinks..."

Because of 8 years of a Bush presidency, that position has been solidified as the stereotypical "American attitude toward the world." When people think of us, they think of people who are unaware of a world outside their borders, completely ignorant to the events and opinions of the rest of the planet. Now, those of us who actually live here know this to be a false stereotype. Most of us know and care a great deal about the rest of the world.

But that's not the point of this post. When 9/11 happened (and every second since) we heard nothing but "United We Stand" and how we should all think as one country and put our petty differences aside. While many (both here and abroad) would love to pretend that America wasn't part of the world, the fact is that our selection as president has a huge impact on the rest of the planet. We are a very powerful and influential country and people around the world know that. In the south, where I grew up, that was viewed as nothing more than a point of pride and bragging rights, but it comes with a responsibility.

Even though we are the only 300 million people that are privileged enough to vote for the US president, the fact is that the rest of the world deals with the consequences.

So the question I have is: Why is it so wonderful to be one united country, but so terrible to be one united world? The same people that get so overly patriotic telling us all to get behind America, will quickly turn around and tell you that the rest of the world doesn't matter.

To my friends outside the US, you're welcome. We have heard your calls, and we have responded. I know you all have as high of hopes for Barack Obama as I and 52% of us do. I truly believe with the rest of you that the next 4 years signal a change for America, not just here, but more importantly with our image abroad.

Because after all, there is nothing more valuable to national security than not getting in a fight in the first place.

E Pluribus Unum

2008-11-03T22:55:00.002-07:00

You will now hear me take a stance that many would assume I would never take. The most conservative stance there is. I'm not talking about this new "conservative" where everyone just hates taxes and gay people. I'm talking about the real conservative. Where it all began.

I believe that nearly every last law or regulation in this country should be left to states to decide. There are certain fundamental things that are nearly unanimously agreed upon. It goes without saying that murder and rape should be illegal (but even these are regulated by the state, not the federal government in most cases). However, to controversial issues, I believe that TRUE conservatives are right in saying that these issues are best left to each state to decide for themselves. (Fake conservatives have recently become famous for completely reversing this position and trying to make a federal amendment banning gay marriage. See: Bush, Musgrave)

The fact that we are a nation comprised of 50 unique states is what truly sets us apart from much of the world. Sure, Mexico has states and the UK has counties, but you could never tell when you were there. A good portion of people in the UK couldn't even tell you what county Birmingham was in (West Midlands). But if you drive from Colorado to Utah, you will most certainly know it. You will start by noticing that a new flag flies and the speed limit changes. You will then go the store and notice a totally different tax structure. You will then try to buy alcohol at 7:02 pm and be unable to do so, even though liquor stores are open for 5 more hours, just 30 feet behind you across that invisible line that separates Colorado and Utah. You will go from a place that will vote Obama tomorrow, to a place that bleeds red for McCain.

It is the coexistance of those 50 "countries" that make us a great nation. That if you don't like the place you live, you simply pack up and move a few hundred miles and you're in a new world. No passports required, no visas, no new currency, and nearly the same language. We can fully embrace this idea by allowing each state to truly follow what it believes. I'm very much a proponent of gay marriage and a woman's right to choose, but if Alabama doesn't want to be, then they shouldn't have to be. Over time, people will relocate based on their preference, and the culture will shape itself, based solely on who moves where.

I often hear people say, "Well, if I'm gay, I shouldn't have to move just to be somewhere that accepts me." Why wouldn't you want to? Our ancestors were sick of England (for good reason; the weather sucks). They came over here on a wooden plank of a ship that took weeks to cross. I don't care how poor you think you are. You can relocate to Oregon for a minute if it means getting an abortion without a coat hanger.

I always liked the idea of living in Oklahoma, with a low cost of living, but being able to drive to Kansas for lottery tickets because we just didn't have one. (Oklahoma did finally join the 21st century in 2004 and adopt a lottery.)

It is states' rights that sets us apart in the world, that keeps us from being just another nationalized chunk of land where all people are forced to agree on everything. Our country was founded on dissonance and disagreement, and those values should be cherished.

It's written on all of our money.

E Pluribus Unum: One out of many.

Embrace it.

Call Me Unpatriotic...

2008-10-23T10:01:00.002-06:00

You know what? I know you're not supposed to say this, but when it comes to baseball's 7th inning stretch, I don't give a crap about September 11th. For decades, it has been one of baseball's most sacred traditions to sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the stretch. As traditional as Cracker Jack and the first pitch. And then 9/11 happens and all of a sudden everything televised becomes a "How Patriotic Can You Be?" contest. Now, you have about 4 ballparks that still sing Take Me Out and 27 that sing God Bless America.

It's not unpatriotic to cling to your country's traditions rather than change them to seem heartwarming. In fact, I would argue that it shows our weakness in how easily our emotions can be swung around like a rag doll. In the next 100 years, every day will be a national holiday, there will be a memorial of some kind every 2 miles, and sporting events will become a concert of "patriotic" anthems.

This overpatriotism has gotten to the point that it's actually bringing us down. There are actually people in the USA that claim they are not voting for Barack Obama because one time he didn't have a little flag pin on. Do you have a flag pin on? Last time I checked, we elected a President for their ability to lead, not their ability to cry everytime someone says "America."

Slightly related note: The Star Spangled Banner has actual music...sheet music. And a prescribed tempo. It is not a mad lib where you just get to fill in whatever your "artistic soul" thinks should be there. It is meant to last 60 seconds. Not 70, not 80, and if you're the Backstreet Boys, not 257. People cry treason when someone doesn't wear a flag pin, but when they butcher our National Anthem to make themselves seem like better artists, they're just being especially patriotic?

Mob mentality is a really dangerous thing.

California Proposition 8

2008-10-21T11:35:00.003-06:00

I think the likelihood of Prop 8 passing in California is evidence that California isn't quite as progressive as they like to make everyone think they are. According to the latest poll I saw, it currently trails 53% to 44%, which gives it a slight likelihood of passing, and taking away the rights of gays to marry.

Now, I can't really fault them for how far they've come. Colorado isn't any more gay friendly than California. However, since California already allows gay marriage, this Proposition isn't a measure to move forward. They're actively voting to take a step back, to regress.

I suppose there is hope in the fact that only 53% of people want to tell gay people that they're just not quite as good as everyone else. 30 years ago that probably would have been closer to 80%. Maybe someday we'll get past this.

I maintain that gay people are the black people of the 21st century. I find it so funny that we look back on 1960 America and say "How could they possibly have treated black people like that just because of their skin color?!", and then immediately turn around and say that gay people are threatening everything we hold sacred.

We are a dumb society.

Liberal Bias

2008-10-14T13:04:00.001-06:00

You constantly hear the phrase "liberal bias" tossed around, and it's been increasing in the last...oh...8 years or so. But what does it really mean, and why is it bad? You never seem to hear "conservative bias."

The organizations and people that are most famously accused of being left-leaning are education and the media. Let us examine that for a moment. Has no one ever stopped to ask WHY that might be? What is it that causes this collection of liberal thinking people to move toward education and mass communication?

Perhaps the causality is being viewed in the wrong direction. Maybe the liberals didn't go to college. Maybe college made them liberal.

There is no arguing that there is a strong correlation between education level attained and a tendency to vote more liberally. Every census ever taken shows it. But the question is why? It is highly unlikely that only liberals go to college.

College and higher education are melting pots of different cultures, lifestyles, religions, and ideas. Going to college can quickly make you realize how different America is from the rest of the world. And more importantly, it makes you start to question whether or not that's such a great thing. The result is a person that thinks more liberally. More in favor of changing the status quo.

What is sad is that conservatives have an incredible spin machine. You have to admire their ability to say that the correlation between liberalism and education is proof that the education system is flawed. Never recognizing that the liberal demographic is made up heavily of educated people and scientists, while the conservative demographic is composed of either rich, old people, or people in trailer parks.

As for the media, here you have a group of people arguably more aware of what's going on around them than anyone else. People who truly see the entire picture because they're the ones bringing it to you. So again, you have conservatives consisting of isolated people who are convinced that the world only exists in a 20 meter radius around them. And you have liberals who actually see the whole world for what it is.

It's not a bias. It's a result.

Sarah Palin is a Moron

2008-10-12T20:06:00.000-06:00

There's a YouTube video making the rounds where some guy is heckling Sarah Palin, so in response, she turns to him and says "My son is in Iraq fighting for your right to protest!"

Sarah Palin is an idiot. Props to her son for fighting, I guess, but last time I checked, the remaining Iraqi insurgents were not shooting at our troops with the intention of stopping us from protesting. A guy is yelling at the woman who supports keeping our troops in their country until the end of time. Why would an insurgent want to shut that guy up?

You know, I do have a great deal of respect for people that put on the uniform, but stop trying to make it into something it's not. No one is assaulting our freedom, and hence, no one is defending it.