Random Thoughts

Cuba:  Fifty years after the revolution, the world still looks at an island nation filled with poverty and people desperate enough to dare the 90 miles to Florida (or even Haiti) to get away from the "worker's paradise."  I have jokingly said for several years that Bill Gates should make an offer to the Castro family and re-brand the island as MS Cuba -- Software Development Paradise.  Every CIO in the world would love to go visit the data centers and "offshore" development facilities there.  Raul and Fidel (if still alive) would be wealthy enough to live out their lives in the manner they've become accustomed to and the rest of the Cuban people could go about rebuilding a capitalism-based economy centered around services to the high-tech industry.

Politics:  Almost all the problems in the economy are the direct result of government intervention and attempts to manage at a level of centralization that is impossible to achieve.  The best thing that could possibly happen is for the children to scream out that the would-be emperors have no credibility and allow the free markets to restore order without any compounding idiocy from the governments.  The relentless move away from free market capitalism is astounding given that no other system in the history of the world has ever produced anything comparable to the living conditions and relative wealth of the USA.  The government role of defending the nation's interests and prosecuting evil doers has also been lost in the pursuit of "fairness and equality of outcomes" instead of liberty and justice for all.

Church:  A local leader in Georgia said this a couple of years ago and it resonates with me today:  "It's time to put down the niceness that leads to toleration of sin and take up the kindness that leads to correction."  Even a "devout" atheist like Penn Gillette gets it better than many of the denominations when he recently applauded a fan for proselytizing him:  "If you believe that I'm going to Hell and do nothing, how does that show love? I'd push you out of the way of a bus to save your life even if you didn't believe a bus was on the way and this (eternity) is way more important than that." 

Movies & TV:  Why did the Lone Ranger only shoot the guns out of the hands of the bad guys and why were his bullets made of silver?  What happened to the nobility of the people here?  Could it be because he valued life and wanted to minimize the shooting?  Why is there so much non-noble material (crap) sold as entertainment?  We are better than our entertainment industry.  Look at the numbers -- clean outsells dirty like crazy.  Pure and noble draws big numbers especially when combined with real artistic capabilities from cast and crew.  Look at Narnia, Lord of the Rings, even Star Wars...it resonates with the triumph of good over evil and purity over meanness.   Quit with the Tropic Thunder nonsense and get with the real work of raising the bar.  Stop the "reality TV" madness and start working on quality programs that the entire family can enjoy together without embarrassment. 

Friends:  I am richly blessed to have more than a handful of friends around the world that I can call anytime.  And, when I do (or when they do) we find that the time since last contact and the distance mean nothing.  Thanks to all of you for hanging in there with me.  These are the very best treasures of my life so far and, as I get older, they mean more and more to me.  Best of all, when we cross over to the other side of life, these treasures will make it across the divide.  Nothing material will make the trip.

Wives:  I have one wife.  We've been married almost 20 years.  She and I are both totally committed to finishing strong, married to each other.  Our kids are counting on us.  Their kids will want to know that we made it.  Even if there were no kids involved, I believe that my promise to her, to our families and to God demands that I step up to the highest level of commitment and discipline possible in order to keep that promise.  Eileen makes this very easy for me.  I trust she feels the same.   

Israel - Palestine:  Mars Attacks!  Terrorists from Hamas and Hezbollah are like the Martians.  You can't believe anything that comes out of their mouths.  Those on the right side of the fighting must fight through to the ugliest conclusion imaginable and deal out the level of violence necessary to ensure the peace for the citizens of the region.  Until that happens, the rockets will continue to rain down from the edges and the big missiles will eventually find a way in with large payloads and unacceptable casualty levels.  Can't somebody in the intelligence community set a big trap loaded with martyr bait and get the bad guys to step up to the world's greatest presentation of Darwin Awards?  There seems to be plenty of remote desert locations to work with in the area...I know! let's build a fake Jerusalem!  Somebody call Mel Brooks -- I'm pretty sure he knows how to stage all this. 

Happy New Year!