Our World

Rather than rant today, I thought I'd re-introduce the world to you. This is our world, our culture, our time. And here are some reasons we should be very worried:

• A homeowner's association in Colorado has recently withdrawn its threat of daily fines against a homeowner who placed a wreath shaped like a peace sign on her home. Yes, a peace sign, that symbol of hatred and -- get this -- satanism. Go ahead and read.
• On the same CNN home page, there is a link to this article. I really don't know where to begin.
• It seems the polarity over the situation in Iraq has spilled over into the Forgotten War. Yes, the real terror front in Afghanistan is the latest to fall victim of Iraqinization (my word). Bush is in a tizzy over the fact that certain countries there are not in "hotspots" -- places where the Taliban are fighting back heavily. Ironically, those countries are the same countries that strongly oppose America's invasion of Iraq. Coincidence? Judge for yourself.
• The pope is visiting Turkey in an attempt to mend fences he helped break with recent anti-Islamic comments. Pope Benedict XVI, the head of the organization most responsible for Christian-Muslim volatile relations, is trying to secure a road to peace in the same location that predecessors of his had previously ravaged on the way to sacking then Muslim Jerusalem in the Crusades. You have to admit, it's funny to see the pope trying to make peace while on the same trail his knights killed both Orthodox Christian and Muslim women and children.
• Here is a surprise: while the ink on her second divorce filing is still drying, Britney Spears is out partying. Plastic Girl Number One (hey, Pink calls them Stupid Girls -- I'm being nice) is out in Vrgas with... Plastic Girl Number Two. Yes, it's Britney and Paris. They are the Janis and Grace of Generation Y.
• And lastly, from our good friends at Fox News, President Bush has declared that it is al Qaeda, not civil war, that is to blame for the post-Iraq War violence there. So, despite what every other leader in the world believes, George W. Bush still clings to that Iraq-al Qaeda link that got us bogged down there in the first place. Let us not forget our brilliant leader's words when he said, "Fool me once, shame on you. I won't get fooled again." Of course, there were a handful of err's, uh's, and der's thrown in there for good measure.

Proof That Awards Are Meaningless

All you baseball fans out there, the next time you are having that classic argument over which baseball player is better and your opponent brings up MVP Awards, look no further than the 2006 AL MVP voting to support your case.

It was bad enough that yesterday Albert Pujols was passed over in favor of Ryan Howard. No doubt, Howard had an amazing season. But his team failed to make the playoffs. Albert Pujols led his team to a division title. He'd been shafted several times before in favor of another big home run guy (more on him later). Yet anyone who claims that Albert Pujols isn't the most valuable player in the National League is fooling themselves.

And that brings us to today's travesty.

Three of the top six MVP candidates were Twins. This is illogical. No Tiger made top six, despite making it to the playoffs. But three players on the Twins? Come on.

David Ortiz, who doesn't deserve it this year because the Red Sox dropped to third, makes a better case for himself because he truly did carry his team. Ortiz should have won it in 2005.

Derek Jeter is the true MVP of the American League. Players know it. Managers know it. In fact, everyone knows it but the writers.

Jeter got beat out in the voting by one of the three Twins, Justin Morneau. Morneau had a great season and, perhaps if he was a Tiger, might have deserved it. But he was a Twin, along with Joe Mauer and Johan Santana (the real Twin MVP).

These same writers will one day judge Derek Jeter's career and determine his Hall of Fame worthiness. Perhaps they will say things like, "he didn't hit home runs like Alex Rodriguez" or "he never won the MVP". Sad.

Barry Bonds won the MVP seven times. Of the seven, at least four were under the influence of illegal substances. He has never performed well in the clutch without the assistance of performance enhancers. All he has ever done was take away value from the game. Now, you tell me who you would rather have on your team, the cheating choker with all the MVP awards or the big-game player who never won the individual achievement.

Awards are meaningless.

Real fans know the truth.

The Other Side Isn't So Wonderful Either

It's with great fear that I point out that Democrat Charles Rangel is proposing a draft.

Here I am doing everything I can do get Republicans out of power and one of the first things a newly empowered Democrat does is initiate a draft proposal. This is not only ignorant, it is shameful.

American boys and girls should not be conscripted. We are not under threat of invasion.

Rangel's logic is disturbing. His theory is that Bush and Co. would not have fought a war in Iraq if we had a draft.

???

Wait, so this is logical? They would not have gone to war if they had more soldiers? What am I missing here.

If this is a sample of the kind of solution that the Democratic party brings to the table, they are just as bad for America as the Republicans we just threw out.

Please, Democrats, do not be this foolish.

Time To Re-Think Our Strategies

We who oppose this war in Iraq need to come to terms with a disturbing reality: it's too late for debating the issue. We are already embedded there. We've already made our move.

As much as I hate to admit this, pulling out now would prove disastrous to America in the future. Iraq is not Vietnam. We are not dealing with Communists. Our actions from this point forward will have direct consequences on our national safety. Terrorists from one nation we chose to ignore for years successfully attacked us once. Iraq has far more resources than Afghanistan ever had. We cannot allow Iraq to become a breeding ground for more terrorists -- as it is currently.

How do we change this?

The way I see it, Iraq was a nation because of a strong dictatorship, and only because of a strong dictatorship. It would be un-American to re-install another dictator. But the three ethnic factions within Iraq will not come together. It just will not happen.

What I propose is that we create three distinct democracies. We should have a Kurdish nation in the north, a Shiite nation in the south and a Sunni nation between.

Hatred among these factions run too deep. America, powerful as it is, cannot weaken the animosity. What we can do, however, is create democracies within the groups. Then, we will be able to use our military might to protect these democracies -- from each other and from neighboring states like Iran and Syria -- and our economic might to help the three young nations springboard to economic stability.

Please note that this in no way exempts George W. Bush from his terrible errors and mishandling of Iraq. He has done nothing but make our nation weaker and less safe from the threat of global terror.

What this can do, however, is help to insure that we do not have a continuing crisis that becomes an even stronger breeding ground for men and women bent on our destruction.

It's time to change our strategy. Before it is too late.

Honoring The Warriors

It was hot for a mid-November day, even for northern Virginia, as we took our seats in front of the newly built National Museum of the Marine Corps. I lifted my son onto his chair so he could stand and watch the video that was on the large screen to the right of the dais. He watched as marine recruits ran, climbed ropes and learned martial arts -- a part that was of particular interest to my seven-year-old.

We were attending the dedication of the museum. My father, who was a Marine who served in Vietnam, is a museum founder, and we were invited on his behalf. Other family friends were in attendance, as were thousands of marines, former marines and their families. It was a day of pride, of recognizing courage, of honoring the men and women of a branch of the armed forces that routinely ranks as the highest rate of casualties in the war. The marines are always the first to fight.

In front of us was Harvey Barnum, recipient of the Medal of Honor. I explained to Jonathan, after we took photographs, that he had just met a real-life Luke Skywalker or Han Solo -- only this was a real war hero. Surprisingly, Jonathan seemed to understand. A little while later, John Glenn passed right by us on his way to the dais.

The ceremony was as impressive as the museum's design. Jim Lehrer reflected on his time as a marine, including his introduction to drill instructors. Even President Bush added to the ceremony, awarding the Medal of Honor to Jason Dunham, a fallen marine from the War in Iraq.

I couldn't help but reflect during this day what heroic people were surrounding me. These weren't college buddies, or high school chums. These were men who saw battle firsthand. They were shot at, they fired back. They were sent to foreign lands to attack the enemy and they did so, with courage and with honor.

I wondered if I could ever have been one of them. Could I have survived boot camp? And if so, how would I have done when enemy soldiers fired at me?

Also, I felt anger. Young boys and girls are being sent to Iraq to fight a war that isn't right. Many of these marines are dying. It isn't their fault. They are no different than the veterans from the other wars -- wars that may have been justified. But their blood that has been spilled is not for a good cause. It's a terrible waste of heroic people.

Mostly, though, I felt grateful. It was a privilege just to be among such great men and women. The marines are truly one of a kind in the warrior class. As an American, I am grateful to each one of them. I am proud that my father served. I am honored to have been a guest at the dedication.

Thank you, USMC.

A Great Night

There is still hope for We The People.

Democrats took the House. They have made significant gains in the Senate, and may win. They have majority governor seats for the first time in twelve years.

Change is in the air.

It was, admittedly, a strange night. It was a night that saw good politicians fall because of the party they belong. It was a night where Republicans in effect voted in a former Democratic presidential candidate. It was a night where in one state the debate seemed to be a question of whether football was more important than Iraq, if you could believe the pontificators on CNN.

Still, it was a night where America needed to make a change. And Americans stood up and made that change.

Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky. States that had once been Republican strongholds voted Democrats into office.

In Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, a vocal opponent of President Bush and the Iraq war lost because he was a Republican. In my home state of Connecticut, "Independent" Joe Lieberman defeated Democrat Ned Lamont. Polls showed he won because of the Republican vote. Republicans chose to vote for Lieberman, a candidate for President in 2004, rather than their own candidate, Alan Schlesinger.

In Virginia and Montana, it is still too close to call. Democratic challenger Jim Webb has a slim lead over Republican George Allen. Allen, whose "macaca" comments and pro-war stance destroyed his chances for a presidential run in 2008, is close enough to warrant a recount. CNN reported that much of his base was male and voted for him for being the son of a football legend. Also of note is the gay marriage ban proposal that was on the ticket. I could (and will) devote an entire blog to Republican use of gay marriage as a plot to win elections.

Montana, it seems, is even closer than Virginia. Democrat challenger Jon Tester has a lead of just over 1,000 votes over incumbent Conrad Burns.

Should the Democratic challengers hold their leads (an no post election shenanigans take place -- ahem!!!) the GOP will also lose the Senate.

This is a great day. The future looks a little brighter today.

A Good Day For Revolution

Some definitions of Revolution:

• a sudden, radical, or complete change
• a fundamental change in political organization; especially: the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed
• activity or movement designed to effect fundamental changes in the socioeconomic situation

The time for change is now. Go and vote. Go out and change the world. You do have that power.

George Washington and the other Founding Fathers risked their lives so that you and I could lead a revolt without having to fire a shot, without having to risk our lives. Today represents that day.

The government of the United States has engaged in actions for the past several years that go against the principles of what we as Americans believe. The administration has put our nation in danger. Ask yourself some of these questions:

• Should America be invaders or defenders?
• Who had been more dangerous to America: Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein (remember, we set aside our pursuit of bin Laden in favor of deposing Hussein)?
• Did Hussein kill more Iraqis and Bush did (Read up on this)?
• In all of this administration's actions or inactions since September 11, do you believe the country is any safer from the threat of terror?
• In a world that is increasingly becoming more interdependent and "global", how has the administration's actions affected America's standing with its neighbors, allies and rivals?
• Is the administration, by neglecting the changing environment, in effect killing all of us?
• Are financial opportunities for the future greater or worse than they were under this or the previous administration?

The time for change is now. You have the power to weaken Bush's administration by helping the Democrats win one or both Houses of Congress.

Get out there and vote.

The Determination Of A Seven-Year-Old

The only thing we should expect our children to do in school or in competition is for them to give it their best. If a child studies hard and gets a 78%, we as parents should be proud. Likewise, the reward in sports is how much the child tries, not whether they win or lose, or get first place, second or tenth.

It is my hope that Jonathan recognizes that I am so proud of him because he showed exemplary attitude and effort in Saturday's 7th Annual Connecticut Tae Kwon Do Championship in West Haven.

Attitude and effort. I recall Jonathan's baseball coach using those words and how they were the keys if the young and inexperienced Tigers were to fair well in the fall league. I recognized right away that it was attitude and effort that made everything worthwhile.

Jonathan had been losing his enthusiasm for Tae Kwon Do recently. Partly, this was due to his baseball success. This was also partly due to other reasons not worth mentioning here. Needless to say, he had been encouraged at home to continue until he earns his black belt: Andersons do not quit. So I admit that going into Saturday's tournament I wasn't sure what my son was going to do.

Jonathan had achieved quite a bit of success in other tournaments. But this was before he had lost his enthusiasm -- before things changed in his mind. And I know that without enthusiasm, his effort and attitude could easily have gone as well.

As usual, the morning of the tournament saw Jonathan as relaxed as could be. One thing I will always say about my son is that pressure of these situations do not affect him in the least. He was joking around with me and couldn't wait to get to West Haven High School.

He chose not to do forms, so we took some time working on his breaking technique. That was when I first saw it. This kid did not plan to lose. All those bad feelings, all the questioning about whether or not Tae Kwon Do was good for him was thrown out the window. He wanted to break those boards. We even did a practice run-through using real boards and he broke them all on the first try.

When time came to compete, he went out there with his fellow competitors. He went third of the four in his group. One of the others who went before him was a friend of his named River who already earned gold with a terrific performance in forms. River shattered his three boards on his first shot. More pressure -- well, not for Jonathan. He got up and also shattered his boards. Jonathan and River took first and second respectively. The first thing Jonathan did was congratulate River.

Attitude and effort.

The last event was sparring. Jonathan won his first match against another friend of his, A.J. -- who had also won gold in breaking -- by a score of 3-1. It was very close. His second match was against a black belt. Now, at this point I was already so happy and proud I would have been happy no matter what the outcome. Jonathan showed to me that he came to do his best. And really, that is all I could have asked of him. He had already won in my eyes.

Jonathan went two rounds with the black belt. During the first round, he lost a point for kicking to the head (an accident -- but it warranted the deduction). It didn't matter. He won 4-3. He earned his second gold medal of the day.

I had told Jonathan before sparring that now it was his turn to shine. He knew what I meant. And he shined as brightly as a little boy could.

It wasn't the gold around his neck that made me proud of him, though. It was the gold in his heart.

I Don't Think His God Is Too Happy With Him

The Rev. Ted Haggard resigned from his influential post as president of the National Association of Evangelicals yesterday. Before we look into why, let's look into the association.

The mission of the NAE, as quoted from their website is as follows:

The mission of the National Association of Evangelicals is to extend the kingdom of God through a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals, demonstrating the unity of the body of Christ by standing for biblical truth, speaking with a representative voice, and serving the evangelical community through united action, cooperative ministry, and strategic planning.

Harmless enough... sort of.

The first page of the website is a letter from the former president, calling for unity and a show of power and influence. "The NAE is composed of sixty member denominations representing 45,000 churches across America; our numbers generate influence and power, our diversity creates integrity and strength, and our unity produces effective value for the Body of Christ. Together we can accomplish more than we could ever achieve on our own. And now is the time to prove it."

So, basically, this is a powerful lobby organization that uses the face of Christianity for political influence. And it works.

In the CNN article that discusses the resignation, Haggard was named to Time magazine's list of 25 most influential evangelical leaders. He would weekly speak with the White House -- yes, that White House. I'd say the NAE, and Haggard, are quite powerful.

Yet here's the thing: Rev. Haggard is resigning amidst allegations he was in a three year gay sex relationship with a male prostitute. This is a man who has come out full against gay marriage, calling for a ban of it in places such as Colorado.

According to his own religion, he committed sin by:

• engaging in homosexual acts
• participating in prostitution
• lying
• (possibly) using illegal drugs

This, America, is the representation of one of the most powerful organizations in our nation. This is the man who has the ear of our president. This is the man who exerts political force to affect our country's policies.

Remember this when you are heading to the polls on Tuesday and you must decide who you want representing you in government. Do you want someone who is influenced by such a man?

Enter The Dojang II

As the belts piled up, I was getting closer and closer to testing for black belt. By that time, Master Ik Jo Kang's school was run by Walter Eddie. He was a third degree black belt at the time. He was tall and thin, but muscular and strong. He had an aura about him. You felt the force of his personality as soon as he entered your presence.

He scared the hell out of me.

I had already begun taking the adult classes, and had earned the belt just below black. Still, I was far from achieving the rank of black belt. I had much to do.

Walter Eddie's classes were tough. He worked us. We did knuckle push-ups and sit-ups. He demanded 100% effort from every movement, every technique. He taught us that that was the way to developing ki. Ki is essential to the martial artist and comes through years of proper training.

In time, I would learn the necessary forms to test for my black belt. But I was not ready in my mind or my body. So Walter offered to train me at my house on Saturday mornings.

I was grateful. And at the same time, terrified. I knew that at some point, he was going to have me spar him.

I was worked hard -- harder than even the adult classes I had been struggling with. Walter had me run until I was winded before we went into my parents' basement. Then he worked with me to perfect my forms, to add snap to my movements, to do everything with power.

For several weeks, this continued. I was fifteen and too young to recognize that this was working. Most of the time I was praying that the end would come and I could shower and know that I was safe for another week. I didn't realize that all that training was changing me. I was getting stronger, faster, and more agile. I was turning from a boy who knew Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido to a martial artist. I was on my way.

Two weeks before my scheduled black belt promotion, Walter Eddie came to my parents' house for the final time. Like the other times, we did our routine of running, kicks, movements, forms -- and knuckle push-ups. Then he had me face him.

Now was the time.

He was far too powerful for me -- to strong, too fast, too everything. I stood in there the best I could, but it was as much of a mismatch as one could imagine. I did manage to block one kick once. However, in doing so I left myself open and BAM!!! -- a straight punch landed in my stomach. I couldn't breathe. All the wind was taken out of me. My father was watching us in the basement that day. I turned to him and, humiliated and defeated, I began to cry.

Walter hit me again. Harder.

"Don't you cry!" he ordered. "Fight back."

Humiliation turned to rage and I charged after him. He blocked all of my sloppy attacks, and hit me again. "Focus! Focus your power."

I became calm, but the energy from my rage was still there. I attacked again. He blocked a couple of my kicks, but this time I was focused. I hit him with a straight punch.

That was the real moment I earned my black belt. He knew it. My father knew it. Even I knew something inside me had changed. My lessons were complete and I was ready to test.

The day of the test was at the peak of a heat wave in White Plains. The dojang, which lacked air conditioning, exceeded 100 degrees. All of us who tested that day, regardless of what belt they were trying for, suffered. We needed to spar for our test and my sparring partner that day was Mike Rosenthal. We both ran out of gas during our match, but managed to continue long enough through the heat. Afterwards, I broke two boards with an elbow strike, four with a sidekick and three with a knife hand strike.

Each promotion, one student is awarded first place for their effort. There are also awards for second and third. I never placed at any promotion. Simply put, I was never quite good enough. So when Master Kang called my name, I was surprised. When he removed my brown belt and tied his own black belt around my waist I felt for the first time in my life that I had finally achieved something.

I was a black belt. And for a brief moment, I was the best.