A Few Matters of Form...

It is finally released tomorrow! On the eve of one of the most-anticipated book releases in quite some time, I have only one thing to say to all those who talk of the Harry Potter books as though they're the death of literature: get over it! Anything that gets a kid interested in reading, interested in something other than the television, is a good thing. Some say that a child's reading of such escapist literature does not lead to the reading of more stimulating works, and I answer, so what? Coloring books don't necessarily lead children to the works of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Michaelangelo, and Da Vinci, either, but does that mean we should throw them out? Reading is a mental exercise, regardless of content; Harry Potter might not lead a child to Shakespeare or Kipling or Plutarch or Aristotle, but it does work a very important aspect of a child's existence: IMAGINATION.

Reading, as with pursuit or observation of any art, doesn't always have to challenge our assumptions of the world, raise our consciousness to some moral or philosophical problem, or make ourselves and the world in general a better place to be worthwhile. Sometimes reading should just be fun, and J.K. Rowling makes reading fun. So get over your ridiculous, critical elitism. You read your way, I'll read mine.


Check out this article.

"Yet others say that the results, while significant, risk tarring some men unfairly." WHAT?? This is despicable...how are the men who merely seek out and look any different from those who create or who molest??? Is "look but don't touch" supposed to apply? They still sought it out...it's not like child porn appears "accidentally" on a system. Trust me, I know this for a fact. This stuff is so underground that it typically isn't free, so these gentlemen (and ladies...let's be honest here) have to pay to see it. There might or might not be a correlation between viewing child pornography and following it through to molestation, but I don't see how we should somehow let those who "merely" view child pornography off the hook. Anyone who actively seeks out such material is an immoral criminal.


While on the subject of children and sex, I happened upon this interesting article today. As if the tone of the previous article didn't demonstrate how those on the Left continue to perpetrate the moral degradation of the human race, look closely as Mr. Obama's view on child sex education, as articulated in the following quote:

Nobody's suggesting that kindergartners are going to be getting information about sex in the way that we think about it," said Obama in 2004, according to a Daily Herald clip provided by the Obama campaign. "If they ask a teacher 'where do babies come from,' that providing information that the fact is that it's not a stork is probably not an unhealthy thing. Although again, that's going to be determined on a case by case basis by local communities and local school boards.'"

Mr. Obama, if a child asks a teacher that very question, "where do babies come from," there is one correct answer, and only one: "go ask your parents." Sometimes I think the Leftists take the "it takes a village" idea a little too far. Perhaps one day, there will be such a thing as a social boundary again.


Finally, Heidi and I took the plunge last night. Faced with the continued lack of interest in the Land Rover, despite my continued price cuts and the removal of the stripes, we took it last night and traded it in, along with Heidi's PT Cruiser, for something a little better and more easily managed:


Yes, I am now the proud owner of a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser. I strongly considered a new Ford Mustang, as I have long held a strong love for them. My first car was a 1980 Mustang, in fact, and my second was a 1995 Mustang. However, Mustangs don't do well in the winter driving conditions we face here in Colorado on a regular basis, and they also don't do well in the mountains, so we went for the FJ, instead. I didn't save as much on the deal as I wanted, but I will be able to take care of a few financial issues as a result, and it does help us out a little bit. And to quote Ferris Bueller: "I love driving it...it is SO choice!"

Thanks for reading along.