The SoapBoxers

Crunchy doesn’t have an article today.  She does, however, have a new baby boy.  He was born yesterday morning.  That’s 4 little boys in her house now …

I don’t feel like writing an article about one particular thought this week, so I’ll bounce around a bit.

Olympics

I didn’t get the chance to watch nearly as much of the Olympics as I would have like.  I did make an effort to keep up on what was going on, though.

My personal highlight was Jake Varner’s wrestling gold medal.  Jake and I share an alma mater – Iowa State University.  I’m very proud to have Varner add his name to a collection of Iowa State wrestlers who have gone on to win gold – including living legends Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson. 

London organizer Sebastian Coe caught some flak for failing to state that Michael Phelps was the greatest Olympian ever.  While Phelps is definitely one of the greatest ever, Coe was caught in the difficult position of trying to compare athletes from different sports.  Swimming (and track) afford an athlete more opportunities to medal.  Let’s take boxing, for example.  If a boxer were to match Phelps’s record of 22 medal, it would require medals in 22 consecutive Olympic games, spanning 84 years.  While in raw numbers, this would simply match Phelps, in reality it would be a far more impressive feat.  If we only look at raw medal counts, this would mean that only athletes from a handful of sports could ever make the claim to be “great” Olympians.  It’s simply not feasible for boxers, wrestlers, basketball players, or hockey players to win 10+ medals.

Melky

Melky Cabrera was one of the feel good stories on 2012.  He was hitting .346 for the year and was the All Star game MVP.  After years of struggling, Cabrera was putting up good seasons in back to back year and appeared to be turning into a very good major league player.  The dream season came to a crashing halt Wednesday, when Cabrera was suspended 50 games for using testosterone.  The loss of Cabrera puts the playoff chances of the Giants in serious doubt.

Paul Ryan

Mitt Romney selected Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate.  Expect the budget to become a major issue in debates.  Ryan’s budget plan was the one the Republican congress pitted against Obama’sd budget.

Aside from a stint as driver of the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile, Ryan has worked in the political arena his entire career.

What are you watching?

I managed to get a chance to see Avatar this week.  I found the story very enjoyable.  While I usually don’t dig too hard to find a deeper meaning in a movie (I prefer to simply be entertained), it’s pretty hard to misss the point of Avatar.  It’s a sci-fi movie, but also has an interesting love story.  I definitely recommend it.
 

Fantasy Football Fantastic!

We have just started the NFL Pre-Season and now is the time when many of us turn on our computers and log into the draft- room.

Yep, it is time for fantasy football drafts.

Which Type of Fantasy Leaguer Are You?

I categorize Fantasy Football leagues into one of three categories. And it has nothing to do with what the entry fees are. They include:

The Eager Beaver League: These leagues have already held their drafts. They were likely already working out draft orders, dinner menus back in May. These leagues are made up of the die hards that yearn for the best part of any fantasy league….the DRAFT. Of course they get this out of the way early only to see their star players hurt in pre-season, arrested, suspended or cut from the team. If only they could have waited a few more weeks.

The Average Joe League: This is what 95% of leagues fall into in terms of statistical categorization. They hold their draft in the middle of pre-season as close as possible to the kick-off of the first ACTUAL games. This give all players plenty of time to study all of the overpriced draft magazine, dedicated hour long FFL shows, chat room message boards and trial and error from other leagues they may have already participated in. These players have done countless mock drafts, analyzed all of the 3 deep depth charts, and have already made nice with the spouse to get the extra couple of nights to hang with the group and have a few beverages and act like college aged kids once again.

The Better Late Than Never League: Two types of people fall into this category. They are either people that at the last minute decide they can get their work buddies or fellow students together to put together that last minute league, even though the season has already started…OR…you get the people that were in the Eager Beaver Leagues that miss the action of draft night SO BADLY, that they sign up for another one, even if it breaks every fantasy rule they hold tried and true (meaning it pains them to be doing it late) but they do it anyway, for the thrill of the draft.

Mucho Importante!

Which gets me to the most important part of any fantasy league, be it baseball, football, basketball, golf, hockey, water polo, Equestrian, Checkers, whatever….the Draft is the single most important part of your time in the league as well as the single most fun part of being in the league.

You can spend a lot of money subscribing to insider information, purchasing 14 different magazine and forecast tools for players – – – or you can do a little research and get together with your friends and have a good time.

Weather you play for just pride, a ton of money, or just a cheesy gold trophy resembling something that your dad would have won from his Thursday late-night bowling league, it is a good and fun time to participate, and the draft is always the highlight of every league I have ever been in.

College Anyone?

I for one am planning on entering a college fantasy league for the first time ever. There are a number of sites that offer this free of charge and you end up competing against people from all over the country as you simply sign up to join a league. Guess this means I better start researching the MAC for that bullet armed quarterback, or the Ohio Valley for that never heard before place kicker. Maybe the Mountain West has a stud tight end that has slipped under my previous radar.

All I know is that as World Champion of the World last year in two of the three leagues I competed in, I now my fellow competitors will be amped up and gunning to get me. One of those leagues is not taking place this year (I guessed I scared them all off) but I have added a new one to take its place

So….. Farm Leaguers, Big Ballers Big X Legends and Leaders, Johnny is back for bragging rights and will be talking smack on draft night. Consider yourself advised…..

Until Next Time, Stay Classy St. Onge, South Dakota.

Over the weekend, the presumptive Republican nominee for President announced his perspective vice presidential running mate. Mitt Romney named Paul Ryan in a well staged introduction ceremony. The press were mostly upset that they did not figure out who it would be, although some claimed to have known and uncovered the choice before the announcement. I am not sure why this is important, but being first is apparently much more important than being right. I am surprised that more people did not claim advanced knowledge since so many names were bandied about including Ryan.

You may like the choice or you might not. You may be one of those people who would like the choice so long as an “R” followed the name, just as you many be someone who hates the choice for the same reason. One of the telling facts is that Ryan is one of the so called Tea Party candidates. He also presented a budget that would in theory balance the budget (a budget that the majority leader of the Senate refused to receive than stated that the house was not participating in the budget process).

So now, the pros and cons will be broadcast long and loud. If you want to know how Ryan is demon spawn, just tune in MSNBC. If you want to know that he was anointed by God to save the world, turn in to talk radio around noon. If you want to know what Ryan is running on, watch the full coverage from CNN or PBS. Don’t expect to learn anything from the advertisements, they will continue to define the positions of the opposition. Eventually what each candidate wants to do will float to the top.

So how important is this announcement? First and foremost, it provided a financial stimulus to the Romney campaign. It also provided the Obama campaign some much needed air time on all of the major networks. The President will not have the same opportunity since his running mate is assumed to be Biden again. Of course he could make some big news by choosing someone else at the convention.

It is actually unfortunate that the two major candidates are already set. This just extends the time the bitter partisan commentary must be endured. On the other hand we only have to here the sins of two sets of men.

The best way to find out about these candidates is to do your own research. If you have already made up your mind, you have little or no work to do. If you still are open for debate, check out each candidate’s web sites. If you let their opponent define their position, you have already made your choice. Once you have actually determined what the candidates claim that they want to do, you can do further research on what each of them have done in their careers. All four men have extensive public records to review. Always note the source. If it is the Huffington Post or other such site, you can be assured that the President is the hero and Romney is the arch-villain. If the source is World Net Daily or similar site, the President will be the anti-Christ and Romney the savior.

Please take the time to be informed. Please vote. This freedom and responsibility are what make our country great. It makes the common man equal to the elite and maintains our republic for our children.

Honey Badger takes what he wants

Apparently the Honey Badger didn’t care.

Didn’t care about team rules anyway. LSU “sensation” Tyrann Mathieu nicknamed “ The Hone Badger” has been released from the football program for what is being dubbed as violation of team rules.

A major impact player at a successful program is not simply given the boot. This tells me that it was something related to improper benefits, drugs or he had simply been riding the fence and been warned repeatedly about something that was re-occurring for some time, and simply did not change his ways. We know it was not for academic reasons as school is not yet in session for a couple of more weeks.

Message Boards and sports and news outlets are speculating with many varied stories at this time of exactly the cause of his dismissal from the team. In the hours following the announcement, the main rumors appear to be that Mathieu failed another drug test, which would be his third in three seasons. If this is true it appears that Honey Badger likes more than…well…umm…honey.

Mad-Hatters Presser earlier on Friday

For now LSU head coach Les Miles is not talking …..or at least talking as much as we are used to hearing him talk – which is seemingly every chance he gets to put his mug on ESPN. At his news conference announcing this on Friday, Miles did not mention the reason he was dismissed.

“We’ll miss the guy,” Miles said. “The football team’s got to go on. We’ll have to fill the void.”

Athletic Director Joe Alleva said Mathieu, who was suspended for a game in 2011 after failing a drug test, violated an athletic department rule and had his scholarship revoked.

“Being an athlete is a privilege,” Alleva said. “It’s a privilege and you have to follow the rules to take advantage of that privilege. And unfortunately, he doesn’t have that privilege here anymore.

“He really is a good kid. It’s a shame. But I told him this morning that he has the rest of his life and his life is still ahead of him. He still has a tremendous opportunity to do good things and I encouraged him to do those good things, and I think he will.”

Alleva said the violation did not involve law enforcement and Mathieu could stay at LSU and pay tuition. But Alleva said that was unrealistic.

“He’s not going to stay in school,” he said.

Bit by the Cobra

The best bet would be that Mathieu will go to a non-Division 1 program. If this is the case he would not have to sit out a year under the NCAA transfer rules. (a rule that was waived this year coincidentally for Penn State football players in the wake of the sanctions that have been imposed there) This would allow him to continue to play football at a lower level division this year and then have the opportunity to transfer back to a Division 1 school next year and be right back in the mix.

After this year at a lower division program, he could land just about anywhere, but the real question is will a coach take a chance on a player carrying some baggage…whatever that baggage may be.

Until next time, stay class Emporia State!

James Holmes

Water tossed into hot oil. Sodium tossed into water. Mentos tossed into a 2 liter bottle of soda. Some of the least restrictive gun laws in the world combined with a mental health care system that’s decades behind. Yup, I’m talking about things that don’t go well together.

First, let me get this out of the way: I’m not advocating taking away anyone’s rights to own a firearm. If I had more income to toss away I’d consider owning a handgun myself for the purpose of target shooting at a range – the Glock 19 just looks darn cool. That being said, there are a lot of improvements we can make to ensure mentally unstable people get the help they need. In absence of a gun, a desperate and mentally ill person will use other methods – in 2008 a Japanese man in Akihabara drove a truck into a crowd and then jumped out and started stabbing people. Guns don’t kill people, but they certainly make it orders of magnitude easier to kill people.

We’re all well aware of some of the more hyped mass shootings, but to see the list laid out is shocking. This list I’ve compiled, just from 1999 onward, is depressingly lengthy:

• April 1999, Columbine.
• July 1999, An Atlanta daytrader kills his family and then went to a trading firm and killed 9 more and wounded 13.
• September 1999, A man opens fire in a Baptist church in Fort Worth, Texas, killing 7.
• October 2002, A man and a minor carry out a series of 11 sniper-style shootings around the DC Beltway and in Northern Virginia.
• August 2003, A Chicago man returns to where he was fired from 6 months prior and kills 6.
• November 2004, In a hunting dispute in northern Wisconsin, six are killed and 2 are wounded.
• March 2005, A man opens fire in a church killing 7, including the pastor and the pastor’s son.
• October 2006, A milk truck driver enters an Amish school and in execution style kills 5 and severely wounds 6.
• April 2007, Virginia Tech shootings.
• August 2007, Three Delaware State students are shot execution style.
• December 2007, A 20 year old man kills 9 and wounds 5 in a shopping center in Nebraska.
• December 2007, A woman and her boyfriend shoot and kill 6 members of her family in their Washington State home, including 2 children.
• February 2008, At a clothing store in Chicago in what authorities think is a robbery-gone-wrong, a man kills 5 and wounds another. The unidentified man is still at large.
• February 2008, At Northern Illinois University a man kills 5 and wounds 21 before killing himself.
• September 2008, A mentally ill man released from prison a month earlier shoots 8, killing 6 in Alger Washington.
• December 2008, A man in a Santa Claus suit opens fire at a family Christmas party, then sets fire to the house and later kills himself. Nine were found dead in the house.
• March 2009, A recently laid off man kills 11 in multiple locations, including 2 children.
• March 2009, A heavily armed man kills 8 and wounds 2 at a Carthage, NC nursing home.
• March 2009, Six people are shot dead in an upscale apartment building in Santa Clara, CA.
• April 2009, A man enters a civic center in Binghamton, NY, and kills 13 before turning the gun on himself.
• July 2009, Eight are shot in a drive by shooting on the campus of Texas Southern University, police conclude that it was gang-related.
• November 2009, A US Army psychologist at Fort Hood, TX, kills 13 and wounds 29 others.
• January 2010, A man near Appomattox, VA, kills 8 before being apprehended by over 100 police officers.
• February 2010, A faculty member at The University of Alabama kills 3 and wounds 3 at a biology department meeting.
• January 2011, Tuscon, AZ mass shooting. 18 people are shot including sitting US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, 9 die.
• July 2012, Aurora, CO movie theater shootings
• August 2012, A suspected White Supremacist enters a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and kills six and wounds 4 before being shot by police and then dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Please note, this is not even a complete list.

In the vast majority of these cases the people pulling the triggers had a severe mental health problem. I could write a whole other article or three on mental health parity in the United States, but to sum it up, mental health is decades behind “the rest” of health care. Anecdotally, I can say that I’ve actually met more than one doctor who says depression is “all in your head” – while technically true, I suppose, they seem to feel it’s not unlike attitude and you can just change how you feel. In addition, mental health issues are often misdiagnosed or go years without diagnosis. For example, as recently as 2000 a study showed that up to 69% of people with bipolar disorder were misdiagnosed and the average length of time that passes without a correct diagnosis can be as much as 10 years. Even when correctly diagnosed, at times law enforcement professionals are either untrained in proper procedure or unwilling to take a claim seriously. Recent evidence shows that James Holmes’ psychiatrist warned police that he was a danger weeks before the Aurora, CO shootings.

Next, there is the very real issue of mental health issues having a stigma of weakness or instability associated with them. Many people don’t seek help for mental illness thinking that the problem is temporary, or not treatable. Others don’t seek help for fear of being marginalized – the media often associates mental illness with violence and aberrant behavior.  The glorification of the American media has molded an image of the perfect person that is often near-unobtainable. We think that everyone should be content, cheerful, witty, grounded, have a great job, and a body like a supermodel and anything outside these “norms” has something wrong with them. Even when confiding with family and friends people are often told they simply need to sleep more, or cheer up, or pray more – dangerous things to tell someone who is depressed.

Finally, mental health is still seen as a sticky area by insurance companies. It can sometimes take years between first seeing a doctor to when a patient then sees a referred psychiatrist. In 2010 in Arizona only 5% of insurance companies offered equal benefits for mental issues vs. other health issues. As recently as 2006 the National Alliance on Mental Illness gave the US a grade of “D” on mental health treatment and awareness. It’s ironic that some politicians claim the government is trying to get between you and your doctor when health care companies already do when your doctor refers you to a psychologist – all in the interest of their profit.

What can be done? First and foremost both the general public and the insurance companies need to realize that mental health is at least as important as the health of any other specific area. We are people because of our thoughts and deeds and emotions, not because we have good blood sugar levels or need a pill to get an erection. Being able to tell a doctor you’re depressed or anxious shouldn’t be a big deal. Having your health insurance fully cover your visit to a psychiatrist should be a no-brainer. If that doctor then refers you to counseling, that should also be covered. Finally better training for law enforcement on working with mental health professionals needs to be implemented. As seen with Aurora, CO, that could have made all the difference.

It will be an All-American final in women’s volleyball

Last night I sent a text to a friend of mine asking if he was watching Misty May-Treanor and Kerry Walsh-Jennings in volleyball. Although I do not consider myself a volleyball aficionado, I do live in Nebraska where college volleyball is a big deal. This was a great match to watch with some great individual plays and long rallies. My buddy was pleading with me to not tell him the results as he had been waiting all day to watch this. Don’t worry Jonsey…I would never spoil the result for you.

Last week I wrote an article about the Olympics being ruined (in my opinion) by spoilers and social media. I guess my good friends don’t always check up on the articles on Facebook 🙂

I have tried to remain “true to my word” and follow my earlier statements, not reviewing websites and not listening to ESPN to catch any updates. I have been burned twice last week, as while in my car the “sports updates” let the cat out of the bag” and I found myself scrambling to change the dial quickly before I heard more. Darn radio….

Of course there are always big stories for the Olympics. I am looking past the Phelps and Douglas storylines to things that I have been more intrigued with personally.

We tend to focus on the stories that impact the people from our country more than others. Here are some of the things that I have found interesting.

Boxing – for the first time ever the U.S. Men’s boxing team is shut out of winning any medals. That is correct. NONE – when you think of all the greats, like Leonard, Ali, etc., that is a statistic that carries some real meaning

USA Basketball for both the Men and Women are boat-racing the competition. I still feel for the people last week at Ladbroke’s that had Nigeria and the unders in Team USA’s 156-73 drubbing of the Nigerian team. The troubling part for me is the fact that there was a lot of controversy about running up the score. Fact is, (if you watched the game like I did) it was like video game basketball, everything went in the hoop, and the end of the bench saw extensive action. This was a case where one team was far superior and having an extra good day of it on the hardwood.

Jordan Jovtchev (Previous event)

Jordan Jovtchev, the 39-year-old Olympian, qualified for the finals in the still rings. Read that again….39 year old gymnast. The guy has more gray hairs than Captain Kangaroo, but yet he is competing in his 6th Olympics in one of the most grueling events in gymnastics. Dude can ring it!

Usain Bolt repeats in the 100 meters for the 2nd straight games. He is trying for the double in the 200 meters. No one has ever pulled off the double – double.

And let’s give it up for the Jamaican women sprinters. – Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica, became the third woman to successfully defend her Olympic title by running 10.75 in the 100 meters.

Maybe even more impressive is Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown. She won Bronze in the 100 meters in the 2008 and 2012 games but the 200 meters is where the real action is. She is trying to complete the trifecta of winning the 200 meters in 2004, 2008 and now the 2012 Olympics. She would become the first woman in history to win an individual athletics crown in three consecutive Olympic Games if she can pull it off.

Oscar Pistorius (Previous event)

Most impressive to me thus far is the story of Oscar Pistorius. Unless you are hiding in a closet you will know this is the South African double-amputee nicknamed the “Blade Runner,” after his “J” shaped carbon fiber prosthetic blades.

He qualified for the semifinals this past weekend after running a fabulous 45.44 in his heat race for the 400 meters.

The runner’s legs were amputated below the knee when he was 11 months old because of a bone defect. His debut Saturday made him the first Paralympian to compete Olympic Games. Unfortunately he did not make it to the final, but still he will serve as a true inspiration to many with disabilities around the world.

To me, that is what the Olympics is all about. Inspiring others through goodwill, sportsmanship, and athletic excellence.

We still have another week of Olympic stories, legends and lore will continue to play out.

I for one can’t wait.

Until next time. Stay classy Johannesburg, South Africa

Mitt Romney

Harry Reid is saying that Mitt Romney didn’t pay taxes in past years.  Romney has released his 2010 tax return and will release the 2011 return when it is ready – but that’s a far cry from the 12 years of tax returns that his father released when George Romney ran for president.

Republican leaders are calling Reid a liar, and the result of the entire exchange is that there’s as much focus on Mitt Romney’s taxes as there is on how to solve the current unemployment problems.

That begs the question:

What is Mitt Romney hiding?

There are several possibilities.  Some are far more likely than others.

• Romney is not hiding anything – The returns from the last ten years may be near carbon copies of 2010, and Romney may be refusing to release the earlier returns on principle alone.  In my opinion, this would be a bad decision, as the failure to release earlier returns gives the definite appearance that he is hiding something.
• Romney is committing tax fraud – It’s also possible that Romney is committing outright fraud, either by failing to report income or by taking illegal deductions.  However, unless Romney and his legal tax are complete morons, this seems a pretty remote possibility.
• Romney was born in Kenya – Romney may be paying millions in taxes to the Kenyan treasury
• Romney paid $0 tax in some years – This is actually quite possible.  I’m sure that Mitt’s stock portfolio has taken a hit in several recent years.  It’s quite possible that he sold stock to lock in capital losses that would offset other income. 
• Romney had very high income – On the flip side, if Romney had a bad feeling about the market, he may have sold stock to lock in gains.  Are there years where Romney had $20, $50, or $100 million in income?  It’s definitely possible.  it’s even possible that he locked in huge gains as the market was plummeting.

Something to keep in mind is that a capital gain is often the result of many years or accumulation.  For the sake of argument, let’s say that Romney had a $100 million capital gain in 2008. The stocks in his portfolio may have appreciated over a span of 20 or 30 years, and a rate of a few million per years.  Sure, that’s a lot of money, but it’s not as if Romney opened an eTrade account one day and reaped a $100 profit the next.  The huge gain may have been recognized in 2008, but it was building up gradually over the years.

Likewise, if Romney locked in some capital gains in an effort to drop his income to $0, these losses may also have been building up for years or decades.

If you care about how much money politicians make, you really should be focusing on the average income over a long span of time, rather than cherry picking a handful of years.  If someone earns $50 million for each of five consecutive years, this is a higher total income that a person who has $0 in income the first four years and $150 million in the fifth year – even though the $150 million catches they eye.

Honestly, as long as Romney fairly reported income and deductions and paid the proper amount in taxes, I really don’t care how much he paid in taxes.  His effective rate is fairly low due to the fact that most of his earnings are capital gains.  That’s not Romney’s fault – that’s simply the way the tax code is written.

When writing about politics, realize up front that you will seldom change the mind or convictions of anyone who reads your work. Your effort will either reinforce previously held or be dismissed as irrelevant. Political writing is truly a self gratifying activity. You may find that you have a wide readership that can be very rewarding. In this case, your ability to write well will determine your ability to grow that readership and possibly establish yourself as a respectable (or detested) commentator.

Most long political works are been praised and panned based almost only on the political stance of the author. Books written by political leaders have the most divisive effect. They are the one type of book that can be found in the discount resale book stores.

The purpose of political writing is to establish your point of view as the correct path to follow for the greater population. Sometimes it is to effect near term elections, sometimes to effect legislation through public opinion. Sometimes it is to explain away ill effects of actions taken or events that have occurred.

These books are not new. There have been plenty of recent works that could be discussed for accuracy, writing style, and purpose. Few of these works will be remembered in 20 years. The real political writings of worth emerge with time. Few people remember Barry Goldwater’s book Conscience of a Conservative or John F. Kennedy’s Why England Slept. They are both politically motivated books, both were written or re-released during a campaign.

But what about longer lasting political books? These require some historical grandness to stand the test of time. A modern example is Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler. Would it have been famous if he had never risen to power? There is also Das Kapital by Karl Marx. If the Russian revolution had failed, would anyone outside academia have cared? If we look further back, Julius Caesar wrote The Conquest of Gaul to justify disobeying orders and expanding a war for his own benefit.

You will notice that the books that remain are from writers who followed through having major historical impact. These examples are books that have survived because of brutal regimes, but that is not always the case.  The Federalist Papers were written to define the Untied States during its infancy.

Regardless of your motive, writing about politics can raise a lot of attention. The better you can express your ideas, the stronger those reactions can be. If you consistently write and can defend your opinions, you do have a small chance of swaying someone else.
 

Do Christians Have Civil Rights?

Civil rights is a phrase whose origin can be traced back to the early 1700’s. The concept of individual civil rights can be traced back to England’s bill of rights in the 1600’s. Civil rights concept is almost perfectly interchangeable with constitutional rights. Constitutional rights typically refer to all of a US citizen’s rights protected by the US Constitution. Civil rights include constitutional rights while specifically referring to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and plethora of anti-discrimination laws. Civil rights are enforceable laws protecting rights and privileges of individuals in a group.

Do Christians have civil rights? I think we can all agree that Christians are a group. I think we can all agree the First Amendment prevents limiting the free exercise of religion. Constitutional rights certainly protect Christians and other religions. This still leaves it a little murky as to whether Christians has civil rights. When we look at the most famous civil rights legislation in the 20th century, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, we have our answer. This civil rights act (there were plenty more before this one) protects “all individuals”. In addition Title II, III, IV, and most of the eleven titles place religion as a protected class right along with race. Christians and other religious people without a doubt have as many civil rights as other groups.

What is religious discrimination? Religious discrimination is the unfavorable treatment or different treatment of an individual because of the individual’s religious beliefs. This includes sincerely held religious and moral beliefs. For example, if a Christian owned a business and was denied zoning, building permit or anything else that was needed to participate in the economy solely based on their religious belief is discrimination. It is a violation of their civil rights.

Let us consider other groups in the same situation. Imagine Mayor Thomas Manino, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, alderman Joe Mareno, or city councilwoman Christine Quinn opposed an establishment of business based solely on their race! Instead imagine those same people opposing female business owners. It would be a crime and equally so if discrimination was based on religion.

If you’re still not convinced then consider President Obama’s position on civil rights as stated on his webpage.

“…He knows that our country grows stronger when all Americans have access to opportunity and are able to participate fully in our economy…” [emphasis added]

The religious discrimination in our nation seems to steadily increase. A couple of high profile incidents come to mind. In 2008 McCain – Palin lost the election yet Gov. Palin’s church was set on fire. In 2010 the Cross in the Mohave Desert dedicated to WWII vets was stolen. Now most recently officials in Chicago, Boston, and NY have intimidated and threatened Chick-Fil-A because of the religious and moral beliefs of the franchise owners. President Obama should be appalled. Attorney General Holder should be investigating. The Civil Rights Commission should launch a parallel investigation.

The franchise owners and private owners of Chick-Fil-A restaurants have had their civil rights violated. You won’t find the Rainbow Coalition protesting. The Black Panthers don’t have a $10k bounty on anyone. What is going on is a peaceful expression of support for free speech and civil rights by being a patron of the Chick-Fil-A. This is powerful movement that any civil rights leader could envy. I’m feeling like chicken.

Clara Schumann

It takes a good author to get me to read a book on a topic that doesn’t particularly interest me.  Louise Marley accomplishes this feat with her book The Brahms Deception.  While my eclectic music collection does contain a handful of album of classical music, it’s usually an afterthought – and when I do listen to classical, it’s generally Tchaikovsky.  Marley got me to read – and enjoy – a book featuring Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann.  For a reason that eludes me, Amazon thought I’d like the book and recommended it to me.  The price – $2.99 – was right, and I like the summary, so I bought the book.

The plot

The basic plot is that a company has found a way to transport people into the past … sort of.  Participants can hear and see what is going on in a particular place and time in the past, but they can’t interact with the people.  It’s a great way do to academic research on a topic – researchers can get information from directly observing the subject of their interest.

Then, during one such voyage, something completely unexpected happens – and it threatens to alter the fragile timeline.  Kristian North is called in to try to help resolve the situation.  Kristian quickly find the problem – but solving it is a far more complex endeavor.

I love time travel stories that are well done, so this element convinced me to buy the book.

Characters

Kristian is the main character in the book.  He’s definitely a flawed character, but it’s still really easy to cheer for him.  He tries to do what he feels is right, even if others may disagree with him.

Many of the other modern day characters are females.  In general, Kristian’s life is largely influenced by the women in his life – his sister, his former lover, the barmaid at the place where he plays piano, and others.  It’s notable how few men make any sort of impression in his life.

Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann are also a big part of the book.  I hadn’t even heard or Schumann before I read The Brahms Deception, and I knew very little about Brahms.  I ended up hitting Wikipedia a few times as I read through the book, seeking bits of information about Brahms and Schumann.  Not only does this book educate, but it entertains.

Other

The characters moves around through a few different geographic locations.  A considerable amount of the action occurs in Italy.  Some of it in 1861 Italy and some of it in current day Italy.  Considerable attention is given to the sights and sounds of 1861 Italy.  There’s also more focus on the food than you typically see in a book.

While music is a focal point of the book, it doesn’t completely overwhelm the plot.  You can enjoy this book even if you don’t have a considerable amount of musical knowledge – as was my case.

There are also a few instances of foreign language being used – some German and some Italian.  Most of this can be figured out based on the context.

Verdict

I loved the book and immediately wished there was a sequel.  I tried to figure out the twists and turns, but more often than not I guessed wrong.  I really like the way that Marley handled many of the aspects of time travel, including the always troubling issue of how a change in the past ripples forward into the future.

You could say this is a suspense novel, a romance novel, or a novel about music.  Whichever you enjoy, there’s a good chance you’ll like The Brahms Deception.