Most recent book

I recently completed another book, this one about Uzbekistan. I chose this topic for a couple of reasons:

First, Uzbekistan, if not at the heart of the war on terrorism, is certainly in one of its ventricles.

Secondly, I knew so little about Central Asia that I figured I wanted to know something about it.

The book (once again, a travelogue), called "Chasing the Sea" by Tom Bissell, was the reporting of a former Peace Corps Volunteer, who had returned after terminating his service early in the mid 90's. The country is largely a desert flatland, consisting of steppe and even some mountainous regions east of its capital in Tashkent.

Uzbekistan is interesting because while nominally Muslim for more than 1000 years, religion, particularly ardent, practicing religion had not been embraced until very recently, when an insurgent form of Islam began to develop with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

I predict that Central Asia will be a cross roads of sorts in the war on terrorism within the next decade, or so.

Colonoscopy

Yesterday, I had my second colonoscopy in three years. The main purpose of this analysis was to see if I had developed any additional pollyps, one of which was determined to be pre-cancerous in my previous scope.

As I had thought, the worst part was the prep, where I had to drink 2 liters of a substance roughly akin to drinking storm drain water. Once that was complete, I felt much better. The scope itself was brief, painless and non-memorable (thanks to the Verced).

For people who should get one, don't hesitate. It is such a simple procedure, which is mostly painless and it can, in fact, save your life.

I am likely to have at least one every five years for the rest of my life to assure the doctors and myself that I am not developing colon cancer (a slow moving but very deadly killer).

And, after not eating for nearly 48 hours, my first meal was terriyaki chicken from the local grocery store in Tualatin, Haagen. It was even better than I remembered.

Whiz Wit'

Last night, my good friend Mat came over for a weekly bull session/barbecue and we grilled up some flank steak (choice from Fred Meyer, only $2.50 per pound) for a menu item he refers to as a "Whiz Wit'" which is basically a Philly Cheese Steak minus the peppers. It includes steak (sliced), onions, a french roll and of course, Cheese Whiz. Yes, it is as good as it sounds, particularly since we used Walla Wallas for the onions.

Once a week we try to get together and cook up some kind of different meal (utilizing his culinary expertise). Since it is the Summer now, we have largely been barbecuing, which we both enjoy tremendously. Kari doesn't benefit as much since she won't eat most any kind of meat, but she is quite a good sport.

Pseudoephedrine

Recently, the Oregon legislature became the first in the country to require a prescription to get common cold medicine.

First, some points of reference:

For the past year or so, all pseudoephedrine products are located in the pharmacy, "behind the counter," and require proof of identification to purchase these products (Sudafed, Migraine and allergy medication).

Also, Washington state does not require a prescrption for this medicine (although they also may hold the products behind the counter).

It is not required by Oregon State law for a doctor to meet with a patient to dispense prescriptions.

As with all things government, their intentions are good. Obviously, methanphetamine is a dangerous illicit drug. Furhter, we do not wants labs which turn pseudoephedrine (and other ingredients) into methanphetamine. However, requiring a prescription will only serve to harm the vast majority of the population. People will spend far more time going to their doctors because of the common cold. This will monopolize doctors valuable time and increase the cost of health care.

Further, if we want to prevent the conumption of methanphetamine, this will not work. We already know that other drugs with completely illegal ingredients are prevalent in the state, despite the fact that you cannot legally obtain any of the ingredients (such as heroin, cocaine, and marijuana).

If we want to prevent the manufacture of these drugs in the state (homemade labs), this legislation will not impact that aspect either. Drug dealers can import pseudoephedrine in from Washington, Idaho, California, or as is currently common, Mexico. Because of these restrictions, the cost (and therefore profit) of methanphetamine will rise, encouraging additional participants into the market, especially organized crime.

So we have to ask ourselves, how do we reduce consumption and production of a drug (or anything for that matter). Economically speaking, to reduce demand of any item with inelastic demand (not price sensitive), requires allowing people to choose not to consume that item on their own (such as cigarettes). Unfortunately, the only two items which work in this capacity are stigma and education. Price does not provide much impact. If we are looking to reduce supply of any item, it must become economically unattractive for the producers. This is caused by driving prices down, making it less profitable, driving high cost manufacturers out of business. This cannot be accomplished by any of the current legislation which will only drive prices higher.

Judge Roberts Again

As some of his recent writings are coming to light, I find the judge more and more to my liking. In one memo, Judge Roberts suggested that the government shouldn't attempt to motivate housewives to become lawyers (presumably anybody, as the last thing this nation needs is more lawyers).

Additionally, he penned the below (from the Washington Post), which is equally humorous.

"While some of the tales of woe emanating from the Court are enough to bring tears to the eyes, it is true that only Supreme Court Justices and school children are expected to and do take the entire summer off," Roberts wrote. But, he added, there was an upside to that break: "We know that the Constitution is safe for the summer."

Judge John Roberts

Say what you will about the President (as a matter of full disclosure, I voted for President Bush in 2000, but not 2004), but despite the joke that he is continuously "misunderestimated," he continues to be underestimated.

This is amazing considering all of the press attempting to trip him up. The Roberts pick was truly brilliant. As I have said before and will continue to say, those who underestimate the President and dismiss him as an idiot, do so at their own peril. Despite being a poor public speaker, he is a very smart guy (especially politically).

Roberts is a great pick whom, unless someone finds a Klan robe in his closet, will win confirmation. The President could have picked any number of candidates but made a good choice. He could have been swayed by some strategists who undoubtedly wanted him to pick a woman. He could have been swayed by his own feelings and picked an Hispanic. But, he chose to pick a candidate who will flummox the Democrats, and that is exactly what is happening. In fact, President Bush has nearly single-handedly turned public opinion against NARAL, the pro-abortion group, without saying a word.

Further, Senator Hillary Clinton, who is likely running for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008, finds herself backed into a corner. She even came out modestly in support for Judge Roberts, subject to her own investigation.

From a strategic point of view, this pick is doing what Karl Rove never could. If the Democrats think they can get the President to nominate a democrat to the Supreme Court, they have made a serious miscalculation and will suffer because of it.

Recent Happenings

As of today, Kari and I are still recovering from a wicked Summer cold which we have had for more than a week, but we are certainly feeling better. I can't remember the last time I had a cold in the Summer time. In fact, I can't really remember the last time I had a cold, period, but it's definately not fun. The one plus is that I was able to finish reading my last book. Aside from that, though, I am just glad to be feeling better.

It is supposed to be in the high 80's today, and I am looking forward to some barbecue, and perhaps one or two ice cold beers.

Polling Data

As someone who is somewhat versed in statistics, I find the media's fascination with polls to be....fascinating. It is truly amazing how many polls tell different stories and how some data is outright manipulated. It is also an interesting American (possibly international, but definately American) phenomenon that people want to be part of the middle or average. For whatever reason, if you tell somebody to answer a question yes, no, or maybe, they will usually choose maybe.

I can't explain why this is, but it does help to answer alot of questions about how insignificant polling data is.

For example, I was looking into polling data on the issue of abortion. One poll, conducted at the beginning of the month suggested that about 15% of this country believes that there should be more restrictions nationwide on abortion. 33% believes that abortions should only be performed in the case of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is in danger. Another 15% believes that only an endangered woman's life warrants a legal abortion, and 5% say abortions should never be legal. This is a rather nondescript question more subject to "middling" as some people might call it.

On the other hand, in a poll conducted in April by Fox News/Opinion Dynamics suggested that 72% of respondents believe that children (women under the age of 18) must require the consent of their parents to receive an abortion. A CBS News poll in July confirms this. This issue is less subject to "middling" because it is a specific question.

The news media should use less polls to attempt to figure out what they want to know, because until they are done correctly, they won't reveal anything

The Estate Tax

The estate tax has been making the rounds in the press lately. I find the debate to be quite lame. I'd rather not focus on who deserves to be taxed on their death (at what price point), and rather focus on the righteousness of such a tax in the first place.

As in too many debates, people get lost in the details. The estate tax, like the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) because people don't seem to have a problem forcing the wealthy to pay an unfair tax. After all, they have enough money, right?

I'm sorry, but that is where I end the debate. The estate tax is a Communist idea, probably developed by Karl Marx in his "Communist Manifesto." In fact, the concept is plank #3, "Abolition of All Rights of Inheritance."

The principle in and of itself is so un-American, it is surprising that any Americans will stand for it. If the tax were to affect all American families, rather than just the very wealthy, at least it would be intellectually consistent. But, unfortunately, that would also likely completely erode the support of the tax.

I have no problems with wealthy people paying more in taxes than the poor (numerically, not on a rate basis, which is plank number 2 on the Marx hit list), but tax these individuals in ways that are consistent regardless of wealth. You can certainly find a way to make sure that these families pay their "fair share."

Recent Reading

My most recent book was called, "Highlanders" by Yo'av Karny. I found the book to be the most in-depth of current issues surrounding many of the states within the Caucasus region. For now, this shall be the end of my studies of the Caucasus. My next journey takes me a little east to Uzbekistan in a book called, "Chasing the Sea." I will keep you up to date, but thus far it is quite interesting. The author, Tom Bissell, was a Peace Corps volunteer from the mid-90's and is roughly my age, so it is certainly an interesting perspective.

After this, I am going to read more about the Mongol invasion and how it impacted this region of the world.

Two Proufound Events

I may be naive about such things, but it seems there were two recent profound events that recently ocurred that should have implications for years.

The first, and most important, was the passing of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. While in a coma for nearly a decade, certain factions of the Saudi royal family have been hoping for him to outlive the Crowned Prince Abdullah (now King Abdullah). This faction believed Abdullah to be too much of a reformer in the kingdom. Fortunately for this country, that faction has lost. Now we shall see the direction the kingdom shall take.

Second is the United States involvement in Kyrgystan and Uzbekistan. Both countries recently asked us to wrap up our military involvement in those countries in relation to our operations in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan is by far the least democratic of the two nations and has recently been accused of slaughtering several hundred dissidents. Despite our military necessity, we have been diplomatically nudging Uzbekistan to reform, which admittedly will be a difficult task. After hearing too much of this, Islam Karimov (president of Uzbekistan) asked the US to leave. To our credit, we did not tone down our reformer rhetoric despite our interests there (not to mention from an energy perspective). If we can follow through, this shall have positive ramifications for years to come.