Turbulence

How many of you are or know someone who is afraid of flying?

I've never really paid much attention to why or how some people could be afraid of flying. After all, the statistics of dying while you fly are much less than those of you dying while driving a car; yet most people drive on a daily basis.

It doesn't make sense does it? Being the cynical human beings that we are, we have a tendency to focus on the most negative things that can happen to us. This would explain why people develop a fear for flying.

A little bit ago I had to take a flight from Miami back to New York and this is one of the planes I had to take.



This plane only sits twelve people and if you are afraid of flying, never ever take one of these planes. The plane is so small that there is about 6 to 10 inches between you and the passenger next to you. Additionally, I was seated in the very first seat so I was about three feet away from the cockpit.



As we taxi off the runway I see both pilots struggling to keep the plane straight. Additionally it looked like the co-pilot was in training which didn't help my nerves at all. As the engines rev harder you feel every single bump on the road and it's at this time that you start thinking the worst. You almost keep your head down all the way till the plane finally takes off the runway. Once in the air, you still feel a sense of danger because the engines are extremely loud and the plane isn't like your average 747 airplane.

I do remember at one point thinking of what Richie Valens went through during his last moments. I remember saying to myself, "what if". Luckily for you and me, nothing happened and of course I'm still here.



When was the last time you'd think that these tiny steps were the one thing you longed to see? I know that once I got off the plane I was again glad to be alive. Not because of a fear of dying, but because life is too short to worry about what is not in our control.

What scares the hell out of you?

Misdirection

I haven't really decided which candidate I'm endorsing this year but I have been given a direction in which to go in. Once again, people in this country are spreading lies and fear of a candidate based on incorrect information. The target this time is Barrack Obama.

You would think that we would know that we're not supposed to mix religion with politics, but that hasn't stopped some religious people from lying to get their agenda across.

Here is a current email going around:

Who is Barack Obama?

Very interesting and something that should be considered in your
choice.

If you do not ever forward anything else, please forward this to all your contacts...this is very scary to think of what lies ahead of us here in our own United States...better heed this and pray about it and share it..

We checked this out on "snopes.com". It is factual. Check for yourself.

Who is Barack Obama?

Probable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black MUSLIM from Nyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white ATHEIST from Wichita, Kansas.

Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii. When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced.. Hi s father returned to Kenya. His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a RADICAL Muslim from Indonesia.? When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocate to Indonesia. Obama attended a MUSLIM school in Jakarta. He also spent two years in a Catholic school.

Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school." Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that that he is not a radical.

Obama's introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best.. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son's education.

Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam.. Obama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta.

Wahabism is the RADICAL teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world. Since it is politically expedient to be a CH RISTIAN when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim
background. ALSO, keep in mind that when he was sworn into office he DID NOT use the Holy Bible, but instead the Koran.

Barack Hussein Obama will NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance nor will he show any reverence for our flag. While others place their hands over their hearts, Obama turns his back to the flag and slouches.

Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidential candidacy.

The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the US from the inside out, what better way to start than at the highest level - through the President of the United States, one of their own!!!!

Please forward to everyone you know. Would you want this man leading
our country?...... NOT ME!!!

Let's analyze this email for one second. The first thing that comes to mind here is the fact that the writer of the email says to check out www.snopes.com to verify the authenticity of their claims. This is probably the MOST ridiculous of all things considering that no website out there has any authority to say what is real and what isn't. But in the interest of fact checking I went to snopes.com and checked out the info on Barrack Obama. Guess what? What they claim to be real actually isn't. Check out the link yourself: www.snopes.com/politics/obama/obama.asp.

The link contradicts what they claim in the email. So much for verification. Aside from ALL of this, the mere fact that there is a campaign out there to scare people into believing that somebody of a different faith or different thought is somehow evil is simply ridiculous in it's own right.

The fact that Barrack Obama may not put his hand over his heart when the Pledge of Allegiance is being said is supposed to be horrible? We have had baseball players, students, and many other people TURN AROUND or not stand up when the Pledge of Allegiance has been said, so now it's an issue? The other people who didn't raise their hand to their heart did it in protest of this nations policies, wars, and other things we disagree with. Somehow I fail to see how this is something that is supposed to change my vote? I see that as more patriotic in the sense that you are speaking your mind in a nation that allows the freedom of expression.

Lastly, I hope that any of you who receive such emails do your fact checking before making your choice based on wrong information. I still cannot believe that this nation has people who will go out of their way to spread lies in order to achieve their agenda. It's sickening!

---

P.S. I am neither endorsing or refusing Barrack Obama as a candidate. I would react this way about any of our candidates.

Islamophobia

Do you remember when back in June of 2005 I wrote a post about having seen a couple of Muslim guys in the train station with a big black bag?

There's a small follow up on this story. I recently found this site that was linked to the post in question and it's in Arabic. So what do I make of this? Wouldn't it be better that I understand what is being said about my blog?

They took all my text and pasted it on their own group page, without my permission. So....if you know anyone that can read Arabic, please show em this post and IF they could..... translate what's at the bottom. I ask this because it's better to know before I start coming to my own conclusions. They may very well be complimenting me for the way I looked at the incident at that time.

Who knows...

P.S. The photos and incident were submitted to New York City specialized people in such cases. I was interviewed and printed out the pics for them. They were quite thankful and it was interesting being around them and hearing all the other "tips" they get.