My Internet connection is back up, though I am now buried in a bunch of things that need doing that I couldn't do while down. So I'll move through one of those items now: a post. Some observations: George Bush saw some very critical success this week. South Korea dismantles its nuclear weapons program. Two down, one to go? Iraq, of course, being one of the items gone, and frankly the success is going so well these days that news of it has all but disappeared from the headlines. The Supreme Court voted to uphold the Second Amendment's proclamation that every American citizen has a right to keep and bear arms, and not just for the purposes of militia. The vote was 5-4, and were it not for the constructionist justices put forward by Bush, that decision might have gone the other way. (As evidenced by the braindead decision to not allow the death penalty for the morally corrupt who rape a child. That too went 5-4, but the wrong way. More reasons to support McCain, who pledges constructionist justices...) Speaking of McCain, good for him to suggest a $300 million prize for technology that helps us gain energy independence. Smart, looking to boost the private sector and not a permanent government solution. I received George Will's new book in the mail, and in the introduction, he says this: "For all the fascination with new media, I believe that books remain the most important carriers of ideas, and ideas are always the most important news. Hence books themselves are often news." I love that... "ideas are always the most important news." Yes, absolutely. Of course. And for that reason, I'm watching the McCain campaign with a measure of admiration, because McCain is beginning to promote workable ideas, such as drilling. You know... supply and demand and all that. At least he gets the concept, and doesn't want to punish the companies that produce what we need more of. Finally, on a personal note: my son, Nick, leaves for college tomorrow. I'm going to miss him. He's grown into a good man, who treats his girlfriend with respect and love, who works hard to be responsible for himself and carry his own weight, and who has a pretty easy way with people. He'll be successful in what he does. You know that when you meet him. It's a privilege to be his dad, and a week from now I'll drive north to Minneapolis to bring a few more of his things to him. We'll have lunch together that day. I'll look at his new pad. He'll be on his own. In a similar vein, my daughter, Bari, called me last night to tell me that she received her first insurance card through her work. It was hers, and she was proud of it. She's been living on her own for a couple of years, and this was kind of a big moment for her. One of the treasures of being a dad is being ringside for the greatest show on earth: watching your kids move through life and make their own decisions and enjoy successes and rise up from stumbles and engage people and send their ripples across this big pond of life. I don't know what the future holds for them, but I love to watch them steer toward it. | 
