Yet another example

I recently commented on the separation of church and state. That post was in the context of gay marriage.

Reading today's Times, I see yet another example of people who either don't get it or are so unpatriotic and treasonous to the principles upon which this nation was founded that they don't care; they just want to advance their own beliefs.

I won't go through all of the details in the article. You can read it yourself--and I encourage you to do so. It's quite troubling that we have an Executive branch that sees no problem with religion-based initiatives funded with tax dollars. In fact, the head of the "White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives" (and that such an office even exists is pretty troubling) says that a judge's ruling, ordering a religious group to give back tax dollars, is unfair. While I'm sure it's a blow to the group and that they acted on the assurances of government representatives who told them they could have the funding, what's really unfair is that my money is going to teach people about a religion that I don't believe in!

Anyhow, feel free to read the article. It's a sad commentary, but I hope enough people are waking up now to really change the face of politics in America.

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On a lighter note, I'm not sure what to make of this, but my rental car experience this week made me worry that I'm getting old.

Let me first say that I drive a gas-guzzling SUV now. I'm not proud of the gas guzzling and would have bought a hybrid if such was offered, but my Explorer is used for many needs around here, so there it is. I offset its low economy by buying pollution tax credits through Carbonfund.org, and I think that helps. But that's another story.

Before the SUV, I had a Volvo S80 T6. It was a beautiful car with great handling and tons of power and speed from it's twin-turbocharged engine. My point is that I'm not usually into the kind of car we rented, but I was curious about it so we gave it a try.

So what did we get for a rental car during this week's ill-fated trip to Atlanta? A Buick.

Yes, a Buick. A Buick Lacrosse, to be specific. We rented from National. Their prices were pretty good, but, based on what we saw, Hertz has nothing to worry about! A well-oiled machine they are not, at least not in Atlanta.

Getting back to the point, we got a Buick, and it was really nice! It handled nicely, had strong acceleration and a very comfortable ride. I was impressed! It wasn't of the caliber of my old Volvo, but I'm sure it doesn't cost anywhere near what the Volvo did, either.

So now I'm worried that this is a sign of old age. When you start liking Buicks, can the old folks home be far behind? :)