Thoughts during physics

I finished my boats! Hoo-ray! Now it's on to a little Heat, Light, and Sound action where we are actually studying oscillations (how about that). Gosh, homework is amazing (keep a positive attitude).

After I posted my last...um...post, the program brought me to my main 'blog' screen where I saw the post I made about the first day of the Legislative session, and I realized that I hadn't addressed what happened there.

Tom Craddick is the Speaker of the House.

Basically, on the first day of session, after swearing everyone in, they started debate about how to elect the Speaker. They eventually had a vote as to whether the ballots (which were to be secret) would be revealed at the end of the day, after committee assignments were made, or destroyed altogether--a sort of test vote, if you will. The votes came in to reveal every one's choice at the end of the day. That meant that people were afraid to vote against Representative Craddick for fear of reprisal, so Representative Pitts withdrew from the race for Speaker. Fortunately, because the possibility of rebellion even came up, Rep. Craddick said that he would try to be a friendlier, more accommodating Speaker; and so far, that seems to be the case. It helps, I think, that there aren't as many hot button issues so far this session than there have been in the past, but I feel hopeful that he and some of the more controlling members have been scared enough by this episode that the House can return at least somewhat to its more cooperative days. Of course, there's no telling how this will affect their relationship with the Senate, but that's another story entirely.

I just realized that there have been more comments than I thought, and I would like to address one in particular. When I say that we should forgive and forget, I mean that we should forget that the action happened. We should be willing to give a person a fresh start and not hold things in their past against them. Surely, those events have helped form the person we see today, but that doesn't mean that they cannot change, even one-hundred-and-eighty degrees (heck, it happened to me). I certainly am not saying that we should forget the lessons associated with mistakes we make (if that were so, how would we ever learn?), or how said actions affect the people and world around us. I just think that God doesn't hold our pasts against us, so why should we? Forget the crime, not the lesson.

In other news, I'm probably not going to finish my physics homework for the night--I'll go in to my professor tomorrow morning and see if he can help me with it. I don't know why I'm a physics major--that's not true, I'm a physics major because I think it will help me become an astronaut. If I had wanted good grades, I would have been an economics major. Instead, I chose a life of pain (from beating my head against my desk, "body-hardening" if you will) and feeling dumb. I really like all the theory behind physics and I like seeing everything work, I just don't like actually solving problems (probably because I have such a hard time doing it). Oh well, I'll just exist in the belief that it's good for me and helps me learn how to think better and more rationally.

Quote for the night:
"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too can become great."
-Mark Twain

Prayer works. Keep doing it.

Thoughts with boats

Okay, I'm writing this sort of intermittently while I do my boats homework, because if I don't, I won't ever get the chance to write what I like like I said I would.

I really enjoyed that lecture by the CNR last week. He was a very good speaker, had a great topic to talk about, and I honestly think that he would make a great Forrestal speaker not only because the Brigade wouldn't fall asleep during the lecture, but also because a presentation like that is something that would encourage many people to further pursue careers in math and science research (something that there has been an expressed need for). It was really funny to me to listen to the lecture after thinking about the Internet and it's information spreading capabilities because that was a big point of the Admiral's talk. In fact, the first point he made was how our easy access to information and communication has changed our enemies and changed exactly how we must maintain our superiority. It's harder, but C2 (Command and Control) has changed recently, to C4 (Command, Control, Computers, and Communication), and we must establish and maintain superiority in all four of those areas in order to keep on top of the battlefield situation.

The other great thing that the CNR talked about (and what he spent most of the lecture on) was some of the new programs and technologies that the Naval Research Laboratory are working on (in many cases separately from DARPA, the other great defense science promoter). Of course, the 'guy' part of me sat there with my mouth open, drooling at the cool toys they were coming up with; but the other, scientist part of me was also absolutely amazed at how they have broken down the problem into distinct areas, and have started to solve them in new and super-imaginative ways. I think it's great.

Anyway, here's some good quotes that the CNR used in his power point:

"It is by devising new weapons, and above all by scientific leadership, that we shall best cope with the enemy's superior strength."
-Winston Churchill
China, anyone?

"If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?"
-Albert Einstein
That, I think, goes along well with the philosophy of Jump In! Even if you don't know how to swim. A lot of the things we want to do in life just come down to trying it or to walking out on a limb, putting ourselves outside our comfort zone to try something new.

"If technology doesn't seem like magic; it's probably obsolete."
I think this is why I love Google so much--because every few months, they come up with something new that I couldn't even imagine. The Internet, too. It's absolutely amazing the things that I have seen develop in my lifetime (there's just too many to name). What I worry about is that younger generations don't have that same appreciation because they've always had it. My brother and sister, for example, don't remember a world without the Internet and without a computer in the house. Nowadays, kiddos have a seemingly innate ability to absorb and integrate technological advances in their lives without much trouble at all. I'll admit that I like technology and try to use available resources whenever I can and whenever I know about them; but it takes, I think, more effort for me than for my brother or younger friends to learn about and how to use new, seemingly magical technologies. It kind of makes me feel old, but at least I can appreciate the feeling of living in a magical, wondrous world.

Information

I have a few minutes before I have to go to a presentation by the Chief of Naval Research about technology development in the Navy. I was just thinking today how there is never enough time to absorb all the information I want to know and then to disseminate it back out to help people. With the Internet, magazine subscriptions (Time and Texas Monthly for me), television (Meet the Press on Sundays), newspaper (The Annapolis Capital is the local paper, and I get the Austin American Statesman by e-mail), especially Google and Wikipedia (they take up their own category because of the revolution that they have caused in the Internet), and, of course, our wonderful libraries and book-stores, there is far too much information for any one person to be up on it all.

I really wish I could know it all, and I try very hard to read at least a little something every night, but sometimes it seems like I can't ever get it all in. It's frustrating not to be able to read all the books I want to--that was the thing I said I missed most about Plebe Summer--and only now, this year (only having technical classes with problems and no reading homework) do I have the time to look at the things I want to. I wish it were enough. I've got to go (time is always pressing, isn't it?).

We're gonna have a floor fight

As you may know, I am fairly “into” Texas politics. As you may not know, the 80^th Texas Legislature convenes today, 9 January 2007, at Noon, and the first day looks to be a doozy.

The Texas Constitution is set up so that the Legislature meets every two years for 140 days and that’s it. In that time, all bills must be filed (though, really, most are actually filed before convening), debated in committee, revised, debated on the floor, passed on to the other house, debated there, passed, revised in conference committee, and then given to the Governor for his signature. The most important thing to do is pass a budget for the state for the next two years; and the most important people in that process are the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor (President of the Senate), the Comptroller (who controls the money), and the Speaker of the House. The Speaker and Lt. Governor especially have power because they are the ones who control the calendars for each house (what bills get heard, when), and who make committee assignments and appoint the chairs of each committee (where the real revising and debating of bills occurs).

Anyway, two years ago, I was working in the office of my then State Representative, Todd Baxter (R-48 Austin). The first day of session, as is custom, was largely ceremonial, where the members filed into the House (similar happenings occur in the Senate, just with slightly different rules), agreed on rules (pretty much the same from year-to-year), elected a Speaker (the incumbent from the “Texas Republican Revolution” a couple of years before), passed the blocker bill, and greeted their family, friends, and staff who had been watching from the Gallery and televisions throughout the Capitol. Basically, it’s a day to have a party in your office, and for the staffers with no particular attachment (like me) to walk around the building trying to find the best office party. Day 2 of the session is when things will get more business like and return to what people think of politics (the scheming, backstabbing liars).

Not so this year.

A few weeks ago, Brian McCall (R-66 Plano) announced not only that he would be running for Speaker of the House against fellow Republican Tom Craddick (the incumbent), but that he had the votes pledged to win. Add to that the fact that a week or so later, another Republican, Jim Pitts (R-10 Waxahachie), threw his hat into the ring, and we have one heck of an interesting race. McCall initially ran because he wanted to offer an alternative to Craddick’s strong-arm intimidation tactics as Speaker. To get into a list of Craddick’s apparent offenses would take too long, but suffice it to say that I’m glad that some one finally has enough courage to openly stand up to him. McCall claimed the Democratic vote (the Democrats control 69 of the 149 House seats—one is empty awaiting a special election), and much of the liberal Republican vote; however, I think what Pitts said when he entered the race was about right: that he [Pitts] was a good compromise candidate between Democrats and Republicans. Many Republicans were worried that, while McCall would be more bipartisan and open than Craddick, he would end up representing Democratic interests more than it appeared on the surface. That’s why, only a week ago, McCall dropped out of the race and started lending his support to Pitts. Some of his followers (especially the Democrats), I think, were a little put off by this surprise announcement, but it seems like a fair number of them have gone over to the Pitts camp.

Basically, that’s the back-story, but nobody really knows what is going to happen until the vote actually happens. Usually, members sign pledge cards before session even starts, and they don’t really stage a coup against the incumbent (unless, of course, a new party comes into power). That way, everyone knows before the session even starts who is going to be Speaker, so the first day with a roll-call vote is largely ceremonial. This year, though, there is so much confusion and back-room deal making that it’s an impossible race to call. Therefore, today’s vote is very important, and it’s very important how it’s conducted. A voice roll-call vote would favor Craddick because he could see who votes against him, and punish them if he loses (good ‘ol intimidation). Of course, that is the only way that constituents can see how their Representatives vote in one of the most important votes in the session. The other way to do it (that would supposedly favor Pitts) would be a secret Speaker ballot. That protects members from intimidation, but also hides the vote from the constituents of the state. I, for one, favor the secret ballot in this case because the threat of retribution is a very real one, and the Speaker race is normally conducted somewhat in the background anyway (I realize that that’s not very good justification, but I just feel in my heart that this needs to be a secret ballot). The members will determine how the voting is to be conducted today before they actually elect the Speaker. A vote for a secret ballot could be seen as a vote against Craddick, but I don’t think so. To me, it seems more just like a vote against intimidation and strong-arm tactics.

I feel hopeful about this session, and I’m interested in seeing exactly how today and the next four months turn out.

“If the legislature didn’t have fat people, or lazy people, or stupid people, it wouldn’t be representative.”

-State Representative Patrick Rose

Forgive

Well, it’s been a week and a half since I posted last, and about that long since something’s come up to post about. I suppose that there’s just so much going on in the world that I’ve been experiencing that ‘churning’ effect that old computers get when they have too much to think about so they end up not producing anything. I’m kind of bad about that, but I’ll work on it as much as I can (I suppose it’s finally time for me to join the modern era). Of course, I haven’t been completely useless. I’ve spent a lot of my final time at home packing a few things, spending time with my siblings, going out with some of my friends, and really reading a lot of stuff that I wanted to get read. Not that those things were books, but I had a large back-up of magazines and newspaper articles that I wanted to slog through and I’m happy to say that I finally did (perhaps I shouldn’t say ‘magazines;’ it sounds much more erudite, I think, to say ‘periodicals’). That, in turn, provided a few more things to talk about, a few more reasons to delay posting (though, admittedly, not very good reasons), and just carried the cycle further.

No more.

Now, even if it does mean sitting in my bed and typing (which, I’m currently discovering, is an incredibly comfortable and conducive way of doing it), I will get some things done. I’m not promising anything long, anything good, or anything incredibly frequent. So really, I’m not promising anything at all except that when I have something to talk about, I will talk about it.

So then, what do we have to talk about today? Well, I feel as though I should hop on the bandwagon and mention the death of former President Ford. I’ll admit that I don’t know a whole lot about him and his presidency—I wasn’t really around for it, after all—but I still feel as though one major thing about him should be discussed: his forgiveness. When President Ford issued his full and complete pardon to President Nixon shortly after taking office, people were very angry with him. They wanted restitution for what they perceived Nixon did to the country, and the presidential pardon meant that ‘justice’ would not be served. Many people say that that single action cost President Ford the election against then-Governor Carter a few years later. I’m not entirely convinced of that, but certainly, President Ford exhibited the courage to do the right thing even in the face of enormous opposition. Often, the right thing, the thing that will, in the long-run, end up bringing more peace and healing to the nation (state, group, pair, life) is not the easy option. Fortunately, President Ford knew that the nation just needed to get out of the funk it had been in for the past decade, and that the best way to do that would be the way that God does it—forgive and forget. So, with the words “Our long national nightmare is finally over,” it was. And that is such a good feeling.

I have more to write about, but I don’t have a good transition, so I’ll leave with the traditional quote and write more in another post.

"I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat, and a gun."
-Detective Philip Marlowe