2/7/98: Pledging

At many public gatherings and assemblies throughout our nation, from classrooms to City Council meetings, recitation of the "Pledge of Allegiance" is both a customary and mandatory activity. While the fact that this "pledge" violates both grammatical rules and the nation's constitutional separation of church and state, it is the repetition of the pledge, rather than its content, that most distresses me.

Specifically, it bothers me that my word is held in such low regard by those hosting these public gatherings that they insist that I re-commit my fealty to the country's flag and republic every time I meet with them. Isn't a single one of my pledges sufficient for these people? Do they imagine that my pledge has a half-life, or do they fear that I will revoke my pledge immediately following my departure from the assembly?

Oh thou purveyors of mindless repitition, know this:  Once I have made a pledge in your presence, that pledge remains in force unless and until I revoke it in your presence. Hence, I beseech you to no longer require or expect me to continually re-pledge myself to flag and country, as such conduct diminishes us both.

12/2/97: Gambling

Have you ever noticed that while most forms of gambling are illegal in most states, "investing" is not. I couldn't understand why that was so until I realized this essential difference between the two:

• When you gamble, you are risking your money on the chance that an event (e.g., the team you select will improve its win/loss ratio) will occur, whereas
• When you invest, you are risking your money on the chance that an event (e.g., the company whose stock you select will improve its price/earnings ratio) will occur.

I'm glad I got that cleared up.

11/15/97: Hunting

I wonder why they call the sport "hunting".  The point, after all, is "killing", isn't it?  Besides, "hunting" these days consists mostly of finding a good spot, then sitting and waiting for the defenseless and unsuspecting animal to walk or fly by.  Perhaps it should be called "waiting" or "ambushing".  And now that I think of it, I wonder why they call it a "sport". ^{A note about guns}