Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic EvolutionSM
 Washington photo by me! |
America!
I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.
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"In 2005, a survey was conducted in thirty-four countries measuring the percentage of adults who accept evolution. The United States ranked thirty-third, just above Turkey. Meanwhile, high school students in the United States test below those of every European and Asian nation in their understanding of science and math. These data are unequivocal: we are building a civilization of ignorance."
Okay, as you can see from the above quote I'm growing more worried about my country each and every day. Nevertheless, I love America - its diversity, opportunity, freedoms, and wilderness areas can't be beat! I've lived in the United States all of my life and can only think of a few 8,000 metre peaks, or secluded tropical islands, where I'd rather be - So, it looks like I'll be here for the duration! I believe America is a special place that deserved my loyalty not only when I enlisted as a young man for four years of military service, but as I grow older on her soil as well.Also, America has been pretty good to me so I've tried to contribute in some small ways over the years. Some of that has included the four year enlistment I mentioned above, active reserve duty, various government jobs, volunteer work as an election commissioner and election judge. I've also worked, extensively, to protect our environment, promote Democracy (I know, you think we're only a Republic!), and continue working to protect our civil liberties. I've also served in our neighborhood caucus and have been elected to the Republican Party's county assembly for three different elections.
That being said, I still have my complaints - our growing population problem, the narrowing concentration of wealth and power, religious dominance of government (and society in general), needless wars and goofy alliances with Israel and other aggressive/expansionist states,* and a general disregard for the natural world and creation are issues of grave concern to me. Also, we've grown so accustomed to being wasteful (huge cars, huge homes, excessive packaging, wasted food, etc.) that we think it's normal! So, although there are a ton of good things in my country, there's also a lot of serious stuff that needs our immediate attention.
Therefore, I use this page, and most of my website, for what I believe to be a force for good. Although you and I don't have to agree on anything, we do need to speak up and provide our leaders with direction. It's just like Nobel Prize winner Günther Grass said, "The job of a citizen is to keep his mouth open."
*Over 200 years ago Thomas Jefferson reminded us, in effect, that we should engage in; "Free trade and commerce with all, entangling alliances with none."
 My favorite! |
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Washington, DC
Since the early 80s I've taken many business and personal trips to our nation's capitol. I really enjoy "DC" and am proud of how well it represents our country (despite its infamous crime rate, corrupt mayors, and incompetent city government...). The Smithsonian, parks, government buildings, memorials and statues are all worth the visit. The Metro is one of the easiest to use, well-kept subway systems I've been on and, I've been on a lot of 'em (from San Francisco's BART and Japan's Shinsanken to London's Tube and Amsterdam's Metro).So, although it's obvious I love "DC" I am becoming more concerned about it and the impact it has on the rest of our country.. The cost-of-living in and around Washington is sky-high with the crime rate following right behind. And, all those monuments and buildings I love so much have become armed fortresses since 9-11. Even a simple visit to the Library of Congress or Supreme Court requires passage through a gauntlet of police, undercover agents, X-ray machines and surly guards. I know it's a necessary evil in an age when we've created so many enemies but I can only wonder what the cost is in not only dollars, but to our freedoms and access to open government as well?
Anyway, below are a few photos of our nation's captiol - a place I always enjoy visiting and encourage others to do so as well!
Some trips I've taken to our nation's capitol:
(September '06 and April '07)
 US Capitol |
 White House |
 White House |
 White House roof gunmen |
 25 Year Peace vigil |
 Library of Congress |
 Smithsonian |
 Me & Secretary of Defense! |
 Metro Center |
 Supreme Court building |
 Korean War memorial |
 WWII CO Memorial |
 Vietnam War memorial |
 Vietnam War memorial |
 Vietnam statue |
 Senate ticket |
 Metro tickets |
I took most of these photos from
the top of the Washington Monument:
 Washington Monument |
 Waiting in line... |
 Dave, Bill, Grant & Dave |
 The top |
 White House |
 Washington Monument |
 Looking from the top |
 Lincoln Memorial |
 Jefferson Memorial |
 Capitol Building |
 Department of Commerce |
 Lincoln Memorial |
A side trip to Georgetown:
 Lynn, Danny & me |
 Tony, Lynn, Danny & me |
 Onion volcano |
 Benihana |
 Metro subway |
 Foggy Bottom |
Quotes
"If you listen to a lot of conservatives, they'll tell you that the difference between
them and us is that conservatives love America and liberals hate America.... They don't
get it. We love America just as much as they do. But in a different Way. You see, they
love America the way a 4-year-old loves her Mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups."To a 4-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is
bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad,
and helping your loved one grow. Love takes attention and work and is the best thing in the world."
"America wasn't built by conformists but by mutineers - we're a big, boisterous, bucking people and now is our time. Our democracy is being dismantled right in front of our eyes by our own ruling elites. This is a crucial moment when America desperately needs you and me to stand up as citizens. We are not only what democracy counts on, we are what democrcy is."
- Cindy Sheehan, at "Camp Casey" in Crawford, Texas (08-19-2005)
"The United States is unique among wealthy democracies in its level of religious adherence; it is also uniquely beleaguered by high rates of homicide, abortion, teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and infant mortality. The same comparison holds true within the United States itself: Southern and Midwestern states, characterized by the highest levels of religious literalism, are especially plagued by the above indicators of societal dysfunction, while the comparatively secular states of the Northeast conform to European norms."
- Sam Harris
Letter to a Christian Nation, p. 44
America:
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good
The American Dream (a parable)
A boat docked in a tiny Greek village. An American tourist complimented the Greek fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them."Not very long," answered the Greek.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.
The Greek explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings I go into the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have a MBA from Harvard and I can help you.
You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Athens, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise.""How long would that take?" asked the Greek.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?" "Afterwards?
That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing.
When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!""Millions? Really? And after that?"
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing and playing the bouzouki with your friends."
America's Religious Problem
"...the biblical God is a fiction, like Zeus and the other dead gods whom most sane human beings now ignore. Can you prove that Zeus does not exist? Of course not. And yet, just imagine if we lived in a society where people spent tens of billions of dollars of their personal income each year propitiating the gods of Mount Olympus, where the government spent billions more in tax dollars to support institutions devoted to these gods, where untold billions more in tax subsidies were given to pagan temples, where elected officials did their best to impede medical research out of deference to The Iliand and The Odyssey, and where every debate about public policy was subverted to the whims of ancient authors who wrote well, but who didn't know enough about the nature of reality to keep their excrement out of their food. This would be a horrific misappropriation of our material, moral, and intellectual resources. And yet that is exactly the society we are living in. This is the woefully irrational world that you and your fellow Christians are working so tirelessly to create."
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