When I first heard of it, I was very excited about Google Wave. What got me was the way it was introduced. The Google rep posed the question, “What if e-mail were invented now, what would it look like?”

It’s an interesting question and their answer, Wave, was a good one. I can’t describe it accurately enough, but the closest I can come is to say it’s a combination of e-mail, wiki, chat and some other stuff. It’s really a great idea.

After watching the video, I was excited. The collaborative potential thing this has is thru the roof. I WANT Wave!

What? I have to get an invite? Damn it! That could take a year.

Well, it didn’t take a year. In fact, I somehow managed to get one from my Mom who somehow managed to get it from someone.

Great, now I’m on Google Wave. No one uses it.

I’ve got a dozen friends who should love this thing and only one even checks the damn thing.

I think I know why. We already have an internet infrastructure set up. We already have e-mail. We already have wikis. We already have instant messaging. Wave is not wildly different enough to get us to switch, or even remember it exists.

In my opinion, it is an amazingly good idea with tremendous potential, but because no one’s using it, it’ll just remain potential.

I bet this is how it feels to be excited about some sort of hydrogen powered car with out a filling station to fuel up.

Supposedly there’s some big sports event this weekend. I’m guessing that event would be tomorrow night’s UFC: 109. After all, who isn’t interested in seeing 46 year old Randy Couture take on 45 year old Mark Coleman?

If you’re not interested, you are either not a fan of the sport itself or you don’t know you’re history.

These two guys are two of the most important figures in UFC history. Both have not only been champions but they’ve actually influenced major portions of how the men who step into the cage fight.

It’s not like these two guys are in wheelchairs. Yes, they are past their prime, but they are still strong in their areas of expertiese. They still have the passion to win. The only difference is, they’re both smarter fighters than they were when this match was supposed to happen 10 years ago.

I can’t wait for this one.

Oh, yeah, the rest of the card looks pretty good too.

Steve: 135 - 86 (32 perfect picks)

Josh: 127 - 94 (35 perfect picks)

Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman

Steve: I hate this fight!  Two of my all time favorite fighters.  This is really tough.  If it goes to decision, judges seem to always favor Couture. Randy has better conditioning, better gamesmanship, more well rounded. They both have great heart. Coleman is a better wrestler and is definitely stronger. Coleman finishes most of his fights, Randy does not. I hate this.  But I am going to go for the underdog, and go Coleman, 3rd KO.

Josh: Really? Coleman has better wrestling? I’ll give Coleman the advantage in the strength department. That’ll help for the first round of the fight, then Coleman will be completely gassed and Randy’s superior conditioning will steer him to the victory. I see this fight going to a decision and ending with Randy’s hand raised.

Nate Marquardt vs Chael Sonnen

Josh: Nate Marquardt is one of those guys that I’ve overlooked until his last few fights. The man is just a dominant fighter. I think he’s way to much or Chael to handle. Marquardt gets the decision.

Steve: Chael is a good wrestler… but not as good as Nate.  And with his size, power, submission and now knock out advantage, I don’t see Chael having a chance.  Nate, 2^nd KO.

Mike Swick vs Paulo Thiago

Steve: Thiago has never been that impressive. His knock out of Josh Koscheck was a fluke. I see Swick making a return to old form… I see Mike “Quick” Swick KO in the 1^st. He needs to bounce back to the contender’s section.

Josh: This one’s tough for me. Maybe it’s because I’m buying into the Thiago hype; maybe it’s because I never bought into the Swick hype. Either way, this is a tough call for me. I’ll go against my instinct and say Swick overwhelms Thiago with a KO in the 1^st.

Demian Maia vs Dan Miller

Josh: This is tough. I have a couple friends who train with the Miller brothers and they’re always talking up how great those guys are. I’d love to side with them every time, but Maia is on a level when it comes to submissions that few have even seen. Demian Maia with a 2^nd round submission.

Steve: This is an intriguing match up… wrestler vs jui-jitsu master.  I see Maia winning this one via 2^nd submission.

Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg

Steve: Another intriguing match up.  Serra is close to retirement, Trigg wants a comeback.  In theory, Serra is better in all aspects aside from wrestling, but I really think Trigg needs this, and he will fight to the end.  Trigg, by decision.

Josh: In my opinion, Matt Serra beat Matt Hughes. He also had a pretty good showing against GSP considering how tough GSP really is. I think Serra is one of those guys that people will never give enough credit to. I’m picking Matt via 2^nd round RNC submission.

Mac Danzig vs Justin Buchholz

Josh: Danzig bores me and he’ll probably bore me again as he grinds his way to a decision win. Don’t get me wrong, he’d completely kick my ass in a fight, but I’d probably yawn half way thru it.

Steve: Mac has definitely been the biggest bust in TUF winners.  He has lost so many of his recent fights, I believe the UFC is giving him whoever they think he can beat.  Mac, 2^nd submission.

Melvin Guillard vs Ronys Torres

Steve: Melvin is a solid performer, but it all depends on which Melvin shows up.  If his heart is in it, he will win just about every time. Guillard, 2^nd sub.

Josh: I’ve never been impressed by Melvin Guillard. He’s fun to watch, but I enjoy it even more when he’s tapping out. I’m thinking he’ll be tapping from a RNC by Torres in the 1^st.

Phillip Nover vs Rob Emerson

Josh: Yeah…Torres’s record idn’t so good. I’m going to have to pick Emerson by…some well placed punches. TKO. 2^nd.

Steve: Nover needs to get back on track and Emerson is just the type of guy who will give him a reasonable test without overwhelming him. Nover, 2^nd submission

Brian Stann vs Phil Davis

Steve: I really don’t know Phil Davis.  Stann is a slow and plodding ex-Marine who does an adequate job but never really impresses.  I give it to Stann, decision.

Josh: Phil Davis by surprise TKO in the 1^st. Why? I have no idea who the hell this guy is, but he looks like the kind of guy who would do that.

Tim Hague vs Chris Tuchsherer

Josh: Haven’t seen much from Tuchsherer. His only fight in the UFC was a losst to Gonzaga. Tough to gauge from that.  I say Tuchsherer by decision. I realize that’s risky, but accept full responsibility.

Steve: This is a fight that could go either way.  Hague is the guy who was destroyed by Todd Duffee in the record breaking fastest KO in UFC history.  I believe if he gets beat, he will be out of the UFC. Because of that, I will give it to him, by decision.

Mustapha Al Turk vs Rolles Gracie

Steve: Rumor is, Mustapha is out.  Regardless, how can you go against a Gracie returning to the Octagon… especially one in the Heavyweight division?  Rolles Gracie, 3^rd submission.

Josh: How could I not pick Rolles Gracie? How could I not pick him to win by submission in the 1^st? What kind of Jiu Jitsu guy would I be if I said any different?

As many of my friends and family know, I’m not a huge fan of President Obama. He seems like a decent person, a brilliant politician, and someone who wants to grow the size and reach of government well beyond our current level. To me, the current level is unacceptably large to a people who want to call themselves free.

But that’s now what this is about. I’m here to defend this guy today.

The President was giving a speech in which he said:

“This isn’t how responsible families do their budgets. When times are tough, you tighten your belts. You don’t go buying a boat when you can barely pay your mortgage. You don’t blow a bunch of cash on Vegas when you’re trying to save for college. You prioritize. You make tough choices. And it’s time your government did the same.”

Then the Sean Hannitys and the mayor of Las Vegas responded with something like, “Ohhh, does the President have it out for Las Vegas? He must hate Las Vegas? I guess he doesn’t care about the people of Las Vegas!”

Stop!

Where was he wrong? If you’re trying to be responsible with your money, Sean, would you take a trip to Vegas? Of course not.

Las Vegas is almost a generic term for a place where you toss money into a hole for fun. “Las Vegas” as the President used it, at least to me, would also include Reno, Atlantic City, any riverboat casino, and even non gambling destinations like Disney World. When you’re trying save for college, you don’t “blow a bunch of cash” in these places.

It’s nitpicky garbage like this that make some of these people intolerable. Guys like Hannity do make good points, but when they attack every little thing for the sake of attacking, it takes some of the validity away from the more serious issues.

Now to the mayor’s complaining about how comments like these damage tourism. It’s not one line in the President’s speech that’s hurting Vegas, it’s the people tightening up their budgets, and you just don’t fit. He should stop complaining and start working to figure out a way for his city to prosper in an economy that doesn’t support the uninhibited spending of money that Vegas currently thrives on.

On the smaller side, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel got into hot water when he privately called a group of liberal activists “fucking retarded.”

I’m sorry, what’s the problem? Sounds like an accurate description to me.

I’ve done this before, so let me do it again quickly, “retarded” is a word with a meaning. Here, here it is:

slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress

There’s a difference between calling someone “retarded” and calling them a “retard”. Just because some people get offended at the word “retarded” doesn’t make the word itself bad enough to refer to as “the r-word”. If used properly, it’s perfectly valid.

I’m short, I don’t like being called “short”. In some instances, such as needing to get things off of top shelf, being sort is somewhat of a disability. Maybe I’ll look to ban “the s-word”.

Everyone has tips on how to lose weight. Sometimes it’s good advice, but usually they’re just things that sound like good ideas until you give them a half moment’s worth of thought.

This article is about 50/50 when it comes to advice. 50% ho-hum who cares tips and 50% garbage.

Quit the clean plate club. One in four Americans eat everything they’re served no matter how big the portions, surveys reveal. A better strategy: Eat a healthy portion, then stop. It’s better to waste a little food (and save it for tomorrow) than to overload your body.

Oh yeah, I don’t have to eat EVERYTHING on my plate. If just stopping was so easy, then why do I need this tip? If only I had a built in signal from my stomach to my brain that tells me when I’m done eating. Oh, wait, I do. I don’t listen to that, so why would I listen to you?

Besides, don’t you know there are starving children in *insert country* that would just love to have that food?

Never eat directly out of the bag, box, or carton. Put the portion on the plate right away and put the package away, then sit down and enjoy.

You JUST said that we’re inclined to eat everything on the plate anyway, so what difference does it make if I eat everything in the bag or pour the bag onto a plate and eat everything that way? Is it just because I’m using a few extra calories to grab the plate?

Like big portions? Do this. Overload your plate with vegetables or salad with a smidgen of dressing or have a big, steaming bowl of broth-based soup. These water-rich, low-fat foods are so low in calories that a big portion isn’t a problem.

If I liked vegetables that much, I probably wouldn’t need these tips. I think it’s the way asparagus makes me gag that steers me towards the extra slice of pizza. To get the horrendous taste out of my mouth.

Use a salad plate as your dinner plate. Less real estate means automatic portion control.

Why stop at a salad plate? Why not use a bread & butter plate? That’s a super small portion. Maybe you could even use a child’s play set sized tea saucer and wind up thinking that ritz cracker sandwich is just too much to finish.

Tricking myself doesn’t work. Ever try to set your clock ahead 10 minutes so you’re early to stuff, but then just remember you always have an extra 10 minutes so you wind up just as late as you would have been had you not tried that little “life hack”? I’d eat the whole plate and think, “Hmmm, I didn’t actually eat a whole plate, so I could have more.”

Pack your leftovers before eating. Sure, it’s easy to put a healthy plate of food in front of you. The trouble comes when the plate empties and you have more of each food sitting in front of you in alluring serving bowls. The answer: Package and store leftovers before you sit down to eat. That way, getting seconds becomes a whole lot harder and feels more inappropriate.

Spoon onto plate, microwave for two minutes, eat. That does sound difficult. This might have been good advice back when you had to heat an oven and wait 30 minutes to reheat some food, but now?

By the way, who has alluring serving bowls? Do they have pictures of naked women on them? I don’t know what I’m talking about. I have titillating silverware.

One of the reasons I have a love/hate relationship with Yahoo! is because they never cease to amaze me with the stupid or seemingly irrelevant advice blogs that they tend to highlight. I’m constantly checking because I apparently love to make a WTF face while thinking, who the hell needs this?

The latest one is this advice column on “How not to feel humiliated when dining alone”. Some of the tips are decent, but they’re obvious. Reading a book or using your Blackberry are obvious solo tips that fall under the heading “Have Something Else to Do”. That list could be insanely long. Solve a Sodoku, doodle something, play solitaire, balance your check book, see how long you can hold your breath, and on and on and on.

Here’s a few wonderful tips on how to not feel like a loser while dining alone that aren’t so obvious:

1. Exude Confidence. Stride up to the host or hostess and proudly request your table. Never shrug or say, “just me” as though you’re apologizing. It takes guts to eat alone, and you should command the respect you deserve.

“AHEM! Excuse me, I am alone and I would like a table for one so as to eat all by myself because I am a confident man who’s all alone. I know, you must envy the confidence that I have to eat something with out anyone near me to talk with, but only select few can be that self-assured.” I’m sure that kind of presentation won’t make the waitress look at you weird.

1. Eavesdrop. People in restaurants tend to be drinking, which often results in loud talking, over-sharing, bawdy jokes, or bitter marital brawls. Either way you can (discreetly) listen in on proximate tables and gain valuable insight into the human condition. Bonus points for detecting awkward first-time Internet dates.

Because, really, what doesn’t make you look desperately alone more than leaning in to listen in on the conversation of a group of people? You so desperately are in need of human contact, that you’re willing to have a pretend relationship with the people in the booth behind you where you’re just the silent friend who’s just good at listening. Eavesdropping is only really good when you have someone you can look at with wide “can you believe this” eyes every now and then.

1. Go, Team! Even if you’re not terribly into sports, if there’s a game playing, become a fan for the evening. You’ll be surprised how an entranced gaze up at the screen now and then will give you a sense of purpose, as will a well-timed groan of defeat or hearty fist-pumping “Yes!”

Yeah, until you get your ass kicked by some real fan who’s been drinking and he’s angry that you’re cheering on the wrong team. Besides, if you’re alone, why the hell would you pretend to be into something you don’t enjoy? Isn’t that the beauty of being alone?

To me, this would be along the lines of suggesting that if you’re feeling lonely while driving in the car, put on some pop music that you don’t like and just pretend you’re with teenage friends who enjoy the stuff.

1. Think Like A Food Critic. Pretend you are reviewing the restaurant. Observe the nuances of each course, take in the presentation, note the faults and strengths of the décor and keep a sharp eye on the service. This puts you in a position of judgment – always empowering.

That’s good advice for any time you’re paying for a meal. If you’re going to a restaurant pay attention to what you’re eating. It’s also the most fun to do these things while dining with someone because it helps generate conversation.

Being a food critic is a job. You probably won’t enjoy your alone meal as much if you are pretending to work.

If you’re going to pretend, why not pretend you’re a death row inmate and this is your last meal? That might make the food more enjoyable.

How about you pretend you are married with children and you’re finally able to get out of the house for an hour to enjoy a meal in peace and quiet before you go home and cry yourself to sleep?

Now, I’ll admit, I used to feel strange about sitting in a restaurant by myself, but I got over it. How? I grew up.

Well, the move is over. I think. I hope.

I have a few more items to go to the storage unit, but other than that, almost all of the boxes are unpacked and there seems to be some sort of order around the place. It’s funny how you open boxes that you just filled a couple days ago and think, “Why did I pack this? I can get rid of it.”

Now that we’re basically settled, today is a big day. Today is the first day of being “back on track” while living at my Mom’s house.

Growing up, I had a bit of an eating problem. My family is very food oriented so just about anything we did centered around eating. Cookouts, dinners out, get togethers that are excuses to cram food into our faces.

When we weren’t doing that, I still ate like crazy. It’s just what I did. I remember being confused as to why I couldn’t seem to lose weight. I wish I could go back and say to myself, “I don’t know, stupid. Maybe it’s the two hot pockets you eat after school? You think it might have something to do with the giant bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch right before bed?”

After I moved out, I was able to slowly get things under control. I really got a handle on my diet shortly after moving to Pennsylvania. Everything just clicked. I learned what worked for me and had strong discipline when it came to applying it 80-90% of the time.

Still, when we’d go visit family or they’d visit us, all of that resolve would disappear. I’d go into “vacation mode” and slip back into my old eating habits with a vengeance. “Come on, let’s get appetizers!” There’s something about being around these people that slips me backwards and man do I want to make up for lost time with bacon cheese fries.

Now that I live here, I can’t allow myself to go into permanent vacation mode. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned about my ability to right myself, but I’m determined.

So, now the test begins.

I haven’t been writing much and probably won’t get back into it for another couple of weeks because we’ve been packing up and readying for our move to North Carolina. We’ve got half of the house done now and hopefully things will continue to run smoothly.

Nothing like moving to make you reassess what you have. Climbing up into the attic and looking at all of the stuff had to come down, get sorted, packed and stacked made me want to put it all in a pile, set it on fire and start over. Suddenly the possessions that once held meaning are just extra weight that has to be lugged around.

So, I suppose the main character of Fight Club didn’t have to meet Tyler Durden, have his apartment blow up, start an underground fight ring, and start Project Mayhem in order to shed himself of his unexplainable cling to material possessions. He just needed to pack up a couple times before he naturally went, “This sucks, I don’t need any of this crap.”

I got rid of some stuff that I’ve been hanging onto for over fifteen years that just doesn’t have enough sentimental value to make it to one more place. If I say, “Oh, I forgot I had this,” that means “Oh, I guess I really DIDN’T need this.” Now why did I feel the need to keep VHS copies of movies that I now have on Blu Ray DVD?

Even with the purging, I acknowledge that I’m hanging on to things that I don’t need. I’m packing things that I’ll forget I have. I’m just keeping stuff that, when I die, it will finally be thrown away. I’m okay with that.

Steve: 131 - 80 (31 perfect picks)

Josh: 121 - 90 (34 perfect picks)

Wow, I am now down by 10, but for some strange reason, it doesn’t seem as far behind as when I was when Steve was 6 fights ahead very early on.

I have no idea what to say that will hype up UFC 108. This card definitely isn’t the best, but as I’ve said before, it’s often times those events that turn out to have the most exciting fights.

Shuffle on down to Hooters and watch it for a pitcher of beer and 20 wings.

Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva

Steve: Thiago Silva, 2^nd KO. Thiago is a thug.  True, Rashad has fought and beat tougher guys and they both got knocked out by the master, Lyota Machida.  But I definitely think Rashad is over-hyped.  He beat Forrest, true… he got caught.  But he lost to Tito though it was ruled a draw and he lost to Bisping, though he was given the victory… Silva DEMOLISHES people, and I expect the same.

Josh: I really expected to disagree with Steve on this one. Thiago is a brutal fighter. I also agree that Rashad is overrated. His biggest win, not knocking Forrest Griffen, was when he KO’d Chuck Liddell who in retrospect seemed over the hill. I don’t think Rashad’s fought a guy who will really come at you like Thiago will. Silva with a KO in the 1^st.

Dustin Hazelett vs. Paul Daley

Josh: This is the guy who beat Tamdan McCrory and sent him out of the UFC. I’ll never forgive him for that. Dustin Hazelett by 2^nd round submission.

Steve: Hazelett, 2^nd sub. Daley is a tough dude… but he has ZERO ground game.  Jits is what Hazelett knows, and he is the best at it in his division.  This should be a fun fight.

Joe Lauzon vs. Sam Stout

Steve: Joe Lauzon, decision. Both these guys like to bang.  If it came down to it, Lauzon has the advantage on the ground… I see this being a stand up war, possibly fight of the night, with Lauzon getting the nod.

Josh: Joe Lauzon is one of my favorite lightweight fighters. I couldn’t pick against him unless he were fighting the man himself, BJ Penn. But that probably wouldn’t happen since him and BJ are pretty close. Joe Lauzon by 1^st round submission.

Jim Miller vs. Duane Ludwig

Josh: The Miller brothers are bad dudes. Plus I happen to know a couple guys who train with them, so I have it on good authority that he has an amazing training camp. Miller gets the decision.

Steve: Jim Miller, 1^st sub. Ludwig is a tough dude, fighting on short notice, against a solid wrestler who has great submissions… although he has had a lot of decisions lately, I think he can finish this one, and finish it quick.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Gilbert Yvel

Steve: Junior Dos Santos, 2^nd KO. Yvel is a tough dude who’s claim to fame is being a dirty fighter.  He is also a shell of his former self.  Dos Santos is one win away from being a contender for the heavyweight title… a technical fighter with knock out power.  Gilbert doesn’t have a chance.

Josh: Dos Santos, 2^nd KO. Yvel is a tough dude who’s claim to…oh, that’s been said already?

Martin Kampmann vs. Jacob Volkmann

Josh: Kampmann has more experience on the big shows. He’s also got some big wins under his belt. This should be a stellar performance from him ending in Martin’s hand raised after a 2^nd round submission.

Steve: Kampmann, 1^st KO. He has been derailed from his title shot, but he is still a force to be reckoned with.

Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon

Steve: Cole Miller, 2^nd KO. He is coming off injury, but I still think Dan is not the same fighter as Joe.  I think Cole’s experience wins this one out.

Josh: Ditto what Steve said. I think Cole’s too tough for Dan. Miller by decision.

Mark Munoz vs. Ryan Jensen

Josh: Ryan Jensen’s UFC record isn’t very impressive. Munoz on the other hand has one lone loss against Matt Hamill. Munoz by 2^nd round KO.

Steve: Ryan Jensen loses to Jiu jitsu guys.  Fortunately for him, Munoz is not that guy.  I see Jensen grinding out a third round TKO.

Mike Pyle vs. Jake Ellenberger

Steve: Styles make fights, this is an interesting submission guy vs striker match up.  I am going to go subs on this, and give it to Pyle, 1^st sub.

Josh: Pyle by 1^st round submission. His record is full of them, so why not add one more?

Rafaello Oliveira vs. John Gunderson

Josh: No idea who to pick here. I’ll go Oliveira by decision.

Steve: Gunderson is the underdog.  He can submit guys.  Lets give it to him, 2^nd sub. Why not?

It’s been a couple of weeks since Disney released it’s new movie The Princess and the Frog, so this post might be dated. I did have these thoughts then, but I didn’t have the chance to post this and thus forgot about it until now.

I haven’t seen the movie, but I don’t think that matters much. I do know the movie is the first movie where the princess is a black character. This is a big first for Disney and I can hear the black comedians sharpening their pencils now (Because part of comedy is the delivery, I’m writing it the way I hear many black comedians deliver material. I can’t make you read it the way I hear it in my head, but I can try. Also, this is me trying to avoid being called racist, because I’m not. Seriously, I have black friends.):

Ya’ll seen the new Princess and the Frog? Disney finally has a black princess and half the movie she a damn frog. What kinda bullshit is that?

Why can’t Snow White be the frog? Why’s it got to be Tiana the frog? Shit, Ariel was a mermaid and that’s like half a frog already, why not her?

And why’d it take so damn long to get a black princess? They had every white girl imaginable, blond hair, black hair, red hair. Pocahontas was an Indian. Mulan was Asian. Jasmine was a Arab. They had a damn Arab before a black girl.

I guess they ran outta options and had to draw a sista.

“Any ideas for the next movie princess?”

“How bout a black girl?”

“Uh, have we done gypsy yet?”

“Yeah.”

“Damn!”

If anyone’s seen this done already, then I’m too late.

A while ago, my friend Doug from Arsenic Lullaby asked if I’d write something for him because he had a lot going on with his new comic book and seeing as Doug and I agree for the most part politically, I used the opportunity to give a few thoughts on Health Care.

Seeing as that was so long ago, and how we’re on the verge of a Christmas Eve Senate vote, and seeing as I’m at a loss for something to write right now, I figure it’s a good time to revisit, revise, and reuse this on my own blog.

Clearly the issue of Health Care is a pretty big item on the Obama agenda. During his campaign our President said of health care “Well, I think it should be a right for every American.”

Aside from hearing all of the horror stories about the government health care that exists in Europe and Canada, the thing that bothers me most about the argument for a socialized system is the notion that we somehow have a “right to health care”. When people believe they have a right to goods and services of others, we’ve lost the meaning of the word “rights”.

A right is something you are born with. It is something that would still exist if there were no society. A right is not dependent upon someone else giving of themselves in order to provide for you. If you were dropped off an a deserted island, you would still have your rights.

Consider the movie Castaway. Tom Hanks is stranded on a deserted island with no one around. That’s what makes it deserted. Let’s try to assess the things he has, that would fall under the category of rights.

First, he’s alive. So, that’s a simple one. He’s got the right to life.

Second, he can pretty much do as he pleases and go where he pleases. No one is going to tell him when to fish, when to sleep and what to do with the copious amounts of free time that one would have alone on an island. So, he has the right to liberty.

Third, he’s able to keep the things he works for. Should he sharpen a stick into a spear, that’s his spear. If he catches a fish, what he does with it is his business. He has a right to the fruits of his labor.

Did he have a right to food? No, he had to hunt or forage for it. There was no free continental breakfast on the island.

Did he have a right to clothing? No, he had to find it, make it, or go with out.

Did he have a right to shelter? Again, no. He had to build it or seek out a cave that wasn’t inhabited by a castaway molesting bear.

Did he have a right to health care? No. If when he fell ill, he had to figure out how to deal with it on his own or pretty much hope the problem went away.

Do you see where this is going? If you wouldn’t have the right to it while living on the island, you don’t have a right to it just because you live in society that happens to have what would surely be considered magic by people 100 years ago.

Still not going to go with me on this?

Let’s try one more way to look at it.

Suppose you were just diagnosed with the extremely rare Hepatitis K. As luck would have it, I am just days away from inventing a cure to it this rare disease. Are you really going to tell me that suddenly you’re entitled to something that doesn’t even exist yet?

I enjoy living in a world where words have meaning and it seems some of those meanings are being replaced with emotional garbage. Even if you disagree with me on whether or not we should have universal/socialist health care, you have to consider how you argue for it. To call something “a right” that simply isn’t, not only cheapens the word, it cheapens real rights.