The Iran War is a Mistake

 

Get Out of Iran As Quickly As Possible

Despite the many good reasons for war with Iran, the wiser path is to squeeze them financially and let the Iranian people decide to overthrow the clerics. If the people of Iran won't overthrow their own cruel leaders then neither should we.  

Being against a war your country is engaged in requires a thorough explanation. Although the burden of proof should be on the ones prosecuting the war, it’s usually on the one’s opposing it. The Trump administration hasn’t considered the numerous chances for disaster if the Mullahs dig in. China could get involved and make this a very big war, Iranian leaders might hunker down and refuse a deal. Ground troops will be necessary if the US wants any influence over the new government. The US might not have enough munitions to go the full 4-6 week timeline that Karolin Leavitt (White House spokesman) mentioned.  

Why are we embroiled in another Mid East war?

 Last summer it was all about Iran’s nuclear ambition. What is it this time? I’m not one for beating up on team Trump for optics, but this is war. The one thing the American people deserve is a consistent answer on another Middle East war. Don’t tell us that’s Iran is close to getting another bomb either. Last summer we “Totally obliterated” the nuclear facility at Fordow. Those were the President’s words as he assured us it would be a while before Tehran could even think about rebuilding.

And now we have to go back, 9 months later, because they’re still a threat? I don’t think so.

Iran is the enemy of our allies in the Mid East, of whom there are quite a few now. Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq: some of them are allies because they’re aligned with Saudi Arabia or because they signed the Abraham Accords.

Why now and not last summer?

The most recent protests in Iran by the people began in the Bazaar with the merchants. Money was stretched thin and prices went up, making life difficult. Those strikes led to larger protests. The Islamic government cracked down hard. It’s difficult to know exactly how many were killed, but it’s in the thousands. Many more were beaten and jailed. The situation on the ground looked desperate for the regime. Their nuclear ambitions were set way back. Their desperate people were fighting back and trying to take over. The US government led by the War Department, thought this was the best time to make a move and topple the Jenga tower that is the Iranian regime.

That’s the real reason. Opportunity in the form of protests, knocked.

But Iran only looks one way from the outside. This is an existential fight for them and they’re in a corner. They took a serious beating last year from Israel in the 12 Day War. Not to mention all of their proxies were decimated, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. But it’s still not likely they just raise their hands and surrender to the Great Satan. After the first wave of ballistic missile strikes from American and Israeli jets, they’ve hunkered down. The Islamic Republic is ready to defend their turf from a ground invasion, said their Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. This might be tough talk and chest thumping. I think it’s more in keeping with their obstinate behavior.  

Does this have anything to do with China?

Yes I think it does. If you know anything about Trump, it’s that he understands the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) to be the biggest threat to the US. One way to take out your enemy is to hit their resources. China relies on oil from both Iran and Venezuela, both by evading US sanctions. We know what happened to Venezuela. They lost their president and their source of income in a matter of days. Trump wants to treat Iran the same way and cut China off from whatever resources Iran can sell them. This isolates China just enough and forces economic tightening in the country. Ironically, this is also the thing that potentially brings the CCP into the conflict. Once you start cutting off opportunities for growth and survival the only thing left is war.

None of this is to excuse China’s behavior in the South China Sea, or their economic warfare against American industries and their spying on American businesses. In the first few months of Trump’s second term, he forced Panama to make a deal with the US for use of the canal. And by extension, Panama kicked China out. Most of Trump’s big moves are designed to roll back the influence of Beijing.

Aren’t there good reasons for this War?

Yes, especially if settling old scores matters. Iran has been a Hydra for terrorism around the world since the revolution of 1979. Victor Davis Hanson said on his Signal YouTube channel that they’ve killed more Americans than any other country, since before the Iran/Iraq war. We lost 241 marines in Lebanon to a truck bomb outside their barracks. After we ousted Saddam from Iraq, Iran helped supply the Shia militias with weapons, IEDs and training. They stormed the embassy in Tehran, during the revolution, and held American hostages for over a year. Yes, we owe them.

Not to mention, the reasons I mentioned regarding China and their belligerence toward American hegemony. But in this case the risks outweigh the rewards. If we wanted revenge on Iran for the marines, we should’ve taken it years ago. This is going back 40 plus years. So that’s not a legitimate reason for a full scale war.

Why I’m against this war 

Our missile supplies are low. The US military is low on munitions thanks to our support of Ukraine to fight Russia. We’ve sent a lot of our ballistic weapons to keep a war going that no one seems to care about. But even if we had an inexhaustible pile to light up sky with, you can’t know what’s happening on the ground. You’ll need to send in ground troops at some point.

For all the talk about not using ground troops, I don’t believe we’ll get out of there without committing troops. Part of the goal is to get a leader that can make a deal with Israel and the US, not to use terrorism against them. This is where it gets messy, changing regimes and sliding in someone you prefer rarely works out. I don’t trust that these protesters in Iran are actually on our side. I bought this nonsense about peoples yearning-to-be-free during the Iraq war. I’m not falling for the everyone deserves democracy anymore. No should be a slave in their own country and it’s tragic how they’ve been treated by the theocracy.

But at some point, peoples have to cast off their oppressors. If they constantly need help from outside armies, I’d say they aren’t ready yet. This current crop of Iranian people are the children of the ones who chose an Islamic Republic over a secular one. If they want to go back to a secular republic, let them. Just don’t help them.   

Conclusion

I think we can still make this a quick war by declaring victory soon. Trump wants unconditional surrender and defines it as, the regime not having enough military capability to threaten their people or neighbors. That’s not really surrender in the classic sense but it’s close enough. But the issue with these open-ended wars is the increasing responsibilities that get pulled in. The mission grows and metastasizes into a tumor that makes us all sick. Then it’s a muddle for years because no one knows how to do the surgery.

Trump famously likes to “Win”. That can be a good thing here if he’s ready to call anything Iran gives him a win. It might not be enough for the Department of War, or the CIA or the ‘conflict bros’ (Lindsey Graham and Tom Cotton). But it’s a lot better than another 20 year war where we sacrifice American lives and get nothing in return.

Let’s not do that here.

I hope I’m wrong on this war and the benefits win out. But the last 2 decades do not give me hope.  

 

 

 

 

Fasting and Prayer

 

Fasting is Connected to Belief in the Greater Works of Gods

I started doing a fast every Monday just recently. Fasting is a Christian discipline connected to prayer and hearing from God. Going without food for a day makes you reorder your priorities. It’s a reminder to my flesh that God is in control of my life and He takes first place. I’m not sure what the ideal amount of time is for a fast. The early churches don’t have a specific recommendation either, but it’s a practice they’re well familiar with. I heard a Youtuber say that “fasting is being empty so God can fill us.”

Instructions

I’m reluctant to even write this. Fasting isn’t something you go around and brag about, as if you’re doing something noble. We should do it in secret and our “Father in heaven will reward…” us. This was Jesus’ admonition to his disciples. Mostly I can get away with fasting in secret. I’ve had a few occasions where I couldn’t keep it quiet. Last year I had a lunch meeting with a few coaches from a local youth football group. This was holy week. I’d decided to fast lunch for 6 days.

We met at Clark’s Crew BBQ for a spread. I tried to get out of the lunch altogether with “Are you sure I need to be there?” questions. My boss had set up the meeting because he knew the coaches and they wanted to do business with us. I had to tread lightly here. This was going to be my account. I made a nice chunk of money off this group. Sitting there and pretending to be full while everyone else stuffed pulled pork into their mouth was going to be difficult. I finally just leveled with my boss and told him about Easter and how I’d made a decision to fast lunch for the week. He told me to order the lunch food to go and have it for dinner later. That was a great idea I hadn’t considered. But I still had to tell the guys at the table I wasn’t eating because of Easter. I had their sympathy.

Costs

The year before, a similar situation occurred. This time my employer catered a full spread for everyone at work. I can’t remember the occasion for the spread, but I had to tell one guy I wasn’t eating lunch for holy week. I have a reputation for eating a lot. It’s been a running joke around the office whenever anyone brings cake or donuts to share. “Make sure you count how many Adam takes” are how the comments typically go. I can’t blame anyone but myself of course. I keep in shape so it’s not a big deal. If I was overweight it would bother me. Needless to say when I don’t eat, people notice. Getting used to having free food offered to me during Easter week, or on my Monday fast day is becoming the new normal.

But I’m learning to press through in prayer when the hunger becomes intense.

In Matthew 17:20-21 the disciples try to cast out a demon from a young boy. They’re unable to do it. Jesus steps in and frees the boy. The disciples ask Jesus why they couldn’t cast it out. He tells them because of their unbelief. “For assuredly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” 

Scales

Some of the commentary I’ve heard on this passage says that Jesus was talking about “unbelief” as the kind that doesn’t come out except by prayer and fasting. But I’ve always read that as, the demon is the kind that doesn’t go out except by prayer and fasting. As in, this is a high-level super demon and takes a truly devout person to stand up to it. This is probably wrong.

 I tend to think that unbelief is the theme. Faith is the opposite of unbelief. You can’t trust in a God that you only consult once in a while. There are levels to petition prayers. “Lord give me favor with my boss” is a prayer, but so is “Demon be gone”.

The way we’re wired to think about faith is through scales, as in 1 through 10. Low level faith would be believing for favor with the boss. High level faith would be casting out demons, certainly a 10. Maybe because the stakes are lower at work it rates low in our head. What does favor with the boss look like exactly? How is it different from regular treatment? It’s not always clear. Casting out a demon is definitive and the stakes are very high. No one doubts when it happens. But just because our minds work that way doesn’t mean the kingdom of God operates on a 1 through 10 scale.

Conclusion

Jesus is saying, prayer and fasting are the key to getting rid of unbelief for every kind of situation. When faith is like a mustard seed, its roots go deep and it pushes out unbelief. When faith is strong it doesn’t ask about scale or stakes. It doesn’t frame needs that way. It recognizes Jesus as the source of truth. It finds victory in the One who was victorious. You might say that prayer and fasting reorder our focus back to Christ. From that reordering we’re able to find faith when we need it, no matter the situation. The more we fast, the stronger our belief becomes.  

 

 

The Olympic Games and the Super Bowl: The Occult Reigns

Alternatives Like TPUSA's Halftime Show Are the Way Forward

I’ve been watching the Olympics for the last few weeks. It’s in Italy this year, Milan and Cortina. Not only at home but also at work, I’ll find the Peacock channel and let it play. I don’t watch every event, but I catch enough of it to say I’ve seen a lot this year. Not everyone gets to watch TV. Lucky me I guess.

During the opening ceremony the athletes lit a pentagram while fireworks that resembled flames illuminated the background. Flames and torches and ceremonies are part of the Olympics, why did this one feel occultic? Probably because everything in the public eye is anti Christian, overtly so. I can’t tell you where the particular ceremony originates (historically) or what deities they glorify. But nearly all of these world or international events display some form of paganism.

These ‘artistic’ displays are either pagan or just outright satanic. The Super Bowl halftime shows are all slutty performance theater and ominous ritual. They’ve all taken on a darker quality than I can remember. Not that rock and roll from the 80s and 90s was moral, but the veil that used to hide that sinful nature is gone. Even Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance from a few years ago was all red and black. A lot of this imagery feels uncomfortable to me. I can’t always pinpoint why.

For years I brushed off suggestions that these public venues were loaded with satanic imagery. But it’s getting harder to ignore. I can’t tell you what every symbol or dance number means in an artistic sense, but I know a pentagram when I see one. Last year’s summer games in Paris showed a mock version of the Last Supper with drag queens. The excuses always ring hollow. They always follow the same trajectory “You rubes don’t understand the blend of the ancient and the modern, or the sacred and the profane”. It’s art you see? But it’s always Jesus and Christianity that’s mocked. Or in the case of the NFL, traditional values.

This year I had a choice to watch a different halftime show for the Super Bowl. Thanks to Turning Point USA, millions of fans tuned into Kid Rock and handful of country artists for a free show. Like a lot of Americans during the Super Bowl, I was at a party with friends. We shut off the game at the halfway point and put YouTube on. None of us were huge Kid Rock fans, but having an alternative that wasn’t divisive was a breath of fresh air. Kid Rock, for his part, has been talking about Jesus to anyone who will listen the last few years. I assume he’s genuine. I can’t say whether or not his opinions and beliefs are orthodox. But he is shining a light where others are shrouded in darkness. Hopefully Turning Point does this every year. I imagine a lot of artists who don’t get to play the Super Bowl would sign up to play even one song.

Who doesn’t want millions of people to hear their music? I’m sure there is a stigma associated with playing exclusively to a patriotic audience. But those numbers don’t lie. As an up and coming artist, how many fans could potentially buy your music after a 5-minute performance? Besides, if this becomes a regular feature of Super Bowls going forward it will garner bigger names every year. The most important thing is that Christians, and citizens who are just bothered by the anti-American shade of the NFL, have another option. This is the way forward in a lot of national and international events.

 Turning off the TV is always an option too. I did this for a while with baseball and football. Their support of Black Lives Matter and the chaos in Minneapolis during Covid really got to me. But I love sports. Americans would like to have sports and entertainment without all the Satan worship. That probably sounds like hyperbole, but it’s becoming more overt international programing. Sam Smith performed a very evil concert at the Grammys in 2023. How can anyone honestly say that it wasn’t a demonic display? I’m not even going to link to it. Google it if you want to see it.

As for the Olympics, it’s best to just avoid the opening ceremony right now. It’s a shame too because I love seeing all the athletes walk together under their country’s flag. Christians have a reputation as being prudish about immorality and offense content. Every time some raunchy live event happens we get trampled with articles about “satanic panic”. Fact checkers get going, correcting ‘false’ posts about artists. One fact check in particular caught my attention. The Weeknd apparently flashed the word “Satan” on screen at a concert in Denmark. The fact checker was frustrated that online users got the venue wrong. Got that? It wasn’t that artist The Weeknd didn’t flash the word “Satan” at a recent concert, but the time and place were not correct. Unbelievable.

Alternatives are the way forward. Don’t like the artist at halftime, how about another option? The further these sports get from their mission of putting watchable games on TV the worse everyone is. Stay away from preachy messaging and occult laden shows. This isn’t just a grumpy NFL fan talking either. That Kid Rock show pulled in over 6 million views just on YouTube. If nothing else it proves that others would like an alternative. Keep them coming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creativity and Critical Thinking: Read and Write

 

Turn off the TV and Read a Book, Or Write an Essay

I unplugged my Roku device the other day and took it to work. Not so that I could plug it in at work, but so that I couldn’t watch it at home for a while. Work is just a holding spot. I’ll get it back when I think I’ve earned it. I needed to cut out distractions and streaming shows have made me a bit lazy. I’m writing less. I’m reading less. I’m studying for this new work assignment less. Time is slipping through my fingers and despite my awareness of it, laziness can still get the best of me. Not that I sit and stare at the screen while episode after episode loads automatically. But my laziness has been enough to force a change. Even if just on the margins, I can increase my creativity just a bit.

Fortunately I’ve started reading and writing more, both are precursors to higher level thinking. This is a new year after all. I need to get back to reading traditional books again. News websites form the bulk of my reading for most of the week. But books aren’t quite as depressing as the daily news, which is often designed to give you the most horrific stories. Elon Musk said that the news tries to answer the question, “What’s the worst thing that happened in the world today?” So less is more where that’s concerned. This is often tougher than it sounds if you’re like me and suffer from a kind of current events FOMO.

An honest question to ask, why should reading some mindless book count for more than watching TV? How can one consider hours of true crime novels to be of higher worth than hours of Court TV? Instinctively I’d say it comes from a more creative part of your brain. Reading forces you to create mental pictures and your comprehension and focus lock in. This is more or less the view of social media. I did some quick, unscientific, research from Quora and Reddit. Both are good for getting a sense of what people think, the equivalent of polling the audience from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? TV is passive while reading is active. That’s not to say you can’t learn anything watching a show, but you can also zone out and refuse to connect dots.

Reading forces you to pay attention and create your own world. The author will describe much of it, but your mind will fill in the details. Writing takes reading and supercharges it. The world creation that your mind does automatically when absorbing words is only the first step. World creation doesn’t just mean fantasy kingdoms like ‘middle earth’ either. It means the world you present to the reader. If you write fiction you have to write a character that makes sense. I just finished reading John Grisham’s “The Widow”. His description of the title character is needy, forgetful and desperate to be seen as wealthy by those around her. It’s the world according to Grisham in this small Virginia town. He’s really good at bringing the reading into the legal world by explaining terms through characters.  

The world can also be your version of how things should be, or how you understand them. I wrote an article years ago, trying to convince Oklahomans to reject medical marijuana. Signature seekers were everywhere at the time. I couldn’t go into a Reasor’s (grocery) without someone asking me to sign this or that petition to legalize it. Promoters leaned into the “medicine” angle, which was always bullshit. I did a little research on California and Colorado. At the time they were the only states with an extensive record to draw from. Typically, it was a disaster for a lot of reasons.

The world I tried to present was one of carnage and decay if legalization went forward. The trick is to be convincing. You have to know a few things about Oklahoma law for starters, or the world falls apart. For instance, we have a provision that allows a question to go on the ballot with only a handful of signatures. This low threshold allowed the group Oklahomans for Health to put it on the primary ballot and get it passed. It’s not enough to say what you’re for or what you’re against, opinions must come with concrete examples. I think my article holds up today as an editorial against a notoriously bad idea. But I had to first write out some thought problems in my world and knock down what didn’t make sense.

It’s not the textbook definition of world building, but it presents the same challenges of consistency in logic and timelines. Because writing can feel like work I’ll often avoid it. Writing is concerned with critical thinking and reading with creative thinking. TV or streaming shows are neither. Going forward I’ll have to be more disciplined. I can reward myself with a book.

Born to Run: A Review

 

'Born to Run' is an Engaging Story on Endurance Running, Written with Passion

I finished reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. Written over 15 years ago, it’s an examination of endurance running, the Tarahumara Indian tribe and what it means about the science of running. McDougall begins by following a mythical runner in Mexico who jogs across the country, hermit like, for the sheer joy of it. This extreme athlete is named Caballo Blanco (White Horse) and tells McDougall about his idea to bring the best ultramarathon runners to the dangerous Copper Mountains for an exclusive race. It’s an unofficial race in the some of the driest, rockiest terrain on earth. What seems like a crazy idea, turns out to have momentum. Caballo convinced a few of the top ultra marathon runners in the US (Scott Jurek, Ted McDonald, Billy Bonehead and Jenn Shelton) to try his makeshift course.

Race in Mexico

Through a series of connections, they all agree to meet in Mexico and run with Caballo and a handful of bashful Tarahumara. This 50 mile race through the Cooper Mountains is the backdrop for a short history of the Tarahumara indians and their inclusion in a notorious ultramarathon known as Leadville in 1993. From that race, the author traces the seeds of barefoot running and the science of how humans do it. Humans are the only mammals that can run and breathe at the same time. Which in theory, means they can outrun prey over a long distance. At least that’s where some of this research takes the reader.

Caballo is the central character whose mysterious life isn’t revealed until the end. We only get drips and drabs of his past. Jenn and Billy are hard partying surf bums, cocky and reckless, that discovered distance running just a few years before. They’ve both stacked up a handful of wins in a short time. Scott Jurek is a legend in ultra marathon running by this point, by far the most recognizable name in the group. Ted McDonald, barefoot Ted, is an eccentric who’s discovered the benefits of running with either flat shoes or no shoes.

the author is himself a runner and joins the group for the race in Mexico while recounting the once in a lifetime experience. The subtext of the book is, are humans meant to run such long distances or is it damaging to the body? The answer is yes, and no. Humans are meant to run if they do it correctly. The damage is minimal when the technique is right.

In the spirit of proper form, Christopher McDougall begins working with a trainer. Most of what he learned remains a fixture in long distance running today. Take quick steps and shorten your stride, keep your heart rate low and burn fat instead of sugar. The point of teaching your body to burn fat instead is that it’s a more consistent source of energy. To get there, you need to stay below your aerobic threshold or heavy breathing. As most runners can attest though, running with a low heart rate is difficult.

Barefoot Trends

Another aspect of author Christopher McDougall’s training is strengthening his feet. Flatter shoes, or huarache sandals like the Tarahumara use, allow your feet to adapt to surfaces better than cushioned Nikes do. Between the tribes and barefoot Ted, the book spends a good deal of time on the benefits of running in sandals or shoeless. I remember there being a barefoot jogging trend around the time this book came out. McDougall makes a solid case for it. But shoe companies still put out ever more cushioning in their latest models. I suspect it’s because most non-runners buy the majority of the shoes anyway. How many ultra marathon runners do you know? It’s still a very niche sport even among fitness enthusiasts. That doesn't translate to big sales.

McDougall also changed his diet and started eating more like a Tarahumara indian. That meant a lot of “fruit, beans, yams, whole grains and vegetables.” He started eating salads at breakfast and became a convert, partly because you can stuff yourself and still have energy for a workout. He started doing pushups and lunges instead of stretching. The increased strength worked to sharpen his balance, and he began to become a better athlete and not just a better runner.

 I like his description from page 212 and 213 on the improvement. “Because I was eating lighter and hadn’t been laid up once by injury, I was able to run more; because I was running more, I was sleeping great, feeling relaxed, and watching my resting heart rate drop. My personality had even changed: The grouchiness and temper I’d considered part of my Irish-Italian DNA had ebbed so much that my wife remarked ‘Hey, if this comes from ultrarunning I’ll tie your shoes for you.’ I knew aerobic exercise was a powerful antidepressant, but I hadn’t realized it could be so profoundly mood stabilizing and–I hate to use the word—meditative. If you don’t have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain’t getting them.”

Conclusion

For all the foot racing history and anthropology this book covers, its best feature is the enthusiasm of the author. Nothing gets people interested in a hobby or lifestyle change the way an honest promoter can. I wasn’t sold on the idea that our early ancestors used to run down prey until it dropped from exhaustion. But Christopher McDougall, the journalist who found a story in the heart of the Sierra Madres and improved his own fitness as a result? That’s the best story of all. It inspires me.

 

  

Gimme Chaos: The Chicago Bears 2026 Season So Far

The Chicago Bears Are the Miracle Team of This Season

The Chicago Bears pulled off another upset in dramatic, heart stopping fashion last night. The late game, come from behind wins are an identity for a team that’s having success with a first year coach and second year quarterback. They might lose their next playoff game and take some needed rest. But even if that happens, this has been a miraculous season. I’ve never seen a team like this and I can’t wait to see them again.

It's been a while since the Bears faithful have been this optimistic about the future.

The Past is the Past

 Lovie Smith’s 2005-06 team got to the Super Bowl and lost to Payton Manning’s Colts. The defense was dynamic; they won the turnover battle in nearly every game. Charles Tillman and Brian Urlacher anchored what’s considered the best defense since the legendary 1986 Super Bowl team. Rex Grossman, who they drafted in 2003, threw for over 3000 yards that year and 23 touchdowns. He did throw it a lot of interceptions that year, 20 to be exact. But they always managed to get over the line thanks to Devin Hester’s incredible 5 kick return touchdowns.

They managed a few wild card births in 2018 and in 2020 but lost both times in the first round. Since then, it’s been a lot of mediocre football. The Bears seemed to have an identity much like the Steelers, historically good defenses and average offenses.

As an NFL team they relied on their defense to score more than other teams. The Caleb Williams led team feels determined to give their fans a heart attack on every close game. Last night was the first round of the playoffs. Bears drew the Packers. Yikes. No Bears fan wanted to play them, even at home. Green Bay has a 51-20 win advantage over Chicago since the 90’s. Why start with the 90’s? Because it’s during the Favre era, and the subsequent dominance of their quarterbacks. Three quality starters to be exact, Favre, Rogers and Love have led consistent winners during that time. Chicago has had more quarterbacks than windy days in January.

Present and Future

So No. I didn’t want to play the Packers. It felt like the Bears snuck away with a win during the last meeting. We split the regular season games this year. Both went down to last tick of the clock. But this team has come from behind in 7 games this year in the 4^th quarter to win. Last night’s victory was easily the most dramatic. Chicago was down 21-3 at halftime while the silent crowd looked on with horror at the ensuing beat down of their beloved Monsters of the Midway.

Jordan Love’s offense ran through the Bears defense like crap through a goose. Bears coach Ben Johnson insisted on going for every 4^th down conversion on offense. What seemed risky was just a way to avoid letting the defense back on the field.

Johnson told the sideline reporter at halftime that he was just maximizing the possessions. It’s not an unusual move. They’ve done this to some degree all season. But last night they were going for it on their own 35 yard line, a seriously dumb idea unless your defense is falling apart. To everyone’s surprise however, the defense made some real adjustments after halftime and kept the Packers to a handful of 3 and outs.

The Rest of the Story

 That still left a sclerotic offense. Three field goals seemed to be all they could muster. Then Deandre Swift caught a pass and finally scooted in for a TD. Suddenly the Bears were back in the game with a 21-16 score. The Packers answered quickly with another touchdown pass to Doubs to make it 27-16.

Bears add another 8 points with a pass to Zaccheaus and a 2 point conversion to Loveland. DJ Moore then caught a touchdown pass to give the Bears a 31-27 advantage. The Packers kicker Mcmannus missed a critical field goal which forced them into needing a touchdown drive in the final minute. The newly energized defense, and the increasing crowd noise, was just enough to dash the hopes of the Wild Card Packers. All of Chicago stood in unison, jangled nerves and bated breath, as Jordan Love tried in vain to complete a hail Mary touchdown pass. Then we celebrated. All of Chicago lost its collective mind as the hated rivals fell for the second time this season.

 Who knew they could beat the Packers more than once in a season?

Conclusion

It's easy to think of this team as chaotic because of their late game heroics. Good teams win by building a lead and then defending it. At least that’s what we’ve come to expect from strategic offenses like Brady’s Patriots and Manning’s Colts. But there is a freewheeling aspect to this offense by its quick, athletic quarterback. He completed a deep pass to Rome Odunze off his back foot, falling away like Jordan against the Knicks. That particular play was on a 4^th down scramble to keep the final drive moving down the field. The game would’ve been over had it been knocked down or dropped. But this team survives on these ‘not done yet’ heroics constantly. You might even call it a brand. For now at least, it’s how they roll.

I’ll take it. I’ll take the heart palpitations, the sweating, the cursing and the crying. I’ll take the nervous laughter and the angry texts to family when they fall behind or turn the ball over. I’ll take the risky 4^th down passes in their own territory and the 10-minute scrambles to find an open receiver. I’ll take the chaos, the energy, the passion and the wins. Let’s Go Bears!

 

We Came We Saw We Left: A Family Gap Year--Book Review

 

The Family That Travels Together Learns Together

Years ago my girlfriend bought me a book years ago called Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science. Its author is Charles Wheelan, a lecturer at Dartmouth and all around statistics geek. One measure of how well someone knows their topic is the extent to which they can explain it to a novice. Yes…me. It’s is the best book I’ve read on the mechanics of banking, paper money and how it explains almost everything relating to exchange. He writes simply. That’s the best thing you can do.

The Gift of Books

I was in Barnes and Noble doing some Christmas shopping, for others naturally. I searched the travel section because I love the genre thought others might enjoy it. We Came We Saw We Left: A Family Gap Year caught my attention on the upper shelf. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a sucker for a good cover image. It’s an aerial view of a bus kicking up dirt on a backcountry road and a view of the ocean. Based on where the family traveled, I’d say it’s in South America, but who knows? It gives off a remote vacation vibe. I wanted to go there. I wanted to read the book. The gift giving would have to wait.

The title is dopey. I’m not a title snob at all, but you have to give me more than “We Left”. I get that there’s a subtitle about this being a vacation trip with the family. But a little more of a theme would help. Like, “We Came We Saw We Survived”, or “We Came We Saw We Grew”. Better? Maybe not much, but it’s just non-descript and leaves me with a blank space about the nature of the trip. At least “We Came We Saw, Yada Yada Yada” would have been funnier.  

The Gift of Travel

Ultimately not a big deal however, the author created an fun and interesting read. I didn’t realize until after reading the little blurb on the back that it’s the Naked Economics guy, Charles Wheelan. Once an author makes an impression there is a good chance I’ll read them again. I bought it right there. Actually, I searched my library app for a free copy and free availability. Who could have predicted? It was available. So No I didn’t buy it.

A lot of what’s interesting about the story is how they were able to take a 9 month vacation around the world with the whole family. Charles and his wife have 3 kids. The oldest daughter was in her last year of high school. The other two, one daughter and a young son, were old enough to travel with the family and appreciate it. At least appreciate it in that teenager sense, where their own friends and interests still outrank a trip with the parental units. The idea for the gap year trip came from Charles and his wife Leah, who did a similar trip as newlyweds. If travel brings you joy then travel. It’s not for every person and certainly not every family. But the Wheelans place great importance on experiences in foreign places. Making a priority for the family is admirable.

The Gift of Accounting

They rented their home for at least part of the trip to their cousins. It solved two problems right away, a caretaker for the dogs and money for expenses. The couple planned the trip with tight budgeting and started saving in advance. It sounds like Leah was the gatekeeper of the finances. Nine months can get expensive with all the flying and apartment renting they did. At one point Charles mentions avoiding Europe altogether because of the cost. But they did travel through South America, Australia, Africa and Asia.

Along the way came the usual travel problems of illness and missed flights, lost goods and bureaucratic silliness. Katrina, the oldest daughter picked up a flesh eating bacteria on her ankle that antibiotics didn’t help. The other two, Sophie and CJ take online classes but struggle to keep up and turn in the work. The Wheelans struggle to stay on top of the kids’ education while distractions abound. I’d expect this to be the most difficult aspect of bouncing around the world. Kids need routine when it comes to homework. Then again, without friends and school activities filing up the week, they should have more time. But it’s vacation too.

The Gift of Learning

My favorite story was of the family’s trip to the Amazon. In a series of dangerous trips up the river and through caves, they took chances and learned how to support each other. It felt a bit like a metaphor for the whole idea of taking a gap year. From the finances to the planning and the diversions in between, there is a lot that goes into a global adventure and it’s not a guarantee you’ll enjoy it. You might also get robbed or violently ill from eating something your body couldn’t handle. Living from country to country like this isn’t for the faint of heart. But that’s also the point of doing it. You might find a new passion for surfing in Australia or hiking in Patagonia. Adventure means leaving what’s comfortable and striking out. If you’re up for it, it might make you a life long globe trekker. It’s what Charles and Leah discovered after their first year of marriage.

Conclusion

I talked to an Irishman just the other day about the travel habits of Americans. He asked where I visited when I flew to Ireland with my brother and friend. I rattled off a list of cities and regions. “How long were you there?” he asked. I told him 10 days and he shook his head. “You can’t see it like that”. What he meant was, don’t move around so much. As Americans we do too much on vacation. That’s the stereotype at least. It holds up here with the Wheelans as well. Obviously they enjoyed it, so it doesn’t matter what I think. It’s my only critique of the trip. They covered too much territory for a 9 month trip. Likely the kids will develop an appreciation for travel though and make it an essential part of their children’s education. Well done guys.