Evolution and Why it Matters in the 2008 Presidential Race

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There has been much discussion lately regarding the religion of a particular candidate for president.  Also, many groups are using the issues of abortion and gay marriage as litmus tests to determine if a particular candidate is, in their view, qualified to be president.

I don’t believe religion, abortion, or gay marriage really matter as long as a person is not too aggressive in imposing his or her beliefs on others.  Those particular issues are all based on a particular set of values and beliefs.  It is very difficult to discern which set of values and beliefs is “correct”, “true”, or “valid” simply because they are values and beliefs.  A good person, in my opinion, can be a Mormon, a Catholic, a Protestant, an Evangelist, a Jew, a Muslim, etc.  Likewise, a person of good character can be pro-choice or anti-abortion, or a good person can be for or against gay marriage.

 A person of good character can also either accept or reject the theory of evolution.  The difference, however, is that evolution theory has been substantiated by over 100 years of scientific knowledge and thought.  There are certainly some holes still left in the theory and if an individual ignores the bulk of the evidence and wishes to give more weight to his or her beliefs regarding evolution, I have no problem with that … unless the individual is the President of the United States.  The office of the President requires a person who can weigh the evidence and facts of each situation and make rational decisions as to the best course of action.  I don’t feel that someone who does not accept the theory of evolution fits that description.

The office of the President sometimes requires that the person who occupies it be able to make quick, rational decisions under extreme pressure.  Can somebody in that office who does not even accept the evidence in favor of evolution make good decisions in complex situations such as the Cuban missile crisis?  I would question that.

I ordinarily don’t like litmus tests to determine if a candidate is worthy of my vote for President, but when a candidate professes to reject the theory of evolution, I think that is where I will draw the line.

The Rising Tide, a Novel of World War II

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by Jeff Shaara, 2006

This book wasn’t as good as I expected as it didn’t hold my attention, especially in the first part of the book.  I expected a bit more suspense as in the case of his father’s book on Gettysburg, but it just didn’t seem to deliver.  I found the reading to get better as I plowed through it and I eventually finished it.

The book was extremely well researched, however, and it provided me with knowledge of the Africa and Sicily campaign in World War II, something I knew nothing about. three stars

Shark River

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by Randy Wayne White, audiobook narrated by Ron McLarty, 2001

This book was pretty enjoyable.  I believe the author lives on Sanibel Island and he uses the island as the backdrop for this mystery.  The plot is just okay, but the characters are pretty easy to warm up to, and White provides a great deal of information on the habitat and environment of Southern Florida.  His scientific passages sometimes detract from his story-telling, but they can be enlightening if you have an interest in the area.

One thing I really liked about the book was that the author used foul language only on a very limited basis, something that seems unusual in today’s crop of mysteries. three stars

Tishomingo Blues

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by Elmore Leonard, audiobook narrated by Frank Muller, 2001

Don’t bother with this book!  Elmore Leonard was recommended to me by an individual at a cocktail party so when I was planning to drive to Florida this year, I picked up the audio book at the local library to listen to on the way down.  The only saving grace on this one is that I wasn’t wasting my time since I had to drive anyway.  The characters are awful, the plot is weak, and there is nothing else that I can find about this book that I can recommend.  The narration was okay, I guess, but that’s about it.  I don’t think I will pick up any more Leonard books in the future. 2 1/2 stars

Parish Priest, Father Michael McGivney and American Catholocism

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by Douglas Brinkley and Julie M. Fenster, 2006

This book describes the life of Father Michael McGivney and his efforts in the founding of the Knights of Columbus.  The book is a somewhat tedious biography of an individual but it does provide some interesting information on the history of the Catholic Church in 19th century America. three stars

Handbook of Great Aircraft of WWII

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by Dr. Alfred Price and Mike Spick, 2000

This book chronicles the development of five WWII aircraft from the original concept, to design, to production, and modification throughout the war.  The authors also describe the various missions each aircraft participated in.

The book is not very exciting or entertaining but it does provide some interesting information.  The main thing I took away from reading it was that the British seemed to be the most innovative as they improved their aircraft the most during the course of the war, both in terms of increasing performance and also correcting flaws in the original design.  The Americans approach toward improvement was directed more at increasing horsepower, but that approach brought additional problems of added weight and sometimes caused the “improved” aircraft to be less maneuverable.  The Germans, on the other hand, seemed to improve their aircraft by increasing performance but the Americans and British always seemed a step ahead.

Perhaps there was some bias due to the fact that the authors are British, but I tend to think they were pretty accurate given the history of American engineering after WWII, particularly in the field of automobiles.  three stars

Suite Française

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by Irene Nemirovsky, 2006

Although this translation of Suite Française was published in 2006, the book was orginally written by Nemirovsky in 1941 and 1942, just prior to her deportation to Birkenau and extermination.  The book is the first two parts of what was intended to be a five-part novel depicting the behavior of the French people during the time of Nazi occupation.

While I found the book to be interesting, it is somewhat tedious to read.  It seems that the authors thoughts and agenda are intruding on the characters she depicts and the story.  Nemirovsky is very involved with social caste and the part it plays in influencing behavior.  Unfortunately, her focus on this aspect of French life seems to detract somewhat from the quality of the writing.

I would recommend that anyone who reads this book should also read the appendices that are included.  The first appendix is a collection of entries from Nemirovsky’s journals.  These entries help understand how she went about constructing the novel.  The second appendix is a collection of correspondence from before and after her deportation.  These entries show the stress of living in occupied France at that time and how quickly one descend from living under the rules of occupation to death under the Nazi regime.three stars

Echo Park

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by Michael Connelly, 2006

I picked this book up at Wal-Mart when I was on a camping trip to New York and I couldn’t find a decent book store in Plattsburg, so I wasn’t expecting much.  It is surprisingly good.  The prose is well-written and the plot hangs together pretty well.  Connelly’s character development is very spare and he lets little bits of description and action define them.

Overall, a good read, especially when compared to some books that I have read recently by David Baldacci, James Patterson, and Michael Crichton.  four stars

Hour Game

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by David Baldacci, an audio CD

This is a run-of-the-mill book that is moderately entertaining.  I was put off a bit, however, by a technical issue that stick in my mind after listening to it rather than anything else that might be more worthy of comment.  The error that stood out was the author’s reference to “rolls of microfische”.   Microfische is produced on sheets and it is microfilm that comes on rolls.  It would not be possible for the perpetrator of the crimes to load a roll of microfische onto the viewer as the author states.

The error wasn’t critical to the story, but it is jarring to the senses when one is listening to an audio production.  It is immediately apparent and it takes away from the story line.  The net effect was to downgrade the author’s work from merely mediocre to something less than mediocre.   2 stars

Mysteries of the Middle Ages, The Rise of Feminism, Science, and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe

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by Thomas Cahill, 2006

I found this book to be very dissatisfying.  I bought the book with high expectations that it would provide me with insights into various developments in the Middle Ages.  Instead, the author seemed to want to show me what he knows about selected topics.  I seemed to feel less enlightened after reading the book than before I started.

Cahill uses a very conversational tone in his prose but then throws in words from time to time from his large vocabulary that don’t seem to fit very well.  His depictions of various art sites are reminiscent of a tour guide as he goes from one piece of artwork to another.

The book is gorgeously printed with ornamental Old English type and many beautiful illustrations.  It’s too bad that the content doesn’t do justice to the appearance. 2 1/2 stars