Inspired by Fiction, Maybe?

This is a subject I have contemplated for years. While I recognize the limitations of my communication skills, I believe the topic merits serious consideration. I hope you’ll focus on the significance of the subject matter itself rather than the delivery.

In 1991, John Grisham wrote “The Firm,” a bestselling novel. I haven’t read the book myself, but I did see the film adaptation. While I initially found it mediocre, I was impressed by one element: the clever use of mail fraud as the mechanism to dismantle the firm and secure the protagonist’s freedom. Though I’m skeptical such a scheme would succeed in reality, the execution was undeniably sophisticated.

I suspect most readers have already seen the movie, so I won’t recap the film or its major plot points here. If you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend it as one of the few modern movies worth watching—primarily for its substance rather than its entertainment value.

I’d like to draw your attention to the Cayman Islands trip and Mitch’s encounter with the prostitute. Initially, I found this part distasteful. Upon reflection, however, I recognize its insight. By leveraging the prostitute and photographs, the firm effectively gained complete control over Mitch.

Nowadays, I notice a recurring pattern: reality seems to mirror a familiar narrative. A prominent figure enjoys the trappings of fame, power, and fortune, cruising along without concern. Then one misstep—upsetting the wrong person or crossing an invisible line—and their world collapses around them.

Oddly, accusations seem to come pouring down out of nowhere like a rainstorm. Whether guilty or not, a person’s life is instantly—if not immediately—destroyed.

I would name those I’m referring to, but it would be futile. If you’ve been following the news, you already know. Today, living a blameless life isn’t enough—you must be able to prove it quickly. Even then, that may not suffice.

Old Question, Old Answer

The Bible instructs us to train our children, and we certainly should. Yet we’re also told that we inherit our sinful nature from our ancestors—a point worth acknowledging. God declared his preference for Jacob over Esau from birth, even though they shared the same parents. Despite their identical upbringing, one developed into a righteous person while the other did not.

Cain and Abel were brothers born to the same parents. Yet one became a murderer. Try to figure that one out, and you’ll find it perplexing.

To be sure, it’s a bit of both. Beyond that, I don’t think anyone will know.

Daily writing prompt
Do you think we’re shaped more by our experiences or by who we are?

Functional Bumpers

I’ve written about bumpers before on various occasions, and I genuinely believe it is a good time to revisit them once again. Maybe it is time to consider them from a slightly different point of view or perspective. The government just loves regulating things, especially automobiles and the automotive industry. Yet, near as I can tell from what I’ve observed, they don’t seem to want to regulate bumpers very much at all.

There was a time when bumpers were engineered to absorb impacts—which, oddly enough, is where they derived their name. Over the years, designers increasingly chose to integrate lights into bumpers, and more recently, sensors and cameras. It’s worth noting that lights and sensors rank among the most fragile components on a vehicle.

My question for our engineers—one I’d like to present before Congress—is straightforward: why do they consistently place the vehicle’s most fragile components in the location most vulnerable to damage? Could financial incentives be driving this decision?

Regardless of whether this is the case or not, it has increased repair costs following accidents and, consequently, insurance premiums. To reduce insurance costs, we need to implement strict regulations prohibiting lights, sensors, and cameras on or near bumpers. While repair shops will likely object, this measure will bring down premium rates.

Truth be told, when you really think about it carefully, putting lights on bumpers honestly serves absolutely no practical purpose whatsoever, and truthfully, it doesn’t even enhance the appearance or look of a vehicle in any meaningful way. It’s just genuinely dumb and doesn’t make a lot of sense!

What is the Difference Between Superman & all the Other Superheroes?

I never gave it much thought throughout my life. It’s neither important nor genuinely real. The distinction exists only in human perception.

I didn’t enjoy the “Kill Bill” movies—not a single one. I was pressured into watching them against my preference. Someone practically twisted my arm until I had no choice but to sit through them. I found no enjoyment in the experience whatsoever. To this day, I regret watching them.

However, those familiar with the series already understand the connection, particularly from the final movie. In that film, Bill explains it to us in considerable detail.

I’ll save you the trouble and give you the abbreviated version so you won’t have to endure the suffering I went through.

You see, Superman wears his costume as Clark Kent to conceal his true identity. As Superman, everyone sees who he really is. All the others wear costumes to hide who they are.

Aren’t you glad you learned that, if you didn’t already know it?

Audie Murphy: “A Bullet With No Name”

In it Murphy’s character points out that the doctor patches up the killer so he lives to kill. This while Murphy’s character kills the killer, which keeps the kjller from killing.

I still prefer doing what we can to rescue the wounded. I don’t go along with killing killers. Still, he has a good point.

Daily writing prompt
What villain actually had a good point?

Simple Solution

Way back then, they made a bad law for a good reason. A better-worded Fourteenth Amendment would have avoided the unintended consequences.

Nonetheless, it’s a simple solution. Just make a law: if the mother enters the country for this purpose, she pays by spending five to ten years in a federal prison followed by permanent deportation.

I don’t know. It might be a little extreme. However, if the law were enforced, it is likely that it wouldn’t need to be enforced all that often.

Advise and Help

You want advice, no problem. You’ll likely pay little or nothing. The world is full of those willing to provide more advice than you will want or need.

You need help, pull out your wallet. More often than not, it’s going to cost you. Sometimes, it will cost more than you realize.

Daily writing prompt
What’s a lesson you’ve learned recently that shifted your perspective?

Some Call It Democracy

It is a form of government where, in its truest form, the majority vote rules. If that’s the case, you might expect the Democrats, if they genuinely believe in democracy, to make a concerted effort to ensure that voting is honest and free from fraud.

Yet, despite an 85% desire for laws ensuring valid votes, Democratic party leadership appears to oppose the measure. This seems strikingly ironic, given that such a law would likely pass by over 80% if put to a democratic vote.

It appears that Democratic party leaders are not particularly inclined to resolve matters democratically.

Twas False Hopes

Thought I heard the soccer games were over. Either I heard wrong or the news man spoke wrong. More likely the sooner rather than the later. Neither here nor there. Looks like I’ll have to put up with maybe a couple more weeks. And I was so hoping.

3 Year Electric Vehicle Report

It has now been three years since I purchased my electric Nissan. I’ve experienced one flat tire and replaced the bumper once. I also had two recalls addressed through software updates.

In a way, I am hardly an example for one as I only have 8000 miles on it. Nonetheless, here are a few remarks.

On three separate occasions, I discovered all my windows completely down—twice during heavy rain—despite being certain I had left them up. I don’t have any suggestions to offer, but I felt this was worth mentioning.

Surprisingly, they engineered the car to default to fresh air intake, despite my location in the humid South. To make matters worse, selecting recirculation mode disabled the automatic temperature control. Frequently, I have had to fight the controls to get it the way wanted.

I’ve learned to park in the shade whenever possible during hot summer days. Cooling the cabin takes considerable time, and it places a significant strain on the battery—especially for short trips. Pre-cooling the cabin with ambient air about ten minutes before driving on hot days would be ideal. It would put far less demand on the battery to cool the car from 90 degrees rather than from 130. These days, leaving windows down isn’t a practical option, even without rain concerns.

I do suspect it’s more common to have the screen horizontal, but I prefer vertical, especially while using GPS. I’m more interested in what’s directly ahead of me rather than what’s to the sides.

I would much prefer physical buttons on the dashboard instead of touch-sensitive controls. In bright sunlight, they become invisible, which creates a dangerous distraction while driving.

The outside mirrors fold back automatically when the car is locked—a non-optional feature that I find unnecessary. Returning them to their extended position sometimes requires readjustment, which I find frustrating and counterproductive.

What I found most frustrating was the lack of a standard charging interface. While the charging speed is impressive, it’s only useful when you can locate a charging station. This limitation effectively restricted my trips to about 80 miles—40 miles out and 40 miles back—with minimal buffer.

The cruise control defaults to off. When I purchased the car, I hoped to become comfortable with its controls, but I still find myself struggling with them.

One thing that frustrated me was the absence of a spare tire and jack on a $45,000 vehicle. I discovered this unfortunate oversight only when I experienced a flat tire. That was fun.

Finally, while the car does offer some remote operations, they’re largely unnecessary in practice. The FOB is quite basic.

The car is excellent, and I’m pleased with my purchase. Overall, I genuinely enjoy it. That said, there are a few areas where the design seems incomplete—it makes me wonder if their conventional vehicles have similar issues. If I’d chosen a different model, would a spare tire and jack have been included, or would they even be available as options?

I’m unlikely to purchase another new car at this stage of my life. Even if I did, I wouldn’t consider a Nissan. Sometimes it’s the small details that accumulate and become frustrating. It makes me wonder whether the engineer who designed the car actually drove it.