Welcome to the Jungle

President's Message

How is it that a group of dudes wearing the latest in festive sweater fashions can gather around a ping pong table in a garage and solve the world's problems in two hours while the "best minds" wearing expensive suits can't even balance a budget? Hats off to John Larsen and Dave Greenall and the assorted potluckers who contributed to the gathering on Dec. 8. The slow start made me think that dudes were boycotting the festive sweater look as though I had breached some unspoken rule of manliness with the request. But when the Dentists Three (I'm including Tyler in there) arrived with glittery trim, velcro buttons and silver reindeer, I breathed a sigh of relief. And when Brent arrived exuding the spirit of Kwanzaa, I knew we were headed somewhere special.

We dove right into our discussion of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Interestingly, the book was given a thumbs down by most on account of its unrelenting bleakness and yet it spurred one of the most engaging discussisons we've had (in my opion, of course). We talked about freedom, dignity, morality, propaganda, and rats. We rode the requisite capitalism vs. socialism see-saw and discussed the benefits and responsibilities of living in a free and democratic system. We mentioned our need for heroes in literature and the frustrations that come when a protagonist's freedom is sacrificed for polical purposes. In all, I'd say we have it figured out; I'll be sending the minutes of our meeting to President Obama along with a sweater with velcro buttons.

A very Merry Christmas goes out to all who attended (as well as all those dudes reading this whose wives had chores for them that night): Jim, Robert, Richard, Billy, John, Trevor, Brent, Rob, Tyler, and Dave . Next month we will discuss A Train to Potevka by Mike Ramsdell, a true account of an American spy in Soviet Russia. Details of time and place will be released soon. Thank you for your efforts, gentlemen, may you more fully enjoy your holiday meals in light of all you now know.

Sincerely,

El Presidente

David's Inferno

President's Message

Greetings, dudes! Another Dude Squad meeting has come and gone and as usual, it was a runaway success. Choosing a bold new venue, Dave Greenall decked out the ol' garage with ping pong equipment, a Foosball table and some diabolically tasty finger foods. The fourteen dudes lining the perimeter couldn't have been more at home. Businesswise, we discussed the upcoming pig roast and were honored by the appearance of Dinky the Pig who will be the roastee. I've decided to make him an honorary member of the Dude Squad until we eat him. Also, for our December meeting, we will all be sporting our finest festive holiday sweaters. This is not negotiable. Remember, the louder and more obnoxious the better.

Discussion of Dave's selection, The Screwtape Letters was insightful and thought provoking. We touched on unselfishness, love, prayer, faith, accepting God's will, hidden blessings of faith, the faith of children and why it's a bad idea to marry a crazy woman. We mentioned Lewis's conversion to Christianity and his extraordinary appeal to Latter-day Saints. I believe all who were present and paying attention were edified.

We had a couple of rookies in our midst. Rob Chatterton, who used to jam with my garage band occasionally back in high school in Boise, Idaho, is moving to the area and has shown interest in the Dude Squad. Similarly, David Radmacher, a long lost friend of Tyler Wilson's, attended and contributed some great insights. It is indeed a small world.

Gentlemen, I'd like to thank all who attended Dave's meeting. Keep up the good work: Scott, Dave G, Sam, Rob, Trevor, Leo, Jim, Billy, Bret, Richard, Brent, John L, Tyler, and David R. Next month we will be reading John Larsen's selection The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Meeting place and time will be announced soon.

P.S. I'm looking forward to the sweaters next month, especially Bret's.

Sincerely,

El Presidente

Of War and Peace

President's Message

Dudes,

I thought I would try out a new look for the blog. I think this one looks slightly less tough but a bit more inviting. The next step is to post some photos of us stuffing our faces with pork and I think our fame will grow prodigiously. Then I'll be one step closer to doing Dude Squad full-time. I want to recognize Billy Fairbanks for a hosting a great Dude Squad event complete with flavored sausages, lemonade, chips and other tasty stuff.

Under a peaceful, star-spangled sky we discussed The Killer Angels with Mars, the god of war, looking down approvingly. We discussed the technological aspects of war that change the way it is fought. Leo produced a Civil War era bullet that looked like it could do some damage. We discussed the personalities of the generals. Admiration for those who fought and died was expressed. In all, we concluded that had the Union troops and their sovereigns been less committed to their cause, our American heritage and experience would be radically different from what we now enjoy.

And so with this we move on to an imaginative work by none other than the brilliant Clive Staples Lewis: The Screwtape Letters. I've read that C.S. Lewis, who was a professor of literature at Oxford, was heavily influenced by Milton's Satan in Paradise Lost. So for extra credit I'm going to assign Paradise Lost as well as an interpretive essay comparing the two works. "Oh, if only there were time" I seem to hear you saying. Indeed, if only there were time. The next meeting is now scheduled for Dave Greenall's house, Thursday November 4 at 7:30.

And of course, I would be derelict in my duties were I not to mention all in attendance at Billy's: Scott, Billy, Leo, John L., Richard, Dave, Tyler, Troy, Bret, Sam, George, John, Steve, and John R.

It has been a pleasure,

El Presidente

King Richard the Lionheart

President' Message

I would like to recognize Richard Norman for providing the Dude Squad with a very memorable and fulfilling feast, literally and figuratively. Indeed, we ate like kings. Our best turnout to date, Richard's meeting proved that if you offer a huge amount of perfectly grilled meat and throw in some tasty beans, you can inveigle a large group of dudes to sit around and discuss a book. I might have to try this approach at school.

In the way of business, we had no accusations or shoot-outs to announce, but we did learn of a friend of Leo's who has been diligently perusing the blog and reading our selections. I'm embarrassed to say that I lost his name, but I'm sure we'll have this cleared up soon. We were joined by Kerry Steed, Tyler's father-in-law as well as two rookies, John and Don. Also, I'd like to give a shout-out to our phantom member, Jeff Stasell, who has not yet made it to a meeting but has expressed regret on a number of occasions for being too busy to attend.

Discussion of Shackleton's journey ranged from individual impressions of the hardships endured by him and the crew to questioning the utility of such adventures and finding applications for the spirit of adventure in our own lives. Tyler gave some rousing speeches about how the Dude Squad needs to get off its collective butt and run a marathon. So in a few short meetings we've gone from ping-pong to talking about marathons. I say we all challenge Bret to a good-ol'-fashioned stick pull and call it good.

Richard, for your valor, courage, and skill with a grill, I hereby dub you King Richard the Lionheart, and recognize your Knights of the Dude Squad: Sam Gilstrap, Scott Silva, John Larson, Billy Fairbanks, Kerry Steed, Don Zimmerman, Bret Prawitt, Troy Thorup, Leo Bunting, Trevor Beck, Tyler Wilson, Brent Christensen, Dave Greenall, and John Root.

Sincerely yours,

King John I

Dude Squad: A Cultural Revolution

President's Message

"The world does not get better or worse. It just gets older." -Harold Bloom

A changing world brings many challenges along with many opportunities. On one hand, we endure a sluggish economy, but on the other, we witness improving conditions for men's book clubs across the nation, and quite possibly the globe. Discussion of The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria, I thought, was stimulating on a number of levels. First, we heard accounts of experiences in China by members of the Dude Squad; then, we applied ideas from the book to our own lives asking how this knowledge will effect our voting behavior, our day-to-day living and our sense of security. Finally, we concluded that China's rise to power is inevitable and we did what any self-respecting group of Americans would do under the circumstances: consume some good, old-fashioned American pie with ice cream and call it a night. I want to thank Brent Christensen for flawlessly executing a top-notch Dude Squad gathering as well as all of those dudes who contributed to the discussion: Jim, Brian, Billy, Troy, Scott, David and Brent. Next month's meeting is tentatively set for Aug. 11th at 7:30 at Richard Norman's house. We will be discussing Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing.

Chairman Rootski

Take it to the House

President's Message

"As long as a man thinks, he is free." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I shared this story at one of the first Dude Squad meetings and since we have added many new dudes to the ranks I thought it wouldn't hurt to briefly revisit it. When American POWs in Vietnam were scheduled for release, their captors put them in low-security holding facilities and allowed them to mingle with one another. Not knowing how long they had to wait, the POWs quickly organized themselves into an informal school in which anyone with knowledge of any topic could teach a class or lead a discussion. I've always carried that story with me. It is in the spirit of those men that I salute the Dude Squad this Memorial Day weekend.

I want to thank Trevor Beck for such a memorable Dude Squad event. We have certainly come a long way from our humble origins in my cramped little apartment to enjoying ping-pong, billiards, and a view of the mighty Pacific. I felt a little as if I were about to sprout donkey ears like the boys on Pleasure Island in Pinnochio. I think the only way to one-up the Club House is to rent Air Force One for the next meeting. I'll see what I can do.

Our ranks are swelling, which is always welcome, and we had a collegial discussion of A Sense of Where You Are. It was mentioned that 'a sense of where you are' could be a sports metaphor for finding direction in life since reaching a destination requires a knowledge of one's location with regard to important goals. One stat was offered, I forget by whom, that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to really master any skill. I'm going to remember this the next time a guy with a cast on his foot beats me at ping-pong.

Our last meeting kicked off our first ever Obscure Sports Ping-Pong Tournament. In line with the book's theme of competitive sports, we wrapped up discussion early in order to re-live the glory days of college ping-pong. Rising swiftly through the ranks was Sam Gilstrap who met up with Richard Norman in the final round. After a tenaciously fought battle by both athletes, the victory finally went to the guy without a cast on either leg: Sam. Congratulations, you must be proud!

Next month's meeting will be announced shortly. We will be reading Brent's selection The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria. Before I close, I'd like to mention those in attendance at the Club House: Brent Christensen, Tyler Wilson, Scott Silva, Cass Glasser, Troy Thorup, Leo Bunting, Jason, Sam Gilstrap, Mike Mallory, Jim Sparks, Trevor Beck, Richard Norman, John Root.

Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure.

El Presidente

Oh, California!

President's Message

"The attraction and superiority of California are in its days. It has better days, and more of them, than any other country." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tyler Wilson put on one heck of a Dude Squad meeting. Borrowing a recipe from the master of marinades, Scott Silva, he produced a bucket of beef never to be forgotten by any who had the good fortune to partake of its goodness. Speaking of fresh meat, we welcomed two new members to our ranks, Dave Greenall, and Billy Fairbanks. We discussed the ballistics event which appears to be on hold indefinitely due to a busy stake/ward calendar. We discussed Tyler's choice for the month, Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Harvey Dana. Everybody seemed to have enjoyed it, especially the connections it made to California and her storied past. We went around the circle detailing our personal family histories in the Golden State. The Bunting's California origins, for example, antedate the Schooner as well as the mortar and pestle, reaching deep into the mists of antiquity. The Beck family, on the other hand, were part of the not-so-famous California Gold Rush of 2008. For our next meeting we will be reading a book about Bill Bradley. I will have more information about the book as well as the time and place soon. For the record I will attempt to recall all the dudes present at Troy's place on that moonlit night, April 22, 2010: Tyler Wilson, Dave Greenall, Richard Norman, Billy Fairbanks, Bret Prawitt, Troy Thorup, Trevor Beck, Brent Christensen, Sam Gilstrap, Leo Bunting, Scott Silva, and John Root.

Dudes, Meat, Frogs

President's Message

Dudes,

First and foremost, I want to thank Vicki and Mariah for graciously allowing 10 noisy dudes to disturb their evening routine. The stuffed peppers were amazing, the meat was sublime, and all doubt that Leo could host a first-class Dude Squad night was obliterated. Leo's successful meeting also proves conclusively that not every word of every book has to be read by every dude in order for the conversation to be worthwhile. It also proves that a chorus of little croakers are no match for the cunning of Dude Squad "frogmen" armed with kitchen implements and a jar.

The evening started on a positive note when Richard's crutches arrived followed shortly thereafter by Richard himself, who sat happily by the fire testing the thermal conductivity of his leg apparatus. Brent arrived with a little black cloud of government oppression over his head after having been caught spinning doughnuts in the Village of Arroyo Grande. The incident set the tone for the night's discussion which Leo introduced with a moving story of his father as a young man at the turn of the 20th century.

Before I get ahead of myself I should mention some points of order we discussed. Communication problems will be shored up now that I have everyone's email: and I will try to post updates and information in a more timely way. Next up was Bret's formal charge against Sam of un-dude-like conduct for having attended a "chick flick" and allegedly having been the only dude in the theater. No further evidence or testimony was needed to convict him. His sentence will be to read recycled copies of Relief Society books on womanhood. And no, he may not propose such books for Dude Squad material. Next up was Scott's proposal of a Dude Squad shooting outing that was easily ratified by unanimous vote. Details will be announced as soon as I know them. Also Richard mentioned raising a pig and roasting it sometime for a D.S. meeting. Sounds good to me, that would go well with a Lord of the Flies discussion.

And now for The Forgotten Man discussion. For those who read the book, it seemed they came away with the impression that the Roosevelt administration was too heavy-handed in regulating business and the depression was prolonged as a result. Reckless experimentation was also cited as having a devastating effect on people's lives. It was apparent that we are a bunch of self-reliant dudes who are wary of government solutions. That isn't to say, though, that there weren't well-researched arguments citing much growth in the 1930s that came as a result of the New Deal. Suffice it to say that we could all agree that our situation now doesn't come close to the conditions people faced during the Great Depression. We also talked a lot about Health Care reform and if I recall, Sam offered a comprehensive solution but at that point is was getting difficult to hear over the frogs.

All in all, it was another successful meeting. Those who were present, Leo Bunting, Sam Gilstrap, Troy Thorup, Tyler Wilson, Brent Christensen, Scott Silva, Bret Prawitt, John Root, Richard Norman, and Trevor Beck, are greatly appreciated. For our next meeting we will be discussing Tyler's choice, Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. Discussion will be on Wednesday, April 21 at Leo's house. Stay tuned in case of changes.

Sincerely,

El Presidente

Leo's Meeting Postponed

Dudes,
Just so everyone knows, Leo's meeting will be postponed until the first or second Thursday of March. Gentlemen, we've entered uncharted territory in that many dudes have expressed a lazy attitude toward Leo's book and have not given it the time it deserves. Sadly, I'll admit to being among those guys. Now, in my opinion, the great thing about Dude Squad is that it is about food and brotherhood as much as ideas. So, I say we meet regardless of whether or not anyone read the book and Leo can tell us about the Great Depression and then we can all complain about politics while nursing cold bottled root brewskis and wiping the fat from some roasted animal from our chins. What sayest thou?

President Root

Posted By Bret

Greetings to all. This is Bret taking up our benevolent leader's offer to allow each of us to post on the D.S. Blog. Seldom do you find a President so secure in his high office that he is willing to throw caution to the wind by allowing the masses to taste of the fruits of his leadership. I am honored to use his exalted log in. My wife's sister posted this video on her facebook. Not only is it very funny but also speaks to the need for organizations such as the Dude Squad. So I hope you will enjoy it. P.S. At the 1:30 mark you will see a movie theatre crowd that exactly matches the one that Sam experienced being the only male at the movie "Dear John"(perhaps some sort of disciplinary action required). Click here

A Model of Empathy

Dudes,
I thought you might enjoy this clip of a talk show host laughing at his guests. The topic for the show was medical procedures gone wrong and as you'll see, his reaction to a throat-surgery survivor is less than professional. Apparently, his show was canceled and his television career ended because of this one show. Enjoy.

Behold the Man

President's Message

Another successful Dude Squad meeting is in the bag thanks to Scott Silva and his dear wife Christy who was kind enough to allow ten dudes to roast strips of beef on skewers in her living room fireplace. The beef, I'm compelled to add, was marinaded in such a way as to leave me at a loss for superlatives to describe it. Suffice it to say the meat was transcendent. Pre-discussion chatter was lively and not entirely unproductive as we listened to Troy's adventures in China confronting guys with superfluous teeth and playing charades with the Eggman. We also enjoyed Bret's pictures of people with severely disfigured faces. Then we touched lightly on the 'woman question' and decided that reading women authors is permissible but a girl in the Dude Squad would just be too weird. Perhaps next month we should consider building a tree house with the appropriate defenses and signage. Also, we decided that it's ok for Leo to listen to audio books.
Scott initiated discussion with the question: what was the turning point for Greg Mortenson? A number of postulates were presented and some even questioned whether there was an actual turning point in his life. Discussion revolved around the man Greg Mortenson for most of the night and the general consensus was that such selfless service can open doors that most consider locked. We also considered the related topics of education (and decided that California teachers are grossly overpaid), US military involvement in Afghanistan/Pakistan, and earthquakes with Sam telling stories about how he used to impress girls in college.
Of course I'd like to mention our newest initiates, Brent Christensen and Richard Norman and thank them for their contributions and insights. For the record I want to mention all those in attendance on that dark and stormy night, January 21, 2010: Scott Silva, Leo Bunting, Brent Christensen, Richard Norman, Tyler Wilson, John Root, Troy Thorup, Sam Gilstrap, Trevor Beck and Bret Prawitt. Our next book was chosen by Leo Bunting: The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. Discussion is tentatively scheduled for February 25 at Leo's house. Standby for more information.

Gentlemen, go forth and serve.

Next Meeting

The next official meeting of Dude Squad and Obscure Sports Society will be held at Scott Silva's house at 364 Oro Drive in Arroyo Grande on Thursday, January 21 at 8:00. We will be discussing Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. We will be in the back yard roasting things around the fire pit as we discuss so Scott asked me to remind everyone to kindly bring your own chair (B.Y.O.C.). See you there!