Sunni muslims killed and maimed again today with a car bomb. More Iraqis were killed than American soldiers. Iraqi women and children died in the street after the explosion set off by Sunni separatists.
How long before the average Iraqi citizen begins taking vigilante action against Sunnis? How long will the Iraqi populace tolerate this bloodshed? What kind of environment do the Sunnis believe they will inherit when the US is gone?
The Sunnis are making some terrible medicine and someday soon they will be forced to take a dose.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
FSBO
We're selling our house... or more appropriately, we've put a sign in our yard, put an ad in the paper and are waiting by the phone for a call. Potential buyers will see our ad or our sign and call for an appointment to see our home. When an appointment is made, we rush around like crazy people stuffing any evidence of human occupation into cabinets and closets and under beds so that whoever comes to look at our house will see an empty canvas, upon which they can paint their own story.
This turns out to be very personal for us, the owners of the home. We have loved this home for 8 1/2 years. We don't lay our cheeks against the brick or the sheetrock and coo... but this house has been the base of operations for the most significant period of change in our young lives. The divine Mrs. L and I moved in when our first son was four months old. Since then we've added another son, a dog and a cat. We've entertained friends here. We've hosted family here. We've had birthday parties for the boys here. We've fought and yelled, we've cried and pouted, we've loved and laughed here. We're not overly romanticizing the role of the brick and mortar in these lives but it's a place of familiarity. Our boys don't remember anything else. Soon, God willing, they will have a new house.
I hope that the new house is infused with the character of our family. I hope that some of the sad moments that we experienced in the old house are left behind. I hope that the new place is a place of joy and laughter and happiness and togetherness for my family. I hope that it will be as dear to us, as a place of safety and comfort as the house we're selling.
God bless us with your peace. God bless us with a quick sale and painless closing. God bless us with the assurance that we are ourselves, regardless of where we sleep and eat. God bless us with roots that are deeper than concrete foundations and brick walls.
This turns out to be very personal for us, the owners of the home. We have loved this home for 8 1/2 years. We don't lay our cheeks against the brick or the sheetrock and coo... but this house has been the base of operations for the most significant period of change in our young lives. The divine Mrs. L and I moved in when our first son was four months old. Since then we've added another son, a dog and a cat. We've entertained friends here. We've hosted family here. We've had birthday parties for the boys here. We've fought and yelled, we've cried and pouted, we've loved and laughed here. We're not overly romanticizing the role of the brick and mortar in these lives but it's a place of familiarity. Our boys don't remember anything else. Soon, God willing, they will have a new house.
I hope that the new house is infused with the character of our family. I hope that some of the sad moments that we experienced in the old house are left behind. I hope that the new place is a place of joy and laughter and happiness and togetherness for my family. I hope that it will be as dear to us, as a place of safety and comfort as the house we're selling.
God bless us with your peace. God bless us with a quick sale and painless closing. God bless us with the assurance that we are ourselves, regardless of where we sleep and eat. God bless us with roots that are deeper than concrete foundations and brick walls.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Monday Morning Quarterbacks
I notice that no one is rushing into Sudan to end the genocide that's going on right now at Darfur. The situation in Darfur is well known, documented and in need of correction.
I see that no one was willing to go into Iraq to end the reign of the genocidal Saddam Hussein. The man tested his biological and chemical weapons on an ethnic minority in his own country. The sickening pictures of entire villages full of dead Kurds have been widely available for years.
I see that no one was willing to go into Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Herzegovina) to end the genocide. I see that no one was willing to go into Rwanda to end the genocide.
What I mean is... no one was willing to go into these nightmares and end the killing UNTIL the United States committed to it. The UN can rant and rave in the building we gave them in NY but they can't wipe their noses without the United States paying for it and providing the soldiers, the jets, the tanks and guns to make it happen. The fact is, they can't even pass a resolution (a worthless document) against the slaughter in Darfur.
The UN is ineffective and frankly, should have been disbanded years ago. The nations that are party to the Geneva Conventions are unwilling to fulfill their commitments to intervene in genocide.
Certainly, some countries contribute when the US is going into one of these places. Some send soldiers, some send money, some send equipment but none of this happens until the US makes it happen. The primary power of the UN is the US. The primary loss of life happens to American troops. The largest expense is paid by the US. The bulk of the work is done by Americans. It would not happen without the United States pushing it.
So, armchair quarterbacks and backseat drivers... shut up. If you don't even have the guts to push the issues and commit YOUR resources to save innocent lives, don't gripe about the methods we use or the results we get. The sports metaphor goes like this: It's not your game. You can't throw the ball. You can't catch the ball. You can't run the ball. You can't score. You can't tackle. You can't even wear the pads and the helmet. Go back to your recliner and shut up. The men are on the field doing what has to be done.
I see that no one was willing to go into Iraq to end the reign of the genocidal Saddam Hussein. The man tested his biological and chemical weapons on an ethnic minority in his own country. The sickening pictures of entire villages full of dead Kurds have been widely available for years.
I see that no one was willing to go into Yugoslavia (Bosnia, Herzegovina) to end the genocide. I see that no one was willing to go into Rwanda to end the genocide.
What I mean is... no one was willing to go into these nightmares and end the killing UNTIL the United States committed to it. The UN can rant and rave in the building we gave them in NY but they can't wipe their noses without the United States paying for it and providing the soldiers, the jets, the tanks and guns to make it happen. The fact is, they can't even pass a resolution (a worthless document) against the slaughter in Darfur.
The UN is ineffective and frankly, should have been disbanded years ago. The nations that are party to the Geneva Conventions are unwilling to fulfill their commitments to intervene in genocide.
Certainly, some countries contribute when the US is going into one of these places. Some send soldiers, some send money, some send equipment but none of this happens until the US makes it happen. The primary power of the UN is the US. The primary loss of life happens to American troops. The largest expense is paid by the US. The bulk of the work is done by Americans. It would not happen without the United States pushing it.
So, armchair quarterbacks and backseat drivers... shut up. If you don't even have the guts to push the issues and commit YOUR resources to save innocent lives, don't gripe about the methods we use or the results we get. The sports metaphor goes like this: It's not your game. You can't throw the ball. You can't catch the ball. You can't run the ball. You can't score. You can't tackle. You can't even wear the pads and the helmet. Go back to your recliner and shut up. The men are on the field doing what has to be done.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
The Kuran and the American Way
Please don't mistake the motive of the terrorists (who are beheading hostages) for hatred. It's not hatred. It's objectification.
In sermons and lessons delivered in Iranian and Saudi universities and mosques the Jews and Christians are called pigs and dogs and monkeys. In the Wahhabi (Sunni) version of the Kuran (rewritten for the state sanctioned version of Islam in Saudi Arabia) the Jews and Christians who do not become Muslim are sentenced to death, specifically beheading.
The original Kuran does not contain this direct statement against Jews and Christians. As a matter of fact, pious Jews and Christians are assured of their reward.
"Believers, Jews, Christians and Sabaeans-whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right-shall be rewarded by their lord." Koran 2:62
This verse mentions Jews and Christians by name. Later they are referred to as "people of the Book" and again the Kuran notes that some of them "recite the revelations of God and worship Him..."
The original Kuran is unambiguous about the possibility of the peaceful coexistence of Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is the more modern bastardization of the Muslim faith that is intolerant and objectifies all who are not Muslim.
It is not hatred. Just like the racism that Hitler exploited this objectification of all non-Muslims is being exploited by those in power. Everything that is wrong with the world is blamed on those non-Muslims. We know, from our own American experience, this objectification makes it much easier for a rational, sensible person to overcome the natural revulsion that would prevent them from committing horrific murders.
This method has been employed by countries at war for centuries. As a nation, we are attempting to do battle only with the evildoers. We are trying very hard to keep from slipping into the racism that would allow us to indiscriminately kill every Iraqi or every Afghani. We are trying very hard to be nothing like the terrorists. We are striving to set a higher standard than our enemies.
As has been "the American way" for so long, we strive to be a nation of high ideals, even when they are difficult and American lives must be given to protect those standards. Apparently, the original writing of the Kuran also encouraged it's readers to differentiate based on behavior, not on race.
In sermons and lessons delivered in Iranian and Saudi universities and mosques the Jews and Christians are called pigs and dogs and monkeys. In the Wahhabi (Sunni) version of the Kuran (rewritten for the state sanctioned version of Islam in Saudi Arabia) the Jews and Christians who do not become Muslim are sentenced to death, specifically beheading.
The original Kuran does not contain this direct statement against Jews and Christians. As a matter of fact, pious Jews and Christians are assured of their reward.
"Believers, Jews, Christians and Sabaeans-whoever believes in God and the Last Day and does what is right-shall be rewarded by their lord." Koran 2:62
This verse mentions Jews and Christians by name. Later they are referred to as "people of the Book" and again the Kuran notes that some of them "recite the revelations of God and worship Him..."
The original Kuran is unambiguous about the possibility of the peaceful coexistence of Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is the more modern bastardization of the Muslim faith that is intolerant and objectifies all who are not Muslim.
It is not hatred. Just like the racism that Hitler exploited this objectification of all non-Muslims is being exploited by those in power. Everything that is wrong with the world is blamed on those non-Muslims. We know, from our own American experience, this objectification makes it much easier for a rational, sensible person to overcome the natural revulsion that would prevent them from committing horrific murders.
This method has been employed by countries at war for centuries. As a nation, we are attempting to do battle only with the evildoers. We are trying very hard to keep from slipping into the racism that would allow us to indiscriminately kill every Iraqi or every Afghani. We are trying very hard to be nothing like the terrorists. We are striving to set a higher standard than our enemies.
As has been "the American way" for so long, we strive to be a nation of high ideals, even when they are difficult and American lives must be given to protect those standards. Apparently, the original writing of the Kuran also encouraged it's readers to differentiate based on behavior, not on race.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Coldblooded Killers
Recently, another videotape of the "terrorists beheading a hostage with a knife" variety has been released for the world to view. I've chosen not to watch any of these videos. The written descriptions are gruesome enough for me to be repulsed and sickened.
One more time, the hostage takers have shown us who they are. They have shown us their capacity for hatred, their capacity for violence and their complete disregard for human suffering and human life. One more time we have been given a glimpse of the opposite world view.
In America we are willing to fight and die to give freedom to those who are oppressed. On the other side of the world these sickening killers are willing to fight and die to take away freedom. In America we are taught to love everyone and be kind to others. On the other side of the world children are taught to hate those who are different than they are and that to kill a Jew or an American is no different than killing a pig or a dog. In America we give of our wealth, individually and as a nation, to help those less fortunate around the world. On the other side of the world the wealthy donate to those who would bring harm to America and her allies.
As always, the caveat is that not all Muslims hate and not all arabs are terrorists. However, for those that do hate, there can be no middle ground. There will be no peaceful coexistence. There will be no tolerance. They are sending that message very plainly, written in the blood of innocent workers.
To measure the depths of this hatred imagine yourself holding a knife and cutting the throat of a man whose hands are tied and who is sobbing, begging you for mercy. Imagine his blood and his screams fading away as he dies literally, under your knife. It is a horror beyond words, beyond comprehension. But it is the most eloquent description that those terrorists have given us of themselves.
One more time, the hostage takers have shown us who they are. They have shown us their capacity for hatred, their capacity for violence and their complete disregard for human suffering and human life. One more time we have been given a glimpse of the opposite world view.
In America we are willing to fight and die to give freedom to those who are oppressed. On the other side of the world these sickening killers are willing to fight and die to take away freedom. In America we are taught to love everyone and be kind to others. On the other side of the world children are taught to hate those who are different than they are and that to kill a Jew or an American is no different than killing a pig or a dog. In America we give of our wealth, individually and as a nation, to help those less fortunate around the world. On the other side of the world the wealthy donate to those who would bring harm to America and her allies.
As always, the caveat is that not all Muslims hate and not all arabs are terrorists. However, for those that do hate, there can be no middle ground. There will be no peaceful coexistence. There will be no tolerance. They are sending that message very plainly, written in the blood of innocent workers.
To measure the depths of this hatred imagine yourself holding a knife and cutting the throat of a man whose hands are tied and who is sobbing, begging you for mercy. Imagine his blood and his screams fading away as he dies literally, under your knife. It is a horror beyond words, beyond comprehension. But it is the most eloquent description that those terrorists have given us of themselves.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Bless This House
Give us an eternal perspective. Let us see the temporary things of this world as tools to build your kingdom. Let us see the blessings you've showered upon us as a blessing we can further share with others.
Fill our home with your peace. Make it a place of rest, safety and righteousness. Make it a place where my children are comfortable. Make it a place where my children want to be. Make it a place of peace and comfort for my wife. Make it a place where we see our dreams come true.
Shower us in your blessings. Pour out your riches onto us as we seek your will. Please use our lives and our gifts to your glory.
Fill our home with your peace. Make it a place of rest, safety and righteousness. Make it a place where my children are comfortable. Make it a place where my children want to be. Make it a place of peace and comfort for my wife. Make it a place where we see our dreams come true.
Shower us in your blessings. Pour out your riches onto us as we seek your will. Please use our lives and our gifts to your glory.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Truth, a rare commodity
We've come to a time in our country when it seems that everyone is accusing everyone else of lying. Michael Moore accuses Bush of lying about terrorism and the war in Iraq. The Swift Boat Veterans accuse Kerry of lying about specifics of his service in Vietnam. Former Vice President Gore accuses Bush of deceiving us. The accusations fly both ways.
How is a citizen supposed to decide who to believe? The media is supposed to be the unbiased source of information for the citizenry. We, citizens, should be able to rely on the press to bring us the news as it happens. The press should not be controlled by the government nor should it be anti government. The press should not show preferential treatment to either side of any public argument. The press should not endorse one candidate or another, whether the race is for mayor or president. The press is supposed to bring the bare truth and that truth is supposed to expose the lies that may be told by someone who is biased.
What happens when the press shows bias? What happens when the press brings the news mixed with opinion? What happens when the press becomes the argument? What happens when the press violates the trust we've placed in them?
When the press no longer represents the solid, impeccable truth then the press no longer serves a purpose in this society.
Dan Rather and CBS have dealt a painful blow to the American press this week.
How is a citizen supposed to decide who to believe? The media is supposed to be the unbiased source of information for the citizenry. We, citizens, should be able to rely on the press to bring us the news as it happens. The press should not be controlled by the government nor should it be anti government. The press should not show preferential treatment to either side of any public argument. The press should not endorse one candidate or another, whether the race is for mayor or president. The press is supposed to bring the bare truth and that truth is supposed to expose the lies that may be told by someone who is biased.
What happens when the press shows bias? What happens when the press brings the news mixed with opinion? What happens when the press becomes the argument? What happens when the press violates the trust we've placed in them?
When the press no longer represents the solid, impeccable truth then the press no longer serves a purpose in this society.
Dan Rather and CBS have dealt a painful blow to the American press this week.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Twenty Eight Candles
Today is the birthday of my middle sister. She's six years younger than me.
She used to be a cute little girl with strawberry blonde hair. She was patient while her big sister bossed her around. She was so tender hearted. She thought I was cool, even when I wasn't.
She's all grown up now. She's married to a man I like. She's suffered terrible sadness in her life and she's not become bitter. She's also basked in great joy and awaits the birth of a son in only a couple of weeks. Most of all, she's still patient, sensible and gentle. She and her husband are a lot of fun to be around.
Happy Birthday and "I love you, Janice."
She used to be a cute little girl with strawberry blonde hair. She was patient while her big sister bossed her around. She was so tender hearted. She thought I was cool, even when I wasn't.
She's all grown up now. She's married to a man I like. She's suffered terrible sadness in her life and she's not become bitter. She's also basked in great joy and awaits the birth of a son in only a couple of weeks. Most of all, she's still patient, sensible and gentle. She and her husband are a lot of fun to be around.
Happy Birthday and "I love you, Janice."
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Know Your Enemy
Mohammed Atta's father, speaking on Saturday, September 11, made the outrageous claim that his son was an unfortunate victim of the Israeli intelligence agency commonly referred to as the Mossad. (actually it is the Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks) He claimed that the Mossad are responsible for crashing the two airplanes into the World Trade Center in the most famous of terrorist attacks. He then went on to call all Muslims and Arabs to retaliate for that loss of life. He said that if a plane crashed into the White House and killed President Bush and his wife and his two daughters that the martyr (we would call the martyr a terrorist) would certainly go to heaven.
Yes. You read that correctly. On the anniversary of the worst attack on the US since Pearl Harbor, the perpetrator's father blamed our Israli allies and called, once again, for more terrorist attacks on the US.
The following is my four point outline of the problem:
1. Muslim terrorists want us dead.
2. They will gladly greet their death to cause ours.
3. They will not stop until they are dead or we are dead.
4. They are not in touch with anything you or I would consider reality.
(I've added #4 since hearing Baghdad Bob make his ridiculous televised lies and Mr. Atta make his ridiculous claims that the Israelis are the real terrorists.)
Now for the disclaimer... not all Muslims are terrorists. I've personally been friends with Muslim Americans who fled to the US from Afghanistan during the 1980's. They were hard working, honest people. They struggled to maintain their culture in the melting pot of America. They did not wish to kill or destroy the nation that had welcomed them and allowed them all the freedoms that we enjoy.
So what do we do now? As with Hitler, there can be no space in this world where organized, homicidal, racial hatred is allowed to exist and fester unprosecuted. It must be attacked and destroyed or the world as we know it is in danger of being twisted and conformed to their malignant reality.
Yes. You read that correctly. On the anniversary of the worst attack on the US since Pearl Harbor, the perpetrator's father blamed our Israli allies and called, once again, for more terrorist attacks on the US.
The following is my four point outline of the problem:
1. Muslim terrorists want us dead.
2. They will gladly greet their death to cause ours.
3. They will not stop until they are dead or we are dead.
4. They are not in touch with anything you or I would consider reality.
(I've added #4 since hearing Baghdad Bob make his ridiculous televised lies and Mr. Atta make his ridiculous claims that the Israelis are the real terrorists.)
Now for the disclaimer... not all Muslims are terrorists. I've personally been friends with Muslim Americans who fled to the US from Afghanistan during the 1980's. They were hard working, honest people. They struggled to maintain their culture in the melting pot of America. They did not wish to kill or destroy the nation that had welcomed them and allowed them all the freedoms that we enjoy.
So what do we do now? As with Hitler, there can be no space in this world where organized, homicidal, racial hatred is allowed to exist and fester unprosecuted. It must be attacked and destroyed or the world as we know it is in danger of being twisted and conformed to their malignant reality.
Monday, September 13, 2004
1994 CCA: Impotence in Action
The 1994 Crime Control Act (usually referred to as the assault weapons ban) expires today. It was originally written with an automatic expiration if Congress failed to renew it.
Hysterical editorials are predicting deaths by gunshot and gun crimes to skyrocket now that US citizens may, once again legally purchase all of these previously banned assault weapons.
The weapons banned were semi automatic, meaning one pull of the trigger fires only one bullet. Fully automatic weapons, which fire multiple bullets for each pull of the trigger, had been banned long before 1994. Recall the bank robbery in LA where the thieves wore body armor and fired hundreds of rounds out of fully automatic AK47s. Criminals are seldom concerned with obeying our laws (really?) and have been buying and selling all sorts of illegal weapons despite our laws.
The weapons banned under the 1994 CCA were defined as assault weapons by being semi automatic with a detachable magazine and possessing at least two of the following features: pistol grip, folding stock, bayonet mount, flash suppressor or a grenade launcher. True, as a hunter and sportsman I don't need a bayonet mount, flash suppressor or a grenade launcher but it's also true that none of those things on the list above make that weapon any more dangerous than the completely legal deer rifle I have in my closet. The banned weapons just seem scarier because they look like a military weapon. They are no more lethal.
Finally, because this law was passed in 1994 and these banned weapons had been sold legally for years there are enormous numbers of guns and magazines that were "grandfathered" and could still be bought and sold legally. So, legally purchased assault weapons, as defined by the CCA, were still readily available from most gun dealers, if only for a higher price than pre-ban.
There is an old saying about the ignorant mocking what they do not understand. In this case, the ignorant (people who don't know anymore about guns than what they've seen on tv) are susceptible to the deception of those who are turning this impotent law into a political weapon.
The criminals don't care, the law abiding citizens who own "grandfathered" guns aren't the ones committing crimes and only the gun dealers stand to benefit if the law is renewed. You and I stand a much greater chance of dying in a car wreck than being shot by a previously banned weapon.
Crime statistics (Dept. of Justice, FBI) show that murder by gun dropped in the three years following 1994. Taken by itself (as is being quoted by so many gun control advocates) that statistic might support this ban. What is not being quoted are the other crime statistics about murder with knives and with blunt objects which fell at approximately the same rate as gun murders. Perhaps, the most relevant statistic is that the percentage of murders by guns moved less than 2.5% between 1994 and 1997. There are far too many other factors involved to declare the assault weapons ban as having the slightest impact on those figures.
The final word is (it's my blog after all)... the finger on the trigger is what makes a gun fire a bullet. The hand holding the gun is what aims it at another person. I've had guns all my life and not one of them has ever killed a human being.
Hysterical editorials are predicting deaths by gunshot and gun crimes to skyrocket now that US citizens may, once again legally purchase all of these previously banned assault weapons.
The weapons banned were semi automatic, meaning one pull of the trigger fires only one bullet. Fully automatic weapons, which fire multiple bullets for each pull of the trigger, had been banned long before 1994. Recall the bank robbery in LA where the thieves wore body armor and fired hundreds of rounds out of fully automatic AK47s. Criminals are seldom concerned with obeying our laws (really?) and have been buying and selling all sorts of illegal weapons despite our laws.
The weapons banned under the 1994 CCA were defined as assault weapons by being semi automatic with a detachable magazine and possessing at least two of the following features: pistol grip, folding stock, bayonet mount, flash suppressor or a grenade launcher. True, as a hunter and sportsman I don't need a bayonet mount, flash suppressor or a grenade launcher but it's also true that none of those things on the list above make that weapon any more dangerous than the completely legal deer rifle I have in my closet. The banned weapons just seem scarier because they look like a military weapon. They are no more lethal.
Finally, because this law was passed in 1994 and these banned weapons had been sold legally for years there are enormous numbers of guns and magazines that were "grandfathered" and could still be bought and sold legally. So, legally purchased assault weapons, as defined by the CCA, were still readily available from most gun dealers, if only for a higher price than pre-ban.
There is an old saying about the ignorant mocking what they do not understand. In this case, the ignorant (people who don't know anymore about guns than what they've seen on tv) are susceptible to the deception of those who are turning this impotent law into a political weapon.
The criminals don't care, the law abiding citizens who own "grandfathered" guns aren't the ones committing crimes and only the gun dealers stand to benefit if the law is renewed. You and I stand a much greater chance of dying in a car wreck than being shot by a previously banned weapon.
Crime statistics (Dept. of Justice, FBI) show that murder by gun dropped in the three years following 1994. Taken by itself (as is being quoted by so many gun control advocates) that statistic might support this ban. What is not being quoted are the other crime statistics about murder with knives and with blunt objects which fell at approximately the same rate as gun murders. Perhaps, the most relevant statistic is that the percentage of murders by guns moved less than 2.5% between 1994 and 1997. There are far too many other factors involved to declare the assault weapons ban as having the slightest impact on those figures.
The final word is (it's my blog after all)... the finger on the trigger is what makes a gun fire a bullet. The hand holding the gun is what aims it at another person. I've had guns all my life and not one of them has ever killed a human being.
Friday, September 10, 2004
When I was 18... (embarassing anecdote here)
You learn early on in life that the best defense is a good offense. I heard Dan Rather being quizzed about these documents, now believed to be forgeries, upon which he based the story about Bush's National Guard service. Rather maintained his belief in the authenticity of the documents and dodged the question about where he got the documents by turning defense into offense. He said I don't think it matters where I got the documents (possibly forged)... what matters is the answers to the questions that these documents raise about Bush's service. Good job, Dan. You've learned the lesson well. Don't answer questions to which there are unfavorable answers. Dodge, duck, weave. Turn the ball around and get back on offense.
Almost an afterthought here but... since when does any Democrat care that much about a president telling the truth? Have they forgotten how they dismissed Clinton's continual lying?
Kerry's holding both sides of several key positions. Doesn't that constitute (what do you call "lying" nowadays?) misspeaking? or untruth? or deception? He's had to retract several of the stories of his own service as they were embellished beyond recognition. Remember his claims that he was in Cambodia on Christmas day? Ooops. He misspoke... several times in print and only when others on his own boat and his own diary contradicted his story did he have to retract it.
All that to say... who cares what happened 30 years ago? It appears that both men served and were discharged honorably. I hold positions today that I didn't hold when I was 18 and I am sure that both these men are the same. I did and said things that would embarass me if they became public but I don't do them anymore. I grew up. Let's look at the last 5-10 years as they have got to be much more relevant than the speeches of a young John Kerry or the attendance record of a young George Bush. I would suggest that those words and deeds of 30 years ago are not without value, only much less value than the behaviors of the last decade.
Almost an afterthought here but... since when does any Democrat care that much about a president telling the truth? Have they forgotten how they dismissed Clinton's continual lying?
Kerry's holding both sides of several key positions. Doesn't that constitute (what do you call "lying" nowadays?) misspeaking? or untruth? or deception? He's had to retract several of the stories of his own service as they were embellished beyond recognition. Remember his claims that he was in Cambodia on Christmas day? Ooops. He misspoke... several times in print and only when others on his own boat and his own diary contradicted his story did he have to retract it.
All that to say... who cares what happened 30 years ago? It appears that both men served and were discharged honorably. I hold positions today that I didn't hold when I was 18 and I am sure that both these men are the same. I did and said things that would embarass me if they became public but I don't do them anymore. I grew up. Let's look at the last 5-10 years as they have got to be much more relevant than the speeches of a young John Kerry or the attendance record of a young George Bush. I would suggest that those words and deeds of 30 years ago are not without value, only much less value than the behaviors of the last decade.
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Remember the Cold War?
A large number of Americans believed that the Soviet Empire didn't really threaten the USA, despite the fact that they told us, on at least one famous occasion, that they would bury us. Cold war strategies dragged on and on and peaceniks across the nation didn't see any bodybags coming home and they believed that this military posturing was all a scheme to enrich the military contractors around the nation. They thought it was the perfect gig... there's no war but we've got to produce more and more sophisticated and expensive weapons technologies that never get tested in real life. The money pours into the pockets of the already wealthy Big Businesses that make jets, bombs and rockets.
Then Reagan came into office and was publicly ridiculed and mocked on the pages of newspapers around the country. After all, he was just an old washed up Hollywood actor that had slipped into politics in California. What did he know of political strategy and worldwide dynamics? Nothing. He spoke of right and wrong, good and evil. He spoke of America the generous, benevolent, bringer of freedom. He spoke of the Soviet tyranny, seeking to wrap it's Communist claws around the world. The message resonated with the Americans who continue to think in such terms. The message sounded like a return to a truth that had been so diluted by our culture that it had almost ceased to be recognizable. The mockers could not get enough of lampooning this old fool. Then, we found out he was right all along.
Now, we face another enemy. A jihad has been declared against the USA and all our allies. In other words, they want to bury us. Preferably after they behead, burn and mutilate our corpses. They are not even putting up the artifice of the Cold War. They want us dead and they preach it in their churches and they print it on banners and they sing it on the streets of dusty little countries all over the world. They are assured a place in heaven if they give their lives to take ours. The Soviets weren't that clever or that dedicated.
Again, in our country a leader is in place who calls it right and wrong. A leader is in power who makes plain that it's us or them and there is not room in our enemy's lexicon for a peaceful coexistence. And, like Reagan, our President is mocked and called a buffoon for expressing any moral clarity. He is called an idiot and a fool. The mockers are so enraged by this man that they will vote for anyone else. Some day, hopefully sooner than later, we will see that this President was right all along.
The war is on. When will we beat our plowshares into swords? When will we break out of our overstuffed, comfort worshipping, consumerism and see that there are warriors coming to kill us? (We don't mind war as long as it's not an inconvenience to us. Remember the Balkans? No American outrage there.) These fighters are not wearing the red and gold hammer and sickle. They're not flying MiGs. They're not even wearing uniforms. They're not building ICBMs but they are coming and they will not stop until they're dead.
Then Reagan came into office and was publicly ridiculed and mocked on the pages of newspapers around the country. After all, he was just an old washed up Hollywood actor that had slipped into politics in California. What did he know of political strategy and worldwide dynamics? Nothing. He spoke of right and wrong, good and evil. He spoke of America the generous, benevolent, bringer of freedom. He spoke of the Soviet tyranny, seeking to wrap it's Communist claws around the world. The message resonated with the Americans who continue to think in such terms. The message sounded like a return to a truth that had been so diluted by our culture that it had almost ceased to be recognizable. The mockers could not get enough of lampooning this old fool. Then, we found out he was right all along.
Now, we face another enemy. A jihad has been declared against the USA and all our allies. In other words, they want to bury us. Preferably after they behead, burn and mutilate our corpses. They are not even putting up the artifice of the Cold War. They want us dead and they preach it in their churches and they print it on banners and they sing it on the streets of dusty little countries all over the world. They are assured a place in heaven if they give their lives to take ours. The Soviets weren't that clever or that dedicated.
Again, in our country a leader is in place who calls it right and wrong. A leader is in power who makes plain that it's us or them and there is not room in our enemy's lexicon for a peaceful coexistence. And, like Reagan, our President is mocked and called a buffoon for expressing any moral clarity. He is called an idiot and a fool. The mockers are so enraged by this man that they will vote for anyone else. Some day, hopefully sooner than later, we will see that this President was right all along.
The war is on. When will we beat our plowshares into swords? When will we break out of our overstuffed, comfort worshipping, consumerism and see that there are warriors coming to kill us? (We don't mind war as long as it's not an inconvenience to us. Remember the Balkans? No American outrage there.) These fighters are not wearing the red and gold hammer and sickle. They're not flying MiGs. They're not even wearing uniforms. They're not building ICBMs but they are coming and they will not stop until they're dead.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Come to sunny Texas. The weather's fine!
I cannot understand the state of Massachusetts. First, they've voted for Ted Kennedy for the last 30 years. The consistency with which he's been re-elected pretty much says "Massachusetts stands behind Ted Kennedy." Second, they've voted for John Kerry for the last 20 years. Same thing as Kennedy, Massachusetts is solidly behind John Kerry.
Where are the good men and women of Massachusetts? Where are the business owners? Where are the God fearing, hard working, tax paying citizens? Are there so few of them living in this grand old state? Are there not anymore men and women who roll up their sleeves and get the job done, no matter what that job is? Where are the citizens who put Mitt Romney in office? Can the whole state be filled up with people who are most accurately represented by Ted "another scotch please" Kennedy and John "for it and against it" Kerry?
Those of you who are working, sweating, pouring yourselves into your businesses and bleeding for your dreams... keep on pushing. If Massachusetts doesn't want you, Texas does.
Where are the good men and women of Massachusetts? Where are the business owners? Where are the God fearing, hard working, tax paying citizens? Are there so few of them living in this grand old state? Are there not anymore men and women who roll up their sleeves and get the job done, no matter what that job is? Where are the citizens who put Mitt Romney in office? Can the whole state be filled up with people who are most accurately represented by Ted "another scotch please" Kennedy and John "for it and against it" Kerry?
Those of you who are working, sweating, pouring yourselves into your businesses and bleeding for your dreams... keep on pushing. If Massachusetts doesn't want you, Texas does.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Dare Mighty Things
Maybe Pat Tillman did it for patriotism. Maybe he did it out of a sense of duty. I think maybe he did it because it was real.
We use the words survival, victory, defeat, battle and death to describe high school sports and tv game shows. Maybe Mr. Tillman chose to go to war because it was a real life and death endeavor.
Sociologists tell us that football (like almost all sports) is a highly stylized combat ritual. Maybe Mr. Tillman saw, in the light of a real war, the shallow, inconsequential nature of rich Americans sitting on their couches shouting profanity at their televisions while they watch paid athletes play out a colorful mimicry of combat.
The need for a life and death struggle is inside me. Maybe my great grandfather was a soldier and that impact on his genetic code is coming out in me. My grandfather fought in WWII. My father served in Vietnam. Next to that everything I've done in my life seems to pale.
I'm not so stupid as to say that I don't fear my own death or that I would go into battle and not be afraid but I seem to be more afraid of my own slow death over the next fifty years. I do not glamorize war, either. CNN coverage has reinforced the old adage that war is hell. I can however, understand the warrior's prayer for victory and if not victory, then an honorable death.
Maybe I just read too many of these quotes when I was a kid.
It is not the rich man you should properly call happy, but him who knows how to use with wisdom the blessings of the gods, to endure hard poverty, and who fears dishonor worse than death, and is not afraid to die for cherished friends or fatherland.
Horace (65 BC - 8 BC), Odes
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919)
We use the words survival, victory, defeat, battle and death to describe high school sports and tv game shows. Maybe Mr. Tillman chose to go to war because it was a real life and death endeavor.
Sociologists tell us that football (like almost all sports) is a highly stylized combat ritual. Maybe Mr. Tillman saw, in the light of a real war, the shallow, inconsequential nature of rich Americans sitting on their couches shouting profanity at their televisions while they watch paid athletes play out a colorful mimicry of combat.
The need for a life and death struggle is inside me. Maybe my great grandfather was a soldier and that impact on his genetic code is coming out in me. My grandfather fought in WWII. My father served in Vietnam. Next to that everything I've done in my life seems to pale.
I'm not so stupid as to say that I don't fear my own death or that I would go into battle and not be afraid but I seem to be more afraid of my own slow death over the next fifty years. I do not glamorize war, either. CNN coverage has reinforced the old adage that war is hell. I can however, understand the warrior's prayer for victory and if not victory, then an honorable death.
Maybe I just read too many of these quotes when I was a kid.
It is not the rich man you should properly call happy, but him who knows how to use with wisdom the blessings of the gods, to endure hard poverty, and who fears dishonor worse than death, and is not afraid to die for cherished friends or fatherland.
Horace (65 BC - 8 BC), Odes
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919)
Friday, September 03, 2004
Psalm 19
I watched the sunrise over a golf course this morning. I just got to sit and watch the dim gray light slowly swell into a clear, bright white morning. The sun was a shimmering, nearly flourescent ball of red-orange. The dew drops were heavy on the grass. Birds flew around in the trees overhead and a lone rabbit, only a dark smudge on the grass when I sat down, loped around sampling the grasses and weeds. I drank my coffee and luxuriated in the glory of the outdoors.
Someday, I want a house in the country with a front porch view just like that one.
Someday, I want a house in the country with a front porch view just like that one.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Cheney/Bush 2008
Dick Cheney patiently delivered a composed, dignified butt-kicking to John Kerry last night. Jonathan Last, online editor of the Weekly Standard called it Kerry's trip "to the woodshed." If Kerry ever had to debate Cheney (Kerry's people better not let it happen) I'm certain Cheney would pick Kerry apart like a seasoned, professional boxer meeting a complete amateur.
Prior to this convention we've seen so little of the President and Vice President campaigning. The TV has been full of Kerry-Edwards and their shrill diatribes against the current administration, their hysterical claims that terror threats are part of a Bush campaign tactic and their ambiguous promises to fix everything that is wrong in the world. Now, after three or four nights of this convention they're squealing about the negativity of the rhetoric. They've been throwing punches for months and now they took one on the chin and they're crying like little girls. What a contrast!
What are you looking for in a leader? I'm starting to think Dick Cheney and Laura Bush can run for President and Vice President in 2008. Not necessarily in that order, either.
They've got my vote.
Prior to this convention we've seen so little of the President and Vice President campaigning. The TV has been full of Kerry-Edwards and their shrill diatribes against the current administration, their hysterical claims that terror threats are part of a Bush campaign tactic and their ambiguous promises to fix everything that is wrong in the world. Now, after three or four nights of this convention they're squealing about the negativity of the rhetoric. They've been throwing punches for months and now they took one on the chin and they're crying like little girls. What a contrast!
What are you looking for in a leader? I'm starting to think Dick Cheney and Laura Bush can run for President and Vice President in 2008. Not necessarily in that order, either.
They've got my vote.
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