4305

The Writers' Strike

Warnings of the Writers' Strike have been coming for weeks. But I'm ahead of the game (unless the writers contribute to the evening news, radio talk shows, and Book-TV). Except for re-runs, I stopped watching most of our cultural wasteland years ago. Dancing with the Stars was a top rated show on Monday and Tuesday of this week, and I did watch the first season, which was a summer replacement, and the second season. Not sure they use writers. I wouldn't watch Desperate Housewives even if I were desperate, but obviously many people do. John Corby (local radio) suggests they go back to the first season of shows like 24 so that people who joined the series late can get caught up.

I'm sure all the writers make more than nurses, librarians or teachers who contribute much more to society. And they probably don't even have to attend workshops on multi-culturalism or recruiting minorities for writing jokes for white performers. Which makes me wonder, how many in this union are actually minorities? Women? Over 55? Normal? Anyone know?

And what will happen to all the little guys, who probably make much less and may not be unionized, like the caterers, chauffers, parking lot attendants, make-up artists, hair designers, clothing alternations, set designers, or the stores and restaurants where these strikers shop and eat, etc. You gotta hope these folks didn't have adjustable rate mortgages.

4304

The Robber Barons

Good observation, but I think they were called that even 50 years ago when I was in school--

After seeing a piece of my son's history curriculum at school, I realized for about the hundredth time just how poor an understanding most people have about the great industrialists of the 19th century, so unfairly painted as "robber barons." While it is said that "history is written by the victors," I would observe that despite the fact that socialism and communism have been given a pretty good drubbing over the last 20 years, these statists still seem to be writing history. How else to explain the fact that men who made fortunes through free, voluntary exchange of products can be called "robber barons;" while politicians who expropriate billions by force without permission from the most productive in society are called "progressive." Coyote Blog

4303

Two words sum up crazy politics

Pat Robertson. Not to say anything negative about Rudy, I'm sure he's a nice guy, but he's beyond RINO--he's a conservative Democrat. He is not pro-life, pro-marriage (except for himself--3 times married), pro-secure borders, or anything else conservatives admire in a candidate--except he's strong on security (just not at the border) and did a wonderful job in his city after 9/11. The only explanation I can come up with is that Robertson is more afraid of an honest, conservative Mormon than he is a controlling, conniving, liberal Methodist. Not that he's said much worth listening to in the last 10 or 15 years, but this was a huge surprise, and if he has a "base," I'm guessing they feel dusted and kicked.

Campaign for Children and Families
Wildmon endorses Huckabee

4302

Liberals and Uppity Blacks

Liberals turn up their noses at Clarence Thomas' autobiography, "My Grandfather's Son." Thomas says it was all about abortion, and I wish it were so, although I'm pro-life. It is racisim, pure and simple. Look out Obama--don't you dare go after Hillary. Daniel Henninger in today's WSJ writes about Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" which has sold 30,000,000 copies. She has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom award.

"By now, "To Kill a Mockingbird" is wholly folded into the political life of the country. It is safe to say that most Democrats would consider the book to be an iconic testament to their legacy, liberalism's greatest achievement. One imagines that Harper Lee would agree with this. . ."

"But as with Justice Thomas's famously sphinx-like demeanor during oral arguments at the Supreme Court, there has been nary a peep in more than 40 years about the book's meaning from Miss Lee (it would sound absurd to refer to her as Ms. Lee). While schoolchildren today are assigned the book as an exercise in the formation of social virtue, Harper Lee herself saw the novel as about more than that. Indeed, one reads nearly 90 pages into the novel's account of Scout and Jem Finch in Maycomb before the racial drama arrives.

"We may assume that Harper Lee composed her remarkable story about the unjustly accused and gunned-down Tom Robinson so that some day a Clarence Thomas could rise from Pinpoint to the nation's highest Court. If so, we then have to account for this famous and still-astounding statement by Judge Thomas toward the end of his corrosive confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court:


"From my standpoint, as a black American, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree."

4301

She must be my age

My husband and I almost always go out to eat on Friday night. If he wore a baseball cap and athletic shoes, even to a sports bar like Rusty Bucket, I'd take it personally. It doesn't flatter me or our relationship. For a picnic with friends, or a walk along the lakefront it would be fine (although I just can't wait for the day when the baseball cap for adults will be history for anyone off the diamond). Now a reader of WSJ has expressed my thoughts on today's casual dress and behavior and what it says about the people you're with or the event you're attending. It's all about expect and respect.

"Envision a 50th anniversary party where the husband plays video games with his buddies and the kids lounge in front of the TV, because that's what they want to do.

I want to get dressed up and be taken to my favorite restaurant, and that's what I get. But I started this pattern 60 years ago." Judith Martin, WSJ 11-07-07

Huckabee on Health

When Mike Huckabee was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, he took charge of his health, began to eat a more healthy diet, and started an exercise program. Whether it's his personal health, or the nation's health, he says there is no quick fix. He was a big loser in weight loss; let's make him a big winner for the White House.

The health care system in this country is irrevocably broken, in part because it is only a "health care" system, not a "health" system.

We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict.

We do need to get serious about preventive health care.

I advocate policies that will encourage the private sector to seek innovative ways to bring down costs.

I value the states' role as laboratories for new market-based approaches.

When I'm President, Americans will have more control of their health care options, not less.

As President, I will work with the private sector, Congress, health care providers, and other concerned parties to lead a complete overhaul of our health care system.

Our health care system is making our businesses non-competitive in the global economy. It is time to recognize that jobs don't need health care, people do, and move from employer-based to consumer-based health care.

Details at his web site

Mike Huckabee

Mike is now third in the polls

From the POTUS Blog (over 2 years ago): "Four out of the last five presidents elected were governors. (President George H.W. Bush was VP). Of the four last presidents, three where southern governors. He has a truly successful record of accomplishments in Arkansas. He has demonstrated his ability as a communicator. Gov. Huckabee also has the proper perspective on leadership."

Photo from POTUS Blog
Huckabee is now ahead of McCain and Romney in the Rasmussen poll. Among Republicans, Rudy is first, then Thompson. He was 5th until October 25, then he moved to 4th, now to 3rd.

Mike Huckabee

4298

Planned Parenthood's Plans for Denver

Deception or just clever tactics for meeting a goal? Probably makes no difference, because we know the outcome. Story here about creating a corporation to purchase the property, then lying about ownership on the construction permits by the company that is a donor to PP. Go to a PP website that is advertising for positions--I'm assuming their new employs have to be clear on their own values and support the goals and mission of PP. I wonder if the construction workers and subcontractors had a right to know that they were building a clinic to take the lives of the unborn?

Here's an organization I've been supporting about 20 years, Nurturing Network--a plan that benefits both mother and child.

4297

I voted today

but not for this, "#1 Referendum on Substitute Senate Bill #16." I read through it (very long) several times and couldn't figure out the wording, so I skipped over it, and went to the next issue. When I got home I looked it up on the League of Women Voters website, thinking that if I had no distractions and figured out which verb went with what, I would understand it. Nope. So I read the League's summary and explanation and what would happen with a Yes, and with a No. Still don't understand (not the issue, but the wording). This isn't the first time I remember an issue being written to confuse voters--especially referenda--so the vote count is low, and then the supporters can slip it through. Still, it would be nice to know what I didn't vote for.

Update: The exterminator-guy at the coffee shop explained it to me this morning (Nov. 7). Because it dealt with touching and strippers, apparently it had been discussed at his church (Heaven forbid Lutherans would do that!). The Senate Bill would have put a few strippers out of work since fewer would have been needed if bars closed earlier (there had been some murders or assaults at various places around town where stripping was involved). However, because so many of the signatures were bogus on the petition to get it on the ballot, it was invalid, but by then the machines were set to go. No votes were even counted, and it would have cost the state about $330,000 to advertise that, so it was just left on the ballot. So Senate Bill #16 has passed (the referendum was to remove it).

What's on your pantry shelves?

Lots of NOINFOCO--no information on country of origin. Have you noticed how many canned and prepared food items say only "distributed by" instead of "product of USA" or product of any country? If I choose to buy banana chips, as I did this week, I know the package says "product of the Philippines," and I can decide if I trust our long relationship with that country, and are the standards for pesticides, herbicides and cleanliness the same. Many of the items I put in the basket say, "product of Canada." I'm OK with that. What's more American than pumpkin pie in November? But do you know from the Libby's label? "100% pure pumpkin produced and distributed by Nestle USA." That really doesn't tell me where the pumpkin was grown, stored, cooked, canned or shipped does it? NOINFOCO.

This week I had one clear winner for clarity in the grocery cart. The bag of Eagle Eye Idaho Potatoes said "grown in Idaho" 3 times, as well as "produce of USA," and "packaged in Idaho." Can't be anymore forthright about their product than that.

Compare that to these Meijer brands I bought: Select Black Beans, Chunky Applesauce, Lite Pear Halves, and Cream of Mushroom Soup. All are "Distributed by Meijer of Grand Rapids, MI" with no information on where they were grown, produced or packaged. I'm told on the label percentage of calcium and Vit. C, the mg of sodium and cholesterol, the grams of fiber and protein, the serving size, how many servings in the container and the calories, how many calories are from fat, what ingredients are inside the can or package, how to cook it or serve it, how to store it after it's opened, and a "use by" date. And depending on the company, I could practice my Spanish, or have a label so cluttered, I can't even find the English words. Even the Meijer Organics Golden Sweet Corn with a seal that reads "USA organic" just may be saying there's a standard in the USA for certifying something is organic. It doesn't really say it was produced here.

Now that we're seeing corn being grown everywhere so we can burn it in our gas tanks, I think it's time to make sure you know where the food is coming from that used to be grown in Ohio or Indiana or Iowa. This is a safety issue just like the lead paint in toys or the salmonella in lettuce greens. Anything can happen even with locally grown produce, but the USA does have standards and regulations governing production and distribution. We learned from the China toys and pet food fiascos that neither the corporations nor the US government were checking to make sure those products were produced the way they were supposed to be. (China has no tradition of contract law and feels no obligation to do what they say they will do.)

So why can't we consumers be a bit more proactive, why doesn't the FDA and the USDA require "country of origin" or "product of. . ." which would be more helpful than having everyone switch from transfat to palm oil? Ask your congressional representative to . . . represent YOU. This is not a liberal or conservative issue. It's about being an informed consumer. Let's not have another food scare which will create another layer of bureaucracy after finger pointing and hearings with movie stars giving us advice. Act now.

We need Mike in the White House!

"Governor Huckabee cut taxes 94 times in Arkansas; championed the first broad-based tax cut in Arkansas history; led the charge to implement pro-family policies by protecting the sanctity of life and traditional marriage in Arkansas; cut welfare rolls by nearly half, and believes in a strong national defense, beginning with sealing America's borders. Furthermore, he does not support "sanctuary cities." Chip Saltsman, National Campaign Manager.

The Presidential election is a year off, but today is the first Tuesday of November. Across the nation people are going to the polls. Get some practice; exercise your vote. Don't neglect your rights and duty as a citizen and sit around and whine about what's going on locally, state-wide, or nationally. And don't let illegal aliens get drivers' licenses so they can become motor-voters while you sit at home.



Mike Huckabee

4294

Driver has no money

As I was returning from the super market this morning I passed a bread truck with "Driver has no money" painted on the side. I know just how he feels.

Checking out the religion blogs

I saw this at WDTPRS, a Catholic blog. The California Catholic Daily reports on a refresher course on the Latin Mass and Sacraments.

"The Tridentine Mass for Joe Sixpack” is the name for the first class, to be held Nov. 7. The titles for the classes to be held over subsequent weeks are “Getting Married the Way Grandpa Did It” (Nov. 14), “The Requiem Mass” (Nov. 21), and “How to Baptize Babies the Old Way” (Nov. 28)

They're expecting 200+.

Story at The Evangelical outpost Why is the Club for Growth trying to derail Huckabee?

"If the Club for Growth had been around in 1980, Reagan might not have become President. The influential fiscal conservative group would surely have done everything in their power to prevent the Gipper from gaining the nomination. They would have attempted to derail Reagan's campaign just as they are now doing to Gov. Huckabee."

He concludes, after 5 pages of analysis: "I've always considered The Club for Growth to be a respectable conservative organization. But their attempts to deceive their fellow conservatives by misrepresenting Huckabee's record have proven they are unworthy of such trust. Pat Toomey and his organization owe Governor Huckabee--and the rest of us--an apology for their attempted deception."

Rebecca is using November to post something at her blog she's thankful for every day. Then if you contribute what you are thankful for in the comments, she'll add you to her next "thankful for" entry. She lives in the Yukon and writes wonderful posts on theology and hymns. Even if you don't comment, her blog will bless you.

4292

Punishing the married, college graduate for her success

After reading 1776 [David McCullough, 2005], I've been thinking a lot about taxes--how they are used for many things other than raising revenue for the common good--like the so-called sin taxes and luxury taxes and success taxes. Charlie Rangel's latest proposal is just one example, but the Brits were doing it to the colonists back in the 1760s too. The economic system in those days was called "mercantile." After repealing the Stamp Acts because the Americans raised such a fuss, they came up with some minor taxes, for the sole purpose of showing them who was the boss, so they wouldn't get too cocky. Edmund Burke in the House of Commons, with a passionate, long-winded 18th century speech, essentially said, "Are we crazy? Why are we killing our golden goose (obviously a very loose paraphrase)?"

So a letter that appeared in the Nov. 3 WSJ written by Steve Walde is instructive. Why, he asks, is our government punishing people who went to college and married each other? Well, Steve, that's the "close-the-gap" mentality of most Democrats, but a lot of RINO's think along those lines, too. First tax parents/workers and force them to send their kids to government schools, then add in some regulations that will assure that female students soon outnumber the male students, and if they meet a future spouse and marry, since that's what young people with common interests do, tax the graduates even more. It's only fair, the liberals reason, because they are more successful than the people who didn't go to school, didn't get married (but had babies) and pay very low taxes.

What's happened is that women entered the workforce and in the past few decades educated women have had their incomes match or even exceed that of men. Educated and upper income people have a tendency to marry one another. And because lower-income people are less likely to be married than upper-income individuals, the statistics are skewed even more. To have an honest discussion on this subject you first have to start out with honest statistics.

I know it's a waste of pixels to ask why either party does anything, but sometimes you've just got to smack them when they are trying (and succeeding) to steal your wallet.

Are these quotes by Hillary real?

This e-mail is going around. Giving dates isn't exactly references. She sort of said them, but the lines are usually out of context. Like the first one--she said to rich Democrats at a fund raiser. Check all the quotes at Urban Legends.

Always check out the forwarded e-mails you get--most aren't worth passing along, whether on health, immigration, religion or politics. At least google it to find out the origin. The real Hillary is probably much scarier.

Guess Who Said:
1) "We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.”

A. Karl Marx
B. Adolph Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. None of the above

2) “It’s time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few…and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity.”

A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. None of the
Above

3) “(We)…can’t just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people.”

A. Nikita Khrushev
B. Josef Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. None of the above

4) “We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own…in order to create this common ground.”

A. Mao Tse Dung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. None of the above

5) “I certainly think the free-market has failed.”

A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Molotov
D. None of the above

6) “I think it’s time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in (the) entire economy that they are being watched.”

A. Pinochet
B. Milosevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. None of the above

Answers:

(1) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004
(2) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007
(3) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(4) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(5) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
(6) D. None of the above. Statement was made by Hillary Clinton 9/2/2005

4290

Callow, crude, childish crumb crunchers

I'm leaving the rude, childish comments on my Hilliam entry, although I could delete the insulting and derogatory, so you can see the level of conversation from the left wing blogfesters.

Here's one bellyaching, whiny response, written by "anonymous," of course, who can't handle the content, so goes to personal attacks on my typo: "Not that grammatically rewriting your post would mitigate the idiocy of its content, but the past tense of "lead" is "led." Most third graders have mastered this one." I would match my third grade teacher, education and experience against anon's any day. Miss DeWall even had time to teach us good manners (missing from the life experience of anon), respect, kindness, orderliness, thrift, consideration for others, basic principles of good health, care for the environment and our community, in addition to all the basics like reading, writing, math, geography, and civics. All without a federal requirement in sight. Thanks for the memories, anon.

Whiny, sniveling, unhinged bloggers here.

Friday Family Photo--The Goff Family

This week we've been bustling about trying to create more storage space. I know none of you ever have this problem. My husband had already talked to one of his favorite contractors about building a slotted storage file to fit in the down stairs shower for our art work. Usually I'm aware of pending projects, but this one I didn't know about until Mark knocked on the door on Tuesday. I was horrified--where would I store our off season coats, I asked. Plus, we've actually used that shower once in 5 years for guests. I launched into planning mode, rushing around looking at all the nooks and crannies. I was completely successful and the shower has been saved. I have one large empty shelf; I've taken two sacks of books to the library sale I would probably never read; some suitcases are under the bed; and I found the photograph of my husband's great grandparents, Sarah and Herbert Goff.

Back: Charles, Herman, Walter; front: Edna, Sarah, Herbert, Eula, Irma
I checked my FamilyTreeMaker database and I did have all but one of these people, but other than their last known address, Crown Hill Cemetery, 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis where they are all awaiting the resurrection, I knew very little, and my husband couldn't remember much. I asked him why his grandmother and one of her sisters had the same married name, but he didn't know. I asked him if he could remember meeting any of them, but he wasn't sure. So, I'll need to call my sister-in-law who is a little older and probably hung around when the relatives were visiting, or maybe might have gone to funerals. From the sleeves, I'd date this about late 1890s. The photo is in very poor condition and appears to have been enlarged from a smaller one maybe 10 years later from notes on the back.

Just by chance, I googled "Herbert Goff + Vernon Indiana" and found this article at a website for the Ironton, Ohio Register, and I'm pretty sure I've found him, plus the name of his father.

Ironton Register, clippings from Oct. 25, 1888: "In a private note from our old friend, S. W. Goff, who is with his son Herbert, at Vernon, Indiana, he says "my first vote was in 1836, when I voted for Harrison. I, also, voted for him in 1840, and will vote for the grandson in 1888."

Isn't the internet amazing?

"Crown Hill is the third largest cemetery in the United States at 555 acres (2.2 km²). It contains 25 miles (40 km) of paved road, over 150 species of trees and plants, over 185,000 graves, and services roughly 1,500 burials per year. It sits on the highest geographic point in Indianapolis. (Wikipedia)." "Crown Hill Cemetery was constructed in response to a movement for a new cemetery in the 1860s. Unlike the tidy rows of pioneer cemeteries, Crown Hill was large in scale and picturesque in appearance. Its massive stone gates and Romanesque Revival waiting station gave the cemetery an imposing quality. The individual stones and mausoleums provide a remarkable collection of sculptural work.[National Park Service]" If you think you may have family there, the data base is terrific. I've only been there once that I can remember, in 1996 for Aunt Babe's funeral, but it is lovely.

I know just how he feels

This blogger was writing about comments that go off-topic here,

"That actually validates my thesis. When you read my blog, you read what you want to read, or what you think I ought to have written, rather than what I actually said"

but what blogger hasn't experienced the same results regardless of the topic (his is "sacramental magisterial authority" and I have no idea what that is).

Scrolling down to his bio, I read

I've been blogging for a long time. Since any other detail I could put in my profile would either offend somebody or be used as a launch-pad for personal insults, that's all you get to know.

I should have thought of that. Too late now.

4287

Should women look to the government to be a sugar daddy?

This has to be the dumbest survey I've ever read about gimmee women.

"In an electorate that is hungry for change, this cohort [unmarried women] is the hungriest, with 78 percent saying the country is on the wrong track. Unmarried women’s ire is focused firmly on the Republicans, and this is reflected in new poll findings that show Democrats poised to blow Republicans out among this group in 2008. In a generic presidential match-up, unmarried women favor the Democrat by a 70 - 24 point margin." Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner report in my mailbox today

With Democrats in charge of every major city in the U.S., sinking under the weight of their own failed social programs, why would any woman with half a brain look to Democrats as a sugar daddy? Women can solve the poverty problem in this country all by themselves by finishing high school, marrying the father of their children, and not starting a family until they are adults. Unless you want the government making those "intimate" choices for you, ladies, I don't think I'd ask the government for any more help than they are already giving you with Title IX, affirmative action, extra time for tests and tenure, welfare, special housing allowances, women's studies programs, sexual harrassment laws and speech codes. Someone might conclude you're the weaker sex.

About that poll and those scary numbers? Librarians vote 223:1 Democrat to Republican, and no one's afraid of them.

4286

Hilliam Clinton

Today's WSJ has an excellent editorial on the candidacy of Mrs. Clinton--the name, the dodge, but no pizzaz.

"The political strategy is clear enough. Mrs. Clinton wants to roll to her party's nomination on a tide of "inevitability" while disguising her real agenda as much as possible. But Democratic voters ought to consider whether they want to put all their hopes for retaking the White House on Mrs. Clinton's ability to obfuscate like her husband without his preternatural talent for it. Aside from lacking her husband's political gifts, Hillary's challenge is that we've all seen this movie before. And performances like Tuesday's might be enough to convince voters to opt for a candidate who is his own man."

We know the Clinton years' incompetencies lead up to the Iraq War; let's try something--someone--fresh. Like Mike Huckabee or Mitt Romney or Tom Tancredo.

Late October Walks

In Ohio we had a very late spring, and a rainy August, and that has made for an interesting mix of colors this fall. No frost and not many storms have kept the leaves on the trees, although not as vivid as some years, with some still being completely green today. The maples are coming through for us, however. Our hydrangea bush didn't bloom all summer, then budded in September, and gave us 3 small blooms in October. The flowering crab apples, which usually drop their leaves in August and messy fruit in September are green and fruit-free. I've had some beautiful walks.

Maple on Lane Road

Late for the party?

Not so crabby and still green on Nov. 1

Along the creek
Now aren't you sorry you don't live in the Midwest?

Notes for bookclub on McCullough's 1776

Non-fiction books don't usually bring me to tears (well, the documentation and notes for Seabiscuit did), but there were times I had to stop reading David McCullough's breath taking 1776 and go for a walk--even the second time around this week. And this morning, I went out and bought the new boxed, illustrated, coffee-table 1776 with 140 images and 37 removable replicas of the sources he used. I had planned to loan it out, or donate it to the church library, but it is such a treasure, I may just hug it for awhile.

First a note about reviews and questions. Unlike most of the other books I remember reading for bookclub over the years, I couldn't find any questions for club discussions on the internet, although I found many clubs reading it and interviews with McCullough that included questions. Second, there are wonderful reviews available on-line, but I want to point you to two that are not so wonderful--one on the right and one on the left. Their distain for anything patriotic and dislike for a book about politics and war which isn't anti-war, political or flag waving is quite apparent--at least to me.

The first is "With God on our side," reviewed by Preston Jones for Christianity Today, in July 2005. Jones teaches at John Brown University, a small Christian college in Arkansas. This vacuous and inaccurate comment really turned me off:

"Either you like this kind of history or you don't. Of course, it's possible to enjoy a well-told, well-documented tale while yet recognizing that it's couched in fluff. Even leisured academics, one hopes, can see that if books like McCullough's pull people away from the tube, then a good thing is happening."

And then he goes on to ask some "interesting questions" that make you wonder if the 18th century was even covered when he went to school. What was the editor thinking when he accepted this piece?

The second is the review that appeared in The New Yorker, also in 2005, by Joshua Micah Marshall. He is best known as a blogger, who early on saw possibilities for moving from cyberspace to print, as long as he hung way left of center. 1776 is completely built on the character and leadership of George Washington, whom Marshall decides was half marble, a man who invented his own persona by copying "101 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior," as a child and reading deeply in the classics and history. God forbid that a gen-xer steeped in gaming, downloading and digital wing-dings would think books could improve a man! Apparently no one told him that most children for several centuries, even in the 19th century, used something very similar for learning good manners and deportment. There are several versions, and I think some homeschoolers (the kids who are beating the pants off the public school grads) are still using them. So far, no more Washingtons have emerged from exposure to these rules that I know of.

I also want to refer you to some important maps which you can find at Military.com. I printed The battle of Long Island, the Northern campaigns, Operations around Trenton, and the Battle of Trenton, and the Christmas Campaign. You'll see multiple maps on one page, but it only takes one page to print each selection, so I had 3 printed pages. They will be useful in following the important battles of 1776.

Finally, we have read McCullough before (John Adams) and most of us are acquainted with his works. If we had a national historian, it would be him because his writing is so accessible to the layman and the envy of the academic whose prose eludes most of us. One of the best sites on McCullough I found was "The Glorious Cause of America," where he lectures without notes on Sept. 27, 2005 at Brigham Young University. This is reprinted at http://magazine.byu.edu, and if you don't have time to read the book, I'll give you a pass and let you in with this article. If you read nothing else, it's worth it.

See you at Peggy's on November 5.

Where's the down side?

One of the unintended consequences of the crack down at the border is fewer illegals coming in and a reduction in illegal immigrants being used as "mules" for drug smuggling. But there is an increase in the professional drug runners. So apparently, the guys who we were told just wanted to work, were bringing it in before and now the pros have to do it. More drugs are being confiscated as they crack down on the dealers and drug cartels. [story in WSJ 10-25]

Message to Mexico: Keep your poor at home, improve your job opportunities and infrastructure at home; you're a wealthy country. Arrest and jail your own drug dealers--again, at home--our jails are full. Both countries will benefit and you won't be emptying your small towns of their young generation.

4282

See Hillary Run

Last week I saw something about the election that stated about 45% of the voters will line up for the Republican candidate no matter who he is just because it's their party. Same with Democrats. That means everyone is going after the currently undecided, or the so-called moderates and independents--or maybe 6% of the voters will decide whether Mrs. Clinton returns to the White House. If you aren't registered to vote, or you sometimes don't bother to go to the polls, you'd better start thinking in that direction. Obama has nothing to offer--especially not African-Americans (have you ever seen the photos of his supporters--they're whiter than my suburb); Edwards is coming across as a whiny rich kid-lawyer with good hair. Mrs. Clinton has the money, her husband's base, and gaggles of feminists clucking and ducking. Never thought I'd say how good Al Gore is looking these days. Whatever few successes the Clintons had during their 8 years, he was behind a lot of them, and then they stabbed him in the back when it was his turn.

4279

A good rule of thumb

If it sounds too good to be true, someone's going to print it anyway. Peggy Noonan commented on The New Republic getting snookered by Scott Thomas Beauchamp (pseud. Scott Thomas, author of "Shock Troops" his diaries) in the week-end edition of WSJ. She says she smelled a rat early on, as she did when TNR published the Young Republicans piece by Stephen Glass in 1997. OK. Hindsight. But apparently there was an actual investigation and nothing he wrote--places, people, events--checked out. TNR begged him to confirm, but he's abandoned them, just as he did his fellow servicemen. Now TNR is getting all rathered. According to the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz

"The soldier whose New Republic article about military cruelty in Iraq was labeled false by Army investigators refused to defend his accusations when questioned by the magazine, even after being told that the editors could no longer support him unless he cooperated.

In a recorded Sept. 6 conversation, the writer, Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp, said from Iraq that the controversy had "spun out of control" and had become "insane" and "ridiculous" and concluded: "I'm not going to talk to anyone about anything."

TNR has pulled his comments from the web, so I couldn't check it. Even Wikipedia, which I don't usually check because it is written by biased users, is blocking any further editing of the story, waiting for some confirmation.

Michael Yon, one of the best known journalist/photographers of the Iraq War wrote on Oct. 25

I was in Iraq when it first hit the stands and someone asked me about the plausibility of the events described in the article. I skimmed the story but it did not even pass a simple sniff-test. With a shooting war going on, there is no time for trivial pursuits, so my only comment was something like, “It sounds like a bunch of garbage.” Turned out it was.

Someone at TNR needs the journalist's version of gaydar. But it's just more sad evidence of how desperately the left wants the U.S. to lose this war. They say they just want the truth; no, this story will never go away. If the Dems won't cut the funding or set a deadline, the media will just lie. Fellas, war is hell; people die and those who don't do awful things. Young people have their lives changed forever, if they survive. Let's not make it worse than it is.

Checking the stats

They are way down. Don't know why, but there's been about a 1/3 drop since last fall. I know I'm tough and I don't write about comfortable things, but that has always been the case. Certain topics always bring people in--like the Dodge Magnum. Yes, that's one of my most popular entries; and fixing broken zippers, opening frozen door locks and my Fornesetti Julia plates.

Lately there's been an uptick on Agnes Sanford. Maybe she was mentioned on a Christian talk show and people have been googling her (she died in the 1980s). I wrote about her maybe 1.5 years ago, and here's a rerun, just in time for the Halloween stories of spirits and vibes.

Agnes Sanford belongs in a public library

but not in a church library. I was browsing our Mill Run campus library today (I volunteer at and use the church library at our Lytham Road location) and saw her autobiography on the shelf. I don't know why Christians think Sanford is a Christian, but they do (God has the final say, but I don't think she recanted her writings). Even pastors who don't appear to make serious errors about other teachings see no harm. Sure, she was a sweet, dear lady (died in 1982) who said and wrote "spiritual" things, but if you get a paperback of one of her titles and underline the nonbiblical drivel in red, and the Gospel based material in green, you'll see my point. About 25 years ago I actually did that, and hid her books in my laundry room packed inside an old briefcase. And although I don't believe her nonsense about vibrations, and auras and spirits, I could swear I felt a heaviness unrelated to the ironing basket when I entered that room. So I threw them out. Better she should give off her vibes at the dump rather than inside my house or the church building--if you believe that sort of stuff, and she does. What makes her so harmful is that she has so many spiritual descendants who are still speaking and writing on the inner healing circuit. It's snake oil folks. Don't be taken in.

I'm thinking that there are just fewer people looking for the Dodge Magnum, but it still gets my vote as the best looking car on the road. It's being "refreshed" for 2008--hope they don't ruin it.

Fellowship of the Cane

If you read no other blog today, stop by Arkansas and read Hokulea's Fellowship of the Cane, or what she learned after breaking her foot. It's better than anything I ever heard at a "sensitivity training," disability workshop and she speaks directly to all of us, able-bodied or not:

"I found myself saying that I don't think I could do this forever, and whining about my little issues. I have learned what a wimp I am in general and as this episode winds down and my mobility is returning . . ."

Then hang around a bit and look through her beautiful photos of Arkansas and Hawaii, as well as other travels. She's a writer with an artistic eye and a sensitive soul.

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St. Paul to Richard Dawkins

Yesterday when clicking through the channels I saw Richard Dawkins for about 10 seconds--probably a C-SPAN rerun. Nothing new here--someone or other has been saying the same stuff for 2,000 years. Including Paul, the author of most of the New Testament. He too was an educated man persecuting Christians, probably saying the same things as Dawkins, although he didn't have the benefit of C-SPAN to spread his views, or the internet for people to down load it.

Here's Paul writing to Titus, which just happens to be the Oct. 28 selection in my One Year Bible (NIV), but he could just as well be writing to Dawkins (all Christians could be praying that Dawkins have a Damascus Road experience). He would be a terrific Paul Jr.:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and peasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

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Community Theater

Last night we drove 62 miles (round trip) to see the premiere of David Meyer's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Condominium Association, Inc." performed by the Pickerington Community Theatre at the Violet Grange in Pickerington, Ohio. It takes a lot to get me out at night, and Pickerington seems like we're driving almost to Wheeling. Only for a friend. However, we had a good time and enjoyed the show. I think community theater is great fun, and I love seeing people I know on stage (David had a cameo appearance at the end). It's a perfect Halloween vehicle, too, with all the Sleepy Hollow stuff and Rip Van Winkle and a headless guy. Auditions for the next production, Godspell, will be January 4,5, and 6, for performances March 21-31 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

One performer, Karen Haueise, who played Madame Perdieu/Roz Purdy was so gifted and natural I inquired about her and was told she had never been in a theater production before. I think some people can fill a stage without overdoing it or stealing attention from other actors and yet make it all seem real. I hope she continues to do community theater.

OCLC has a new logo

Let me just say for starters, congratulations OCLC on your 40th birthday. It's probably a good time to put out a new corporate logo. The concept (news release) has a nice, trinitarian feel to it, not exactly Father, Son and Holy Ghost, but close.

Connecting libraries at the local, group and global levels
Connecting people through libraries to knowledge
Connecting past, present, and future through access to library collections

Saying things in threes is just so . . . rhythmic. "OCLC. The world's libraries. Connected." "Enhance processes. Extend collections and access. Strengthen your users’ experience." "Establish, maintain and operate a computerized library network." "The evolution of library use, of libraries themselves and of librarianship."

This knowledge thing is inaccurate, however. "Information" is not "knowledge," and that's what giant corporations like OCLC have--it harvests, stores, compacts, reconfigures and distributes information, not knowledge. You wouldn't say wheat is bread, or sugar is candy. Don't say information is knowledge. Nor is it necessarily power. Of the top 15 management posts at OCLC, 4 are held by librarians, who should be the most powerful people in the world if that old saw were true.

I think I know what a local level is and possibly what a global level is. However, level is one of those squishy overused English words that is forced to work overtime at low pay--tool, device, line, measurement, equal, balanced, surface, magnitude, calm, proportional, governmental body--so you almost can't go wrong by using it.

When I arrived in Columbus 40 years ago to catalog Russian books at The Ohio State University Libraries (I also had to type the cards on a manual cyrillic typewriter), the Ohio College Library Consortium (54 libraries) had 3 employees, one of whom was the founder and visionary, Fred Kilgour, and was located on the 3rd floor of Thompson Library. I used to go to lunch with one of them whose name I've forgotten, because we were both new in town and didn't know anyone. Then it moved over to Kinnear Road for awhile, eventually changing "Ohio" to "On-line," and "College" to "Computer," and then to Dublin, Ohio, changing its legal name to an acronym, serving 60,000 libraries in 112 countries.

Observing All Hallows' Eve

Although Halloween looks pagan, especially considering the slutty costume you can buy for $30 to make your 5 year old daughter look like a slutty prostitute, its origins are Christian according to Fisheaters website:

The Vigil of All Hallows' ("Hallows' Eve," or "Hallowe'en") came, in Irish popular piety, to be a day of remembering the dead who are neither in Purgatory or Heaven, but are damned, and these customs spread to many parts of the world. Thus we have the popular focus of Hallowe'en as the reality of Hell, hence its scary character and focus on evil and how to avoid it, the sad fate of the souls of the damned, etc.

How, or even whether, to celebrate Hallowe'en is a controversial topic in traditional circles. One hears too often that "Hallowe'en is a pagan holiday" -- an impossibility because "Hallowe'en," as said, means "All Hallows' Evening" which is as Catholic a holiday as one can get. Some say that the holiday actually stems from Samhain, a pagan Celtic celebration, or is Satanic, but this isn't true, either, any more than Christmas "stems from" the Druids' Yule, though popular customs that predated the Church may be involved in our celebrations (it is rather amusing that October 31 is also "Reformation Day" in Protestant circles -- the day to recall Luther's having nailed his 95 Theses to Wittenberg's cathedral door -- but Protestants who reject "Hallowe'en" because pagans used to do things on October 31 don't object to commemorating that event on this day)."

On All Saints Sunday, which this year is November 4 (first Sunday after All Hallows'/All Saints Day, Nov. 1) our church remembers/memorializes the Church Triumphant, saints of the church in heaven, by reading the names turned in by members. The other day while delivering the intercampus mail, I picked up a stack of cards so the names of my deceased family members and friends (the saints) could be read at the 8:30 service at Lytham Road. Then I noticed the cards are for Mill Run services. So forgive me, dear ones, if I scribble on your cards. It's the thought. . .

Friday Family Photo

This portrait was probably taken 120 years ago in 1887 when Stanley C. Byrum was about a year old. It hangs in our cottage, in a fragile old frame coated with thick paint. I was the only one who wanted it when my in-laws' home was being sold after their deaths. He was my husband's grandfather, and the single most important adult in his life. "Biggie" is always in my husband's conversation when values, character or family come up. I never met him; he died in 1955 at 68 while my husband was still in high school. The little face is amazing--it has reappeared in several generations. My mother-in-law had this face, but not her sisters; his great-grand daughter Julie, but not her sister, had this face as a baby, as did her daughter Erin.

Adverbosity

I'm a sucker for qualifiers--"sort of," "rather," "just," "quite," and "too." And I'm crazy for dashes. Every editor wants to chop my adverbs. Zinsser says,

"Most adverbs are unnecessary. You will clutter your sentence and annoy the reader if you choose a verb that has a precise meaning and then add an adverb that carries the same meaning. . . "blared loudly," "mostly flabbergasted," and "moped dejectedly."

But then, Zinsser doesn't think much of adjectives, either--"stately elms," "frisky kittens" and "hard-bitten detectives.' He likes strong verbs. At nHumanities it was suggested

"Kill the modifiers. This is machete work, so wrap a bandanna around your face and grab some shop goggles. No reader is going to believe that your process is innovative or your product is world-class just because you say so, so kill those adjectives. Don’t feel sorry for them. They have no feelings."

So I struggled with film critic Joe Morgenstern's article today on Dan in Real Life, and the new Jimmy Carter documentary. There were so many adverbs (and adjectives), I was mostly and dejectedly flabbergasted.

strives desperately
romantically involved (if a man and woman are involved, doesn't that mean romantically?)
awfully heartily (adverb modifying an adverb--double whammy)
singularly unpleasant
notoriously homely
inexplicably awful
terribly tedious
extremely small (how about tiny?)
quite disarmingly
genuinely sweet

unquenchably energetic
singular passion
slightly stooped
essentially undiminished
mostly calm
patiently didactic
uncomfortably admiring advertisement
narrowly focused
mostly uncritical view
uncritical but not unaffecting
peregrinating conscience (I had to look this one up--means traveling)

Whew! Is it just me? Maybe he's British. They like their sentences fully and heartily packed.

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Pumpkin ice cream

This is one of my fall favorites (Sept-Nov), and it's only available a limited amount of time. Today I bought two half gals of Edy's. Well, not really 1/2 gallon, because they are all cheating on their measures (1.75 qts), but you know what I mean. And technically it isn't ice cream because Edy's calls it "frozen dessert." I take one of these, softened, and mix it with a small carton of thawed sugar-free Cool Whip, then refreeze. This reduces the sugar content, lowers the calories, but hardly affects the flavor or texture, because it is the fat that makes ice cream wonderful. Edy's also makes an apple pie flavor and a peppermint flavor that are seasonal.

INGREDIENTS: Whey (Dairy), skim milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, pumpkin, maltodextrin, spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger), salt, guar gum, Propylene Glycol Monostearate, citric acid, monoglycerides, Yellow #6, carrageenan.

Propylene Glycol Monostearate. Isn't that C21H42O3 an ingredient in antifreeze, solvents and detergents? On second thought. . .

Are Georgians an endangered species?

I sure hope not. We University of Illinois Alumni (plus one IU) spent a lovely 10 days with University of Georgia Dawgs in September touring Ireland. Midwesterners are so practical and blunt; in Georgia they know how to sweet-talk-ya'll. I loved it. Anyway, to the point. Did you see the article in today's WSJ about that little mussel that's protected by all the government agencies, but who's looking out for the people?

The Amblema neislerii, or as it is widely known by a more unflattering name, the fat threeridge mussel, is on the endangered species list according to Ann Carrns, "Atlanta is flexing muscles," p. 1, WSJ, Oct. 26, 2007. Georgia has filed suit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which controls the reservoir, Lake Lanier, from which Atlanta gets its drinking water. It's a busy little lake--sending water also to rivers downstream including one in Florida where these endangered mussels live--and it cools 2 power plants and freshens the spawning grounds of Gulf sturgeon.

In a drought year (it's Bush's fault that we got too much rain in Ohio and not enough in Georgia), that's a lot. Not only do you have several state governments involved--Georgia, Alabama and Florida--but also FEMA, the Corps, EPA and Fish and Wildlife. Not to worry! There's 9 months of water left!! Florida (pot to kettle) is accusing Atlanta of over development, squandering its water resources. Well, ggggolllleeee, like we've never seen the countryside and drained wetlands eaten up with housing developments in Florida!

This is why I don't like burning corn in our cars, Mr. Gore. The inputs including fertilizer, water and herbicides are humongous--it's a negative energy balance. We on the Great Lakes (11 states and provinces) can see the rest of you eyeing our water. Stop it!

After thoughts: Isn't it scary that there are some willing to fight for the mussel which needs a flow of water to survive who think it's OK to stop the survival of a baby moving down the birth canal ?

The Left never gets it right

but sometimes the Right doesn't either. The very first people I heard politicizing the California wildfires were the conservative talkers on radio. Now, maybe that's because I don't watch the MSM, but I think they jumped in first on Monday, without naming names, designating parties, or blaming anyone. They simply pointed out the difference between the Katrina rescue efforts (local Democrats) and the California rescue efforts (local Republicans). By the time I heard the lefties, they were off-topic and screaming global warming (Bush's fault) even though 1936 was a much hotter year with worse fires and environmental regulations have made the state a tinderbox, and not enough resources (War in Iraq, also Bush's fault) even though Schwarzenegger all but called Barbara Boxer and her bag ladies liars and alarmists.

Then Nancy Pelosi looked like she had a heart of ice and a freshly botoxed face in explaining why she just had to ram through another SCHIP bill while the California people had gone home to check out the situation. Bush actually took longer to go out to look than he did in Louisiana (remember, until the levees broke after the hurricane, people thought they had escaped the BIG one) and Blanco didn't call for help from the feds until it was way too late. (Must be a woman thing.) Two years and billions of dollars later, Katrina's devastation has shown the total incompetency of Nagin and Blanco, not George Bush or FEMA, with the only bright spot being Bobby Jindal's election.

Then today a letter writer to USAToday smugly says: "Did the residents of Southern California benefit from their economic status and race?" Actually, she's on to something, because the Democrats in New Orleans had so demoralized and weakened its poor black population with government handouts and a soaring crime rate over the years, they couldn't even help themselves. Middle-class, educated NOLAns, black and white, didn't have a problem getting out and fleeing to Texas, Ohio or Calfornia. People who are accustomed to looking after themselves and their neighbors know how to take action. When it's too smokey to breathe, or someone drives through the neighborhood telling them to leave, I'm sure a certain amount of learned self-interest goes a long way. It's a shame that buses were swamped in New Orleans that should have transported the poor, but that doesn't make people driving SUVs down a burning hillside more fortunate because of their income or color.

More young Dems seek love on the internet

According to a story yesterday in TechNewsWorld,

Twenty-four percent of respondents to an online poll said the Internet could serve as a temporary replacement for a significant other. "Some view the Internet as their new best friend, others as an increasingly powerful tool that can infect our youth with harmful images and thoughts and therefore must be controlled," said Tom Galvin, a partner in 463 Communications, which conducted the poll with Zogby International.

Wow. I like the Internet, but it's not "my best friend," it's an information source and a place to write into a template which then publishes itself. It seems Democrats are even more sucked in than Republicans (who are probably a bit less emotional and fuzzy/wuzzy). I know the left has far more wacked-out blogs than the right, and they love those social networking sites, according to this poll.

"Among the poll's other findings was that more than a quarter of Americans currently have a profile on a social networking site such as MySpace or Facebook . That varied widely, though, depending on age -- a full 78 percent of those aged 18 to 24 have profiles -- and political tendencies, with Democrats outpacing Republicans by 10 percentage points."

Chikungunya Fever and Elephantiasis

Thanks to Rachel Carson and her misguided, unscientific book Silent Spring, these two diseases continue to cripple and kill millions in developing countries, after having been virtually wiped out in the 1960s and 1970s. They used to be controlled by DDT. Chikungunya, a virus spread by mosquitoes, means "bent over and unable to walk upright" has turned up now in the Ravenna area of Italy. It is endemic in some areas of Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is spread by mosquitoes.


Elephantiasis is caused by a parasitic worm, and affects more than 120 million people in 80 countries, and more than 40 million of them are severely incapacitated and disfigured by the diseases. A team of scientists seem to be close to mapping the genome of the worm. [both stories from JAMA, October 17, 2007]

"Some of the diseases controlled by DDT included typhus, plague, malaria, yellow fever, sleeping sickness elephantiasis, leishmanisasis, river blindness, Oroya fever, other fevers and dysentery (transmitted by domestic flies). Many kinds of animals were protected by DDT from envenomization and parasitism by arthropods. It also killed blood-sucking parasites of birds, thereby reducing deaths from avian malaria, encephalitis, and Newcastle disease. It also prevented the deaths of hundreds of millions of forest trees, by killing the caterpillars of the gypsy moths, Tussock moths, and other forest insects. In killing insects which destroyed crops, food shortages have been minimized and food prices held relatively affordable.

Millions of trees were lost during the infestations of the gypsy moth and Tussock moths. Greens predictably opposed the use of DDT to save these trees. Political correctness and loyalty to their causes must never be challenged. The same crowd which once refused to save trees now supports saving the trees, the planting of trees, without embarrassment, without noticing the double standards." Hawaii Reporter

Apples help with weight loss

Every day, yes every day, I eat an unpeeled apple and a 1/2 cup of walnuts for breakfast. That way I don't get hungry. If I eat something with grain or dairy, I'm famished within an hour. My favorite breakfast is two pieces of toast covered with thick slices of cheese, topped with peanut butter, but those days are definitely over. And this time of year, I can get Honey Crisp apples. Monday I paid $9 for 8 apples, and one was bad when I sliced it, so it was $9 for 7. I was happy to get them. Last week they were $.30 a pound cheaper, but the store only had 4. Here's a story from the Chicago Tribune that will explain why this apple is so wonderful. Once you eat one, you'll be spoiled for anything else.

The Obesity Society reports that eating an apple before a meal will help curb your appetite.

"A new study shows an apple a day keeps the calories at bay. People who ate an apple about 15 minutes before lunch consumed almost 190 fewer calories than when they didn't have the apple. The research was presented Tuesday at a meeting of the Obesity Society, an organization of weight-control scientists and professionals." USAToday

I'm not sure why this is breaking news, because apple growers have been praising the apples' low calories and health benefits for years. But, the Obesity Society apparently also reported that walking briskly for an hour a day is key to weight loss. Who knew?

The Jena 6 myths

Sunday morning I was preparing lunch and tuned in a local church program. The black preacher had a good sermon going about St. Paul, when all of a sudden he was off and running with the Jena 6, repeating every preposterous story that could be concocted. Where's he get his news, I wondered; the local barbershop? So I changed channels. That much ignorance is a shame for a man of the cloth. Even so, the story written up in the Chronicle of Higher Education added a few bits I didn't know about, and it makes you wonder how this story got legs that led all the way to DC, even with Jesse and Al whipping the horses. Truly, there are Americans who want racial hatred to never die, or they'd be out of work.

Myth 1: The Whites-Only Tree. There has never been a "whites-only" tree at Jena High School. Students of all races sat underneath this tree. When a student asked during an assembly at the start of school last year if anyone could sit under the tree, it evoked laughter from everyone present – blacks and whites. As reported by students in the assembly, the question was asked to make a joke and to drag out the assembly and avoid class.

Myth 2: Nooses a Signal to Black Students. An investigation by school officials, police, and an FBI agent revealed the true motivation behind the placing of two nooses in the tree the day after the assembly. According to the expulsion committee, the crudely constructed nooses were not aimed at black students. Instead, they were understood to be a prank by three white students aimed at their fellow white friends, members of the school rodeo team. (The students apparently got the idea from watching episodes of "Lonesome Dove.") The committee further concluded that the three young teens had no knowledge that nooses symbolize the terrible legacy of the lynchings of countless blacks in American history. When informed of this history by school officials, they became visibly remorseful because they had many black friends. Another myth concerns their punishment, which was not a three-day suspension, but rather nine days at an alternative facility followed by two weeks of in-school suspension, Saturday detentions, attendance at Discipline Court, and evaluation by licensed mental-health professionals. The students who hung the nooses have not publicly come forward to give their version of events.

Craig Franklin, a local Jena reporter, then adds 10 more myths. Indeed. This is an amazing story and you wonder why anyone, even a professional organizer who draws his income from stirring the pot, would want to put a community through this.

Borkiversary 20

In my lifetime I date the viciousness of political smearing to the confirmation hearings of Robert Bork. It got nasty during the Clinton years, and crescendoed with Bush, but Bork was a foretaste of things to come. A training camp for liberals and conservatives both. A new verb entered our language, "to bork" or to destroy a man while smirking and posturing in front of a TV audience. Gary L. McDowell wrote in the WSJ this week:

"The issue that united the judge's critics in their fiery, scorched-earth opposition was never his ability or reputation but rather his theory of judging. Mr. Bork's belief was that judges and justices in their interpretations of the Constitution must be bound to the original intentions of its framers."

"At its deepest level, Mr. Bork's defeat was the result of the very public affirmation by the Senate of a dangerous theory of ideological judging that had been developing for quite some time. It was the idea of a so-called "living" Constitution, one that various scholars have said means there need be "no theoretical gulf between law and morality," and that ordinary judges are empowered to interpret the fundamental law in light of their own "fresh moral insight" in order to effect a judicially mandated "moral evolution" of the nation."

Some say it was about abortion, but I think that was just the tossed bone used to whip up the masses--mainly women, because men really don't care. It was about judges taking over the responsibilities of the law makers--although why our linguini spined elected officials desired that, I can't imagine. Even Clarence Thomas says his "lynching" by liberals, black and white, was about abortion. You would almost hope that was it. In his case, I'd say it was pure racism, ugly and vile, with little or nothing to do with abortion or constitutional interpretation.

For all his other slip-ups from immigration to not fixing social security, Bush has at least given us Roberts and Alito.

Now what holiday exactly would that be?

Our local suburb, Upper Arlington, is about as lily white and predominantly Christian as a town could get and not be lodged in the 1950s, but we have an "Upper Arlington Winter Festival and Community Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony" sponsored by the city. Whenever I see that, I ask myself, "What holiday exactly?" Turkey Day? Halloween? Ground Hog Day? MLK Day? Of course not. Everyone knows it is Christmas, but our city fathers (and one or two mothers) don't want to offend anyone--not even Christians who probably think the consumerism is totally out of hand. They don't light the Christmas tree, it's a holiday tree. They just aren't honest, and I think they should just drop all the happy, clappy, let's-all-just-get-along nonsense, forget about the birth of a Savior, the reason it is a joyous time, and go shopping. If it is offensive to use the word Christmas, then it is just a slap in the face to believers to play games with a religious observance. Please don't remind me that the Christmas tree has pagan origins--everyone knows that. All Christian holidays have pagan symbols--it was good marketing in the early days for mass conversions. That doesn't mean we are ready to give it back to the 21st century pagans.

http://www.markdroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/christmastree.htm
USAToday had a similar problem yesterday with an article about a shortage of retail help for "the season." Here's the euphemisms in just one short article:

holiday season

holiday challenges

holiday marketing

holiday jobs

seasonal hires

holiday hiring

during the holidays

holiday cheer

seasonal workers

holiday season employees

holiday workers

However, when push came to shove, USAToday had to use the dreaded word, "Christmas," because of the phrase, "would get Christmas day off," and "Christmas Eve." It's really hard to get around it by saying the workers would get "the holiday" off, or would have to work "holiday eve." Sounds about as goofy as leaving Christmas out of the holiday season, doesn't it?

Thursday Thirteen--13 places my purse spread germs before 7 a.m.

Yesterday I was listening to a local radio talk guy discuss germs on a woman's purse, although it also applied to briefcases, backpacks, and bookbags. Women's purses are probably the worst, because women eat, handle food and use make-up, all of which create germ growth. So I checked Snopes because some of this was going around in e-mails about 2 years ago, and was being reported on TV health shows. What I found seemed to confirm it, although I didn't track down the original research.

"According to researchers at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake City, Utah, women's purses may be not only high in overall germ counts, but especially prone to carrying some of the most harmful varieties of bugs. Among the nasty bacteria found on purses were salmonella and E. coli, which can cause food poisoning and gastrointestinal problems, and pseudomonas, which causes eye infections. Perhaps even more cringe-worthy: researchers found evidence of trace fecal contamination on the majority of the purses tested. Results of the study were reported in a recent piece by the local news affiliate KUTV." Lifescript

Here are the places my purse landed before 7 a.m. this morning.

1) My side desk at home (I don't work here; just pile things on it).


2) My office chair while I was gathering my coat, notebook, etc. to leave for the coffee shop.

3) Counter top in my office bathroom where I went to put on my lipstick.


4) Table top in the kitchen while I looked for a pencil.

5) Passenger seat of my van while driving.

6) Counter top at Panera's where I ordered, paid for and picked up a coffee cup.

7) Counter top where I poured the coffee and added cream.

8) Table top where I sat to drink my coffee and read.


9) Hearth of the fireplace next to my table.

10) Door hook in toilet stall of the ladies' room.

11) Sink top in the ladies' room when I washed my hands. Keep in mind you handle your purse before you wash your hands.

12) My lap, and the underside of the table, when I returned to the table.

13) Kitchen counter top when I got home.


My purse is fabric and not easy to clean; plus it's black and I can't see the soil. I'm guessing the handle is much dirtier than the bottom. The three worst places to put a purse, according to the research, were in my own home--the kitchen table, kitchen counter top, and the bathroom counter top. But think about that stall door in the ladies room at the restaurant. A power flush toilet with no lid--a door that is never cleaned but within spray range. Yuk. The door probably isn't much better than the floor, which at least might be mopped once a day.

What about your purse/briefcase? Where has it traveled today?

Visit or join other Thursday Thirteeners.

Thursday Thirteen

Totally Optional Prompt

Today's prompt is a poem by Ted Kooser about the horse, "its hide a hot shudder of satin/ head stony and willful. . ." For this I pull out an old one, written on the occasion of Lou Ferrigno's 50th birthday in 2002. He is the actor who played "The Hulk." The photo is me with my horse at a trail ride. The poem is about noticing the changes as I went from being a straight and skinny child to a more adult figured young woman.



Happy Birthday, Lou Ferrigno

Today it was announced
with little surprise
That the Hulk had turned 50;
so did my thighs.

Yes, back in ‘52
I fell from a horse,
Noticed my body shifting--
southward, of course.

Legs that outran all the boys
in school races,
Now slowed down and waited
for a few paces.

The limbs that scrambled up and
were scraped on trees
Became pudgy, dimpled
soft above the knees.

The body so straight and slim
looked like a rack,
Now grew fat and fleshy
I knew for a fact.

So it’s with mixed emotion
and a few sighs
Eat cake and ice cream,
“Happy Birthday, dear thighs!”

Totally optional prompt

4259

Why I never voted for Ronald Reagan

I was a Democrat in the 80s and 90s. Simple as that. Even though I grew up a few miles from his childhood home, and my dad played college football against him, he was just another aging movie star to me. I didn't appreciate him until he was long out of office. Bill Clinton did that for me. Sigh. Today I came across this Elizabeth Dole item written at his death, and thought it was appropriate as we think about the qualities we want in the next President.

Ronald Reagan knew why he wanted to be President—he came to office with the clearest of vision, a passion for achieving his goals, and in conveying them, an eloquence almost unsurpassed. Ronald Reagan made us…all of us, the American people, believe in ourselves again.

He literally changed the world. Despite conventional wisdom, he determined that Communism had to be defeated, not tolerated. He rejected the Iron Curtain, he rejected the status quo, and his legacy to the world is freedom. His strength of character and bedrock belief in right and wrong ended the Cold War, and his leadership unshackled the yoke of tyranny for millions upon millions of people who had known only oppression. . .

And you know one of the things that will really be an inspiration to me the rest of my life is a conversation I had with the President when the two of us were alone. We were waiting in a holding room for him to give a speech. And you don’t often find yourself alone with the President of the United States, but on this particular day we were waiting for a speech and I said, “Mr. President, I just can’t resist – I had to ask you – how in the world when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders are you able to be so gracious, so thoughtful, so kind? I never see you flustered or frustrated…how do you do it with such weight on your shoulders?” And he kind of leaned back – and he loved to tell a story and to reminiscence and he said, “Well, Elizabeth, when I was Governor of California it seemed like every day yet another disaster would be placed on my desk, and I had an urge to hand it to someone behind me and help me.” He said, “One day I realized I was looking in the wrong direction. I looked up instead of back.” And he said, “I’m still looking up. And I couldn’t go one more day in this office if I didn’t know I could ask God’s help and it would be given.”

Speaking as a former Democrat, I think Al Gore is much more presidential, experienced, honest and grounded than Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John Edwards (even though I think he's wrong on humans being able to control climate), and I hope the Democrats wake up and choose him. Also, I hope Republicans select someone strong enough to beat him.

What part of NO amnesty do they not understand

Couldn't have said it better myself, although I think I did. Read John Lillpop who writes:

In short, we the people are:

FED UP with plans to merge the United States into a North American alliance with Canada and Mexico. Such a plan would destroy American sovereignty and is totally unacceptable.

FED UP with the refusal of the federal government to secure our borders at time of war.

FED UP when armed Mexicans illegally cross our borders and assault Americans, yet our government takes no action, and refuses to even protest.

FED UP when Americans defending the U.S. from drug smuggling illegal aliens are sent to federal prison, while invading criminals are to be forgiven via amnesty for violating our borders and laws.

FED UP with the fact that upwards of 38 million illegal aliens are currently in America, and cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars every year. . .[includes many other points]

Finally, Mr. President and members of the U.S. Congress, we the people are FED UP with those who consistently work on behalf of illegal aliens and the state of Mexico, and against the interests of the American people!

Please do not underestimate the dissatisfaction and rage swelling in the hearts of patriotic Americans on this vital issue.

We the people DEMAND our great country back.

4256

DREAM Act is our nightmare

Welcome to Amnesty via the Defense bill. When thinking, tax-paying Americans defeated the Bush administration, the RINOS, and the Democratic left on Amnesty, they just circled the wagons and came up with another plan--The DREAM ACT, "Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act of 2007".

If this is successfully attached to a Department of Defense authorization bill (HR 1585) illegal aliens will receive amnesty and be able to receive in-state tuition, with only claiming to be here before they turned 16. Whoopee do. And no one who entered the country illegally, who violated our laws in the first place, would ever think of lying, would they?

And the wigged out Kos calls Tom Tancredo crazy for threating to call the ICE on any illegal paraded by the Dems for the sympathy vote at the press conference? Call the authorities empowered by law to stop it? I'd call that brilliant. If you can't keep the illegals out of these phony rituals "for the children" that the Dems seem to love, where are they not welcome?

Update: I have contacted my Senators. Have you contacted yours? No matter how they try to sneak this in, the American people do not want amnesty for illegals. They will self-select to go home to their own country and families, to build up their own nation and obey their own laws, when opportunities for them here are closed down.

Flash flooding in Columbus

California would love to have our rain right about now. It was dark when I left the house this morning, and I realized the car would hardly move but I couldn't figure out why. One of the drains was clogged with leaves in the condo street, and I was plowing through about a foot of water. Some parts of Columbus have had 3-4" of rain today and underpasses are flooded, as well as some homes. I've notified the president of the condo association that he needs to get those leaves away from the street drain. That'd be my husband.

Then as I took my usual spot at Panera's, there was a drip, drip on my newspaper. Their roof drain seemed to be clogged too, and water was coming in through the ceiling tile.

4254

Facebook and Myspace face off

Eric Schnell a librarian at OSU has an interesting entry about the stats for these sites and who is using them. Check it out here.

Forest fires and environmentalists

Several years ago when we were in Arizona I asked our guide why dead brush and diseased trees weren't being removed. He told us that environmental regulations prevented that--they don't want to encourage anymore home sprawl into the mountains and canyons. "Sure looks like a fire hazard," I said. "Exactly," he said.

So now California, home of the left wing branch of everything, is burning. It's not the worst we've seen, by any means. Remember the early 90s when the suburbs were burning? I have no idea if California has the same rules, so I googled, and found this item from 2003.

America's national forests have for decades been a battleground between forestry's desire to engage and environmentalism's need to protect. From 1950 to 1990, commercial forestry and timber production won out. In recent times, the environmental movement turned the tables, using litigation and the government's own bureaucratic tendencies to bring forestry to its knees.

Environmentalism's success in taking control of our national forests, though, led to problems. Whereas in 1990, environmental activists sued to protect old growth and stop clear-cutting, by 2000 they were aggressively appealing and litigating forest thinnings and even thwarting attempts to clean up flammable dead, downed timber. The results, predictably, have been growing incidences of unnaturally hot, catastrophic wildfires. From Mercury News

I hope the people of California are better prepared than the people of New Orleans were, because evacuating 250,000 people sounds vaguely familiar. I'm sure they'll [environmentalists] find a way to blame President Bush, because we all know it would have rained if only Al Gore had been elected.

Update: Right on call. Despite all the assistance that the feds are sending (this is between the governor and the president) Barbara Boxer is blaming a lack of National Guardsmen (which isn't true, and I suppose she wants to throw them bodily into the fire to stop it even though she won't let them recruit on campus); and dirty Hairy is blaming global warming, so you see, it is all Bush's fault.

California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer complained on Capitol Hill Tuesday that the ability of the state's National Guard to respond to disasters like the fires has been compromised because too much of its equipment and personnel are committed in Iraq.

"As you know, one reason that we have the fires burning in Southern California is global warming. One reason the Colorado Basin is going dry is because of global warming." Reid said it, then denied he said Cal was burning because of global warming. Looks like you needed those foresry companies, Harry.