Creepy

I’ve got ten (metaphorical) bucks that sez the average EIP reader won’t make it to the end of this video…

Unabashedly stolen from Lex, who remarks “The creepiness factor is non-trivial.” And that, Gentle Reader, is today’s massive understatement. “Creepy” just doesn’t begin to describe it…

So… in the same vein, sorta… news arrives today that SN3 had a great good time at “Eco-Week” camp, a three day affair in the Colorado Rockies. About which I replied (in part):

Eco-Week? OMG... I'm sure you realize, given my political bent, that this very term is an eye-roller in my circles. I'm hoping against hope that Eco-Week wasn't an indoctrination event, but I strongly suspect it might could be. I don't have a single solitary thing against respecting our environment, conserving it, and living responsibly within it... and I live in that manner. I DO have issues with the secular religion that "environmentalism" has become, as manifested by the Green Party and others... specifically the Algore wing of the Democrat Party. I certainly hope Bobby's Eco-Week wasn't THAT sort of event.

The reply was somewhat reassuring:

Eco week was not political; however, Coloradoans are very aware of the environment and pro good stewardship of the land. Eco-week had classes about the environment, team building exercises, scary stories at the camp fire etc.

As I said: somewhat. And then I went to Lex’s place…

Failure

So… the rescue/bail-out bill failed in the House, 205-228.  From Forbes magazine:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -

In a suspenseful vote of 205-228, the House of Representatives squashed a bill granting the Treasury $700 billion to shore up the U.S. financial system. Clearing the House was seen as the bill's biggest hurdle, and now the proposed bailout is thrown into disarray.

The bill had majority support from House Democrats, at around 140-95. It was killed by staunch opposition from House Republicans, 65-133. The voting was left open for several minutes, while congressional leaders tried to get members to change nay votes, and the tallies shifted slightly but not enough to pass.

On Wall Street, market response was swift and terrible. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had been trending down throughout the morning, plunged almost 7% in minutes before recovering somewhat. Prices for Treasury bonds soared into the stratosphere, pushing the yields down. The three-month Treasury yield sank to 0.68%, while the London interbank offer rate rose to 3.88%.

Just for the record:  the Dow lost 777.68 (closing at 10,365.45), the NASDAQ 199.61 (1983.73 at the close) and the S&P Index -106.85 (1106.42).  Tomorrow will most certainly be an interesting day in the markets, indeed.

Developing, as Drudge sez.  

Words Have Meaning...

... and NEVER more so than in this case. Here, in this 8:37 video, are excerpts from a House hearing... in 2004... on regulating Fannie and Freddie.





Draw your own conclusions, as you see fit. But (and this is a shocker) I agree with what Bubba said at the very end of this video. Senator McCain, and every other Republican running for office in this election, needs to beat the livin' dogpoop out of the Democrats over this. Big Time.


(h/t: Morgan)

An Economic Idiot Discusses Economics

… and that economic idiot would be me, Gentle Reader. But I’ve come across a few articles that seem to be written in layman’s terms, all of which make sense to me. “Sorta,” he said… contradicting himself. YMMV, of course… but… read on.

―:☺:―

We’ve been subjected to a lot of negative reporting and Gloom ‘N’ Doom missives on the state of our economy over the past week or so, but there IS one person who has a kind word for the American economy: Irwin Kellner, writing in MarketWatch (“Don't call it a bailout. Or a depression.Commentary: The nattering nabobs of negativism have it wrong. Here's why…”) Excerpt:

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (MarketWatch) -- We are nowhere near a depression, so let's stop talking ourselves into one.

Spiro Agnew's words of the Nixon era ring true today. The politicians, pundits and, yes, the press, are nattering nabobs of negativism.

[…]

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying things aren't serious out there, but another Great Depression? I don't think so.

· If you look at the data, you will see more differences than similarities between the 1930s and today:

· In the crash of 1929 the Dow Jones industrials plunged 40% in two months; this time around it has taken a year to fall 22%.

· The jobless rate jumped to 25% by 1933; it is little more than 6% today.

· The gross domestic product shrank by 25% during the early 1930s; it is up over 3% during the past year.

· Consumer prices fell by about 30% from 1929 to 1933; and the last time I looked they were still rising.

· Home prices dropped more than 30% during the Depression vs. about 16% today.

· Some 40% of all mortgages were delinquent by 1934 compared with 4% today.

· In the 1930s, more than 9,000 banks failed compared with fewer than 20 over the past couple of years.

There is a bit of a flaw in Mr. Kellner’s reasoning from my point of view. He makes an historical leap from the crash of 1929 to quote facts and figures from 1933. Which is sorta like trying to visualize what our GDP, unemployment figures, and foreclosure rates would be in 2012, if one believes the economy is going to tank based upon our sub-prime mortgage-cum-credit crisis. Still and even, I do think Mr. Kellner makes a good point, and that point is we shouldn’t try to talk ourselves into another Great Depression. I agree with Senator McCain: the American economy is fundamentally strong. Our system encourages entrepreneurship, our productivity is high, inflation and unemployment are low (for the moment, anyway), and we still lead the world in areas where it matters… like information technology, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals, just to name three industries.

So: Don’t panic. Let’s just fix it and get back to business.

―:☺:―

Further on the subject of “Fixing It”… Here’s Joseph Calhoun, writing at Real Clear Politics (“In Times of Crisis, Trust Capitalism”). Excerpts:

The US government is executing a coup d’etat of capitalism and I fear that we will pay the price for many years to come. Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke and a host of others tell us the credit market is not working and the only way to get it working again is for the government to intervene. They claim this intervention is urgently needed and if we don’t act, the consequences are dire. Dire, as in New Depression dire. Have these supposed experts on capitalism forgotten how it really works?

Last week Goldman Sachs raised $10 billion in new capital in one day. They sold $5 billion in preferred stock and warrants to Berkshire Hathaway and also completed a secondary offering of common stock that raised another $5 billion. Friday, JP Morgan raised $10 billion in a secondary offering to help pay for the Washington Mutual takeunder. Both of these offerings were oversubscribed, meaning that the companies could have raised more capital if they wanted. There is not a shortage of capital for well run financial companies.

There is, however, a shortage of capital for companies that have acted irresponsibly with investor capital in the recent past. For some reason, our political leaders believe this is a failure of the market, but isn’t this what should be expected from rational investors? Given a choice, why would a rational investor allocate limited capital to the losers rather than the winners? If capital is really as scarce as it seems, isn’t it better for our economy if we make sure that it is allocated wisely?

[…]

Paulson has said that the cause of the current problems is the housing deflation, but that ignores the elephant in the living room. The housing bubble, which was concentrated in a relatively small number of states, was caused by the reckless actions of the Greenspan Fed. The consequences of that bubble have been exacerbated by the Bernanke Fed. The market is functioning as it should. It is the Fed that is not functioning correctly. There is no reason we had to go through either the bubble or the aftermath. We got into this mess because we tried to avoid the consequences of the Internet bubble. We will only make things worse by trying to avoid the consequences of the housing bubble.

We are not on the verge of a new depression. The housing bubble collapse in California, Florida and a few other states is not enough to bring down the entire banking system. Investors who made mistakes in these markets should be held responsible and those who navigated the Fed-distorted market should be rewarded for their wisdom and prudence. Enacting the Paulson plan will not allow that to happen and our economy will suffer for it in the long run. The Japanese tried to prop up failed banks in the aftermath of the bursting of their twin bubbles and the result was 15 years of stagnation. Why are we emulating a strategy that is a demonstrable failure? A better alternative would be to allow capitalism to work as it should and stop the interventions of the Fed in the money market. Trust capitalism. It works.

There’s an interesting and fairly lengthy discussion about the whys and wherefores of the current crisis in between the excerpts I’ve quoted, along with a prescription for solving the problem. I believe Mr. Calhoun is articulating (and quite well, at that) the reasons a large block of Republican members of the House oppose the current rescue/bail-out bill that will be voted on today. The passage of that bill is far from a done-deal, if one believes what one is hearing today. I’m beginning to have second thoughts about the wisdom of this “bail-out,” as currently written. But then again, I could stick everything I know about economics in my right eye and it wouldn’t even water…

―:☺:―

The Economist has an alternative POV on this subject, expressed in its op-ed “Unpleasant but essential.” Excerpts:

IT MUST be one of the most unpleasant laws that Congress has found itself writing so close to an election. Devoting $700 billion of taxpayers’ money to rescuing the country’s least popular industry is not a vote winner. That Democratic and Republican congressional leaders held their noses this weekend and came up with the Emergency Economic Stabilisation Act is encouraging evidence that they appreciate the gravity of the financial crisis. “This is something that all of us will swallow hard and go forward with,” John McCain said. Barack Obama added that “What we can't do is do nothing.”

[…]

By legislative standards Congress moved at light speed after Mr Paulson and Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, proposed action on September 18th. Yet it may not be fast enough. In the past week the financial crisis has erupted in even more dangerous forms globally. The interbank-funds market has seized up and even the most creditworthy corporate and financial firms are paying punitive rates. Last week Washington Mutual became the largest-ever American bank to fail. In Europe, three countries had to come to the rescue of Fortis, a Belgian banking group, and Britain did the same with a mortgage lender, Bradford & Bingley. And on Monday Citigroup agreed to buy most of the assets of Wachovia, another beleaguered American bank, in a deal brokered by regulators.

So… this isn’t just an American problem, it’s a global problem. And that makes it pretty damned serious, doesn’t it?

Aiiieee. My head hurts. But that’s what one should expect when an economic idiot tries to understand economics, innit?

He WILL Be Missed

I've been making the rounds today during time-outs and at halftime of the Purdue – Notre Dame game. I’ve noticed more than a few of my daily reads have been paying tribute to Paul Newman, who died yesterday at age 83. I’m no different in this respect.

Mr. Newman’s repertoire is chock-full of Good Things, and there may be something else that you think is better than the scene I posted above, Gentle Reader. But “Cool Hand Luke” made an indelible impression on my young mind when it was released and remains a favorite of mine to this very day. Or… to invoke an old cliché… “They don’t make ‘em like this any longer.”

RIP, Mr. Newman. You’ll be sorely missed.

Seen This Yet?

You should watch. But you may need to pause the video several times while it's playing, coz things move QUICK. This is pretty much the best and most accessible thing I've seen to date on the current financial crisis. Great stuff.

(h/t: Lex)

Update 10/01/2008: If you click on the video above, you'll get the standard Google/YouTube message:
"This video is no longer available." And why might THAT be? "Copyright violations," say Google
and Time-Warner. "Bullshit!" sez the right side of the 'net. There is another, updated version of this vid,
and here it is:



You can't keep a good video down, ya know.

The NERVE!

My neighbor's cat has taken to sleeping on the camp chairs that grace the verandah of El Casa Móvil De Pennington.  Which kinda-sorta irritates me… coz the cat is white and sheds something fierce.  Cat hair is worse than dog hair, Gentle Reader.  It takes me a LOT of time to clean the hair off the chairs before I put my ol’ ass into one, come Happy Hour.  I wouldn’t mind it so much if he/she/it always slept on this particular chair, which is used primarily as a foot-rest-cum-ottoman.  But I DO mind it when he/she/it decides to occupy MY chair.  A lot.

I don’t think this cat would feel so free about usurping my place if he/she/it knew how I felt about cats, in general.  OTOH, perhaps he/she/it does know… coz he/she/it runs like Hell whenever I open the door or come home after being away.  Smart cat.

Pic taken from my kitchen window… about ten minutes ago.

Shock, In Varying Degrees

Today’s Shocker:  Oregon State 27, USC 21.  Wow.  Shades of last year, eh?  Just when I thought this year’s college ball season would be rather ho-hum… with the Usual Suspects on cruise-control all the way to this year’s bowl games… along comes O-State and knocks off the nation’s Numero Uno.  And I missed it!  This week’s Sunday polls will be oh-so-interesting.  I’m thinking The Piper will be pleased.

―:☺:―

Today’s Non-Shocker:  “Depends on the Meaning of 'Close' …Blaming McCain for bailout fallout.”  Excerpt:

So what happened? I'm not sure anyone knows the full story, but here is my take. When John McCain announced that he was suspending his campaign, Democrats moved quickly to portray the decision as strictly political. (Senator Chuck Schumer said as much in an interview on CNN.) An important element of their case was convincing reporters that a deal was close and McCain presence was (a) unnecessary, (b) potentially detrimental, or (c) both.

But that's a hard case for them to make for two reasons. First, Harry Reid. On Wednesday Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had explicitly called for McCain to use his influence as party leader to bring House Republicans along. "We need, now, the Republicans to start producing some votes for us," Reid said. "We need the Republican nominee for president to let us know where he stands and what we should do." Reid explained that McCain was crucial to any deal because his approval of a deal would give congressional Republicans political cover necessary to sign on to a bipartisan agreement. The second reason: House Republicans were never on board. Earlier this week, they gave Vice President Dick Cheney an earful about their opposition to the deal. Yesterday morning, a group of about 50 conservative House Republicans got together and when one speaker asked for a show of hands from those who support the bailout, less than a handful said they were likely to support it. One staffer for a Republican in House leadership said: "Understand one thing. House Republicans were never on board."

The market is reacting in a strange (but semi-good!) sort of way to this news.  The Dow is up nearly 200 points as I write, but the NASDAQ is down by 35.  Apropos of nothing… I’ve been keeping an eye on the market throughout this whole interesting turn of events.  It should come as no surprise that I’d hate to see my nest egg go Poof! at this point in life.  Spending my dotage in poverty ain’t exactly my idea of a good time.

―:☺:―

Today’s Shockingly Good Essay on the financial melt-down from Charles Krauthammer, writing at Real Clear Politics:  “Catharsis, Then Common Sense.”  Excerpt:

WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson went to Capitol Hill seeking $700 billion. He got an earful. Now, $700 billion is a serious sum, and Congress has the fiduciary responsibility to make sure the money it appropriates goes for a good cause. But from the indignant congressional demands for a laundry list of quid pro quos, you would have thought Paulson wanted it for his personal use.

In fact, Paulson is a lame duck. In four months, he is gone. Paulson is asking for the money not for self-aggrandizement but for the same reason Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and the markets are asking for it: to prevent the American economy from going over a cliff.

[…]

Was there misbehavior on Wall Street? The wheels of justice will grind. But why wait for justice? If a really good catharsis will allow a return of rationality to Capitol Hill -- yielding a clean rescue package that will actually save the economy -- go for it.

Capping executive pay is piffle. What we need are a few exemplary hangings. Public hangings. On television. Pick a few failed investment firms, lead their CEOs in chains through the canyons of Manhattan and give the mob satisfaction. Better still, precede the auto-da-fe -- fire is highly telegenic -- with 24-hour reality-TV coverage of their recantations, lamentations and final visits with the soon-to-be widowed. The ratings would dwarf "American Idol," and the ad revenue alone would make the perfect down payment on the $700 billion.

Whatever it takes to clear our heads.

Dang, but I love the way the man thinks!  There are some folks who don’t see Krauthammer’s suggestion as high sarcasm, but I DO love the way the man pokes fun at stupid-ass moves by the Democrats whose sole purpose with their add-ons to the rescue/bail-out/whatever-ya-wanna-call-it seems to be fanning the flames of class-warfare. 

While we’re on the subject… Victor Davis Hanson speaks for me (“Dr. Frankenstein's Wall Street,” at Real Clear Politics) when he says:

All that remains of this Ponzi scheme is the election-year blame game. Republicans charge that important financial firewalls were dismantled by the Clinton administration while insider liberal senators got shady campaign donations in exchange for aiding Wall Street. Democrats counter that the laissez-faire capitalism espoused by Republicans for two decades encouraged financial piracy while tax policy favored the rich speculator over the middle-class wage earner.

But no one dares to ask what really drove the wheeler-dealer portfolio managers. Who re-elected these shady politicians of both parties? Who fostered the cash-in culture in which both Wall Street profit mongering and Washington lobbying are nourished and thrive? We citizens did -- red-state conservatives and blue-state liberals, Republicans and Democrats, alike. We may be victims of Wall Street greed -- but not quite innocent victims.

[…]

We created the cultural climate for this shared madness. Television shows advised how to "flip" a house after putting in cosmetic improvements. Real-estate seminars and popular videos convinced us that homes were not places to live in and raise a family but rather no different from piles of chips on a Vegas table.

We created the phony populist creed that everyone deserved to own a house. So lawmakers got the message to relax lending standards in service to "fairness." But Americans forgot that historically nearly four in 10 of us aren't ever ready, or able, to sacrifice for a down payment, monthly mortgage bills, home maintenance and yearly taxes -- and so should stick to renting.

It should go without saying:  Read the whole thing.  And scroll down for that famous Walt Kelly cartoon about meeting the enemy.  Or click the link.  You choose. 

In any event, we ALL bear a certain amount of responsibility for what’s happened to our financial system.  You might look at people who knowingly took on mortgage obligations they knew they couldn’t afford as “victims,” but I sure as Hell don’t.  It’s that ol’ “personal responsibility” thang, Gentle Reader.  OTOH, I have nothing but contempt for the people who wrote those sub-prime mortgages, knowing full well that the home buyer didn’t have the proverbial snow ball’s chance of repaying the loan.  Krauthammer might sarcastically call for public hangings on Wall Street, but I’d like to bring back public flogging for the people who approved mortgages that had NO business being considered, to begin with.  The difference between Krauthammer and myself?

I’m serious.

―:☺:―

Today’s Pics:  Once again… into the archives.  A brief photo essay on how to keep a 15-month old baby boy entertained.  And his parents, as well.

Perinton, NY. May, 1998.

It's Back!

My sidebar.

And I didn't do a damned thing.  To lose it OR get it back.

There may be greater mysteries than Blogger in the universe as we know it, but not many.

A Lil Bit O' Dylan

She said "Where ya been ?" I said "No place special?"
She said "You look different" I said "Well I guess"
She said "You been gone" I said "That's only natural"
She said "You gonna stay ?" I said "If you want me to, Yeah!"

Isis oh Isis you mystical child
What drives me to you is what drives me insane
I still can remember the way that you smiled
On the fifth day of May in the drizzling rain.

Ya hadda be there.

Weirdness Abounds

I put up today's post and... my sidebar has gone missing. Totally. Completely. Well, as viewed in both Chrome and Internet Exploder. The sidebar is there if I view EIP using Firefox.

Which leaves me scratching my head and going "WTF?"

Blogger continues to exasperate me. In SO many ways...

Do you see my sidebar, Gentle Reader?

Travel

Jimmy T, in comments to yesterday’s post, talked about the neat things one can see on a daily basis at Pax River Naval Air Station.  And then, coincidentally… this lil item hit my in-box this morning.  From the AFA’s Daily Report:

RQ-4 Flies Atlantic:  An Air Force Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle flew for the first time across the Atlantic to Southwest Asia, making the 19-hour flight from NAS Patuxent River in Maryland. The milestone flight came on Sept. 20 and USAF expected to have the high-altitude RQ-4 fly a 24-hour war on terror mission within hours of arrival in theater. Airmen from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, Calif., joined forces with sailors and Navy contractors, who work with the Navy's maritime version of the Global Hawk, to cut time and save resources. A1C Matthew Miles, an avionics specialist, said, "The Navy has all the supplies that we have, plus contracted support." And, according to Col. George Zaniewski, Air Combat Command's intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance division chief, crossing the Atlantic "allows us to cut a lot of different stops in a lot of different areas." He expects cooperation to increase between the Air Force and Navy with the Global Hawk. ACC's chief of current operations, Maj. Alan Rabb, believes the impact from this joint effort will "be really huge" and has opened the door to a "different aspect of joint ops." (ACC report by MSgt. Steven Goetsch)

Does this amaze you as much as it amazes me, Gentle Reader?  The Global Hawk has flown extreme distances… non-stop… before, but to fly it across the Atlantic and through heavily trafficked air space is pretty amazing stuff, in my book… not to mention the five-hour turn around from arrival to first mission in the AOR.  MOST impressive!

The photo was taken from the “ACC report” link, above.  There are three more hi-res photos at the link, if you’re interested.  And the USAF photo I used to illustrate this piece is but 40% the size of the original pic. 

―:☺:―

Another brief reflection on aging…  Are you familiar with that ol’ saying “My get up and go got up and left,” Gentle Reader?  I’ve been feeling that way of late.  And I sorta understand now, after all these years, the attitude my father had in his old age.  Which, of course, bears some ‘splainin’.  

During the course of my Air Force career I extended invitations to my father to come visit… especially when I was stationed in Japan and England.  He always declined… citing this reason, that reason, and the other reason.  It was work, while he was still working.  He ran out of excuses when he retired for good and finally just came right out and said “Thanks, but I’m not interested.  My traveling days are done and I’m quite content to stay where I am, thank you very much.”  This attitude shocked me, especially the last time I invited him to come visit… when The Second Mrs. Pennington and I were stationed in England.  There’s more to that particular story. 

I was stationed at the 2119^th Communications Squadron on RAF Uxbridge, in the London borough of Hillingdon.  The 2119^th was co-located with the UK District Headquarters of the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI).  To make a long story short, I had the responsibility of handling AFOSI’s communications requirements and, as a result, I spent a bit of time with the district commander, a full colonel who was a crusty old sort, as colonels tend to be.  He loosened up quite a bit, though, when I told him the Ol’ Man was a retired AFOSI agent and I had had quite the childhood, what with being drug around from base to base with my dad.  So… after a meeting one day, this colonel asks me to stay in his office and chat a while.  He pulled out a small pamphlet and asked if Buck Pennington was my dad, to which I answered “yes.”  The pamphlet he showed me was a directory of retired AFOSI guys, and I had no idea such a directory existed.  But… to cut to the chase… the colonel told me the District was holding a reunion of OSI guys who had served in the UK and my dad most definitely qualified to attend and really should come to the event.  I enthusiastically agreed.  So… the colonel wrote a personal invitation to my father, asking him to consider attending the reunion and cc’ed me on the invite.  I was quite pleased.  But… did the invite work?

No.

That was the point I got the “my traveling days are over” routine.  “Regrets,” and all that.  I was crushed; the colonel was disappointed.  And I didn’t “get it,” at all.

Ah… but I do now.  I feel the same way, actually.  I’ve mentioned in passing that I let my passport lapse several years ago and have no intention of renewing it.  But… this leaves me wondering.  Why is it that some people retire and travel… a lot… while others become homebodies?  My former in-laws were in the former category, in that they took an international trip each and every summer after they retired, going to Russia (a cool cruise down the Volga), the Far East (China, Japan, Thailand… the list goes on), and a trip to visit TSMP and I while we were in London… every year.  The answer as to “why not travel” isn’t financial in all cases, and certainly wasn’t the case with my father… or me, for that matter.  It seems like our “get up and go” really DID get up and leave.  Perhaps the reason my in-laws traveled a lot in retirement was because they never traveled all that much as young adults, whereas my father and I were truly 20^th century migrant workers.  In my case, the longest I’d ever lived in one place before my 4o^th birthday was three years… in London, of all places… and then it was off to the next place.  And I covered a lot of ground in the process, both in these United States and overseas. 

Still and even… one would think travel would “get in the blood” and the habit would continue on as you age.  Such is not the case with me.  I’m perfectly content to sit on my ass here on The High Plains of New Mexico, and I really don’t understand exactly why that is.  But I finally DO understand the way the Ol’ Man felt, though.  One mystery of old age: solved.  Sorta.  I’m thinking I need a rocking chair for the verandah.

Just Checkin' the Box That Sez...

... "Today's Post?"  Courtesy of Blogger-Bud Doc...  Hip-Hop, translated:

http://view.break.com/569516 - Watch more free videos

Interesting, no?  I'd comment on the idiom, but I just don't have either the energy or the inclination.  It's been that kinda day.

And what kinda day would that be?  Up at 0430.  Watched all of Washington Journal, enduring the slings and arrows of moonbat ranters who just have to call in and vent... usually of the BushCrime! or Troofer varieties, coupled with their inexplicable support of The One.  Then it was over to MS-NBC (go figure... they were the only ones televising the hearings) for a couple of hours of watching Paulson, Bernanke, and Cox try and persuade the Senate Finance Committee that a $700 billion bailout is a good thing.  Otherwise?  Melt-down.  And we don't want that, do we?  Oh, no, My Precious... we doesn't!

Back to bed for a couple of hours after the coffee pot was emptied.  Out to the base to run weekly errands.  Saw four C-130s on the ramp and one flying around the aerodrome.  And one of those cute U-28s, as well.  An interesting side-note...  The fighter guys flew a whole helluva lot more than the C-130 guys do... at least currently.  It was a rare day when I'd go out to the base and not see jets on the ready-ramp prior to launch or being recovered... and more often than not, roaring off the runway... right over my head.  Like 50 feet above my head.  Beautiful noise, Gentle Reader!  But then again, the Wing had three squadrons of F-16s, and those guys trained a LOT.  The C-130 guys?  Not so much, apparently.  And a C-130 shooting touch 'n' goes just doesn't have the same sort of presence as a flight of F-16s in full military power, either.

I miss those guys.

Fall

In honor of the first day of Fall…

 It won’t be long before people in the four-season part of the world will be seeing this sort of tableau.  Alas, such is NOT the case here on The High Plains of New Mexico.  In the northern part of the state, yes.  Here?  Absolutely not.

―:☺:―

SN3 got his first USAF ID card this past week and The Second Mrs. Pennington was good enough to send along a scan:

She also included the following information…

He wears a men's size 10-1/2 in tennis shoes and a men's 10 in hiking boots.  I kid you not.  He weighs about 130 and I think must be about 5'2" now.

To which I replied, in part:  “Holy Shit!  …  Still: amazing.  It's not beyond the pale to think he could kick my ass if he had a mind to do so.”

I don’t think this would be feasible any longer.  Maybe not even possible!

Taken in April of 1997.  I'm just in from work, which explains the get-up.

―:☺:―

My friend Lori out in the Bay Area Soviet Socialist Republic sends along the following link:  Match-O-Matic.  It’s a short (13 question) quiz that asks you to match your beliefs with a pair of blind statements made by either McCain or Obama.  I took it and… no surprises.  I agreed with the McCain statements 9 out of 13 times.  I’d publish a graphic of my results but the results show the questions in the order they’re given, ergo: one could cheat, if one had a mind to do so.  Not saying you would, Gentle Reader… only that the possibility exists.

Heh

Further to today’s first post, from Ms. Alexandrova’s other blog…

So THIS is what the end-stages of BDS look like. I've been told there's no cure, and I'm beginning to believe it.

So, Larisa and Fellow Travelers... One hopes your husbands/wives, parents, friends, or *someone* close to you arranges an intervention before you hurt yourselves. Paranoid schizophrenia just ain't fun to watch, in addition to being dangerous to you and those around you.

Get help.

RESPONSE FROM LARISA ALEXANDROVNA
Which part of a trillion dollar money grab - our money - without any oversight whatsoever is part of this paranoid schizophrenia? Do tell us young Buck what the proper reaction to this situation might be, mkay? Insults without addressing anything of substance simply makes you look foolish - and generally, identifies you as an asshole straight away. Welcome to the party by the way. I will let the other voices in my head know we have a new guest;)

Posted by: Buck | September 21, 2008 at 02:30 AM

Hey!  I’m young again!  But I suppose me being an asshole kinda-sorta offsets my new-found youth.  Oh, well.  At least I’m not batshit crazy.  I’ll count my blessings.

The Sunday Funnies

About the following… file under “Stupid Stuff I Thought Was Funny.”  At the time.  Maybe ya hadda be there.  OTOH, what follows could be the result of 12 hours of non-stop football, in various and sundry forms.

I’ve had similar encounters with my printer.

I think I may have hit bottom with these two vids.  But I’m curious… do ya think the Dobie likes Pink Floyd?  Or should we call PeTA?

―:☺:―

File this under “Stupid Stuff That ISN’T Funny:”  “Welcome to the final stages of the coup...”  Yep, I’ve been playing in the mud again.  If you don’t want to get your Sunday-Go-To-Meetin’ clothes dirty… not mention your psyche… here’s about all you need to know:

In 2000, the long fought for and long admired democracy of the United States of America began a slow and steady decline toward fascism - a Bush family tradition - with the installment of a president - a man the citizens overwhelmingly rejected (although the funny math told a still believed myth) - by a few corrupt judges on the US Supreme Court. That coup is now nearly complete and checkmate is all but unavoidable.

[…]

It seems this time around, the Bush family is trying the more subtle approach to open bloodshed:  first create a crisis, then  under the guise of addressing that crisis, overthrow democracy. Yes, it does sound terribly conspiracy-theory-esque when explained just this way. But what else does one call a criminal conspiracy to destroy Congressional powers permanently, alter Judicial powers permanently, and steal public funds?

As I see it now, we have but two options and I have long alluded to hoping against hope that one of these options would not be the only one left to a peaceful people. The first and frankly most preferable option is for Congress to immediately begin impeachment proceedings against the members of this latest Business Plot.

[…]

The other option, the one I have long prayed we would never need to even consider, is a total revolution. But, If Congress won't act in its own self-defense, in the defense of democracy, in defense of us - the people who have elected them to protect us from this very danger - then what is left for us to do? I don't want to see it come down to this, but I fear that it will. Put your party politics aside right now. We are in a crisis so dangerous that should these people succeed in their coup, your party affiliation will no longer matter, your American flag will be a nice collectible item of something that once was, and your version of God will be worshiped in secrecy because your freedoms will be owned by the few.

I left the links in the excerpt intact.  The Beeb link is “old news” and the other link is a compendium of Leftie snit pieces enumerating the countless reasons AlGore won the 2000 presidential election.  About which: the veritable source of Bush Derangement Syndrome.  All that’s missing from the second link is the identification of Patient Zero and the pathology of BDS transmission.  The Left just never got over losing that election and it drives their paranoid ravings to this very day.  The lovely (I’m sure) Ms. Alexandrova probably can’t write her mom without including links such as these.  Yet I digress.

Here’s a sampling of what the Fellow Travelers have to say about Ms. Alexandrova’s deranged ravings:

MoniqueF

We should have taken the streets a long time ago -not that we did not protest this administration but obviously nothing has come out of them. Bush is getting away with crimes, abuse of power all wrapped with such audacity that yes, considering that Congress has be so complaisant and God knows what else this administration 's October surprise(s) will be, it is time for a revolution. As long as Bush is in power our ride is not over.
Posted 12:01 AM on 09/21/2008

missjabez

I am ready and willing to "take it to the streets", particularly if the election is stolen from Obama. We Americans have tolerated enough.
Posted 10:28 PM on 09/20/2008

insanityfollows

When people don't watch the news, don't study history, etc... and gets apathetic, humanity finds itself in these pinches. People think it can't happen now or here. It can. Lipstick on a pig and all of that. When you really start looking at it it's a little scary.
Posted 09:29 PM on 09/20/2008

It’s never been more appropriate to say this:  “You can’t make this stuff up.”  Simply appalling.  I'm as serious as the proverbial heart attack when I say this:  Ms. Alexandrova is in need of an intervention.  "Normal" people, however you define the term, don't think like this... let alone make their rantings and ravings public in such an embarrassing manner.  One hopes that her "significant other" (I don't know, nor do I care, about her personal relationship status), her parents, or a concerned friend steps up and gets her the professional help she needs.  Paranoid schizophrenia, aside from being an ugly thing to observe, is dangerous to the person so afflicted and to those around them.  The woman needs help.

―:☺:―

I’ve been remiss in not telling ya that SN2 has resumed posting on his blog after a two-weeks-shy-of-a-year hiatus.  It’s good to see him back. 

So.  Can the world possibly stand three Pennington men blogging?  Which, of course, is a rhetorical question if there ever was one.

Yesterday's Rainbow...

...is Today's Pic(s).  Two of 13 shots taken around 1800 hrs. last evening, right out my back door.

Happiness Is...

Happy Hour will be VERY good this evening, Gentle Reader. And for a couple of weeks to come, as well.

Just Frickin' SICK

Liberal discourse:

Now, I want to be clear and speak directly to those of you who LOVED that Palin interview. You're an idiot. I mean that. This is not one of those cases where we're going to agree to disagree. This isn't one of those situations where we debate it passionately and then walk away thinking that the other guy is wrong but argued well. I'm not going to think of you as a thoughtful but misguided person with different ideas who still really cares about the country and the world. No, sorry, not this time. This time, if you watched those interview excerpts and weren't scared out of your freakin' mind, then you're mentally ill, mentally disabled, or mentally disturbed. What you are NOT is responsible, informed, curious, thoughtful, mature, educated, empathetic, or remotely serious. I mean it.

Comment upon said Liberal discourse:

 

bunnydeni71 
Okay, so it was a bit raw for Michael to say! But, the fact of the matter stands.... I am scared out of my mind also!!!!!!!!! She is not only not ready to lead a nation, but if I hear one more time about "Todd" I'm gonna screammmmmmmmmmmmmm:) GO OBAMA
 Posted 01:59 PM on 09/18/2008

-hockeymom_huh 
Amen!
Posted 01:47 PM on 09/18/2008

-matzoid 
Michael! I love you! (Though MY wife would NOT be cool with that!)
God, I've been waiting to hear someone speak those words to me. I have made the same decision about a week or two ago. (Yes, I was still trying to have the "reasoned debate" with these cretins.) But it finally hit me just as you said. It is NOT a matter of reasoned debate. It is not a matter of just disagreement. These people are idiots and reasoned debate only elevates them to as level far above where they deserve to be. 
Its like arguing whether the moon is made of green cheese. Or with a creationist.
Why is everyone else so afraid to say the obvious. I was getting so discouraged by the American populace that I was about to put a bumper sticker on my car that says;
A M E R I C A D E S E R V E S
< < < < < < < * > > > > > > >
J O H N M c C A I N
Posted 12:20 PM on 09/18/2008

There are 27…count ‘em… 27 frickin’ pages of comments to this despicable article at The Huffington Post.  I could only stomach the first page; I didn’t dive any deeper.  I feel like I need a shower, as it is.

I really DO try and understand these folks… but I’m rapidly coming to the point where I wish… fervently… that some of their darkest fantasies would come true.  You know… things like the gulag, the black helicopters, and all that other paranoid bullshit.  Because these people are seriously frickin’ disturbed.  Deranged.  And completely devoid of respect for others and, by inference, themselves.  But then again, perhaps the only thing they need is to be taught some manners… with a pop right in the mouth, repeated as necessary.  On the other hand, you’d probably have to beat them to death, by the look of it.

What the HELL is going on in this country?

(h/t: Rachel Lucas)

Of Limited Interest...

... I know.  But some just might be interested.  I got this lil love note from the Dee-troit Red Wings org today... you know, the current owners of The World's MOST Famous Sports Trophy.  Here's a screen-shot:

And you can see the video here.  Yeah, it's an ad.  But it's a good great ad!  With some of the best "made for teevee" rock 'n' roll I've ever heard. 

"Heeey-Ayyyy... HOCKEYTOWN!"  Oh my... Soon, Gentle Reader... soon.

Random Notes... Again

I’m a fairly conservative kinda guy in my habits (OK… my politics, too) in that once I make a choice I tend to stay with it.  That’s true where cars are concerned (The Green Hornet and I celebrate our eighth year together next month), soft drinks (Dr. Pepper.  And ONLY Dr. Pepper.), jeans (Levi 501s)… the list goes on and on.  The same thing is more or less true about ‘pooters, too.  I’ve been a PC-guy since Day One and a Gateway customer for the last 15 years or so.  I’ve been pretty loyal to Firefox for the last four years (beginning with v. 1.0), as well.  But Firefox has been acting a bit…ummm… willful of late, if not downright petulant.  She refuses to run videos, and a re-start may or may not rectify the problem.  But the final foot-stomping, tizzy-throwing, rage-against-MY-machine episode came yesterday when she locked up on me not once but four times.  Enough, already.  I threw the bitch out.

Buh-bye, Firefox.  Hello Chrome.  And so far… so good.  “Developing,” as it’s said. 

(Oh… in case you’re wondering… Chrome has a real-time spell-check function, too.  Important, that.)

―:☺:―

I’ve been meaning to mention this for quite some time now, but the subject never seems to make the cut.  Have you noticed our industrial chemists are doing wonderful things with scents, of late?  The product that immediately comes to mind is liquid soap.  I have a bottle of Softsoap “Elements” in Pink Grapefruit on my kitchen counter and I swear to The Deity At Hand that the soap smells exactly like cutting into a Texas Ruby Red.  Washing my hands with this soap almost always makes me hungry.  In the kitchen. It’s quite a different story in the bathroom… where I have a bottle of Dial’s “Yogurt” Vanilla and Honey mixture on the sink.   That blend smells for all the world like a piña colada.  Seriously.  It never fails… I wash my hands and I see myself back in The Caymans, on the beach, drink in hand, soaking up sun…  Amazing stuff, this scented soap.  Cheap Thrills ‘R’ Us, I suppose.

And please… no wise-ass metrosexual remarks (I'm kidding!).  Guys like pleasant aromas, too.  But what I really want is a soap that smells like Shell Super-M or Castrol R-30*.  That would be really cool… as in “race day!”

―:☺:―

Today’s Random Bit On Aging, or… “The mirror is not your friend.”  I dunno how it happens for everyone else in this boat, but the physical fact of aging, as manifested by my visage, kinda snuck up on me and smacked me right in the face… literally, suddenly, and without warning.  It happened one morning a few years back (let’s say six, for argument’s sake) as I was shaving.  Growing old is a subtle thing where one’s appearance is concerned.  Change takes place oh-so-slowly and your face might possibly be the thing that is most familiar to you, as you see yourself every day.  But we either don’t notice subtle change, or we’re in denial… one or the other.  In my case it was a failure to notice.  I didn’t really notice my hair line was receding, nor did I notice those “character lines” as they developed.  Until that morning.  At which time it dawned on me:  “Damn, Bud… you’re frickin’ OLD!”  There was a jangling disconnect between my mental self-image and the reality staring back at me from inside the mirror.  Some way, somehow, the human brain gets an image imprinted on it and that image stays in place, regardless of the reality of the situation.  I was apparently stuck somewhere around age 40 and never moved forward. 

And that’s how it was with me.  I was well and truly shocked.  But I got over it.

―:☺:―

Fascinating historical trivia... in today's Guardian (UK).  An interview with the guy who designed the “set” where the famous “Kitchen Debate” took place, in Moscow, in 1959.  Excerpt:

In 1959, Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev made a rare public appearance together at Moscow's newest landmark: the American National Exhibition. A few days before the opening, the two men strolled through the pavilions, bickering flirtatiously for the press, and pretending to admire US handiwork. When they entered the re-creation of a Long Island kitchen, however, the tone changed. Khrushchev averred that Russian kitchens were longer-lasting than American ones and that, in any case, he doubted the average US worker could afford what was on display. Nixon said they certainly could, and what became known as the Kitchen Debate gathered steam until the US vice-president thundered: "You must not be afraid of ideas!" Infuriatingly, the Russian president smiled and said: "That's what we're telling you - don't be afraid of ideas."

The man responsible for the kitchen and everything else on show that day was Jack Masey, now 84 and sitting in the office of his design firm in Manhattan. On the table in front of him are papers relating to what he calls "the whole shebang" - the two decades he spent working for the US Information Agency, which sounds like a branch of the CIA but, Masey assures me, is not. At the height of the cold war, it was Masey's job to attend world fairs and deliver an idea of America that outshone the idea of the Soviet Union - not through missiles, but through hairstyles, kitchen units, car designs and, at one point, a mechanical talking chicken.

The concept of the world fair, the expo, seems quaint today. But in the 1950s, it was a chance to show people things they hadn't already seen, things that were exciting and new, even if it was at heart a big, colourful piece of propaganda. Russia's reciprocal exhibition in New York focused on Sputnik, heavy farming equipment and a big statue of Lenin; some of what Masey and his team came up with for the Russians - Pepsi, Ford cars, Levi jeans, Disney films - are still basic units of Americanism today.

You may think it strange, Gentle Reader, but I remember the Kitchen Debate.  I was 14 at the time and believe me, the event was news.  Big news.  Why, you ask?  Because of this, in part… from the linked article, again:

Nearly 3 million Russians saw the show. They mobbed the guides for details about their lives, their incomes, their marriages. They tested the United States' idyllic view of itself. "Provocateurs in the audience would shout out, 'What about the negro problem? We understand that in the US there's no medical care? When you retire, there's no social security?' The guides would say, 'That's an interesting question, we can't pretend that we've solved it all, but we're trying.'" Likewise, when the Soviets came to America, Walter Winchell wrote a stinging piece in the New York Times along the lines of "wonderful fashions, what about the labour camps?"

The Cold War, and all that.  We Americans saw “cultural exchange” as a way of thawing out the Cold War, of humanizing each camp to the other.  Too bad that didn’t really work… the Cold War lasted another 20+ years.  And it looks like it might be re-igniting as we speak.  If a Cold War can “re-ignite”… contradiction in terms that it is.  I digress, as usual.  The article is a fascinating peek into the mind of the guy who led the cultural-exchange charge, and it’s pretty cool that Mr. Masey is able to tell his tale.  Talking chickens and all.

Related:  American Art in the Cold War.  

* Shell Super-M is a castor-based (bean) oil used in racing motorcycles... specifically two-stroke race bikes.  It smells wonderful!

Older. Not Quieter.

This is the first of what may be a continuing series of random thoughts on aging. Notice the emphasis on “may” in the preceding sentence. I’ve had noble aspirations of this sort before, and I’ve rarely delivered. So: caveat emptor. And all that.

So. One doesn’t see a whole helluva lot on the subject of growing old around the blogosphere. I find this both normal and unusual, at the same time. The lack of discussion is “normal” because we live in the ultimate youth culture. There’s been frickin’ volumes written about this phenomenon elsewhere… let’s just take it as accepted wisdom and move on. No digressions in this space.

No one wants to grow old… it’s almost a crime by our current cultural standards. So, we get our botox injections, buy the Vette, go water skiing three times a week, or take a 3,000 mile motorcycle tour as a “vacation,” and pretend we’re still 40. Or 50. Whatever. But we’re NOT supposed to be old, ya know... we’re supposed to be “only as young as we feel.” So therefore we don’t talk about it… being old. That’s normal. I find it unusual, however, since I know the first wave of Boomers applied for Social Security this year. And Boomers have always been “all about me,” and me is old now. But… no comment from the Boomer cadre. This is really strange… I mean, what? Boomers are getting old and aren’t talking about it? How strange! Unless one stops and considers the Boomers almost single-handedly created the Youth Culture (see: that trite and immediately shop-worn ‘70s phrase “Don’t trust anyone over 30!”) and find themselves in a position where they can’t possibly say “Never mind!” and begin singing the praises of aging. Or even talk about aging in an observational sort of way. Bad place, that. Thus they (we?) seem to be “Forever Young,” as Bobby sang.

Well… I’m gonna change that. I’m gonna talk a lil bit about getting old. No big-ass essays or anything like that, coz that’s not me. I’m basically superficial and get more out of dialog than I do from exposition. So… that’s a sort of left-handed way of soliciting your comments on these random musings, if you’re “of a certain age.” Or even if you’re not. Coz we’re all gonna be there eventually, Lord Willing and the creek don’t rise.

So. To begin this discussion I thought I’d google “thoughts on aging.” I found this… an interesting laundry list… written by a man who “recently turned 50.” Let’s set aside the fact I passed 50 well over ten years ago and don’t think of that age as “old” any longer. Let’s just say there’s a lot in the linked list I don’t or can’t relate to… mostly the itemized physical ailment(s)… but there are other things, too. It’s a good list, and I urge you to go check it out. That said… I most definitely relate to this:

I seem to be turning into a dirty old man. Almost every woman under the age of forty now appears attractive. Since I'm sure there hasn't been a massive change in the beauty of American women, it's my evaluation of them that's changed. Friends who are the same age say the same thing is happening to them; one of them commented, "The older I get, the more beautiful women are."

I relate alright, but with one minor twist: I find women over 40 to be attractive… nay… irresistible. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate “the younger form,” Gentle Reader… far from it. My interest is more academic where younger women are concerned, though. My mind wanders much further a field when I see a well-turned-out older woman. Specifically: one over 40 — and most especially… over 50. Perhaps this academic/“other” thought dichotomy is a sub-conscious rationalization mechanism, i.e., thinking “there’s NO frickin’ way” whenever I see a sweet young thang. But I think not. I think we perceive potential mates (rationally… as in: relationships; or irrationally… as in Wal-Mart daydreams) in an entirely different way as we age. The slings and arrows of time doing their work (or worst, depending on your POV) on the female form become something different to an older viewer. Your “sag” becomes my “curve” (and I use that term in the best way possible. Draw your own conclusions.) Your facial “age lines” tell me your experience and character left favorable impressions upon your face… and that doesn’t even consider your history of laughter. Your eyes are knowing, not seeking or questioning. I could go on (and ON), but… you get the picture, right? There’s everything to be said for maturity (on many different levels), not the least of which is physical (I am male, after all).

Which brings me to my next and final point. I seriously wish women would quit trying to fuck with time, as in fight a losing rear-guard action with it. That’s a war you can’t win. Rather: accept it. And accept it gracefully. Older women are simply frickin’ beautiful; there’s no real or perceived need to delay or reverse what you’ve become in the hope of remaining what you were. You wouldn’t want to reverse your intellectual or emotional development and revert to being age 25, would you? So if you’re not gonna mess with the contents, why mess with the box? Besides… most men like you as you are, which is to say not-25; the great majority of men who appear to think otherwise are simply buying in to what’s expected of us. Leave us not get into just who sets these expectations, mmm-kay? Let’s just chalk it up to cultural conditioning, and leave it at that.

Thus endeth today’s sermon. Shorter: I like Ol’ Ladies.

The image: My Senator… The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison. (Wikipedia)

Update 9/17/2008, 1405 hrs: Deborah, in comments, sez: “You and Benjamin Franklin.” Ah...yes! Ol' Ben wrote one of my favorite pieces on this subject, ever. And here it is, in the event you're unfamiliar with it:

June 25, 1745

MY DEAR FRIEND:- I know of no Medicine fit to diminish the violent natural inclination you mention; and if I did, I think I should not communicate it to you. Marriage is the proper Remedy. It is the most natural State of Man, and therefore the State in which you will find solid Happiness. Your Reason against entering into it at present appears to be not well founded. The Circumstantial Advantages you have in View by Postponing it, are not only uncertain, but they are small in comparison with the Thing itself, the being married and settled. It is the Man and Woman united that makes the complete Being. Separate she wants his force of Body and Strength of Reason; he her Softness, Sensibility and acute Discernment. Together they are most likely to succeed in the World. A single Man has not nearly the Value he would have in that State of Union. He is an incomplete Animal. He resembles the odd Half of a Pair of Scissors.

If you get a prudent, healthy wife, your Industry in your Profession, with her good Economy, will be a Fortune sufficient.

But if you will not take this Counsel, and persist in thinking that Commerce with the Sex is inevitable, then I repeat my former Advice that in your Amours you should prefer old Women to young ones. This you call a Paradox, and demand my reasons. They are these:

1. Because they have more Knowledge of the world, and their Minds are better stored with Observations; their conversation is more improving, and more lastingly agreeable.

2. Because when Women cease to be handsome, they study to be good. To maintain their Influence over Man, they supply the Diminution of Beauty by an Augmentation of Utility. They learn to do a thousand Services, small and great, and are the most tender and useful of Friends when you are sick. Thus they continue amiable. And hence there is hardly such a thing to be found as an Old Woman who is not a good Woman.

3. Because there is no hazard of children, which irregularly produced may be attended with much inconvenience.

4. Because through more Experience they are more prudent and discreet in conducting an Intrigue to prevent Suspicion. The Commerce with them is therefore safer with regard to your reputation; and regard to theirs, if the Affair should happen to be known, considerate People might be inclined to excuse an old Woman, who would kindly take care of a young Man, form his manners by her good Councils, and prevent his ruining his Health and Fortune among mercenary Prostitutes.

5. Because in every Animal that walks upright, the Deficiency of the Fluids that fill the Muscles appears first in the highest Part. The Face first grows lank and Wrinkled; then the Neck; then the Breast and Arms; the lower parts continuing to the last as plump as ever; so that covering all above with a Basket, and regarding only what is below the Girdle, it is impossible of two Women to know an old one from a young one. And as in the Dark all Cats are grey, the Pleasure of Corporal Enjoyment with an old Woman is at least equal and frequently superior; every Knack being by Practice capable by improvement.

6. Because the sin is less. The Debauching of a Virgin may be her Ruin, and make her Life unhappy.

7. Because the Compunction is less. The having made a young Girl miserable may give you frequent bitter Reflections; none of which can attend making an old Woman happy.

8. 8th & lastly. They are so grateful!!!

Thus much for my Paradox. But still I advise you to marry immediately; being sincerely

Your Affectionate Friend, Benj. Franklin

Apropos of not much... I find it both amusing and gratifying that one of our greatest Founding Fathers (ahem) was considered to be among the leading womanizers of the age. I use the term “womanizer” in its best sense... if there is a best sense... and in no way intend to be demeaning. One could say “appreciative,” just as easily.

Thanks for reminding me of this, Deborah.

The Incredible Lightness of Being... A Dim-o-crat

I’m not the first person to note that some of the more perceptive comment on our presidential election comes from beyond our shores. There’s a lot to be said for a “disinterested” perspective… or as disinterested as one can be about an American presidential election (and no, that’s not ethnocentric hubris. It’s just fact). Case in point… Clive Crook, writing in Sunday’s Financial Times (free registration required):

For Mr McCain to win the election against the odds that faced him pre-Palin – with the economy in the tank and the incumbent Republican president setting records for unpopularity – would be sensational enough. For this to happen because of his vice-presidential pick, a decision that is usually of next to no consequence, beggars belief. The Democrats had to bring all their resources to getting themselves into this fix. They proved equal to the task.

As I argued last week, Mr Obama’s own initial reaction to the Palin nomination was exactly right. All the party had to do was follow his lead. Mr Obama, in effect, would give her enough rope; her inadequacies would reveal themselves in due course; it cost nothing, in the meantime, to be courteous, and to keep pressing on the issues, where the Democrats still enjoy an advantage with most voters. Ms Palin’s first television interview last week, an adequate but far from stellar performance, affirmed the wisdom of that course.

But the Democratic talking-heads had to exult in their disdain for Ms Palin and all she represents – namely, a good part of the electorate whose support Mr Obama needs. In the space of a few days, they irreversibly damaged Mr Obama’s candidacy and transformed this election.

[…]

Certainly, the Democrats can see they are in a hole. Somehow, though, the word has gone out: “Keep digging.” Mr Obama is also urged to be less cool and lose his temper. Voters adore an angry candidate, you see. “Dig faster, and be more angry,” is the advice coming down from the political geniuses who decided it was a fine idea to laugh at Ms Palin in the first place. A recurring television image in the past few days has been the split-screen contrast between a serenely smiling Republican operative and a fulminating red-faced Democrat about to have a stroke.

Mr. Crook puts his finger on something that frankly has amazed me over the past week or ten days. You don’t have to be a frickin’ rocket scientist to realize that dissing Mrs. Palin ain’t exactly… umm… smart. One could possibly cut the Democrats some slack for their initial reactions to Governor Palin… but to keep on keepin’ on like they've been doing? It's absolutely, positively inexplicable to anyone with three inter-connected, fully-functioning synapses.

A quick look at any of the recent polls would tell ya Mrs. Palin is a bona fide phenomenon. The woman struck a chord with the conservative electorate and that chord has yet to quit resonating throughout the Right and the entire nation, actually. And the Democrats seemingly just don’t get it. On the other hand, I think they DO get it. But the fact is they can neither help… nor stop… themselves in expressing their utter contempt for a woman like Sarah Palin and those terribly unsophisticated rubes who identify with her. And that, Gentle Reader, is real hubris at work.

Keep digging, Lefties. It’s oh-so-amusing to watch your slow-motion train wreck in progress. As it will be to watch you rend your garments, don your ritual sackcloth and ashes, and listen to your wails of agony at having lost yet another election, come November. The fact of the matter is Middle America doesn’t much like you or your policies. But we most especially dislike your condescension.

―:☺:―

Related: “The Audacity of Defeat." Excerpt:

It’ll be far more acrimonious this time around if the GOP wins. Already mainstream commentators (on the liberal side) are preparing for the bitterness and reprisals with premature eulogies of Obama’s campaign. On Sept. 14, The Washington Post’s David Ignatius said, by choosing Palin, McCain had sold his soul to the devil to win the election. Richard Cohen, a colleague of Ignatius at the Post, implied that Obama was “too cool” to fight back against Palin’s “jibes, her sarcasm, her smug provincialism, her exploitation of mommyhood” and so on. The Times’ Paul Krugman, incredibly, wrote on Sept. 12 that McCain’s “lies” were worse than those of Karl Rove and Bush. “The Bush campaign’s lies in 2000 were artful—you needed some grasp of arithmetic to realize you were being conned.” Yet, according to Krugman, McCain’s campaign is so dishonest that should he and Palin win the White House, their administration would be “much, much worse” than Bush’s.

And you thought Bush Derangement Syndrome was bad, eh? Just wait. You ain't seen nuthin' yet! Heads are gonna explode, and lots of 'em, too.

(via Real Clear Politics)

―:☺:―

Kinda-sorta related… Didja see this?

It's time to dump Biden and replace him with Sen. Hillary Clinton. I don't care how it's done. Campaign chief David Axelrod can figure that out. And the sooner the better. Because I'm starting to think that if Team-Obama doesn't do something dramatic fast, it's gonna lose this election. There's a worrisome shift in momentum and in the polls. The Palin phenomenon, while truly unfathomable to Democrats (ed: See?), has energized McCain's campaign and allowed him like Houdini to snatch Obama's "change" theme right out from under him. It's time to snatch it back.

Conventional wisdom says replacing Biden with Clinton can't be done. That it's too late. That it'll make Obama appear indecisive, impulsive and lacking good judgement (sic). Many Democrats believe this would cause irreparable harm to the campaign, ringing Obama's death knell. But this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, it'd be a freakin' coup for Obama, and would instantly melt Palin's undeserving outsize political ice cap.

[...]

Obama should do what the Republicans would do in this situation. In fact, he should do exactly what his opponent did. Shake things up. Be unconventional. Roll the dice. Out-McCain McCain. Who cares how it looks.

Oh, YES! Please, please DO!! What a capital idea!

[Pssst! Senator Obama! Over here!

This is really, really GOOD advice…and, trust me… you should take it! Seriously. Yes, I know this sounds strange coming from a McCain supporter, but really… I have your best interests at heart. I want to see you keep this thing close, ya know. We don’t wanna see any McGovern-like blow-outs, now, do we? That would be truly embarrassing and would… for all intents and purposes… end your brilliant political career just as it was beginning. Keep in mind: you’re a young man and 2012 ain’t that far away. Pick up that phone. Go on… call her. You know she wants to hear from you. It’s what’s best for the country the Party you, and Joe won’t mind. At all.]

(Snerk) (Smirf) gag… grwun… snork… Bwah-wah-HA-HA-HA!

Oh shit, Oh Dear.

I can’t even type this with a straight face.

I Didn't Watch the WHOLE Thing...

... so I might have missed this particular night. I'm pretty sure this wasn't the program at Invesco Field, but in the convention center? Possible, if not entirely probable.

2008 Democrat National Convention

Schedule of Events

7:00 pm OPENING FLAG BURNING

7:15 pm PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE U.N.

7:20 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST

7:25 pm NONRELIGIOUS PRAYER AND WORSHIP - Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton

7:45 pm CEREMONIAL TREE HUGGING - Darryl Hannah

7:55 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST

8:00 pm HOW I INVENTED THE INTERNET - Al Gore

8:35 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST

8:40 pm OUR TROOPS ARE WAR CRIMINALS - John Kerry

9.00 pm MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR SADDAM AND HIS SONS - Cindy Sheehan and Susan Sarandon

10:00 pm ANSWERING MACHINE ETIQUETTE - Alec Baldwin

11:00 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST

11:05 pm COLLECTION FOR THE OSAMA BIN LADEN KIDNEY TRANSPLANT FUND - Barbara Streisand

11:15 pm FREE THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS FROM GUANTANAMO BAY - Sean Penn

11:30 pm OVAL OFFICE AFFAIRS - William Jefferson Clinton

11:45 pm Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST

11:50 pm HOW GEORGE BUSH BROUGHT DOWN THE WORLD TRADE TOWERS - Howard Dean

12:15 am TRUTH IN BROADCASTING AWARD - Presented to Dan Rather by Michael Moore

12:25 am Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST

12:30 am SATELLITE ADDRESS - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

12:45 am NOMINATION OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA - Nancy Pelosi

1:00 am Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST

1:05 am CORONATION OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

1:30 am Ted Kennedy PROPOSES A TOAST

1:35 am Bill Clinton asks Ted Kennedy to drive Hilary home

Via e-mail, from The Usual Suspect.

Tales Pics From the AOR

SN1 sends this along this morning, with the following comment:

So we're in the middle of a kind of dust storm…

I didn't adjust my camera…that's the real color of the sky and outside the buildings…

I'm thinking his desk ain't quite as clean today. Just a feelin' I have, Gentle Reader.

"Balad…now that's my kind of trailer park!"

About which: is a line from SN1's first post about "Life in the Sandbox." Sundays are his one day off each week and he used that time today (in part) to update his blog.

Good On Him... as I'm prone to say. I say it while standing, too. Occasionally.

Debacle

My opinion of the “new” SiteMeter is stated perfectly in this post’s title: Debacle. So… assuming you use it… what do you think of the new SiteMeter, Gentle Reader? I’ve yet to read a “well-done” anywhere on the ‘net, and I’ve found LOTS of critics. I know it’s said “Everyone’s a critic” … but in this case, the negative criticism is WELL deserved. Case in point: a post from Luboš Motla, a blogger writing from the Czech Republic:

The statistics is suddenly shown in Flash applets. Because of the following and other reasons, I believe that the old SiteMeter was more usable:

· the new SiteMeter is much slower than the old one; it takes 20 seconds to get to the statistics page (useless clicks, unlinkable subpages, initiation of the Flash, illogical default settings for sorting criteria that have to be changed)

· the fonts are too small and ugly and they cannot be magnified; characters in Flash are not designed to look as pretty and flexible as those in the full-fledged HTML

· the new SiteMeter doesn't seem to show the number of visitors during the last week or month (and not even the total number for today, as far as I can say)

· the new SiteMeter doesn't seem to show the (verbal) domain associated with the IP of a visitor

· most of the lists in the new SiteMeter don't fit the space reserved for them which is why only a few visitors/pages are shown, each having a small number of initial characters of the URL (in my case, all URLs are displayed as http://motls.blogs)

· consequently, it's impossible to understand the URLs without scrolling down and right for each of them separately; this problem significantly increases the time needed to extract something useful from the page

· I still don't know how to access the statistics of other users who have made their data "public": it was easy before (and conversely, I don't know how to allow you to access mine)

and let me finish because there are many other problems that make the new system virtually unusable. The creators of the new system probably like Flash (and for many purposes, I also think that Flash is simply great) but what I simply don't understand is why the owners of SiteMeter.com allowed a change that manifestly makes things worse from a user's viewpoint.

Lumo follows up with a laundry list of people with bitches and complaints, which isn’t exhaustive, by any means… but it is instructive:

I encourage SiteMeter.com to restore a classic version to view the data or one that is as close to it as possible, at least as an option. It seems that almost all users agree with me:

· SiteMeter stinks: it's even more horrible than ever before

· The new SiteMeter is a stinking pile of crap

· New Sitemeter: I don't like it

· SiteMeter has really screwed things up

· The new & improved SiteMeter: ummmm

· Grrrr: boy, do I hates me some of that new SiteMeter

· New SiteMeter really sucks

· I really was more comfortable with the old one

· Bye-bye SiteMeter

· I hate hate hate hate the new SiteMeter

· I feel very disappointed with it

· The new SiteMeter is much much worse

· I hate the new SiteMeter

· I still preferred the original

· So far, I do not like it one bit

· SiteMeter redesigned, killed

· Why the hell did SiteMeter...? (link removed to keep the blog family-friendly)

· SiteMeter - arghhhh

· They've ruined SiteMeter

· If it ain't broke, don't fix it

· Why SiteMeter, Why?

· It's official: the new SiteMeter genuinely sucks

· I think it's too complex and the basic design is much better

· A big thumbs down

Positive reactions are yet to occur.

And then there’s this… from SiteMeter’s web site:

SiteMeter Rollback

September 14, 2008 ·

Good Afternoon,

We have received and heard your feedback concerning the latest changes to the website. We will implementing a rollback to the website immediately. We will also be responding to each of your support requests as soon as possible. If you have any questions please let us know.

Sincerely,

SiteMeter Support Team

I saw some horrible implementations during my 16 years in the IT Biz, but I never saw a fiasco quite as bad… and as public… as this. It’s truly awful system design with apparently ZERO end-user testing. But the migration went well, eh? <=== Snark.

Update 9/14/2008 1820 hrs: Morgan, in comments, tells us the roll-back message I posted above is gone and has been replaced with this. "Our apologies," indeed.

My Buddy Ed In Florida Comes Thru Yet Again!

Via e-mail, earlier today...

The boss of a Madison Avenue advertising agency called a spontaneous staff meeting in the middle of a particularly stressful week. When everyone gathered, the boss, who understood the benefits of having fun, told the burnt out staff the purpose of the meeting was to have a quick contest.

The theme: Viagra advertising slogans.

The only rule was they had to use past ad slogans, originally written for other products that captured the essence of Viagra. Slight variations were acceptable.

About 7 minutes later, they turned in their suggestions and created a Top 10 List. With all the laughter and camaraderie, the rest of the week went very well for everyone! The top 10 were:

10. Viagra, Whaazzzz up!

9. Viagra, The quicker pecker picker upper.

8. Viagra, like a rock

7. Viagra, When it absolutely, positively has to be there, overnight.

6. Viagra, Be all that you can be.

5. Viagra, Reach out and touch someone.

4. Viagra, Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.

3. Viagra, Home of the whopper!

2. Viagra, We bring good things to Life!

And the unanimous number one slogan:

1. This is your peepee. This is your peepee on drugs.

MY kinda Boss, LOL! My kinda joke, too.

College Game Day!!

Yep, s’true:

How galling it must be to Michigan and Notre Dame.

Here they are, the two programs atop the all-time wins list, and they've been banished to relative obscurity while their two most bitter rivals, Ohio State and USC, soak up attention and adulation for their Coliseum showdown.

Charlie Weis' bulletin board offering for the Irish's quest for redemption after being pounded by a combined score of 85-21 by Michigan in the past two years can't even move the meter for this one. After all, Notre Dame and Michigan combined have one fewer vote in the AP poll than Rice. Score that 1-0 Owls.

This game carries the same national significance Ralph Nader wields in the presidential race. It's jolting to see these two proud programs on college football's version of the Green Party ticket. But I'm still looking forward to it. What can I say? I love the tradition, or maybe I just rubberneck in case there's a train wreck.

I’m looking forward to it, too. Say what you will about ND and Big Blue… they still have the winning-est records in college ball and some of the game's most devoted fans. There aren’t many bandwagoneers in South Bend or Ann Arbor, ya know… but there ARE a whole helluva lot of REAL fans. And like all great teams, both schools have huge national followings, even some on The High Plains of New Mexico!

3:43 (ET) this afternoon, NBC.

So… who to hate in that marquee game today? That’s a tough one! SC should probably be the winner in my personal hate-active dislike-fest, but they’re playing OSU… a team whose fans are simply insufferable when they win and even more insufferable when they lose, too. But that’s OK, Buckeye fans think Michigan fans are retarded, at best. So… OSU gets the nod.

Go Trojans!

Other than these two games… I ain’t got a dog in any of the other fights. But I will watch!!

―:☺:―

A couple of re-runs that are more than appropriate for College Game Day…

The Rules

I missed this today before I posted, but it would have fit right in with the lead two items in this morning’s post: “Time for the new rules for college football fandom.” Samples:

1. As a fan, you have to pick a school, one school, same as if you were filling out applications to, you know, go to school there. You may not be a fan of a conference, teams from a specific state, "West Coast football" or college football in general. Nobody is a fan of college football in general, not even Lee Corso. Nor may you root for Harvard and Yale, any more than you could matriculate at both places, unless you're really, really smart, in which case you're probably building prototype military surveillance nanobots in your MIT dorm room, and/or devising a computerized ranking system* to shame Jeff Sagarin.

1a. Under extenuating circumstances, however, you may have up to three Division I-A rooting allegiances, so long as the schools meet the following criteria:

(a) Your birthplace/family school – especially if an inheritance is at stake, or if a campus library bears your last name.
(b) Al(most)ma mater – the school you transferred from.
(c) The school that actually handed you a diploma. Or would have, if you hadn't finished three credits short.
(d) Your spouse's school, especially if the program is vastly superior to your own, or your spouse cares waaaay more than you do, in which case: good call on getting married!
(e) You're a bandwagon-jumping, low-self-esteem weenie and scurry from Notre Dame to Miami to Ohio State to USC to Boise State depending on the year, the polls and the amount of water flooding into the ship.

If you can't be true to a school, at least be true to your own weaselly nature.

[…]

4. If you attended a lower-division or NAIA school, you're allowed to pick a D-I school of your choice. But you must consistently root for that school year in and year out, and it's preferred that the school be geographically close to you.

4a. Or you can just root for Appalachian State every week.

4b. Notre Dame? How very original.

[…]

9. You are allowed to root freely against the following schools for no specific reasons: Notre Dame; Notre Dame in their puke-green jerseys; Notre Dame when playing on "Triumph of the Will"-shaming propaganda house organ NBC; USC; any school that plays its fight song approximately 4,387 times per game like USC; Michigan; Miami; Ohio State; any school like Ohio State with a pretentious "the" in front of its name, because otherwise how would we know which Ohio State university they were talking about?; any school coached by Steve Spurrier; any school coached by Nick Saban. (ed: I’d add “any team from Florida” to this list, but that’s a minor quibble.)

You may have noticed that I’m in the 4b fan category. Given that I never went to college, I’m free to root for the school of my choice, under rules Four and 1a (d) above, even if that means I root for my former spouse’s school (The Second Mrs. Pennington is a Notre Dame alumna). And I have been an ND fan for nearly 30 years now and don’t foresee any change in that status on the near or far horizons. It’s way too late to change allegiances at this point in life. While we’re at it, I should mention I’m a fan of, and root for, at least three schools, depending on who’s playing whom: ND, Michigan (the ten year living-in-Detroit connection), and Air Force. For reasons that should be obvious now. The only time I’m torn is when ND plays Air Force…and I well and truly don’t know what to do during that game. Very traumatic, that.

So, to the author of “The Rules,” especially Rule 4b: Put a sock in it. I like ‘em, otherwise.

And...

A Timely Update

In anticipation of tomorrow’s football games football orgy, I give you the Readers Updates to The Rules. There are some pretty good ones…and I’ll only give you the ones that made me laugh out loud (here, in this post)…

62. You are allowed to root for another school while your team is on probation. (STU_UNGAR1975)
62a. Except in the SEC. This would be way too confusing.
69. All fans are allowed to root for one service academy, but you must pick one. (terpman19)
69a. If you pick Air Force, you must call them the Zoomies.
(ed: Ummm…I’ll respectfully submit a corollary: “Unless you are IN the Air Force, or SERVED in the Air Force, or RETIRED from the Air Force. You will then call the team ‘Air Force.’”)
91. Unless you win the BCS title game, you are not the national champions. I don't care what the AP poll says. (egomaniac)
95. Any conference called "The Big Ten" that in fact has 11 teams must man up and kick one out. (htighe811)
95a. Any Big Ten team who loses to a Division I-AA team is the candidate to be kicked out.
100. Unless you matriculated and graduated from Stanford, Cal Tech, MIT or an Ivy League school, you may not use your alma mater's scholastic excellence as a valid excuse for crappy football. (That means you, Michigan, Notre Dame and Cal.) (winstoncounty)

By the way, the names in parentheses are the people that submitted the rule.

Oh. Almost forgot: GO Irish!!

Be nice and play by the rules all y’all! And I hope your team wins. Unless your team happens to be Michigan or Ohio State, that is.

A Meme

I wasn’t tagged with this… no one was. And… apropos of nothing… I’m seeing more and more bloggers just offer up a meme with the “play along if ya wanna” tag-line. That’s a Great Good Thing, IMHO. One should be able to pick and choose among these things without feeling any pressure. But… back to the subject at hand.

Becky posted this Thursday, and here are the rules:

The rules:

A) Go to Music Outfitters
B) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year
C) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline or italicize your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don’t remember or don’t care about (ed: that's me: I don't care about 'em. But I remember ALL of these, surprisingly).

OK… I did. I thought about cutting this down to only 50 songs, coz “The Top 100” takes up a lot of space. But I didn’t, mainly because a lot of my favorites from this pre-historic time (ahem) are in the lower ranks, popularity-wise. And the year? 1963, Gentle Reader. 1963. Gad!

You might note a trend in the list below, if you’re familiar with the music. OTOH, this stuff is SO old I don’t much expect many of you to recognize more than five or six of these songs… some of which are most definitely classics. But, to emphasize the obvious… I was a BIG rhythm and blues fan. Not so much on the white-bread stuff, like Bobby Vinton, Bobby Vee, Lesley Gore, The Four Seasons (aiiieee! White Boys singing falsetto! aiiieee!), et al. What krep. And I have more than one favorite from this list, too, italicized and underlined.

1. Surfin' U.S.A., Beach Boys (OK, Becky. So I lied)
2. Sugar Shack, Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs
3. The End Of The World, Skeeter Davis
4. Rhythm Of The Rain, Cascades
5. Hey Paula, Paul and Paula (This song had some small kitsch value to me much later in life, as TSMP's name is Paula. There were times when I'd break out in a "Hey...Hey.. PAULA... I wanna marry you!" Omigawd. Really. I'm embarrassed to reveal this, but...there ya go. Something I'm sure ya didn't know. I had to explain it to her the first time I did it, too, as she was only seven years old in 1963. Something else I'm sure ya didn't know, unless your name happens to be "Paula," aka TSMP.)
6. Blue Velvet, Bobby Vinton
7. He's So Fine, Chiffons
8. Fingertips II, Little Stevie Wonder
9. Washington Square, Village Stompers
10. So Much In Love, Tymes
11. Can't Get Used To Losing You, Andy Williams
12. My Boyfriend's Back, Angels
13. Sukiyaki, Kyu Sakamoto
14. She's A Fool, Lesley Gore
15. It's All Right, Impressions
16. Puff (The Magic Dragon), Peter, Paul and Mary
17. Blowin' In The Wind, Peter, Paul and Mary
18. Wipe Out, The Surfaris
19. Deep Purple, Nino Tempo and April Stevens
20. I'm Leaving It Up To You, Dale and Grace
21. I Love You Because, Al Martino
22. Wild Weekend, Rebels (GREAT guitar… trend setting, it was)
23. You're The Reason I'm Living, Bobby Darin
24. Walk Like A Man, Four Seasons
25. Mockingbird, Inez Foxx
26. I Will Follow Him, Little Peggy March
27. Pipeline, Chantays
28. Surf City, Jan and Dean
29. It's My Party, Lesley Gore
30. Blame It On The Bossa Nova, Eydie Gorme
31. You Can't Sit Down, Dlovells

32. Heat Wave, Martha and The Vandellas
33. Denise, Randy and The Rainbows
34. Walk Right In, Rooftop Singers
35. If You Wanna Be Happy, Jimmy Soul
36. Surfer Girl, Beach Boys
37. If I Had A Hammer, Trini Lopez
38. Everybody, Tommy Roe
39. Easier Said Than Done, Essex
40. Ruby Baby, Dion
41. Maria Elena, Los Indios Tabajaras
42. Our Day Will Come, Ruby and The Romantics
43. I Can't Stay Mad At You, Skeeter Davis
44. Hello, Stranger, Barbara Lewis
45. Be My Baby, Ronettes

46. Mean Woman Blues, Roy Orbison
47. South Street, Orlons
48. Days Of Wine And Roses, Henry Mancini
49. The Monkey Time, Major Lance
50. Candy Girl, Four Seasons
51. Still, Bill Anderson
52. Blue On Blue, Bobby Vinton
53. Cry Baby, Garnet Mimms and The Enchanters
54. Two Faces Have I, Lou Christie
55. Busted, Ray Charles


56. Da Doo Ron Ron, Crystals
57. Foolish Little Girl, Shirelles
58. Memphis, Lonnie Mack
59. In Dreams, Roy Orbison
60. More, Kal Winding
61. Fools Rush In, Rick Nelson
62. Losing You, Brenda Lee
63. Our Winter Love, Bill Pursell
64. I Wanna Be Around, Tony Bennett
65. You've Really Got A Hold On Me, Miracles (apropos of nothing: ANYTHING by Smokey Robinson.)
66. Sally Go 'Round The Roses, Jaynetts
67. Little Red Rooster, Sam Cooke
68. Then He Kissed Me, w Crystals
69. (You're The) Devil In Disguise, Elvis Presley
70. Those Lazy-hazy-crazy Days On Summer, Nat King Cole
71. Baby Workout, Jackie Wilson

72. Pride And Joy, Marvin Gaye
73. Walking The Dog, Rufus Thomas
74. From A Jack To A King, Ned Miller
75. Up On The Roof, Drifters
76. What Will My Mary Say, Johnny Mathis
77. Mama Didn't Lie, Jan Bradley
78. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, Bobby Vee
79. Don't Say Nothin' Bad About My Baby, Little Eva
80. Ring Of Fire, Johnny Cash
81. (Down At) Papa Joe's, Dixiebelles With Cornbread and Jerry
82. Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter From Camp), Allan Sherman
83. Judy's Turn To Cry, Lesley Gore
84. Just One Look, Doris Troy
85. Mickey's Monkey, Miracles
86. Donna, The Prima Donna, Dion
87. That Sunday, That Summer, Nat King Cole

88. Another Saturday Night, Sam Cooke
89. Painted, Tainted Rose, Al Martino
90. Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport, Roll Harris
91. Go Away Little Girl, Steve Lawrence
92. Take These Chains From My Heart, Ray Charles
93. Talk To Me, Sunny and The Sunglows
94. Come And Get These Memories, Martha and The Vandellas
95. Bossa Nova Baby, Elvis Presley
96. Do The Bird, Dee Dee Sharp
97. Shut Down, Beach Boys
98. One Fine Day, Chiffons
99. Little Town Flirt, Del Shannon
100. 500 Miles Away From Home, Bobby Bare

So… Do ya know any of those, Gentle Reader? Like Becky, I’d be interested in seeing your choices, if ya wanna play.

Amazing. Surprising, Too.

I received an e-mail from Blog-Buddy Laurie a few minutes ago with an interesting tidbit that I was unaware of… see the graphic below.

Well, now! Who’d a thunk it? It seems I've been nominated for "Best Air Force Blog" in this year's Milbloggies. I have no illusions of winning, as I’m not really a Milblogger. I’m a blogger that happened to be IN the military, once upon a time. And yeah, I do put up the occasional newsy-note about the Air Force and Lord Knows I do tend to rant about it a bit, too. But I ain’t even in the OpFor category. But I am honored that I was even nominated. Wow.

Still and even… I wouldn’t think of stopping you if you should feel moved to go express your support. (insert smiley face thingie here)

Low and Slow

There aren’t a whole helluva lot of good things one can say about September 11^th, speaking of the calendar date itself. The anniversary of the attack on our nation, by definition, invokes sad and ugly memories interspersed with images of heroism and sacrifice by those who responded in both New York City and the Pentagon on that day in 2001. Be that as it may, I’m grateful that both the McCain and Obama campaigns declared a moratorium on politics yesterday, at least where the principals were concerned. Yesterday was relatively free of the increasingly absurd point/counterpoint sound-bite politics that dominated the first part of this week. And I’m grateful for that.

Our pundits didn’t seem to let up all that much, though. Much is being made today of Charlie Gibson’s “exclusive” interview with Governor Palin, and much of the comment is coming from our Dear Friends on the Left who are in full-rant mode, seeing what they want to see and twisting words and meaning to fit the narrative… as they see it, or prefer to see it. So… yesterday was “game on” and BAU for a lot of folks. And that’s sad.

But… one of the better things I’ve read today comes from Peggy Noonan, writing in today’s WSJ. Excerpts:

After the past 10 days, it is not remarkable that Mr. McCain has caught up with Mr. Obama. It is amazing that Mr. Obama is still roughly even with Mr. McCain.

There is no denying that Mr. Obama is in a bad place, that he must now be considered the underdog, that he's wearing Loser-Glo. The slide started with the Rick Warren interviews in August, just as America was starting to pay attention. Verdict? McCain: normal. Obama: odd.

Then Mrs. Palin, and the catastrophe of the Democratic and media response to her. Books will be written about this, but because it's so recent, and so known, we're almost not absorbing how huge it was, and is. Here was the central liberal mistake: They used the atom bomb just a few days in. They used it so brutally, and yet so ineptly, in a way so oblivious to the true contours of the field, that the radiation blew back over their own lines. They used it without preliminary diplomatic talks, multilateral meetings or Security Council debate. They just went boom. And it boomeranged.

The atom bomb was personal and sexual perfidy, backwoods knuckle-draggin' ma and pa saying, Tell the neighbors the baby's ours. Then the ritual abuse of the 17-year-old girl. Then the rest of it—bad mother, religious weirdo. (On this latter it must be noted that Mrs. Palin never told a church that the Iraq war was God's will; she asked them to pray that it was God's will. It wasn't the sound of Republican hubris, it was the sound of Christian humility: We can't know the mind of God, we can only pray we are in accord with it.)

All of this was unacceptable to normal Americans. They experienced it as the town gossip spreading rumor and slander before the new neighbor even got to put down her bags. It offended the American sense of fairness. And—it still lives!—gallantry.

Most crucially, the snobbery of it, the meanness of it, reminded the entire country, for the first time in a decade, what it is they don't like about the left. Really, America had forgotten. Mr. Obama's friends reminded them. Unforgettably.

Yep. What she said. And Ms. Noonan has more… in the way of amplification and interpretation, at the link.

―:☺:―

Apropos of not much… I’m posting the following excerpt from Brit Hume’s Special Report panel discussion on this past Tuesday’s ludicrous “lipstick on a pig” tempest in a teapot, but only to fulfill a promise I made during some heated discussion in comments over at Blog-Bud Morgan’s place. So, without further ado, here it is:

KRAUTHAMMER: Dissertations will be written on the "pig in lipstick" incident. But clearly Obama had no intention of maligning her or referring to her.

However, something happened after he said it. The audience stood up and cheered and stomped, meaning the audience interpreted it as a backhanded swipe at Palin. He didn't intend it, I'm absolutely sure, and perhaps at the time, given the audience reaction, he should have said, "oh, no —

HUME: "Don't get me wrong."

KRAUTHAMMER: Exactly. "I wouldn't imply that." Or perhaps he was enjoying the reaction. Or perhaps he just isn't as quick as you expect him to be, although to think of that on the spot and to imagine what it is going to cause is pretty hard to do.

The McCain ad is clearly a cheap shot. However, in their defense, the Democrats spent a half a year attacking McCain as a man who wanted to continue the war in Iraq for 100 years, which was a gross lie about his position.

And if the Democrats are going to play a dirty on an issue as serious as the Iraq war, I give the McCain camp a slight amount of leeway on playing loose on lipstick and pigs.

I won’t repeat what I said… at some length… at Morgan’s House. Except to say I’m very disappointed that the McCain campaign has donned the mantle of The Perpetually Offended. That’s the Democrat’s shtick. We… the conservatives… are supposed to be the adults in the room here, and I would expect us to act accordingly. But I agree with Mr. Krauthammer, to a point. I’m willing to cut the McCain campaign some slack over this tactical error. My viewpoint seems to be in the minority, though, amongst my fellow-travelers. Such is the danger of being a moderate in an extreme world.

―:☺:―

I’m pretty low and slow, personally speaking… still relatively deep in the process of recovering from Wednesday’s surgery. I find it interesting that our weather has mirrored my physical state: yesterday was gray, overcast, and cloudy until late in the afternoon, at which point the bottom sorta fell out. We got over an inch of rain last evening… and while that probably doesn’t sound like much to those of you who live in more temperate climes, it’s a lot in a single sitting for The High Plains of New Mexico. The upside is our temps have been moderate… we’re talking low 70s… and the wind has, too. As I said: the weather fits my mood and physical being.

But, I’m not all that bad… all things considered. I don’t have a hurricane bearing down on me. Ike looks like it’s gonna kick the livin’ Hell out of Galveston and maybe even Houston, too. This is a BIG storm, to say the very least.

―:☺:―

More Tales From The Front… excerpts from e-mail conversations with SN1:

This place is actually a little slow right now. Groundhog day...my routine seems to be I get up at 0300, drink coffee, head to the gym between 0400-0430 and lift for a little while, or run a couple of miles. Quick stop by the chow hall for a "to-go" breakfast I eat at my desk. Then it's review a slideshow my guys work for me, make changes, 0800 meeting then just about nothing until lunch. I review another slideshow at 1500 for the 1600 meeting.

[…]

I've got a couple of additional duties, but the SMSgt and I are primary/alternate (and vice versa) for vehicles and security. He's sharp. Just about the time I start to work something, he's already working it. Makes my life a little TOO easy. But we'll find our stride soon.

It's becoming boring fast...

[…]

Here's the contrast to the last pic of me at the desk...I couldn't stand it and had to clean the whole damn office!

I feel much better about it...

Ah… plus ça change and all that, concerning the comment about the Senior Master Sergeant Buck works with. That’s what we NCOs do, ya know… work the Boss’s problems. And I knew it would only be a matter of time before Buck got things shipshape in his personal environment. It’s in the genes, ya know. Here’s the new workspace:

Much better, eh?

9/11, Further

The President of the United States, speaking this morning at the dedication of the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial:

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Mr. Vice President; Secretary Gates; Madam Speaker; Justices of the Supreme Court; members of my Cabinet and administration; members of Congress; Admiral Mullen and the Joint Chiefs; Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a first responder on September the 11th, 2001; directors of the Pentagon Memorial Fund -- Mr. Chairman, congratulations; families and friends of the fallen; distinguished guests; fellow citizens: Laura and I are honored to be with you.

Seven years ago at this hour, a doomed airliner plunged from the sky, split the rock and steel of this building, and changed our world forever. The years that followed have seen justice delivered to evil men and battles fought in distant lands. But each day on this year -- each year on this day, our thoughts return to this place. Here, we remember those who died. And here, on this solemn anniversary, we dedicate a memorial that will enshrine their memory for all time.

Building this memorial took vision and determination -- and Americans from every corner of our country answered the call. Two young architects in New York City came up with the design. A foundry near St. Louis cast the steel. An Iraqi immigrant in Illinois gave the metal its luster. And citizens from across our nation made contributions large and small to build this graceful monument.

The Pentagon Memorial will stand as an everlasting tribute to 184 innocent souls who perished on these grounds. The benches here bear each of their names. And beneath each bench is a shimmering pool filled with the water of life -- a testament to those who were taken from us, and to their memories that will live on in our hearts.

For the families and friends of the fallen, this memorial will be a place of remembrance. Parents will come here to remember children who boarded Flight 77 for a field trip and never emerged from the wreckage. Husbands and wives will come here to remember spouses who left for work one morning and never returned home. People from across our nation will come here to remember friends and loved ones who never had the chance to say goodbye.

A memorial can never replace what those of you mourning a loved one have lost. We pray that you will find some comfort amid the peace of these grounds. We pray that you will find strength in knowing that our nation will always grieve with you.

For all our citizens, this memorial will be a reminder of the resilience of the American spirit. As we walk among the benches, we will remember there could have been many more lives lost. On a day when buildings fell, heroes rose: Pentagon employees ran into smoke-filled corridors to guide their friends to safety. Firefighters rushed up the stairs of the World Trade Center as the towers neared collapse. Passengers aboard Flight 93 charged the cockpit and laid down their lives to spare countless others. One of the worst days in America's history saw some of the bravest acts in Americans' history. We'll always honor the heroes of 9/11. And here at this hallowed place, we pledge that we will never forget their sacrifice.

We also honor those who raised their hands and made the noble decision to defend our nation in a time of war. When our enemies attacked the Pentagon, they pierced the rings of this building. But they could not break the resolve of the United States Armed Forces. Since 9/11, our troops have taken the fight to the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. Thanks to the brave men and women, and all those who work to keep us safe, there has not been another attack on our soil in 2,557 days. (Applause.)

For future generations, this memorial will be a place of learning. The day will come when most Americans have no living memory of the events of September the 11th. When they visit this memorial, they will learn that the 21st century began with a great struggle between the forces of freedom and the forces of terror. They will learn that this generation of Americans met its duty -- we did not tire, we did not falter, and we did not fail. They will learn that freedom prevailed because the desire for liberty lives in the heart of every man, woman, and child on Earth.

We can be optimistic about the future because we've seen the character and courage of those who defend liberty. We have been privileged to live amongst those who have volunteered to spread the foundation of peace and justice, which is freedom.

Seven years ago this morning, police officer Cecil Richardson was on duty here at the Pentagon. He saw the terror that day with his own eyes. He says on some nights he can still smell the burning metal and smoke. Not long ago, he wrote me saying, "I remember the reasons we fight. I remember the losses we felt. And I remember the peace we will have."

That day of peace will come. And until it does, we ask a loving God to watch over our troops in battle. We ask Him to comfort the families who mourn. And we ask Him to bless our great land.

And now it's my honor to dedicate the Pentagon Memorial. (Applause.)

Source: The White House.

God Bless America, and God Bless and Keep President Bush. We owe many for the fact these United States have not been attacked in the seven years since 9/11/2001, but of all those whom we owe a debt of gratitude and thanks... there are none more deserving than the president. History will vindicate him and the actions he has taken in the face of incredible opposition over these past seven years... and future generations will honor him in the manner he deserves. It can't come soon enough, in my eyes.

Yep... I'm a dead-ender. One of the 27%... The Few, The Proud, The Respectful... to re-phrase a coin.

9/11

From the Los Angeles Times:

Today, President Bush will lead the ceremony dedicating the first national memorial to the victims of that tragic day when four planes were hijacked and nearly 3,000 people were killed. The memorials at the site of the World Trade Center towers in New York and in Shanksville, Pa., where one plane crashed in a field, have been delayed by arguments over construction costs and design.

The two-acre memorial at the Pentagon -- with 184 steel-and-granite benches, each engraved with a victim's name -- is about 200 feet from the crash site, oriented along the plane's flight path.

[…]

Unlike Pentagon tours, which can only be booked by groups through reservations made at least two weeks in advance, the memorial will be open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week, starting at 7 tonight.

More info on the memorial itself, its designers, and photos of the concept at the link above. While the memorial is impressive indeed in its first and early days, I can’t help but wish I could visit it 30 years on… once those maple saplings become towering protectors over the individual monuments. It will truly be amazing then.

I highly recommend you go read Steeljaw Scribe’s retrospective on the 9/11 Pentagon attack. He was there. He lost friends and comrades-in-arms that day. And his narrative is compelling, written as it is in the unique and incomparable first-person perspective. You’ll not find better.

The Pentagon memorial is merely the first of the three planned major memorials. We should keep ALL the victims of 9/11/2001 in our hearts and minds… especially on this seventh anniversary of the tragedy.

And never, ever forget.

A Miserable Excuse for Light Posting and a "Must-Read"

More Adventures In Modern Dentistry today, with a morning appointment… coz that’s when The Good Doctor prefers to do these sorts of things… minor oral surgery, aka the laying in of more artificial bone to better facilitate the coming implants… as opposed to routine stuff like fillings and such. Dr. Thompson did cut me a sprout when he saw my baleful look as he proposed an 0800 appointment, and he graciously slipped the time to 0900 as a result. Which, as you know Gentle Reader, is what passes for The Dead of Night more often than not here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington. Dr. Thompson knows, too, as he let slip the fact that he’s an occasional reader of EIP. I was suitably flattered, but that emotion was surpassed by my sheer gratitude at not being forced to take to the streets before I’m fully caffeinated, and at something that closely resembles an Ungodly Hour. The general public should be grateful, too. Safety considerations, and all, dontcha know.

The foregoing is a left-handed way of informing you that posting will be light today. I’m typing this lil blurb out just before going to bed, as a matter of fact, and will post at midnite, or shortly thereafter. I would schedule the post, but Frickin’Blogger… and that’s ALL one word… is still hosing my format to the n^th goddamned degree. It takes me at least six separate editing passes after I’ve posted to get about half of the formatting correct (see the post immediately below: I gave up after the sixth editing pass, which you could verify, if you so choose, simply by looking at my Site Meter… the 9:33:08 pm entry, specifically. That’s me.). This is NOT a good thing. I’m seriously considering migrating EIP to a more format-friendly platform. Really. I am. It both amazes and mystifies me that Frickin’Blogger can’t seem to get a simple thing like fonts and spacing correct. And it pisses me right the Hell off, too. Didja notice?

―:☺:―

Lileks is GOOD today. No, check that: he’s GREAT. Here are a few excerpts to encourage you to go read the whole thing, as is my wont.

Oh, we're screedy today. It's a Canadian columnist vs. Sarah Palin; I could not resist.

[…]

I’m in a generous mood.

Or was, until I read this piece by a Canadian writer; it sums up with such delightful perfection what so many believe. So. Let’s have a look.

[…]

It's possible that Republican men, sexual inadequates that they are, really believe that women will vote for a woman just because she's a woman.

Consider the joy that would reign if someone wrote that “Democrats, racial guilt-mongers that they are, really believe that African-Americans will vote for an African-American just because he’s an African-American.” Of course Republican men don’t believe that women will vote for her just because she’s a woman. It’s surely a factor, but there’s the possibility that they will vote for her because she is not a woman like Heather Mallick.

You have to love the “Sexual inadequates that they are” line as well; if there’s one thing that’s amused me in the last two weeks, it’s the screechy distaste of Ms. Palin coming from men who embodied the Modern Alda Paradigm of masculinity, which is to say they are nervous around cars, think guns are icky, had their own Snugli, have wives in corporate jobs who make more money than they do, and still get dissed behind their backs because they can’t figure out how to make the bed. The Lost Boys, if you will. Now, some women can’t stand Sarah Palin for their own reasons, personal or ideological; same with men. Some men, however, are made deeply uneasy by her, because she’s the one who ignored the sensitive poet-guys in high school for the jocks, and didn’t seem to grasp the essential high-school truth that it’s cool to be a loser. But that’s rank psychoanalysis, and we won’t stoop to that.

[…]

They're unfamiliar with our true natures. Do they think vaginas call out to each other in the jungle night? I mean, I know men have their secret meetings at which they pledge to do manly things, like being irresponsible with their semen and postponing household repairs with glue and used matches. Guys will be guys, obviously.

It’s funny, because it’s true! Bronze that paragraph; if nothing else, it’s the death of PC, and license for guys to say anything. At least she’s honest about the idea of female solidarity – it matters only if the ideological stars have aligned – no, if the ideological cycles have synced, to use terms she’d probably employ. Or has already. It’s not about whether Sarah Palin is a woman, it’s whether she’s the right kind. She’s supposed to restrict snow machines, not ride them or for God’s sake get knocked up by some slopey-brow dullard who rides them. (Competitively! Gawd) Nationalize oil companies, don’t make deals. Have one or two children, not five – Good Gaia, woman, are you trying to make overstuffed congested Alaska top the one-million-citizen mark all by yourself?

As for guys being irresponsible with their precious bodily essences, who cares? Aren’t you using protection? Or are they using vagina-confusing Man-Beams to cloud your mind? As for putting off home repairs, here’s a hint: either learn how to do it yourself, or admit there might be yet in this enlightened age a strange vague hangover that divides labor based on innate gender-influenced personality traits. If you expect him to fix things, and you roll your eyes when he tries, and you accuse him of using spit and matches, his motivation will be diminished – and even then he’ll probably wait until you’re out of earshot before he mutters “what a fishwife.” If your man can’t fix anything it but whines that he can make a really good white sauce, don’t blame him when you have an affair with the electrician.

I know this: Mr. Palin probably doesn’t postpone household repairs, or use glue, or old matches. He can probably change the oil in the car, too. There are guys like that. Not every wife has to sit in a cold Jiffy Lube waiting room leafing through Field and Stream, wishing the weirdo in the other chair would stop looking at her legs.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is world-class snark. Good snark. Great snark. Biting and oh-so-on-point snark. No one, and I mean NO ONE on Planet Gaia gets on a roll quite like Mr. Lileks. You’re truly missing something if you don’t read the whole thing.

I might be back later today, assuming the drugs are good and the residual pain isn’t debilitating after said drugs wear off. No big deal, it’s just life. And life only, as Bobby D sang.

A Re-Run

I was perusing the archives whilst chasing up yet another googler's visit to EIP this evening. I'm fascinated as to why some people come here, and the things they look at, but that's neither here nor there. But I came upon this post I put up in June of last year, and I think it bears a re-run, in light of the choices we have in front of us, vis-a-vis the presidential election.

The Warrior Class

In my miscellaneous ramblings around the ‘net this morning I came upon two essays that are (a) a bit longish and (b) required some substantial thought…at least on my part. I suggest reading them in order, beginning with Robert Kaplan’s “On Forgetting the Obvious” before moving to “"The Emergence of a Separate American Warrior Caste," by Dymphna at The Gates of Vienna. The reason for the order of reading is simple: Dymphna draws heavily upon Kaplan’s essay and extrapolates meaning from the points Kaplan makes. The theme should be obvious from the title of the second essay. The title of Kaplan’s essay is less intuitive but has everything to do with the disappearance of, shall we say, the martial spirit in America and the rest of the West’s liberal democracies, Europe in particular. Here’s an excerpt or two from Kaplan:

Alas, in the unpredictable fog and Clausewitzian “friction” of war, to believe in something is more important than to be blessed by mere logic, or to have the ability for talented argument—even more important than the marvelous gear one carries. “Faith is the great strategic factor that unbelieving faculties and bureaucracies ignore”, retired Army Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters wrote in the Weekly Standard in February 2006. This is not a new idea, of course, just an obvious but too often forgotten one. It suggests particularly that we have forgotten Dostoyevsky, who wrote in The Brothers Karamazov that the signal flaw of the upper classes is that they “want to base justice on reason alone”, not on any deeper belief system absent which everything can be rationalized, so that the will of a society to fight and survive withers away.

Peters fears that Islamic revolutionaries believe in themselves more than we believe in ourselves. Terrorists do not fear the Pentagon’s much touted “network-centric warfare”, he writes, because they have mastered it for a fraction of a cent on the dollar, “achieving greater relative effects with the Internet, cell phones, and cheap airline tickets” than have all of our military technologies. Our trillion-dollar arsenal, he notes, cannot produce an instrument of war as effective as the suicide bomber—“the breakthrough weapon of our time.” If not Dostoyevsky, Kipling would have understood this. In the poem “Arithmetic on the Frontier” Kipling writes that as the hillsides of eastern Afghanistan teem with “home-bred” troops brought from England at “vast expense of time and steam”, the odds remain “on the cheaper man”, the native fighter. The suicide bomber is Kipling’s “cheaper man” incarnate.

[…]

Faith is about struggle, about having confidence precisely when the odds are the worst. Faith is the capacity to believe in what is simultaneously necessary but improbable. That kind of faith is receding in America among a social and economic class increasingly motivated by universal values: caring, for example, about the suffering of famine victims abroad as much as for hurricane victims at home. Universal values are a good in and of themselves, and they are not the opposite of faith. But they should never be confused with it. You may care to the point of tears about suffering humankind without having the will to actually fight (let alone inconvenience yourself) for those concerns. Thus, universal values may pose an existential challenge to national security when accompanied by a loss of faith in one’s own political values and projects.

The loss of a warrior mentality and the rise of universal values seem to be features of all stable, Western-style middle-class democracies. Witness our situation. The Army Reserve is desperate for officers, yet there is little urge among American elites to volunteer. Thus our military takes on more of a regional caste. The British Army may have been drawn from the dregs of society, but its officers were the country’s political elite. Not so ours, which has little to do with the business of soldiering and is socially disconnected from what guards us in our sleep. According to Marine Maj. General Michael Lehnert, nine Princeton graduates in the class of 2006 entered the military, compared to 400 in 1956, when there was a draft. Some Ivy League schools had no one enter the military last year. Only one member of the Stanford graduating class had a parent in the military.

Dymphna picks up where Kaplan leaves off…or rather expounds upon some of the ideas Kaplan introduces, amplifying them with personal experience.

I would venture that the warrior class in this country is diverted somewhat into the police force and fire brigades. These are jobs requiring valor and extremes of courage. But their numbers are not enough to sustain us against our aggressors. Where are the officers to come from? Many elite schools don’t even permit ROTC components on their campuses, though they are more than glad to take federal monies. In a real world, schools which banned the military should not be eligible for federal aid. But then again, except for a few outstanding examples, our Imperial Congress is made up of people who definitely do not belong to Mr. Kaplan’s warrior class. Far from it: even those charged with military affairs are rude and demanding when they call officers from the Pentagon to appear before their courts to be admonished, blamed, and sarcastically ridiculed.

I grew up in a warrior town during the period of national service. It was simply expected: at some point in your late teens or early twenties, you gave two years to your country and then you went home. The warrior class then was distributive and many men remembered their service if not with fondness, at least with a wry understanding of how much they’d learned and grown in those years. It is seldom I have run across men of that generation who complained about the burden. For the most part, they were glad to have done it — to have it behind them.

That world is gone. Now our warrior class must be drawn from a shrinking population of those who believe in this country and share a common faith that it is worth defending. Those who do not share that faith also often don’t respect the motives or character of those who remain proud of their service to their country.

None of this is really new. It’s been going on for quite sometime, and the effect is cumulative. When I say the effect is cumulative, I’m speaking specifically of the issue Dymphna only grazes…that our power elites, while giving lip-service to the service and sacrifice of the warrior class, truly do not understand the ethos of that class, nor the guiding principles that motivate the warrior class, those being Duty, Honor, Country. I base this observation on what these people…our leaders…actually DO, as opposed to what they say. One can begin with their resumés and you’ll note that precious few of our leaders have actually served. There are exceptions, Thank God, but the exceptions only serve to prove the rule. Look a little deeper and you’ll find that far fewer of our leaders actually have sons or daughters that are serving today, for whatever reason. It goes back to that chasm both Kaplan and Dymphna discuss— the chasm between that separates our elites from the people that defend the nation: our warrior class.

I encountered widespread ignorance of, and contempt for, the military shortly after I retired in 1985 and went into the business world. Not in the organization I joined, I should emphasize. When I retired I went to work for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) when Ross Perot (a Boat and Barge School alumnus) still owned the company and pretty much called all the shots. Perot had an affinity for hiring retired and former (one-hitch) military types. As a matter of fact, during my interview process with EDS in Detroit (before I took the job) I met so many former Air Force Communications Command (AFCC) guys I knew from my past life that I thought AFCC had moved its headquarters to Detroit. We later took to calling the building I worked in “AFCC North.” But I digress…

So EDS was jokingly referred to as “a paramilitary organization,” most often by people who had no frickin’ clue as to why Perot liked military guys. Perot liked us because of those values I mentioned earlier… the values, the discipline, the attitude, the belief in something greater than yourself, which are all part of the territory. All of it. Stuff the Warrior Class takes for granted. Perot understood that, because he himself was a member of that Warrior Class, and he wanted people around him that shared, no, lived those values, as he did. And Perot built a damned successful business on the values of the Warrior Class. So, where am I going with this?

Ultimately, I don’t know. I want to believe the gap between the general population and the military isn’t as great as all that. But wanting to believe this, in the face of all evidence to the contrary, is foolish. Things really aren’t going to change in this country until college professors, doctors, and CEOs tell their sons to enlist, or to sign up for ROTC and accept that commission upon graduation. Until we get back to the point the Greatest Generation was at in 1941. Until people like my father are no longer the exceptions by encouraging their sons to serve, but the rule. Until we give the Warrior Class more than lip service in the form of those goddamned yellow bumper stickers and magnets. Until we believe in ourselves enough to fight.

I hope it’s not too late.

Committed to The Inter-tubes by Buck on 6/19/2007 08:20:00 AM

John McCain, and his father, and HIS father before him, were members of the warrior class. Barack Obama tells us he thought about joining the military, once upon a time. But...umm... he didn't. Now you may think The One's thoughts are a substitute and might even be morally equivalent to McCain's deeds. I don't. But... I encourage you to read the two essays I linked in last year's post. You may gain some insight into why I believe... ardently... that McCain's background and heritage matters. So does Obama's... but in an entirely different way.

Update: I added emphases to those bits in my original post that I feel are germane to the political arguments being made by the opposing camps in this campaign. And I neglected to mention that while Senator McCain, his father and grandfather are members of the warrior class, McCain's sons also serve. And that point should NOT be overlooked, in light of the issue I made about our political elites' attitude towards military service. McCain... and his youngest sons... walk the walk, even though Senator McCain... ever in character with the military ethos... chooses to downplay that fact. As opposed to his opponent who has written not one, but two, self-aggrandizing memoirs at the tender age of 47. Substance versus form, ya know. It matters.

A Mini-Rant and A Couple of Other Things

It’s been written that the definition of Puritanism is “the fear that someone, somewhere, is having a good time.” That was the first thing I thought when I read this (“No Need for Speed”):

SPEEDING is the cause of 30 percent of all traffic deaths in the United States — about 13,000 people a year. By comparison, alcohol is blamed 39 percent of the time, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But unlike drinking, which requires the police, breathalyzers and coercion to improve drivers’ behavior, there’s a simple way to prevent speeding: quit building cars that can exceed the speed limit.

Most cars can travel over 100 miles an hour — an illegal speed in every state. Our continued, deliberate production of potentially law-breaking devices has no real precedent. We regulate all sorts of items to decrease danger to the public, from baby cribs to bicycle helmets. Yet we continue to produce fast cars despite the lives lost, the tens of billions spent treating accident victims, and a good deal of gasoline wasted. (Speeding, after all, substantially reduces fuel efficiency due to the sheering force of wind.)

[…]

Because the ticket-them-till-they-stop approach simply would not work, we might consider my initial recommendation: build cars that can’t exceed the speed limit. The technology to limit car speed has existed for more than 50 years — it’s called cruise control. In its common application, cruise control maintains a steady speed, but a minor adjustment would assure that vehicles, no matter the horsepower, never go past 75 miles per hour. This safety measure should be required of every new automobile, the same as seat belts, turning signals, brake lights and air bags.

Sure, it would take us longer to get from here to there. But thousands of deaths a year are too great a cost for so adolescent a thrill as speeding.

Well, check that. Puritanism was the second thing I thought… stupidity… sheer abject frickin’ idiocy… was actually the first. I’ve been kinda waiting for the do-gooders among us to resurrect that brilliant idea from the ‘70s: the national 55 mph speed limit. Gas crisis, conservation of our precious resources, and all that. But even the most controlling of the control freaks haven’t seriously advanced that idea. Yet.

But this lil op-ed took me completely by surprise. The author, Kent Sepkowitz, is the vice-chairman of medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, which is located in Manhattan. That one fact makes me question if Mr. Sepkowitz even owns a car… many New Yorkers do not. And even if Mr. Sepkowitz does own a car, he still lives in NYC, which is in New York state, which is on the East Coast… and which is a totally different driving environment than what we who live in The Great Wide Open know and love. The difference is congestion. It’s pretty hard to speed consistently when you’re on the expressway experiencing the thrill of near grid-lock with several million other drivers. The same thing holds true for residents of other cities, particularly places like Los Angeles. It’s just danged near impossible to speed. Such is not the case in this part of the world and in other, more populated places in the Great Wide Open like Omaha, just to cite one example.

There are other flaws in Mr. Sepkowitz’ “speed kills” assertion, chief among them is the omission of the conditional argument. Speed, in and of itself, does not and cannot kill. Going too fast for conditions… e.g., rain, snow, ice, fog… most certainly can and does kill. It’s a judgment issue. So, in typical do-gooder fashion, Mr. Sepkowitz wants to penalize the majority of us who exercise good judgment to protect the yahoos who don’t. And then there’s the classic example of Germany’s autobahn, world-famous for its lack of speed limits (even though there’s a movement afoot in Germany to end that). The autobahn is, statistically speaking (deaths per mile traveled), safer than any American highway. And one can drive 150 mph on the “uncontrolled” portions if you have a car that’s capable of that speed and the inclination to do so. I know this from personal experience and…amazingly enough… I’m alive to tell the tale.

Which brings up another issue. It’s much more difficult to get a drivers license in Germany and most other countries outside of America. If one would tighten up the licensing requirements in these United Sates, our highway death toll would drop, and drop significantly. Inexperience is a key factor in accidents, probably as much, if not more so, than simple speed. Increasing the rigor of our auto safety inspections would also help. Doing 75 mph on bald tires isn’t exactly a good idea, you know, and the same thing goes for deficient brakes, loose suspension, worn out shocks… yadda, yadda, yadda. I cringe when I see some of the beaters on our roads, no matter what speed they’re being driven.

But noooo… what we really need to do is put speed governors on all our cars. God Save Us from Mr. Sepkowitz and his ilk. Keep working on the cure for cancer, Mr. Sepkowitz, and leave my frickin’ car ALONE, thankyouverymuch.

―:☺:―

A couple more from My Bud Ed in Florida… Battle of the Sexes Division:

WOMAN'S PERFECT BREAKFAST

She's sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee. Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box. Her daughter is on the cover of Business Week. Her boyfriend is on the cover of Playgirl. And her husband is on the back of the milk carton.

CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS

A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up & down the aisles. The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him. He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife. She directs him down the correct aisle.

A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton balls and a ball of string on the counter.

She says, confused, “Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife?”

He answers, “You see, it's like this. Yesterday I sent my wife to the store to get me a carton of cigarettes and she came back with a tin of tobacco and some rolling papers, cause it's sooo-ooo--oo-ooo much cheaper. So I figure if I have to roll my own… so does she.”

(I figure this guy is the one on the milk carton!)

There were more, but I’m saving ‘em for a rainy day.

―:☺:―

Today’s Pic: The first photo of SN1 in The Sandbox, taken sometime yesterday. He assures me more are forthcoming. Note the amazing amount of dust (for a military environment) and the sandbagged window. Interesting, eh?

A Lil Excitement

I’m just back from an exciting lunch with Blog-Bud Lou and her husband Toby; that’s the three of us in the pic above. Why the emphasis on “exciting,” you ask? Well… have you ever had cause for the Heimlich Maneuver to be used on you? No? Me neither, until today. To make a long and embarrassing story short, I tried to inhale a piece of steak finger at lunch today and wasn’t successful. At all. But, things worked out (obviously and quite literally), and Toby gives good Heimlich. Thank God. While I wouldn’t call my little adventure in breathing alternate substances life-threatening, it was most definitely exciting. I didn’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention of the whole frickin’ restaurant for three or four minutes, either. I wanted to find a hole and crawl right in it after the crisis passed.

So… lunch was very pleasant after the initial bit of excitement was over. To cut to the chase: have you ever met someone for the first time and immediately felt at ease and at home, right off the bat? That was the case today… speaking only for myself, of course. But then, I knew we would hit it off. It’s not like we’re strangers, what with nearly three years of reading each other’s stuff day in and day out.

Toby and Lou are great people, to put it very mildly. Today might have been our first meeting, but it sure as Hell won’t be our last… if I have anything to say about it.

Monday. Again?

Make of this what you will:

After months of accusations of political bias and simmering animosity between MSNBC and its parent network NBC, the channel decided over the weekend that the NBC News correspondent and MSNBC host David Gregory would anchor news coverage of the coming debates and election night. Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews will remain as analysts during the coverage.

The change — which comes in the home stretch of the long election cycle — is a direct result of tensions associated with the channel’s perceived shift to the political left.

“The most disappointing shift is to see the partisan attitude move from prime time into what’s supposed to be straight news programming,” said Davidson Goldin, formerly the editorial director of MSNBC and a co-founder of the reputation management firm DolceGoldin.

Executives at the channel’s parent company, NBC Universal, had high hopes for MSNBC’s coverage of the political conventions. Instead, the coverage frequently descended into on-air squabbles between the anchors, embarrassing some workers at NBC’s news division, and quite possibly alienating viewers. Although MSNBC nearly doubled its total audience compared with the 2004 conventions, its competitive position did not improve, as it remained in last place among the broadcast and cable news networks.

Last place. Everyone except the profoundly clue-free and the moonbats… but I repeat myself… should understand MSNBC’s liberal tilt would affect their ratings, no? And some do:

Tom Brokaw and Brian Williams, the past and present anchors of “NBC Nightly News,” have told friends and colleagues that they are finding it tougher and tougher to defend the cable arm of the news division, even while they anchored daytime hours of convention coverage on MSNBC and contributed commentary each evening.

Mr. Williams did not respond to a request for comment and Mr. Brokaw declined to comment. At a panel discussion in Denver, Mr. Brokaw acknowledged that Mr. Olbermann and Mr. Matthews had “gone too far” at times, but emphasized they were “not the only voices” on MSNBC, according to The Washington Post.

Ah… but don’t expect any changes at MSNBC anytime soon. Herr Olbermann is the Golden Boy at MSNBC, and the creator of that piece of effluvium known as “Countdown.” About which:

Up to now, the company’s public support for MSNBC’s strategy has been enthusiastic. At an anniversary party for Mr. Olbermann in April, Mr. Zucker called “Countdown” “one of the signature brands of the entire company.”

Zucker is the CEO of NBC Universal. Still and even… one lives and dies by the ratings in the News Biz. And “last place” ain’t a title that will garner many bonuses, let alone continued employment, for Mr. Zucker and Co. As for me, I’d love to see Olbermann get Peter-Principled to a position like chief sportscaster for Channel Four in Amarillo. Then again, the good folks in Amarillo probably don’t deserve that, do they?

―:☺:―

Update from The Sandbox, fresh in my in-box at 0545 hrs this morning:

So I've arrived in Iraq...

0230 on the 7th of Sep actually. Made for a long day as I awoke at 0300 on the 6th and didn't get to sleep until about 1230 yesterday. i took a couple of hours to get a nap and ended up in bed for the day at 1930. Today started at 0300 again with a large cuppa joe, a "Stars and Stripes" and a decent attitude. Started my workout at 0430 and was done, showered and waiting for everyone else to head to chow at 0630.

The DFACs (Dining facility(ies)...another rant goes here on how we're not supposed to call it a "Chow Hall" anymore...but I don't have the time or inclination to go down that road right now. Suffice it to say it's not PC to call it a chow hall...so I do) are more than adequate. In fact, I read a telling stat the other day that said something along the lines of prior to ~2004 the average person deploying to the AOR lost 10 pounds per deployment. That number now is the opposite. The average person GAINS 10 pounds! I can see why. The TCNs that serve our food don't really know the meaning of "portion." There's more than plenty of food so they serve tons of it. I'll need to be careful here!

[…]

It's drab here. There's LOTS of concrete, mostly in the form of barriers, and the obligatory sand. There are a LOT of Army on the base. The AF is actually taking over from the Army, responsible for base security and the like, so we're building the place up. There are also a lot of contractors/civilians. Apparently they make a BUNCH of cash here...lucky them.

One of my co-workers (prior enlisted Lt) remarked how the AF used to be a lot less complicated, back when we joined (he's also a bit older). I couldn't agree more. We've got lots of little rules regarding uniform wear here in the AOR. Some of it makes lots of sense, but there are other rules that have me puzzled. Examples of that later...I've got to go to another meeting. Some things don't change...even in a war zone!

Ah… about that last paragraph: an admission, of sorts. You’re more than aware, Gentle Reader, that I look upon Today’s Modern Air Force as something less than what it was when I left it back in the stone tablet days, c. 1985. But USAF’s new management is looking to shake things up and affect change. Here’s an example:

Blue Mondays: Beginning today, airmen are required to wear a combination of the Air Force's blue uniform on Mondays. The decision came out of the strategic summit Aug. 27 at Bolling AFB, D.C., the service said in a release Sept. 5. "We all agreed that part of our image, culture, and professionalism is instilled in our blues," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Chief of Staff, in the memo that he circulated Sept. 4 to announce the change. The policy is mandatory for most career fields, but installation commanders retain the authority to adjust it as necessary for mission requirements. Prior to 9/11, most airmen wore blues as their primary duty uniform.

That, of course, is a blurb from AFA’s Daily Report, available as a direct link in my sidebar. Yeah, it’s a sop to the past and a very minor sort of sop it is, too. Still and even, it’s a start. I’m pretty sure this new policy won’t apply in the AOR, but it will do MY ol’ heart good to see the troops walking around Cannon Airplane Patch in the blue uni. I’m gonna make it a point to conduct whatever bid’niz I may have out at the base on Mondays from now on. That probably won’t do much good, however, seeing as how the main reason I go out to the base is to shop (“when the going gets tough, the tough go shopping!”)… and the commissary is closed on Mondays.

Oh, well.

―:☺:―

Today’s Pic: Since the greatest part of this post is about SN1, I figured a photo of him in his working environment would be appropriate. Here he is… along with SN3… standing in a hangar in close proximity to a Lawn Dart.

Cannon AFB. July, 2004.

Yet Another Funny From Ed

From My Bud Ed in Florida…

Driving with Grandpa

A friend, who worked away from home all week, always made a special effort with his family on the weekends. Every Sunday morning he would take his seven-year-old granddaughter out for a drive in the car for some bonding time, just he and his granddaughter.

One week in particular he came home sick, and on Sunday he was still battling a bad cold and really didn't feel up to going out for a drive at all. Luckily, his wife came to the rescue and said that she would take their granddaughter out.

When they returned, the little girl anxiously ran upstairs to see her grandfather.

"Well, did you enjoy your ride with grandma?"

"Oh yes, Grandpa" the girl replied, "and do you know what? We didn't see a single dumb bastard or lousy shit head or son of a bitch anywhere we went today!"

OK. My memory really IS leaving me, coz (a) I don’t remember taking the girls out for a ride at any point in time lately and (b) I don’t remember introducing Ed to the girls. And (c)… where the HELL did I leave Grandma, anyway? Oops, right. I remember now.

A Message

Via Chap, who left the link in a comment at Barry's place, and published today at American Thinker:



It's only a two-minute video and you absolutely, positively MUST stay until the end. Have Kleenex handy, too. "Powerful" just doesn't even BEGIN to describe the piece.

Reform

David Brooks is on to something.

Political parties usually reform in the wilderness. They suffer some crushing defeat, the old guard is discredited and the pain compels turnover and change. John McCain is trying to reform the Republican Party before a presidential defeat, with the old guard still around, and with a party base that still hasn’t accepted the need to transform. The central drama of this week’s convention was the struggle by reform Republicans to break through the gravitational pull of old habits and create something new.

Say what? Reform? “We don’t need no steenkin’ REFORM!” shouts the base… “Au contraire,” replied certain elements of the Party. Brooks again:

For 36 hours, the gravitational pull of past resentments dominated the media-culture war complex. And from the convention podium the past and the future fought to a draw. On the one hand, Joe Lieberman went up there and praised Bill Clinton, giving a glimpse of what a less partisan political future might look like. On the other, there was Mitt Romney, who delivered a cynical, extreme caricature of old-line Republicanism.

The convention thus sat on a knife-edge. And then Palin walked onstage. She gave a tough vice presidential speech, with maybe a few more jabs than necessary. Still it was stupendous to see a young woman emerge from nowhere to give a smart and assertive speech.

And what was most impressive was her speech’s freshness. Her words flowed directly from her life experience, her poise and mannerisms from her town and its conversations. She left behind most of the standard tropes of Republican rhetoric (compare her text to the others) and skated over abortion and the social issues. There wasn’t even any tired, old Reagan nostalgia.

Instead, her language resonated more of supermarket aisle than the megachurch pulpit. More than the men on the tickets, she embodies the spirit of the moment: impatient, fed up, tough-minded, but ironical. Even in attack, she projected the cheerfulness of someone confident about the future.

In those 40 minutes, the forces of reform Republicanism took control, at least for a time. Republicans started talking about Palin, Bobby Jindal and a brighter future for their party.

So… what’s this reform thing all about? Brooks doesn’t delve into the subject in any great detail, but he’s scratched the surface. Basically, to my way of thinking, “reform” means breaking the ideological impasse that currently rules the roost in Washington. On the one hand, we have left-wing ideologues like Pelosi and Reid who absolutely refuse to compromise with the Right on subjects like offshore drilling and the confirmation of Dubya’s judicial nominees… to the point of refusing to allow floor votes in the House and Senate on issues where their party has even the remotest chance of failure. Republicans have tried, repeatedly and pointedly, to force the issue with the Democrats with little to no success. Why no success, you ask? Because what goes around comes around… and that’s the other hand. The Democrats are in the majority now, and what you’re seeing is pay-back for years of similar behavior on the part of the Republicans when they (we) were in power (think: Tom DeLay). The bottom line? Stalemate. And the absolute lowest congressional public approval ratings in my lifetime. The Congress is doing nothing… other than arguing at each other… while the business of America languishes, unattended.

John McCain is walking a tightrope. He’s trying to change a party that doesn’t necessarily see the need for change, and, as Brooks notes, Senator McCain is trying to change the party BEFORE an election debacle. I mean a debacle other than the most recent one… the congressional elections of 2006... whereby the GOP lost control of the House and the Senate. And who won, for the most part? Those Blue Dog Democrats… conservative Democrats, moderate Democrats. The folks that voted those guys into office are the folks John McCain and Sarah Palin are trying to win over, to the objections of the ultra-conservative base in the GOP. Or, that part of the Republican Party that refuses to compromise on issues they perceive to be moral imperatives. The problem with moral imperatives is a lot more complex than it might seem, but it basically boils down to an attitude that those of us on the Right have been disparaging in the Left for years: “You’re not just wrong, you’re EVIL.” And the corollary to that argument is “…so I won’t even talk to you.” After all, we're speaking about morality here... and that leaves absolutely NO room for dialog. There's no middle ground with morality: you're either right or you're wrong. Period, full-stop.

And how’s that working out for us as a party and as a nation? Answer: It’s NOT. To quote Walt Kelly’s Pogo: “We have met the enemy, and he is US.”

Good luck, Senator McCain. You’re gonna need it. But I’m with you, for what that’s worth.

―:☺:―

Related: Friday night is Moonbat Night here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington. And by that I mean it’s the night I tune in to those (ahem) exemplary teevee shows “Washington Week,” “Now,” and “Bill Moyers Journal.” Most of the time I just can’t make it all the way to the end of these shows, especially Mr. Moyers’. As a matter of fact, I cannot remember the last time I watched Moyers’ program in its entirety. There’s a limit as to how much Moonbat tripe I can take, after all. And Moyers lays it on thicker than anyone else I know, with the possible exception of those Krazy Kos Kidz. It’s that bad. “Now,” on the other hand, isn’t quite as bad… and sometimes features segments that are both informative and compelling. Such was the case last night with “2008: A Republican Reinvention?”, a show that featured an interview with Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey and one-time head of the EPA under Dubya. The program synopsis:

John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate in part to appease his party's strongly conservative base. With the Republican right wing weighing so much influence even in the waning days of the Bush presidency, where does that leave prominent moderate Republicans? Is there room for them in the GOP? David Brancaccio sits down with former New Jersey Governor and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman to discuss the political tolerance of the modern Republican Party, and her perspective on the current race.

One of the more lamentable features of podcasting has been the death of the written transcript, especially where PBS is concerned. There once was a time where I could excerpt salient points from a transcript to tease you into “reading the whole thing,” Gentle Reader, but alas… such is NOT the case any longer. And PBS doesn’t allow for the embedding of their precious video and/or audio feeds. Nope… you gotta go their site to access the material. Fair enough, I suppose, as it IS their stuff. That said, I encourage you to go watch what Ms. Whitman has to say. There’s a fight going on right now for the control of the Republican Party. While that fight might be simmering below the surface at the moment, it will break wide open soon. Very soon. Especially if we lose this election, but soon thereafter… even if we win. Why? Because The Base simply refuses to compromise on nearly ALL of its cherished positions, and compromise is something that Senator McCain believes in. Fireworks, forthwith.

Here’s the link again: 2008: A Republican Reinvention? Chase it, watch the video, and see if you think moderates have any future in the GOP. As for me? I’m hopeful.

An Update

I received a couple of notes today from SN1. His first leg into The Sandbox is complete. He won’t reveal exactly where he is, OPSEC being what it is, but I’m sure both you and I know, Gentle Reader. But… here are a few excerpts from the first of what will likely be many updates (hopefully!):

It's been miserably hot...but we knew that was going to happen...106 at 1300...

Landed at 1700 and didn't get a room until 2330...but I did get a couple of Stella's! Used the ration card within 10 minutes of it being issued to me. Had a couple, called Erm to let her know I was good, then went on an expedition to find linen for the bed...

Grabbed a quick shower at 0200 and was in bed around 0230 with 25-30 of my newest closest friends. At least the tent was livable.

Won't be out of here today, probably tomorrow.

I'll post when I can...

Your site is blocked on this NIPR net 'puter...

The wifi would let me get to it...but that's under the big top tent and I can't stand the heat!

And…

Ohh...before I forget...

Maine has a WONDERFUL group of people called the Maine greeters.

They meet you at the terminal when you arrive, shake your hand and thank-you for your service. They provide free cell phones for your use as well as cookies and candies, etc.

There was a guy taking pictures who said he posts them to his site...and of course I can't find the card he gave me right now, but I'll be on there for 3 Sep at 1830. At least that's what he told me...

Great support.

Anyone (Kris?) have insight into, or a url for, the highlighted bits?

Quick 'n' Dirty

I’m upside down yet again… up all danged night and sleeping until the day is literally half-gone. But that’s neither here nor there, I suppose.

So… didja watch McCain’s acceptance speech last night? I did… in its entirety the first time, and bits and pieces of it when it went to re-runs in the wee hours this morning. I have yet to read any of the overnight comment and op-eds, but I couldn’t help but hear the instant after-the-fact analysis by Brit Hume and His Merry Band. A few quick ‘n’ dirties:

I was very disheartened that McCain couldn’t bring himself to say those three lil words: “George W. Bush.” His direct thanks to “the president of the United States” for keeping the country attack-free over the past seven years lost 90% of their impact by his refusal to use Dubya’s name. While this approach is probably good politics… given The One’s constant hammering and yammering about “George Bush’s third term,” it IS entirely out of character for someone who takes pride in the label “Maverick.” It also makes ME wonder… jes a lil bit… about McCain’s sense of loyalty. I do believe this is the first time…ever… in American politics where a nominee failed to mention his party’s sitting president by name. Not an auspicious beginning to the speech.

I was pleased that McCain gave a tip o’ the hat and a nod to Senator Obama and his supporters. Like Aretha sings… “R-E-S-P-E-C-T… find out what it means to me…” That’s Class… with a capital “C”… and I think we need MUCH more of that in American politics. McCain is right: we’re all of us Americans first, Republicans and Democrats second. That said, I was also pleased with Senator McCain’s final words in that paragraph of the speech: “But WE will win this election!” (paraphrased, of course, I’m writing from memory)

I was pleased that McCain declared war on the teacher’s unions, and, by inference, the American educational establishment. Making schools accountable to parents and students is something that is LONG overdue in these United States. Both parties have just “thrown money” at the problem for what seems like forever. It remains to be seen exactly HOW a McCain administration would make schools accountable, but I like the premise. There’s a reason so many Americans are home-schooling these days, and it ain’t because America’s Moms don’t have anything else to do. Good on Senator McCain for this move.

GOOD on McCain for explaining, in detail, what his campaign’s theme… “Country First”… means, both to him and to us. I think it was either Karl Rove or Newt Gingrich who commented that waiting until his acceptance speech to explain the theme led Obama into thinking the term was a slur on The One’s patriotism… and it’s NOT. As either Gingrich or Rove said: “Obama thought it was all about HIM… and he thinks everything is all about The One.” A GREAT move by the McCain campaign, as it makes Obama look like the self-absorbed, egotistical twit he IS.

I’m not sure this “bi-partisan” thing is gonna work, on either side of the aisle. The naïve optimist in me HOPES it will, but the realist in me sez “No frickin’ way.” We’re about as polarized as we’ve ever been, and that isn’t a good thing. The Moonbats won’t accept McCain’s overture, and there are those frickin’ nut cases on the right who feel the same way. Still and even: Good on McCain for trying. At least he has a record to stand on where forging compromise is concerned… Obama and Biden have ZIP in this space.

My bottom line: I give the speech a “B.” It was average in delivery, good on content, but not even close to Governor Palin’s speech. Still and even, it was more than just acceptable. I think we have a real horse race for a campaign now… and a better than even chance of winning.

Finally… and this ain’t part of McCain’s speech, as she came on earlier in the evening: Cindy McCain is HOT. In that rich-girl-who-owns-a-beer-distributorship-and-17-mansions sorta way. You know… sophisticated. But hot.

La Luz

So. I put today’s first post up and made the rounds relatively early this morning… or as early as it gets around here. There were a couple of cups remaining in the pot after the Daily Reads had been read… so I went outside, put the awning down, settled into my camp chair, put my feet up, and enjoyed the last of the coffee while simultaneously finishing off the remnants of a couple of cigar ends (I’m such a frugal cigar smoker). In so doing the wonderfulness of my current abode struck me. Not my immediate physical surroundings… as Beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park is, in reality, anything but beautiful… Nope. What struck me was…

La Luz.

The light. Brilliant crystal-clear light, seemingly emanating from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The sky late this morning was a beautiful shade of robin’s egg blue, with nary a cloud to be seen within my field of vision. If I craned my neck over Miss Zukiko and looked off towards the eastern horizon I could see puffy white cumulus clouds congregating in the distance. But in front of me and to either side… nothing but blue sky. The counterpoint to the light was the relative calm this morning. There was a distinct lack of breeze, and the trees were stock-still as a result… their brilliant verdant arms reaching straight up into the sky and creating a wonderful tableau of mottled dark and light greens against the brilliant… almost achingly brilliant… blue sky. And it was oh-so-quiet at the same time. In other words: about as perfect a morning as it gets around here.

It’s been said that New Mexico draws more than its share of artists, and if you ask those artists why it is they come here, the answer almost always comes down to La Luz. I haven’t had all that many conversations with artists since I’ve been living in New Mexico, but La Luz is central but those I have had. And those people…artists… are correct, to my way of thinking. There’s just something… something intangible, yet real… about the quality of light in this part of the world. And it just might be the best thing about living in these parts.

Today’s Pic: A re-run, taken on NM 209 just as the road drops off The Cap, about 50 or 60 miles from where I sit. It’s the best illustration I could find in the archives of La Luz… even though there are clouds in the sky… whereas there are none today. But I’m sure you get the picture, Gentle Reader.

January, 2004.

Starters

Daniel Henninger, writing in today’s WSJ (“What’s So Special About Sarah?”):

For starters, a lot of women voters don't live in New York, Boston, L.A. or San Francisco. Maybe Sarah Palin from Wasilla is a lot closer to the way many women today see themselves than the standard feminist model. Gloria Steinem, one of the many mothers of that ideal, is 74. Sarah Palin is 44. Times change.

Speaking of the aged Ms. Steinem… she has an op-ed today, too. Predictably: “Palin: wrong woman, wrong message.” And here’s a taste of old-line, radical feminism:

McCain could have taken a baby step away from right-wing patriarchs who determine his actions, right down to opposing the Violence Against Women Act.

Palin's value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support by a majority or plurality. She believes that creationism should be taught in public schools but disbelieves global warming; she opposes gun control but supports government control of women's wombs; she opposes stem cell research but approves "abstinence-only" programs, which increase unwanted births, sexually transmitted diseases and abortions; she tried to use taxpayers' millions for a state program to shoot wolves from the air but didn't spend enough money to fix a state school system with the lowest high-school graduation rate in the nation; she runs with a candidate who opposes the Fair Pay Act but supports $500 million in subsidies for a natural gas pipeline across Alaska; she supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, though even McCain has opted for the lesser evil of offshore drilling. She is Phyllis Schlafly, only younger.

Got it, Gloria. It’s ALL about “the patriarchy,” innit? Still. It just pisses off the ol’ feministas when a successful conservative woman makes it. If there was a (D) after Mrs. Palin’s name instead of an (R), there wouldn’t be enough newsprint in these United States to hold all the positive words that would be written about her. Even so, it’s a near-run thing for newsprint today to hold all the negative press from screechers like Ms. Steinem. But let’s not dwell on that. Let’s get back to Mr. Henninger.

I asked a number of women this week to account for Sarah Palin's sudden appeal. Here are the common threads.

The angry woman-as-victim drives them nuts. They hate victimology. As one woman said, "The point is that across the ages women have been doing pretty much what Sarah Palin has been doing: bearing children, feeding families, bringing in an income, working to improve their communities."

Another woman said, "Her story reflects a more normal reality" of active women; "the harder you work, the luckier you get." Hillary Clinton still plays the victim card. Sarah Palin gives off no victim vibes. These women mentioned her grit, determination and character.

They also said the Roe v. Wade litmus test has become too knee-jerk. Simply writing off Sarah Palin as "pro-life" caricatures pregnancy and motherhood.

Let's stipulate that not all "liberal" women share the Roe-dominated test of which women in public life get a pass and which are shunned. But this notion of sisterhood as a rules-based club is the public face of the feminist message, and in politics message is all -- until it no longer makes sense.

Mr. Henninger may be an old, white, male, inside-the-beltway type of political pundit (The Patriarchy!). But I tend to believe he’s more in touch with America’s women than Miz Steinem. At least the sorts of women I know. As ever: YMMV.

Last Call

I’m gonna go to bed now. But just a couple of thoughts, before I do. First: I’ve scanned a few of the bigger Leftie blogs this evening. Most of the commentariat there had their partisan hats on and were dismissive of Mrs. Palin… if not outright insulting (Hey! That’s their style!)… describing her as shrill, sarcastic, lying, yadda, yadda. But there were those who were more perceptive; those commenters warned against dismissing Mrs. Palin out of hand. Some people… very few, but they were there…dropped positive comments, albeit grudgingly. I’m not providing links as it’s against my principles to link to the fever swamps, even though I sometimes do. But not tonight. You can find all of that your lil heart desires at the memeorandum widget in my sidebar, if you absolutely HAVE to go there.

Second (and this is a lightweight sort of comment): I’ve noticed more than a few hockey metaphors appearing in the press since Mrs. Palin arrived on the scene. One case in point: “Sarah Palin Shoots…She Scores!” That, Gentle Reader, is the greatest hockey cliché, ever. And it’s beloved by ALL hockey fans, YrHmblScrb included. But wait… there’s more (from the link)!

Don’t mess with this hockey mom! Sarah Palin took to the floor of the Republican Convention Wednesday night and delivered a slapshot right to the gut of the Obama campaign. Folks, there’s really only one thing to say…game on!

[…]

If this were the Stanley Cup Finals, she would be skating the cup around the ice tonight in a proud victory lap.

Heh. This is a Great Good Thing. Hockey fans all over America are smiling tonight. I don’t doubt the NHL management is, too.

Oh. Chase that link… there’s more than hockey talk there. Things like this will make it worth your while:

The Democratic Party, especially the Obama campaign has a problem on its hands. Sarah Palin can not be stereotyped as the crazy pro-lifer. They may try that but the problem is that she doesn’t fit neatly into any one box. She can play reformer, independent thinker, energy policy wonk, pro-lifer, attack dog or PTA mom. She’s multi-faceted. She isn’t one dimensional. That’s got to be a concern for the Obama campaign. If I’m Joe Biden, I’m already plotting strategy for that big debate on October 2nd. He’s going to need a lot of time to figure it out.

Do the highlighted bits sound a lil bit familiar? (insert smiley-face thingie here)

And now… to sleep, perchance to dream. About hockey moms.

(I got the image here. Just for grins and giggles… do a google image search on “hockey mom.” It ain’t ALL Sara