However They Did It, Keep It Up!

Last night I intended to go to bed early. That was thwarted by the airing of a special "How'd They Do That?" episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition which only served to reinforce my view of it as the best weekly show on TV right now. Getting to see behind the scenes, and observe the interaction between the cast and volunteers, was very heartening. The cast members seem genuine, and while their personalities can grate on rare occasions, their compassion far outweighs that.

And the volunteers are amazing. Police, firefighters, and construction workers are the most common volunteers. They interviewed one member of the production crew who started as a volunteer whgen they were in Watts, and is now a paid crewman. He left behind a life of drugs and gang violence. Nothing helps you help yourself like helping others.

But last night the volunteer who touched me most was the young soldier who spent all night helping, and was still there the next morning, less than 24 hours before he was due to deploy to Afghanistan. His last two days of regular life, and he was spending them on a construction site. This is the kind of youth defending us, folks. No honor you pay them can ever be misspent.

Weren't You Ready for Some Football?

Watched the MNF game between the Packers and the Rams last night. I was happy for Bret Favre, but the outcome of the game was bittersweet for me. It helped one team I root for (the Seahawks), and hurt another (the Vikings) -- both of whom have former Ducks on them, and both of whom were sitting in first place in their divisions. The Seahawks are now alone in first, the Vikings now trail the Packers by the tiebreaker. But I do favor the Hawks slightly, so it was ok in the end (not that I had a lot of say about it).

Next Monday Night will be a true test of my emotions. A team I used to revere, the Cowboys (until they plunged a dagger in Landry's heart and then went from being America's Team to Vegas' Team), will be playing in Seattle. Am I really over them? Will I root for the Hawks? I think so, but we'll see.

One last observation about last night: Are there really THAT many hunters and/or highway crew workers in Green Bay? Safety Orange was as prevalent in the crowd as was the home team's green and gold. Maybe a Wisconsinite out there can explain.

Leftists, Pay Attention:

You just might learn something.

Thanks for the Memory to the Demosophist, posting at The Jawa Report.

Bookends

Last Monday I blogged on the aniversary of the death of my favorite author, C.S. Lewis.

Well, today is the anniversary of his birth. But I shall not be blogging on that. No, instead, I shall draw your attention to this excellent entry by Robert at The Llama Butchers. I really couldn't have said it better.

The bit that resonates with my own sentiments most is this:

In fact, they are almost painful to read because while they fill me with inspiration, they also remind me that I could never possibly achieve Lewis' level of enlightenment and, well, grace.

If you've read any of Lewis' essays or books on Christian apologetics or the Christain life, you'll understand how appropriate it is that Robert chose the word grace.

Kelsey Scrooges Up

I tried to watch A Christmas Carol: The Musical last night, since I am a huge fan of the story. I really tried. But I just couldn't.

I don't know if it was the insipid lyrics to the songs (Marley's ghost an Fezziwig in particular), the pole-dance that the Ghost of Christmas past did on Scrooge's canopy bed, or the High School Drama hamminess of the acting, but overall it just didn't do it for me. Maybe if I had seen it at theater distance instead of the close range that TV provides, it would have been better.

No, if I'm going to watch that classic story retold, I'll stick with my two favories, A Muppet Christmas Carol or Scrooged.

We're All His Home Team

Thanks for the Memory to Blogfather Rusty at The Jawa Report.

Sports Illustrated is currently accepting votes from fans for their Sportsman of the Year award. Among those nominated is Pat Tillman, former Arizona Cardinal who left the NFL to serve his country, then gave th last full measure of devotion in Afghanistan.

Pat is currently third in the running. Let's see if we can do something about that.

This man's accomplishments reach far beyond the sporting arena. And as much admiration as I have for some of the other nominees, I did not hesitate to vote for pat. Please do the same. We're all winners because of men like Pat.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I didn't intend to blog today, but a few things came up that I thought merited comment. For the most part, I heartily encourage all my readers to spend this day enjoying the company of friends and family, fellowshipping with those of akindred spirit, and generally observing an occasion to express gratitude to The Creator for all the blessing with which we have been bestowed. Abd I'm not being flippant. Think about it, folks. Consider just how miserable or existance COULD be, and weigh that against what it actually is. As bad as things may be NOW, I can imagine far worse. Isn't the distinction between the observablr and the imaginable sufficient cause for gratitude? If not, consider all the tangibly positive things you've been granted. and that should do the trick.

A few things happened today that merit blogging, so I shall post all of them below this preface, which will receive a bump to the top.

A Thanksgiving Connection to the Founders

Take a moment some time to read the history of the founding of this country, from the earliest colonists to the Revolution. Regardless of where the settlement was, and spanning religious and regional divides, you'll find all of the colonies had one thing in common:

Alcohol.

Fermentation was an early sand effective means of preservation. Food that could easily spoil was allowed to "spoil" in very specific ways in order to allow it to last loner than normal. And alcohol was a major factor in the lives of even the most devout of colonists. Hard cider, beer, whiskey, wine, it was all consumed in impressive colonies.

So why do I blog on it?

Because I had a bit myself today, thanks.

Normally, I prefer to practice moderation. Three beers in one night is the most I usually imbibe. But today was a bit different. You see, my brother and sister-in-law served two bottles of wine with dinner. Only one person chose red. Guess who? So I ended up consuming a good portion of the bottle all by myself. Congratulations.

So if anything I say tonight is a bit... out of character.. please bear in mind the circumstances.

Oh, and by the way... while I don't advocate copying my level of tipsiness, a good glass of wine with this holiday' dinner is indeed one more thing for which to give thanks.

Mission Accomplished

I was watching the news tonight: not something I do on a regular basis anymore (The internt provides me all of the info I want, from a variety of viewpoints). It was announced that both China and Canada have announced their support of the upcoming elections in Iraq. In fact, the Canadians have said they'll do "whatever it takes" to support the elections.

How about kissing our red, white, and blue butts for naysaying us?

In all seriousness, while I have been made aware of and appreciate Canadian objections to the war, this really is sweet vindication for the US, and further evidence that the efforts in Fallujah are going well.

This is one of the reasons I voted for Bush.

Further reporting on the news covered the fact that the Sunni minority in Iraq are demanding a delay to the elections. Of course, the "expert" interviewed by the station agreed.

Let's review. The Sunni minority is the group of people who contributed the Baath party to Iraqi politics, and they're the ones who held political power despite being a MINORITY. The majority of the insurgents in Iraq are.... you guessed it, Sunni. Of COURSE they want a delay to the elections. The longer the delay, the stronger the insurgency. I'm of the firm belief that we should let the Iraqis vote and choose a government for themselves as quickly as possible.

2004 Presidential Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

(it speaks for itself)

All across America, we gather this week with the people we love, to give thanks to God for the blessings in our lives. We are grateful for our freedom, grateful for our families and friends, and grateful for the many gifts of America.

On Thanksgiving Day, we acknowledge that all of these things, and life itself, come from the Almighty God. Almost four centuries ago, the Pilgrims celebrated a harvest feast to thank God after suffering through a brutal winter.

President George Washington proclaimed the first National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, and President Lincoln revived the tradition during the Civil War, asking Americans to give thanks with "one heart and one voice."

Since then, in times of war and in times of peace, Americans have gathered with family and friends and given thanks to God for our blessings. Thanksgiving is also a time to share our blessings with those who are less fortunate.

Americans this week will gather food and clothing for neighbors in need. Many young people will give part of their holiday to volunteer at homeless shelters and food pantries.

On Thanksgiving, we remember that the true strength of America lies in the hearts and souls of the American people. By seeking out those who are hurting and by lending a hand, Americans touch the lives of their fellow citizens and help make our nation and the world a better place.

This Thanksgiving, we express our gratitude to our dedicated firefighters and police officers who help keep our homeland safe. We are grateful to the homeland security and intelligence personnel who spend long hours on faithful watch.

And we give thanks for the Americans in our armed forces who are serving around the world to secure our country and advance the cause of freedom. These brave men and women make our entire nation proud, and we thank them and their families for their sacrifice. On this Thanksgiving Day, we thank God for His blessings and ask Him to continue to guide and watch over our nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, president of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, Nov. 25, 2004, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to gather together in their homes and places of worship to reinforce the ties of family and community and to express gratitude for the many blessings we enjoy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-ninth.

GEORGE W. BUSH






(Thanks for the Memory to Ricky V at Vices and Virtues)

More for Which to Give Thanks

Rossi Wins Washington Gubernatorial Race.

There's still hope for the Northwest.

Thjanks for the Memory to Ricky V. at Vices and Virtues.

My Favorite Thanksgiving Quote

As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.

Thanks are given to all of you for making me feel important. And Thanks be to God for all he's done for me.

Happy Thanksgiving all.

The Answer My Friend, is Blowin' in the (Chill) Wind

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.

Bridget Johnson over at the Wall Street Journal asks a very good question regarding the slaying of Theo Van Gogh:

Where is the Hollywood Outrage?

A very good question indeed.

His murder was motivated by his film exposing muslim treatment of women. He was killed for his art and for his opinion. So where are the Hollywood celebrities speeaking out against this act of censorship? When are we going to hear Tim Robbins speaking of a chill wind? When will the Dixie Chicks be holding a benefit concert in his memory?

Or is it just possible that all those well-paid celebrities safe in their luxury homes inside gated estates, with their money and their clout and the adulation of fans and peers, have just been playing the censorship card as a political ploy to advance their ends, and wouldn't recognize, nor give a Rattus Norvegensis's furry posterior, about real oppression unless it crept up and bit them in a sensitive spot?

Just asking.

Oh Danny Boy

Oh Danny Boy, the Blogs, the Blogs, they nailed ye,
Your story on false documents relied.
Your ratings shot, your reputation’s failed ye,
‘Tis you, ‘tis you, must go because ye lied.

But you hang on, though no one now believes you,
Old records typed in far too new a font.
You tell us we can still believe their substance:
Oh Danny Boy, your little ploy, ain’t what we want.

But when ye go, ye swore ye’d take Bush with ye,
His image soiled by mud that you had slung.
Though he prevailed, ye’d not concede his victory,
Refused to call the states that he had won.

Now CBS must face the music with ye,
Your Sixty Minutes is going to expire.
Your anchor job is looking kind of shaky,
Oh Danny Boy, Oh Danny Boy, ye should retire.

(Originally Posted at 1:58 PM, November 9, 2004)
UPDATE:

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.

'Nuff Said.

Did I Mention That Dolphins Are My Favorite Animals?

Thanks for the Memory to Vic at Darth Apathy for one more reason why:

Dolphins defend swimmers from shark

From correspondents in Whangarei, New Zealand
November 23, 2004

A GROUP of swimmers has told how a pod of dolphins protected them from a great white shark off the north-eastern coast of New Zealand.

Flipper ... the aquatic mammal star of the TV series would have been pround of the dolphins' heroic actions in New Zealand.

Rob Howes and three other lifeguards were on a training swim about 100m offshore at Ocean Beach near Whangarei when the dolphins raced in and herded the group together.

"They started to herd us up, they pushed all four of us together by doing tight circles around us," Mr Howes said.

When he tried to drift away from the group, two of the bigger dolphins herded him back.

He then saw why. A 3m great white shark was cruising toward the group about two metres below the surface.

"I just recoiled. It was only about two metres away from me, the water was crystal clear and it was as clear as the nose on my face," he said, adding he then realised the dolphins had moved in to protect the swimmers.

The group were surrounded by the dolphins for 40 minutes before they were able to reach the shore.

Another lifeguard, Matt Fleet, was patrolling nearby in a rescue boat when he saw the dolphins' unusual behaviour.

When he dived out of the boat to join the group he also saw the great white.

Fleet said he was keen to get out of the water after the sighting, but didn't panic.

"I just kept looking around to see where it was."

The incident happened about three weeks ago, but Mr Howes and Mr Fleet said they had kept the story to themselves until they had a chance to catch up and confirm what they had seen.

Auckland University marine mammal research scientist Doctor Rochelle Constantine said dolphins were normally vigilant in the presence of sharks.

I've always had a soft spot for the Delphinids, especially true Dolphins, but including Orcas. In fact, in general I appreciate the pack hunters, though again, Dolhpins (and wolves) are at the top of my list. This just reinforces that fondness.

Holiday Traditions

Most of us grew up with certain traditions, or at the very least (and not always happiest), recurring Holiday themes. When you get married, you bring some with you, you learn some of your spouses, you compromise between the two lists, and you create a few new ones of your own.

One non-traditional, "recurring holiday theme" that I have become adamantly loathe to is the ever-creeping earlier and earlier commercialization of the holidays. earlier this year I blogged on Christmas decorations being in Ross as a sign of the Earth's impending demise. I just detest it. One of the reasons I moved back to Oregon was because I hated living somewhere with one single, albeit sunny, season. I LIKE seasons, whether sports, hunting, or cliatic. I like holidays associated with seasons, and I like to observe them IN their respective seasons. It helps mark the passing of time, it makes each season, each year, more meaningful. My twelve years in San Diego are a blur, with few seasonal changes to act as chronological landmarks. So I am resistant to the idea of observing Christmas until I have finished onserving Thanksgiving, let alone Labor Day!

But the feared redhead and I have established one holiday tradition that forces me to bend this rule, and in this case, I believe it's worth it. Every yuear, we assemble at least one shoebox, preferrably two, for Operation Christmas Child. This is a project of Samaritan's Purse, a Christian mercy organization run by Franklin Graham (Billy's son). They do awesome work. The way OCC works is that you take a shoebox (we buy one of the plastic ones from Target, that way the box itself is still useful after the project), and fill it with toys, candy, and toiletry items for a child. You specify the gender and age group for which you fallied the box, and drop it off at a participating location (usually chrches). The boxes are packed and shipped all over the world -- Mexico, Afghanistan, Iraq, all over Asia and Africa, Latin America, even reservations here in the US. The children receive them at Christmas on behalf of the donor and God (no bones about it, it's a Christian charity). Anyone who has read my blog knows I'm as enthusiastic about private charity as I am skeptical of government largess.

In order to get them to the kids by Christmas, they have to be assembled and dropped off the weekend before Thanksgiving. So I have to make an exception and think about Christmas before the Friday after Thanksgiving. But again, for the good this does, it's worth it. That lesson was driven home this year, when our finances prevented us from participating until the last minute. We'll have to ship the box to OCC headquarters in North Carolina since we missed the drop cutoff.

But even the extra postage is well spent.

11/22/1963

Today marks the forty-first anniversary of the death of, arguably, one of the men who most influenced Western thought in the Twentieth Century. He also happened to be one of the men I admired most greatly, so it seems fitting that in the first year of my blog, I should mark his passing.

Though most of the world recognizes his name when they hear his initials, his friends called him "Jack".

He was a war veteran, and his service influenced much of his later thought.

His romance with his wife was the stuff movies are made about.

He was a thinker, a man of convictions, whose words stir the soul, stimulate the mind, and challenge the will into acts of conviction.

And so I bid him Rest in Peace. He has shaped the way I think, as he has many others I know. Here's looking forward to meeting you on the other side, Jack.



C.S. Lewis
November 29, 1898 - November 22, 1963

(Bumped to the top for the rest of the day. Read below for other entries.)

The Only Books in Heaven

Continuing on with today's C.S. Lewis theme...

I can't find the exact quote, but Lewis once made a comment to the effect that the only books we'll have in our library in heaven will be those we lent to friends, and that every bit of damage they had done to them would have become beautiful calligraphy or woodcuts.

With that in mind, I present a link to the most recent entry over at Strengthen the Good:

The C.S. Lewis Bilingual Gymnaziumin

This is a high school in Bratislava, Slovakia, where the students study in their native language and in English. The students call English "the language of freedom."

And, even more appropriately, they aren't asking for cash. They're asking for books.

There's an indepth list of desired books over at STG. I plan on donating a Lewis tome or two. Go see what you can do.

The First Casualty of War

My good friend Mary emailed me an article from the New York Times in which the cameraman who filmed the shooting in Fallujah is interviewd. I presume it was in response to my previous post on the Marine involved in the shooting. I adore Mary, she's a good friend, but we do not see eye to eye on everything. Nonetheless, I felt it only fair to give another viewpoint consideration. The article is sad, and thought provoking, but ultimately does not change my perception that this young Marine is being treated as a scapegoat and that the incident is being blown way out of proportion. To explain why, I shall add my responses to the article in italics:

Captives: Cameraman Details Marine's Role in Mosque Shooting

November 22, 2004
By JAMES GLANZ and EDWARD WONG

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 21 - A marine who appears to shoot and kill an unarmed and wounded Iraqi prisoner in an NBC News video was not aware that the incident was being recorded, and moments later approached the cameraman with seemingly remorseful words - "I didn't know, sir, I didn't know" - according to the first public description of the events by the cameraman, Kevin Sites, since his brief and somewhat ambiguous initial report.

Now, at first this seems pretty damning. But I began to wonder -- did the Marine specifically say he didn't know he was being filmed, or was he referring to something else? Bear that in mind as the article continues.

No weapons were visible inside the Falluja mosque where the shooting took place, on Nov. 13, and the wounded Iraqi made no sudden or threatening moves before the marine shot him, Mr. Sites writes on his Web site, kevinsites.net, in an entry posted Sunday night.

By whose definition or criteria is Mr. Sites judging the threat present or absent in the terrorists actions? Again, bear this question in mind as we continue.

Mr. Sites, a freelance photojournalist who had been hired by NBC News, made it clear that as a veteran of covering wars around the globe, he understood the ugliness and
complexity of battle. Nevertheless, he said of the incident in the mosque, "it appeared to me very plainly that something was not right."

Not to detract from Mr. Sites' credentials as a war correspondent, but that's a far cry from being a war fighter. What he sees and how he interprets it is different from the man who actually must make the decision to kill or not.

His account also raises new questions about another group of marines who entered the mosque just before Mr. Sites and fired on the prisoners - they had been left there, already wounded, after a battle the day before. Mr. Sites was so surprised that the prisoners he had seen there the day before had been attacked again that he informed a Marine lieutenant of the fact before the final shooting - the one he captured on tape - took place.


The video obtained by Mr. Sites has received sensational play around the world, particularly in the Arab news media.


Mr. Sites calls the posting on his Web log an "Open Letter to the Devil Dogs of the 3.1," or the Third Battalion, First Marines. "Since the shooting in the mosque, I've beenhaunted that I have not been able to tell you directly what I saw," he wrote, "or explain the process by which the world came to see them as well."

He begins by writing, "I'm not some war zone tourist with a camera who doesn't understand that ugly things happen in combat." [neither are you a soldier who actually has to make a decision on the split second, but someone who can record events, then judge them in hindsight.] Despite his attempt to be fair, he said, since then Falluja video was broadcast on Nov. 15, he has been "shocked to see myself painted as some kind of antiwar activist." Mr. Sites has received abuse and death threats on some Web sites, and has shut down the discussion section of his own.


He said the marines he was embedded with arrived at the mosque on Nov. 13, and after a series of other events, he heard shooting inside. The other set of marines emerged and were asked by a lieutenant, "Did you shoot them?"

What other events? Do they have any relevance to what happened next? And if so, why is the Times less descriptive of them than of the antecedent events within the mosque? I have long been skeptical of the NYT's journalistic dispassion, and I am disinclined to believe they are giving both sides of the story equal treatment.

"Roger that, sir," a marine responded. But when the lieutenant asked, "Were they armed?" the marine just shrugged, Mr. Sites wrote.

Inside, Mr. Sites said he was was surprised to see the wounded men from the battle the day before, now shot again. "There don't appear to be any weapons anywhere," he wrote.

And just how close an inspection was he able to make in the heat of battle? Or is this just his impression?

He was videotaping some of the wounded men when, in the background, a marine yelled that one of the others was "faking he's dead."

"Through my viewfinder I can see him raise the muzzle of the his rifle in the direction of the wounded Iraqi," Mr. Sites wrote. "There are no sudden movements, no reaching or lunging."

It doesn't take a lunge or much of a reach to pull the pin on a grenade. That has happened over there. Again, the question of experiencial perspective and definition of "threatening" are key here. The Marine had an extremely limited amount of time in which to react, in which to make a life or death decision. Had he hesitated and the man truly been a threat, it might very well have been that Marine, his buddies, even Mr. Sites. I dare Mr. Sites to state he could have made the decision any better had roles been exchanged.

Then the marine fired. "There is a small spatter against the back wall and the man's leg slumps down," Mr. Sites wrote, in what was apparently a suggestion that the man had been alive.

"Well," another marine said, "he's dead now."

Mr. Sites wrote that he could feel "the deep pit of my stomach." The marine who fired, who had been angrily shouting, suddenly changed his tone.

"The anger that seemed present just moments before turned to fear and dread," Mr. Sites wrote.

I should think so. That's pretty common after battle, from what I have been taught. Furthermore, if, as Mr. Sites claims, the Iraqi wasn't a threat, and the Marine only realized this after the shooting was over, you can be sure he would feel remorse.

Furthermore, might this realization also explain the Marines comment, "I didn't know, sir, I didn't know" much better than the assumption that he was referring to the presence of the camera?

"I can't know what was in the mind of the marine," he wrote. "He is the only one who does."

This is true. And this is why those of us who have not had to bear the burden of uniform would do well to be circumspect in our criticism. If the Marine is proven to have violated the UCMJ or the ROE's, he will be disciplined. I for one am glad that those responsible for executing such discipline have a fuller perspective on events than I.

UPDATE:

Blogfather Rusty is not as understanding towards Sites as I.

Talk About Wagging the Dog!

Thanks for the Memory to the Llama Butchers.

Apparently the Power Behind the Throne has his own blog.