Smallholder

Every morning, after I've checked my comments and my tracvkbacks and my email, the very first other Blog I usually go read is Naked Villainy. Maximum Leader has a real talent for writing and is an erudite fellow. Smallholder is equally interesting to read, as he has knowledge of arcane subjects which I find interesting -- agriculture, et6c. And while I usually disagree with his political views, I respect him for being a man of convictions. He has extended me the same courtesy. Today I feel the need to take greater exception than normal with one of his posts, and to more mildly disagree with two others.

The post with which I take exception is this dig at the Pope. Now, I'm not one to fall back merely on the defense "Don't speak ill of the dead". I'll speak ill of those deserving ill speech, and speak well of those deserving praise, be they dead or alive. What I do find troublesome about the post is argument that the Pope's decision about his own death is somehow incongruous with JP II's stance on the Terri Schiavo case.

Now, if I agreed with Smallholder on every point of the Schiavo case, I'd have to agree with him about the Pope. But I don't. I don't necessarily disagree, I just don't agree. For the Pope's stance to have been hypocritical, Il Papa would have had to reach the same conclusion that Terri was dead and unsaveable. Take SH's comment Surely he had more "life" to be held in sanctity than a woman with spinal fluid where her cerebral cortex ought to have been. While this conclusion is Smallholder's firm assertion, while it is Michael Schiavo's firm conviction, and while it was the judge's firm conviction and thus legal ruling, it was not an undisputed point. A great many people did not believe this to be the case, and for them, there is no moral conflict between a desire to give Teri a chance and a personal choice not to prolong their own lives past hope. The crux of the matter is that if you don't believe Terri needed heroic measures (whether you were correct in this belief or not), then that's different from choosing to forego heroic measures.

Furthermore, there is the question of whether or not the choice made for Terri was her own. Again, Smallholder believes it was. Many do not. While that assertion is open to debate, the Popes decision on his own behalf is not.

Finally, I find this comment troubling: But perhaps, at the very end, he realized he could not follow those convictions into a prolonged death struggle.

Two points. First, I do think that this is a bit if an unkind dig at a man who was dealing with a terrible illness, an illness I hope Smallholder never suffers. Secondly, I seem to recall that many of those who agree with Smallholder regarding the Schiavo case (and perhaps even SH himself, I can't remember) argued that the efforts to keep Terri alive were motivated by a fear of death, an unwillingness to accept immortality. But this comment seems to imply that JP II's decision was to embrace death out of a fear of facing prolonged suffering in life. So my question to Smallholder, and to other potetnial Papal detractors, is this: If is was cowardice to prolong life, and it was cowardice to refrain prolonging life, how was His Holiness to please you? Not that that was ever his goal....

Regarding two other Smallholder posts:

As for the media. Smallholder would sarcastically have us believe that current news coverage of the awarding of a Congressional Medal of Honor is proof that the Media is not biased in its coverage of Iraq. I shall avoid relying solely on the old maxim that the exception proves the rule, because that alone would be a weak argument. I will, however, point out that the first presentation of our nation's highest military honor in twelve years is quite a newsworthy event, and not something the media could easily ignore. As for front page news, I'm curious as to which paper and which day. Today's Red Register Guard certainly didn't place it there (Although they do have an interesting and highly important story of a man trapped in an elevator for four days). It would be easy to argue that the every day acts of bravery that fails to meet CMH criteria is the reason those acts are not reported upon, to which I would respond by asking why every day acts of cowardice and savagery are deemed more noteworthy?

As for the debate on the merits of recovering the dead during combat:

Smallholder's points are at least worthy of consideration. So are the points of those who disagree with him, as well as those who agree. I'm just curious to hear input from one other, very important point of view: The guys who actually have to carry out this policy. I don't know any of these bloggers well enough to know if they're service veterans, let alone combat vets. But when it comes to this policy, it seems to me that their opinion should weigh heavily. Now, normally I am reticent to weigh in on issues having to do with the combat experience, because I am a career civilian. However, on this topic I think I've learned enough military history to have an opinion.

Smallholder's original argument against the policy (Whether this is the entire crux of his objection or not) was that he would be reticent as an officer to send other men in to die to recover a body, and further, to have to tell the families of those new dead why their son died: to recover a corpse.

I'd like to address the second part of the equation first. I find this expression of concern for the families of the dead somewhat inconcruous with the previous statement "Private Snuffy was dead and his family would have to grieve, with or without the shell." which seems somewhat (if unintentionally) cavalier. Any combat death is a tragedy, and should be treated with as much dignity and respect and compassion as possible. They should also be avoided if possible. But in warfare, deaths occur. That is the nature of the beast. If the goal acheived, or at least striven for, is worthy of the sacrifice, soldiers must be, and almost always are, willing to make that sacrifice, and officers must be willing to send them to that doom, as hard a choice as it may be.

Which brings us to the question of whether or not recovering a fallen camrade's body is a worthy enough cause to warrant another soldier's death. To answer that question, we must first ask and answer the question of what good the recovery does? Why do we not abandon our dead?

Smallholder and Ally argue that it's all about "Honor and Dignity", and assail these concepts as moot in the case of the dead. Bill, in arguing against this position, focuses on the needs of the individual dying, and his family, to know he'll be honored in death. I think he's on to something here, but I also believe he falls a bit short.

I agree with Bill that it is not asinine to recover the dead. But I go a bit further in my reason why. It is not for the sake of the dead man in his dying, nor for his family, that I believe our military holds this policy. And while I do believe that Honor has something to do with it, I do not believe, as SH and Ally do, that it's honor for honor's sake alone -- some hidebound tradition without reason. Ultimately, I believe that we adhere to this policy, that we display this honor, for the sake of the living soldiers, for the sake of those who may become the dead, as well as for the sake of those who will be called on to risk and even give their own lives to recover those dead.

If you spend any amount of time reading the annals and recollections of combat veterans, if you have watched their interviews, one thing sticks out in your mind. While they were recruited with varying degrees of willingness, for a multitude of causes, and fought under a thousand banners, they all seem to agree on this thing. When the drums roll, and the trumpets sound, and the swords clash, and the bombs drop, and the shells explode, and the bullets fly, and the blood flows, they have all fought for the same reason: They fight for the man to their left and the man to their right.

It's the inspiration of all good soldiers, not just the title of a miniseries: They're a band of brothers. They fight, kill, and die to protect and support each other. They rely on each other, trust each other. Even though it's a bond forged in battle and thus dissolves to some extent with the peace, in ways this bond is a vow more binding than the marriage vow: I'm married to my wife "till death do us part". Soldiers are bound to each other even in death. This is why they do not leave their dead behind. And this is why I believe (though any vets out their are as always welcome to correct me) that they are not only willing to, but believe strongly that they should, risk their own lives to recover the bodies of their fallen buddies. And if we release them from this obligation, furthermore, if an officer by his orders bars them from carrying out this obligation, that vow has been broken. They have not kept the faith, they have broken the bonds of brotherhood that bind even in death. And if that vow, which has been made can be broken in death, what's to keep the bond in life? The foundation of trust and honor which keeps good soldiers fighting for each other has been eroded. And in the end, soldiers who cannot trust each other cannot defend each other. And if they cannot defend each other, they cannot survive. And that is why, I believe, the living risk their lives to honor the dead.

Oh, as an aside to Smallholder: Congratulations on the birth of your sheep's twins.

Bad Uncle, Good Aunt

Yesterday was my nephew's 5th birthday, and I forgot it. I feel incredibly guilty, and want to make it up to him (he's halfway across the country). Suggestions?

UPDATE:

Here's a good suggestion. Be married to a woman who remembered for you.

Home (State) Cooking

I realized last night that it has been quite some time since I posted anything of substance, and that it has also been quite some time since I blogged on two of my favorite topics: My beloved home state, and cooking. I shall endeavor to kill three birds with one stone.

Now, for a long time, there was no "Oregon Cuisine" to speak of, at least not in restaurants. We have been an economically poor state for some time, and were predominantly rural as well. This didn't lend itself to a commercial gourmet identity. But there was a foundation waiting to be built upon, and recently some Oregon chefs have started to build on it. Most notable of these is Caprial Pence.

To understand a region's cuisine, you must look at its history and culture. And to understand Oregon's history and culture, one must start with a three-word phrase: The Oregon Trail.

The Oregon Trail was the largest voluntary land migration in recorded history. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000 people made the arduous crossing from Independence, Missouri, to the Willamette Valley. Just like the nation it became the 33rd state of, Oregon was founded by immigrants. But there's a catch. Most of the immigrants who came to Oregon came from America itself. So while old families in the east can say that their ancestors came from Germany or England or Ireland, many old Oregon families can say that our ancestors came from Pennsylvania, or Ohio, or Maine, or Virginia. The implication for our culture, and our cuisine, should be obvious. It is derived directly from the cuisines of the regions from which those original settlers came. You’ll find Southern influences, Midwestern influences, and New England influences. And often you’ll find an amalgam of all these. In addition, because of the Spartan conditions on the trail, most settlers arrived here with very little left in the way of foodstuffs. So while they brought their recipes with them, they had to modify them to use local ingredients.

Luckily for these early Oregonians, there were plenty of local ingredients from which to choose. The Pacific Northwest was (and still is to a lesser extent) teeming with game, seafood, and wild edible plants. These too added their influence to Oregon food, as did the indigenous people who had used them for centuries. We became addicted to salmon and crab, halibut and rockfish and clams and venison and elk and trout.

Another way that the Oregon Trail influenced our cuisine is in the very reason for the migration: arable land. Every year the Willamette River and its tributaries carry tons of rich, dark volcanic soil down from the mountains into the valley where is becomes some of the most fertile farmland in the nation. Over the years, the very foodstuffs that the settlers and their descendants have grown for sale to other places have also become inextricably tied to our own diets: berries, pears, mint, potatoes and onions, milk and cheese, winter wheat, filberts (hazelnuts to people who live where they’re not grown). Recently the big player in this has been wine.

There have been other influences as well. Later eaves of immigration brought people directly from other countries, so there are direct ethnic influences as well, sometimes localized in specific communities – Junction City, just north of Eugene, is Scandinavian. Mt. Angel outside of Salem is very German. As part of the Ring of Fire, there’s also a strong Asian influence.

I have become more and more aware of this as, after returning to my home state as an adult, I have attempted to develop recipes and dishes and meals that have a distinctly Oregon flavor. I have tried to take two different tacks: One is to take recipes with origins in other regions, states, and countries, and replace key ingredients with Oregon products. My Beef Oregonian is one example of this. The other approach has been to start with a main Oregon ingredient, and build a recipe around it. My efforts so far have produced few recipes, but those I have developed make me proud.

And so, bearing all of this in mind, I would like to submit a good spring/summer grilling recipe, with an Oregon flavor to it:

Brian’s Filbert Encrusted Steelhead

This dish is a variation on a method for cooking fish, especially salmon and steelhead, that has been used by indigenous peoples in the Northwest for centuries. I have added a modern Oregon twist to it. I prefer steelhead, but you could also use salmon (steelhead is not a salmon; it is a subspecies of rainbow trout). Top preference in this case goes to Coho, but use farm salmon if you must.

This is definitely a dish best served over a grill, though you can use an oven if necessary. If you use a grill, use an aromatic wood on the grill. The native tree favored for such grilling here in the Northwest is alder, though oak or apple would work too. Avoid mesquite or hickory, as these are not native to the Northwest. Absolutely necessary for the recipe are four untreated cedar planks, thoroughly soaked with water. Originally the Indians pegged the salmon to these boards, but we will alter that method slightly, for reasons that will become plain later.

The recipe calls for:

4 steelhead filets, skin on, 6-8 oz.
1 cup finely chopped raw filberts
1 cup honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill weed
1 lemon, quartered
4 sprigs dill weed for garnish

Mince the garlic as finely as possible. The dill weed should also be finely chopped. Mix both with the honey. Place the steelhead filets on the cedar planks, skin down. Lightly sprinkle them with lemon, then salt and pepper to taste. Spread the honey mixture over the steelhead until it is completely coated. Sprinkle the chopped filberts on top until they completely encrust the tops of the filets. Place the planks on the grill or in a 300 degree oven, close the grill lid and cook until the flesh of the fish is firm. The filberts should be slightly toasted and the honey should be caramelized at the edges.

Plating suggestions:

Leave the steelhead on the planks, garnish with more dill weed.

Side dishes that will go well with this dish and give a further PNW flavor would be:

Fried russet potatoes (what did you think the “ORE” in “ORE-IDA” stood for?). Do not peel. Slice into rounds and fry with slices of sweet yellow onions – Oregon Hood Rivers or Washington Walla Wallas. Simple seasoning is the best – salt, pepper, maybe paprika.

A Northwest-influenced salad: cranberries, mixed greens, pears, and more filberts with a raspberry vinaigrette.

I prefer a soft red wine with salmon and steelhead, not white. You might try a blush, I never have. If you do, a good Pinot Noir Blanc, if you can get it, is almost as complex as a straight P.N., but is more refreshing in summer (note to fellow Oregonians: Saginaw Vineyards, between Eugene and Cottage Grove just off I-5, makes one that rocks). Of course the natural match for Oregon wines would be Pinot Noir. Otherwise a Shiraz or Syrah might also work, but I haven’t tried them.

All Her Trials, Lord

Are over.

Terri Schiavo is dead.

Fly to Jesus, Terri.

I shall say no more on this.

Speaker for the Read

Book Lists. Just about everyone's got 'em. Books you want to read, books you have read and recommend others read, books your mom or dad read to you... The list of lists goes on.

Well, I have a list. Or two or three, actually. But in this case, I'm referring to one specific list. It isn't actually codified, or fixed, but it's a running tally in my head. Let's call it my list of shame. This is a list of books that I not only WANT to read, but am ashamed to admit never HAVE read. Let's not go into all of the entries, or you might lose all respect for me.

There are many books on this list. Some are books I believe EVERYONE should read, or at least be familiar with. Others are genre specific -- books that should be read if you consider yourself a fan of a given genre.

Well, this week I get to cross a book off of the latter list. It's a book that I have long had an interest in, but finally my good friend Brian (aka Lurch in the comments) gave me as a gift on his recent visit. I started reading it Monday night, read it on the bus and on breaks yesterday, and polished it off last night.

As a long time Sci Fi fan, particularly military Sci Fi, I am ashamed to say that it took me until my 36th year to be able to proudly say, I have read Ender's Game. What a read!

I have to admit that there were a couple of things that disappointed me. One of them was the ease with which I deduced a couple of plot twists that were supposed to be surprises (I won't spoil it for anyone by saying which ones). The other was that I struggled with a suspension of disbelief in accepting some of the dialogue, both internal and external, as being consistent with the age of the characters, regardless of their life experience. But these were minor irritants, and overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre.

Fatherhood, Wallenda Style

Good News and Scary News With Regards to the Lad!

(And all in one day)

First, the good news:
The Feared Redhead called from The Lad's pediatrician's office. The good doctor has DC'ed (discontinued) use of the apnea/bradicardia monitor.

Now, the scary news:
The Feared Redhead called from The Lad's pediatrician's office. The good doctor has DC'ed (discontinued) use of the apnea/bradicardia monitor.

I feel like the last two months (as of yesterday) have been practice, and suddenly I'm stepping out onto the high wire without a net for the first time. It's exciting, and thrilling, and absolutely terrifying.

Mutual of Omaha Vs. Soylent Green:

They're BOTH people, you know....

Thanks for the Memory (and memories) to the Llama Butchers.

Apparently today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Marlin Perkins, one of the men who helped define my childhood tyelevision viewing experience. He was the host of the TV series Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, which was iconic for many of us. As Robbo points out, it was commonplace to the point of cliche for Marlin to pose as the host and hero of theshow while his younger, humbler, and more virile assistant, Jim Fowler, did almost all of the hard, dirty, dangerous work. I also remember Marlin's uncanny ability to use any situation they encountered as a point from which to seque in to a plug for their sponsors:

"Jim is attempting to circumcise the Cape Buffalo. It looks like the big fella is trampling Jim into a lifeless mush. When life leaves me feeling trampled underfoot, I turn to my good friends at Mutual of Omaha."

Happy Birthday, Marlin, and Rest in Peace.

Happy Easter, Yo!

And a Big Shout Out to my Peeps!

Crippled Fat Johnny Nixon

Thanks for the Memory to Wicked Thoughts:

HOW TO SING THE BLUES

UPDATE:

I've decided to remove the body of this post. It seems too many people were given the mistaken impression that I wrote it. I did not. It was originally posted over at Wicked Thoughts. I agree with those who have kindly posted links to me: It's hilarious. So if you want to read it, go over to Wicked Thoughts and give him both the credit AND the traffic.

Raise Your Voice While You Can

Thanks for the Memory to Jane at Armies of Liberation.

Originally posted to run until Midnight, March 14th, 2005

Yesterday I received an email from Jane asking me to sign this petition. Unfortunately, I was out of the office all day, so I didn't get a chance to respond until today. At the time she wrote me, she was aiming for 400 signatures. I'm happy to report that she's far surpassed that number.

Since I've taken up the call to arms with regards to McCain-Feingold's intrusions on our freedom of speech and the press, I feel it behooves me to be consistent and speak out on behalf of this Yemeni journalist. Please read his letter to Jane, then go sign this petition.
******************************************************
*************** UPDATE !!!!! ************************
******************************************************

3/23/05

I have received a wonderful e-mail from Jane at Armies of Liberation, linking me to some VERY good news!

WE DID IT!!!!!!

Al-Khaiwani has been freed!!!!!!

This is wonderful news, and a very good day for freedom. Thanks to any and all my readers who got involved, as well as my fellow Bloggers. See? You have a voice, and when you use it, YOU WILL BE HEARD!

LET FREEDOM RING!

What Movie Am I?

Thanks for the Memory to Gullyborg at Resistance is Futile!

Apparently, I'm:

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I can think of worse things to be called.

Take Your Filthy Paws Off My Blog, You Damned Dirty Apes!

Thanks for the Memory (and the title inspiration) to Gullyborg at Resistance is Futile!

There is now a petition you can sign to register your opposition to the attack on irst Amendment freedoms posed by the McCain-Feingold Act. Right or Left, you'll be in good company: Kos and Malkin, The Heritage Foundation and the Kerry Campaign. Go sign it.

Blog Free or Die.

The Beginning of the End

Well, today's the day. Today at 1:00 PM EST, by court order, Terry Schiavo's feeding tube will be removed, and she will begin to starve to death.

I'm not sure what I'm feeling about this right now: Sadness; anger; confusion; resignation... all these emotions and more come to mind, and I'm just an observer. I can only imagine what it must be like for those personally involved in the case.

I have to confess that since joining Blogs for Terri, my enthusiasm was waned for lobbying on behalf of her parents. Please don't get me wrong -- I still believe that active euthanasia is wrong. And if the claims made by Terri's parents are true, I still oppose the decision to remove the tube.

But recently, a Blogger I respect greatly raised some troubling points that I just can't ignore. Smallholder at Naked Villainy presents arguments with regards to Terri's medical state of which I was not aware. I would encourage those who, like me, have been on the other side of the issue, to read the entry and consider it. If they are true, I have to concede that I also would question the wisdom of continuing to keep her alive.

However, while he has given me pause to doubt, I do feel obliged to respond and raise a point or two for him to consider:

Smallholder begins his post with the comment "The intent was to highlight the point that those who want the government to intervene in the dying process are hardly acting conservatively - inasmuch that conservatives generally believe in individual free will and a minimum of government intrusion in our lives."

I agree, but this assumes that we're talking about an individual's own free will and choice. The argument being made in this case (right or wrong) is that dying WASN'T Terri's choice, and that the government SHOULD prevent someone else from imposing THEIR will on Terri. Whether this is actually the case or not is, of course, the crux of the entire saga.

Smallholder asserts that the overwhelming weight of medical evidence was on the side of Terri's husband, and that no valid contrary medical opinion was offered in court. On the other hand, I have also read that such evidence and opinions have been put forth but that the court, or rather the specific judge presiding, refused to entertain them. In either case, my sources (Smallholder and his opposites) are all third party at best, so I'm not sure what to think.

Here is what I now pray for: Wisdom and peace and healing. I pray that the truth, whichever story it may support, would be known. I pray that the officials and medical staff in Florida would have the wisdom and compassion to do the right thing -- whatever that may be. And one way or the other, whatever the outcome, I pray that God would heal those involved -- Terri's husband, her parents, all those involved, and especially, that He would heal Terri. I do believe in miracles, and I don't believe we can control their occurrence by either maintaining or removing a feeding tube.

One final thought. Last night as I watched the News, Geworge Stephanopoulos reported that, because Congress passed a law preventing removal of the tube, but passed two different versions and then adjourned, Terri's husband could proceed with the removal of the tube. There was, it seemed to me, a smirk on his face and a smug tone in his voice.

No matter which side of this case you're on, that doesn't seem to me to be the proper sentiment to convey right now.

The Beginning of the End

Well, today's the day. Today at 1:00 PM EST, by court order, Terry Schiavo's feeding tube will be removed, and she will begin to starve to death.

I'm not sure what I'm feeling about this right now: Sadness; anger; confusion; resignation... all these emotions and more come to mind, and I'm just an observer. I can only imagine what it must be like for those personally involved in the case.

I have to confess that since joining Blogs for Terri, my enthusiasm was waned for lobbying on behalf of her parents. Please don't get me wrong -- I still believe that active euthanasia is wrong. And if the claims made by Terri's parents are true, I still oppose the decision to remove the tube.

But recently, a Blogger I respect greatly raised some troubling points that I just can't ignore. Smallholder at Naked Villainy presents arguments with regards to Terri's medical state of which I was not aware. I would encourage those who, like me, have been on the other side of the issue, to read the entry and consider it. If they are true, I have to concede that I also would question the wisdom of continuing to keep her alive.

However, while he has given me pause to doubt, I do feel obliged to respond and raise a point or two for him to consider:

Smallholder begins his post with the comment "The intent was to highlight the point that those who want the government to intervene in the dying process are hardly acting conservatively - inasmuch that conservatives generally believe in individual free will and a minimum of government intrusion in our lives."

I agree, but this assumes that we're talking about an individual's own free will and choice. The argument being made in this case (right or wrong) is that dying WASN'T Terri's choice, and that the government SHOULD prevent someone else from imposing THEIR will on Terri. Whether this is actually the case or not is, of course, the crux of the entire saga.

Smallholder asserts that the overwhelming weight of medical evidence was on the side of Terri's husband, and that no valid contrary medical opinion was offered in court. On the other hand, I have also read that such evidence and opinions have been put forth but that the court, or rather the specific judge presiding, refused to entertain them. In either case, my sources (Smallholder and his opposites) are all third party at best, so I'm not sure what to think.

Here is what I now pray for: Wisdom and peace and healing. I pray that the truth, whichever story it may support, would be known. I pray that the officials and medical staff in Florida would have the wisdom and compassion to do the right thing -- whatever that may be. And one way or the other, whatever the outcome, I pray that God would heal those involved -- Terri's husband, her parents, all those involved, and especially, that He would heal Terri. I do believe in miracles, and I don't believe we can control their occurrence by either maintaining or removing a feeding tube.

One final thought. Last night as I watched the News, Geworge Stephanopoulos reported that, because Congress passed a law preventing removal of the tube, but passed two different versions and then adjourned, Terri's husband could proceed with the removal of the tube. There was, it seemed to me, a smirk on his face and a smug tone in his voice.

No matter which side of this case you're on, that doesn't seem to me to be the proper sentiment to convey right now.

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

...Especially with regards to after hours medical facilities.

Today it's the Peace Health (go figure that's what Eugene's biggest medical provider is called) Pediatrics Evening Clinic. The Lad has been fussy, colicky, and runny all day, and so instead of quaffing a Guinness for St. Pat's, I'll be sitting in a sterile room.

God, I love this kid. Need further proof?

Slainte!

To all my fellow Bloggers and readers of Irish extraction, a Happy Saint Patrick's Day, and one of my favorite Irish blessings:

May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead!

LadBlogging

So neither I nor The Feared Redhead slept well last night, thanks to a series of alarms from The Lad's apnea monitor. in all cases, he was breathing the whole time. On the one hand, I'm ready to chuck the thing out the window, on the other, I'm afraid that the day after the monitor is DC'ed, he'll stop breathing for real and we'll wake up to find him dead.

I knew I was giving up sleep, spontaneity, and disposable income when I signed up for parenthood, but must they take my sanity too? Those Fates are bitches!

In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion????

As you may well know, my beloved home state is famous, among other things, for rain (Astoria Oregon gets twice the annual average rainfall of Seattle). Well, this winter's been a bit different. All during late February and early March, the weather has been unseasonably pleasant -- I'm talking sunny days in the 60's and 70's. And while a bit of that is nice, it was starting to concern me, and still does -- we're probably facing a drought this summer. Furthermore, I actually enjoy rainy weather in winter -- it's bracing, refreshing, cleansing, and lends perspective to summer's sun.

But today, when I left the house, it was chilly enough to warrant a jacket. At work, as the day wore on it was even chilly inside -- a fact I attributed to the A/C being abused. But no.... a while ago, I turned from my desk to the window to see that the sky was dark, and the glass streaked with water. It's raining.

Now THAT'S the Oregon I know and love. Welcome back, you beautiful, stormy wench!

All Pretense "Stripped" Away

Thanks for the Memory to Ace via the Llama Butchers.

There was a day and age where I found Doonesbury amusing, if slanted. That was so very long ago. For years, Doonesbury has been the Keith Richards of comic strips, dead but unready to actually stop breathing.

Finally, someone has written an obituary.

HungerBlogging

Today is the day of the Hunger Strike for Darfur. Since I chose to participate, I decided I'd blog on the experience.

Sunday Morning I was given the opportunity by my pastor to present the hunger strike to all of the members of my church. Many in our congregation fast on Wednesdays anyway, so it seemed a perfect match. While I'm politically active, as a Christian I believe in God's ability to move hearts and change minds, so I decided to couple the political act of a hunger strike with a fast. Today I will be praying for Darfur.

This morning I forgot what day it was and accidentally broke the fast before it began. I don't feel so bad since it was a very small amount of food (a bag of fruit chews and a mug of hot chocolate), and immediately resolved to resume the fast for the rest of the day. I was tempted by free muffins at work, but abstained.

Also remembered to go over to the Darfur website and register as one of the hunger strikers, and left a message that I was doing this to show solidarity with htose suffering in Darfur.

How noble that sounds, eh? Rot. I'm fat, I'm well-fed, I'm rich by world standards, and one measly day without food will in no way help me experience for myself the plight of those being starved. But that was the best I could come up with on the spur of the moment.

No, this isn't about me "identifying" with those in Darfur, this is about me using every proper political and spiritual means available to me to try to help. This is like writing my congressman (note to self....) or writing a letter to the editor. It's not heroic, but it helps. I feel like I just tossed another starfish back in the ocean.

UPDATE:

I received the following email back after signing up to fast for Darfur (I added the emphasis in bold):

Dear Darfur Hunger Striker,

Thank you for making a small sacrifice today to spark the world’s conscience. Whether you are fasting alone, at work or at home, with friends or family, know that there are over 2,000 people across the United States acting in solidarity with you and millions of people in Darfur counting on actions like yours to bring them justice. You should feel proud.

Going without food for a day is not easy - our stomachs are already rumbling! But we can only imagine the deprivations and dangers faced daily by the victims of the genocide in Sudan. Everytime you feel hungry or refuse an invitation to eat something today, why not use the opportunity to tell someone why you are fasting and about what is happening in Darfur?

Response to the fast has been overwhelming and we've decided to open it up so people can fast any day from today through Sunday. If you know people who are not fasting today but you think may want to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur, please forward them the link below so they can join in this action:

http://www.darfurgenocide.org/MarchStrike.html

Don't forget that you can help spread news of the fast by contacting your local media or passing out flyers. You can download everything you need, including advice about dealing with the media, from our website at:

http://www.darfurgenocide.org/media.html

Good luck, and best wishes

Tuesday Morning Coming Down

For the last week and a half, my mother has been here visiting, getting to know her new grandson. She flew out of Eugene Mahlon-Sweet Field this morning at 6:35 AM. I already miss her.

Since my father died and I moved back to Oregon, I've seen my mother three times including this visit -- once in the fall of 2003 when we buried my father's ashes. that Christmas, and this visit. We won't see her again until Christmas.

I grew up living, except for one short period, thousands of miles from my grandparents. And though I've always adored them, I was never a s close to them as my cousins. I don't want that for my son.

A Thousand Words Redux

Thanks for the Memory to DFO at Huckleberies

Another Little Piece of My Blog

Apparently my old post explaining the title of this blog has been getting more attention lately than when I posted it. Thanks to one of the more recent comments, I feel compelled to respond here instead of there.

First of all, David, thank you for the words of encouragement, and thank you for the update to your Blog title. As per your request, a little about me. For my regular readers, you may learn somehting here:

My name really is Brian, my last initial really is B. I'm 36, a native of Oregon (born in Roseburg), living in Springfield Oregon. My father was a pastor, so I moved all over the western US as a kid, living ins Southern and Northern California, Southern Idaho, and Southern Oregon. I graduated from High School in a small town near Roseburg back in 1987. After a short and ill-fated stint in college, I ended up living in San Diego, CA for 12 years. It was while there that I was introduced over the phone to my future bride (Known around these parts as The Feared Redhead), who was living in the Minneapolis area at the time. We were married in July of 1999. In July of 2001, my father died of either a stroke or heart attack (no autopsy to be sure), and TFR and I moved back to Oregon. Life was hard as we made the move with no jobs waiting, but we hung on and eventually found work. We are now the parents of a 6-week-old baby boy (The Lad) and a 3-year-old Lhasa Apso (Little Big Dog). I work as a tech support agent for a software company, TFR is on maternity leave.

We're active in our church, and I have several hobbies, including cooking, wine tasting, Role Playing Games, and BLogging. I'm politically conservative, and was an active volunteer for President Bush' reelection campaign. We also believe in personal charity, and give as often as we can to organizations like Samaritan's Purse.

I did return to college later in life, and did much better (even making Dean's List), but time and financial restraints have prevented me from completing a degree.

So for all of you who have read me but never knew some of these things about me, welcome to me.

Quote of the Week

Some people just love to use their right to speak freely to fret about the horrible effects that freedom might have on people who live in places where you can get your fucking tongue cut out for criticizing the government?

John from Wuzzadem, in a comment over at Ace's.

Come Together Right Now

Some of you who follow my comments sections may have encountered some comments by Library Mary. If you read her comments, you'll soon reach the conclusion that she is politically to the left of me, yet is civil in her dissent.

That's partly because she's just a damned decent person, and partly because she's one of my oldest and dearest friends.

Well, today she forwared an email to me. I have decided to post it here because it provides an opportunity to get involved in an issue I believe in:

Dear Friends,

Recently, you were moved enough by the tragedy in Sudan to visit DarfurGenocide.org and take action. Thank you so much for this, we're writing now to tell you about a new opportunity to make a difference.

The situation in Darfur is one of continued horror. The massacres continue, and
a "final solution" of man-made famine is looming over the 2 million refugees crammed into towns and camps.

We can stop this crime, but it will take effort. A first step is to join together to stage the largest one-day hunger strike in US history on Wednesday, March 16th. Please demonstrate your solidarity with Darfur and sorrow over enforced starvation in Sudan. Click below to sign up for the fast and put your dot and testimonial on an online map of America:

www.darfurgenocide.org/MarchStrike.html

Political pressure is needed now and together we can make a difference. Next week is a big week for Darfur: new legislation (the Darfur Accountability Act) is being introduced in Congress with new measures to pressure the Sudanese government, the UN will be voting on whether to impose additional sanctions on Sudan, and Congress is also voting on how much money to budget for food aid and peacekeepers in Darfur. The moment is crucial, and yet recently our government has been easing up on pressure on Sudan. A nationwide fast sends a strong message to our leaders that we want real results for the suffering people of Darfur. Click below to participate:

www.darfurgenocide.org/MarchStrike.html

Once you sign up, you can also help spread the word by forwarding this email to 5 friends, writing letters to your Congressperson, distributing a flyer (available on our website) in your community, or telling your local press about your decision to participate in the fast. Thank you so much for doing something about this horrendous tragedy. We CAN stop it.

Sincerely,
The Res Publica Team
www.darfurgenocide.org
www.therespublica.org

I have been convinced for some time that Darfur was one issue on which the Left and Right could and should agree. What's going on is genocide and must be stopped.

Sweating Bullets is Bad for Your Complexion

Since The Lad was born, TFR has been on unpaid leave. She planned on taking 3 months off. Given our income, this has been a bit of a challenge, but between depleting savings, racking up some temporary debt, other creative budgeting techniques and tightening our belts, I figured we could do it.

Until today.

Today, TFR called and gave me an update on a meeting that occurred between a coworker and her boss. Based on the outcome of that meeting, TFR will probably not be going back to the same job on May 2 as planned. Here's why:

TFR is an esthetitican. For those of you unfamiliar (namely my fellow straight males), she is trained and licensed to perform skin care services at a spa -- facials, blemish extractions, and waxing services. For you ladies, gays, and metrosexuals out there who know just how obscenely expensive yet essential these services can be, you might be interested to learn that the average commission earned by estheticians for these services is 40%-50% of the cost of the service. Based on those costs, and the amount of time it takes to provide the service, that averages out to omewhere in the neighborhood of $18 per hour here in the Eugene area.

TFR makes nowhere near that. This despite the fact that she has a phenomenal reputation -- she has clients who are not only return clients, but who refuse to see any other esthetician. Clients who have moved out of the Eugene area yet still drive down from Portland and Salem on a monthly basis to see her. She suspects, but has no way of confirming, that she's probably one of the 100 best estheticians in the state.

So it was decided by her and her coworker, who also has an excellent rep and loyal clientelle, to ask for $20 per hour, settle for $18, and quit for anything less.

The Spa owner has not given an answer yet, but the odds are it will not be satisfactory.

Which means that I may be the sole breadwinner for longer than expected. And I'm unsure that my income will be able to support us for long.

Please pray, loyal readers.

A Thousand Words

Thanks for the Memory to Chris Muir at Day by Day.

Attention Bloggers!

Just When I Thought That I Was Out

They Pull Me Back In.



Thanks for the Memory to Drudge. Costarring Little Green Footballs.

*Sigh*
So much for the hiatus. It happened in the Northwest, and it involved TuhRAYzuh Heinz-Kerry: how was I to not blog on it? Joel Connelly of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (one wonders which definition of the second word applies) writes on Her Craziness' recent visit to Seattle. Below are a few quotes from the column, with my impressions in italics:

What made Teresa Heinz Kerry so refreshing to some voters, and threatening to others on the 2004 campaign trail, is summed up when THK talks about her speech to last year's Democratic convention:

Personally, I never felt threatened by her. If I was a Democrat, on the other hand...

"Nobody told me what to do," she told a Saturday fund-raiser here.

You don't think it might have been that much of what you did/said was "I-Am-Napoleon" crazy?

Heinz Kerry flew into town on her own Gulfstream jet (the Flying Squirrel, named for a Sun Valley ski run) direct from a conference on global philanthropy at Stanford.

A more appropriately named aircraft never flew.

She talked energy-efficient building design with Seattle Art Museum boss (and old friend) Mimi Gates. She dined at Wild Ginger and flew back east with takeout food from the Third Avenue restaurant.

As LGF's readers observed, the irony drips from those two paragraphs like crude oil. Energy efficiency? Private jet? Did the subject of John...er... the family's SUV come up?

At a lunch for Rep. Adam Smith, guests were treated to more spicy observations than will likely be heard at all fund-raisers under the Westin's roof from now to the 2008 presidential race. A sampling:

Oh, please, Dahling, keep talking!

"You cannot have bishops in the pulpit -- long before or the Sunday before the election -- as they did in Catholic churches, saying it was a mortal sin to vote for John Kerry," she said.

....

"The church has a right and obligation to teach values," Heinz Kerry declared. "They don't have a right to restrict freedom of expression, which they did.

But you think their freedom of expression should be restricted when it comes to criticism of your hubby? Moral and logical consistency aren't your strengths, are they, T?

Heinz Kerry is openly skeptical about results from November's election,

Somehow I doubt her concerns extend to the results of Washington's gubernatorial election...

"Two brothers own 80 percent of the machines used in the United States," Heinz Kerry said. She identified both as "hard-right" Republicans. She argued that it is "very easy to hack into the mother machines."

Before marrying into the Heinz fortune, Heinz Kerry went by the moniker Acid Burn.

Heinz Kerry is still steamed at what the Republican attack machine did to her husband.

"Think about last year," she said. "Once John had his nomination, the Republicans spent $90 million to destroy his reputation."

Ummm.... Rayzuh Dear... If, as a Dem, you're going to throw those stones, I'd avoid spending time at the homes of Dan Rather or George Soros... they're still sweeping up broken glass.

"We have to develop a discipline for this party, so the people of this country know more clearly what it is to be a Democrat," she said.

Maybe the problem is it's already all too clear, ya think?

Classic Heinz Kerry -- spouting off baseless, self-contradictory, often vitriolic babble, reacting with shock and contempt when people reject it for what it is, then somehow viewing their reactions as justification for continuing on the same path. Personally, I am delighted that TuhRAYzuh continues to speak her mind. If we can just keep her in the public eye, between her and Howard Dean, the Democratic party will be wearing a kimono in a quiet room, writing a final haiku as their wakizashi waits by 2006.

Cross-Posted at Head West, Turn Right.

One final note: Even as I was preparing to break my self-imposed silence with this post, my good friend Cameron at Way Off Bass was already blogging on it, and suggesting that my quote is perfectly applicable to The Contessa. I couldn't agree more, though flattery will still get you nowhere, Cam.

Makes Brian Something Something II

Folks, I'm feeling a bit burned out, so I'll be taking a blogging hiatus. Sorry, but I just don't have the energy, I can't think of anything to say, and nothing has me excited (positively or negatively) enough to Blog. I will try to keep it short, just a few days, Please be understanding.

On His Watch

Thanks for the Memory to GOP Bloggers via the Jawa Report:

"It happened on George W. Bush's watch"

It was a popular line of the Left for the last couple of years. So let's just see what else has happened on Bush's watch:

1. Afghanistan held its first-ever modern democratic election.

2. Iraq held a true democratic election for the first time in 30 years.

3. The Palestinians freely elected a leader.

4. Saudi Arabia will hold its first ever national election in November.

5. Lebanon's pro-Syrian government resigned, paving the way for free elections.

6. Libya scrapped its WMD programs.

7. Egypt is now allowing challengers on the ballot, paving the way for the first-ever multiparty presidential elections.

Whither Blogger?

Can anyone tell me what happened to the Blog King of Fools?

A Question Regarding the Stupidity That is McCain-Feingold

So if by blogging for/linking to a candidate's site, I'm making a campaign contribution, do I get to write it off on my taxes?

Verbal Tea

Thanks for the Memory to the Llama Butchers.

I did fairly well on The Commonly Confused Words Test:

English Genius
You scored 100% Beginner, 86% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 77% Expert!
You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For answers to the Beginner section only (the first ten questions), visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/. I will post the answers to the other questions as soon as possible.

Head... Swelling... Must... Resist... Gloating....

You Can Have My Blog When You Pry The Keyboard Out of My Cold, Dead Hands!

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades.

You may or may not be aware of the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. It was a law that was SUPPOSED to help clean up our electoral process by eliminating "soft" money, slush funds, etc. What it has done instead is open up a whole slew of new ways for special interests to influence campaigns. Many have argued it infringes on First Amendment freedom of speech. Until now, I didn't know enough about those arguments to agree or disagree. That just changed.

bloggers and news organizations could risk the wrath of the federal government if they improperly link to a campaign's Web site. Even forwarding a political candidate's press release to a mailing list, depending on the details, could be punished by fines.

Apparently a federal judge has ruled that such activity constitutes a contribution to a campaign by the Blogger.

Rubbish.

I do not get paid to blog. I do not pay for the use of the server where my blog is located. I am not contributing anything more than my time and my "voice". The only difference between what I do when I blog about a candidate I support and what I do when I sit at a phone bank and make calls is the medium of communication. Are we then to suppose that next it will be a violation of McCain-Feingold to put a Bush or Kerry sign in our yard? Please.

I'll admit it took a personal touch to get me involved in this issue, but not because I was previously unwilling -- just uninformed.

This isn't a conservative vs. liberal issue. This should matter to you whether you're to the left or the right, red state or blue. This is about an attempt by a small-minded judge to curtail an exciting new avenue for citizen participation in the democratic process.

Bin Kennedy

Thanks for the Memory to James Taranto via the Llama Butchers:

"Our military and the insurgents are fighting for the same thing--the hearts and minds of the people--and that is a battle we are not winning."--Ted Kennedy, Jan. 27

"Thousands of mostly black-clad Iraqis protested Tuesday outside a medical clinic where a suicide car bomber killed 125 people a day earlier, braving the threat of another attack as they waved clenched fists, condemned foreign fighters and chanted 'No to terrorism!' "--Associated Press, March 1

No, Ted, you are NOT winning that battle.

But we Americans ARE.

So the Oregonian's not All Wet After All

Thanks for the Memory to Gullyborg at Resistance is Futile!

The Portland Oregonian has published an editorial by Michael Arrieta-Walden that is guardedly pro-Blogger.

For once I can be proud of news coming out of my home state.

Gray Hair and a Gray Hare

Thanks for the Memory to Woody over at The Inner Dad. He has some good insight on the disturbing news that Warner Brothers is planning to revamp Bugs Bunny.

I remember once reading an essay that argued that Bugs Bunny was the ideal American man -- clever, witty, loyal, resourceful, and unflappable in the face of insurmountable odds. I've been a Bugs fan my whole life, and cried when Mel Blanc died. Even as an adult, watching Bugs Bunny cartoons helped me maintain some tenuous contact with my childhood.

I'm not, you can imagine, thrilled by this news.

Blegging for Info AGAIN

Is there anyone out there with legal training who might give me a bit o' free advice (no, this isn't about the camera)?

A Darned Good Question

Thanks for the Memory to Mark at Head West, Turn Right.

David Brooks asks, or rather repeats, an excellent question:

Why Not Here?

Afghanistan
Iraq
Georgia
Ukraine
Egypt
Cairo

The disease known as Freedom is highly infectious. Where do you suppose it will break out next?

Terri Schiavo: An Update to the Vigil

Thanks for the Memory to BlogsforTerri for the update:

Notice of Hearing - Terri Schiavo Guardianship Case

Announcement from the Schindler's media office
March 4, 2005 at 1.30pm ET (GMT-5) in Judge Greer's courtroom, the following will be heard:

- Emergency Expedited Motion to Compel depositions of Michael Schiavo and Jodi Centonze
- Emergency Expedited Motion to permit Terri Schiavo to receive rite of Extreme Unction in compliance with her religious faith
- Emergency Expedited Motion for permission to provide food and water by natural means
- Emergency Expedited Motion to permit Florida burial without cremation
- Emergency Expedited Motion for limited media access to Terri and visits with her family
- Emergency Expedited Motion to allow Terri to die at home
- Emergency Expedited Motion to not remove feeding tube when nutrition and hydration are terminated
- Expedited Motion for family access to Terri while she is dying
- Emergency Expedited Motion for permission to photograph and video record Terri with her family
- Emergency Expedited Motion to request the appointment of a medical witness

A half-day hearing has been scheduled to address these items.

Keep praying, folks, and keep raising your voice. Time is running short, but while there's life there's hope. Don't let them snuff it out.

Short Circuit Citied

I took the camera in to Circuit City last night. I had purchased what they called a "service contract" when I bought the camera, so I hoped it would cover damage not covered by a warranty. No such luck. Even though they call it a service contract, even though the literatur with it says free repair, it's really just an extended warranty and so does not cover accidental damage. So now I'm out the $319 for the camera, the $109 for the contract, and I have no camera to record the growth of my newborn son. I'm going to scrape up the means to replace the camera, because it means so much to me and TFR to have those memories.

But you can bet money on where the camera will not be purchased.

Waaaaaay Too Much Information

You learn the weirdest things when you check your Sitemeter. Apparently I'm the #1 result ( or at least one of my posts is) if you google "american folklore about farting".

Good News, Bad News

The good news:
The Lad was just at the pediatrician's today, and tipped the scales at 9 lbs. 4 oz. Per the doc, we can now let him sleep until he wakes up instead of waking him to eat every 3-4 hours.

The bad news: She's checking his blood for anemia because he continues to have apneas. However, she suspects it's caused by the quick, shallow breaths he makes when he's hungry and isn't even apnea.

The WORSE news:
I am unable to comply with requests for pictures as I have managed to damage our digital video camera (I use it for stills too). I have a service contract for it, so I'm hoping Circuit City can repair it, but for now it means I don't get to play "Papa"-razzi.

Thanks for the Memory to NW Republican.

If you thought that Washington had cornered the market on election corruption in the Pacific Northwest, you thought wrong:

Secretary of State Bill Bradbury was the recipient of thirteen letters from the state GOP detailing alleged election laws violations, including two candidates, Senator Joanne Verger and Senator Laurie Monnes-Anderson, who spent tens of thousands of dollars of in-kind donations not reported until after the election.
Other campaign in - kind donations received by a number of legislators, including Ryan Deckert, also violated election laws, according to the Oregon GOP.
Laundered campaign money was received by Judy Steigler ($12,300) and others.
Representative Chuck Riley neglected to report $2,000 of media buy expenditures.

The same Bill Bradbury (D) who obstructed the efforts to put Nader on Oregon's ballot.

Oh, I'm sure he'll get right on this.

The Consent of the Governed

Thanks for the Memory to a member of my church for forwarding the following link to me.

On the 17th, William Federer presented an excellent essay over at TownHall regarding the Terry Schiavo case. I commend it to you now. Usually I try to avoid Nazi comparisons when discussing politics (I think the rhetorical tendency to equate ones opponents with the Nazis is usually a cop-out), but in this case, I can see the parallels, especially since Federer actually compares the current situation to attitudes in the Pre-Nazi Weimar Republic. He argues, I believe rightly, that the precendent set erodes further our society's belief in the sanctity of life, and esptablishes a precedent by which those in power can determine who should and shouldn't live based on some esoteric scale of their relative worth as a human.

Terry's case isn't about letting someone who is already dead be removed from life support. It isn't about letting a teminal patient "die with dignity". It's about someone deciding she should die because her life isn't "worth living" anymore. And that is a frightening precedent to set. Furthermore, it flies in the face of the philosophy on which our nation is founded:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

(Bold added)

Self-evident.
Equal.
inalienable.

Do these words no longer mean anything to us? If we decide that Terry is better off dead because she has suffered brain damage, because her mental capacity is diminished, we have refuted the "truth" that she is our equal, and that her right to life is inalienable. If we deny these truths in her case, what's to stop us from denying them in other cases? And once we've gone there, how long will it be until these truths are no longer self-evident whatsoever? What protection do any of us have under the law at that point?

Electric Sheep

(A Movie Review -- SPOILER)

TFR and I rented and Watched I, Robot this weekend. I had avoided it because I had heard it plays pretty loose with Aasimov's original story, and assumed this meant it wasn't very good. I tend to be a purist when it comes to such matters (I'm still trying to forgive myself for enjoying LOtR), but I have never actually read the original novel, so I gave in and we watched it.

Altogether a pretty entertaining movie. It's morte of an action flick set in a sci fi background than a true SF movie. The issues raised by the Three Laws are actually, within the context of this movie, little more than a vehicle for delivering the car chases, gun battles, super-gee-wiz FX. The "villain" is supposedly taking over as a logical extension of the Three Laws, yet is blithely violating them in her willingness to eliminate those who stand in her way. And the ending was predictable, since the moment they introduced "VIKI" I knew they'd have to destroy her. There's a fine line between foreshadowing and telegraphic the plot.

All in all, it's a diverting movie and lots of fun to watch, but don't expect it to make you think as much as it tries to.

Not Alone

As luck would have it, I've found another conservative Blogger here in Eugene. He's been kind enough to link me, fair's fair. Go give Gullyborg a read.

My Butt is Sore...

Time to get off the fence.

For some time, I have remained silent regarding the Terri Schiavo situation on this Blog. My reason for doing so was that I knew too little about the specifics of her condition to feel qualified to speak. I am a firm believer in the right to make the NHM decision, to specify that if I am ever brain dead and on a machine, TFR is to make damned sure they unplug that machine, since I'll already be home by then. But over the last few days, reading up on the situation, I have reached the conclusion that Terri is not brain dead, she is not in a coma, she is not on life support -- she is still there, in her body, alive, and it is wrong to kill her. Then I came across this post at the rightwing nuthouse, which, along with several others, convinced me it's time to throw in with Terri's Supporters. I know, I know, that carries as much weght as a pigeon in a tornado, but I believe it's the right thing to do. So I am going to apply to join Blogs for Terri. I encourage my fellow bloggers to do the same.

Quote of the Week

Thanks for the Memory to Darth Apathy.

Also unlike Raines, Rather and Jordan, Gannon has appeared on TV and given a series of creditable interviews in his own defense, proving our gays are more macho than their straights.

-- Ann Coulter

Top Ten List for Thursday, February 23, 2005

Inspired by a comment by my good friend Darth Apathy in response to my post from earlier today. He suggests I should move to Texas. In response, I humbly submit, in pictorial form (except for # 10, it's a hypertext link),

TOP TEN REASONS I AM NOT GOING TO MOVE TO TEXAS:

10.

9.


8.


7.


6.


5.


4.


3.


2.


1.

My Ears Are Bleeding!

Yesterday while staying home with the lad (Who is just fine, by the way. His pediatrician thinks we may have a faulty monitor), I watched the History Channel program Wild West Tech. Yesterday's episode was "Massacre Tech", and covered several famous/infamous massacres in the old west. It was quite interesting.

And then it happened.

David Carradine was talking about a massacre that happened in Hells Canyon, and made reference to it as "Eastern Ora-gone"

*shudder*

I know, I know, that's how it's pronounced on every old western movie. And occasionally in the modern media. But it's not how it's pronounced by those of us who live here. I'm not sure quite how to convey to non-Oregonians how much we hate this pronunciation of our state's name, but I'll try.

Imagine if you will a giant chalkboard laying flat on the ground. Now imagine that Susan Esterich and Alanis Morissette, both wearing ice skates, are having a cat fight in the middle of this chalkboard, as Celine Dion sings and a thousand band saws cut into the edges of the chalkboard.

This scenario is only mildly irritating compared to the average Oregonian's reaction to "Ora-gone". So please, remember: Say it like "organ" or "Orygun".

Ora's still here.

Light Posting Day

This will be my last post for the day. The Lad had five apnea episodes yesterday, so we spent all night in the hospital. I'm taking the day off to rest and help care for him.

A Thrilla of a Grilla, or I've a Beef

Outside of the Larger cities of the Willamette Valley (namely Eugene, Salem, and the Portland Metro Area), Oregon is suprisingly Red State, and culturally closer to the Mountain West than to California. That's reflected in one of the annual promotionals run by Les Schwab Tires, a regional tire store chain. It's Free Beef Time at Les Schwab! A couple of years ago here in Eugene, a local bike shop tried to lampoon it with Fre Tofu Days. It flopped.

So this year, with the tires on the Moronmobile going bald, I decided to buy their replacements at Les Schwab, both because of the free beef and because I like supporting local and regional businesses. But there was a bonus. They're having a drawing to give away a bunch of these:



It's a Traeger Lil' Tex barbecue. It's not gas, it's not charcoal -- it uses wood. Wood pellets, to be precise. They're made right here in Oregon, and apparently they're quite popular even in traditional barbecueing regions. It's a true barbecue, not just a grill -- you can smoke, slow barbecue, or grill on it.

And I want it.

Oxymoron of the Day

'Miss America' May Become Reality Show

...

...

...

I don't even know where to start.

Your Weekly Dose of Baby Stuff

Wow. TFR just called, and in the last 5 days The Lad has gone from 7 lbs. 12 oz. to 8 Lbs 5.8 oz.

That's my lad!

It really is a trip being a father, but it's the coolest trip I could ever take. TFR has been wonderful, taking the graveyard shift feedings so I can sleep, while I take the morning feeding before leaving for work, and the evening feedings (Except the one during which I'm cooking). Teamwork definitely is a must for raising a kid.

He's still not quite getting the hang of nursing, so we are supplementing with a bottle using a mixture of formula and breast milk. Interesting consequence: Family trips are limited to distances with a round trip travel time that fits between scheduled pumpings, unless there is a destination or place to stop which can accomodate said pumping.

The other night, The Lad and His Dad had a moment. He was snigglued in my arms, staring up at me, and the moment seemed to warrant a lullaby. So Dear Old Dad sang to Chay the most beautiful song he could think of on the fly. It's a song he hopes his son grows up to love as dearly. It goes like this:

O! Say can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there. O! Say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

That Thumping Sound

Is my head banging against my desk.

Back during the first days after the birth of The Lad, my good friend Vulture 6 exhorted me not to turn Memento Moron into a Daddy Blog. Alas, according to Sobek, I have failed. I suppose Seppuku is in order? Yet not one to wallow in my "sin", I've made an effort to cut through the sleep deprivation fog and blog about other stuff. Yet since I returned to work and to blogging about other issues, my traffic has dropped, my comments have dropped, and at least once a week I get, "So when are you gonna blog about the kid more?"

So howsabout a compromise: I'll post a weekly update on the progress of the Lad, and you folks comment at least once a week on something other than how darn cute he is.

Deal?

S is for Sedition

Thanks for the Memory to the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.

This is truly sad. Apparently a young soldier (the brother of one of Emperor Misha's readers, as it turns out), serving currently in Korea, received apackage of letters from an elementarty school in New York. I've been told there are few things more bolstering to morale than receiving letters from home. Unfortunately, these letters were not all of a supportive nature:

That changed when he opened the envelope and found missives strewn with politically charged rhetoric, vicious accusations and demoralizing predictions that only a handful of soldiers would leave the Iraq war alive.

This is utterly shameful. I know that the left argues repeatedly that they support the troops but oppose the war. And I'm sure there are many who truly believe that. But they need to be made aware of the fact that there is an undercurrent within their political stream that does NOT truly support the troops. Incidents like the harassment of a recruiter at Seattle Community College, the Pearsalls, and this, indicate that there are plenty of people willing to direct their anger and disapproval directly at the troops.

The school from which the letters were sent has tried to distance itself from the controversy:

The JHS 51 teacher, Alex Kunhardt, did not return phone calls, but the school principal, Xavier Costello, responded with a statement:

"While we would never censor anything that our children write, we sincerely apologize for forwarding letters that were in any way inappropriate to Pfc. Jacobs. This assignment was not intended to be insensitive, but to be supportive of the men and women in service to our nation."

This is a cop-out. These are schoolchildren in a classroom, not adults exercizing their free speech. This was an ASSIGNMENT. If the teacher had the authority to assign these children to write the letters, he had the authority to ensure they were appropriate to the stated intent of the assignment. Since he obviously did not, I can only reach one of two conclusions: Either he shirked his duty to review the letters, or he himself approved of their content.

In either case, he's not conveying the kind of message I hope my child learns some day.

Do's and Don'ts

An excellent Blog has come to my attention by merit of the Blogger's comments here. I commend to you The Chairman's Corner. Thanks for the Memory to the Chairman for sharing an excellent editorial written by Charles Colson for Breakpoint, Moral Equivalency: The Religious Left Gets It Wrong.

Colson addresses the Sanctity of Life Vs. Social Justice argument. To explain this argument, Colson makes reference to Jim Wallis, editor of the left-leaning Christian magazine Sojourners:

Wallis’s favorite argument, as reported in the Times and elsewhere, is that the Bible makes more than three thousand references to poverty—far more than abortion or homosexuality—and yet religious conservatives, in his opinion, are obsessed with the abortion issue. So, says Wallis, the religious left is more in tune with the Bible than are conservatives.

Colson's counter-argument is that the issue of abortion has a higher moral priority, and that furthermore, from a Christian viewpoint, support of abortion removes the moral authority from which to speak concerning the poor. It's a well-made and compelling argument, and one with which I am inclined to agree. However, I must admit it is a point I had previously failed to note in my own rationale for becoming a political conservative.

Interesting note: Back in the late 1980's and early 1990's, at the time in my life when I was the most active in religious pursuits (I was aspiring to become a missionary, in fact), I was also the furthest to the left politically I've ever been -- for much the same reason as Wallis. I remember marching in an anti-abortion rally in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1987, piously holding up a sign which read "Totally Pro-Life", proclaiming that I opposed abortion, war, the death penalty, nuclear proliferation, and eating grapes picked by oppressed migrant workers. I read Sojourners and the Door and World Christian, attended Ubana in 1987, and even wrote in Tony Campolo for president in 1992.

So what changed my mind? What led me to the "Dark Side", to reject the liberal emphasis on social programs while still opposing abortion? Unlike Colson, I never thought through the issue of varying degrees of morality between the issues. For me, it had to do with the difference between making people do the right thing and preventing them from doing the wrong thing. I fully believe in helping the poor, and do so actively, to the degree that I am able. But I don't believe it's proper for the government to decide who is or isn't poor enough to merit my help, and I am skeptical regarding the efficacy of their methods of providing that help. That's what I mean by making others do right -- the essence of Socialism. On the other hand, abortion is an active wrong -- one living being killing another living being. I am not making someone extend themselves to do good, I am preventing them from doing bad.

Men's hearts may be dark, and that is their own business. When it becomes my business, nay, our business, is when they try to snuff out another's light.

The DNC: Only MOSTLY Dead

Thanks for the Memory to Wizbang! via the Llama Butchers.

Why, oh WHY am I completely unsurprised that this happened here in Oregon?

Protester Throws Shoe at Richard Perle

Apparently, during a debate in Portland between Howard Dean and Richard Perle, a protestor had to be forcibly removed from the event after throwing a shoe at Perle.

Wizbang has some video footage of the debate, but they're not sure if it contains the shoe incident. However, based on information contained in the AP article, I think I have discovered the identity of the assailant:

Perle had just started his comments Thursday when a protester threw a shoe at him before being dragged away, screaming, "Liar! Liar!"

Hymnal

One of the things I like about the little church TFR and I attend is the fact that the pastor, who also leads worship, likes to mix a few old hymns in with the newer praise and worship tunes. Yesterday, we sang one of my favorites, My Hope is Built. So I decided I'd share a list of my 10 favorite (non-Christmas) hymns, in no particular order:

Doxology (Old Hundred)
All Hail The Power of Jesus Name
A Mighty Fortress
Amazing Grace
Be Still My Soul
O the Deep Deep Love of Jesus
It is Well
The Old Rugged Cross
Standing on the Promises
My Hope is Built

Let's Call The Whole Thing Off

Last week I posted a soup recipe which Maximum Leader of Naked Villainy agreed to try and review. I'm hoping he didn't get around to it, since I left out a key ingredient, a can of stewed tomatoes. The recipe has been corrected.

Bus STOP!

I take the bus to work every day (aka the Petri Dish on Wheels). This morning as I arrived at the bus stop down the street from the Moron Cave, another rider was already at the stop. She apparently didn't feel well, because she was coughing. She was coughing hard. She was coughing one of those coughs that manages to be phlegmy and yet harsh and raspy at the same time. She was coughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face, and eventually she coughed so hard she puked, right there at the bus stop. So what did dhe do after she got the coughing to stop? You guessed it. She lit up a cigarette. I'm so freaking glad I never started smoking.

So I climb onto the bus, and find a seat. Across the aisle from me is a young couple, and the woman is coughing almost as badly as the passengert at the stop was. All up and down the bus, people were coughing with various degrees of intensity. I immediately thought of my new son and his health and all the yummy germs I probably bring home to him.

I can't wait until the weather permits me to climb back on my bicycle every morning.

Miles to Go Before I Pay

Thanks for the Memory to Vodkapundit via The Wheat Rye Guy.

Cross-Posted at Head West, Turn Right.

Yesterday I added my Widow's Mite of opinion to a discussion over at Vodkapundit's Blog regarding a proposal by the state of California to tax people based on the number of miles driven, a proposal inspired (ironically enough) by decreases in gasoline tax revenues caused in turn by an increase in the fuel efficiency of newer vehicles. I not only expressed my misgivings regarding such a concept, and furthermore, my dismay that my own home state of Oregon is experimenting with such a tax. However, after reading an article in the Seattle Times (which one of VP's readers provided) regarding Oregon's experiment with the concept, I am forced to admit that for once Oregon's normally wacky state government may be on the right track. If I may be permitted to explain?

I preface my explanation by saying that in concept, road tolls or a mileage tax like this make more sense to me, and seem far fairer, than a gas tax. This is because tolls and mileage taxes charge the users of roads specifically, and charge them based on how much they use the roads. Those who benefit directly are charged directly, and in direct proportion to the amount of benefit they receive. My objections to, or rather my concerns over, such a mileage tax, have more to do with practical considerations regarding its implementation and unintended consequences that need to be addressed. The Devil is, after all, in the details. The article addressed some of those concerns, and my own reflection on the issue caused a further shift.

My first concern is that if such a tax is implemented, it would be a tax in addition to gas taxes, rather than a replacement. I'm all for re-applying a necessary tax with a more equitable form of taxation, but I'm hesitant to increase taxes unless absolutely necessary. However, the article clearly points out that in the case of Oregon's experiment with the tax, it would be a replacement for the gas tax, not an additional tax.

My second concern has to do with the unintended result such a tax might have of discouraging the use of more fuel efficient vehicles. But upon further reflection, I realized two things. First of all, if the mileage tax is a replacement tax and not in addition to a gas tax, this is not so much of an issue. Secondly, I came to the realization that opposing such a tax based on this objection would be intellectually inconsistent on my part, and here is the reason why:

I don't beleive a tax should intentionally be engineered to specifically encourage or discourage a given behavior. If by engaging in a given behavior individuals create a material burden on the general public, I have no problem with taxing that behavior in order to mitigate that burden. And if such legitimate taxation happens to have the side effect of causing the individual to reconsider the behavior, that's a bonus. But taxing the behavior JUST to discourage it, that smacks of stateism to me. If I am to be consistent, then I cannot oppose a tax simply because implementing it fails to reward GOOD behavior.

My final concern was regarding the practicality of implementing such a tax, particularly for drivers of older cars. The article addresses that as well, stating that if implemented, it would only apply to new vehicles, while older vehicles would still pay a Gas tax.

In conclusion, I still have some concerns regarding the implementation of such a concept. And while the article allayed some of those concerns, it raised others. If all of those concerns can be and are addressed, I believe that such a tax, if implemented AS A REPLACEMENT FOR a gasoline tax, is not so bad an idea.

Apologies

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, folks. Still not 100% accustomed to operating in New-Father-Sleep-Deprivation-Zombie-Mode, and I just can't quite figure out what I want to say or what sunbject I want to pursue.

A Question Regarding the Civil War

UPDATE:
The Following Post was originally posted way back on September 14, 2004. Soon after I posted it, Naked Villainy's Smallholder emailed a response to me which I thought was very thoughtful response, which I chose to add to the post. At the end of this post you'll see today's update.

This post is going to be a bit different for me. I want to ask a question of those who read my blog, and let the real meat of this post be in the comments.

As anyone who read my post on books will know, my interest in the American Civil War has been piqued only in the past ten years or so. Growing up in a portion of the country where no battles were fought, from which no regiments were sent to fight, a part of the country that was in its infancy when the war was being fought, it never had the personal impact on my heritage it does for easterners, not until you start learning about it on your own.

One of the issues that interests me most is the issue of the causes of the war. This is a source of great debate anmong historians, I do not as of yet have a concrete opinion on this. I am aware of the issues of Federal power vs. States rights, the sanctity of the Union, and slavery. I am aware of how ones regional heritage affects ones views of these issues (if you live back east especially).

What I'm curious about is this: Let us assume for the moment that the issue of slavery was secondary, and that it only served to bring to a head the other issues. If that is the case, what, if any, domestic issue would have served to bring those issues to a head if the issue of slavery had not existed. In other words, if you are of the opinion that the country was a powder keg, and slavery was merely the fuse, then what other fuse could have touched off the powder keg if slavery had not?

I wait to be taught.

UPDATE:

Smallholder of Naked Villainy had quite a bit to say, and my comment section wouldn't hold it, so I have posted it here (as usual, I have a few replies to it of my own, in italics):

First of all, the issue is NOT a source of great debate between historians. I am unaware of a single professional, peer-reviewed historian working today who challenges the contention that the war was against slavery.

Granted. Most of the people I hear spouting the "States Rights" issue today are southerners and amateur historians (nothing wrong with that, that's the best I can claim for myself, as well).

There were some historians writing after the war -- “The Lost Cause” school who focused on other issues and there were several historians who wrote about the provocations of the North when viewing the world in a post-World War One light.

Many Sons of the Confederacy would like to obscure the issue because it is hard to realize that grandpappy fought for an evil cause. But the circumlocutions of the amateurs don’t unmake the reality of history.

The states rights issue is not the real issue; states rights, except perhaps for George Mason, has rarely been an end in itself; American history is replete with examples of the states’ relationship to the federal government being used as a fig-leaf to hide real motivations.

James Madison and the other framers of the Constitution insisted on ratification by conventions of the PEOPLE of the states rather than ratification by state legislatures precisely to avoid the use of state prerogative to void the will of the national government – they met in Philadelphia to replace a government rendered impotent by state prerogative.

But James Madison and his mentor Tom Jefferson were more than willing to revive the corpse of states’ rights when the Alien and Sedition Acts threatened their political party. The Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, which awakened states rights, were very much a partisan political calculation. That partisanship can also be seen as sectional since the South heavily supported the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists were heavily supported by Northern mercantile interests.

The Democratic-Republican support of states’ rights bit them in the rear when the Northern states came to believe that they had nothing to gain and everything to lose from the war of 1812 and threatened (vaguely) secession at the Hartford Convention.

The issue of states rights popped up again when Georgia (with a wink and a nod from President Jackson) refused to abide by the Supreme Court’s decision on Cherokee removal. President Jackson wasn’t so indulgent when South Carolina nullified the Tariff of 1832, threatening military enforcement.

As the calls for abolition began to gather momentum in the North and the South’s peculiar institution became more and more entrenched socially, politically, and religiously, the South did try to use the concept of state’s rights to protect African enslavement. But it was a means, not an end. When federal power seemed likely to promote slavery, the South was eager to renounce the concept of states rights.

Examples of Southern support of federal supremacy can be seen at the outrage generated when Northern governors were reluctant to send funds and state militiamen to prosecute the Slavocracy’s land grab against Mexico in 1846.

I'm not the only one who noticed that, eh?

Southerners certainly supported federal supremacy when Roger Taney ruled that states did not have the right to outlaw slavery within their own boundaries, opening the entire union to legal slavery in the Dred Scott decision.

Southerners certainly supported federal supremacy when many Northern states sought to nullify the Fugitive Slave Law.

So states’ rights, while certainly discussed – and I know the Southern partisans are turning to old Army of Northern Virginia Newsletters to find quotes about their hero’s dedication to abstract legal principle – were used only with the intent of advancing the South’s real cause: the protection of perpetual bondage.

In other words, the rank and file soldiers of the Confederacy may have believed that State's Rights is what they were fighting for, but the real root cause really was slavery?

But I’m unlikely to convince anyone who proudly flies the Confederate flag with these examples. They will say a resident of Wisconsin is only trying to blacken the reputation of the noble antebellum South.

To which I respond:

Perhaps we should ask the leaders of the noble antebellum and South – and the secession movement -- what they thought was the cause of the war. A quick review of the primary sources created by the state legislatures of the time finds that the people who led the Confederacy had a very clear idea of what they were fighting for.

South Carolina’s Secession Ordinance is one long litany about the wrongs of the abolitionists – a conscious emulation of the Declaration of Independence’s indictment of the George III. Read it yourself at: http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/reasons.html

South Carolina was not unique. Other ordinances of secession, while not as longwinded, also indicate that slavery was the central cause of the war. Georgia’s declaration of the reasons for secession says:

“The people of Georgia having dissolved their political connection with the Government of the United States of America, present to their confederates and the world the causes which have led to the separation. For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slave-holding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery.”

Mississippi concurred:

“Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world.”

Texas also knew what the war was about, starting their diatribe against abolitionist “incitement” with:

“She (Texas) was received as a commonwealth holding, maintaining and protecting the institution known as negro slavery-- the servitude of the African to the white race within her limits-- a relation that had existed from the first settlement of her wilderness by the white race, and which her people intended should exist in all future time. Her institutions and geographical position established the strongest ties between her and other slave-holding States of the confederacy. Those ties have been strengthened by association. But what has been the course of the government of the United States, and of the people and authorities of the non-slave-holding States, since our connection with them?”

If the primary documents are so clear, why are we still having this discussion?

1) I like to stir up trouble.

2) I was curious to see if any of the people who discount the role of slavery could come up with anything.

Update 2/15/05:

While Libertarian Girl has never read my post, she seems to agree with Smallholder. Her Readers do not. Especially not Old Blind Dog or The Unabrewer or the LCD.

I'm still just watching. :-)

Yet Another Update:

Back on Sunday, Merc's Place had yet another take on the same issue.

Update on the Vulturette

I just got off the phone with Vulture 6, who's at the hospital with the Vulturette. Tanya got out of surgery at 3am this morning, and she's doing well. Her femur was pretty much shattered right above her knee. There were ten large bone fragments and numerous smaller fragments that had to be repaired. She now has several pins holding the bones together, and a steel plate running up the length of her femur.

Brian and I will try to post updates as we get them.

-Darth Apathy

Recipe of the Week

While I was off for a week, I did manage to develop a good recipe. I thought I'd share it with all of you.

A bit of background is in order. A week or so before TFR went into the hospital, we had made homemade pizza. One of my favorite pizza toppings is linguicia, a spicy, cooked Portuguese sausage that is sliced or shredded and compliments pepperoni well. Unfortunately, it doesn't like me as well as I like it, especially on pizza, so I have to be sparing with it. I had purchased some for the pizza, but was only able to use half of it. Here's what I did with the extra link. I'm sure you could also use anadouille or Italian Sausage, maybe even kielbasa:

UPDATE:
I had to correct one part of the recipe. After the herbs and broth are added, bring to a boil, reduce heat, THEN simmer, THEN salt and pepper to taste.

Brian's Sausage Soup

1/2 lb Linguicia, sliced or shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup sliced baby carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery, leaves included
1 12 oz beer (I used a Hefeweizen, any blonde or amber colored beer should do)
1 large or 2 medium russet potato(s), diced but not peeled (usually I rinse potatoes when I dice them. DO NOT RINSE the potato for this recipe!*)
2 cups chicken broth or stock
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
salt
pepper

in a small soup pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Brown the sausage, then remove to drain on a plate covered with a paper towel. Sautee the onions, celery, and carrots until the onions are clear and the vegetables are sweating. Remove and drain over the top of the sausage. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pot, cook the potatoes until brown. Remove the potatoes and drain with the sausage and vegetables. Deglaze the pot with the beer. Add the cooked ingredients back to the pot, along with the broth, tomatoes, and herbs. bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. makes 4-6 servings.

*The reason I don't rinse the potatoes for this recipe is because the excess starch makes an excellent thickening agent.