The Chicken or the Egg of Power Politics

Everyone knows the old saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It's accepted wisdom, and our culture not only accepts it, we promulgate it in our popular mythos -- Citizen Kane, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington -- and and attention paid to the way things are done in D.C. seem to merely reinforce the assertion.

But recently I've begun to question whether we might have the paradigm reversed. Take a look at the corruption rampant in government, especially in the highest levels of government, and ask yourself if the people involved truly were corrupted by their power, or were many of them corrupt to begin with, and used corrupt methods to get where they are? Look at the political strategies used to win elections -- destroying your opponents personally, lying, voter fraud, the list goes on and on.

I'm beginning to believe that power does NOT corrupt. Rather, sadly enough, corruption empowers.

A Glimpse of the Future

Socialized Medicine in America

Democratic Redefining of Words...

This time it's not a question of what the meaning of the word "is" is... it's the word "Immdiately".

Protection Racket

A tip of the Toque to Gateway Pundit via Pundette:

IBD Editorials has sounded the alarm regarding a very disturbing little paragraph in the Obama healthcare package:

...The provision would indeed outlaw individual private coverage. Under
the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the
"Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:

"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance
issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if
the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year
the legislation becomes law.

So let me get this straight. If you want insurance, your choices will be to stick with what you have, find work for a company that provides group insurance, or go on the government plan. If you HAVE a n existing individual plan, and you decide to make any changes to it, your choices are narrowed down to two: the governmnet plan, or a corporate group plan. And if you work for a company that doesn't have a plan, or goes with the government plan, or if you want to be self-employed, your choice is down to one -- the government plan.

But this is all about "preserving choice", not forcing socialized medicine on everyone.

And it gets better:

Fox News: Americans who refuse to buy affordable medical coverage could be hit with fines of more than $1,000:

Americans who refuse to buy affordable medical coverage could be hit with
fines of more than $1,000 under a health care overhaul bill unveiled Thursday by
key Senate Democrats looking to fulfill President Barack Obama's top domestic
priority.

So not only are your options narrowed down to one plan, you're going to be fined if you don't choose a plan -- but there's only one plan to choose from. How is this NOT forcing us all into a government-run socialist program?

I absolutely LOVE the 1984-esque terminology:

Called "shared responsibility payments," the fines would be set at least
half the cost of basic medical coverage, according to the legislation. The goal
is to nudge people to sign up for coverage when they are healthy, not wait until
they get sick.

The Nanny State meets the Protection Racket. This administration aned congress are like Mary Poppins and John Gotti on a cross-country spree. They're like Boy Scouts gone bad -- they're going to help the little old lady across the street, and htey're going to bust her kneecaps if she declines.

This is what you voted for, America. This is what you elected. Did you really want this, or were you tricked, were you seduced, were you awed by the facade marble columns and the stern gaze into the future? Well, either way, this is what you brought upon yourselves.

Hope?

Change?

Meddling.

Coercion.

Are you going to stand for it? Has Obama made an offer you can't refuse?

Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel Is Just Scratching the Surface

A tip of the Toque to Gaius at Blue Crab Boulevard.

The WSJ has published an excellent OpEd piece by Mort Zuckerman on why the unemployment figures alone don't tell the whole sad story. I left a comment over at BCB, and I'm going to repost it here to share my personal perspective on what Zuckerman is saying, especially when he writes:

- The number of workers taking part-time jobs due to the slack economy, a kind
of stealth underemployment, has doubled in this recession to about nine million,
or 5.8% of the work force. Add those whose hours have been cut to those who
cannot find a full-time job and the total unemployed rises to 16.5%, putting the
number of involuntarily idle in the range of 25 million.

Count me among those underemployed who have accepted part-time work out of desperation. After taxes, I’ll be taking home almost exactly what I was drawing from UI each week, but there’s something psychologically lifting about earning it as opposed to “receiving” it.

One of the things I’ve noticed that I don’t hear being discussed is how this unemployment level is allowing the few employers who ARE hiring to be much, much pickier about whom they hire. On one end of that spectrum, I can recall at least 2 or 3 jobs where I was told that htey really really liked me, but that someone else had been JUST THIS MUCH more ideal for the job. On the other hand, one place where I interviewed later informed me they had decided to reject ALL their interviewees and re-post their ad, confident they’d get a new crop of applicants.

This means that less experienced workers, entry-level people (even people like me who have just recently finished training in a new career) have to compete with more seasoned workers for jobs that used to be our chance to get a “foot in the door”.

It also means that employers can, and do (often of necessity) offer lower per hour wages for jobs that used to pay much better.

So yeah, the official unemployment figures alone do NOT tell the complete story. And that story is even bleaker.

Musical Geography Trivia Question

Where did you pull out of late one night, if the moon and the stars was shinin' bright, and where was you drivin' if you were passing cars like they was standing still?

Quote of the Day

"India and China are both experiencing a sort of rebirth after centuries of
neglect and decay, but that doesn’t mean they are “teenagers” on the world
stage. As a matter of fact, both countries’ refusal to jump on the self-abnegation in the name of Climate Change (peace be upon it) bandwagon might actually stem from ancient cultural awareness of what constitutes bullshit."

- Andrea Harris, at Spleenville, regarding Indian and Chinese reticence to jump on the Global Warming bandwagon

Brave New World

A Tip of the Toque to Gatordoug at The Daley Gator.

And I thought Al Gore wask nutters. But apparently, the man that Community Organizer in Chief Obama has picked as his head advisor on science and policy issues is... well, just scary.

These ideas (among many other equally horrifying recommendations) were
put forth by John Holdren, whom Barack Obama has recently
appointed Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy,
Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and Co-Chair of the
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology -- informally known as
the United States' Science Czar. In a book Holdren co-authored in
1977, the man now firmly in control of science policy in this country wrote
that:

• Women could be forced to abort their pregnancies, whether they wanted
to or not;
• The population at large could be sterilized by infertility drugs
intentionally put into the nation's drinking water or in food; • Single mothers
and teen mothers should have their babies seized from them against their will
and given away to other couples to raise;
• People who "contribute to social deterioration" (i.e. undesirables)
"can be required by law to exercise reproductive responsibility" -- in other
words, be compelled to have abortions or be sterilized.
• A transnational "Planetary Regime" should assume control of the
global economy and also dictate the most intimate details of Americans' lives --
using an armed international police force.

And this is the man who has the ear of the most powerful man on the planet.

Hope.

Gainfully Employed

I just got a call from a place where I interviewd yesterday -- I've been hired. I start training on Monday. It's only part-time for now, so my paychecks will probably not be any more than my unemployment chacks have been, to start, but the hours should go up in the fall, it's a foot in the door, and quite honestly, money earned at a job feels better than unemployment insurance.

Smooth Move, O!

A Tip of the Toque to Gaius at Blue Crab Boulevard.



Not to be known as merely a domestic policy whiz, Obama has set out to be a master of global politics as well. And what a success that's been! The latest? At the G8 summit in Italy, he gave Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi the brushoff. One of America's staunchest allies over the past 60 years has been Italy, and this is how he treats her leader? Amazing.



So he snubs an ally, but is buddy buddy with anti-American tinpots, and toadies up to dictators.

Meanwhile, his reaction to the violent supression of Iranian students protesting their stolen election was timid and cautious out of a desire not to appear "meddling", but as soon as the Supreme Court and military of Honduras, with popular support, moves to prevent their president from circumventing their constitution, Obama and his SoS jump RIGHT into the fray in support of the would-be usurper. What happened to not wanting to appear meddling, Prez?

So this is what Obama meant when he said in his campaign that he wanted to restore America's image. And he HAS -- right back to the way it was in the Carter years, when our image was of a has-been superpower who abandoned its friends and caved in to totalitarian bullies.

And the world has taken notice of this "Restoration". Iran has stepped up its rhetoric and forged ahead with its nuclear program, N. Korea has defiantly tested new missiles -- some on the Fourth of July, the significance of which is, I'm sure, intentional on their part. And our European allies have accepted that if they're going to get out of the hole they've dug for themselves, they're going to have to do it themselves, without relying on America as they have been -- witness the leadership displayed by people like the German Chancellor in response to the Iranian protests.

How (not) to win friends and influence people.

UPDATE:

It gets... better?

If Only

*Sigh*

Reading? Don't Make Congress Laugh

A Tip of the Toque to Gatordoug at The Daley Gator.

Apparently, House Democrats find the idea of reading a bill before voting for it amusing. Not just dismissable, as it was when they approved the stimulus bill, but this time, regarding the massive health care bill, completely laughable.

This is the telling comment:

“If every member pledged to not vote for it if they hadn’t read it in its
entirety, I think we would have very few votes,” Hoyer told CNSNews.com at his
regular weekly news conference.

Well, gee, Congressputz, does that tell you something about the bill?

We elect you and pay you, ostensibly, to actually consider the legislations put before you carefully, soberly, and decide on them after you are sure you understand their ramifications and believe they are the right course. And your response to that expectation is to laugh in your constituents' faces?

I hope the good people of Maryland remember this come 2010, and laugh all the way to the polls as they throw this bum out. And I hope the rest of America's voters consider what their own congresspeoples response in this situation would be.

Quote of the Day

"Where I to publish a text simliar to the Declaration of Independence, and call it my “manifesto,” I would undoubtedly be placed on numerous watch lists as a fringe extremist!"

- Steve B at Tattered Bits of Brain

Quote of the Week

"National office will dwindle down to the unhealthily singleminded (Clinton, Obama), the timeserving emirs of Incumbistan (Biden, McCain) and dynastic heirs (Bush). Our loss."

- Mark Steyn at NRO

Go read the whole thing. It sums up in a much more erudite anf far less angry ranty way my own feelings regarding Sarah's resignation -- although I think he captures the right level of bitterness very well.

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

[Happy Fourth of July. Please don't forget what makes it special. - BNS]

Anchors Aweigh

On this most important of weekends for AMericans, I am posting this in memory of my father and grandfather, both of whom served in the Navy.

Sweet and Fresh

I finally got around tonight to working on a recipe I've been mulling over in my head for quite some time. The idea was to take a savory dish and make a sweet dessert version. It started back when I noticed the similarity in appearance between the juices of two specific fruit. From there, I thought about parallels in appearance and texture between other sweet and savory produce. The result was a tasty cold dessert soup:

Fruit Gazpacho

2 cups pureed seedless watermelon
1/2 cup seedless watermelon, fine dice
(even seedless watermelon has a few seeds -- I know -- so make sure they're removed)
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and fine dice
1 large Fuji apple
1/4 cup strawberries, fine dice
1 tbsn sugar
1 pinch salt
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp finely chopped fresh spearmint

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the apple. This is an inmportant point since the lime juice will prevent the oxidation of the apple. Peel, core, and dice the apple (fine dice). Serve in a chilled bowl and garnish with mint sprig.

Serves 4-6

Job Hunt

Had an interview on Thursday and two more today -- a retirement home, a residential facility for mentally handicapped adults, and a winery restaurant. All three have positives and negatives to them. I'll hear back starting around Friday.

Portland, Oregon

Jack White and the great Loretta Lynn. Pity country stations wouldn play this or any song off her album "Van Lear Rose", because it didn't fit their definition of "country" (which these days is damned little else than pop with a southern twang), and ironic that an icon of rock music, a genre so often mocked by "country" singers, showed her greater adoration.

Miss Loretta, Ma'am, thank you for the song.

The Sunset Side of the Mountain

My sentiments exactly. As a country western fan, I've grown tired of the way "country" music has evolved to represent southerners as the last vanguard of rural America. Despite the "Left Coast" culture of our cities, the Western US is still very much country.

And yes, we really are the sons and daughters of the pioneers.

Where There's Smoke There's Flavor

Fired up the Old 97 (my smoker) today and made pulled pork from a picnic ham -- not as good as a Boston butt would have been, but I was nonetheless please with the outcome. I've become much better at pulled pork and ribs than at brisket. And strangely enough, I'm ok with that, since in the last couple of years I've developed a preference for pork over beef. And I'm still perfecting my Northwest riff on barbecue. Tonight it was pulled pork (smoked with alder, cherry, and apple) with blackberry barbecue sauce and coleslaw with dried cranberries on potato bread, sweet corn on the cob, and grilled asparagus. Of course we had sweet tea, but I think if I really want to go with the Northwest theme, I should be growing and making my own spearmint tea.

I Love My State, But I Think We Should Start Seeing Other People

A Tip of the Toque to ZZMike in the Comments over at Oregon Guy:

Even the folks at the Wall Street Journal are noticing how bad things are here in lil' ol' Oregon. Now those of you who aren't local can see why the job hunt has been so challenging for me. Unemployment almost as high as Michigan, taxes higher than anywhere but New York City? I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up. Right now TFR's income is keeping our heads above water, but since she works in a "luxury" service industry, on commission, she's been seeing smaller paychecks, and we're starting to have to make decisions about what we can afford to keep doing or not. Unless things get better soon, we don't know if we can even afford to stay.

But where can we go? My family live in... wait for it... Michigan. And eleven years in San Diego taught me something important: I can't live somewhere that makes me miserable, no matter how much I make. Maybe for a year or two, but not for much longer. Oregon is the only place I've ever felt was "Home", and the things that define it regionally are the very properties that make it feel that way -- the forests and mountains, the pace of life, the solitude, the mild climate. I would be hard-pressed to find anyhere else with this combination of facotrs.

But unless things pick up for TFR and I find work soon, I may have to bite the bullet and start looking beyond Oregon.

Bring The Noise

Ok, I got this idea from a comment on Fox News. I'm not sure how effective it is, but it's worth a shot.

Most, in fact almost all, of the information coming out of Iran regarding the uprising is being sent via the internet, mostly social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc. and the government is doing everything they can do to crack down on it -- tracking down the tweeters, bloggers, etc., and doing what they can to shut them down.

So the suggestion that was made was for those of us in the west who blog, twitter, facebook, etc. to change our location to Tehran and our time zome to GMT+3:30. The idea is that any time you post, it creates one more hit that appears from within Iran that the authorities there have to investigate and try to block (good bloody luck, you savage bastards: I'm out of your reach. Here's hoping you fail in your attempts to quell your people's urge for freedom).

So if you're reading this, and you blog, or tweet (or whatever it's called on Twitter), or have Facebook or MySpace, I'm asking you to follow suite and change your settings. And if you're an Iranian who stumbles across this site, we're with you: The world is watching, the world is behind you, the world wants you to win your freedom. And if you're an Iranian censor, here's hoping I made your job all that much harder.

Obama Plays Neighbor to Iran's Kitty Genovese

A Tip of the Toque to Another Black Conservative.

Dammit.

Apparently, the pleas of the Iranians mean squat to Obama. He's afraid that anything he does, or hell, even SAYS, stronger than expressing "concern", will appear to be "Meddling". The presidential election of a country on the verge of being a nuclear power is stolen, its people take to the streets in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, only to be attacked by truncheon-wielding security forces, and he's worried that we might offend someones sensibilities.

Go back to my post yesterday, and follow the link to Boston.com's photo essay. Click on the photos that have the strong content warning. Tell me that isn't more offensive than anything the President might say to Iran.

Meanwhile, IowaHawk converts Obamas politicospeak into sports lingo.

Quote of the Day Decade

A tip of the toque to the Llama Butchers.

"I CRY SO MUCH.I SHOUT VERY LOUD.I DIE EVERY DAY....
YAS,IM AN IRANIAN GIRL.
HELP US.SOMEONE HELP US.THEY KILL MY BROTHERS.THEY KILL MY SISTERS.THEY KILL MY PEOPLE.SOMEONE HELP US.
SOS
SOS
SOS
SOS
SOS
SOS
SOS
SOS
SOS
SOS
SOS"

- Melika, a commenter at a Boston.com article on the protests in Iran.

If this doesn't break your heart, I have no hope for you. Don't turn your heads. Don't wait for it to pass. Keep watching, keep speaking out, keep supporting the Iranians, keep the fires burning.

Moments like this only happen once in an era for any country. What happens next is still up in the air. This could be another Boston Tea Party, another Velvet Revolution, another Berlin Wall falling down -- or it could be Prague 1968, it could be Russia, it could be the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, it could be another... Tiananmen. Does the uprising survive? Is it crushed? Does it evolve into Democracy, or does it devolve into chaos? Time will tell. But one thing is for sure: If we in the West do not support the Iranians, do not help them get the word out, do not put pressure on our politicians to keep up the pressure on the government of Iran, Iran very well COULD end up being just another Tiananmen, a massacre at the hands of the security troops.

The Iranians are shouting: they're shouting for their freedom; their voice; their vote. But they're also crying: crying for help; for succor; for shelter; for support.

Don't turn a deaf ear to them now. Don't think that if we let them fall back into tyranny and terror that we won't pay the price ourselves some day. "Then they came for the Jews...."

Feeling Pretty Down

Received an email rejection today for a job for which I interviewed just before we left for Florida, one I really wanted. So far, since the layoff, I've submitted close to 50 resumes and applications, and only had 3 interviews. In one of those three, I was rejected before the interview was over, and in the one that was mildly promising, I'll probably have to settle for part-time work instead of full-time, because of this trip.

One of these days I'm going to write an autobiography, and entitle it "How to be Worthless by 40".

Finally Got to See Gators

Yesterday we went for a nature walk/interpretive tour at Six Mile Cypress, a 9-mile long slough that leads from the Caloosahatchee (sp?) to the Gulf. Among the different things we saw were several young (1-2 years old) alligators. Today we went to a working ranch and nature preserve called Babcock Ranch and saw several adults, including a big 7-footer. We also got to hold and pet one young gator they've been using for orientation presentations, he'll be ready to release soon. I was amazed at how soft their skin is.

Tomorrow we visit the Ford & Edison Winter Estates, where my in-laws are volunteer docents. Saturday's a rest day, Sunday and Monday will be spent at Busch Gardens in Tampa, and Tuesday we fly home.

Tomorrow I'll be hearing back about the job opportunity for which I interviewed just before leaving. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Having Now Tried Gator....

No, it DOESN'T taste like chicken. At least, not to me. OK, maybe a little like dark meat chicken, but it reminded me more of very tender pork, with maybe just a hint of chicken and catfish to it. A little sweet, surpisingly tender. I'd have enjoyed more of it, but The Lad wolfed down half the plate.

Gulf Coast Impressions

Well, as of tomorrow, I'll have been on the Gulf Coast of Florida for a whole week, and so far my impressions have been favorable. Sure, in some ways it has disappointed, but it has pleasantly surprised me just as much, and lived up to my expectations in other ways, so on the average the impression is favorable:

The one thing I wanted to see more than anything else was a wild alligator. Has not happened yet.

I have been told repeatedly by my wife that this is a much better place than the Pacific for hunting for seashells. While I readily admit that the variety of shells here is far greater than in the cooler waters of the Pacific Northwest, the surf here has proven so far to be as harsh as any with regards to the natural destruction of shells.

Florida drivers are frickin' insane. Seriously -- they scare me, and not in an "I'm impressed and intimidated" way, but in an "I fear for my life" way.

Ft. Myers reminds me of a cross between San Diego and Houston, but with a fraction of the population. Ft. Myers Beach in particular reminds me of Mission Beach/Mission Bay in San Diego, and Sanibel and Captiva Islands remind me a lot of Coronado. But with smaller crowds. And friendlier people. And humidity.

Lord, have sweet mercy, the humidity. And it isn't even "bad" yet. Thank Merciful Jesus I'll be gone before that benchmark is reached.

Haven't seen a gator yet. I want my money back.

It's odd to be in a place with an about even mix of southern and New York/New Jersey accents. Every time I meet someone, I'm waiting to see if they'll greet us as "Y'all" or "Youse Guys".

I can't compare it to Oregon, it's like apples and oranges (never was there a more fitting metaphor, given we're talking about Florida and the Pacific Northwest), but I can compare it to California, and may my mother forgive me, but I think I prefer Florida. With a caveat:

If you only want to, or can only afford to, live in one place year round, and want more varied options in terms of act9vities, including activities normally not associated with beaches or the troppics, pick Cali. Skiing, wine country, the desert, mountain climbing, Yosemite, etc. If you can pull off the snowbird thing, or are happy with a warm, summery, beach-style lifestyle, head for Florida. I swear I'm transmorphing into Jimmy Buffet. This plase is like (San Diego-Crowds)x(affordability+friendliness).

Yesterday was my 41st Birthday, and after taking me to dinner, the Inlaws gave us a walking tour of Downtown Ft. Myers. Friday nights is Art Walk night, so all the galleries were open to the public late, and giving out free hors d'ouevres and minimally priced "Adult refreshments". Relax, California and ORegon, wine is the one arena in which you still kick Floridian hiney. HOWEVER, I have a new favorite cigar maker. Rocky Patel is out of Bonito Bay, Florida. His Connecticut 1997 (Connecticut shade wrapper, Nicaraguan filler) was one of the smoothest, mildes smokes I've ever had, and it was only $8 in a shop where my old fave (the Macanudo Hampton Court) was $11, yet the Rocky compared favorably to it.

I haven't been following politics too closely. Did Obama apologize for American arrogance and aggression in invading France, a country that wasn't even our enemy, back in 1944?

Anyone know where I can see an alligator?

I even got flirted with last night, by someone other that TFR. A woman complimented me on my Panama hat (authentic, made in Ecuador as all real Panama hats are), and gave me that sly, sweet smile. Obviously, I merely thanked her and went my merry married way, but still and all, it was a damned nice boost to what is these days a very bruised ego.

Florida's too damned flat for me to live here year round, but I could see myself snowbirding some day.

Speaking fo the flat terrain, it's weird being able to see weather coming, and going, and missing you by miles, so far off. As a son of the mountains, I'm used to having my weather give me maybe 10 minutes warning, tops, before it's on top of me.

Still waiting for my gator sighting.

But tomorrow, I get to eat what I have not yet seen -- they appearently serve gator nuggets at the Ft. Myers flea market. Yum....

Really wish we could get down to the Everglades before we head home, but we don't have the money for an airboat, and without that, I'm not sure it's worth the trip.

I am still in communications with a job opportunity back home that I really, really, really, REALLY want. Keep me in your thoughts/prayers.

Where's Sous-do?

As you may have noticed, I haven't blogged in nigh unto a month. So where am I, ad up to what have I been?

Well, as you all know, I was job searching immediately following my layoff from the school job. I found a tentative part-time position, starting later in June, but in the meantime I'm still exploring other options.

All of that is on hold for the time being.

Well prior to the layoff, TFR booked us tickets to visit her parents, starting on the 31st of May and extending until June 16th. That is where we currently are -- the tickets are non-refundable.

My In-Laws live in Ft. Myers, Florida.

The trip has had its ups and downs -- mostly ups -- but let us dispense with the downs.

To save money on airfare (a significant amount), we took the red eye from Portland to Houston, leaving at 11:45 PM PDT and arriving at IAH at 5:30 AM CDT. I did not sleep a wink. I finally slumbered on the drive from Tampa to Ft. Myers. I still have not completely adjusted to the time change, and find myself unable to sleep at night and nodding off at various inopportune moents throught the day.

On the other hand...

I've slept in every morning. Happy hour starts at 4 PM. Daily activities consist of lounging by the pool, swimming in the pool, grilling near the pool, and eating/drinking as we gaze at the beautiful sky beyond the pool.

I'm partially wresting with guilt and frustration generated from not yet being gainfully employed, but between months of unabated work and weeks of nearly fruitless job searching, this is my first real vacation in quite some time. I'm also enjoying the Florida climate more than I expected -- this early in the season, it's not THAT muggy yet. I could easily see myself wintering in Florida and summering in Oregon.

Hell, if I had the money, I would retire today.

The Latest News From the Job Front

So here's what's happened:

The interview and the call-back both went well. The position os for a new restaurant that opens in early June, training starts May 30. Unfortunately, I'll be out of town the first two weeks in June -- we purchased non-refundable tickets to visit my in-laws.

But they want to hire me, so they're going to contact me when I return, and fit me into the schedule then. It will probably be part-time at first. but with the opportunity to advance quickly. Meanwhile, I continue to fill out applications and send out resumes in case I find something that's a better fit.

That's My Boy!

It's been a while since I updated my readers on The Lad. Well, it's been over four years since his birth, and he's growing into quite a wonderful boy -- sweet, very tender-hearted, good to his mother, bright (SCARY smart at times), with a surprisingly well-developed and wicked sense of humor.

And he's definitely his father's son. He insists on helping me in the kitchen every time I cook. When he plays, he plays at "cooking". When he pretends to salt his "food" while playing, he doesn't shake a salt shaker -- he pinches with his fingers and rubs them together. And today, he REALLY proved that I've raised him well.

The weather was glorious -- close to 80, I'd guess -- so we spent a lot of time outdoors -- we went to the park, went garage sale hunting. On our way home, we pulled up at a stop sign when the smell of smoke came wafting into the car. This wasn't charcoal smoke, this was real wood smoke -- oak, I'd guess, from the aroma. Before I could comment myself, The Lad chimed up, "Do you smell the barbecue?"

I'll make a pitmaster out of him before he can legally drink!

Takin' It To The Street

So the cooking audition fell through -- the company has been put on a hiring freeze, they may or may not call back in a few weeks. And the other two interviews went nowhere. So today I'm back out dropping off resumes.

This really sucks. I knew about the summer layoff when I took the school job last summer, but what I DIDN'T know back then was that the economy would tank and the job market dry up by THIS summer. I figured I'd have little trouble finding seasonal work. Instead, I'm right back where I was this time last year, scrambling to find work, and wondering if I'm EVER going to make a career move that doesn't go from promising to dead end in the short time it takes me to transition into it.

What I had hoped to do, and still may if I end up back at the school in the fall, is save up, buy a small concessions trailer, and start doing my own selling at fairs, festivals, etc. -- I'm convinced that the only way to really secure my future is eventual self-employment.

So out the door I go -- wish me luck.

Ohhhh... Halfway There

Thanks to everyone who's keeping me in their prayers. Do far, so good -- two interviews down, one to go. Both went well, I think they liked me. The first place definitely is a more attractive option, for reasons I'll get into once I've heard from them.

Only one thing has me a bit nervous: at the first place, the chef wants me to come back next Thursday and cook for him, and it will be Black Box, which means I'll show up, he'll have ingredients ready for me, and away I go. I've never done that in this kind of setting before -- sure, I've done it in school, I've done it ON the job, and I've worked a stage before, but I've never had to cook black box to GET a job before. It has me a bit nervous and intimidated, which is not a good start, since self-confidence is obviously one of the qualities he'll be watching for.

I really, really, really want this job. It starts out part time, but offers chances not only for full time hours but advancement and growth. I've become a bit pragmatic about the career futures available in this industry, and this job represents one of the few avenues with real advancement potential, especially for someone starting this late in life.

Wish Me Luck

As you may or may not know (I can't remember if I've mentioned it on this blog), my current job is with a private contractor providing food service for a private university. I'm not directly employed by the school. One of the ramifications of this is that I get laid off in the spring -- my last day is May 8th -- and, hopefully, rehired in the fall -- ostensibly some time in late August.

What to do in the meantime?

Well, this week I have 3 job interviews -- two on Wednesday, one on Thursday. Two are with restaurants, one is food service for a local corproration. Any one of them woulf pay well, and might even tempt me away from the school come fall. Regardless, they all represent a paycheck.

I'm asking for prayers and best wishes from my readers. I'll let you know how they all go.

Musical Geography Trivia Question of the Day

Apprenticed to trade, WHERE was I was bound?

Musical Geography Trivia Question of the Day

If he was his father's only boy, and his mother's pride and joy, where was he born (be specific)?

A Convenient Half-Truth

Two Tips of the Toque to the Llama Butchers.

The first is for a link to this editorial in the Wall Street Journal in response to the declassification by the Obama administration of memos regarding CIA "torture". The gist of the editorial is pretty obvious to anyone who's ever played sports, let alone those in the military and intelligence communities: Never reveal your playbook to your opponent. Of course, throughout the Past 8 years, we've grown used to the "playbook" being revealed by the press, but now, it's the administration itself telegraphing our punch.

The second tip is for the LB's posting Former VP Cheney's response. Cheney asserts that the current administration has been overly selective and less than forthright in their declassification process -- revealing the methods employed by the CIA in specific cases, but not the follow-up memos that show the end results and effectiveness of those efforts.

With all due respect (and admiration), Mr. Cheney, don't hold your breath. The mantra of the left is "Torture Doesn't Work" -- their minds are made up, don't confuse them with facts.

April Fool

A Tip of the Toque to the Llama Butchers:

According to Paul Begala, this isn't Tax Day, it's "Patriotism Day".

Lovely bit of hypocrisy, this. During the Bush administration, leftists made sure we knew we weren't allowed to question their patriotism for opposing the President on any number of issues. But the minute one of their own is in the White House, they are more than willing to question the patriotism of anyone who thinks our tax burden is exorbitent.

My response is to remind Comrade Begala and his fellow socialists of their favorite slogan as recently as a year ago:

Dissent is the highest form of Patriotism.

That's More Like It!

U.S. Navy rescues captain held by pirates

Three of the Somali captors killed, one in custody after swift operation

Well done, Navy. Let's hope this is an indication that the administration is learning. I'm not super optimistic, but it's a good first baby step.

He Is Risen

It Is Finished

What Happened to the Yardarm?

Unbelievable. The greatest superpower on Earth is being held at bay by four Jack Sparrow Wannabes in a dead-in-the-water lifeboat. I'm sure that's improving our image with the rest of the world.

From the Yahoo! news article:

The U.S. brought in FBI hostage negotiators to work with the military in
trying to secure the release of Capt. Richard Phillips of Underhill, Vt. An
official said the bandits were in talks with the Navy about resolving the
standoff peacefully.

How about, "Let him go and we let you live -- THIS time". Even that's a bit generous in my book, but for the sake of the captain's life, it may be necessary. But just like Terrorists, You don't negotiate with pirates -- ESPECIALLY not from a position of weakness. This isn't new territory -- our first foreign war was against African pirates associated with militant Islam.

Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, said more ships
would be sent to the area because "we want to ensure that we have all the
capability that might be needed over the course of the coming days." U.S.
officials said the guided-missile frigate USS Haliburton was among the ships en
route.

The additional ships will serve as a show of force following an
increase in the number of attacks and the first one on a U.S.-flagged ship. The
vessels would give the U.S. military more eyes on the threatened area and make
the pirates think twice before trying to seize another ship, but it was not
enough to mount a blockade, according to a senior U.S. defense official who
spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss
operational matters.

We don't need more EYES on the threatened area, we need more FISTS. The pirates aren't going to think twice about JACK just because they know we're watching -- they'll only think twice if we make it demonstrably and patently clear that we're watching, and ready and willing to lower the boom on them if they act up.

"These people are nothing more than criminals and we are bringing to bear a
number of our assets, including naval and FBI, in order to resolve the hostage
situation and bring the pirates to justice," said Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton.

Nothing more? They're something far LESS than criminals, Madame Secretary. While historically captured pirates were given criminal trials, they often never made it to trial due to being sunk at sea, and they were often treated the same as spies and non-uniformed combatants in wartime: summary execution was often the norm.

I'm not necessarily advocating summary execution, but I also believe that while pirates are under arms, they are not merely civilian criminals -- they are enemy combatants, and the appropriate response to their violent force is superior violent force.

President Barack Obama was getting regular updates on the situation, said
spokesman Robert Gibbs. Attorney General Eric Holder says the United States will
take whatever steps are needed to protect U.S. shipping interests against
pirates.

Sink them. destroy their vessels, shoot them dead, bomb their docks. Follow Jefferson and Decaturs example -- make vigorous, enthusiastic war on them. Make them understand that the end of piracy is death, and that the only hope of survival lies in lowering their flag, laying down their arms, or better yet, never take them up in the first place.

Update (5:46 PM Saturday):

An American
skipper held hostage by pirates tried to swim to freedom Friday but was
recaptured seconds later when the bandits opened fire within view of a U.S.
destroyer.

According to the article:

He was in the water only a matter of seconds — not enough time for sailors
aboard the Bainbridge to do much to help him, the defense officials said.
Because both the lifeboat and the Bainbridge are moving, no swimmers or divers
could have been standing by in the water, the officials said.

No swimmers or divers -- but what about GUNNERS? Why the HELL didn't they have small arms trained on these guys so that the instant he was in the water, they were taken under fire? *sigh*

Smoke 'Em if You Got 'Em

This last weekend was glorious here -- weather in the 50's Saturday, 60's on Sunday, and pushing 70 on Monday. We spent Sunday picnicing, going for a drive in the country, and grilling bison burgers. It felt more like June than April.

I also managed to get the grill and smoker cleaned up and ready to go for the coming summer, and I'm kicking things off THIS Saturday (regardless of the weather) with a rack of spare ribs. I'm thinking I'm going to smoke them dry the first half of the day, just to get plenty of smoke on them, but I'm definitely finishing them wet -- I love sticky, sweet-hot wet ribs with layers and layers of cooked-on sauce. in fact, I prefer a thicker sauce with ribs than with either brisket OR pulled pork (in fact, I like my pulled pork sauce to be very Carolina-inspired). Of course I'll be continuing my practice of making the sauce from scratch, and giving them an Oregon twist -- the sweet base will be blackberry jam (strained to remove the seeds, of course) from blackberries picked in my own back yard. And I'm making a batch of my Killer BBBBBBBeeans (That's Blackberry, Bourbon, Beer, & Bacon Barbecue Baked Beans). Sunday we're out to my aunt and uncle's place in Veneta for Easter dinner.

Quote of the Day

"North Korea and Iran going nuclear is not the same as Norway and St. Lucia going nuclear. "

- Mark Steyn

Why the HELL haven't I been reading this guy all along?

Quote of the Day

OK, so I just posted one. That was Sunday (barely). It's now Monday (by 14 minutes). A Tip of the Toque to the Ace of Spades Open Blog:

"If the pen is mightier than the sword, then criminalizing words is a way of disarming potential opposition..."

- Mark Steyn

Neil Cavuto is All Out of Bubblegum.

A Tip of the Toque to Aitch.

If you think that the government is our savior and the Nanny State is Utopia, you might find this video a bit unpleasant.

If, howver, you agree with Ronald Reagan that "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help'", you'll share with Neil Cavuto in his anger as he hands congressman Alan Grayson (S - Florida) his socialist head.

The current government -- both the executive AND the legislative branches -- want us to sign away our rights to them, and the only reassurance and justification they offer is "Trust us -- it's for your own good". No thanks, I've seen from history where that path leads, and if my country is to go down it, by God, it won't be without a fight from some of us.

Everything Old is New Again

I've decided to go back to my old blog name, for several reasons. First of all, it matches the URL. Second of all, it reminds me, and the occasional reader, of somthing we all need to remember. Thirdly, I'm hoping the change will jar me out of my blogging doldrums and get the expressive juices flowing again. Finally, I just plain like it, always have, and miss it.

I'll still go by A Boy Named Sous as my Nom De Pixels, but the blog is, once again, Memento Moron.

Let's see how this goes.

Quote of the Day

I'm not usually a big fan of bumper stickerisms -- liberal OR conservative -- because they tend towards strawmen and false dilemmas, two fallacies that irk me probably more than any others. But today I saw a bumper sticker ona very nice Ford F-250 in Eugene that I believe actually hits the nail on the head. It's today's quote of the day:

"Don't spread my wealth -- spread my work ethic."

Quote of the Day

"If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with
inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just power from
the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made
beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth and their
soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not
forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of
the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that
direction cannot lay claim to progress. They are reactionary."

- Calvin Coolidge, 5 July, 1926

A Tip of the Toque to Mike at South Texian.

Soylent Dumb

A Tip of theToque to Ken, the Fifth String on the Banjo of Life:

Really?

All Things to All Men

As anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows, I'm incredibly fond of my home state, an equally proud of it -- despite my frustration with the political atmosphere here, it's a beautiful place, and outside the cities (especially Eugene and Portland), quite down-to-earth.

Also, despite what people think, Oregon, and the Northwest in general, is not one continual rainfall. One of the things that I've been proud of for quite some time, as it directly relates to the beauty of this place, is its incredible geological and climatic diversity, and the surprising way that diversity stacks Oregon up in comparison to other regions of the country.

I do not deny that there is beauty to be found across this great nation, nor do I imply we hold a monopoly on it. But what is amazing is the way in which so many diferent places in Oregon compare to so many different parts of the rest of the country. With the exception of a few very extreme examples (The Everglades, or the Grand Canyon, for instance), if you pick a specific place in America known for its geology, climate, and scenery, I can, with some effort, find somewhere in Oregon with similar features -- in some cases, admittedly, the Oregon version is a second-best copy, but in other cases, I'd happily stack Oregon up for comparison with confidence that we'd come out on top.

Let me give you a few examples. For copyright reasons, I am not posting any of the gorgeous pictures I found online here -- rather, I'm posting links and letting you see for yourself:

Hudson River Valley, New York
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon/Washington Border

Arizona's Painted Desert
Oregon's Painted Hills

The Blue Ridge Mountains
The Coast Range

A Maine Lighthouse
Oregon's Heceta Head Lighthouse

Grand Tetons, Wyoming
Wallowas, Oregon

Napa Valley, California
Willamette Valley, Oregon

See what I mean?

Change We Can No Longer Suspend Disbelief In

I've been watching with a mixture of sadness, fatalistic amusement, anger, and a bit of regretful vindication the Obama administration's handling of things, especially the financial crisis, and was inspired to create the following image:

What He Said

Robert the Llama Butcher has posted a YouTube video of Representative McCotter (R - Michigan) lambasting the Dems over the AIG flap. Go watch it -- I couldn't have summed up my own feelings on this any better.

While We're At It

Found this quize at The Bow Ramp too:

I am a: Glock Model 22 in 40 cal

What kind of handgun are YOU?

Serendipity

I took a "What Beer Are You?" quiz, and guess what I scored? You, you guessed it:

Your result for The If You Were A Beer Test...

Guinness

(100% dark & bitter, 67% working class, 100% genuine)

Okay, we all know Guinness is the best possible score on any "What Kind Of Beer Are You" test, so you can just go on and pat yourself on the back now. Like the world's most famous brew, you're genuine, you've got good taste, and you're sophisticated. What else can I say, except congratulations?

If your friends didn't score the same way, get ready for them to say: Guinness is too heavy; it's an acquired taste; it's too serious--and they probably think those things about you at times. But just brush 'em off. Everybody knows Guinness is the best. Cheers.

Take The If You Were A Beer Test at

A tip of the Toque to William Powell at The Bow Ramp.

Self-Evident

A Tip of the Toque to Mike at South Texian:

My Conservative Identity:

You are a Free Marketeer, also known as a fiscal conservative. You believe in free-market capitalism, tax cuts, and protecting your hard-earned cash from pick-pocketing liberal socialists.

Take the quiz at http://www.fightliberals.com/Inside-the-Book/What-Breed-of-Conservative-Are-You.html

I'm not so sure I agree with the results -- I DO believe in the free market, but I also believe that it is merely a tool to be used to secure even more basic freedoms, and is itself dependent on other important freedoms in order to function properly. But I did my best to answer the questions frankly and accurately, and that's what came up, so there you go.

Pop Quiz

Four Questions:

1. Which of the two main presidential candidates, , during the election, claimed that "the fundamentals of the economy are strong", despite the current crisis?

2. What was his critics' response?

3. Which of those candidates is now maintaining that claim?

4. Which of them are we to believe?

Qoute of the Day

"If Michelle Obama doesn't lay off all this "giving back" stuff pretty soon, she's going to find herself in Warren Buffett's tax bracket. "

- Ann Coulter

(A Tip of the Toque to Mike LaRoche at South Texian.

Musical Geography Trivia Question of the Day

Where was the deal made on a dark and stormy day?

More Hopeychanginess

A Tip of the Toque to Phineas at Public Secrets.

Once again, a member of the administration of the President Who Will Clean Up Washington has some questions to answer regarding the ethics of his behavior.

The man who is President Obama's newly minted urban czar pocketed thousands
of dollars in campaign cash from city developers whose projects he approved or
funded with taxpayers' money, a Daily News probe found.

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion often received contributions
just before or after he sponsored money for projects or approved important
zoning changes, records show.

Most donations were organized and well-timed.

Change We Can Believe In.

Das is Das Amore

As I've mentioned, my sister's genealogy research has confirmed our Celtic and Germanic ancestry -- German, English, Welsh, Scot, Irish, Swedish, with a smattering of Swiss and French.

But my favorite ethnic cuisine, hands down, is Italian (ok, not hands down -- well-made Mexican gives it a run for its money. As do Northwest cuisine and Barbecue, both of which are American and thus no what I consider "ethnic"). And I must say, I'm quite good at it. I even suggested a while back to TFR that maybe I should try my hand at it as my business. She demurred. Until tonight, when I made lasagna.

I started with a green bell bepper, 3/4 of a sweet yellow onion, and a couple stalks of celery, all fine diced. I sweated them in some olive oil along with a butt ton (that's 1.35 metric assloads for my readers outside the US). That went ito a big pot along with 30 oz. of tomato sauce and 6 oz. of tomato paste. Then I browned 1 lb of hamburger and 12 oz. ground pork along with more garlic, dried parsley, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, paprika, and powdered chili. I added this to my sauce, as well as the wine I used to deglaze the skillet. I also added some balsamic vinegar, fresh basil and fresh oregano, as well as more salt and pepper. Once it was ready, I latered sauce, ricotta, pasta, sauce, ricotta, pasta, sauce, ricotta, pasta, sauce, ricotta, pasta, sauce, mozzarella, covered it with foil and baked for 35 minutes, then removed the foul, added a little more mozz., parmesan, and baked it for 10 more minutes, then hit it with the broiler for 3 more, then let it cool and added more parmesan.

Family History: That Wasn't What I Expected; Almost Famous; Robbo Would Not Be Pleased; That Would Explain My Love of Chocolate

My sister, being a full-time (but not quite Desperate) housewife and mother, has recently taken up researching our geaneology as a hobby, mostly through the web site Ancestry.com. She's managed to trace our ancestors back as far as the 16th century (the English Branch), and has dug up some fascinating stuff. Among our ancestors were early Pilgrim or Puritan settlers in Massachissetts (not Mayflower passengers, but within a few years, and giving birth in the colony by 1627), and victims of an infamous Massacre in Upstate New York during the Revolution. What I really found interesting were the following tidbits:

That Wasn't What I Expected:

I have always known I had German ancestry -- my surname, after all, is blatantly German, and my sister's research has confirmed my German Ancestry. But what surprised us was that our Patrilineal line was NOT German, despite the family name. In fact, the first of my ancestors born in America was also the first ancestor with that last name. His father, Hendrik Johansson, was born in Sweden, as was HIS father, Johan Hendriksson. Why my ancestor had the middle name Johansson and then the last name that our family now bears is a mystery -- my best guess is either he was orphaned and adopted or his mother remarried. But so far, we don't have any records that say one way or another -- this was in the

Almost Famous:

For a couple of generations, my mother's family has been convinced we were related to Daniel Boone -- there are, after all, several Boones in the family lineage, and from the right part of the country. But my sister's more detailed research has shown conclusively that we are not related to Daniel Boone on my mother's side. On my FATHER'S side, however, we ALMOST are -- my great-grandfather married a woman who was a great-granddaughter of Daniel Boone and a greanddaughter of Meriwether Lewis. Unfortunately for us, she was his second wife, and our family line is from his first marriage.

Robbo Would Not Be Pleased:

This part will dismay my Royalist friend over at TPSAYE: My sister has also discovered in her research that we are direct descendants of a(n) (in)famous(?) roundhead, Daniel Axtell. Being a descendent also of Patriots from our own revolution, and a staunch Declarationist, I'm actually rather proud of this point.

That Would Explain My Love of Chocolate:

So it turns out that I am more and less of a mutt than I always suspected. The Irish, English, Wlsh, Scot, and German ancestry we always believed in has been confirmed. There is still no evidence of the Cherokee and Choctaw blood that has been hinted at from my mother's side, but that is offset by the revelation of Swedish ancestry, as well as French (to my horror) and... this is the one that really blew my mind... Swiss -- from a small valley south of Lake Geneva, just a few miles from the French border.

I'll post more if it seems interesting enough.

Ex Libris

Spoiler Warning: Lurch, don't read this. I promise I'll reread, and I want you to approach the book unbiased.

Oh. My. Lord.

I just finished The Last Centurion by John Ringo. It's an excellent near-future novel (military sci-fi? Maybe, thos the Sci os just barely fi. More on that in a moment) set about 120 years from now. In the novel, a new Ice Age and a flu epidemic have rocked the world. The protagonist hero of the book is Bandit Six, a U.S. Army captain left with his unit in the Middle East when the Eflluent hits the Aerator. The book is written as his blog memoirs of all that transpire.

The book is part Michael Crichton, part Tom Clancy, and I found it all gripping. I lost a lot of sleep reading it, since the only time I've had to read it was late at night. Whether it was the explanatory chapters or the action, it all had me engrossed, and was written in a believable, approachable, no-nonsense (Bandit Six would probably say no BS) tone. Mr. Ringo is an Army vet, so I trusted his representation of members of our military, and although it was fiction, it gave me deeper respect for our troops and all they do.

The book isn't for everyone -- particularly not for those of a particular political or philosophical bent, and especially not for those of that persuasion who don't like their assumptions about What Is So being challenged. It is politically and philosophically unambiguous, and the parallels to current events and politics is intentionally obvious. A couple of political figures in the book are brazenly patterned after real life politicians. The names are changed, but you'll recognize theem right away -- I'm sure this is "a feature, not a bug".

But if you're open to looking at things from a different angle, or if you happen to agree with Mr. Ringo which I admit to, (although I also admit I'm not quite as stark in my holding of those opinions as he is), it's a good read, andit might just make you think. It might also scare you, sicken you, sadden you, but also move you, inspire you, and challenge you, all in turn.

I only had two minor quibbles with the book.

The first has to do with the "crichtonesque" parts of the book, particularly those addressing the climatic shift and flu epidemic that are the backdrop, as well as the agricultural ramifications. At certain points, the data and processes that are explained seem to be taken from currently available, real-life data. At others, it is obviously future-occurring fiction, albeit extrapolated fro mreal life hypotheses. The problem I have is that the way Bandit Six (and thus Ringo) presents the information makes it difficult to distinguish the two. To a certain extent this is good storytelling, but I fear both what I call the "Left Behind" effect -- readers who take the extrapolation as being reality -- and a "guilty by association" reaction by those who disagree with Ringo, who will reject the current data as being just as speculative as the future fiction data. As an aside, I think the extrapolation is not only possible, but plausible. However, as the dustcover iteslf says, this is just one POSSIBLE future. Since I already saw some similarities between Ringos and Crichtons works, perhaps Mr. Ringo could have taken a cue from Crichton and used footnotes for the real life data.

The second nit is even more minor, but it leads me to some reflections on the nature of "near-future fiction" and sci-fi in general. Let me explain the reflections first, and then the minor nit with Mr. Ringo's work:

There was a time when science fiction was, if you will, the prophet of technology. From Jules Verne's Nautilus to the Star Trek Communicators that became today's cell phones, what one generation's sci fi authors would dream up, another generation's scientists and technicians would make reality. Often it took a couple generations, and by then, science fiction had moved on to bigger and better things. Scinece had to move fast to try to keep up with science fiction. But as technological progress increases in pace, science seems to not only be keeping up, but catching up with science fiction, and may soon pass it. This is especially true of near-future sci fi. Unless you go the Greg Bear route and write about life a thousand years from now, and instead write about things "the day after tomorrow", you run the risk that by the time you go to print, your day after tomorrow will look more like the day before yesterday (I'm reminded of an episode of Viva Variety! in which Johnny Blue Jeans proposes a futuristic action movie set in "The yearrrr Twoooo Thouuuuusand......" -- the show was aired in the late 1990's). The "prophet" may soon be just a historian.

Case in point from The Last Centurion:

At a couple of points in the book, while Bandit Six is describing military engagements involving the Strykers under his command, he notes that the machine gun cupolas of the TC (Track, or vehicle Commander) positions are up-armored and thus safer for the TC's.

This left me wondering why, if it's 2019, the Strykers aren't equipped with CROWS, since at least some vehicles deployed in real life in Iraq since 2004, 15 years earlier than the book, were already deploying them and the systems wre in more common use by 2008.

This is not to disparage Ringo's book or his skill as a writer -- I'm assuming that given that the book was published in 2008, and it may have taken Mr. Ringo a year or so to write the book, and it may not have yet been readily apparent that CROWS systems would be so widely adopted.

Despite those minor irritants, the book was a thouroughly good read. I hope we can look forward to reading more about the world, and exploits, of Bandit Six.

Barak Obama: Restoring America's International Image

... as weak and appeasement-minded.

A tip of the toque to LauraW. at Ace of Spades HQ.


US President Barack Obama's offer to talk to Iran shows that America's policy of "domination" has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday.
"This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed," Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

Welcome Back, Kotter Carter.

Mission Nothing Accomplished

Iraq wraps up election with no major violence

Memento Miko

A few pictures of Miko:

This one was taken when The Lad was The Wee Bairn:



This one more recently:



And this past December, her last snow:

Cold Comfort

"Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on soda, Is he who sings songs to a troubled heart."

- Proverbs 25:20 (NASB)

Sorry to continue on a down note, but the posts on my dad and LBD have me reflecting on something -- particularly the nature of mourning, especially for a Christian. It started following the death of my father -- I remember feeling guilty about being so sad, especially since, as a believer, I was (and remain) sure that my father's spirit lives on. in a different way, but with the same assumption of comfort, I've been reminded today (by a well-meaning vet tech) that Miko's suffering is over and she is no longer feeling anything.

But in both cases, the point is missed. I no longer feel sorry for her, and never did for my father. I felt, and feel, sorry for myself. I mourn their loss not in the sense of them having lost their lives, but in the sense of me losing them.

When my father passed, similarly well-meaning people told me, "at least you know where he is". And I remember thinking, "yes, and I also know where he isn't. He isn't here".

Life goes on -- some of us believe it even goes on for those who have left this world, and we carry with us the hope of seeing them again. But in the meantime, we have to muddle through this world without them.

That's the reason for our tears.

Chew Toys in Paradise

"Every pet is a little tragedy waiting to happen"

-George Carlin

We lost Little Big Dog today. She was just a few months short of being 7 years old. She developed a serious case of AIHA (also called IMHA), an autoimmune disease in which her body's immune system attacked her own red blood cells. She wasn't getting oxygen to her body, and the waste wasn't flushing out. The vet told us her chances of surviving were very slim, and she was suffering, so we decided to have her put down.

I remember the day we got her. We had just recently moved into an apartment after months struggling to get on our feet following our move back to Oregon. We'd talked about a dog for years, but our income and living situation had not allowed it. We were for the first time in almost 2 years both gainfully employed, and living in a place that allowed pets. It was tax season, and we had a modest refund coming. TFR began searching the paper for ads, and one day she called me at work. A family living in Elmira had a litter of Lhasa Apso puppies, and was only asking $250 for them. She was headed over there to look, and would call me back. She did, informing me that she had found a pup she liked, and wanted to pick me up after work and take me out there to see it. On our way out, I made it clear that we would LOOK at the dog, but that we would not buy until we had discussed it.

Well, that didn't last long. We got to the farmhouse, and the woman put this tiny puppy in my hands. I took one look at the dog, one at my wife, one more at the dog, and got out my check book.

Her breed wasn't supposed to like kids, but she was potty trained while living in an apartment complex, and every time we took her out, the kids would gather round, and she adored kids her whole life. In fact, she got along with just about everyone, except select other dogs -- especially Onyx, her nemesis, a black mutt who gets walked past here regularly. She was more aggressive the bigger the dog. In fact, the only thing that really scared her was... I kid you not... houseflies. She would hide from them under our legs and tremble. She hated being on a leash, loved the outdoors, but seldom got to go off a leash, because she didn't get along with other dogs at the dog park.

She never acted like a small dog -- she was feisty and loved to play rough, loved to chase balls, liked to try to carry sticks that weighed almost as much as her. She was the best dog I ever had. She was loyal, obedient (usually) and affectionate. She was also very good with The Lad -- she put up with a lot of harassment from him, and they developed an almost sibling-like relationship. She loved him. Even today, as she lay helpless in my lap, waiting for him and TFR to return from his daycare so he could say goodbye, just the sound of his name perked her up momentarily.

We stayed with her until the end. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life, but it was the right thing to do. She'd given us almost 7 years of unconditional love, the least we could do was end her suffering and comfort her during her passing. It took just a few seconds... one last sigh and she went to sleep forever.

Goodbye, Miko. Run free in Heavens fields -- no more leash for you.

Keeping Eternal Watch

I've had a request from one of my readers for pictures from our trip to San Diego. Most of the pictures include TFR, The Lad, and friends, and due to privacy concerns, I won't be sharing them here on the blog. That reader, however, is one of TFR's best friends, so Wanda, we'll be sending you pics.

However, I did want to share one set of pictures from the trip. While I was there I spent an afternoon at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetary, visiting my father's grave:



It was the first time since we buried him there that I've had time to really spend time there -- when we went down to bury my grandmother, there just wasn't time. So this time, we spent a good amount of thime there, making sure it was cleaned up and leaving flowers:



I also asked TFR to take the Lad away so I could spend some time alone with my dad. I know he's not there, but it helped a lot to have a place where I could connect with my memories of him. My father was the best friend I ever had, the best man I ever knew, and by far and away my hero. My life has never quite been the same since he died. It was good to talk to him, to weep for him, and to let myself face the loss.

But my father loved serving in the U.S. Navy, probably as much as anything else he did in his very busy life, so I'm convinced he would have loved knowing that he was up on Point Loma, keeping eternal watch on the shores of the country he loved. In fact, as I reflected on his final resting place, I had two thoughts that gave me some consolation:


He has a great view, and...


He's in really good company.

PAC It In

Yesterday was the only day of the year I ever root for the OSU Beavers in football. That's because when it comes to the bowls, I'll always root for a PAC-10 team over a non-conference opponent. Even the Beavers. Even, if they ever make it to`another bowl, the Huskies. Though I'm not holding my breath for that one.

This bowl season is proving to be especially sweet for the Conference of Champions -- 4-0 with only one Bowl, the Grandaddy of Them All, left. If SC can hold up their end of things and beat Penn State, it's a clean sweep.

This from the conference that I heard Oklahoma State fans referring to as the PAC-1. I can only imagine how they felt being beat by a "Nobody" like the Ducks.

Hopefully the PAC-10 will start negotiating a more challenging set of bowl match-ups, especially for the PAC-10 runner up, who deserves to face better than the #3/#4 in the Big 12. Meanwhile, this should quiet those who questioned the worthiness of our teams to even be in these games.

Too Slow, 'Pokes

It's good to be a Ducks fan today. It's even better being a Ducks fan in San Diego (where we're on vacation right now). Everywhere we go we've seen people in their school colors, and it got old seeing a lot more Oklahoma State fans than Oregon fans. Finally the last couple of days we started seeing more Green and Yellow. Yesterday we bumped in to some fellow Quacker Backers at the beach, and got to talking about the ESPN fan polls, and the fact that over 90% of the people voting nationwide expected the Cowboys to win.

Apparently they didn't count on the added motivation for the Ducks provided by playing a team whose colors are orange and black and whose initials are OSU. Beavers fans could have warned them. Oregon won last nights game 42-31.

I was particularly pleased that the nail in the coffin lid was provided by a touchdown run by LeGarrett Blount. He's dating one of TFR's co-workers, and I had the honor of meeting him and talking a bit at their work holiday party. He's a quiet, humble, likeable young man. He's also a juggernaut whom you do NOT try to arm tackle. It's going to be fun to watch him run over the top of Ducks' opponents for another full season next year.

There was extra sentimental significance to this game for me. The last time Oregon played in the Holiday Bowl was 2000, when they beat Texas in an even closer barn-burner. That was the last time I was in San Diego for Christmas, and my mom bought tickets to the game for the men in the family. It was a wonderful time -- Texas fans are incredibly boisterous and arrogant whn going ino or leading a game, and just as sullen and quiet in defeat. That would also prove to be the last football game father and I attenmy ded together before he passed away.

The rest of the vacation has been enjoyable -- we took The Lad to Dizzy Disneyland, we've been to the beach, and I've had a chance to visit my father's grave at Fort rosecrans National Cemetary. I'll add more when I get home, including pictures. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to everyone.

Eat It Like It's Stollen -- Carnival of the Recipes, Christmas and Desserts Edition

Sorry, I've been waiting for months to use that pun. Christmas is probably my favorite time of the year, and DEFINITELY my favorite time for parties and festivities (ironically, also my favorite time for worship and reflection). I'm leaving on vacation in the morning, so it's going up early, if you submit late, I'll add you when I reach a computer in "Sun" Diego.

After being an off-and-on contributor to the CotR for years, I figured it was high time to host one, and what better time than the holidays? To justify the pun, I thought I'd let this edition focus on Christmas recipes, especially desserts. Unfortunately, I'm getting lots of festive recipes, but few desserts, so before we get to the desserts, let's treat this like a true party.

Starting with appetizers and drinks, I'll kick things off myself by getting everyone Nogged Up. Ben brings Seven Cheap Foods to Serve At Your Holiday Party, and Famous Recipes has a Famous Beef and Broccoli Pita Folds recipe that could easily be miniaturized for a great little Appy.

So now on to dinner. For the main course, Christmas Recipes presents Black-Eyed Peas and Ham Christmas Recipe, and Slow Cooker Recipes and Crockpot Recipes brings their Crockpot Honey Ham and Vegetables, but between Elisson's THREE BIRDS WITH ONE PAN, the Diabetic Recipes blog with their Diabetic Recipe for Lemon Chicken, Steamy Kitchen Modern Asian with their Duck Breast with Sweet and Sour Cranberry Chutney, and Chicken Recipes' Chicken Pasta Primavera, Bird is DEFINITELY the word at this party. If you are looking for a Feast of Seven Fishes recipe, Famous Recipes Food and Cooking Weblog offers their World Famous Halibut with Garlic Sauce. for a break from the thematic, Chris presents Try these 7 incredible Indian dishes for your instant OM! moment.

Of course, you need a holiday side dish to go with your main course, so Richard Taylor presents How to Bake the Perfect Sweet Potato or Yam, and CzechFolks give us an ethnic flavor with Exploring Czech Food – Part VI - Famous Potato Salad (Poznavame Ceska Jidla – Cast VI - Slavny Bramborovy Salat).

Need a salad to lighten the palate after all that protein and starch? Then go nuts with this Famous Avocado Spinach and Walnut Salad recipe from World Famous Recipes.

I hope you saved room, because here come the desserts. Let it snow, or at least let me have some of MCs Oreo Snowball Truffles! EVLiving serves up some yummy Christmas Raspberry Muffins with Streusel Topping. If singing O Tannenbaum or Stille Nacht is your thing, try some German Christmas Cookies - They're Going Fast from makingthishome. Beth at Elizabeth Chandler Designs provides a more traditional holiday "twist" with her Orange Peel Candy. As if that weren't enough, Kris butters us up with Peanut Butter Banana Bread. More4Kids has some Fun and Tasty Christmas and Holiday Desserts, and Chef Tom closes out the evening with some Holiday Sugar Cookies to leave behind for Santa.

If you're not too hungover the next morning, and find yourself with a leftover turkey carcass, you might want to use it in Kris' recipe for a Tasty, rich stew.