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.

Huh?

So I go off-radar for a week, and miss an entire Blog firestorm, and am left asking just one question:

Who the Hell is Jeff Gannon?????

Friend in Need

Please keep in prayer my friend Scott, AKA Vulture 6 of Vultures Row. Yesterday he and Mrs. Vulture were involved in an 8-car pileup in Houston. V6 is sore but otherwise OK. Mrs. Vulture suffered a broken leg and is undergoing surgery today. Please remember them both in your prayers and best wishes.

If That Ain't Love I Don't Know What Is

A few thoughts percolated to the surface as I watched the Grammies last night.

I am an unabashed fan of the Late Janis Joplin. I know, I know, her music was intimately connected to a culture with which I have quite a few issues. Nonetheless, she was a soulful singer who ripped open her chest and exposed her heart to all of us with every song she sung. Having said that, I must say that last night's tribute to her was, at least for me, a mixed bag. Joss Stone is a talented young artist, and she tried valiantly to recreate the Joplin feel with the unkempt hair, bare feet, and facial expressions. But her vocals lacked the conviction and raw power of Janis. It was disappointing. On the other hand, Melissa Etheridge really did "Take Another Piece of My Heart" justice, with her growly, passionate belting out of the song.

I was pleased that Loretta Lynn won Best Country Album of the year. Least of all because the #1 hit from her album is about my home state. Most of all because she's lived the life, and sings from her own experience. That's the beauty of the singer-songwriter. Furthermore, I was amused to watch theinteraction between her and her collaborator on the Album, Jack White of the White Stripes. I don't know if it was his own upbringing or training gained working on the album, but the Detroit punk rocker sounded like a real country boy, his entire vocabulary in response to her consisteing of two words: "Yes Ma'am".

Despite the fact I'm glad he lost to Lynn, I was moved by the message of Tim McGraw's song "Live like you were dying". It's good advice for all of us.

I loved the focus on jazz, and Queen Latifah's performance was great, but her backup dancers' moves seemed a little ummm.... "modern" for the song she sang.

Again, with regards to tributes, Ray Charles definitely deserved it. If he hadn't already been one of my all time favorites, his place in my heart would have been sealed when TFR and I went and saw Ray the night her water broke.

After watching Green Day's acceptance speech for Best Rock Album (or something), I've decided that the title of their album definitely backfired on them.

Kanye West's acceptance speech, on the other hand, was quite refreshing. That's a lot of wisdom for such a young man.

I stopped watching the awards after hour 1.75 or so of 3, some entertaining performances, but after a while you reach sensory overload.

Filling in for Brian

In the absence of Brian, who's away taking care of his wife and newborn child, Im posting this story. Reading this makes me want to rip someone's heart out and have them see me feed it to a dog just before they die.

Mother Who Tossed Newborn Out of Car Found

Feb 11, 12:39 PM (ET)


NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - The mother of a newborn boy who survived being tossed out of a moving car has been identified and interviewed by investigators, authorities said Friday.

"It is my belief ... that this person is the birth mother of the child," Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne told reporters.

The sheriff also said that the interview with the unidentified woman "puts a whole new light on this story" but he gave no specifics. A news conference was planned for later in the day to provide more details.

"We do believe at this point ... that we will soon have an admission to the birth of the child," Jenne said.

The boy, believed to be less than an hour old, was thrown out of a car alongside a busy street Thursday afternoon, police said.

The 8-pound, 2-ounce boy, whose umbilical cord was still attached, survived with minor injuries and was hospitalized in good condition Friday. Nurses at the hospital have nicknamed the child Johnny.

State law lets a mother leave a baby at any medical facility or fire station within three days of birth without any questions asked.

"That provides parents or women with an option. You don't have to just abandon your child in way that would endanger his or her life," said Veda Coleman-Wright, a sheriff's office spokeswoman.

A woman stopped and found the baby inside a small plastic bag. She scooped him up and took him to a nearby sheriff's office, and he was transferred to Broward General Medical Center.

The good Samaritan, who originally thought the couple had thrown a puppy out the window, was "very distraught, very upset," Jenne said. The woman's name was not released.

Investigators had been searching for a white, older-model large sedan that witnesses observed leaving the scene. The baby's rescuer told investigators she observed a man and woman arguing inside the vehicle. But she saw only the back of their heads, Jenne said, and could not provide a good description.

North Lauderdale is about 15 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale.

Update

Looks like the baby wasn't tossed after all. The "witness" is actually the baby's mother who made up the story because she didn't want to keep the child.

A Voice From Out of the Haze

Just to let everyone know, I'm still alive. This past week has been just me, TFR, and The Lad. It's been an adventure.

I don't know if this is just The Lad, or astandard for preemies, but all those dire warnings I received about a new baby waking you up every four hours demanding to be fed? Well, that never happened.

Oh, no, this is much worse. You see, because he's a preemie, he needs to be fed ever 2-3 hours. And he'd much rather sleep. This means we have to reset our alarm after every feeding, then get HIM to wake up, then spend an hour getting him to eat (we were taught a new bottle-feeding poisition that has cut that time drastically, and he's right on the cusp of getting the hang of breastfeeding, so things are looking up there).

He caught his first cold this week, right at the same time that Yours Truly did, so you can imagine how THAT made me feel about my quality of dadhood. I had to be reassured by the medical professionals that I wasn't to blame. Thankfully, the cold turned out negative for RSV, but we had a nervous night waiting for the test results.

In response to those of you who pointed out my conspicuous absence from the photos posted, this was in YOUR best interest. Trust me.

There's been so much happening politically in the week I've been gone, and I've wanted to post oin it, but, wel,, you know how that goes.

Monday I'm back to work, and hopefully, at that point I'll have more non-baby topics on which to post. Until then, thank you all again for your prayers, your support, and your friendship. It's been more than I deserve.

More Pictures!

Enjoy. Coo. Marvel at the frighteningly high levels of cuteness.

Go ahead, you know you want to:

Literally:


Ready to Go!



Free at Last!


Home is Where the Baby Is:


Little Big Dog Meets the Newest Pack Member:

Won't You Come Home, Chay Baron!

HE'S COMING HOME!!!! HE'S COMING HOME!!!!! O FRABJOUS DAY! CALLOO! CALLAY!

TFR just called, and the horsepistol is releasing The Lad today! He has displayed a bit of apnea, so we have to take a respiration monitor with us, but he'll be HOME where he freaking BELONGS!!!!!!

Oh, thank you all for your prayers and love and support and all the kind words and encouragement! Please keep praying, as this is as frightening as his birth was for me! I can't say when I'll blog again, but in the meantime, Vulture Six has the helm.

Charlie Is My Darlin'

I've never been much of a Beatles or John Lennon fan, but today I think I get John a little better in a small way. Let me explain.

I was restless all night last night, worrying about things I suppose every new father worries about, especially the father of a surprise preemie. Mostly worries about how our already tight budget is going to survive the month early loss of TFR's income, how the hell I'm going to provide for my wife and son, how long until he comes home, will I be a good father. The fears, like the freaks, come out at night.

I couldn't sleep past a certain time this morning,so I left the house arly and stopped at the hospital on the way to work. I took Chay out of his crib abd "Kangaroo Care" held him -- skin to skin against my chest. He fussed for just a minute and then snuggled right in. After I was done "Having something in my eye", I looked down and just watched him sleeping against my chest. It was the sweetest, most reassuring thing I'd ever experienced, and it made me feel better. No, it made me feel wonderful.

You got it right, John.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, Beautiful Boy.

Dads Unite!

Today I was both honored by a compliment I received and heartened by the theme of the Blog from whence the compliment came.

The Inner Dad is dedicated to all things fatherhood-related. Capital idea, and one I had a bit late (last night). Thank you again for the honor of being blogrolled and note I have returned the favor.

One request of you and of Cameron. When you link to me, Trackback so I can give YOU proper thanks.

Sign of the Times

Thanks for the Memory to The Urban Grind via The Unabrewer.



Indeed.

Feel The Burn

Blogmother Da Goddess has apparently had enough. Today she tears into her archnemesis Carl Muhammed, leader of the Communist Party in San Diego. It's a post chock full of ranty goodness, and by God, it had to be said.

Update:

Apparently, 'Tis the season to be angry. Ace also has some ranting to do, this time aimed at Ward Churchill and Eason Jordan.

Random Thought of the Day

Ironic, isn't it?

The one item that is currently my most prized possession is also the one I am most eager to finally be rid of. It's the badge that lets me in to the NICU.

Sorry if I'm dwelling on this a lot, and I know that there are others in far worse straits, but dammit, I miss my kid. I was sick and in the hospital a LOT as a child, I now have a much deeper appreciation for what my parents went through.

Quote of the Week

Vinegar tastes sweeter to the Free Man than does honey to the Slave.

- A commenter on the Blog Free Iraq, reflecting on the elections

Indeed.

A Little Advice

If you're a new father, and your child is in the NICU, and your wife sends you to the pharmacy tp fill a prescription, do NOT kill time waiting for the medecine by perusing the Children's Books section of the store and reading Love You Forever.

Just saying, is all.

A Wee Bit of Doggerell

The following poem was written several years ago, long before The Lad (I like that better than The Wee Bairn) was even a twinkle. At the time, I fancied myself quite the poet. This poem was written in an attempt to be "influenced" by a more famous poet (I'll let you guess who), but soon took on a life of its own. It's a reflection on the how each of us, as a descendant of our ancestors, both receives and passes on their lineage. It seemed appropriate to post it now in honor of the biurth of my son. The original is stored away in a box somewhere, so this is from memory. It may not be as polished as I had it. In any case, enjoy:

Inheritance

I dwell within the cirle of the existence of my ancestors
and am both their heir and their heirloom.
I am the recipient of their legacy,
and I am the legacy received.
And some day, I will bequeath this inheritance to my son,
even as I bequeath my son to the world.

Overnight Changes in the World

Just a quick, random roundup of the few thoughts that have slipped out of the fog that is my brain these days:

So apparently, while I was busy being a new daddy and husband to a new and very sore mommy, Iraq gave birth too, to a democracy. I really can't find the words to express how happy I am for the people of Iraq. Congratulations. Let's hope the next step is to help you establish your own muscle to back up that democracy, so that our boys can come home soon.

TWB is eating on his own now, they removed the IV today. He's up to 33 cc's per feeding, and also nursing some. His Bilirubin is under control, he's been breathing on his own since birth and they took him of the O2 sat monitor on Saturday, and he's done a good job of maaintaining body temp from the get-go. We're hopeful he'll be home by this weekend.

Once he comes home, I'll be taking time off from both work AND Blogging. That's a warning, not an apology -- I'm not in the least sorry to put everyone else aside to get to know my kid.

TFR came home Saturday. She is still in pain, please pray for her recuperation. Her mom is in town for a week, so that's a big help.

I had to call a friend to make sure yesterday wasn't the Superbowl -- you lose track of time. Is it just me, or is there something very wrong about a February Superbowl?

UPDATE:
11:45 AM PST
Just got off the phone with TFR, and The Lad is out from under the UV therapy, his color is looking pretty good.

Meet the New Boss

(Held by the old boss).

Finally got some pictures of the Wee Bairn burned from memory stick to CD, and appropriately enough, the best one of him is when he's being held by his momma. Allow me to introduce you all to my son.

Now, Anchorman was, IMHO, a lame movie. But I was inspired to borrow from Ron Burgundy's introduction to the movie video found on the DVD.

If you don't agree that this is the most beautiful baby ever born, I will fight you. That's no lie:

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

Chay Baron B. was born last night, Thursday, January 27 at 9:26 PM PST. The Wee Bairn weighed in at 6 pounds, 9.5 ounces, and measured 18.5 inches. He's breathing on his own, his heart rate and O2 sat are good. Mom is sore but happy. Oh, and he's a damn fine looking kid, thank you for asking.

My deepest thanks to everyone who has prayed for TFR and TWB over the past week. Your prayers were felt and, obviously, heard. Please continue to pray for his continued development and mom's recovery. No details for her privacy, but suffice it to say it was a long, difficult labor.

Say Hello To TFR

I just learned tonight that the hospital where The Feared Redhead is staying has a service where they'll print out emails sent to a patient. I would encourage anyone who wants to send one. For security reasons, I would prefer to have them posted to the comment section here, and I'll ask my good friend Vulture 6 to copy & paste them into the form.

Thanks.

BS, PHD

At the U of O, That's Bull$#!*, Piled Higher and Deeper.

Thanks for the Memory to the Political Teen.

A few days ago I blogged over at Head West, Turn Right on the Yellow Ribbon Incident. This was the situation where the U of O ordered an employee to remove a yellow ribbon style "Support the Troops" magnet from the state vehicle he drives at work.

Apparently, the whole issue has blown up in the U of O's face, and it's not going away. According to a KEZI report, the school has been inundated with letters, emails, and phone calls. Their rationale is that "truth is, they're only against the ribbons (or anything for that matter) being displayed on state-owned vehicles (which is state policy)."

But as Kevin McCullough points out, that wasn't the original tune that was being sung by the President's office. In the original KEZI report, the rationale was, "Under state law... public employees can not use state resources to spread political messages." The U of O rationalized that the stickers were political. You can read my post at HWTR for my response to that.

Apparently, along with the public firestorm, a personal protest occurred. An anonymous U of O employee tied yellow ribbons up around Frohnmayer's offices. KEZI reported that the U of O would let them stand, but McCullough was contacted by the employee, who confirms that the ribbons have been removed.

This really saddens me. Since when was an appreciation for the sacrifices of those who defend our freedom a mere political statement? Furthermore, even if it WERE a political statement, McCullough mentions the UO employee pointing out the numerous bits of pro-Kerry paraphernalia allowed to be displayed on University property. Is it assumed that any yellow ribbon must be a sign of a certain unpopular political position? And if so, are they being selective in their enforcement of this policy? Or was the conservative UO student recently shown on thew school paper wrong when she holds a sign saying "Free Speech Isn't Just For Liberals"?

I've been a UO Ducks fan for a very long time, but I'm not sure I can be any more. I'm not sure I can proudly display my U of O beanie, or the shirt I bought when my late father and I watched them win the Holiday Bowl, if they cannot proudly display their support for our troops. If they decide a yellow ribbon and a yellow O can't coexist, I know which I must choose.

A Bit of Perspective

Over the last few days, I've been very preoccupied, understandably, with the complications surrounding The Feared Redhead's pregnancy. And while I've been overwhelmingly grateful for all the support and prayers that have been expressed by my readers, I've also become aware that I was in panic mode, and reacting perhaps far worse than the circumstances dictated. For that I am a bit chagrined.

What put it in perspective for me was following a link from Let's Try Freedom to a blog about a little boy born at 24 weeks. He died Sunday night after fighting for his life for three months. My heart breaks for his family.

It made me realize that as difficult as things are fro TFR and me and Baby B, they could be worse, and we are truly blessed to have good doctors, nurses, friends and family, and to know God is looking out for us.

So, to all of you who have been following the Baby posts on this blog, please, take a break from praying for us, and go extend your love and compassion and prayers to this hurting family. God Bless you all.

Will That Be Paper, Plastic, or W-2?

Thanks for the Memory to Darth Apathy.

I hadn't planned to blog much about non-baby issues for the next few days, but I have the time, it helps take my mind off of things, and my gosh, this was just too good to pass up:

San Francisco May Charge for Grocery Bags

Mon Jan 24, 8:23 AM ET Strange News - AP

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco may become the first city in the nation to charge shoppers for grocery bags.

The city's Commission on the Environment is expected to ask the mayor and board of supervisors Tuesday to consider a 17-cent per bag charge on paper and plastic grocery bags. While the goal is reducing plastic bag pollution, paper was added so as not to discriminate.

"The whole point is to encourage the elimination of waste, not to make people pay more for groceries," said Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste.

Environmentalists argue that plastic bags jam machinery, pollute waterways and often end up in trees. In addition to large supermarkets, other outfits that regularly use plastic bags, including smaller grocery stores, dry cleaners and takeout restaurants, could eventually be targeted.

Officials calculate that the city spends 5.2 cents per bag annually for street litter pickup and 1.4 cents per bag for extra recycling costs.

Grocers and bag manufacturers argue that many people already reuse their plastic bags, and that the use of plastic won't go down because people will purchase plastic trash bags to use instead. Other opponents call the plan an unfair and regressive tax on shoppers.

Talk about stupid and ill-thought-out. Let's not even bother for the moment to do any more than observe in passing that the proposed tax (17 cents per bag) is over DOUBLE the estimated cost to the city of disposing of bags (6.6 cents per bag). Let's not even focus, as Vic does, on the idiocy of taxing paper bags just to prevent the users of plastic bags from feeling that we're discriminating against them (we ARE, but at least they wouldn't be alone) Let's assume for a moment that San Francisco is stupid enough to enact this tax (it's not really much of a stretch to assume so).

So now, how will they enforce it? How are they going to make sure that each shopper is taxed properly? Will shoppers in San Francisco have to scan each and every bag they plan to use? What if they miscalculate how many they need? Will the cashier have to ring them up for more bags? reimburse them for bags unused? Completely impractical. Or maybe the baggers will have to count bags as they go, report the total to the cashier, who THEN rings up the groceries? Again, impractical, and rife with potential problems. Will people stop double-bagging, increasing the risk of spilled groceries? Will they instruct baggers to cram the groceries in even tighter?

What's more likely to happen is that they will impose a tax charged to the store for all the bags it purchases. You buy 20,000 bags, that's $3,400 please. So how do you recoup that expense? By spending even more money to implement the stupid measures mentioned above? No. You either eat it as a business expense, or you increase your prices to make up the loss. That means ALL your customers pay higher prices to cover this tax -- not just the people using plastic bags, but the people using paper bags, the guy who doesn't need a bag for his pop and candy bar, even the environmentally conscious shopper with the tye-died "Love your Mother" cloth grocery bag. So what happens? Prices for groceries go up in San Francisco, and suddenly for all those people living not too far from other municipalities, it seems unwise to buy your groceries in San Francisco. So the SF stores see a drop in sales, a drop in profits, and a drop in ALL the taxes they put into the coffers of the city (not just the bag tax). Not to SPEAK of the impact this would have on smaller stores if the city proceeds to tax them as well. In the end, this will prove to be nothing but a hassle to the people of San Francisco, and a boondoggle for the city. San Francisco needs to put this proposal back on the shelf.

Makes Brian Something Something

My phone beat my alarm clock by 45 minutes this morning. You can imagine how quickly I was awake. Sure enough, on the other end of the line was The Feared Redhead.

"Don't panic. I just need you to remind me how to deal solitaire to myself."

Oy.

Apparently one of the complications to which a patient in her condition is succeptible is cabin fever. The Feared Redhead is also the Bored Redhead.

Me, not so much. Between her and the baby, I swear they're plotting to put me in the psychiatric ward.

You Say Potato, I Say Potosin

Just talked to TFR on the phone, and her doctor has decided to induce on Friday. Just to keep everyone up to date.

Little Cat Feet

As a teenager living in the foothills of the Coast Range, only one type of weather struck me as characteristic of Southern Oregon as rain, and that was fog. We don't get it as much here in Eugene/Springfield, but when we do, I love it. This morning, I awoke to discover we had fog. Not the wispy mist that lifts up off the ground in some places, but a true fog, the kind where you can't see past your own back yard. It was just what I needed after this weekend's trials.

Fog has always reminded me of a security blanket, or a privacy curtain, just like rain, but it fills that role more quietly, more unobtrusively than rain. I used to love to go walking in the fog, listening to the stillness, feeling wrapped up in its cloudy folds, separated from whatever might be happening just beyond visibility, shielded from prying eyes. Fog embodied solitude. Not loneliness, solitude. All of those good memories of fog came back this morning. It was like a gentle shoulder hug from God.

Gotta Love Texas

Brian is attending to the pending arrival of his Mutant Love Child (AKA Baby B) and has asked me to comment from time to time.

You have to love Texas. I know things irks those people who were not fortunate enough to be born here, but I have some proof to offer that this is a place you simply have to love.

First off, I was driving in to work this morning and I passed a local hardware store. On their letter board out front they have the usual specials but also listed was the following:

“Valentines Day Special: Dear Rifles $189”

Where else can you say I love you with a thirty ought six and not get arrested?


The second piece of evidence I offer is this story:

Off-Duty Officer Hits Horse Walking On Freeway
Accident Traps Officer In Car, Instantly Kills Horse

POSTED: 7:29 am CST January 24, 2005
UPDATED: 7:47 am CST January 24, 2005
HOUSTON -- Doctors are trying to save the life of a Houston police officer, who hit a horse while driving on the North Freeway Monday morning, Local 2 reported.

Investigators said the officer, who was on his way home from work at about 3:30 a.m., struck the horse as it was walked in the northbound lanes of the freeway near Little York Road.

The impact crushed the car's roof and trapped the officer inside.

Emergency crews transported the officer to Ben Taub Hospital in critical condition.

As officials cleared the scene, the northbound lanes of the North Freeway between Little York Road and Canino Road were shut down. All lanes had reopened by 5 a.m.

Officials said the horse was killed upon impact. They are not sure where the horse came from or why it was walking on the freeway.”

I’m deeply sorry the officer was hurt, please offer a prayer of support for him and his family. I’m sad the horse died. It is a sad occasion and a tragedy.

This does beg for the following comment

“A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
And no one can talk to a horse of course
That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.

Go right to the source and ask the horse
He'll give you the answer that you'll endorse.
He's always on a steady course.
But you can’t talk to the other horse, of course
be cause now he’s known as Mr. Dead.”

W Plus 44:30

I sm touched and overwhelmed by the volume and the quality of response I've received regarding the Baby Crisis. I pray that God blesses all of you the way you've blessed my. So I've decided to respond to all the comments on my previous post here instead of in the comments section.

Romeocat, that was the most beautiful prayer I've heard in a long time. Thank you. And thank you to all those who are speaking with our Father on behalf of my little family, as well as to those of other faiths who are making their own expressions of hope and encouragement.

To the fellow dads who chimed in, thanks for backing a buddy up. It makes me feel like a member of some secret fraternity. I'm convinced it's a girl, and my friend Brian (aka Lurch) has suggested a name for the 34" Louisville Slugger I plan to get myself for Father's Day: "Abner Doubledate".

And Vulture 6, my old friend, thank you so much for stepping in for me. I'll probably be able to blog for myself the next few days from work, but once labor starts, I'll be relying on you again.

Now for the latest details:
Almost 2 full days since TFR's water broke, and still not a sign of labor yet. No steroids, since 34 weeks is the cutoff for those. She is on antibiotics -- IV for the first 36 hours, oral since then. She's also still taking her Vistoril and Reglan for the nausea, and Pepcid AC to help with the indigestion (and, apparently, it helps hold off labor). Her doctor made the same call as Michael regarding how long to wait -- if she hasn't gone into labor by next weekend, they'll probably induce. I'm going to work until she starts labor, take sick days off for that, then work again until the baby comes home. Then I'll take a week off to spend with the two of them.

I was feeling better about the situation, thought I had my emotions in control, until we toured the NICU, and I saw the babies in there, including one that was born at 34 weeks. I know they'll be ok, but damn, he was fricking TINY!!!!!!! There was this rush of sadness, and a little fear, and... now here's the weird part.... some anger. It pisses me off that there's not a damn thing I can do about the situation my wife and baby are in. I can do my best to help with the external conditions, I gave TFR a pedicure today and have been making sure she gets everything she wants and needs from the hospital staff (who, by the by, kick ass. She's stayed in two wards now, and I've been there during a variety of shifts, and not once have I experienced anything but professionalism and a willingness to go the extra mile), but I can't put the amniotic sac back, I can't make the baby be developed fully, I can't do anything about the internal stuff expect wait. And it makes me want to either break something or break down and cry.

I'm doing my best to soldier on, and I think I've done well so far, but all of you who sent those words of encouragement, remember once you're done praying for TFR and Baby B, to ask God to grant me a little more courage. That's all I want for myself, just that he help me be a man for them.

Thanks again, everyone. God bless.

Baby B News

Brian and TFR are doing well, He asked me to let every one know that he will not be on as usual and that I keep you all updated on what is going on.

I ask that you say a prayer for TFR, Brian and the lil B if you you are of the praying kind. They are great people and need our help and support.

If you would like to send a gift, the baby registry is at Target. I don't think they have a lot of the stuf yet as the baby is 6 weeks from being due.

Brian Called me at 2 pm today and said that she is still not in labor but is doing ok.

I'll let you know more as I do.

Sitrep

I won't be blogging much for the next few days, except to post updates to the following:

Last night, somewhere between 11:00 and 11:30 PM PDT, The Feared Redhead called me in to our bedroom to tell me, "My water just broke". This was expected EVENTUALLY, but not last night, as last night put TFR at 34 weeks into the pregnancy on the nose. I assure you, we wasted no time getting to the hospital.

As it stands, she is not in labor -- no contractions at all, not even Braxton Hicks. However, because of the increased risk of infection, she will remain hospitalized until she does go into labor. This could be up to two weeks. Unless she shows signs of an infection or the baby shows signs of stress, they will not induce.

TFR's sister drove down from Portland and arrived at 3:30 AM, so I managed to get three hours of something akin to sleep. All things considered, I am functioning well, and will return to the hospital to take my shift as TFR's company as soon as I've picked up some DVD's for her to watch. I'm quite proud of myself, I managed to avoid breaking down in tears until I was nowhere near here. I know 34 weeks is fairly far along and the morbidity rate is almost nnil, but it's still a shock to the system, and a little scary to realize your child has decided to enter the world even less prepared than most other infants. But I know that I need to project an air of confidence in my wife's presence, neither she nor the baby need the added stress.

What also concerns me is practical matters. We had not come even close to completing the preparations involved in having a baby -- our church is throwing us a shower for the baby in February, it might also double as a birthday party. We haven't purchased a stroller or a carseat yet, and had to ask TFR's sister to bring a camera down, since we planned on buying one in February. Furthermore, those six weeks premature include at least 4 in which TFR planned to work, four weeks of income lost at a time we can ill afford to do without them.

All in all this is not my best day, but I am resolved to do my duty as a husband and father-to-be and support my wife. I leave now coveting your prayers and well wishes.

Just Remember....

The Left may oppose the war, but they still support the troops.



Yeah, right.

CAPTION: Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Due, right, a U.S. Army recruiter, is surrounded by protesters at Seattle Central Community College, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005, in Seattle. After about a 10-minute standoff during which protesters tore up U.S Army literature, the protesters were successful in getting Due and another recruiter to leave their table under escort by campus security officers. Several hundred students walked out of classes at several Seattle colleges and universities to protest the inauguration of President Bush.

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades.

The Horror....

The horror....

What a difference...

A Day Few Years Make.

Thanks for the Memory to Newsmax via Ace of Spades.

Just a quick survey:

Which do you agree with:

A.

the Iraq war "was based on what everyone now says, including your own administration, were falsehoods about WMDs, weapons of mass destruction."

or:

B.

"The president had no choice but to act... Anyone who questions the timing of his decision ignores the fact that we committed... to act if... Saddam was not cooperating."

Well, apparently, for Barbara Boxer, the answer is C: Both, since she said both. The first comment was made in Condoleeza Rice's confirmation hearings as SoS, regarding President BUSH'S decision to attack Iraq, the second was made regarding President CLINTON'S decision to attack Iraq. the full quote is:

"The president had no choice but to act today," she said in a statement issued by her office. "Anyone who questions the timing of his decision ignores the fact that we committed a month ago to act if [chief U.N. weapons inspector] Richard Butler reported that Saddam was not cooperating."

Going Postal

I received in the mail yesterday my commemorative invitation to thoday's Presidential Inauguration. It's very nice, printed in calligraphy on quality paper suitable for framing. It was sent in a stiff envelope marked "Do Not Bend", and was delivered in my mailbox... wait for it... bent in half.

Fortunately there were magazines and other mail that it was wrapped around, so it's not that sharp a crease. Hopefully I can bookpress it flat. I'd really like to frame it and hang it.

It's a minor irritation, but I really wish my postman had paid attention.

Heart of Redness

I've long viewed a good Fisking as the opposite of a Rant. While both express issues taken on a given topic, one is a visceral, reactionary monologue, the other is a rational, reactionary dialogue. And so it seems there would be a symmetry, a Yin-Yang appropriateness to presenting you with a Fisking after yesterday's rant.

I'd love to oblige, but I haven't encountered anyhting recently that presents itself for Fisking, so I will instead direct you to read this excellent fisking by Superhawk over at Right Wingnuthouse. it's even in keeping with yesterday's theme of disdain for Old Media types who just can't seem to grasp reality with both hands.

Do yourselves a favor and give it a read.

A Poem Lovely as a Blog

Thanks for the Memory to the Llama Butchers.

OK, kids, here's a little Blogging fun for you. If you have a Blog, try this little Meme:

Copy the following list of first lines to poems. If you are familiar with the poem, leave it there. If not, replace it with one you DO know. Put your changes in Bold, put the rest in normal text. Then link back to me. Here are my results:

1. From my mother’s womb I fell into the State
2. There are strange things done in the Midnight Sun
3. The day you won your town the race
4. Traveling through the dark on Wilson River Road
5. Do not go gentle into that good night,
6. In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree
7. How do I love thee, let me count the ways
8. Half a league, half a league,
9. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
10. ’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Update:
I changed my mind about which poems to quote, number 9 has been changed.

Barbara Walters AmBushes the First Lady

Warning: The following post is a rant in which I lost my temper. If you are easily offended by coarse language, or would be hurt specifically by my use of it, please skip this post. Consider yourself warned.

On Friday, The Feared Redhead and I caught an early movie (Elektra. Let me advise you, gentlemen. If your wife insists that you take her to a movie in which Jennifer Garner runs around in a red leather bustier kicking arse, DO NO QUESTION HER), then came home well before bedtime, so we decided to turn on the idiot box for a while. What a prophetic nickname for the TV. I caught part of Barbara Walters' interview with President and Mrs. Bush. I managed to tolerate her attitude until she directed a question to Mrs. Bush regarding the War in Iraq. She had just discussed the war with the President, then turned to Laura. I'll paraphrase the question, because I don't recall it word for word, but this is essentially what she said:

Mrs. Bush, you visit the wounded at military hospitals, many of whom have lost limbs, and you also meet with the families of the dead and wounded. I have to ask this. A lot of Americans don't care about Iraq. When you talk to those men and their families, is it enough consolation to tell them, "There will be Democracy in Iraq?"

WHAT THE FUCK? No, I mean really, WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK??????!!!!!!! How the hell DARE you ask that? Barbara, you idiot!!!!!

I was completely blown away by the self-centered, isolationist, asinine GALL needed to ask such a question! I mean, really! Do you really mean that, Barbara? Do you really mean to say "Many Americans don't give a rat's ass about a bunch of brownskinned people over on the other side of the world, and couldn't care less as to whether or not they are now free from the predations of a tinhorn megalomaniac"? Because that's EXACTLY how ethnocentric and isolationist you sounded.

Let's be perfectly clear here. In asking that question, Walters wasn't questioning the likelihood of success in bringing Democracy to Iraq. That, while I might disagree with her, is open to debate. No, she skipped right past that issue to asking if it was a worthy end at ALL?

Well hell, Babs, that's an interesting question. What do you think? Was it enough consolation to the dead and maimed of the Civil War that all those slaves were free? I mean, in 1860, many Americans didn't care about "the negroes". Was it worth it, President Lincoln? Or what about all those Jews in Europe? Antisemitism was quite common in America and in Europe in the first half of the Twentieth Century. Would you have asked Eleanor Roosevelt if it was "enough consolation" to the families of World War II dead that the death camps were no longer running?

First of all, it's not the job of the First Lady to TELL ANYONE what constitutes "Enough consolation". The woman was performing a gracious act by meeting with and consoling these people. She was expression compassion and gratitude on behalf of all of us. She WASN'T there to justify her husband's policies. She was showing class, something you seem to have forgotten how to do, since you obviously had to politicize something very personal.

But furthermore, it galls me that you would belittle the importance of Democracy, regardless of where it occurs. Because it's only IRAQI freedom, it's not as important as AMERICAN freedom, is that it? Let's set aside for a moment the argument that Iraqi freedom is strategically beneficial to the United States. Let's just address this assumption that the only freedom worth fighting for is your own. Gee, Babs, aren't you glad that our history is full of men and women who DIDN'T feel that way? Every soldier who died in the Revolution, in the Civil War, in World War Two, in every conflict of liberation that the United States has ever fought, understood that freedom was so precious, so good, so RIGHT, that it was worth it to fight not only for your own freedom, but for that of your children, and your neighbors. That is why the signers of the declaration pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. And it's a good thing we've had such folk in our history. Not everyone is capable of fighting for their own freedom, but we can enjoy freedom because someone else could and would and did. We are made and kept free, as John Stuart Mill said, by the exertion of better men than ourselves.

It was a dirty trick, Barbara, mean-spiritedness couched so ardently and faux-compassionately. And it was a stupid question to ask. You should be ashamed of yourself. Sheri O'Teri nailed it when she portrayed you on SNL, and ended the skit with the words, "I'm Barbara Walters, and I was once a respected journalist."

No more.

Ah, the Bad Old Days....

Back before the elections, when political blogging was my main theme, I spent a lot of time linking to and commenting on news of ugly incidents where leftist activists used violence and vandalism to intimidate conservatives. Once the elections were over, I pretty much left that behind.

But it's happening again, and it makes me sick. Michelle Malkin, one of my favorite conservative pundits, has been getting harassed for being a conservative. The big issue, however, is that she's a minority and she's conservative. But the comments haven't been just political or personal in nature, they've been downright racist. I won't dirty this Blog with the comments, but check out Michelle's Blog for details.

Ugly. Just ugly. And what's sad is, I highly suspect that if a conservative were to make those kinds of comments about a liberal minority member, the very same people who sent those nasty comments to Michelle would be among those decrying that conservative as a racist.

Pun Fun II

After Russ' (TacJammer) smarmy comment about my Pun Fun last week, I threatened to make it a weekly feature.

I got nothing.

I intended to come up with something witty this week, but I had some dental problems and the toothaches I've had have made it hard to concentrate. I finally got to the doctor's yesterday. Apparently, I'd lost a filling and the fleshy tissue in the middle of the tooth was exposed, causing the pain.

Believe me, I'm no fan of Pulp Friction.

Go Zell it on the Mountain

Thanks for the Memory to Russ at TacJammer and Ed at Revealed Truth.

Russ links to an excellent article by Rich Lowry over at the National Review Online:

Zell Was Right.

It's an excellent article, and I recommend you read it. I heartily approve of Russ' choice of the following comment in the article as his Quote of the Day:

All the Democrats who now say that the party has foolishly given up on the South, that it is unable to connect with religious voters, that it is too beholden to liberal orthodoxy on social issues, that Americans don't trust it on national defense, and that it doesn't speak the language of most Americans should take a deep breath and repeat after me: "Zell Miller was right."

That sums up the entire article well. The main theme is that Zell Miller, for all the derision that was directed at him from the left, was not only right, he was downright prophetic in predicting that by embracing and normalizing the far left fringe of the party, the Democrats have alienatied many moderate Democrats and centrist independents. This "marginalization of the center" is, many believe, the reason the Democratic Party's power in the national arena has slipped. I believe it, most Republicans have seen it for a long time. Ed over at Revealed Truth makes a good point in quoting a statistic gleaned from a Suzanne Fields Townhall.com article: Surveys taken at the national conventions of both parties "revealed that 14 percent of the Democrats had once been Republicans - and 28 percent of the Republicans had once been Democrats." Ed quips,

If I were a Democrat power broker ("there but for the grace of God...."), I'd be awfully worried about that. That sort of descrepancy in conversion levels bespeaks a dramatic contrast in the relative vitality of the two parties.

Indeed. Furthermore, I'd be asking myself what was drawing my former faithful to the "enemy", or, more importantly, what was driving them from me. For all my support for the GOP, I tend to think that a good portion of those former Democrats left because they were disillusioned with their old party, not because the GOP suddenly exerted some irresistable allure. And according to Rich's article, maybe the Democrats are finally getting it -- a day late and a dollar short:

"What I was telling them was right and correct, if only they had listened to it," says Miller, who recently retired from the Senate. Democrats are essentially saying these days that they want a party in which someone like Zell Miller can feel comfortable. Alas, they used to have one. But, as someone once put it, today's Democrats are a national party no more.

Someone indeed said that. You have to wonder who, if anyone, was listening.