St. Filibert Bless Us

I'm probably a bit biased since they grow here, but all my life, my favorite nut has always been the filbert. That's what most Oregonians call hazelnut. It's an older European word for the nut, named so because they're harvested close to the same time of the year as St. Filibert's Day. Oregon is the nation's top producer of the nut, growing about 99% of the US crop. In fact, I live about a mile from the nation's oldest commercial filbert orchard, Doris Ranch. Worldwide, the top producer is Turkey, but the Oregon crop gives them competition. In recent years, we've had a problem with Eastern Filbert Blight, a fungal infection that came from the east coast (thanks ever so much) and for which there is currently no solution except the destruction of the infected orchard. Let's hope we get a handle on it.

One of the things I've grown to appreciate about filberts is their versatility. Their rich, mild flavor goes equally well with sweet or savory foods. I've used them in desserts, in salads, in main courses, and of course, they're popular as a flavoring for coffee.


It's been a while since I blogged on any new recipes, mostly because life has been too hectic for me to experiment with any. But this weekend, I tried two new ones, both of which went over well. Both used filberts. They neet some tweaking before I consider them ready to post here, but I intend to try them both again as soon as possible. One was a pork medallion recipe using a grannysmith apple and filbert stuffing, the other was crab ravioli with a filbert pesto. The medallions were perfect, but I'd like to work on a reduction sauce for them next time. The pesto was also almost perfect, but the ravioli needed something -- mainly something to mic the crab meat with to make it hold together while scooping it onto the ravioli dough.

So for those of you who enjoy my recipes, sit tight -- I'll get more to you ASAP.

Who's Your Daddy?

Blogfather Rusty and his Jawa Report assist in the capture of a suspected Terrorist!

I'm so proud!

That Time of Year

Dungeness season...


Mmmmmm....

Recipe Blegging

That's right, blegging, not blogging. I'm looking for suggestions and help with preparing a specific dish.

As part of a renewed effort to lose weight and be healthier, and in addition to eating smaller portions and less red meat, The Feared Redhead and I are trying to use as many organic foods and organinc or free range meat as possible in our diets. That's easy to accomplish here in Eugene/Springfield, as we have a local chain of grocery stores (Market of Choice) that fall somewhere in the gray area between a regular grocery store and a health food store, and thery have an excellent meat department for such things (wild salmon and steelhead, free range meat, including buffalo, etc.). Yesterday while I was in the store, I noticed a sausage that intrigued me. It's a raw sausage, in natural casing, made from cranberries and free range lamb. The links are fairly long. like kielbasa or linguica. I'd like to try my hand at it, but I'm stumped for a good recipe. I'll try to think of something, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

No Bad Hair-esy Day for Me!

Thanks for the Memory to Samantha at Uncle Sam's Cabin.

You scored as Chalcedon compliant. You are Chalcedon compliant. Congratulations, you're not a heretic. You believe that Jesus is truly God and truly man and like us in every respect, apart from sin. Officially approved in 451. Chalcedon compliant 100% Pelagianism 58% Nestorianism 50% Apollanarian 33% Modalism 33% Adoptionist 33% Monophysitism 33% Socinianism 0% Monarchianism 0% Arianism 0% Docetism 0% Gnosticism 0% Donatism 0% Albigensianism 0% Are you a heretic? created with QuizFarm.com

The Power of Uff Da Compels You

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.

As if Jesse Ventura wasn't bad enough:

Satanic vamp for Governor

From: Reuters

From correspondents in Minneapolis

January 13, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS voters, who eight years ago elected a former professional wrestler as their governor, may find a self-proclaimed vampire on the ballot for the office this year.

"Politics is a cut-throat business," said Jonathan "The Impaler" Sharkey, who said he plans to announce his bid for governor on the ticket of the Vampyres, Witches and Pagans Party.

More here.

The Feared Redhead is from Minnesota. I'm just going to file this away so I can show it to her the next time she gives me grief about Oregon weirdness.

A Link About a Link

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

For those that claim there was no Saddam/Terroristm link.

Not that I've ever argued that such a link was the reason, or even the most compelling reason, for the war. Just saying.

Though I Dream in Vain

My best friend Brian (aka known as "Lurch") knows full well that while I'm not the physics nut he is, I do take a passing interest in astrophysics (he's a quantum man) and astronomy. So when he comes across articles that he thinks will be of particular interest to me, he sends them my way.

Today when I got to work, an email from him was waiting for me with a link to the following article:

STARDUST ON FINAL APPROACH FOR LANDING

NASA's Stardust mission return capsule will land Sunday, Jan. 15, at approximately 2:12 a.m. Pacific time (3:12 a.m. Mountain time) on the Utah Test and Training Range. Stardust is completing a 2.88 billion mile round-trip odyssey to capture and return cometary and interstellar dust particles to Earth.

All of which is very cool. And I'm sure that Lurch thought it would be particularly of interest to me because of this:

The Stardust capsule will be visible from parts of Nevada, Utah, California, Idaho and Oregon when it returns on Jan 15 at 2:57 AM MST (09:57 UTC).

(bold added by me)

Unfortunately, the person at NASA who wrote that article either isn't familiar with the Oregon climate, or forgot what time of year he's talking about. I'm sure that east of the Cascades it'll be visible, but on this side of the mountains, the only way anyone in that viewing arc will see it is from a plane. For those of us poor schmucks on the ground, the only thing we'll be watching fall from the sky is a lot of little drops of water.

Oh, well, I still hope we collect some cool data.

Combining Today's Themes and Memes

I went looking and found a quiz:


You are Book, the Shepherd. Your mission is to
bring the Good Word out to the heathens and to
act as a spiritual guide. Your faith can
withstand any logical assault and your hair can
scare even the most hardened soldier.


Which Firefly character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

One More Reason to Appreciate Marrying a Redhead

I can tell (or link to) the best blond joke ever without fear of domestic disharmony.

Michael, There's a Meme Up Ahead!

Thanks for the Memory to the LlamaButchers (Baywatch, huh? Posers).

Knight Rider Hasselhoff You are Knight Rider Hasselhoff. You kick ass, you're dead sexy, AND you are the proud owner (or perhaps life partner) of a talking black Trans-Am. What else could one ask for? Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Parenthood Cliches

Today's cliche is "They grow up too fast!"

Well, yeah, they do. Two weeks from tomorrow will be The Lad's first birthday. And already there's a part of me that misses how tiny, how new he was, how sweetly he lay in my arms. What I DON'T miss is the lack of sleep, and the constant worry that comes with caring for a preemie. And while he's gone from a cuddly bundle to an active, stubborn, wiggly 1-year-old, he's a fun, bright, loving, sweet 1-year-old. I've started calling him my little M-109, because he's now self-propelled and he's definitely an area effect weapon. He has a vocabulary of 3 words (hi, dada, and baba). He's eating solid foods, and likes the flavor of barbecue (that's my boy!). At Christmas time, we had to buy him his first sippy cup.

When he first becam mobile, we weren't sure how he was doing it, because it went on for some time before we actually witnessed it happen -- we were only able to observe the end result. We'd put him in the middle of the Turkish carpet, turn away, and when we'd look back, he'd be at its edge. I suspected tectonic/seismic activity or some sort of wind or other meterological phenomenon, The Feared Redhead was advocating an aliens/levitation theory. Eventually we realized he was scooting. The scoot has evolved into a sort of semi-scoot/semi-crawl, where he puts one leg in front of himself and one behind, with the one behind being in a typical crawl stance (knee to the floor, sole facing backwards), and then uses that leg and his hands to pull himself along.

But now the fact that he's developing so quickly has caused us some concern (beyond the obvious realization that our living space must be rearranged with logistics, not esthetics, in mind). We've seen him begin to make the first halting moves towards standing -- he is able to push up with his hands and get his knees off the floor. But he hasn't actually started crawling yet. And we've read studies that indicate that babies who skip the crawling stage have developmental issues later on -- crawling is supposed to develop all sorts of motor skills. So I'd like to see him crawling soon.

But aside from that, he is the most beautiful little boy I've ever seen. See?





He's a little shy, but once he warms up, he's a flirt, and he's already differentiating between the sexes and devoting his attention to the ladies. He's also amazingly strong, and has on one occasion (unintentionally) made daddy bleed (apparently babies are excellent head-butters). I'm already trying to teach him more words, words that will serve him (and me) well later on: Free Agency, First Round Pick, Signing Bonus....

Ultimately, as much as I miss the newborn stage, I'm having the time of my life getting to know him, seeing his personality develop, interacting with him as a tiny little human being.

And even when he's no longer my baby boy, he'll always be my son.

Shiny

Guess what arrived in the mail from Amazon yesterday?


I've finally got my DVD's, you can't take the sky from me.

Expect reviews to follow within a few days.

UPDATE:
Thanks for the Memory to The LlamaButchers.

A Serenity sequel? The Shininess just keeps getting... well, shinier.

Bumper Sticker Bull S.... Consider the Alliteration

Thanks for the Memory to Russell at Mean Mr. Mustard 2.0.

The bumper sticker I specifically have in mind is the one that says, "Pro Family, Pro Child, Pro Choice."

The next time you see it, remember this quote, directly from the NARAL blog:

I could not be more sick and tired of the intolerable misogynist position that women should (a) suffer horrible emotional debilitation over the supposedly traumatic decision to excise a few parasitic cells from our personal organs..

(bold text added by Russell)

Oh, yeah, that's pro-child.

Commendations

As I alluded to in my entry regarding weird things about myself, I am an addicted gamer, both of RPG's and wargames (particularly sci fi), and in fact belong to an email discussion group for one set of such games. Today one of our group members sent notice that he must unsubscribe because he is redeploying to Iraq. He is a U.S. Army combat engineer. As one who dallies in observing military history (I am by no means a historian, and hesitate to even call myself a 'student'), I have developed a great deal of respect for those in the military whose jobs require not only that they go in harms way, not only that they actually fight, but that they busy themselves with fulfilling duties other than returning fire while in the enemy's sights. At the top of my list is combat medical personnel, but combat engineers come a close second. I thank John for putting himself in harm's way so that I can be free to do things like post to this blog, and I assure him that he and his brethren are in my prayers, and I will commend his care to Our Heavenly Father.

I would also like to commend to you his livejournal blog. It's well written, and if you want to get a glimpse of the way a modern military man thinks, it's insightful. These are the people that stand in the Thin Red Line, the least we can do is try to understand them (since understanding is a component of appreciation).

Besides, how can you not like someone who reads Victor David Hanson? And the essay at VDH linked to is excellent, even if not written by Victor himself.

Some Dreams Come True

A while back I blogged on a dream I had about a revived version of the Camaro. I was checking my visitor stats today, and noticed that the entry was somehow linked to an article on Ford's plans to release a Boss Mustang to compete with the new Dodge Charger and new Chevy Camaro.

What's this, you as? A new Camaro?

I'm glad you asked:




More proof there is a God.

No, Son, it's ok. Those are tears of happiness!

The Spirit (of the Meme) Moves Me

Thanks for the Memory to Smallholder at Naked Villainy. Since he won't tag anyone, I'll tag myself:

UPDATE:
I hadn't completely replaced Smallholder's TV shows with my own. That has been corrected.
UPDATE II:
Ditto on the movies.

FOUR JOBS YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR LIFE
1. Parking Valet
2. Mail Clerk
3. Dishwasher
4. Technical Support agent

FOUR MOVIES YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER
1. The Princess Bride
2. Cold Comfort Farm
3. A Mighty Wind
4. Serenity

FOUR BOOKS YOU COULD READ AGAIN & AGAIN
1. The Killer Angels
2. Lord of the Rings
3. Armour by John Steakley
4. God in the Dock by C.S. Lewis

FOUR CITIES/PLACES YOU'VE LIVED IN
Going backwards chronologically
1. Fort Wayne, Indiana
2. Tenmile, Oregon
3. Filer, Idaho
4. San Diego, California

FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH
1. Firefly
2. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
3. Anything on the Military Channel
4. Good Eats

FOUR PLACES YOU'VE BEEN ON VACATION
1. Istanbul, Turkey
2. Yellowstone National Park
3. Lemolo Lake, Oregon
4. San Diego, California

FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT DAILY
1. Naked Villainy
2. Darth Apathy
3. The Llama Butchers
4. Ace of Spades HQ

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS
1. Seafood (almost any)
2. Italian Food
3. Mexican Food
4. Barbecue

FOUR PLACES YOU'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW
1. In a log cabin in Alaska
2. Camping
3. Ireland
4. Portland

I'm Rick James, Bi... err... Son!

Last night while caring for The Lad, I was singing out loud to him, as I often do to entertain him. I suddenly realized I was singing "Super Freak". I also realized it was making him smile and giggle.

I'm not sure which realization should be cause for more concern.

Which Comes First?

knowing I love Single Malt Scotch, two fasmily members purchase the Water of Life for me for Christmas. One SIL/BIL combo gave me a bottle of Orach Dram, a malt with which I was previously unfamiliar, but quite like. The other SIL/BIL combo presented me with a boxed tasting sampler, with 6 small bottles containing a dram each of the following malts:

Cragganmore 12 yr.
Dalwhinnie 15 yr.
Glenkinchie 10 yr.
Oban 14 yr.
Talisker 10 yr.
Lagavulin 16 yr.

Here's my question for any fellow Single Malt afficionados who may read my blog, especially the more well-rounded drinkers: In what order should I sample these six drams? The only one I've ever had before is Oban, which was actually the first Single Malt I ever tried. I expect to enjoy the Lagavulin, because I prefer Islays, and the Talisker intrigues me, being the only malt distilled on Skye (my ancestors include MacAuleys, and one of the two MacAuley clans were descended from Skye royalty). I don't expect to NOT like any of them, but I have no Idea where to start and how to proceed.

Suggestions?

You Asked For It

Mr. Priapus has tagged me. In response to a challenge by Nicki, he haws listed what he considers the five weirdest things about himself, then picked five people he'd like to have do the same. And guess what, I'm one of them.

Are you sure you really want to know, Chris? I'm serious, because while I might seem pretty normal, I have some deeply odd stuff just under the surface....

OK, well, since you asked, here goes:

1. I slept with a stuffed animal until well into my 20's (a short time after college). When I was a child, I was given a stuffed Winnie-the-Pooh bear who was my constant companion through countless childhood diseases and four (yes, four) major surgeries by the time I was ten. This was coupled by the fact that I had a frighteningly vivid imagination to make Winnie a copilot, fellow liferaft survivor (on a beanbag afloat the Livingroom Sea), astronaut, Fellow GI in WWII Europe, mountain climber, etc. And I became very attached to him. I did eventually outgrow him, but kept him. Sadly, Winnie (aka Infrabear to my college friends Brian and David) will never play with any child ever again. He is the ultimate Velveteen Rabbit -- so well-loved and worn that his fabric is too weak to hold a stitch, he is no longer a whole bear, just a deteriorated shell and loose stuffing saved in a ziploc bag.

2. One of my hobbies is Role Playing Games (the old rule book/paper/dice kind). that's not the weird part. The weird part is one of my sub-hobbies: I like to imagine and create elaborate fictional background settings for such games -- alternate histories, fictional planets, etc., with complete geographies, histories, cultures, etc., but I almost never get a chance to play any actual games set in these background settings.

3. I have a birthmark shaped like New Jersey just under my left nipple.

4. As a child, I read the encyclopedia for entertainment.

5. I like to eat mustard just for mustard's sake -- especially yellow mustard. One of my favorite childhood snacks was mustard sandwiches.

So there you have it. Nothing spooky weird like making hats out of human hair or anything, but still, a little um.... quirky.

So my turn, huh? OK, I'd like to think big and nominate:
The Maximum Leader
The LlamaButchers (that counts as two)
As well as my buddies:
Vonski
Gullyborg

To All My Friends...

...Who Managed to Get Boxed Sets of Firefly on DVD Before EVERY DAMNED STORE ON THE PLANET Was Sold Out:

I sincerely hate you all. Happy New Year.

Man Rapes Girl, Judge Rapes Justice

Thanks (or no thanks) for the Memory to Darth Apathy. Though this is already all over the Blogosphere, understandably, I read it first at Vic's blog. And you can imagine why, as a parent, I'm among the ranks of those expressing anger and disgust.

Burlington, Vermont -- January 4, 2005

There was outrage Wednesday when a Vermont judge handed out a 60-day jail sentence to a man who raped a little girl many,many times over a four-year span starting when she was seven.

No, really? Imagine that. Some nitwit of a jurist decides to lightly tap the hand of a monster who preys on innocent children, and you were expecting what, a parade in his honor?

The judge said he no longer believes in punishment and is more concerned about rehabilitation.

That statement is wrong on two counts. First of all, even if it WERE up to you to decide between punishment and rehabilitation, you are obviously living in some kind of cave if you are unaware, as mentioned by reader Moonbat_One at Ace of Spades, that child molesters have high recidivism rates and are unlikely to be rehabilitated. Second of all, this is exactly what we mean by judicial activism. We don't care that you think punishment is icky, asshole, it's definitely constitutional, and it's the will of the people when a crime is committed, especially one this heinous

"The one message I want to get through is that anger doesn't solve anything. It just corrodes your soul," said Judge Edward Cashman speaking to a packed Burlington courtroom. Most of the on-lookers were related to a young girl who was repeatedly raped by Mark Hulett who was in court to be sentenced.

Do you think that maybe having your body, soul, and innocence repeatedly and irrevocably violated might damage your soul a bit, too, Eddie? And do you really think that by showing the family that you hold this animal in higher esteem than their daughter, you're going to mitigate their anger? Lackwit. This family is going to be dealing with plenty of "Soul Corrosion", you've done nothing to help the process by adding the fear that this sack of scum will be back on the street to repeat his crimes! Hell, we ALL have to deal with THAT fear, thanks to you!

"Punishment is a valid purpose," Chittenden Deputy Prosecutor Nicole Andreson argued to Judge Edward Cashman.

"The state recognizes that the court may not agree or subscribe to that method of sentencing but the state does. The state thinks that it is a very important factor for the court to consider," Andreson added.

Damn Straight! Furthermore, not only is punishment valid, so is the need to protect the rest of us from this kind of vile creature!

But Judge Cashman explained that he is more concerned that Hulett receive sex offender treatment as rehabilitation. But under Department of Corrections classification, Hulett is considered a low-risk for re-offense so he does not qualify for in-prison treatment. So the judge sentenced him to just 60 days in prison and then Hulett must complete sex treatment when he gets out or face a possible life sentence.

So it's more important to you that this ape gets to spend time telling a therapist about his mommy not loving him enough than it is that Justice and Public Safety be served? What kind of sorry-ass excuse for a judge are you? And just what constitutes "completed" treatment? The word of a therapist whose own objectivity may be even more questionable than your own (as hard as that is to conceive)? Thanks, but no. The only way to guarantee that this maggot never rapes again is to make sure he never sees the light of day again.

"I discovered it accomplishes nothing of value;it doesn't make anything better;it costs us a lot of money; we create a lot of expectation, and we feed on anger,"Cashman explained to the people in the court.

I'm sure that all the victims of repeat offenders will be glad to know that you consider their safety "nothing of value".

Skylark of Valeron makes a valid point. The article reports that:

"I don't like it," the victim's mother,in tears, told Channel 3. "He should pay for what he did to my baby and stop it here. She's not even home with me and he can be home for all this time, and do what he did in my house," she added.

As Skylark asks, what the HELL was the mother doing for the entire FOUR FREAKING YEARS that this worm was doing this to her daughter? Was she unaware? In denial? Either way, she failed her daughter as assuredly as the system has.

You Say You Want a Revolution? Well, Alright.

If you look closely at the rights extended to us by the US Constitution, you will realize that several of them are not just rights, they are the duties of free peoples. This is because the very EXERCIZE of those specific rights helps us maintain them and all other rights. The first two amendments of the constitution stick out foremost in my mind -- by worshiping as we see fit, we are reminded that our rights are endowed to us by our Creator, not the whim of the state. It is by speaking freely that we keep the flame of freedom lit in the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens, and it is by assembling that we can communicate and coordinate any and all efforts to protect our freedom.

But the second amendment is even more essential, for an unarmed populace is powerless to do anything to protect itself or its freedoms except to call upon and trust in the good graces of the powerful. That is not a bet I care to place. You see, while I do not intend to downplay the usefulness of firearms as a way of securing food (hunting) or self-defense, I believe, as many of us on the right do, that the core purpose of the Second Amendment is to protect us all from Tyranny -- and not just to arm the military to proterct us from foreign tyrrany, but to arm the populace against domestic tyrrany. The Founding Fathers had taken up arms in such a cause once, they intended to provide for the possibility of a repeat performance in the future.

I came to the above realization while pondering the recent brouhaha regarding the Christmas Cross that Lars Larson was planning. At least on poster at Portland IndyMedia made comments fantazizing about doing bodily harm to Lars. I supported Lars' decision not to go through with the cross raising, believing he had taken the moral high ground. But two things about the incident struck me: One was that I found it highly ironic that those on the Left (Let's be clear here, I'm not talking about liberals, I'm talking about THE LEFT -- people whose politics make Howard Dean seem centrist) would call Lars a Fascist and in the same breath threaten violence to silence him. But while I was bemused, I was not surprised.

The Left's fringe has become stronger, louder, and more openly embraced by the "Party" in general. And it's become apparent to anyone paying attention that the Left is becoming more and more comfortable with the idea of doing anything they must to further their views, including using violence and lawlessness. They also seem more than willing to do what they must to silence the expression of opinions contrary to their own. And while they might believe they are "Freedom Fighters", they are striving for a political and social order that is frighteningly oppressive in its tolerance of personal freedom. It seems more and more apparent that what the Left wants is Revolution, or at least Civil War. Case in point, note the tone taken by the reader "Unapologetic Liberal" in the comment thread of this post at Ace of Spades HQ.

But the left may be biting off more than they can chew.

This was the second impression I got from the Christmas Cross incident. As one conservative (I can't remember who or where) pointed out that this would be unwise, ever since a leftist idiot revealed Lars' home phone number at Michael Moore appearance and Lars began receiving death threats, Lars has had a CCW permit and actively exercizes his Second Amendment rights. While Lars decided to back down to prevent violence, if any of the PDX IM crowd really tried to do Lars bodily harm, I'm sure they would regret it -- if they lived.

There's a lesson about the Right to be learned by the left from that angle to the story, just as we are learning about them from their reaction. You see, while there is a fringe element to both sides of the political spectrum, it seems that in recent years, the Right has more and more marginalized its fringe, distancing ourselves from it, rejecting its extremes in a way that the Left has failed to react to their fringe. And while it's popular to cast the Right in the light of being the oppressors, we have for the most part shunned violence and domestic unrest as a means to our ends. We have tried to take the moral high ground, abide by the law, distance ourselves from unscrupulous allies and distinguish ourselves from unscrupulous adversaries.

But we can only be pushed so far. And if we find ourselves in a position where our own ability to push back is all that stands between us and being overrun by those who wish to oppress us, we will push back -- and our push is harder. We strive to uphold and respect the Rule of Law. But if you finally get what you want, if you achieve revolution in the streets and open conflict between us, remember this: We're the ones who believe in and exercize our right to bear arms as a means of protecting our other rights. Usually that means from the random criminal who would mug or rob or rape us or our families. Strategically that means from a tyrant who would invade our country from without. Theoretically, the Framers believed it could mean from a corrupt government that would usurp its authority from within. But make no mistakes. If you try to impose a Marxist order on us through violent overthrow of the Government, we are highly likely to decide that you are a greater threat to our freedom than the Government ever could dream of being.

And you won't like what happens when we take sides.

Salena Zito has written an excellent column on why Condi is the perfect GOP candidate if Hillary (*shudder*) gets the Dem nod in '08. It's something that's been said before, but it's an idea that's picking up steam. But Zito makes a point that must be heeded regardless of who the Right nominaters, and one that goes beyond Dick Morris' theory of the Hillary v Condi gambit:

What Republicans must do is go to great lengths to lay down the markers of
how truly liberal this woman is.

Precisely. It's not going to be easy -- by taking a hawkish stand on Iraq, and a few other manouvers, Clinton is trying to cast herself as a "moderate" cut from the same cloth as hubby. But don't be fooled -- she's as liberal at Ted Kennedy (D-Glenlivet) ever dreamt of being.

I suspect that Hillary herself will end up helping us in this regard -- she'll have to curry the favor of the increasingly strident left wing of the Democratic party. Either way, she'll be in no position to refute those markers if she wants to keep her base.

Waking Up Next Year

So it's 2006 today. Yesterday was 2005. So how did I spend the last day of the year?After sleeping in and having a late breakfast, we (TFR, I, and the in-laws) drove my mom to the Minneapolis airport so she could fly back to San Diego. I'm going to miss her, and my heart breaks for her in the situation she's facing: Caring for my grandmother as she succumbs to Alzheimer's, watching one sister use drugs and another rely on oxygen due to emphyzema, leaving only two sisters able to help and only one WILLING. It also pissed me off and broke my heart to hear how my one aunt's drug use has brought about the loss of priceless family heirlooms. Pardon my French, but fuck drugs.

We (TFR and I) then proceeded to drag our butts around the Mall of America for several hours while the in-laws watched the Lad. Then it was home for shrimp and steak fondue, then a movie, then Dick Clark at Midnight, then to bed.

The movie was Monster-In-Law. Ugh. Trust me, not my choice. Let's set aside my feelings about hanoi Jane, or the acting ability of the cast. The movie was one of those trite, formulaic Chick Flicks, and badly executed at that. The timing in particular was awful -- some dramatic moments happening too soon, others delayed too long. In short, don't bother.

It was bittersweet watching Dick Clark return to Times Square. I'm glad the old boy showed up, but it was sad to see the toll the stroke took.

On the other hand, Mariah Carey was a nice bit of eye candy. I've never been a big fan of her music, but she's gained a little weight, and it's gone to the right places -- she was curvy and soft-looking and shaped the way a woman should be. Yummy.

Then in was to bed, quite toasty warm and warmly toasted. Thankfully, the Lad slept through the night.

Under The Wire

Because I'm at an unfamiliar computer, and on vacation, and spending time with family and friends, my blogging on the holidays has been light. But it's 9 PM Local time, 7 back home, on NYE, and in desperation I intend to leave a few thoughts on what I received for Christmas while it's still 2005.

Sometimes it's best to NOT receive what you most wanted, In my case, that's because I prefer being surprised by something pleasant that receiving the expected ideal. Case in point: I thought TFR got me the Firefly boxed set. I was preparing myself to pretent surprise. Instead, she got me a magnetic spice rack. I was delighted -- especially when my mother gave me enough gift money to buy Firefly. clothes, and a creme brulee torch. TFR DID then proceed to present me with a stocking stuffer of Serenity.

There's plenty more I wish to say, but not tonight. Auld Lang Syne, Happy New Year. If people would follow Scottish tradition, I'd host New Years Day parties more often (the tradition is to present the host you visit on NYD with a bottle of Scotch). Incidentally, one BIL/SIL presented me with a sampler set of mini Scotches. I'd have preferred an entire fifth -- which I then got from the other BIL/SIL.

Nothing More Than Felines

For those who are curious, yes, I found a home for the cat. The Monday I posted my second request for help, I received an email from Bob at Eugene Rant. He and his family took the cat in on Wednesday, and by the time I checked my email on Christmas eve, I had the following message from him, sent on Thursday the 22nd:

Just want you to know that she did really well last night and seems to have moved right in.

My wife likes her alot and wants to name her "Xiao Hua" which roughly translates as "little Flower"

Thanks for the update, Bob, and thank you for the compassion. Here's my Holiday wish that she brings you and your family joy comensurate with the love you give her.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

The view from the front door of The Feared Redhead's childhood home in the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth:



This picture was taken this morning. We'd received 5 inches at that point, and it's still snowing.

WOLVERINES!

Thanks for the Memory to The Maximum Leader at Naked Villainy. He and I are apparently of Like Mind, for I too am:


Jed Eckert...The Leader...

Which Red Dawn Character Are You?
brought to you by

Why Yes, Those *ARE* Our Asses, Thank You!

Congratulations to an obviously superior Oklahoma Sooners team on their defeat of my Oregon Ducks in the 2005 Holiday Bowl. I'm too drunk and heartbroken to watch OR go look up the final score.

UPDATE

It was closer than I expected it to be. I'm proud of the Ducks for hanging in there (more faithfully than I did), they have nothing to be ashamed of. Congratulations again to the Sooners.

I still have my Seahawks to cheer for, and I'll be rooting for USC to clobber Texas, so the season isn't a complete wash.

God Bless Us Everyone

2:50 PM PST 21 December 2005

I hate to leave for the holidays on as dour a note as my previous post, so I would like to take a moment to wish everyone who bothers to read my blog... wait for it... Season's Greeting.

Now, for me and mine and many I know that's a Very Merry Christmas. Blessings to everyone as we reflect on the significance of the birth of Our Lord.

But in the spirit of good will toward men, I wish all of you a time of joy and love and warmth in the presence of friends and family and may they all be loved ones. Enjoy yourself as you observe your Christmas, your Navidad, your Feast of Stephen, your Boxing Day, your Advent, your Solstice, your Hannukkah, your Kwanzaa, your New Year.

And to echo the sentiments of the Llamabutchers, I leave the final words on the subject to that great philosopher, Linus Van Pelt, who concludes the matter by quoting the Holy Scriptures:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

UPDATE

12/30/9:06 AM PST (Actually 11:06 CST, as I'm still in MPLS):

I'm dropping the date on this to Christmas Day, since I've posted since then and before New Years.

Cap Him

Thanks for the Memory to Bluto at Blogfather Rusty's.

This is just the sort of case that explains why I argued that assassination is, on specific occasions, a valid weapon:

Reuters reports that Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is "questioning" US requests to extradite Mohammad Ali Hammadi.

No, I'm not saying we should assassinate Prime Minister Siniora. I AM saying Hammadi is a valid candidate for a SEAL's crosshairs.

Mohammad Ali Hammadi, a member of Hezbollah, served 18 years in a German jail for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA flight and subsequent murder of a US Navy Diver. He was released Tuesday. While German officials deny that there is any correlation between the two events, a German hostage was released by terrorists in Iraq around the same time, and many are not buying the line that "He served his time".

This man isn't just a criminal. Now even more than 20 years ago we should understand that we are at war with an insidious group of fanatics whose ultimate ends are the destruction of us, our friends, and our way of life. He didn't commit a crime of passion for which he's paid his debt to society and time to move on (even if I bought that view of murder). He's a murderous warrior who was waging and will continue to wage a war against Israel, the United States, and Western Culture in general. The US government has (I believe mistakenly) chosen a course of trying to get him extratited. Germany Refuses, and now Lebanon Refuses, saying, "You should have asked Germany". We did.

Well, this is one of these rare cases I was talking about where I believe that the right people to solve this problem aren't in Foggy Bottom, they're either in Langley, or better, Tampa.

It's The End of The World As We Know It

And I feel... well, actually, a little naseous.

As my good friend Vic at Darth Apathy points out, Hollywood has been going downhill for years, incapable of producing anything but "remakes, sequels, 2-hour long SNL skits, or bastardizations of television shows of years gone by".

Case in Point.

I expect to hear the hoofbeats of the Four Horsemen any day now.

Drilling Rigs or Drill Sergeants?

Thanks for the Memory to GOP Bloggers:

Filibuster Threatened Over Defense Appropriations Bill

The Defense Appropriations Bill is being met with threats of a filibuster by Senate Democrats, who are using the inclusion of drilling in ANWR as their excuse for opposing the bill.

The entry at GOPB goes on to argue that the ANWR issue is just an excuse to oppose the Defense Appropriations Bill. I'm sorry, I just don't buy that -- at least not across the board. To be sure, there are some Senate Dems who are far enough to the right that that might be the case (I'm looking at you, Nancy Pelosi), but for the most part I think that's an unfair characterization. In fact, I believe this is a case where everyday Americans should be equally angry with BOTH parties' Senators.

First of all, I'm all for drilling in the ANWR, and I think it's inevitable. While it's important to continue exploring other energy options, the oil in ANWR will help. And while those on the left who oppose it will point out that it will provide far less oil than is needed, they fail to prove to my satisfaction that it will fail to provide more of a benefit than a detriment. They paint a bleak picture of a raped arctic, but they fail to show that this doomsday scenario is even remotely likely.

Second, I am a firm believer that one of the key functions of the Federal Government is, as the Constitution states, to "provide for the common defense". I can think of few, if any, more important functions, or with more dire consequences if the Government fails in those duties.

And so, yes, I'm angry with the Senate Democrats for their reaction. Not because I believe that more than a portion of them truly oppose Defense, but because so many of them are unwilling or unable to risk alienating the far left of their base and take their lumps. They are more interested in "being all things to all fringes that by all means they might save some of their voter base" than in doing what's right for the country.

But I'm also angry at Senate Republicans for putting the Dems in this position. In today's political climate, they had to know what the Democratic reaction would be. The ANWR is one of those hot-button topics for the left, a rallying cry against the eeevil Rethuglikkkans. the more their central base slips away, the more the Dems have to cater to the far left in order to remain relevant. Slipping this measure into the Defense Appropriations Bill was imprudent. The GOP Senators were more interested in putting one over on the Dems than on doing what's right for the country.

So here is my message to both sides of that august body.

To the Dems, I say, stop dropping the F Bomb every time you don't get your way. Stop demanding that the majority make concessions to you, and calling THEM divisive, when they don't, that just sounds petulant. You're the minority party right now, grow a pair and deal with it. If you truly oppose drilling the ANWR, work to get moderate Republicans to join you in removing that provision from the bill. Seek common ground, find compromises, make deals. And in the end, if you can't get it removed, buck up and accept it. The Nation's defense is more important than your pet crusade.

To the Republicans (and I speak as a registered Republican), I say, stop trying to be sneaky when it isn't necessary. Stop trying to optimize every measure as a way to make yourself look good and your opponents look bad, that just looks like posturing. You're the majority party right now, grow a pair an act like it. If you want to drill the ANWR, get it through on its own merits. Press home the agenda, flex your muscle, use that clout. And in the end, if you can't find the courage to do so, buck up and forget it. The Nation's defense is more important than your pet crusade.

Meme-y Christmas

Thanks for the Memory to Uncle Sam's Cabin.


You are 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing'. You take
Christmas very seriously. For you, it is a
religious festival, celebrating the birth of
the Saviour, and its current secularisation
really irritates you. You enjoy the period of
Advent leading up to Christmas, and attend any
local carol services you can find, as well as
the more contemplative Advent church services
each Sunday. You may be involved in Christmas
food collections or similar charity work. The
midnight service at your church, with candles
and carols, is one you look forward to all
year, and you also look forward to the family
get together on Christmas Day.


What Christmas Carol are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Well, yeah. Reading the description of Silent Night people at Sam's blog, I would have been ok with that result, too.

Heartwarming, Heartbreaking

How sad. How sweet.

Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Man (Except Those Nasty Christians)

Thanks for the Memory to Daniel at Daniel's Political Musings.

The first day of this month, I mentioned how excited I was by the Lars Larson-backed Christmas Cross project, which was intended to respond to Pioneer Courthouse Square's "Holiday Tree" by reminding people of why we celebrate the birth of Christ.

So I'm heartbroken to report that the Cross is being cancelled due to threats of violence. Apparently the folks at Portland Indymedia took exception to this "Fascist Christian" activity, and there were threats, among other things, to crucify Lars on the Christmas Cross. I'm not sure how much of it was hateful, ignorant jackasses blowing smoke, and how much of it was real, but apparently it was bad enough that Lars has decided to cancel the project.

Am I the only one who notes how ironic it is that a group of people threatening to use violence to suppress an expression of an opinion they disagree with would refer to their OPPONENTS as "Fascists"? Maybe the thugs commenting at PI should head for their bathroom mirror nexct time they want to go looking for parallels to oppressive political movements.

UPDATE:

Lars just sent me an email regarding an incident that reinforces just how willing some of those who oppose the current President and his supporters are to resort to illegal action:

The Air Force Reserve plans to discharge a lieutenant colonel accused of
defacing cars that had pro-Bush bumper stickers, the military said
Friday. Lt. Col. Alexis Fecteau, a pilot with 500 combat hours in the
first Persian Gulf war and the Balkans, is charged with criminal
mischief for allegedly using paint stripper to write a profanity about
Bush in 18-inch-high letters on cars at Denver International Airport.
The cars had bumper stickers supporting President Bush and conservative
talk-show host Rush Limbaugh...

The next step down the path is into violence, and I'm quite sure there are those willing to take it.

UPDATE II:

Lars' email to me was in response to discussion that's currently going on via email among several Oregon conservatives, myself included. I won't go int othe details of who said what, but the gist is similar to the question raised by Patty-Jo in the comments section of this post: Why is Lars giving in to the bullies?

I have to side with Lars on this one. There's a lot at stake here, and if things got ugly, innocent bystanders could be harmed and Lars and his employers held liable. If people want to direct the criticism anywhere, direct it at the Indymedia commenter thugs and the innefective city government of Portland who inspire so little confidence in their ability/willingness to enforce the law that Lars had to make this decision.

A Real UFO

Thanks for the Memory to Admit One.

Actually, it's a UOO - an Unidentified (for now) Orbiting Object. It rotates once a minute and orbits the earth once every 48 days.



Check out the article at the NASA website. Too cool.

Speaking the Truth to Power

Thanks for the Memory to Admit One via Y-2-DRAY.

You know, maybe there is some merit after all to the argument that the solution to the problem of terrorism is to understand our enemies, to find common ground from which to dialogue.

If you don't believe me, and before you criticize me, go read this story, full of hope for all humanity.

The Press and Hanlon's Razor

Thanks for the Memory to Bluto posting at Blogfather Rusty's.

Press passes pulled from Pilot's Iraq duo

NORFOLK -- The military this week pulled the press credentials of an embedded reporter and photographer for the Norfolk-based Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Kuwait, saying they had violated ground rules by photographing battle-damaged military vehicles.

Virginian-Pilot Editor Denis Finley said the incident arose from a misunderstanding. Military escorts had taken reporter Louis Hansen and photographer Hyunsoo Leo Kim to a compound in Kuwait where they worked on a story about a unit whose job was to clear battle-scarred Humvees and other vehicles for shipment home. Under those circumstances, the journalists believed they were allowed to photograph the vehicles, Finley said.

But after the paper published the story and photos on Saturday, the Kuwait-based Coalition Forces Land Component Command, Forward, pulled their press passes, noting that one of its ground rules prohibits video or photos of battle-damaged vehicles.

Finley said the incident happened on the final day of the men's two-week trip to the Middle East, "so we were done anyway." He said he was waiting to hear the full story from the two, who were in transit back to the U.S., before deciding how vigorously to protest.

-- Bill Geroux

The journalists shouldn't have assumed anything. If they were not given explicit instructions that the rule about damaged vehicles was suspended, they should have stuck to the rules. As for the editor, how vigorously he protests is a direct indication of what an idiot he is.

Look, this isn't about Freedom of the Press. These reporters aren't being arrested, aren';t being told they can't be reporters, and aren't being punished for their opinions. They agreed to abide by a set of rules in exchange for the privilege of accompanyong the troops and having access to them and their facilities. The broke those rules, they lost the privilege. It's as simple as that.

And the rule isn't about the negative propaganda value of the photos. As Bluto pointed out, those photos could provide useful intelligence to our enemies. The extent of the damage, the way in which the damage occurred, the part of the vehicle where the damage occurred, all can provide insights into the strengths, weaknesses, and design of the vehicle, thus making them more vulnerable to a better informed enemy, and eventually increasing the risk to American soldiers.

Since the Vietnam War, people have complained that the press has been in bed with America's enemies, acting as a de facto propaganda organ for them (a view I do hold to some extent), while others respond that the press is merely enforcing the people's "right to know". But this goes beyond providing propaganda to providing tactical intelligence to the enemy. Considering the level of duplicity with the enemy this would require, I am inclined to apply Hanlon's Razor to this case. Hanlons Razor states:

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

Which means this incident raises the meaning of the term Useful Idiots to a whole new level, don't you think?

Classroom Scrooge

Thanks for the Memory to Lars Larson. Yet one more reason to home school The Lad:

Teacher to first-graders: There's no Santa

RICHARDSON - Guess what, kids? There's no such thing as Santa Claus!

That was a Richardson music teacher's holiday message to first-graders Monday -- a remark that angered parents and prompted the school district to issue a pro-Santa statement.

The rest can be read here.

The issue of Santa Claus is one that has generated much discussion between me and The Feared Redhead. We're still not exactly sure what we'll tell The Lad about Father Christmas, or how we'll tell him, or when. But one thing is for certain: Despite what the Ninth Circuit Court or Planned Parenthood or some asshat in a Houston grade school think, that's up to US to decide as his parents, NOT them! Is that clear?

Good.

Planned (Attack on) Parenthood

Thanks for the Memory to gopbloggers who link to the following press release from American Life League:

American Life League Says Planned Parenthood Conceals Rape of 11-year-old and Brags About it on Web Site

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- "People may be skeptical when pro-life groups accuse Planned Parenthood of violating the law and protecting rapists," said Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's STOPP International. "However, when Planned Parenthood itself seems to brag, on one of its official web sites, about doing just that, it is time law enforcement agencies in every state address the situation."

In the "Shared Stories" section of the Planned Parenthood Golden Gate web site, the group published a letter in which a young girl praises Planned Parenthood for not telling her parents that she was raped by her 17-year-old boyfriend when she was just 11 years old. Neither the letter itself nor Planned Parenthood made any mention of Planned Parenthood alerting law enforcement to this sexual abuse of an 11-year-old child.

"Attorneys general in several states are trying to get records of young Planned Parenthood clients to see how widespread this practice of protecting rapists is at Planned Parenthood." said Sedlak. "Planned Parenthood is fighting each of these efforts using its high-priced lawyers.

"An in-depth expose done a few years ago by Life Dynamics Incorporated seemed to show that more than 90 percent of Planned Parenthood and National Abortion Federation clinics around the country routinely advise underage girls how to avoid the mandatory reporting requirements of the various states," Sedlak said. "It is time that authorities everywhere addressed this threat to our children. STOPP calls on pro-lifers nationwide to do all they can to get local district attorneys to investigate local Planned Parenthood offices."

The original comment can be found at Planned Parenthood here.

This is disgusting. We're talking about RAPE, folks. Let's set aside for a minute my disdain for their willingness to provide Birth Control and Abortions to CHILDREN without parental notification. This isn't little Jenny getting pregnant during "Consensual" sex (though how "consensual" sex can be for an 11-year-old is dubious, unless you're Ruth Bader Ginsburg), this is RAPE. And there's no indication they ever reported it to the POLICE EITHER. So how many more little girls did that boy rape while this 11-year-old "coped in her own way"?

The girl, now a teenager, goes on to write:

I've been with my current boyfriend for about two years. During that time i've been HIV and STD tested four times. Right now I'm sitting in the waiting room while my boyfriend gets the results for his HIV test. We love each other so we're responsible and Planned Parenthood helps us to do that.

Apparently you're not THAT responsible, or don't trust that your boyfriend is, or you wouldn't have needed more that ONE HIV test, now would you?

But that's beside my point.

It's scary that PP is able to further their agenda of completely eliminating a parent's right to have any say in the upbringing of their children, while cloaking themselves in a mantle of "Responsibility" and "Compassion". Anyone who knows the story of MArgaret Sanger knows that PP has been all about Social Engineering from the very beginning, and not all of it has been of a kind that their modern "Liberal" supporters would be pleased with, if they would open their eyes and see.

'Strine Times

Thanks for the Memory to Russell Wardlow at Mean Mr. Mustard.

Wretchard at The Belmont Club is "Boots on the Ground" in Australia, and gives an excellent account of what's going on with the riots over there. Go gove it a read, and follow the comment thread (if you have the time), where he answers reader's comments and gives insight into what 's happening that you won't hear from the American media.

The Natives are Restless

NW Republican has an interesting pair of posts up here and here. They started when Ron Saxton's campaign manager, Felix Schein, wrote NWR an email regarding MWR's post Saxton Redu(pe). The gist of Schein's email was to try to defend Saxton's credentials as a Republican, and to question the commitment of Jason Atkinson to the OR GOP. The first post above was originally just a reprint of Schein's email. But after a response from Atkinson, NWR edited the post, then added the second, to address several inaccurate claims in Schein's email. TRhe exchange, and the comments, have been interesting.

But here's the part I would like to comment on:

In Schewin's email, he tells NWR "However, your posting on December 4th (Saxton Redu(pe)) requires a response, both because it was factually inaccurate and unusually personal."

Yeah, right. NWR has been posting for some time on the campaign, and has been openly critical of both the Mannix and Saxton campaigns, but this one particular post just stuck out? I find that hard to believe. Here's what I think is really going on:

Remember that yesterday I mentioned the debate between Oregon's three Republican Gubernatorial candidates and linked to others who had been there and reported on it? If you do, you'll recall that we were fairly impressed with Jason's performance. To be fair, we're a pretty biased bunch, being Atkinson supportes. But I find it interesting that this email came in the same time frame as the debate. Could it be, perhaps, that Saxton is starting to recognize Atkinson as a valid threat? I can understand feeling a need to defend ones own candidate, but why combine it with an attack on Jason, if he's not a real contecter.

Saxton and Mannix are both canny veterans of the political arena who have tried painting Atkinson's inexperience as a reason to not take him seriously. Well, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt about their own wile and guile. But that merely reinforces my suspicion. A canny political candidate is not going to waste time and resources attacking an opponent who has no chance of beating him -- especiall not an extraneous candidate in a three way race. If Atkinson was as insignificant as their supporters might have you believe, they would be ignoring him and going toe-to-toe.

No, I think they, or at least Saxton, take Atkinson more seriously than they let on. I think they recognize the groundswell of support he's getting, the attraction of the grassroots nature of his campaign, the advantage he has in having so many blogging supporters, and the strength of his message and his qualifications. I think they think he has a shot. and I think that means they'll be gunning for him more and more.

I think he can take it, and I think he gan give it right back.

Oregon GOP Gubernatorial Debate

Thanks for the Memory to Gully at Resistance is Futile!

NW Republican attended the first debate between the three front-running Republican candidates for the upcoming gubernatorial race, Here and Here.

The more I hear coming out of Jason Atkinson's mouth, the more I'm sure that, win or lose, he's the guy I'm voting for. I was particularly impressed with his response to this question:

Questions from the crowd -
"Where do you stand on abortion and right to die?"

Atkinson -
I'm prolife. I'm against right to die. I will uphold right to die and work toget the voters to undo it. As governor I will fight for right to die because I believe in states rights and disagree with the Federal government telling us what laws we can pass. I will fight for this on principle though I will also work to undo it. Same with initiatives as the people's will should be done by their public servants.(This is paraphrasing in a nutshell).

Exactly so -- Pro-Life, Pro-Rule of Law/Separation of Powers, and Pro-Small Government, all in one fell swoop. Good on ya, Jason.

I Walk the Feline

TFR rescued a small, wet, very scrawny kitten from the rain yesterday. We're not sure we can afford to take it in, so we're probably going to try to find someone to adopt it. If any of my Eugene readers want a cute, predominantly white tortoiseshell kitten, drop me a line.

Spooky Synchronicity

Last night I watched a documentary on the sinking of the battleship USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. The documentary followed the progress of a commission that was investigsting just what type of attack caused the sudden, fiery death of such a huge ship. The conclusion was that the Arizona had not been struck by torpedo, nor had a bomb gone down her stack to take out the boiler. The explosion seen spouting out the stack is secondary -- the death blow was a single armor piercing bomb that penetrated her decks and exploded directly in the forward magazine, setting of the powder supply for her main batteries.

Here was the spooky part: The investigators gave their final report on their findings at 7:30 AM Eastern Time, September 11, 2001.

American Hostage Murdered?

Thanks for the Memory to The Jawa Report.

Blogfather Rusty is reporting that the terrorists have made good on their threat to murder the latest American hostages -- or at least one of them.

Rusty reports:

Reports have begun circulating that Ronald Schulz has been murdered.
The website used by The Islamic Army in Iraq, though, has not carried
this message. Instead, it was posted at an Islamic bulletin board. It
sometimes takes a few hours for these messages to become 'official'.
We had earlier reported that the deadline had passed without word from
the group.

Tune in to the Jawa Report for details as available.

It Was An Awesome Dream

Night before last I dreamed that Chevrolet took a cue from the new Ford Mustang and Dodge Charger, and redesigned the next model Camaro so that it was stylistically reminiscent of a 1967 Camaro SS.



Now THAT would be boss!

WAY Too Much Time on their Hands

Thanks for the Memory to Careful Thought via The LlamaButchers.

Dear Canada,

If you're this bored:

Margo Lillie, a doctor of zoology at the University of British Columbia, and her student Tracy Boechler have conducted a study on the physics of cow-tipping.

Ms Boechler, now a trainee forensics analyst for the Royal Canadian Mounted Corps, concluded in her initial report that a cow standing with its legs straight would require five people to exert the required force to bowl it over.

A cow of 1.45 metres in height pushed at an angle of 23.4 degrees relative to the ground would require 2,910 Newtons of force, equivalent to 4.43 people, she wrote.

Dr Lillie, Ms Boechler’s supervisor, revised the calculations so that two people could exert the required amount of force to tip a static cow, but only if it did not react.

“The static physics of the issue say . . . two people might be able to tip a cow,” she said. “But the cow would have to be tipped quickly — the cow’s centre of mass would have to be pushed over its hoof before the cow could react.”

Newton’s second law of motion, force equals mass multiplied by acceleration, shows that the high acceleration necessary to tip the cow would require a higher force. “Biology also complicates the issue here because the faster the [human] muscles have to contract, the lower the force they can produce. But I suspect that even if a dynamic physics model suggests cow tipping is possible, the biology ultimately gets in the way: a cow is simply not a rigid, unresponding body.”

I'm sure I can find something for you to do. The garage needs to be cleaned out, and I haven't weeded in months.

Silent Night, Watchful Night

Thanks for the Memory to Subsunk posting at Blackfive.

One of my favorite quotes is this one, often attributed in different variations to Orwell:

"We sleep peacefully in our beds simply because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

We would do well to remember that truth during this season when we celebrate Peace on Earth. There are those who will never show Good Will Towards Men, and as long as there are, the only way we will have any Peace is thanks to the efforts of those who go in harms way so that we need not. It is with that in mind I share this poem, found at Blackfive's:

A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS POEM

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
a lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light.
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam,'
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?"
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Merry Christmas to all, and especially to those manning the thin red line between us and all we fear.

When the Karma Runs Out of Gas

Thanks for the Memory to Lars Larson.


An excellent essay on why Tookie Williams should die. And from an Oregonian, no less.

Air Marshal Shoots Passenger on Flight from Columbia to the US

Thanks for the Memory to The LlamaButchers.

The flight was headed to Orlando, but was diverted to Miami-Dade. The passenger was reportedly shot while the plane was on the ground.

As pointed out by the LB's, there's a reason we arm Air Marshals. Don't push it.

UPDATE:
Apparently, the passenger claimed to have a bomb.

Infamy

December 7, 1941.

It's more than a defining event, it's a defining date. It's one of those few events in history that most people recognize just from the date itself. December 7th. July 4th. Now, September 11th.

This particular date marked the US entry into World War II, an entry than most historians agree was inevitable. It roused the US from an isolationistic fantasy that ignored the ever-shrinking nature of the world, and it brought us into direct conflict with an enemy with whom we had been inexorably shifting into conflict. This was an enemy whose culture was completely different from ours, who viewed its way of life as inherently superior to ours, and who had no mercy for those who opposed it. Its goal was total domination of all lands it viewed as its by Divine Right. It believed that the only options were victory or death, and neither asking for nor offering quarter. In the end, only its complete devastation and utter defeat eventually brought about an end to the conflict.

No, I'm not comparing Hitler to Hussein -- that is another discussion for another day. I'm talking about the uncanny similarities between the Bushido-driven Empire of the Rising Sun and modern Wahabist Islam. The parallels to the modern day are startling, from the use of beheading as a means of execution to the glorification of suicide attackers as holy martyrs. The most uncanny parallel, of course, is between the devastating acts of treachery that brought each conflict home to America. I hope that the similarities need not extend to the means required to end the conflicts.

My Least Favorite Weather

38 Degrees and rainy. Don't get me wrong, I love rain. But if it's going to be colder than 40, the least it can do is have the decency to drop a couple degrees and snow.

Maybe I Should Just Say It Was a Bar Fight...

...'cause that would sound more macho than, "Oh, this fat lip? My 10-month old head butted me last night. You should have seen the blood. No, not his, mine."

Just Out of Curiosity...

Who keeps visiting my blog from NDSU?

I ask because The Feared Redhead attended UND, and has friends from school in Wahpeton.

Small world.

Disgusting

Thanks for the Memory to Two Babes and a Brain via Blackfive.

The Babes recently visited Walter Reed Army Medical to give aid and comfort to our wounded soldiers. While there, they met a wounded soldier named Joshua Sperling who showed him one lovely card that had been sent to him:



Awwww... Now isn't that just sweet? It's so charming to know that there are people out there who are willing to express their respectful, "I-Support-The-Troops-But-Oppose-The-War" dissent. I'm sure it warmed the hearts of the soldier and his family. It certainly made my day.

Ugh. Even being sarcastic about it, that made me ill. How disgusting. Don't get me wrong, I know that not all opponents of the war are this vile. But increasingly, a certain fringe element is becoming more and more strident in their rhetoric, becoming more and more hateful. It's obvious that whomever wrote this is a truly disturbed individual, and sadly, a young souldier had to suffer futher at the hands of someone he was wounded defending. It makes me sad and angry and sick to my stomach.

But there's something we can do. We don't have to rail against the evil, we can reinforce the good. Michelle Malkin has provided an address where you can send the good soldier a PROPER card. Follow the link, jot down the address, buy a card, and mail it. Let the young man know that most of us wish him well, and appreciate his sacrifice.

The Best Crow I Ever Had

Being first year new parents, The Feared Redhead and I don't often get a chance to get away from the house to pursue grownup activites, especially not together. Before last night, the last time we were able to do so was on our anniversary back in July. Last night was a welcome change. The occasion was TFR's work Holiday (twitch) Party. We left the house about 6:55 and arrived late, but didn't get home until almost 10:00. It was wonderful.

The party was held in a new restaurant here in Eugene called Vaquero, which has the same owner as the excellent Red Agave restaurant just down the street, and Oh.My.Lord! This place is now on my top ten list of favorite restaurants.

I have several criteria by which I judge whether a restaurant is an excellent restaurant or merely a good one. They are: Proactive Service; Attention to Detail; and Exceptional Cuisine. In all three categories, Vaquero shone last night.

Proactive Service: The difference between Good Service and Exceptional Service is not only the speed and accuracy with which the service is provided, but the effort or lack of effort required by the diner to obtain it. Last night I could be very very lazy. The level of water in my glass never dropped below 1/3 before it was refilled, without my having to do a thing. In most cases, summoning the staff was as simple as making eye contact, and in the one exception it was even easier: I hadn't even made eye contact yet when they were ready to assist. The fact that our hostess was an extremely attractive blond with a voice like silk didn't hurt. The only shortcoming was the amount of time it took the main course to arrive, but given that we were a party of around 50 and the entrees were not precooked, I'm inclined to overlook that, especially since the aforementioned hostess saw fit to place her hand lightly on my back and keep me appraised of the status of my plate. Take your time, my dear, take your time.

Attention to Detail: This was evident in many areas: The decor of the restaurant was an eclectic yet oddly tasteful mix of modern and classic elements: Dark wood and dim light, with floors of highly polishes particle board -- you'd think it would look unfinished, but it gave the decor an edge I really liked. The hardware in the bathroom was hammered copper with just a hjint of patina -- gorgeous. The aforementioned service was not only proactive, but also devoted to said details. At different times TFR and I left our seats to use the facilites, in both cases, our waiter had replaced our silverware and refolded our napkins. The presentatrion of our plates was understated but precise -- no wasted effort, but nothing left undone either.

Exceptional Cuisine: Three things make the food itself exceptional in any restaurant. Those three things are: Preparation, Presentation, and Palate.

When it comes to preparation, I expect an excellent meal to be cooked precisely as it should be, nothing even a bit overdone or underdone. Such was the case last night. I ordered my Petite Filet Mignon medium rare, and it arrived at my seat, wait for it.... medium rare. It was cooked exactly as I wanted it, pink in the middle but not bloody, tender and just the right temperature. The vegetables were cooked to the point that the no longer had that raw crunch, but they didn't show a single sign of wilt.

As for Presentation, that's a subjective issue, it's like art -- either you like it or you don't. I liked it. A steak dinner should not be overly fancy in it's presentation: Perfect grill marks on the meat, a little sauce pooled next to it, a bit of overlap of the elements, perhaps a small green garnish. That's what I got. Dessert was, appropriately, another matter, a baroque swirl of flavors and sauces, a medley of pastry and ice cream, with just a tasteful hint of powdered sugar giving support.

What I expect from the Palate is twofold: I want flavors tha compliment and complement each other, and I want to be served food I normally wouldn't or couldn't cook for myself -- if I wanted more familiar foods, I'd be at a more pedestrian restaurant. I got what I wanted. Don't get me wrong -- I cook a mean steak, but this one was an effort of love, and the accompanying dishes were both new and delicious, ant they neither upstaged the steak nor were they eclipsed by it. The one dish I did not like was the potatoes, and that was simply a matter of personal preference. It was obviously well made, and everyone else loved it. The sauce on the steak was some sort of tangy/spicy/sweet sauce, perfectly done, enhancing the steak's flavor without masking it. I've never before bit into a tender, sucvculent peppercorn. And the vegetables -- again, perfect. They were a grilled mixture of red bell peppers, zucchini, and King Oyster Mushrooms. I didn't get any peppers, which is just as well, because I don't really like them. But here's the thing -- and this is where I get the title of this post -- I don't really like Zucchini either, and I *HATE* mushrooms. Or at least I did -- until last night. The squash was just right, and the mushrooms? Well, they were ALMOST better than the steak. they were not mushy at all, but rather tender with a bit of a crunch, and they tasted meaty, and had absorbed the flavors of their baste, which I believe was the same sauce as that on the steak.

The beverages were a mixed bag. Because we were a huge party, the whole menu was pretty limited, not the regular menu of the restaurant. We had a choice of three complimentary cocktails, and I chose poorly. But again, this was a matter of personal taste, and I just picked the wrong beverage. TFR's was delicious. From there we moved on and purchased a glass of wine with the meal, selecting a blended red from Northern Spain that included Tempranillo grapes and which our waiter/sommelier informed us would go excellently with the steak. He was absolutely right. It was bolder and more full-bodied than our regular Pinot Noir, but not a heavy, overbearing wine. Is was also very smooth, and laked a lot of the bite of tannin that I don't like in stronger reds. The flavor lingered longer at the back of the mouth, and was very fruity, with hints of plum and berries. Almost perfect -- it stood up to the steak without taking over.

The appetizers, salad, and desserts were excellent as well. The appetizers consisted of coconut praws with a guava dipping sauce, bacon-wrapped dates, and sweet potato fritters. All were delicious, and cooked to perfection. While the prawns were the tastiest, I most enjoyed the fritters, because they were interestingly delicious -- an intriguing blend of sweet and savory, with one dominant herb flavor I could almost but not quite identify -- the waiter suspected it was the cilantro. I normally don't like salad dressing, but the savory dressing last night was actually tasty -- sorry if that's faint praise, but coming from me that's a high compliment. The desserts consisted of a banana cake (which tasted like banana brad would taste if it were made by the angels) with banana ice cream, a lime tart, and a chocolate espresso decadence with coffee ice cream that even The (normally coffee-hating) Feared Redhead thought was delicious.

The adult company, pleasant conversation, and festive atmosphere of giving and receiving gifts, and just plain getting out for the evening, only increased the pleasure of the evening. Indeed, a good time was had by all.