Happily Wrong

Yesterday the Feared Redhead and I went to a "Holiday Craft Faire" after church at the Lane County Fairgrounds. All your typical holiday craftsy stuff. Most of it was disappointing in that it wasn't handcrafted, but prefab stuff being resold by local merchants. Unlike most guys, I don't mind homespun, simple, corny holiday craftsiness, but mass-produced kitzch makes me break out.

Fortunately there were a few exceptions, including a couple of local wineries. One of them, Chateau Bianca (outside Dallas, OR), was offering tastings, including one of their port. I don't like port, and said as much. Port reminds me too much of raisin juice. The winery owner assured me that this port was different. But since he charged a $2 Dollar tasting fee for his port ( the other wines were free to taste), I decided to just believe him and leave it at that.

However, over the course of the conversation, I said somehting he liked, and he decided that teaching me a lesson was more inportant than his two dollars. He comped the port sample.

I stand corrected.

Most of the ports I'd tried had been tawny. This was a ruby port. It was sweet, but it didn't have that raisiny aftertaste I usually associate with port. It still tasted like wine, though much sweeter.

I think I shall be buying a bottle soon.

Less Moore

Thanks for the Memory to The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.

Apparently, at least one mother of a Marine killed in Iraq resents Michael Moore's comments regarding the election.

Eva Savage of Livingston, Tenn., has a message for filmmaker Michael Moore: You don't speak for me.

Nor for us, Mrs. Savage. But I think I do speak for many of us when I say:

Thank you for raising the kind of man your son grew up to be. His sacrifice makes the world better for the rest of us, and will not go unremembered nor unappreciated. He was Semper Fidelis, we're Semper Memoris -- Eternally grateful.

When Is A Vanity Plate Not Just A Vanity Plate?

When it Looks like this:



UPDATE:
This post was originally published on Nov. 5th. I wanted to say somehting for Veteran's Day, but couldn't think of anyhting else that said it any better.

The Feared Redhead and I were sitting in Burrito Boy last night, having Carne Asada tacos, when I looked out and noticed that the car parked next to ours had a plate just like this one. There was only one other table with customers at it, so I asked the gentleman at the table if it was his, and it was.

He earned it while serving in the airborne in Vietnam. I didn't ask what kind of wound or how, but he did offer the information that it still hurts.

So I went to the trouble of thanking him for his service and his sacrifice. I let him know that I understand that "Freedom isn't free" is more than a cliche slogan, that I understand the price of freedom, and the huge debt of gratitude and honor that we owe to all veterans, especially those who are wounded or killed in the service of the Republic.

I asked him how often anyone acknowledges his service because of his plate, and he told me it isn't often. I found that, quite frankly, not just sad but downright wrong.

How much time and trouble would it be, really, for someone to pause in a grocery store parking lot, or with the window rolled down at a stop sign, and just utter two simple, single-syllable words: Thank you. Hell, you have to exhale anyway, why not take the miniscule extra effort to use that breath to form a simple phrase that, quite frankly, people like the gentleman in Burrito Boy have coming to them? And how much better would you feel about yourself, and your country, if you bothered to do it? Is it just possible you might actually think about the words you're speaking, and the reason for them, and the significance of that reason, and might just be a little more thankful that you live on free soil, freedom purchased by those who offered their "Last Full Measure of Devotion"?

That's not much to ask for, is it folks? So when you see a plate like the one above, remember that it cost its owner something more than just the registration fees. And remember that they paid that cost on all our behalf.

Win-Win Situation

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.

A worthy cause indeed:

Hey! Conservatives! Tired of listening to liberals whine about how apocalyptic Bush's reelection is? Hey! Liberals! Convinced that Bush is going to ruin America?

Now there's an organization for both of you!

HELP THEM LEAVE!

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE FOR "DISENFRANCHISED" CITIZENS

I don't think it's real, but darnit, don't I wish!

Minor Distinctions

Thanks for the Memory to Mean Mr. Mustard.

"The Christian right in America is the mirror image of the Islamic fundamentalists," according to Anti-Christian British fantasy author Philip Pullman.

Except, as Beautiful Atrocities, its readers, and Russell at MMM point out, "for jihad, suicide bombers, beheadings-of-the-week, honor killings, child-murders, Sharia law, genocide, comparison-shopping the best deal for exploding your kids, slavery, fatwas, polygamy, female circumcision, attitudes toward the Jews in general and Israel in particular (Thanks BA reader Neal), the subjugation of women, tribalism, genital mutilation, and dhimmitude."

Thanks, Mr. Pullman, thanks for reminding me that I, I'm the disciple of hate, and you, you're the champion of tolerance.

Limbo Ain't Just a Dance, You Know...

This is the week at the new job where we're supposed to be transitioning from training to actually doing the job. We were supposed to be taking calls in a training room yesterday and today, with tomorrow being our first day at our desk taking calls on a regular schedule. Unfortunately, they have not set up our phone extensions or our access to our account tracking tools, so things have been kind of weird. It's a bit distracting, so I apologize if the blog gets the short shrift for a couple of days.

In better news, I handled my first irate customer on the phone during a mentoring session yesterday. And the best part was, it wasn't my fault -- the customer was angry about a company policy. So I arranged for a call-back and sent him on his way. You may think it odd that I call this good news, but that kind of call is inevitable in the Tech Support industry, and now I feel like I have that under the bridge, so I feel more relaxed about the job in general.

Well Said

Lee B. has posted an excellent essay on freedom over at Merc's Place. His writing style is a bit rough around the edges, but it's not in the least bit prosaic -- there's a poetry to the words and phrases he uses to conjure images.

The essay starts with some sobering numbers, and puts forward an argument I've made for some time -- anyone who tries to use the number of US casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan as justification for our withdrawal is ignorant of our history. While even one death is tragic, there are sometimes even greater tragedies, such as tyranny and oppression and holocaust, that can only be averted by the sacrifices of brave soldiers. While we cannot discount those deaths, we must put them in perspective. The quickest and easiest way to dishonor those dead is to veer from the course of winning for freedom, thus rendering those deaths in vain.

Lee's best comment is this:

"liberty is precious. the right to keep that liberty is precious.
so precious, blood is more worthy than gold to pay its demanded price."

Well said. Let us never squander that which was purchased for us so dearly.

Loyal Opposition My @$$!!!!!

Thanks for the Memory to Sir George at The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.

After I posted the quote of the day yesterday, I received a sarcastic comment about hate and fear, coupled with a straw-man remark about "Those do-gooder Democrats".

Well, as evidenced by Zombietime, those "Do-gooder" Democrats know a bit about generating Hate and Fear.

Go look at the pictures. Be disgusted and saddened and angered and frightened. But don't dare question their patriotism.

Winning the War on Error

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.

Apparently See-BS is planning to axe 60 Minutes II, and rumor has it they're placing the blame squarely at Dan Rathers' feet.

No one to blame but yourself, Danny.

Pictorial Rebuttal

Image Courtesy of Vic at Darth Apathy.

Quote of the Day

"Oderint dum metuant"

- Lucius Accius

(Let them hate so long as they fear.)

The Counter-Revolution WAS Televised

Image Courtesy of my friend DAR.

Thank You

A hearty thank you to Brian for inviting me to guest author here. I have invited him to post on mine as well and we are working the details out on a group project with our friend Vic at Darth Apathy. We will provide details as soon as we have the wrinkles out.

Also thanks to Brian for his encouragement in my journey of faith.

Vulture 6

This, Dr. Jones, this IS History.

Last night my feelings were mostly of relief as I watched a tight race finally come out in my candidate's favor.

This morning, as you may have read into my last post, came the giddiness. Not just giddiness. Elation. Joy. Exultation. Unmitigated happiness, excitement, and yes, a bit of gloating.

Blogfather Rusty thinks I may have engaged in hyperbole when I uttered the comment "The Republic was saved by itself." Maybe. He may be right that it would have taken more than a Kerry presidency to destroy the country. Probably so.

But I can't help getting a sense that I was just a part of something very big, and very good. The sense of pride, of accomplishment, and of weight off my shoulders is also enhanced by a feeling, an intuition, that history was made.

Ace of Spades agrees. He calls it the most important election in fifty years. And while I'd argue that Reagan's election might arguably give it a run for its money, I do think that this election, as a follow-up to the 2000 election, definitely sets a great tone for the century.

There's a tired old cliche that there are three kinds of people in this world -- those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who ask, "what happened?"

Today I feel like I was in the first group.

Great Day in the Morning

I arose this morning to the sound of birds singing, to sunshine and clean air. I arose rested and smiling, and I awoke to the sweet smell of victory.

The Republic has been saved by itself.

To be honest, there were some disappointments. Here in Oregon, Feldkamp failed to DeFuze DeFazio. Al King lost to Ron Wyden, but that was more to be expected. Measures 35 and 38 failed.

But none of that can do anything to more than temporarily dampen my joy over President Bush's victory. Hallelujah!

I believe I shall smoke my cigar this evening.

Update:
My friend David mentioned this to me, thanks for the Memory to Blogfather Rusty for the actual link:

That Mighty Rushing Wind you hear? It's a giant sigh of relief. The DOW, the S&P, the NYSE, and Nasdaq were all up on the news that President Bush won.

VOTE!!!!!!!!

For God's sake, VOTE!

If you support President Bush, VOTE!

If you support John F Kerry, VOTE!

If you support Ralph Nader, VOTE!

If you care about this country and believe in the system we call American Democracy, the single most important thing you can do is VOTE!

If you vote for the winner, you have a right to complain if you feel betrayed.

If you vote for the loser, you have a right to complain because you warned us.

If you don't vote and complain, your mouth should be sewn shut with a guitar string.

VOTE!!!!!!!!

A Simple Prayer

(with apologies to St. Francis)

Dear Lord,

Please let George W. Bush win this election. But if you see fit not to, please give me the strength to keep foghting for what I believe in in the dark days that may come.

Amen

Curiouser and Curiouser

Given that I average less than 100 visitors a day, I'm at a loss to explain how I just went from Adorable Rodent to Large Mammal in the TTLB Ecosystem -- overnight.

However, not being raised by morons nor as a moron, despite the blog's title, I shall refrain from examining the complimentary equine's dental records.

Update:
Hmmmm.... Apparently the TTLB Ecosystem is based on links. I was unaware of this -- I was under the impression that it factored actual traffic into the mix.

This may explain why I'm so high on the list. I was futzing around in Site Meter, checking out the hits and page views, and on a whim clicked on the "Referred By" link. I was amazed at how many other blogs link to me. M@'s comment also bears witness to this. Apparently there are a whole lot of bloggers out htere who have decided that I write well enough for them to post a link to my blog -- many of them without bothering to tell me, and some of them with considerable clout -- "Playful Primates" in some cases. So while I may not be a poplular blog among readers, apparently I've found recognition among other bloggers. I can't say this is new to me.

Remember back in high school how important popularity was? I remember. I remember how everyone wanted to talk to the popular kids, sought out their friendship, strove to be associated with those people, invited to the same parties, whatever. Does that sound anything like being instalaunched, or being high on the TTLB, or having tons of hits?

I was never a popular kid. I was never the one everyone WANTED to be seens with, whose friendship was a status symbol. But here's the weird part. I WAS friends with the popular kids. they liked me, they got along with me. Almost everyone did -- they just never considered it a big deal. Being seen talking to me never was a sign that you'd arrived, because, well, I'd talk to anyone. I wasn't popular, but I was well liked.

This reminds me a lot of this recent revelation about my blog. There's one big difference between then and now.

Now I'm OK with the distinction.

Hope for Spain

The Feared Redhead's sister and her husband are among the in-laws who returned recently from the wedding in Spain where my Father-in-law received the Stogie which I will hopefully be smoking tomorrow night. So while we were visiting them in Portland this weekend, they mentioned in passing that I would like spain because of the popularity there of Scotch whisky and Cuban cigars. Of course I had to make a crack about "And Socialist Prime Ministers who all but surrender to terrorists." They had an interesting response.

Apparently just this topic came up while they were in Spain, and the general concensus among the Spaniards they know is one of disgust over what has happened. Apparently, from their talks with the family friends, very few Spaniards actually changed their vote because of the Madrid bombings. They were told that voter turnout is usually pretty low in Spain, but that after the attacks, a large number of spaniards who normally don't vote did, and most of these people voted for the current Socialist PM.

What I'm hoping for is that this will be a wake-up call for Spain, and that Right-minded Spaniards will make sure that they get out and vote in droves next time. So while I'm still quite scornful of Spain's current government, I believe I should rethink my disappointment in the Spanish people overall.

The Die is Cast

Saturday morning, while the Feared Redhead was at work and before it was time to get ready to head to Portland for a family visit, I spent an hour or two at the local GOP offices, doing volunteer work as a phone caller. We were calling people who had already indicated suuport for the President. It was a pretty straightforward series of questions and reminders relating to Oregon's Vote-by-mail system: Have you received your ballot? If not, you need to go to the elections office and vote there. If so, have you voted yet? If not, it's too late to mail the ballot, you need to drop it off at a county-approved election drop location. If so, we hope you support the President.

One of the issues that our FAQ sheet addressed is people who respond, "I already voted, why are you still calling?" We were to explain to the person that our calling list is based on the most recent available information from the elections office, and that if we're still on their list, they may want to call and make sure their ballot has been received. I thought this was good information, and a great way to turn what could be an annoying call into a useful call for the people we call.

So Sunday night upon returning home, I checked our messages, and sure enough, 2 of the 4 messages were from the GOP. This despite the fact that we dropped our ballots off at a drop box this time last week. I'm sure you can guess what my first order of business was on my lunch break today.

Thankfully, the nice lady at the Elections office confirmed receipt of our ballots. and by nice, I mean nice. It's been my experience that for the most part, the people at the elections office are the nicest, most helpful government officials with whom I've ever dealt. I wonder if it has to do with appreciating the importance of performing this particular civic duty. Just a thought.

So anyway, our ballots are in. So all you Eugene-area liberals who have been harassing us, do your damnedest. It's too late now to change my vote -- as if you ever could have.