The Long Haul

Hey, it's only 613 days to the presidential election!

Everyone seems to be in a terrific hurry to get on to the next president. That could be why an assassination attempt on the current VP was dismissed as such a ho-hum non-event in the media. It barely made the bottom of my newspaper's front page.

But there is a long way to go before #44 steps into office. With all the chief executive wannabes elbowing each other to get to the front microphone, and with President Bush's natural aversion to media exposure (who can blame him for that?), it's easy to overlook the fact that we have nearly two years to go under the present administration.

It's way too soon to try to assess the success or failure of George W. Bush's two terms. Historians will wrangle over it long after I'm gone, but it would be interesting to see what the final consensus will be.

There are plenty of issues on which I disagree with our president, most notably illegal immigration. I also think he is an abysmally poor communicator, and I don't mean just Texas drawling. He has done next to nothing in educating the country about the dangers we face from radical Islam. If he doesn't want to spend his time explaining it, the least he could do is recommend Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower.

But I'll say this for President Bush. The man is not afraid of poll numbers. He's willing to take all kinds of criticism, ridicule, insult, conflict and abuse if he's confident in the decisions he makes. The liberals may call him stupid, stubborn, and much worse, but that further proves the point that Bush's unshakeable tenacity is the hallmark of a strong character.

Over the long haul of time, I think that fact is going to trump a lot of others.

Holy Joke

This is fun. James Cameron gave a straight-faced assessment of his Discovery Channel documentary on supposedly finding the family tomb and bones of Jesus Christ. “This is the biggest archaeological story of the century," he solemnly proclaimed. To add to the merriment, we are informed that there will be DNA testing on the remains.

So, who’s going to do the Q-Tip mouth swab on God?

Even for a Hollywood hotshot, Cameron’s got a hilariously exalted opinion of himself. He’s been telling stories on film for, oh, about 25 years. The New Testament, with its accounts of the fearlessly faithful witnesses of the early Church, has stood as revered truth for twenty centuries. The first martyrs of Christianity, many of them eyewitnesses to the miracles of Our Lord, died for their faith in an irrefutable set of facts.

The thought of James Cameron presenting his version of Gospel truth has me shaking—with laughter.

As noted in Scripture, on a practical level, Jesus of Nazareth was a poor man, with no place to lay his head (Matt 8:20). It’s highly unlikely that his family would have the wherewithal to own a tomb. The ever-popular wife-and-child theory never gains real traction (outside of Hollywood films) because there is zero evidence of such relationships in Our Lord’s life.

In addition, as scholars of the era are quick to point out, the names in the tomb—Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Judah, son of Jesus--are common to that time. It’s kind of like archaeologists in the year 4000 finding a tomb of Ethan, Emily, Christopher, and Andrew, son of Ethan. These future tomb finders would encounter the same conundrum. (“How do we know it’s THAT Ethan?”) Captain's Quarters makes the logical observation that the Romans would surely have quashed the troublesome Christian movement by producing Christ's body, if they could locate it.

My guess is that “The Da Vinci Code” has spawned some green-eyed reaction in the incomparably egotistical inner sanctums of Hollywood’s halls of power. If Ron Howard can find the pot of gold at the end of a Jesus fairy tale, why then oh why can’t James Cameron fly over the very same rainbow?

The Anchoress has lots more on this unholy subject.

A Mortal Reminder

"Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return."

This ancient prayer, recited as a cross is traced with ashes upon foreheads, heralds the beginning of Lent. For the next six weeks, the Catholic faithful will take time to reflect upon our human failings and make extra efforts to do better.

When I was a child, Lenten sacrifices consisted almost exclusively of "giving up" something. I would usually choose to forego my nightly candy bar, delivered by my father when he arrived home from work each evening. In the post-Vatican II era, a positive approach was more often emphasized. Lent became a time for increased charitable giving, volunteer work, spiritual reading, and prayer. I prefer this approach, and this year I've made my Lenten commitment to read more of St. Francis de Sales' works.

Whether we choose to deny or make demands upon ourselves, Lenten sacrifice benefits us. It reminds us of our human frailty. Often we find it difficult to adhere to our spiritual promise; the temptation to make excuses for ourselves is hardwired into our nature. As we struggle, we understand our need for Divine strength in everyday life. This realization leads to the conclusion that we derive our being from God. Our physical bodies are of the earth, upon our death they return to the earth, and each of us must give an accounting of our earthly life to God.

That's something worth being reminded about. I think I'll go start reading now.

Newsworthy?

What are the odds of seeing this very positive news story lead the broadcasts on the alphabet networks tonight? Isn't this "Iraqi-led operation" worthy of prominent coverage?

The fact that probably nobody will mention it doesn't change the fact that it is, indeed, good news. Congratulations, troops, both Iraqi and American. You guys rock!

The Victory Caucus

"The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it."
~ George Orwell


Check it out, readers. The Victory Caucus is a conduit for your frustration with Congressional cowardice regarding the war.

If you are tired of the "I-support-the-troops-but-not-the-mission" crowd, sign up at The Victory Caucus. I, for one, am sick unto death of the political doublespeak against the increase in troops from the windbags on Capitol Hill, all of them more concerned with preserving their cushy jobs and getting a soundbite on the evening news than with our military men and women.

I received a Valentine's Day card from my Soldiers' Angel 1SG. He wrote that a soldier in his group had been killed and asked for my prayers for himself and his troops. There were tears in my eyes as I read his note, as much from anger as from sorrow. Our troops are fighting and dying to keep us safe, and the best that D.C. can do to acknowledge their sacrifice is to jockey for election position?

The Victory Caucus. It's time.

Warming to the Topic

According to Ellen Goodman, if I don't accept the reality of global warming, I'm tantamount to a Holocaust denier.

Wow. I didn't realize it was this serious! Evidently, since I'm not totally convinced of global warming as a manmade disaster, I'm a psychotic ignoramus. Or worse.

The Holocaust happened in the last century. We have all the documented proof that we need to verify the historical accuracy of that event. Only the likes of the anti-Jewish, Looney-Toon Iranian president deny the Holocaust. The Holocaust is a fact.

Global warming? There's certainly evidence for it, and there's also evidence that argues against it. Unlike accepting the factual reality of the Holocaust, I'm not sure I can draw a firm conclusion on global warming just yet. The industrial age has had some impact on our world, I've no doubt. But are humans actually causing global warming? That is a bigger question--the key word being question. I think our modern day hubris prevents us from accepting that some things are beyond our control and understanding, and that not every little thing we humans do is earthshaking in its significance.

Are we perhaps in a natural cycle of climate change that is part of a much larger scientific picture of which we are unaware? Is it possible that we humans, including even the Great and Powerful Al Gore, don't have all the answers?

UPDATE: As usual, Mark Steyn's two cents is worth a million bucks.

The Last Word

Nikita Khrushchev "blinked" during the missile crisis in 1962 because Washington could take out Moscow. Today, religiously motivated, nonstate actors such as al-Qaida essentially are undeterrable.
~ Col. Stuart Herrington (USA, Ret)

When you read a piece like Col. Herrington's (HT:HH), you realize how little the average armchair warrior critic of this war knows about what has been happening--and what might yet happen--in the Middle East. Herrington was on the Embassy roof in Saigon during those frantic final moments as the U.S. bowed out of Vietnam and left its citizens to their grim fate. His voice is one of painful experience, an effective last word on the haunting shame of "cutting and running" when the going gets tough.

Herrington thinks such conduct is unworthy of us as a nation. I think he is right.

Consider the Source

I had to chuckle when I read a front page story today about Barack Obama's speech announcing his candidacy for president. Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times News Service report that:

Obama invoked a speech Lincoln gave at this same spot in 1858 condemning slavery--"a house divided against itself cannot stand"

What's amusing is that the collapsing house quote is attributed solely to Abraham Lincoln, when in fact Lincoln himself was quoting the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew 12:25, and Mark 3:25.

Of course, let's be realistic. Who would expect the NYT, Adam Nagourney, Jeff Zeleny, or even Barack Obama, to know that?

Nice Try, No Sale

Okay, I've finally had a few minutes to catch up on the Edwards' blogging flap. What a deplorable waste of a precious few minutes it was.

I've read what the Edwards bloggers Melissa McEwan and Amanda Marcotte have to say, and I've intentionally deleted the hot links to their blogs from this post. Go "Google" them, you should pardon the term, if you really want to read the profane trash they are so proud of. However, scheduling a root canal might be more a more enjoyable activity.

The bloggers have dutifully cried their crocodile tears and insist that "it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith." Sure. It would be interesting to see them try blogging some sexually disgusting blasphemy about Mohammed. Somehow, I think they'd be on the unemployment line instantaneously--and probably murdered before they collected their first check. As usual, anti-Catholic slander is acceptably chic and a comfortably safe target within the in-crowd of the lefty elites.

Slippery presidential hopeful John Edwards thinks he has snake-oiled his way out of this disgraceful incident, but I have a feeling it will haunt his campaign. As my husband Pete used to say, "You can't hide what you are." Edwards is a phony and a coward, both difficult character flaws to keep under wraps for any length of time.

Melissa McEwan and Amanda Marcotte are vicious, hateful, intolerant, pea-brained, filthy-minded, garbage-mouthed pigs. Oh, no offense, girls.

Most importantly, I should go on record that it's certainly not my intention to malign any pigs. In fact, my apologies to pigs. Perhaps a better word for Melissa & Amanda would be "beasts."

First-Class Phony

What is wrong with this picture?

Nancy Pelosi wants a bigger jet to get her home to California in non-stop fashion. It seems the puny 12-seater aircraft that was good enough for former Speaker Hastert simply won't do. No refueling landings are to be tolerated by the "I'm second-in-line to the presidency" Speaker Pelosi.

All of this flap over Her Excellency's style of transportation, while war rages in Iraq and our troops fight on. "Let them inhale greenhouse gases!" may as well be her dismissive motto. Aren't all the polar bears dying from global warming, according to Pelosi's majority party? How will a larger jet for Pelosi's personal jaunts serve the oft-cited greater good of reducing gas emissions?

But of course, aside from exceptions to be made for her luxurious preferences, Princess Pelosi also supports the troops but not the mission. This is tantamount to stating that she supports her spouse, but not her marriage. It does not compute, and logical people know that.

Logical people. The ones who usually stand in line to fly coach. You know. The ones who vote.

Going Nowhere

Bill Kristol and Hugh Hewitt say it all better than I can. They have tough fighting words for the Republican members of Congress and the Senate who are scared of their election shadows.

I have listened to most of the interviews with the Republican “leadership”—Boehner, Coleman, Cantor. God help us center-right GOPers, we’re screwed. I have never in my life heard so many lame, incoherent, Porky Pig-like “Be-da-be-de-be-da-be-de” non-responses cobbled together. The Republicans are stammering and stuttering their way through a completely asinine variety of “that’s not what we meant” excuses for their 180 on the war. And, as is often the case with the aptly-named Porky, none of them make any sense.

As for the 32,000+ signers of the Pledge, of which I am one, I'm reminded of a line from an old George Carlin routine: “A man has barricaded himself in his house; however, he is unarmed and no one is paying the slightest bit of attention to him.”

That’s us. The unarmed man is the GOP base voters. Simply put, we have no clout. Our “leaders” are too busy trying to salvage their cushy jobs to care what we think. Worse, they don’t care what the troops, whom they profess to agonize over, think or feel.

As many of you know, I am a Soldier’s Angel for nearly four years. I received an e-mail last week from my 1st Sgt. in Iraq, and here is part of what he said:

My troops and I are doing very well. We are just trying to stay vigilant and
focused. Everytime I think things are getting better over here (there’s) bad
news all over again. I think we are making progress in this part of the country.

The self-absorbed indifference of the politicians doesn’t hurt us at home as much as it hurts the “vigilance and focus” of our troops in the field. For that shameful fact, there can be absolutely no explanation or excuse.

Th-th-th-th-that’s all, folks.

Will Anyone Listen?

The Staff Sergeant is tired. (HT:HH) Who can blame him?

I am more than tired. I'm totally digusted with the cowering, doubletalking Congress and now find myself without a political affiliation. If the Republican party will not stand up for our troops and for victory in the war, then there is no one left to support.

From what I'm seeing and hearing this week, the war has already been abandoned in theory. The 2008 elections will be beside the point. That's very bad for the safety of the U.S.A.

How many Staff Sergeants does it take to gain the attention of an ignorant and self-absorbed Congress? Far more than we have, I fear.