About the Peace Prize...

...Peggy Noonan says it all better than I could possibly hope to do. Her article is linked here.

In fulfillment of the ancient Chinese curse, we continue to live in increasingly interesting times.

Win or Leave

Michael Yon paints a grim picture of the state of the war in Afghanistan. Somber reading, but necessary in light of the wavering resolve evident in Washington D.C. This is Vietnam 2.0, a depressing flashback to unnecessary loss.

If the Commander in Chief is not going to fight to win a war, then get us out of there--fast. Don't play political games with our fighting men and women. The lives of our military heroes are far too precious to waste.

They'll be going back soon enough after the next Al Qaeda attack hits America.

Photograph by Michael Yon

Changing the Subject

Longtime readers know that I usually chip in my two cents' worth on political topics. No doubt you've noticed that I'm avoiding such issues lately.

The reason for the shift is that I'm so thoroughly disgusted by our current lack of national leadership that I prefer to ignore the daily mortifications of the U.S.A. unfolding in the news on a near-daily basis. Far worse than the embarrassment is the real and present danger surrounding and growing around us as a result of the president's pratfalls.

This president's popular approval numbers may be tanking, but his prospects for ensuring that a good percentage of the American population are impoverished--and quite possibly killed--are excellent. Jimmy Carter, eat your heart out.

Three more years of Obama's nonsense? I need to keep it simple. Maybe I'll switch to Twitter.

A Day for the Angels

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

~ Psalm 91

October 2 is the feast day of Guardian Angels. Atlhough it's not an article of faith in the Catholic Church, many believe (myself included) that one of these mysterious heavenly creatures is assigned to each of us at birth, to protect us throughout the perils of our individual lifetimes.

I've survived many life-threatening situations, beginning with febrile seizures in infancy, to near-drowning at age six, to surviving a highway rollover in my teens, to recovering from a mysterious, incurable disease in my 30s. Those are just the circumstances I can remember off the cuff. Consequently, guardian angels make perfect sense to me.

You may or may not agree, and that's fine. But I taught my children to say the Guardian Angel prayer as part of their bedtime routine. I still say it as part of mine.

Hey, it's worked so far.

Prayer to Your Angel Guardian

Angel of God,

my Guardian dear,

to whom His love

commits me here,

ever this day

be at my side,

to light and guard,

to rule and guide.

Amen.

"Waking Up Is Hard To Do"

"Patients goin' down, doobie- do-down-down..."

~ the Laryngospasms

Okay, it's the weekend and I'm ignoring Iranian missile tests, U.N. speeches caving in to tyrants, ACORN corruption, and the national debt. My nurse gal-pal sent me this YouTube spoofing the health care cram-down to the tune of "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do."

Laughter is good for our health. We'll need more of these...

Matthew's Day

September 21 is St. Matthew's feast day on the Catholic Church's calendar. In the old Latvian tradition, it's my son's "Name Day," a very important day of the year.

Although the Gospel of St. Matthew is my favorite, Matt wasn't named for it. I chose Matt's name when I was twelve years old, after reading Anne of Green Gables and seeing my favorite supporting character, Matthew Cuthbert, dispatched in the closing chapters. Awash in tears and hiccuping sobs, I vowed that "If I ever have a son, his name is going to be Matthew!"

When the time came, convincing my husband of the need for the name Matthew was going to be tricky, I realized. No man is going to relish the idea of his firstborn son being named after anything pertaining to a sentimental young girl's book. So when the time came to choose names when I was expecting our daughter, I casually floated the idea: "What about Matthew?"

Pete thought about this for a few suspenseful moments. "Matt," he mused. "Like Matt Dillon, on Gunsmoke?" He was associating the name with one of our generation's most popular and long-running TV shows. "Yes!" I grabbed the lifeline and held my breath for another endless moment. "Yeah, Matt. That's a cool name." Sold!

Kristine was born first, and another five years passed before Matt came along to claim his name. It was at least five more years before I told Pete the full story of Matt's name. He didn't seem to mind, but by then we had been married a while. As most husbands would attest, a certain numbness to wifely antics takes over at some indefinable point in marriage. Besides, what could he say, really? He had liked the name as much as I did.

Matthew, from Hebrew, meaning "Gift of God." Named for an endearing fictional character, which happens to be the name of the great evangelist saint commemorated today. Happy Name Day, Matt.

Constitution Day

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
~ Patrick Henry

Today is Constitution Day. Will any elected official outside of Rep. Mike Pence make note of it?

A National Embarrassment

One man, singlehandedly, transformed me into a conservative nearly 30 years ago. Today, that man, the disastrously inept former president, Jimmy Carter, is reinforcing my decision every time he opens his mouth.

Lately, that's far too often. His charges of racism against people objecting to the outright arrogance and incompetence of the Obama White House are both disgusting and stupid. According to the latest Gallup poll, 60% of Americans doubt President Obama's policies on healthcare reform and its costs. You can't reach that percentage of Americans without a large segment of minorities agreeing with "us white folks," as Carter would no doubt describe us.

Jimmy Carter should stick to helping the world through Habitat for Humanity. It's the best work he's ever done, and he should know that will be his most enduring legacy. His shamefully twisted and degrading political commentary is nothing but a national embarrassment.

Wishing it Away

For the best coverage of the 9/12 Obamacare protest in Washington D.C., you have to go to the clip on YouTube, linked here. The networks gave it very short shrift, as though by ignoring the event, they could make it vanish. Not this time.

My favorite sign is the one reading "Obamunism." Great stuff!

Welcome to the People's do-it-yourself news in the 21st century.

Moving Forward

But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in the time of trouble.
~ Psalm 37:39

Eight years after September 11, 2001, much has changed in each of our lives. Yet, we Americans rightly pause to remember a terrible day on which thousands of our fellow citizens were murdered in cold blood by brutal Islamic extremists. I remember, too, a spiritual unity that briefly enfolded our nation, a moment in time when all Americans stood as one against an evil enemy.

National Geographic’s website has a beautiful photographic tribute to the resilience of the American spirit, a series of “before and after” pictures. They depict scenes from the carnage of 9/11/01 along with tranquil recent shots of the same locations as they appear today. Just looking at them will make you proud.

We honor the memory of 9/11’s brave and innocent victims by moving forward and rebuilding in life. As one of the day’s countless heroes so aptly put it, “Let’s roll!”

Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.
~ Psalm 50:5