Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

From the Weekly Standard blog, a post by Jamie Fly:

During President Obama’s almost six months in office, support for two key aspects of his national security policy has been greater on the right than on the left. This fact has been curiously underreported.

On Afghanistan, conservatives were quicker than their counterparts on the left to praise and defend President Obama’s decision to send an additional 21,000 troops to Afghanistan. On Iraq, they hailed his willingness to go back on a campaign pledge and modify his timeline for troop withdrawals from sixteen to nineteen months.

On the left, Obama’s policies were greeted with concern about Afghanistan becoming “Obama’s Vietnam” and the formation of a “Get out of Afghanistan” caucus made up of the remnants of the “Get out of Iraq” caucus. Key Democrats have threatened to impose benchmarks and limit funding for the war in Afghanistan if progress is not made within a year.

Despite this support from Republicans who want to ensure that the United States does not desert Iraq or Afghanistan before the job is done, recent comments by Obama administration officials indicate that the administration’s approach may not continue to be so worthy of praise.

Read the rest.

Busy! Linkages to fill the time.

Here are some links to some things I found interesting, as I'll be mostly offline till we conclude the business with the computer. I don't even have cutesy amusing little remarks to go with 'em, just the link and maybe a line from the story. You understand, my brain doesn't always work real well first time around...and you don't need my commentary, anyway, do you? If you want good commentary, go visit Paco Enterprises or the Grouchy Conservative Pundits - they always have a point of view or one of the commenter's got a point of view that'll either amuse you or piss you off. And that's a GOOD thing. Y'all have a fine day, y'hear? Thanks for stopping by!

Bert Prelutsky -
The question that’s been preying on my mind is who is best suited to study those strange beings known as liberals. It strikes me that they’d be fit subjects for psychiatrists, who might be in a position to figure out why they revere the people they do -- people such as Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Al Gore and Ted Kennedy -- men who haven’t a single notable accomplishment to their name, aside from either winning elections or eliminating them altogether.

Cal Thomas -

Before buying a car, a shopper might be expected to ask people who own the same brand how they like theirs, or at least consult Consumer Reports. Before we buy the biggest transformation of health care in history and its consequences, shouldn't we first look at countries where government makes most health care decisions to see how things are working for them?

Larry Elder -

President Obama and the Democratic Party's congressional supermajority represent nothing less than a grave and gathering threat to that which made America great — free enterprise, competition, allowing people to keep as much of their own money as possible, and the assumption that people know better how and on what to spend their money than does government.

Bob Tyrrell -

With the government suddenly looming so large in the life of every American, it is time for us to consider what is a singularly American possession: individual liberty. The Founding Fathers created a government that was uniquely solicitous about individual liberty. With the federal government so deeply involved in our health care, our banking, our manufacturing and the many targets of its $787 billion stimulus program, it is time to think about your liberty vis-a-vis the government bureaucrats who are about to minister to you.

Jonah Goldberg -

In July of 2007, Obama said that he would order U.S. forces out of Iraq as quickly as possible, even if he knew it would lead to an Iraqi genocide. This makes Obama the first president in modern memory to have suggested that causing a genocide would be in America's national interest.

"If it looks bad, it is bad."

Please take the time to read this article on Spiritual Survival , from Rabbi Yonason Goldson.

Nostalgia, familiarity, and wishful thinking often assert themselves so powerfully that they overshadow knowledge and common sense. We become so focused on what we expect or what we want that we can make decisions with no rational justification — sometimes with catastrophic consequences.

Wednesday? How'd it get to be Wednesday?

I didn't post yesterday, and almost missed today. Internet service is dodgy at best, and I can't stay on long...and I have dozens of things to do that really are more pressing than posting links to the columns written by a man I think may be smarter than the entire population of Capitol Hill put together. Including the ones I kinda like.

Since I missed it yesterday, my link to Thomas Sowell, Part I, is his column at Townhall.com. The second part is today's column from JewishWorldReview.com. I used to read Townhall all the time, no idea why I don't still do so...well, yes, I do know - I have a ton of other things to get done and a Pixie to potty train. This stuff don't do itself, y'know?

There's been a lot of rain 'round these parts today...and yesterday...and even Monday. I like that it's not 110 in the shade, the cloud cover keeps it almost bearable, temperature-wise...but I think my hair must be getting curlier as I age, is that possible? I don't really wanna turn into Raggedy Ann or Shirley Temple. Really. And I don't like to futz with my hair, it's partly why I cut it off last year. May have to cut it again to keep it in line but I was hoping to make it to August...

One more quick thing...our plan to not become independently wealthy has had some serious assistance recently and is succeeding beyond our wildest dreams. The computer needs an overhaul and some new additions, as I mentioned previously. And I gotta have new tires on my ol truck so it doesn't qualify as a death machine. I don't wanna spend money on such an old wreck, about half of what I could sell it for, I think, but I don't have any other options that don't include being in debt. Which is like garlic to a vampire in this household. And we're going to help out Lovely Daughter so she can take a college course. Between them, she and her hubby make too much money to get financial assistance. Ain't that a kick in the head? Lower middle class who work for everything they have gets crapped on, while the "poverty-stricken" who drive snazzy new SUV's & have their nails done every week on welfare money get to attend school on my dime, too.

I'm glad to help my kids when I can, though, because it's not something I thought would ever happen. Ever. Makes me feel good, and useful, to be able to help.

Life Is Good.

And don't you forget it!

Karma

A few years back, My Chief (retired) bought a copy of Windows, while deployed for Uncle Sam's Yacht Club and Flying Circus, for ten bucks. It has served us well, and Gates never seemed to miss the money we weren't sending him. However, the time has come when more of some certain things are needed on the computer, and nothing can be loaded without a Windows update...which we can't get, because it's a pirate. Tomorrow, my loving husband is going out to buy us a 'new' computer with a registerable and updatable operating system. Won't that be nice???

Posting and reading and commenting may, once again - for a different reason - be spotty at best and severely delayed at worst. I'll still be checking in now and again, but this'll mean I can concentrate on hanging out with the Pixie, so it's certainly not a BAD thing. She is a lot of fun, and cuter'n Hell, too.

Have a FABulous day..or two!

Busy with the Pixie

Happy Monday! My BEEootiful Pixie is 21 months old today. *sigh* We're a bit distracted, so posting, commenting, and even my newspaper reading will be minimal, to say the least. Grandpa gets home shortly, but have errands to run then, if the weather holds.

We're distracted because we've begun the - hopefully short - process of potty training. So far, the potty has gotten wet one time! Perfectly normal, perfectly expected...perfectly awesome.

As American as...

...small Western towns...

...hot dogs...

... Lady Liberty,...

baseball, baseball, baseball, and

FIREWORKS, FIREWORKS, FIREWORKS!

Happy Birthday, America! May you have many many more!

UPDATE: Whoa, I almost forgot the parade!

UPDATE2: And parade pictures! And more parade pictures from a different town (and these are just too cute)!

Independence Day Quotes

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.
~George Bernard Shaw

Many politicians are in the habit of laying it down as a self-evident proposition that no people ought to be free till they are fit to use their freedom. The maxim is worthy of the fool in the old story who resolved not to go into the water till he had learned to swim.
~Thomas Macaulay

I prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery.
~Author Unknown

We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls.
~Robert J. McCracken

Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.
~Albert Camus

Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.
~Louis D. Brandeis

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
~Erma Bombeck

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.
~Dick Cheney

It's Independence Day!

Here are some things I came across while looking for something inspirational or uplifting - or amusing - to share on Independence Day. I didn't have a lot of time for it, I'm kinda new at this, y'know? I'm off to a meeting real soon, then have a bit of corn on the cob to prepare for the deep freeze, and I plan to make potato salad for our dinner later. Got some chicken breasts marinating in Korean bbq sauce, which will go nicely with the corn and potato salad, I think. Maybe some sliced cucumbers & tomatoes as a nice fresh side. Good food and baseball today, with racing under the lights at Daytona as a nice end to the day. Man...I got a great life. Now, let's see what we've got here...


Like other heroes of our founding generation including Paul Revere the silversmith, William Dawes the tanner, and Joseph Warren the doctor, Adams never thought of organizing as a full-time occupation; he just lent a hand where he thought it was needed.

Please read the rest at American Spectator.

There's also An Enlisted Man's Point of View by George H. Wittman that will give...yep, a completely different point of view from what the DemSM (Thanks for that, Andrea) will tell you on any given evening news.

Here's a bit from that article:
It might be a good idea for President Obama and his civilian advisors to spend a few weeks with the Army and Marines to get some idea of what really motivates the U.S. military. Apparently General Jim Jones, USMC Ret., the national security advisor, has forgotten what he once knew.

This column from the online version of the Wall Street Journal is from Memorial Day, but remembering Heroes is a good thing in ALL seasons.

You may think Our Elected Officials speak in gibberish - and I wouldn't argue the point - but it seems Thomas Jefferson's friend wrote him a letter in cipher that has only recently been decoded.

And last, from William J. Bennett and John Cribb, an article on one of the greatest writings of all time, in my humble opinion. I used to know it by heart, but with age and damage, most parts have gone to the recycle bin of my brain. It is still a beautiful and inspirational piece to me.

I wish you all the finest Independence Day imaginable. Be safe, and take care of each other, y'hear? Thanks for stopping by!

Governor Palin stepping down

From the Office of the Governor of Alaska:

“People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska,” said Governor Palin. “Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine.” Standing outside her home in Wasilla, Alaska, Governor Palin reflected upon some of the administration’s accomplishments for Alaska as she approaches her final year in office. “I am determined to take the right path for Alaska even though it is not the easiest path,” said Governor Palin after the announcement. “Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional ‘Lame Duck’ status in this particular climate would just be another dose of ‘politics as usual,’ something I campaigned against and will always oppose. It is my duty to always protect our great state. With that in mind, my family and I determined that it is best to make a difference this summer, and I am willing to change things, so that this administration, with its positive agenda, its accomplishments, and its successful road to an incredible future, can continue without interruption and with great administrative and legislative success. I look forward to helping others – to fight for our state and our country, and campaign for those who believe in smaller government, free enterprise, strong national security, support for our troops, and energy independence.” The transfer of power will occur following the Governor’s picnic in Fairbanks on July 26. At that point in time, Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell will be sworn in and Lieutenant General Craig Campbell will assume his role as Lieutenant Governor. Governor Palin will spend July 4th in Juneau.

Breitbart: Yes, that's it for now, and I don't have time to search for more, going out to dinner with some ladies...

from FoxNews.com

If you've made prayer part of your life, please petition your Higher Power on behalf of one of our own Soldiers.

From FoxNews.com:

An Afghan police official said the soldier went missing during the day Tuesday in the Mullakheil area of eastern Paktika province. Gen. Nabi Mullakheil said there is an American base in the area.

For more, on a MUCH more personal level, see AFGHANISTANSHRUGGED.

On character

I've had a bit of a lesson in gossip and tale-telling this week. We all know, don't we, that anything we say can be twisted by someone else and turned into something ugly, even when what was said was what we thought of as merely informational. Many of the people I know should be politicians, because they're VERY GOOD at it.

Rabbi Twerski's lesson this morning seems applicable in my situation. Thanks for the reminder, Rabbi!

If you wish to know the true mettle of a person, look at his disciples. The true nature of a person is revealed in those whom he taught. Their character, their behavior and their belief reflect that of the teacher.

Before accepting anyone as authoritative on how one should live, check into how he has lived his life.

Happy Independence Day, Canada!

I tried to put this on the previous post, but Canada's day deserves a post of its own, in my opinion...and it's my blog, so that's whatcha get.

Happy Independence Day, Canada!

On July 1, 1867, with passage of the British North America Act, the Dominion of Canada was officially established as a self-governing entity within the British Empire. Two years later, Canada acquired the vast possessions of the Hudson's Bay Company, and within a decade the provinces of Manitoba and Prince Edward Island had joined the Canadian federation. In 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed, making mass settlement across the vast territory of Canada possible.

My own time in Canada (1968-1971) was spent in and around the town of Bow Island, Alberta. I love the prairies to this day, and miss them more than I can say, whether on the Canadian side of the border or not.

The Pixie and I are off to shop for groceries now, before the temperature hits 90 and before any thunderstorm that may dampen things a bit more. Y'all have a FINE day, and thanks so much for stopping by.

No Graduation Cliche Here

I have no memory of my own high school graduation speech or speeches - I know who I sat next to, and we were all a bit high at the time. I tripped up the step when it was my turn, but I was such a non-entity I'm probably the only one who remembers it. I think the principal was the "main" speaker, and I'd have to dig out the yearbook to tell you who else took the podium. I'm sure it was the expected "make a difference and BE different/ go forth and save the world that awaits you" plea that so many are.

Rabbi Avi Shafran experienced something really different from the oratory at his daughter's graduation ceremony. He's written about this experience at JewishWorldReview.com and it might be worth a few minutes of your time. There are things we really ought to preserve from the teachings of our parents and grandparents. The religion that instructs, comforts, and sustains us is one, but it certainly isn't the only one. The tenets of our Constitution are worth preserving, too, I'd say. It's going to be work, but I believe it's a worthy cause.

Thomas Tuesday!

I am not ashamed to admit I really like Tuesday mornings. Thomas Sowell's column, even when not written on a cheerful topic, seems to be a good way for me to start the day. Today, GCP beat me to the punch, so to speak, but I'm posting the link from JewishWorldReview anyway. You can, of course, find a different link at GrouchyConservativePundits.com, should you prefer. They're a fun bunch over there, take no crap from anyone, and have a level of sarcastic wit AND intelligence I admire and aspire to.

From the column:

The great haste with which the latest government expansion into medical care is being rushed through Congress suggests that the politicians don't want us to stop and think. That makes sense, from their point of view, but not from ours.

UPDATE!
From the Sowell column today on another of Sotomayor's decisions being reversed:

Qualifications are not simply a question of how long you have been doing something, but how well you have done it. Judge Sotomayor has certainly been on the federal bench long enough, but is being reversed four out of six times a sign of a job well done?

Would longevity be equated with qualifications anywhere else? Some sergeants have been in the army longer than some generals but nobody thinks that is a reason to make those sergeants generals.

Performance matters. And Judge Sotomayor's performance provides no reason for putting her on the Supreme Court.

Oh, brother.

Anyone see a withdrawal of this nomination in the near future?

Nah, me neither.

"I mulch therefore I am" and other fun ideas

I wonder if James Lileks cares that when I read his column, it cheers me up from the crapola that is covered by nearly everyone else? Need a mood-altering COLUMN and a cup of coffee? Enjoy!

The line that started my mood-improvement this morning:

I mulch therefore I am. Well, not true; I don’t mulch. I put down mulch. And by “put down” I mean I swear at every bag in the most humiliating, derisive fashion.

Next on my mood-improvement list is Dave Barry. What can I say about his column that you won't think of yourself? Nothing.

There's a place in California, called the We Care Spa, which bills itself as "a holistic fasting retreat," and which charges guests up to $3,484 A WEEK. Yes! To starve!

I haven't been to a high school reunion, and really have no plans to attend one in the future. I wasn't important there, I wasn't 'connected,' and I certainly wasn't popular. I was closer to being a stoner than a nerd...but I wasn't even very good at that, because I usually followed the few rules my parents set down for me. And I love the idea of letting someone pay me for THEM not eating, but I have a tiny little ethical problem with it...I think.

One more on Jacko

This will be the final link from me about Michael Jackson - because, in so many ways, it's just too pathetic to continue on about.

Mitch Albom at JewishWorldReview.com:

"...let's be honest. Celebrating Jackson more in death than in life doesn't honor him. If anything, calling him Wacko Jacko, chronicling his surgically enhanced face and making him a national joke, then weeping for TV cameras about how much we'll miss him makes us seem, for the moment, even stranger than him."

All Conditions Are Temporary

A man I've known for just about six years put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger last week. In April, another man I'd known for four years took himself out with a shotgun. These are only the latest in a line of people I've known who decided that life ain't worth living.

Both these men had lovely wives and children/ grandchildren, good jobs, really nice cars, loyal friends...and a "drinking problem." Both men had spent some time in a 12 Step program and had experienced relief from the bondage they had to John Barleycorn. Due to personal circumstances, they quit attending so many 12 Step meetings and found excuses to call "old friends." They stopped taking calls from people who were Sober and cared for them so much. They finally quit going to meetings altogether. Then, in a fit of what-the-hell, they took another drink. And nothing bad happened, so they took another. And s'more.

We'll bury the second one some time this week. Because the Demons are not forever banished just because we don't drink. They come back again if we are not on guard. Then, if we continue down the road to destruction, we leave behind some of those Demons for our wives, our children, our grandchildren and our friends to mull over and consider. When it comes right down to it, if I believe it's a choice between drink and shotgun, I'll drink. My friends can help me get Sober again -- they can't bring me back from the Dead.

I'm going to a meeting now. Thanks for stopping by, I'll post something more interesting later tonight or tomorrow. Y'all take care, y'hear?

Icon, Idol...pfft. I'll mourn the passing of a REAL Man.

I don't mourn the passing of "superstars" or celebutards. Jonah Goldberg says it so much better than I...which is why they pay him, not me. From the column at NRO...

...I know he was not someone responsible parents should applaud, healthy children emulate, nor society celebrate.

And while we’re at it, his relatively early death wasn’t “tragic.” He was one of the richest people in the world. He spent his money on perpetual childhood and he was perpetually with children not his own.

Meanwhile, in the last ten days, we’ve seen or heard of remarkable people who’ve given their lives for freedom in Iran. We’ve heard of innocents killed because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the last decade, America has lost thousands of heroes in noble causes and thousands of innocent bystanders who were denied the simple joys of life through no fault of their own. Those deaths are tragic, and we're hard pressed to think of more than a handful of names to put with the long line of the dead. If anything, Michael Jackson’s life, not his death, was tragic.

Lori Borgman at JewishWorldReview.com writes about her father-in-law. THIS was a man I could love and admire, had I known him.

The old suitcase he used to carry on visits to our house now sits in our front hall. The cell phone we gave him for his 95th birthday rests on the kitchen counter.

He was the oldest of four parents and yet he lived the longest. They are all gone now. A door on well-oiled hinges has swung shut with a resounding thud. Another generation has passed.

UPDATE: Another man I know took the 'easy' way out today. That's 2 in 2 months.

Like almost all teenagers, he lies...for no good reason

In another excellent column, Bert Prelutsky calls BarryO the man who would be G-d. That IS what teenagers want, though this column idea and Barone's (in my previous post) may seem to be coming at Mr. Hip from two different directions.

Teenagers of today want a couple things that these columns point out so well. They want to do whatever Mom and Dad say they aren't allowed to do. They want to do whatever they damn well please, whenever they damn well please. They want Power - the power to hurt Mom and Dad (teachers, bosses) for being such idiots and embarrassments to the coolness they believe they possess.

For instance, when he jammed through the trillion-dollar pork pie, he claimed it was so urgently needed, he couldn’t spare the legislators even 48 hours to plow through the 1,100 pages. However, once they passed the bill, Obama waited four days before flying off to Denver to sign it.

These attitudes are temporary and not as strong in children who have been raised with discipline and respect for their elders, for the property of others, and for their Country. Lovely Daughter has passed through the stage and is a fine young wife, mother, and employee today. I'm not taking credit for that, but it's how I was raised so it's how she was raised.

BarryO and company have never grown up, they have remained ill-mannered contrary little brats...with the Power to force our children and grandchildren into servitude.

A second lie that recently went unquestioned by the media was Obama’s claim that he had only given President Sarkozy short shrift when he was in France because it was essential that he get back to the Oval Office and make those tough decisions that only he can make. And, sure enough, it turned out that within an hour of his return to Washington, he was on the golf course, making one of those gut-wrenching executive decisions -- deciding whether to use a putter or a sand wedge from the edge of a bunker.