Right As Usual

I found a new blogger to get a crush on - he manages to explain the unexplainable in ways even I can understand. I've long wondered at the skewed thinking of those who defend the indefensible. People who look at criminals, and plead for the law-abiding to understand their crimes, even give them a special degree of mercy. People who see the bums on the street (to use the old term), and, insteading of focusing on the bad decisions that landed them on the street, decry the "heartlessness" of those who won't let them keep their "lifestyle", and even subsidize it. Life in America is much the same as buying a lotto ticket. Just because we have an equal opportunity does not mean that we are automatically entitled to win. Freedom and personal liberty does not include all behaviors and ideologies, it never did and it never will. We have prisons full of people who would love equal status in society. But their behaviors were deemed unequal, undeserving of equal stat...

On this Memorial Day, I want to write about a veteran, now dead, who is very much in my mind - my dad. My dad didn't have an easy life. He was born in West Virginia, along the Ohio River. He always said that he wasn't a hillbilly, but from the Valley. His father died on the job - he worked on the railroad. The cause was officially an accident, but friends and family members swore that he was shot for his union activity. It was 1929 when he left his wife and family of seven, a very bad time to exit this world. Only a few years later, his widow was forced to place her children (all but the 2 youngest) with relatives, due to the lack of money. Welfare officials were threatening to take all the children, and let them be adopted by people who could afford to take care of them. My grandmother found a job, and worked for the rest of her life. She didn't retire until she was 82; she resisted it until then, when her health was failing. My dad lived with various relatives - hi...

The Carnival of Comedy (5) is up at Frank's. As usual, it's loaded with the best of funny.

I've added a new blog to the roll, A Face Made 4 Radio, A Voice Made 4 the Internet . I stumbled across it when checking out Ohio Blogs; I can't understand why I never found it before, as it's a terrific site. A neat feature is the list of Ohio Blogs on the left sidebar. I plan to go through the list and see what fellow Buckeyes are doing.

There are some writers - I'm not one of them - who can describe their surroundings so you feel you're right there. Daphne du Maurier did it in "Rebecca" - reading it, you felt that you'd just gone on a tour of Manderly. Generally, that ability starts with an abiding love of place. It's not necessarily the natives that make you feel that way - often, it's the transplant with a fresh eye who can weave the tapestry so they feel like a close neighbor of the reader. One place I've never visited is New York City. The Sheila Variations is written by Sheila O'Malley, who writes about that city, and her experiences in the acting set. Through her blog, I've dined in the restaurants, walked the streets, and been a fly on the wall near her sophisticated conversations with friends. I'm probably never going to live in the city. I might visit, but strictly as a tourist. But, thanks to her descriptions, I've had vicarious experiences in that am...

Lileks is talking about moving to AZ. He says he likes the heat. Don't do it, James. I visited Tempe, AZ, last summer for a Physics course at Arisona State University. It's the nearest thing to being in hell. Don't waste your breath writing in, saying, "But, it's a DRY heat!" So's an oven. Stepping off the plane, I took my first breath. It was like leaning in to check the progress of a batch of cookies. I'm used to the weather in Cleveland, OH. It's pretty nice. The temperature may raise during the day, it may get a little muggy sometimes, but, regular as clockwork, when the sun goes down, it cools off. Cleveland's a green city. Yeah, we have pavement and buildings in the central city, and the projects areas are notably sparse in vegetation, but, as you get along the residential areea, you feel like you're in Mayberry. In the older parts of the city, there is the Midwest architectural feature known as tree lawns. That's the stri...

I've been thinking about the situation with the Bolton confirmation, which is on hold, at least until the Memorial Day recess is over. I've concluded that the Senators are dragging their feet, in the hopes that, somehow, someway, SOMEONE will come up with some damning story that will enable them to persuade the RINO weenies to come over to their side, and defeat Bolton. All activity in filibustering and delay has to be seen as a last, desperate move to avoid the inevitable. Now, is Bolton the perfect person for the position? Not if his grooming faux pas are part of the equation. However, that's not the issue - Bolton's the one that the President wants, and that's the deciding factor. Is all this just politics-as-usual? Well, for that, see the history: The U.N. ambassador's position has not traditionally been a big point of contention. Roll-call votes have been required on only one out of every four nominees to the position. The most negative votes anyone ha...

I just checked my blog, and, to my surprise, found that I hadn't posted in several days. That's not like me, but I've been under the weather, due to allergies. I can't use any antihistamine for the next 10 days, as I'm going to be getting tested for allergies again. Bummer! A quick re-cap of what I've been doing: Working every day, darn it! The sub center loves me, & apparently thinks I can do anything from English classes to ED (Emotionally Disturbed) - my co-teacher also liked me; she says that all the special ed classes will be asking for me in the future (not sure how I feel about that!) Sleeping extra every night - not sure why I'm so tired lately, but I've learned to cooperate with nature. If I'm sleepy, I go to bed. Reading. I finished Witness, now I'm reading a book about Political Correctness - "Mistaken Identities". It's edited by an old classmate of mine from college. Dr. Neil McLaughlin was a Canadian soccer ...

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING LINK IS NOT WORK-SAFE. IT CONTAINS OLD-FASHIONED, ANGLO-SAXON, VULGAR TERMS. Having said that, it is the most straightforward expression of what many teachers actually believe (and what they won't say in public) about their students. It is non-PC. Hell, it's the kind of thing that gets teachers fired, if not run out of town on a rail. A short section of the post: Have you ever wondered why colleges and universities have to offer remedial reading, writing and math classes? The obvious answer is because your precious little gift to mankind is an idiot. That is the primary reason. Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred stop beating around the bush after that salvo, and get right to the point.

If you haven't read Bill Whittle of Eject! Eject! Eject! , you've really missed something. He doesn't post every day, but when he does, knowledgeable readers drop everything else they're doing to find out what the latest offering is. I can't describe his work, I can only show you a sample: Do those protesters ever wonder why prisoners of war in World War II movies – soldiers -- trying to escape in civilian clothes would be shot as spies? A soldier out of uniform, a soldier trying to hide in the civilian population is gaining a one-time personal advantage, but that not the real sin. The real sin is that he is endangering the non-combatants. He is using civilians as cover. He is breaking down the barrier between the armed and the unarmed, the threat and the non-threat. He is trying to have it both ways. His latest post, Sanctuary is, as usual, a keeper.

I almost hesitate to link to Eternity Road's hard-hitting, plain-spoken take-down of the recent Muslim riots, and their implications for society. Almost, that is. But, as usual, Francis W. Porretto may be blunt in his assessment, but he is truthful, pointing out that: civilized societies expect a man to refrain from violence against others, except in self-defense or defense of innocent others. We expect that a mature man will grasp the importance of this without having to be policed continuously. Those who don't, we imprison or execute. (Incidentally, it speaks volumes that, among persons born in this country, Islam has made the overwhelming preponderance of its gains among convicted criminals, more often than not while they were imprisoned.) Now, factually, Christianity made ITS first gains among the bottom level of that society, including the criminals. However, the difference is that, in Christianity, the leadership of the Church kept chivying and hectoring the recently c...

The original Barbarians were rootless, non-Christian bands of raiders. According to History of the Barbarians, Their fierce, warlike nature and coarse behaviors earned them the name "barbarians", meaning both "illiterates" and "wanderers". There were four groups that were categorized as Barbarians: Vikings Goths Mongols, and Huns And, for the PC among us, they were racially White and Asian. According to the History Channel , which earlier this year, ran a series on the Barbarians, ...the Barbarians were innovative in their development of weapons and strategies, clever in their use of diplomacy and deceit, and completely ruthless in their use of terror as a weapon. The story of the Barbarians is truly one of the clash of civilizations. Remind you of anyone? I can certainly understand the outrage of Muslims at the thought that the Q'uran might have been treated disrespectfully, IF TRUE. However, the violence shown to non-Muslims who were not directly i...

Arguments against the currently porous American border include: The deleterious economic effect of having many undocumented people living in the US, and competing for jobs with the citizens. The drain on the public treasury of providing non-citizens with human services, including education, health care, public assistance, etc. The difficulty of keeping non-citizens from influencing our government by participating in improper voting. Measures that attempt to limit voting access may, inadvertently, affect citizens of Latino descent. Divided loyalties among aliens. Higher crime rate among illegal aliens: In Los Angeles, 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide (which total 1,200 to 1,500) target illegal aliens. Up to two-thirds of all fugitive felony warrants (17,000) are for illegal aliens. A confidential California Department of Justice study reported in 1995 that 60 percent of the 20,000-strong 18th Street Gang in southern California is illegal; police officers say the pro...

There is an interesting group of posts on the Newsweek Q'uran story, particularly on Michelle Malkin . She has an excerpt from the Don Imus show , in which Newsweek's Howard Fineman justifies the story, using Woodward/Bernstein: I know that from the days of Watergate and "All the President's Men", the notion of two sources on a story has become the popular dogma about how you confirm something. And there is a lot of truth to that, but there are all kinds of ways to check to the extent that you can, a story that you get. And even in "All the President's Men" you may remember the scene where they have a guy on the phone and they say 'Alright, we'll count down to 10, you know from 10 to zero and if you don't hear otherwise then, whatever. The trouble with that reference, is that some of us, including me, actually read "All the President's Men". Not to mention that I lived through that time in history, and actually know what h...

I've added a link to the Blogroll - Trevor's Blog . It's an unusual blog, combining sketches and writing with observations on life. One post: Many people have asked me why I choose to work with kids who stand a good chance of dying. Why I open myself to the pain, anguish and sadness that goes with the territory. My conversation with Tylor today says it all. Kids who have suffered like Tylor, TJ, Audrey, Vicki, Dana, Alex and Victor have positively changed my world and they continue to change it every day. They have altered the way I look at life. They have altered the way I look at death. These kids realize the importance of every wasted minute. They abide by a simple but effective philosophy: "If you're going through hell, don't stop!” Check him out. You won't be sorry.

I've been a Buckeye almost all my life. The state joke is that the Buckeye, the state tree, sends forth a nut that is inedible and totally without use - hence, the saying that: the Buckeye is a useless nut The allusion sometimes applies to Ohio's citizens, but never more than this week: George Voinovich - Usually, George is pretty solid. Not flashy (in Ohio, we mistrust flashy), but generally, at least a competent and reasonable legislator. I don't always agree with him, but he's honest, and doesn't seem to be afflicted with more than the usual ambition for higher office. But, the posturing antics of the last few weeks have left me wondering - has George been listening to Kucinich after hours? I'm deeply disgusted that Voinovich has gradually moved to a RINO. Since he's just been re-elected, I won't have the opportunity to express my disgust for another 5 years. On the other hand, that gives me time to find another candidate to run against him, and d...

Whatever you are doing right now, put it down and go rent Hotel Rwanda. It's that good. Don Cheadle gives one of the most nuanced, insightful performances I've ever seen in a part that seems written for him. The other actors are similarly incredible. For those who don't remember it, Rwanda was a simmering cauldron of turbulence in 1994. Fomenters of hate used the radio airways to goad a Hutu population who were already suffering economic distress to act against the Tutsi population. Before the rebel Tutsis took over, over 1 million Rwandans died. The film shows how the ditherings and ineffective actions of the UN leadership, and the purposeful disregard of the Western powers led to the slaughter. The UN troops that stayed were under orders not to use force. I viewed this film over the course of 3 days, in classes I was subbing in. By the time I had seen the same scenes for 6 periods a day, I was literally heartsick. After the first day, I brought in outside reading f...

I've been updating my knowledge about Nicaragua over the last few days. I majored in history in college, and, by default, I took quite a few classes on Latin American history. As my foreign language was Spanish, and I attended college during the 80's, Nicaragua was a hot topic. Several of my professors traveled there - yes, they were pro-FSLN. I read the local papers they brought back. I've decided to brush up on my Spanish, as well; locally, I can get Central American papers. I could get by reading the paper, as long as it wasn't too technical. I've been keeping track of what's going on, and I just have a funny feeling that the area could be a hot spot in the near future. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to improve my language skills.

As promised, I got the list together - in alphabetical order: Andrew Clem's Home Page Eleven Day Empire Fred on Everything FreedomSight Lil Cup Of Love Live From The Guillotine Red Guy in a Blue State Red Mind, Blue State The Mommy Blog The Passing Parade Portia Rediscovered Woody's News & Views Yeah, Right, Whatever Yet Another Weird SF Fan The great thing is, I found some new blogs that not everybody is already linking to. Thanks to your help, I've been able to bring some attention to some overlooked blogs. I hope you also like these. Thanks for suggesting the links. If you like the idea, we can try again, say in the middle of June.

Cleveland Womens Orchestra Posted by Hello This was the annual concert at Severance Hall, Cleveland, OH. My husband and I were able to get box seats. I've always bought the cheap seats, but, boy, did it make a difference to my 6'2" husband's comfort. We'll definitely do it again. I'd not been at the Severance since I was a kid. I'd not realized just how good the acoustics were - I've lost some hearing, but I could hear everything perfectly without effort.

I just read a wonderful post about The Runaway Bride from American Digest . If the blog isn't on your blogroll, it should be. Media Brides are all over the place - famous engaged couples (Ben&Jen, formerly Ben&Jen - hey, he doesn't even have to remember another name), Bachelors and Bachelorettes, Whose Wedding is it Anyway?, and, now, a real-life Runaway Bride. Funny, one of the reasons couples give for not getting married is that they don't have the money to put on a wedding. When did the overblown "perfect" wedding/reception/honeymoon/everything-just-so hoop-de-do become more important that the marriage? Think about all the REALLY overblown weddings of the past. Where are the "happy" couple now? Madonna & Sean Charles & Diana Brad & Jennifer Liza Minnelli & David Guest (OK, I know NOBODY saw that coming) Donald Trump & whoever It's really funny that, in our culture, we have a Bride's Magazine (heck, it's an i...

I've been reading a new (well, actually, old) book - Witness, by Whittaker Chambers. I found it on the Cleveland Public Library web site. If you're local to the area, you can find and reserve a tremendous range of items online, as well as get a lot of e-books and audiobooks electronically. The physical books are sent to the library you ask for later pick-up. They've been doing an online catalog for some time, and it really is convenient. It's been best for those old books, reference books, technical books, and the like. I'm about 1/2 way through the book. The first 1/3 was very vivid - Chambers apparently had a dreadfully abusive and grim early life, ending with the death of his only brother. Right now, he's married, with a young child, and working in the undercover Soviet-directed organization. He seems genuinely fond of Hiss. This section of the book is very detailed, but contains less personal detail; it is very matter-of-fact about his sub rosa work...

I've been checking out IMAO's Carnival of Comedy . I found something that reminded me of an incident from my early teaching days. Jimbo Over at Military Matters posts about the best brawl he ever witnessed. Well, not being in the military, ever, (although I am the proud mom of several sailors and soldiers), my experience of free-for-alls is somewhat limited, at least since I stopped bartending. But, you know, I have seen a really great fight. It happened like this: I was sub teaching in an urban district I won't mention , and covering a magnet high school's biology class. It was just before the bell rang, when I was trying to herd sophomores (worse than herding cats, I swear) into their corrals seats. All of a sudden, the door slammed open, and a truly irate girl came in and proceeded to dress down another girl for man-poaching. Her language was so colorful and her ire so spectacular, that I did nothing but stand there with my mouth open, as did the entire class....

It's been a long time since I started laughing out loud at a post - but once I started: Yesterday in New York, somebody filled two toy grenades with gunpoweder and set them off in a concrete plantholder outside the building housing the British Consulate. Toy grenades? What's next? Setting a Barbie doll on fire on the White House lawn? Lighting one of those "snake" things on the floor of the UN? Frying an ant with a magnifying glass in Times Square? The post continues, with reaction from Blair, QEII, and Bush. Go to In My Arrogant Opinion (IMAO) - this is a classic post. Guaranteed funny! He's also hosting the Carnival of Comedy .

I was looking for a way to avoid housework killing time at home trying to decide whether to donate some books, and I found an old copy of "Growing Up Catholic". On page 21, there is a list of Saints and a matching column of their special interests. Guess who Saint Hilary is matched with? Protection against snakes - are those Right-Wing Conspiracy snakes? I checked - Catholic Forum also has St. Hilary (of Poitiers, it happens - there are several Hilaries). St. Drausinus is one who the paranoid (or Hilary) might well adopt - he protects against enemy plots. I can't vouch for his effectiveness, however, as St. Thomas Becket was said to have visited his tomb just before returning to be murdered in the Cathedral. Bill, on the other hand, might want to acquaint himself with the list, which includes: Felix of Nola Against perjury (not sure whether it works if you're the one bearing false witness) St. John Nepomucene Against indiscretions (that should be helpful) St....

UPDATE: Wednesday, May 4, 2005 - 7:06 pm When reading over this post today, I found that I had written about "trans-Gender", not, correctly, "trans-SPECIES" transplants. I can't believe that I made that mistake - apparently I was semi-awake at the time. I found this post on Right Wing Nut House . In January, an informal ethics committee at Stanford University endorsed a proposal to create mice with brains nearly completely made of human brain cells. Stem cell scientist Irving Weissman said his experiment could provide unparalleled insight into how the human brain develops and how degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson’s progress. Stanford law professor Hank Greely, who chaired the ethics committee, said the board was satisfied that the size and shape of the mouse brain would prevent the human cells from creating any traits of humanity. Just in case, Greely said, the committee recommended closely monitoring the mice’s behavior and immediately killing any t...

I'm probably going to regret mentioning this, because it clearly establishes me as totally clueless, but I didn't realize that you had to "ping" Blogrolling to trigger the Update Message to appear on people's Blogrolls. I found out that and other stuff on The Mudville Gazette , as well as other info that relates to Blogging Basics (and some not-so basic).

Thanks to Babalu Blog , a Cuban-American whose unending efforts to teach us gringos what's really going on at the island of "heavenly peace on Earth, thanks to Fidel" (that description, according to the left-their-mind-at-home-ists that visit the starving Paradise), I found information about continuing efforts to subvert the legal government of Nicaragua. As it happened, I am knowledgeable about Nicaragua. I spent several years in college studying history, and specialized in Latin America. I also brushed up on my Spanish, enough to read over-the-counter news. My professor provided the slant (need I say that the Sandistas were the heroes?), and I went to alternative news for balance. Most of my fellow students didn't bother - the word from on high was enough. That's not uncommon in any field of study. But, I took the time, because I was genuinely fascinated. Check out That student is firing a homemade mortar (my, what an interesting curriculum they seem to ha...