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Sunday, August 28, 2005

Thoughts on the last Sunday of August (while sipping on a Harpoon UFO...)

That is some monster of a storm which appears headed toward New Orleans tomorrow; thoughts and prayers go out to all of the people in that storm's track. How a major city ever developed in an area like that, below sea-level in a hurricane-prone region, is curious, an oddity of history I suppose. But this storm could utterly devastate that area; it is not going to be pretty. (New Orleans is one of those places I've always wanted to visit- not during hurricane season, but...)

Cindy Sheehan. I'm willing, and it would behoove most folks to be willing, to cut her considerable slack. No one should doubt that her anger and her grief over the death of her son Casey while serving our country are genuine and heartfelt. As for her more, um, eccentric comments it would probably be best to chalk those up to a woman unhinged over the loss of a loved one. But...first- Casey volunteered to serve. Our military is an all-volunteer force. It is heartbreaking that any life, particularly one just starting on the road to adulthood, is cut down, but it was a decision he made, to serve his country. Second- President Bush did already meet with Cindy Sheehan. No offense to Cindy, but how many meetings with our President does she believe she is entitled to, vis a vis other parents of service men and women lost in Iraq and Afghanistan? Third- and most noxious of all, it is cruel to see the manner in which Cindy's heartfelt- and legitimate- grief, and anger, are being exploited and manipulated by the worst elements of the rabid anti-Bush Left. While there exist some principled groups and individuals opposed to our actions in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and indeed, to the use of military force period, many of the alleged "pro-Cindy" element are people and orgs who have an animus toward anything this administration does, Cindy Sheehan's crusade being but a vehicle of opportunity for them. One hopes Cindy can begin to find some peace, some solace, over the loss of her son Casey, perhaps she can channel her considerable energies into more productive, more mainstream political activites, and see that both the noble sacrifice of her son as well as her sincere feelings are not sullied nor manipulated by the most craven of political extremists.

Pat Robertson. To be charitable, perhaps he is beginning to suffer from Alzheimer's or some such infirmity. If so, his comments should be viewed within that context. But...and yes, his right to speak freely should be defended and protected as much as anyone else's, provided that speech is lawful. Calling for and/or advocating the assassination of a foreign leader is, at best, of dubious legality. And coming from a minister, well...suffice to say, Robertson is deserving of the approbation he, and his comments, have received, from all sides. Personally, I've never had much use for Robertson, or most of his peers. Their expression of their faith is markedly different from my Catholicism; again, I don't doubt their sincerity, but it is expressed in a manner- what?- alien to mine. And it often seems that he, and many of his peers, focus more on the "shall nots" than the redemptive qualities of our shared faith (the notable exception, and the one evangelist I've always had respect for, is the Rev. Billy Graham.) Sadly, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell, and many others of their stripe, are often but the flip side of the same loathsome coin as Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and others of their stripe; extremists who attempt to cloak their divisive agendas under the guise of respectable religion and politics. All should be rightly and roundly condemned when they step out of line.

Anyway...summer is beginning to wind down a bit. It's been a nice summer here, especially after the cold- and long- spring we had. I've had a bit more free time to indulge myself than I have the past few summers (never enough, but hey! :) I am planning to do a bit more this fall, do a few things to begin to take all of "this" a step or two further. Nothing major (yet!) but just moving things forward a lil more...

"Everybody wants me to be what they want me to be..."

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Catching up...

First- an 'attaboy to a certain someone who, in roughly nine months, will be experiencing the joys of fatherhood! Apparently all of that "hard" work paid off! Congratulations, you! ;) Also, I have another friend who has been working some serious hours the last few weeks- all work and no play...? (But what's wrong with being up-and-at-'em by 6am, hmmmm???) And yet another friend, from north of the border, who has spent a less-than-enjoyable week taking care of certain familial obligations; one sign of a good person is one who does those things that they might prefer not to do, but know deep down that they should. And yet another who tended to similar- tho' more pleasant- obligations in the Empire State. And lastly, I have another friend who has recently found a special someone in her life- WTG, girl, you're deserving of it!

I hadda get my car inspected this month- after a few relatively minor things, I got it passed. What a pain, tho'...Now, I'm all for cleaner air as much as the next gal, and within reason, have no problem with emissions testing. But...most cars built within the last, oh, 20+ years, are designed to be pretty clean running! We haven't had leaded gasoline now since I think the 70's? Again, I'm all for reasonable environment regs, reasonable emissions standards, clean air, etc...but isn't it a bit overboard to attempt to wring the last little bit of possible pollutants out of our vehicles when there are literally millions of vehicles in under-developed nations spewing far more polluted exhaust into the Earth's atmosphere? But anyway, my car passed...

This has been a pretty good month, haven't been quite as constrained time-wise as has been the case, have actually had a few weekends off and free! My mom had her birthday earlier this month- my brother, sister, and I had a lil thing for her, was really nice, really fun...I've had a lil time to get out and about (not nearly as much as I'd like, but...) mostly stag (or lone wolf- waaahhhh!) but also had one girls' nite out...with my sister! It was fun- dinner, few drinks, just hanging, a nice time, something I'd like to do more often with her (now if she can only set me up with any eligible singles she might know... ;) And I couldn't mention this month without mentioning that the Patriots have been back, winding up training camp...I haven't made it down to Foxboro, not sure if I will or not before they break camp, but as always I'm looking forward to fall and football season...

Speaking of which, two things; first, invariably at this time of year, when I smell that dry, freshly-cut, late August grass, that smell always reminds me of double-sessions. Second, my left heel has been acting up again the last week or so, just a pain on the very bottom of my heel. I've always had FAR more problems with my left foot, heel, leg stemming from a broken foot I suffered my sophomore year of high school than I have EVER had with my right leg, despite having had my right knee scoped my senior year of high school. I'd been running pretty well this summer, have felt good; I've been icing it, I'm hoping this is only a minor setback/injury, one I can run my way through...

For those with an open mind, check out my LibertyLinks Hopefully some thought-inducing stuff...

"She's got a mind of her own, and she use it well..."