I like James Franco. I like Seth Rogen. I appreciate their reckless abandon and intelligence. I hope that this fiasco involving their latest joint effort, The Interview, doesn't ruin or retard their careers. Not that the movie is on a par with Ishtar, Gigli or any of the Twilight movies (not that I saw either of the first two; I had to sit through one of the last series, although any guy would have done the same thing were he in my position).
No, I refer to the deleterious effects the movie is having on the studio that produced and distributed it, Sony Pictures. The hacking scandal is said to possibly bring the studio to its knees which, if it does, would be partial payback for the Japanese occupation of Korea and the Korean comfort women who were dragooned into service by the Japanese during World War II. I, for one, would guffaw mightily were that to happen. Frankly, were it to happen, I wouldn't weep at all, except for the principle that free speech was infringed by the very tyranny that the First Amendment was designed to counterbalance.
Whether movies are made there or at any of the liberal bastions of cinema really doesn't concern me. I vote with my dollar when it comes to movies. No longer will I watch a Robert Redford, Oprah, Chris Rock or Tom Cruise movie simply because of their strident politics (as practiced by the first three) or by simply being the most outrageous wingnut on the planet (the last one; and while I'm at it, how on God's green earth was it decided that he was so gorgeous? He's short, has a hooked nose and is prone to sophomoric behavior. But I digress.). Nay, whether Sony survives or not is really none of my concern. I'm not rooting for its downfall, but if it were to happen, I hope it's epic.
Instead, what's captured my imagination is the outing of liberal hypocrisy in Hollywood with the release of emails sent by Sony executives. These champions of the left were shown to be hypocrites, two-faced, lying misanthropes of the first order. Between latent racism as evidenced by the emails about President Obama -- the Left's champion, remember -- and the bizarre comments about white actresses adopting black babies to the outright rude comments about stars such as Angelina Jolie being marginally talented brats, I don't know whether to laugh or cheer. Not because I agree with the content, mind you, but because these remarkable hypocrites are being shown for what they are.
Justice Louis Brandeis wrote that sunshine is the best disinfectant, and no recent example may prove that theorem as well as this email hacking scandal. I doubt anything will change much: Mea culpas will fly, blackmail will be paid -- Al Sharpton already has imitated Usain Bolt to extract his coups from Sony -- and the public will forget. Movies that weren't greenlighted before will be made no matter their lack of box office appeal. In short, Sony will be made to pay.
With any luck, this trend will make it around Hollywood. If President Obama's poor showing didn't do enough to silence the usually voluble Hollywood set, this surely will. I can only imagine how the other studios are racing with the clock to protect their networks from cyber attack. Right now, it's good to be a geek in Hollywood. The movie Revenge of the Nerds is being played out before out eyes -- well, behind the scenes, anyway.
What would be truly interesting would be if the MSM's emails were aired. It would be a hoot to see what the protective Fourth Estate has been saying during the Obama years. I doubt that there would be any difference between what would be found there and what has been found at Sony. The only difference is that the MSM could at least choose not to report it, using the same tactic for itself that it's used to guard the President for six years.
And for all this we have James Franco -- and Ivy League graduate -- and Seth Rogen to thank. Finally, someone from Canada has righted the cultural imbalance created when it foisted Justin Beiber on the United States. And every more incredulously, at last the Ivy League has done something right by the country.
Pigs must be flying in a frozen hell.
Perhaps the Cubs will win the World Series in my lifetime after all.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Monday, December 15, 2014
More Monday Musings
It's been awhile, hasn't it. While I have a few minutes, I'm going to jot down some things that have occurred to me in my absence.
-- I don't know how many people will agree with this, but I think that two very underrated American actors are Stanley Tucci and John Tuturro. Given the breadth of the roles that they've had, I'm shocked one of them hasn't won an Oscar for best supporting actor yet. They're both so versatile.
-- Why does everyone insist on calling Kate Upton beautiful? She's a moderately attractive young woman with an enormous natural chest.
-- One night coming home from teaching, I was able to drive twenty-eight miles using cruise control without having to break or slow down once. Yesterday I again drove somewhere on the expressway using cruise control without having to break, but it was a much shorter distance. I can't believe that in all the trips Karen and I have made -- which have been for a considerable distance many a time -- that I've been able to duplicate this once.
-- I simply don't understand the need for people to use, much less overuse, exclamation marks. It's tantamount to using all caps intentionally. Either the person is overly excited about something, overly geeked unnecessarily or just unclear on the rules of punctuation mark usage.
-- Speaking of unnecessary things, I forgot to include something in my list of what I don't like about Christmas: Unnecessary insincerities. These are usually found in the mailbox from the person who cuts our lawn or the person who delivers our newspaper or the person who delivers our mail. Let's call it what it really is: Marketing. This has about as much to do with Christmas as panhandling has to do with practicing to flip pancakes with an iron skillet.
-- A week ago, Custer dawdled so long in doing his second round of business before I left for work that I forgot I'd put my book on the roof of the car and drove off with it on the roof. I realized when I got to work that I'd done this and worried that it was gone. My worry multiplied when I remembered that are road was being graded that day (we live on a country road). Imagine my relief when Karen told me our reliable neighbors out a sign that read Book Found On Road. I'm almost done finishing it now, and I'm going to lend it to our dear friends across the road so they can enjoy it too.
-- I am witnessing too many people driving in and out of traffic trying to improve their position at speeds topping eighty miles an hour. Karen says that I can never be sure, that those people may be in a rush to get to the hospital. The way I see it, they're headed for the hospital one of these days the way they're driving.
-- On a similar note, I've been rudely cut off two times for parking spaces in the last three weeks. I have enough trouble finding parking spaces legitimately to have jackholes competing with me for spots. One of these days it's not going to end well for these people. I'm going to be buying a lot of chalk.
-- Christmas shopping is fun when it's for other people.
-- While out shopping yesterday we were helped by a pleasant young woman with whom we chatted about engagements and such. Karen wandered off to look at something while I settled up, and I said something off the cuff about not giving up on men, despite the fact that this woman had been engaged three times. Actually, she said, I've been engaged once to a man and twice to women. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a free spirit.
You don't say....
-- Having a cat nuzzle my face at two or three in the morning is now SOP for bedtime. If you'd told me a year ago that that would be happening to me I'd have laughed in your face.
-- It hit fifty degrees today. No, I'm not apologizing to Al Gore.
-- Speaking of movies, Karen and I rented Jersey Boys the other night. I didn't know what to expect, although I'd heard good things about the movie. I was surprised by the backstory, but when the movie moved into the 70's, it got quite nostalgic for me, listening to the songs I grew up on. And Christopher Walken is always entertaining.
-- Coke or Pepsi? I'll take Dr. Pepper, thank you.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
-- I don't know how many people will agree with this, but I think that two very underrated American actors are Stanley Tucci and John Tuturro. Given the breadth of the roles that they've had, I'm shocked one of them hasn't won an Oscar for best supporting actor yet. They're both so versatile.
-- Why does everyone insist on calling Kate Upton beautiful? She's a moderately attractive young woman with an enormous natural chest.
-- One night coming home from teaching, I was able to drive twenty-eight miles using cruise control without having to break or slow down once. Yesterday I again drove somewhere on the expressway using cruise control without having to break, but it was a much shorter distance. I can't believe that in all the trips Karen and I have made -- which have been for a considerable distance many a time -- that I've been able to duplicate this once.
-- I simply don't understand the need for people to use, much less overuse, exclamation marks. It's tantamount to using all caps intentionally. Either the person is overly excited about something, overly geeked unnecessarily or just unclear on the rules of punctuation mark usage.
-- Speaking of unnecessary things, I forgot to include something in my list of what I don't like about Christmas: Unnecessary insincerities. These are usually found in the mailbox from the person who cuts our lawn or the person who delivers our newspaper or the person who delivers our mail. Let's call it what it really is: Marketing. This has about as much to do with Christmas as panhandling has to do with practicing to flip pancakes with an iron skillet.
-- A week ago, Custer dawdled so long in doing his second round of business before I left for work that I forgot I'd put my book on the roof of the car and drove off with it on the roof. I realized when I got to work that I'd done this and worried that it was gone. My worry multiplied when I remembered that are road was being graded that day (we live on a country road). Imagine my relief when Karen told me our reliable neighbors out a sign that read Book Found On Road. I'm almost done finishing it now, and I'm going to lend it to our dear friends across the road so they can enjoy it too.
-- I am witnessing too many people driving in and out of traffic trying to improve their position at speeds topping eighty miles an hour. Karen says that I can never be sure, that those people may be in a rush to get to the hospital. The way I see it, they're headed for the hospital one of these days the way they're driving.
-- On a similar note, I've been rudely cut off two times for parking spaces in the last three weeks. I have enough trouble finding parking spaces legitimately to have jackholes competing with me for spots. One of these days it's not going to end well for these people. I'm going to be buying a lot of chalk.
-- Christmas shopping is fun when it's for other people.
-- While out shopping yesterday we were helped by a pleasant young woman with whom we chatted about engagements and such. Karen wandered off to look at something while I settled up, and I said something off the cuff about not giving up on men, despite the fact that this woman had been engaged three times. Actually, she said, I've been engaged once to a man and twice to women. I guess you could say I'm a bit of a free spirit.
You don't say....
-- Having a cat nuzzle my face at two or three in the morning is now SOP for bedtime. If you'd told me a year ago that that would be happening to me I'd have laughed in your face.
-- It hit fifty degrees today. No, I'm not apologizing to Al Gore.
-- Speaking of movies, Karen and I rented Jersey Boys the other night. I didn't know what to expect, although I'd heard good things about the movie. I was surprised by the backstory, but when the movie moved into the 70's, it got quite nostalgic for me, listening to the songs I grew up on. And Christopher Walken is always entertaining.
-- Coke or Pepsi? I'll take Dr. Pepper, thank you.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Black Disingenuousness
Last night I read a piece about comments made by the comedian Chris Rock regarding the ongoing protests related to the Mike Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. I can add another person to the list whose movies and comedy shows I will no longer be watching.
Mr. Rock believes that there has been no progress for blacks in this country. Apparently, Mr. Rock believes there can be no progress for blacks until whites take ownership of slavery. That is, whites should be contrite for slavery whether they were slaveowners (no longer possible, he admits, for a person to have been a slaveowner) or one's daddy was a slaveowner (again, impossible, the point is taken).
Essentially, Mr. Rock believes that white people need to take responsibility for slavery, understand how blacks haven't made progress -- despite evidence to the contrary -- and those actions will pave the way for true equality. In short, self-flagellation, public acts of contrition and an abandonment of all that we have to the black monolith is all that will satisfy Mr. Rock.
Others far smarter than I have already punctured holes in Mr. Rock's theory. I don't need to review the myriad shortcomings with his argument, an agenda so porous that not even the Obama administration would deign to try it on the American public. But I have some personal perspectives that I'll address to this race-baiter:
My forebears came to this country after Reconstruction. We had no hand in slavery. In fact, it is very likely that my family has slaves of its own in the past, given the often forgotten and largely ignored enslavement of the Irish by the Brits. My family has no business taking ownership of a wrong for which it has no responsibility. To claim that I or my family shares any responsibility for slavery committed by other whites suggests that Mr. Rock should share responsibility for all the gang bangers, rapists and murderers of African-American descent to whom he bears no relation. It's an invidious and illogical argument to make. But for blacks trying to cast the net of white guilt wide, sophistry is the perfect weapon.
What's more, as I've already detailed in this blog, my maternal grandfather did discriminate...against Poles and Germans and Italians and Russians, because of the way they treated him and his forebears who came to this country with weird accents and the Catholic faith. Instead, my grandfather hired blacks and Asians and Jews, because they, like the Irish, bore the similar effects of discrimination. I remain ambivalent about what my grandfather did -- sad that he discriminated but proud that he helped lift up peoples who were equally outliers -- but by no means will I ever take on responsibility for actions that I know for a fact -- historically and empirically -- we could have not have committed. Nor would any sane person suggest that Mr. Rock take on the responsibility for bad actions that other blacks committed. It's an unsound and therefore illogical argument.
What happened in Ferguson, Missouri, was unfortunate, but I do believe the grand jury got that one right. What happened in New York city was both unfortunate and wrong. I don't see how any logical person with more than a grade school education can think otherwise. I believe justice was attained in Ferguson but not in New York City. Remedies remain, including suit against the New York cop for violating Eric Garner's civil rights. Hopefully, there will be a review that leads to some sort of justice in that case.
As the black cop said on a radio show: Revenge is not the same as justice. Likewise, casting aspersions on other people won't change what's happened. But by trying to blame people for things to which they have no connection is ludicrous. It's high time blacks got a grip on this and stopped trying to blame whitey for everything that goes wrong. Sometimes, it's got nothing to do with race. I firmly believe that the outcome in the New York city grand jury is more a function of protecting the police than trying to get a white guy off for killing a black guy. Whatever it was, it's wrong and there should be some attempt to right this wrong.
But blaming whitey for everything is wrong.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Mr. Rock believes that there has been no progress for blacks in this country. Apparently, Mr. Rock believes there can be no progress for blacks until whites take ownership of slavery. That is, whites should be contrite for slavery whether they were slaveowners (no longer possible, he admits, for a person to have been a slaveowner) or one's daddy was a slaveowner (again, impossible, the point is taken).
Essentially, Mr. Rock believes that white people need to take responsibility for slavery, understand how blacks haven't made progress -- despite evidence to the contrary -- and those actions will pave the way for true equality. In short, self-flagellation, public acts of contrition and an abandonment of all that we have to the black monolith is all that will satisfy Mr. Rock.
Others far smarter than I have already punctured holes in Mr. Rock's theory. I don't need to review the myriad shortcomings with his argument, an agenda so porous that not even the Obama administration would deign to try it on the American public. But I have some personal perspectives that I'll address to this race-baiter:
My forebears came to this country after Reconstruction. We had no hand in slavery. In fact, it is very likely that my family has slaves of its own in the past, given the often forgotten and largely ignored enslavement of the Irish by the Brits. My family has no business taking ownership of a wrong for which it has no responsibility. To claim that I or my family shares any responsibility for slavery committed by other whites suggests that Mr. Rock should share responsibility for all the gang bangers, rapists and murderers of African-American descent to whom he bears no relation. It's an invidious and illogical argument to make. But for blacks trying to cast the net of white guilt wide, sophistry is the perfect weapon.
What's more, as I've already detailed in this blog, my maternal grandfather did discriminate...against Poles and Germans and Italians and Russians, because of the way they treated him and his forebears who came to this country with weird accents and the Catholic faith. Instead, my grandfather hired blacks and Asians and Jews, because they, like the Irish, bore the similar effects of discrimination. I remain ambivalent about what my grandfather did -- sad that he discriminated but proud that he helped lift up peoples who were equally outliers -- but by no means will I ever take on responsibility for actions that I know for a fact -- historically and empirically -- we could have not have committed. Nor would any sane person suggest that Mr. Rock take on the responsibility for bad actions that other blacks committed. It's an unsound and therefore illogical argument.
What happened in Ferguson, Missouri, was unfortunate, but I do believe the grand jury got that one right. What happened in New York city was both unfortunate and wrong. I don't see how any logical person with more than a grade school education can think otherwise. I believe justice was attained in Ferguson but not in New York City. Remedies remain, including suit against the New York cop for violating Eric Garner's civil rights. Hopefully, there will be a review that leads to some sort of justice in that case.
As the black cop said on a radio show: Revenge is not the same as justice. Likewise, casting aspersions on other people won't change what's happened. But by trying to blame people for things to which they have no connection is ludicrous. It's high time blacks got a grip on this and stopped trying to blame whitey for everything that goes wrong. Sometimes, it's got nothing to do with race. I firmly believe that the outcome in the New York city grand jury is more a function of protecting the police than trying to get a white guy off for killing a black guy. Whatever it was, it's wrong and there should be some attempt to right this wrong.
But blaming whitey for everything is wrong.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Saturday, December 6, 2014
What I Don't Like About Christmas
I love Christmas. I know, that doesn't make any sense given the title of this blogpost, but I do really like Christmas. There's just something about the atmosphere, the weather, the expectations, the smells, the music -- in short, there are plenty of wonderful elements about Christmas. I've had excellent Christmas holidays and I've had some clunkers, but as a general rule, I really do like the holiday.
There are, however, some aspects of the holiday that I despise. No holiday is perfect, of course, and Christmas is no exception. Here, then, are some things about Christmas that I simply can't abide:
Christmas sale season starts too soon: When sellers are advertising their sales before Halloween, for crying out loud, there's something seriously wrong. It's bad enough that Thanksgiving, a very prominent holiday in its own right, is thereby diminished, but so too is Veteran's Day. Nevermind that by putting the focus on consumerism the real reason behind Christmas is lost. There's no way to control this, unfortunately, and the ads are about as bad as the incessant political ads during election years. About the only way these ads are better than the politicians' ads is that the Christmas season is shorter...so far.
Luxury car ads: To be sure, people with money celebrate Christmas. But this notion that there are lots of people buying expensive cars, then wrapping them with humongous red bows in the middle of their driveways -- with no one noticing, it should be said -- is poppycock. It also cracks me up that some of the people doing this are so young I wonder where they're getting their money to buy these cars. Furthermore, how is it that the car that is sitting in the driveway surrounded by snow isn't covered either in snow or salt along the bottom of the chassis? And just where does someone buy bows that big, anyway?
Radio stations playing nothing but Christmas music: I like Christmas music just fine. In fact, I even enjoy Christmas jazz, when during the year I can't tolerate jazz at all. The the incessant assault on my senses by the neverending repetition of Christmas music is just horrible.
Gift cards: These are a four letter word to me: L-A-Z-Y. It means, I don't care enough about you to actually put some thought into buying you a gift. The only caveat to this is that for stocking stuffers -- given along with other tangible gifts -- these are fine. But when someone hands a person an envelope with a plastic card in it and nothing more, that's just L-A-M-E.
Jews singing Christmas songs: Since when did Jews accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? For the life of me, I don't understand their involvement in our religious holiday. By virtue of their involvement, they're basically trying to turn it into a secular, nondenominational holiday that everyone can enjoy. If they're willing to convert, fine. Otherwise, let us goyim have our own holidays, and we'll stay away from Hanukkah Harry. Come to think of it, I think I may have just hit on the reason for the early advertising season and the non-stop Christmas music....Barbra Streisand has enough money, she's intolerably liberal and she shouldn't be issuing recordings of Christian music. I love Idina Menzel and could listen to her sing all day. But I won't be buying her greatest hits Christmas album -- should she record one -- any time soon.
Weird Christmas confections: I eat more than my fair share of pies, cakes and cookies. But it seems that Christmas gives bakers a license to experiment with my taste buds. I'm not very adventurous when it comes to eating, and if I see something and can't readily identify what's in it, I'm not going to try it. And the overarching need to put glittery sparkles on everything just turns me off. I know: It's more for everybody else, and I'm quite fine with that.
Christmas weather: I love snow at Christmas. The problem is that we can't count on it. Typically what happens is that it's chilly and rainy on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, then it snows shortly thereafter. I know no one can control the weather, but there's something wrong with grey, boring, drippy weather on Christmas.
New covers of Christmas classics: To be fair, successive generations are entitled to make their own memories of Christmas, and if that involves covering classic songs or remaking movies, I suppose that's to be expected. Just do it well. Listening to some weird, stylized version of Silent Night just doesn't do anything to ring in the season. And having Dyan Cannon try to redo Christmas in Connecticut is nothing more than desecration.
Do They Know It's Christmastime?: Leave it to the Brits to lay on the schmalz. I forget the inspiration behind this We Are The World wannabe effort, and I really don't care. Having enough tone-deaf singers involved in this project to make Bob Dylan feel at home only adds to the dysfunction.
Wrapping presents: This is highly personal for me. I know that there are other times when gift wrapping is expected, but Christmas is the Super Bowl of gift wrapping. Accordingly, I am about as welcome when it comes to gift wrapping at Christmas I stink. Karen says otherwise but I know she's just being nice. I really do stink at it.
Ugly Christmas sweaters: I understand why people chuckle at these, but I don't see the need to affirmatively seek out these sweaters and wear them to parties. If I were going to do something similar, I'd get one of those horrid 1980's Houston Astros uniforms:
or a vintage Vancouver Canucks sweater:
Besides, at my size, if I could find one of these in my size and wore it outside, I might be mistaken by an overeager hunter and shot dead:
That wouldn't be very festive.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
There are, however, some aspects of the holiday that I despise. No holiday is perfect, of course, and Christmas is no exception. Here, then, are some things about Christmas that I simply can't abide:
Christmas sale season starts too soon: When sellers are advertising their sales before Halloween, for crying out loud, there's something seriously wrong. It's bad enough that Thanksgiving, a very prominent holiday in its own right, is thereby diminished, but so too is Veteran's Day. Nevermind that by putting the focus on consumerism the real reason behind Christmas is lost. There's no way to control this, unfortunately, and the ads are about as bad as the incessant political ads during election years. About the only way these ads are better than the politicians' ads is that the Christmas season is shorter...so far.
Luxury car ads: To be sure, people with money celebrate Christmas. But this notion that there are lots of people buying expensive cars, then wrapping them with humongous red bows in the middle of their driveways -- with no one noticing, it should be said -- is poppycock. It also cracks me up that some of the people doing this are so young I wonder where they're getting their money to buy these cars. Furthermore, how is it that the car that is sitting in the driveway surrounded by snow isn't covered either in snow or salt along the bottom of the chassis? And just where does someone buy bows that big, anyway?
Radio stations playing nothing but Christmas music: I like Christmas music just fine. In fact, I even enjoy Christmas jazz, when during the year I can't tolerate jazz at all. The the incessant assault on my senses by the neverending repetition of Christmas music is just horrible.
Gift cards: These are a four letter word to me: L-A-Z-Y. It means, I don't care enough about you to actually put some thought into buying you a gift. The only caveat to this is that for stocking stuffers -- given along with other tangible gifts -- these are fine. But when someone hands a person an envelope with a plastic card in it and nothing more, that's just L-A-M-E.
Jews singing Christmas songs: Since when did Jews accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? For the life of me, I don't understand their involvement in our religious holiday. By virtue of their involvement, they're basically trying to turn it into a secular, nondenominational holiday that everyone can enjoy. If they're willing to convert, fine. Otherwise, let us goyim have our own holidays, and we'll stay away from Hanukkah Harry. Come to think of it, I think I may have just hit on the reason for the early advertising season and the non-stop Christmas music....Barbra Streisand has enough money, she's intolerably liberal and she shouldn't be issuing recordings of Christian music. I love Idina Menzel and could listen to her sing all day. But I won't be buying her greatest hits Christmas album -- should she record one -- any time soon.
Weird Christmas confections: I eat more than my fair share of pies, cakes and cookies. But it seems that Christmas gives bakers a license to experiment with my taste buds. I'm not very adventurous when it comes to eating, and if I see something and can't readily identify what's in it, I'm not going to try it. And the overarching need to put glittery sparkles on everything just turns me off. I know: It's more for everybody else, and I'm quite fine with that.
Christmas weather: I love snow at Christmas. The problem is that we can't count on it. Typically what happens is that it's chilly and rainy on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, then it snows shortly thereafter. I know no one can control the weather, but there's something wrong with grey, boring, drippy weather on Christmas.
New covers of Christmas classics: To be fair, successive generations are entitled to make their own memories of Christmas, and if that involves covering classic songs or remaking movies, I suppose that's to be expected. Just do it well. Listening to some weird, stylized version of Silent Night just doesn't do anything to ring in the season. And having Dyan Cannon try to redo Christmas in Connecticut is nothing more than desecration.
Do They Know It's Christmastime?: Leave it to the Brits to lay on the schmalz. I forget the inspiration behind this We Are The World wannabe effort, and I really don't care. Having enough tone-deaf singers involved in this project to make Bob Dylan feel at home only adds to the dysfunction.
Wrapping presents: This is highly personal for me. I know that there are other times when gift wrapping is expected, but Christmas is the Super Bowl of gift wrapping. Accordingly, I am about as welcome when it comes to gift wrapping at Christmas I stink. Karen says otherwise but I know she's just being nice. I really do stink at it.
Ugly Christmas sweaters: I understand why people chuckle at these, but I don't see the need to affirmatively seek out these sweaters and wear them to parties. If I were going to do something similar, I'd get one of those horrid 1980's Houston Astros uniforms:
or a vintage Vancouver Canucks sweater:
Besides, at my size, if I could find one of these in my size and wore it outside, I might be mistaken by an overeager hunter and shot dead:
That wouldn't be very festive.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Thanksgiving Tidbits
I didn't have much time to post over the last few days, but I did write down some things that I was thinking about along the way:
-- Cribbage is an undervalued board game. Or is it a card game? Either way, I really enjoy it.
-- Why do people refer to others who are good at their jobs as rock stars and not experts? If I were described as a rock star, all I would think about was having long hair, a dissolute lifestyle involving the destruction of hotel rooms, singing badly and incomprehensibly and generally being no good at anything else.
-- Wall anchors are supposed to stay in the walls, not go through them. Hello, spackle.
-- I don't like tattoos, I'll never get a tattoo. But I absolutely enjoy the show Ink Masters. It's about as raw as reality game shows get.
-- Karen has a cousin named Cheryl who pronounces her name like Shurl. Until last week, she was the only woman I knew who pronounced her name that way. Now I found another Shurl. Or Cheryl.
-- Fitz and Tantrums is a pretty good band. Their name is pretty good, too. When I first heard it, I thought it was Fits and Tantrums.
-- Whenever I find a penny on the sidewalk or in the parking lot, it's always tails up. Karen tells me it's bad luck when pennies are found tails up, that the preferred way to find them for good luck is heads up. The way I see it, finding any money is lucky.
-- Who decides on rug patterns?
-- Building a fire isn't that hard, with a little practice.
-- Cat Drooling would be a good name for a band.
-- On a related note, last week Bupkes sneezed in my face as I slept.
-- One of the worst things I have to do while driving is look for signs. Especially when it comes to these little strip malls that put all the businesses on a tower, and each business is listed in the same size font, but not alphabetically.
-- Handshakes were meant to be firm. Whoever initiated these limp little offerings ought to be forced to gut dead fish.
-- I got to have my turkey stuffing this year...sort of. We didn't have any poultry seasoning and we couldn't find any. Even so, it could have been worse. Two days before the holiday it occurred to me we couldn't find our roasting pan and had to buy another.
-- Karen's car has overhead phone capabilities. It's all well and good, but I'll be darned it I know how to operate it.
-- Decorating the house for Christmas is fun, but it's limited. I really like putting oversized ornaments on trees in the yard and lights on the Kentucky tree.
-- Watching Custer and Bupkes play is a hoot.
-- There have been some gruesome injuries in college football this year. I doubt I would have allowed our son to play the game had we had children.
-- I really wish I could ice skate. I wonder if they make double blade skates for people like me.
-- This mess in Ferguson, Missouri, has really addled some people's brains. As one black cop put in when called in to a radio show, there's a difference between wanting justice and wanting revenge. People are being disingenuous when they say they want justice for Mike Brown.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
-- Cribbage is an undervalued board game. Or is it a card game? Either way, I really enjoy it.
-- Why do people refer to others who are good at their jobs as rock stars and not experts? If I were described as a rock star, all I would think about was having long hair, a dissolute lifestyle involving the destruction of hotel rooms, singing badly and incomprehensibly and generally being no good at anything else.
-- Wall anchors are supposed to stay in the walls, not go through them. Hello, spackle.
-- I don't like tattoos, I'll never get a tattoo. But I absolutely enjoy the show Ink Masters. It's about as raw as reality game shows get.
-- Karen has a cousin named Cheryl who pronounces her name like Shurl. Until last week, she was the only woman I knew who pronounced her name that way. Now I found another Shurl. Or Cheryl.
-- Fitz and Tantrums is a pretty good band. Their name is pretty good, too. When I first heard it, I thought it was Fits and Tantrums.
-- Whenever I find a penny on the sidewalk or in the parking lot, it's always tails up. Karen tells me it's bad luck when pennies are found tails up, that the preferred way to find them for good luck is heads up. The way I see it, finding any money is lucky.
-- Who decides on rug patterns?
-- Building a fire isn't that hard, with a little practice.
-- Cat Drooling would be a good name for a band.
-- On a related note, last week Bupkes sneezed in my face as I slept.
-- One of the worst things I have to do while driving is look for signs. Especially when it comes to these little strip malls that put all the businesses on a tower, and each business is listed in the same size font, but not alphabetically.
-- Handshakes were meant to be firm. Whoever initiated these limp little offerings ought to be forced to gut dead fish.
-- I got to have my turkey stuffing this year...sort of. We didn't have any poultry seasoning and we couldn't find any. Even so, it could have been worse. Two days before the holiday it occurred to me we couldn't find our roasting pan and had to buy another.
-- Karen's car has overhead phone capabilities. It's all well and good, but I'll be darned it I know how to operate it.
-- Decorating the house for Christmas is fun, but it's limited. I really like putting oversized ornaments on trees in the yard and lights on the Kentucky tree.
-- Watching Custer and Bupkes play is a hoot.
-- There have been some gruesome injuries in college football this year. I doubt I would have allowed our son to play the game had we had children.
-- I really wish I could ice skate. I wonder if they make double blade skates for people like me.
-- This mess in Ferguson, Missouri, has really addled some people's brains. As one black cop put in when called in to a radio show, there's a difference between wanting justice and wanting revenge. People are being disingenuous when they say they want justice for Mike Brown.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
More Fun With Words
As promised, I've found a few more words that tickle, frustrate or confuse me, so I thought I'd share them:
Purblind: People use this word all the time. I wish I could find subtle ways to fit it into a sentence. For whatever reason, it sounds so erudite to me, even though all it means is that someone has impaired or defective vision or is dimwitted or slow to understand something.
Fey: I like using this word, since it's beyond political correctness, although I'm sure the PC police will find some way to stigmatize its usage. It means having a vague unwordliness, or being clairvoyant.
Orotundity: This is almost an onomatopoeaic word: It means bombastic, strong, fullness of voice.
Phumpher: I give Loni Anderson, whose autobiography I read recently, credit for teaching me this one: It's another onomatopoeaic word meaning to stutter to the point of incomprehensibility. It can also mean to be evasive in word or deed, but if one is incomprehensible, I guess naturally one is evasive.
Ablute: One of my favorite authors, Bill Bryson, brought me this word and, shamefully, I can't believe I didn't know about it. I've known about doing one's morning ablutions for years. Well, this is what one does for his ablutions: He ablutes, or washes.
Parlous: Another word I wish I could use freely. Not that I have to pay to use it, I just can't seem to find ways to work it into my writings. It means full of danger or uncertainty.
Feckless: To be feckless is to be feeble, weak, ineffectual or irresponsible. Somehow, saying someone is feeble or weak isn't nearly as insulting as calling him feckless, especially since the odds are great that he won't know it's meaning. It does beg the question of whether one can be feckful, though.
Purchase: I've always be intrigued by this word when it means grip or traction. To gain purchase means, in a highfalutin way, to get a grip.
Truck: Again, another common word that has an uncommon usage. To have no truck with means to have nothing to do with something. Evidently, it's based on a French term, troque, meaning barter or trade. I'm glad, because I don't want to have to say I have no lorry with something.
Translucent: Oddly, the first time I ever heard this word was on an episode of M*A*S*H involving Blythe Danner, the long-suffering mother of Gwyneth Paltrow. Hawkeye Pierce, played by Alan Alda, uses it to describe his lover, played by Ms. Danner. I've never forgotten it since I saw that episode. It also goes to prove my parents were wrong when they said I couldn't learn anything useful from watching television.
Robust: I enjoy the many uses of this word but always wondered about its origins. It comes from the Latin robustus, for oaken, or strong. That makes sense, since the Spanish word for oak is roble.
Erstwhile: Hmmm, I enjoy using this term but wondered about its origins as well. All I can find is that it was first used in 1569. I have no truck with that.
Emacity: This is for my girl. I saw it on some goofy online test about one's vocabulary. Its a fancy way of having a fondness for shopping. That's all I'm going to say about this one.
Umbrage: Another word of which I'm fond, I wondered at its origins, which are Latin for shade or shadow. Makes sense to me.
Dongle: When Karen first taught me this word, I thought she was making one up, like widgit or gadget. Apparently, it's just a small piece of hardware that attaches to a computer. The problem is, that could be just about anything these days which, for me, leads to endless confusion if someone asks for a dongle.
Callow: This refers to someone of inexperience or someone lacking sophistication, typically in regards to a young person. That's mildly amusing, because its origins are from the Middle English, Old English, Old German and Old Church Slavic for bald. Just out of curiosity, I wonder if New German and New Church Slavic feel the same way about this.
Williwaw: Reading John Ferling's account of the American Revolution, Almost a Miracle, taught me this one. It means a blast of wind from a mountainous coast out to the sea. I wish more weathermen would use this.
Pother: Again, Mr. Ferling taught me this word. When I first read it I thought I'd misread bother. This means mental turmoil or a confused or fidgety flurry of activity. I wonder if I can be pothered. It's a fun word, nevertheless.
And with that, class is dismissed.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Purblind: People use this word all the time. I wish I could find subtle ways to fit it into a sentence. For whatever reason, it sounds so erudite to me, even though all it means is that someone has impaired or defective vision or is dimwitted or slow to understand something.
Fey: I like using this word, since it's beyond political correctness, although I'm sure the PC police will find some way to stigmatize its usage. It means having a vague unwordliness, or being clairvoyant.
Orotundity: This is almost an onomatopoeaic word: It means bombastic, strong, fullness of voice.
Phumpher: I give Loni Anderson, whose autobiography I read recently, credit for teaching me this one: It's another onomatopoeaic word meaning to stutter to the point of incomprehensibility. It can also mean to be evasive in word or deed, but if one is incomprehensible, I guess naturally one is evasive.
Ablute: One of my favorite authors, Bill Bryson, brought me this word and, shamefully, I can't believe I didn't know about it. I've known about doing one's morning ablutions for years. Well, this is what one does for his ablutions: He ablutes, or washes.
Parlous: Another word I wish I could use freely. Not that I have to pay to use it, I just can't seem to find ways to work it into my writings. It means full of danger or uncertainty.
Feckless: To be feckless is to be feeble, weak, ineffectual or irresponsible. Somehow, saying someone is feeble or weak isn't nearly as insulting as calling him feckless, especially since the odds are great that he won't know it's meaning. It does beg the question of whether one can be feckful, though.
Purchase: I've always be intrigued by this word when it means grip or traction. To gain purchase means, in a highfalutin way, to get a grip.
Truck: Again, another common word that has an uncommon usage. To have no truck with means to have nothing to do with something. Evidently, it's based on a French term, troque, meaning barter or trade. I'm glad, because I don't want to have to say I have no lorry with something.
Translucent: Oddly, the first time I ever heard this word was on an episode of M*A*S*H involving Blythe Danner, the long-suffering mother of Gwyneth Paltrow. Hawkeye Pierce, played by Alan Alda, uses it to describe his lover, played by Ms. Danner. I've never forgotten it since I saw that episode. It also goes to prove my parents were wrong when they said I couldn't learn anything useful from watching television.
Robust: I enjoy the many uses of this word but always wondered about its origins. It comes from the Latin robustus, for oaken, or strong. That makes sense, since the Spanish word for oak is roble.
Erstwhile: Hmmm, I enjoy using this term but wondered about its origins as well. All I can find is that it was first used in 1569. I have no truck with that.
Emacity: This is for my girl. I saw it on some goofy online test about one's vocabulary. Its a fancy way of having a fondness for shopping. That's all I'm going to say about this one.
Umbrage: Another word of which I'm fond, I wondered at its origins, which are Latin for shade or shadow. Makes sense to me.
Dongle: When Karen first taught me this word, I thought she was making one up, like widgit or gadget. Apparently, it's just a small piece of hardware that attaches to a computer. The problem is, that could be just about anything these days which, for me, leads to endless confusion if someone asks for a dongle.
Callow: This refers to someone of inexperience or someone lacking sophistication, typically in regards to a young person. That's mildly amusing, because its origins are from the Middle English, Old English, Old German and Old Church Slavic for bald. Just out of curiosity, I wonder if New German and New Church Slavic feel the same way about this.
Williwaw: Reading John Ferling's account of the American Revolution, Almost a Miracle, taught me this one. It means a blast of wind from a mountainous coast out to the sea. I wish more weathermen would use this.
Pother: Again, Mr. Ferling taught me this word. When I first read it I thought I'd misread bother. This means mental turmoil or a confused or fidgety flurry of activity. I wonder if I can be pothered. It's a fun word, nevertheless.
And with that, class is dismissed.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Monday, November 24, 2014
Democratic Implausible Deniability Run Amok
Benghazi. The IRS. The Bowe Bergdahl swap. The NSA mess. Fast and Furious. Race baiting. The AP scandal. The Rosen affair. The Secret Service mess. Obamacare. Now we have Grubergate.
Jonathan Gruber, one of the principal architects of Obamacare, has been caught on tape mocking the American people as stupid and unthinking -- my words -- and explaining how the bill was rammed through in the middle of the night to get it passed. It's not as if there's only one video out there, either: There are several different videos of him at conferences over the last two years basically making fun of the American people for not questioning the bill enough.
As if that weren't insulting enough, the White House and the then-majority leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi, are in full cognitive dissonance mode, the former characterizing Gruber as some advisor and the latter disclaiming any knowledge of who he is. Both stances are not only incredible but laughable, as other liberals have referred to Gruber as The Man behind Obamacare, reports have surfaced that he was paid at least $392,000 for his work on the project and Pelosi is on video gushing about Gruber's expertise.
All of this is fairly settled. Video doesn't lie, unless the NSA or CIA has somehow altered the content. But these videos are from news outlets supportive of the President and is initiatives. They've been carrying his water for six long years. It's incomprehensible that they've turned on him and doctored these tapes.
No, what's worrisome is that there is still a large segment of the population -- including most in the MSM -- for whom the President and his minions can do no wrong. The MSM won't even report on the Gruber leaks, ignoring a story that should be creating a firestorm of protest in their ranks. Hellbent on protecting Jamie Foxx's lord and savior, they turn a blind eye when reports like this surface because, probably, the revelation would indirectly indict them as well.
As much as Fox News and other outlets have reported the story, there doesn't seem to be a groundswell of anger from the electorate. These revelations -- combined with the stories we already have about the NSA, the IRS, Benghazi, the Bergdahl swap, the Secret Service affair, the AP matter, Fast and Furious and countless other pecadillos -- should cause people to be outraged. There is a segment of the country that is outraged, but other parts that are either resigned to the status quo or defiantly defensive of this President, all of which proves Plato had it right when he criticized democracy centuries before the Founding Fathers created the greatest experiment in human history. That experiment has been tainted as never before, and thanks in large measure to the MSM, the country is apathetic to an alarming degree.
Although not exactly equivalent, when Watergate happened, intrepid reporters dug for the facts and openly defied White House threats in reporting its misdeeds. The same happened in the Pentagon Papers. Now, the MSM is the functional equivalent of the Three Wise Monkeys.
The Fourth Estate has brought disgrace to itself and to the country. Blame Mr. Obama as well, but he should have been held accountable by the MSM.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Jonathan Gruber, one of the principal architects of Obamacare, has been caught on tape mocking the American people as stupid and unthinking -- my words -- and explaining how the bill was rammed through in the middle of the night to get it passed. It's not as if there's only one video out there, either: There are several different videos of him at conferences over the last two years basically making fun of the American people for not questioning the bill enough.
As if that weren't insulting enough, the White House and the then-majority leader of the House, Nancy Pelosi, are in full cognitive dissonance mode, the former characterizing Gruber as some advisor and the latter disclaiming any knowledge of who he is. Both stances are not only incredible but laughable, as other liberals have referred to Gruber as The Man behind Obamacare, reports have surfaced that he was paid at least $392,000 for his work on the project and Pelosi is on video gushing about Gruber's expertise.
All of this is fairly settled. Video doesn't lie, unless the NSA or CIA has somehow altered the content. But these videos are from news outlets supportive of the President and is initiatives. They've been carrying his water for six long years. It's incomprehensible that they've turned on him and doctored these tapes.
No, what's worrisome is that there is still a large segment of the population -- including most in the MSM -- for whom the President and his minions can do no wrong. The MSM won't even report on the Gruber leaks, ignoring a story that should be creating a firestorm of protest in their ranks. Hellbent on protecting Jamie Foxx's lord and savior, they turn a blind eye when reports like this surface because, probably, the revelation would indirectly indict them as well.
As much as Fox News and other outlets have reported the story, there doesn't seem to be a groundswell of anger from the electorate. These revelations -- combined with the stories we already have about the NSA, the IRS, Benghazi, the Bergdahl swap, the Secret Service affair, the AP matter, Fast and Furious and countless other pecadillos -- should cause people to be outraged. There is a segment of the country that is outraged, but other parts that are either resigned to the status quo or defiantly defensive of this President, all of which proves Plato had it right when he criticized democracy centuries before the Founding Fathers created the greatest experiment in human history. That experiment has been tainted as never before, and thanks in large measure to the MSM, the country is apathetic to an alarming degree.
Although not exactly equivalent, when Watergate happened, intrepid reporters dug for the facts and openly defied White House threats in reporting its misdeeds. The same happened in the Pentagon Papers. Now, the MSM is the functional equivalent of the Three Wise Monkeys.
The Fourth Estate has brought disgrace to itself and to the country. Blame Mr. Obama as well, but he should have been held accountable by the MSM.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Tuesday Tidbits
I'm too wound up about the Jonathan Gruber comments and the attendant fallout to comment intelligibly, so instead I'm going to mail it in today:
-- Is it MEEM or MEE MEE? What exactly is a Meme anyway? Do I need one? Do I want one? Can I exist without one? Is it dangerous?
-- It was quite interesting to see someone whip around to get a parking spot that I was waiting for with my turn signal activated, indicating I was going to take the spot. It was more interesting watching the couple sit in their car and not get out as I parked my car immediately behind theirs.
-- Chess fever. Catch it.
-- Lentil and andouille sausage soup. Why didn't I think of this sooner?
-- Everyone's complaining about the early snap of cold weather we're getting. I say bring it on.
-- Our cat Bupkes is more dog than cat.
-- Kate Upton is not all that good looking. She has a huge pair of breasts. That's the attraction, not timeless beauty.
-- If one is going to try to explain health care coverage, try not to be less interesting than the already insipidly boring topic itself.
-- Watching and listening to Democrats try to distance themselves from and disavow Jonathan Gruber is highly entertaining, but it raises a fundamental question: Can anyone believe anything a Democrat says?
-- It's interesting that the ISIS murderers won't reveal their faces on their snuff films when an American is beheaded, but when Syrian soldiers are similarly murdered, their faces are there for the world to see.
-- I still don't get NASCAR, and I never will.
-- My Chinese student has a Kid 'n Play haircut. Just try to visualize that one. Now try to visualize my Chinese student with the Kid 'n Play haircut trying to learn Spanish and you know part of why I enjoy teaching so much.
-- A student of mine spelled Highness as Hinest. That's American education at its finest.
-- Jeff Allen is one funny comedian. He could teach some of the filthier comedians a thing or two about being funny without using profanity.
-- I can't use laptop computers. I just can't.
-- Another wacko young woman wants to marry a convicted murderer. Charles Manson is such a catch.
-- John Feinstein may be an egotistical schmuck, but that man can write about sports.
-- Does it surprise anyone that the MSM is not reporting the Jonathan Gruber mess? Doesn't that confirm it's complicit in the cover-up that's been a large part of the Obama administration?
-- Speaking of which, I'm going to be very interested to read Sharyl Attkisson's book Stonewalled.
-- It's sad that blueberries aren't in season.
-- The Hot Stove League has begun in earnest.
-- I got to see my Blackhawks in person the other night. As is becoming routine for me, the wrong team won again when I attended the game.
-- Whither the Dixie Chicks?
-- The Senate vote on the Keystone pipeline is pure political cynicism. More on that anon.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
-- Is it MEEM or MEE MEE? What exactly is a Meme anyway? Do I need one? Do I want one? Can I exist without one? Is it dangerous?
-- It was quite interesting to see someone whip around to get a parking spot that I was waiting for with my turn signal activated, indicating I was going to take the spot. It was more interesting watching the couple sit in their car and not get out as I parked my car immediately behind theirs.
-- Chess fever. Catch it.
-- Lentil and andouille sausage soup. Why didn't I think of this sooner?
-- Everyone's complaining about the early snap of cold weather we're getting. I say bring it on.
-- Our cat Bupkes is more dog than cat.
-- Kate Upton is not all that good looking. She has a huge pair of breasts. That's the attraction, not timeless beauty.
-- If one is going to try to explain health care coverage, try not to be less interesting than the already insipidly boring topic itself.
-- Watching and listening to Democrats try to distance themselves from and disavow Jonathan Gruber is highly entertaining, but it raises a fundamental question: Can anyone believe anything a Democrat says?
-- It's interesting that the ISIS murderers won't reveal their faces on their snuff films when an American is beheaded, but when Syrian soldiers are similarly murdered, their faces are there for the world to see.
-- I still don't get NASCAR, and I never will.
-- My Chinese student has a Kid 'n Play haircut. Just try to visualize that one. Now try to visualize my Chinese student with the Kid 'n Play haircut trying to learn Spanish and you know part of why I enjoy teaching so much.
-- A student of mine spelled Highness as Hinest. That's American education at its finest.
-- Jeff Allen is one funny comedian. He could teach some of the filthier comedians a thing or two about being funny without using profanity.
-- I can't use laptop computers. I just can't.
-- Another wacko young woman wants to marry a convicted murderer. Charles Manson is such a catch.
-- John Feinstein may be an egotistical schmuck, but that man can write about sports.
-- Does it surprise anyone that the MSM is not reporting the Jonathan Gruber mess? Doesn't that confirm it's complicit in the cover-up that's been a large part of the Obama administration?
-- Speaking of which, I'm going to be very interested to read Sharyl Attkisson's book Stonewalled.
-- It's sad that blueberries aren't in season.
-- The Hot Stove League has begun in earnest.
-- I got to see my Blackhawks in person the other night. As is becoming routine for me, the wrong team won again when I attended the game.
-- Whither the Dixie Chicks?
-- The Senate vote on the Keystone pipeline is pure political cynicism. More on that anon.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Liberal Reaction to the Midterms
Well, the midterms went as most people expected, although the Republicans seem to have done better than some pundits thought they would. The anticipated gnashing of teeth, rending of garments and overall wailing has begun, which was also expected. What wasn't expected, however, is the amount of delirious spin that is coming from the Left. It's as if institutionalized cognitive dissonance is the new policy in Democratic circles.
The shock of the results surprises me. Either liberals were lying when they thought their candidates would actually prevail in the races or they were delusional thinking that the series of missteps by the administration and their candidates' support for the administration wouldn't hurt them with voters. Ironically, there were also plenty of mistakes made by Democratic candidates that hearkened back to mistakes made by conservative candidates in the 2013 election that were damaging to their causes. Belittling women, race baiting and outright lies about their opponents didn't help them woo voters. Republicans, on the other hand, minded their p's and q's and outperformed their liberal opponents.
Yet, with the results staring them in the face, chief wingnut Harry Reid tried to spin the midterms as evidence that the results indicated that the voters want politicians to work together. This from the man who refused to put up for debate bills passed by the Republican-controlled House and who maneuvered the change in the filibuster rules in the Senate. Did the country just come to the idea that politicians should work together, and that prior to the midterms they were happy with the status quo as directed by Reid and Nancy Pelosi? It's an insult to our collective intelligence that this man is trying to misconstrue the results of the elections as something other than what it is: A repudiation of how liberals were running the country. Had Mr. Obama been up for reelection this time, I'm convinced he would have been defeated, charges of racism be damned.
The President, meanwhile, described himself as irritated by the results. He says he looks forward to working with Republicans in a bipartisan fashion, but we'll see. He's already signaled his intention to use executive orders to get what Congress won't approve. That may spur litigation on constitutional matters that haven't been before the Supreme Court since the days of FDR's court packing attempts in the 1930's. Either way, Mr. Obama, who infamously told Democratic candidates to say whatever they had to say to get elected, even if they didn't mean it, is talking out of both sides of his mouth. He has no intention of undoing anything that he's done and likewise no intention of doing anything to which he's opposed, no matter what the Congress says. Since the Congress is comprised of people duly elected by citizens of the United States, the Presidents is implicitly saying that he knows better than the people of country and will not brook opposition to his vision.
And to think that even his golf game was trashed by Michael Jordan last week...
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
The shock of the results surprises me. Either liberals were lying when they thought their candidates would actually prevail in the races or they were delusional thinking that the series of missteps by the administration and their candidates' support for the administration wouldn't hurt them with voters. Ironically, there were also plenty of mistakes made by Democratic candidates that hearkened back to mistakes made by conservative candidates in the 2013 election that were damaging to their causes. Belittling women, race baiting and outright lies about their opponents didn't help them woo voters. Republicans, on the other hand, minded their p's and q's and outperformed their liberal opponents.
Yet, with the results staring them in the face, chief wingnut Harry Reid tried to spin the midterms as evidence that the results indicated that the voters want politicians to work together. This from the man who refused to put up for debate bills passed by the Republican-controlled House and who maneuvered the change in the filibuster rules in the Senate. Did the country just come to the idea that politicians should work together, and that prior to the midterms they were happy with the status quo as directed by Reid and Nancy Pelosi? It's an insult to our collective intelligence that this man is trying to misconstrue the results of the elections as something other than what it is: A repudiation of how liberals were running the country. Had Mr. Obama been up for reelection this time, I'm convinced he would have been defeated, charges of racism be damned.
The President, meanwhile, described himself as irritated by the results. He says he looks forward to working with Republicans in a bipartisan fashion, but we'll see. He's already signaled his intention to use executive orders to get what Congress won't approve. That may spur litigation on constitutional matters that haven't been before the Supreme Court since the days of FDR's court packing attempts in the 1930's. Either way, Mr. Obama, who infamously told Democratic candidates to say whatever they had to say to get elected, even if they didn't mean it, is talking out of both sides of his mouth. He has no intention of undoing anything that he's done and likewise no intention of doing anything to which he's opposed, no matter what the Congress says. Since the Congress is comprised of people duly elected by citizens of the United States, the Presidents is implicitly saying that he knows better than the people of country and will not brook opposition to his vision.
And to think that even his golf game was trashed by Michael Jordan last week...
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Monday, November 3, 2014
The Midterms
Election season is about to close with the much anticipated and very watched midterm elections which, due to the last two years' worth of scandals, is looming to big in terms of the distribution of power in Congress. Republicans stand to claim control of the Senate while retaining control of the House, meaning the President will have a Congress entirely opposed to him and his policies.
Conservatives are rubbing their hands with glee, Democrats are predicting gloom and doom under a Republican Congress. Part of this is the natural ebb and flow of the midterm elections. Some of it is real. But an astute observer would place less importance on the midterms and await the 2016 presidential elections.
Assuming the Republicans win both the Senate and keep control of the House, the chances are slim that they will have a veto-proof majority. That being said, the President will be able to veto any legislation Congress passes with which he disagrees. Since he's a lame duck, he can stand on principle without worrying about reelection. It won't hurt other Democrats in 2016 because people will focus on the veto and not how individual representatives voted, for the most part. Republicans could be seen as intransigent by passing bills that oppose the President's policies. What's more, they could make major mistakes in passing certain types of legislation not favored by a majority of the country. Add to that the specter of some unforeseen event happening during the last two years, and the what is seen as a Republican victory dims.
Moreover, there are the 2016 elections, which could reverse the gains of these midterms. Republicans, then, could only be in control for two years. That's not a lot of time to get an agenda made into law.
Plenty of pressing issues need resolution. Beyond that, there's the gearing up for the looming presidential election in 2016. Republicans should avoid initiating witch hunts over Benghazi, the NSA, the AP scandal, the IRS scandal, the Secret Service debacle, Fast and Furious, Obamacare and a host of other issues. That's not to say that some of them wouldn't warrant investigations: the IRS, Benghazi and the NSA certainly do. Obamacare needs repealed. But to concentrate on beating up the Democrats for their lackadaisical and highly partisan governance won't serve the American people. People need jobs, protection from terrorism, confidence in the equanimity of government. Partisan politics only rankle most voters.
But then there's the issue of the presidential election. Even if Republicans control both houses of Congress, a Democratic president will still be the face of government. Presidents get far more press coverage than representatives. With that pulpit, the President can frame the discussion far more effectively, thereby setting up the next midterms as a contest for control of Congress. Republicans should be focused on righting the country, not defeating the Democrats. In fact, by doing the one they can do both. The fear is that Republicans will be so focused on pounding their chests and collecting injustices that they forget to do what the people sent them to Washington to do: Govern.
If nothing else happens, I will be happy to see the likes of Harry Reid and other wingnuts defeated. Make no mistake: There are some conservative wingnuts, too, but Mr. Reid takes the prize as the goofiest and most out of control politician that there is. The people of Nevada should be ashamed to have him as their representative.
If only Illinoisans could oust their slavemasters....
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Conservatives are rubbing their hands with glee, Democrats are predicting gloom and doom under a Republican Congress. Part of this is the natural ebb and flow of the midterm elections. Some of it is real. But an astute observer would place less importance on the midterms and await the 2016 presidential elections.
Assuming the Republicans win both the Senate and keep control of the House, the chances are slim that they will have a veto-proof majority. That being said, the President will be able to veto any legislation Congress passes with which he disagrees. Since he's a lame duck, he can stand on principle without worrying about reelection. It won't hurt other Democrats in 2016 because people will focus on the veto and not how individual representatives voted, for the most part. Republicans could be seen as intransigent by passing bills that oppose the President's policies. What's more, they could make major mistakes in passing certain types of legislation not favored by a majority of the country. Add to that the specter of some unforeseen event happening during the last two years, and the what is seen as a Republican victory dims.
Moreover, there are the 2016 elections, which could reverse the gains of these midterms. Republicans, then, could only be in control for two years. That's not a lot of time to get an agenda made into law.
Plenty of pressing issues need resolution. Beyond that, there's the gearing up for the looming presidential election in 2016. Republicans should avoid initiating witch hunts over Benghazi, the NSA, the AP scandal, the IRS scandal, the Secret Service debacle, Fast and Furious, Obamacare and a host of other issues. That's not to say that some of them wouldn't warrant investigations: the IRS, Benghazi and the NSA certainly do. Obamacare needs repealed. But to concentrate on beating up the Democrats for their lackadaisical and highly partisan governance won't serve the American people. People need jobs, protection from terrorism, confidence in the equanimity of government. Partisan politics only rankle most voters.
But then there's the issue of the presidential election. Even if Republicans control both houses of Congress, a Democratic president will still be the face of government. Presidents get far more press coverage than representatives. With that pulpit, the President can frame the discussion far more effectively, thereby setting up the next midterms as a contest for control of Congress. Republicans should be focused on righting the country, not defeating the Democrats. In fact, by doing the one they can do both. The fear is that Republicans will be so focused on pounding their chests and collecting injustices that they forget to do what the people sent them to Washington to do: Govern.
If nothing else happens, I will be happy to see the likes of Harry Reid and other wingnuts defeated. Make no mistake: There are some conservative wingnuts, too, but Mr. Reid takes the prize as the goofiest and most out of control politician that there is. The people of Nevada should be ashamed to have him as their representative.
If only Illinoisans could oust their slavemasters....
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Gay Belligerence
Recently, there were reports that the gay mayor of Houston issued subpoenae to local pastors seeking copies of sermons given in which homosexuality or the mayor was mentioned. Putting aside for a moment the obvious First Amendment issues in play -- that the city attorneys would even agree to issue a subpoena for this is astounding -- there are open questions as to the motivation of a public official who wants copies of sermons given in church by ministers.
The inference that can be drawn is that the mayor objects to anything that opposes the homosexual lifestyle and is looking for ways to withdraw the not-for-profit standing the churches enjoy so as to be able to tax them. The chilling effect of such a move is obvious, as is the constitutional violation.
But it's perhaps the most visible of a string of belligerent moves made by gays in the name of equality that is upsetting to me. For the record, I am fully in favor of equal rights for gays, although I'm ambivalent on the issue of gay marriage. As an attorney, I have to support the legality of gay marriage, but I'm not necessarily in favor of it personally. That being said, I would never condemn a gay couple for being married and would show them the same respect as I would a heterosexual couple. Otherwise, I have no truck with equality for gays in our society.
But that's just the point: Movements across the country have endowed gays with superior rights to other citizens. In New Mexico, Washington and other states, legislation exists that penalizes businesses that choose not to provide services to gays. It has forced some businesses, after litigation resulted in adverse decisions against them, to close. The purpose of the laws is to prevent discrimination, with which I fully agree, but the laws are overbroad and infringe upon another First Amendment guarantee.
Some businesses refuse to contract business with gay couples due to their religious beliefs. The laws are written in such a way that the shop owners are compelled to do business with gay couples who approach them; failure to take business from gay couples results in the severe penalties we've seen in New Mexico and Washington, where the mere refusal to take business from gay couples subjected the business owners to penalties in the thousands of dollars. This isn't right.
As an attorney, occasionally clients want to retain me whom I know are going to be nothing but trouble. I should have the right not to engage them if I so choose. If they're gay and I were in one of these states, I could be subject to fines and penalties simply because the potential clients are gay. That other business people choose not to be retained because of their religious beliefs should be respected. That gays may not get a particular baker or a photographer doesn't mean they won't get a baker or photographer doesn't mean they won't get any bakers or photographers, just not that one. I find it hard to believe in this day and age there is such anti-gay bias that collusion will prevent gays from finding the professionals they need or want to have something done. Subjecting people to penalties for their religious beliefs is simply wrong.
As if that weren't bad enough, we now have a politician who wants to vet sermons from local ministers. If a straight politician were to do something similar with a pastor known to have gay community ties, there would be an uproar, and rightly so. Yet this news has barely been noticed.
Frankly, the mayor should be fined and penalized for trying to curtail the pastors' speech. There is absolutely no reason why a mayor should subpoena the sermons of local pastors unless there is some attempt at suppressing those sermons planned. If the mayor is truly interested in what the pastors have to say, she can get her butt to church every weekend to hear for herself what the pastors are preaching. But to demand copies of the sermons for what can only be called a nefarious reason is unpardonable.
That the mayor even thinks she has the right to demand the sermons speaks volumes about just how much power gays think they have. By all means they should be treated equally. They should not be made to feel like second-class citizens. But equality and superiority are two different things. No one, be he gay or straight, has the right to prevent the free exercise of speech or religion, unless the speech or sermons fall within reasonable time, place and manner restrictions or a seditious in nature. That the speech or sermons may offend people is of no consequence.
Ironically, gays use this tactic all the time themselves, referring to themselves in terms that, were a straight person to utter the words, would cause a backlash. But this falls under the liberal mantra of do as they say not as they do.
That is not equality.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
The inference that can be drawn is that the mayor objects to anything that opposes the homosexual lifestyle and is looking for ways to withdraw the not-for-profit standing the churches enjoy so as to be able to tax them. The chilling effect of such a move is obvious, as is the constitutional violation.
But it's perhaps the most visible of a string of belligerent moves made by gays in the name of equality that is upsetting to me. For the record, I am fully in favor of equal rights for gays, although I'm ambivalent on the issue of gay marriage. As an attorney, I have to support the legality of gay marriage, but I'm not necessarily in favor of it personally. That being said, I would never condemn a gay couple for being married and would show them the same respect as I would a heterosexual couple. Otherwise, I have no truck with equality for gays in our society.
But that's just the point: Movements across the country have endowed gays with superior rights to other citizens. In New Mexico, Washington and other states, legislation exists that penalizes businesses that choose not to provide services to gays. It has forced some businesses, after litigation resulted in adverse decisions against them, to close. The purpose of the laws is to prevent discrimination, with which I fully agree, but the laws are overbroad and infringe upon another First Amendment guarantee.
Some businesses refuse to contract business with gay couples due to their religious beliefs. The laws are written in such a way that the shop owners are compelled to do business with gay couples who approach them; failure to take business from gay couples results in the severe penalties we've seen in New Mexico and Washington, where the mere refusal to take business from gay couples subjected the business owners to penalties in the thousands of dollars. This isn't right.
As an attorney, occasionally clients want to retain me whom I know are going to be nothing but trouble. I should have the right not to engage them if I so choose. If they're gay and I were in one of these states, I could be subject to fines and penalties simply because the potential clients are gay. That other business people choose not to be retained because of their religious beliefs should be respected. That gays may not get a particular baker or a photographer doesn't mean they won't get a baker or photographer doesn't mean they won't get any bakers or photographers, just not that one. I find it hard to believe in this day and age there is such anti-gay bias that collusion will prevent gays from finding the professionals they need or want to have something done. Subjecting people to penalties for their religious beliefs is simply wrong.
As if that weren't bad enough, we now have a politician who wants to vet sermons from local ministers. If a straight politician were to do something similar with a pastor known to have gay community ties, there would be an uproar, and rightly so. Yet this news has barely been noticed.
Frankly, the mayor should be fined and penalized for trying to curtail the pastors' speech. There is absolutely no reason why a mayor should subpoena the sermons of local pastors unless there is some attempt at suppressing those sermons planned. If the mayor is truly interested in what the pastors have to say, she can get her butt to church every weekend to hear for herself what the pastors are preaching. But to demand copies of the sermons for what can only be called a nefarious reason is unpardonable.
That the mayor even thinks she has the right to demand the sermons speaks volumes about just how much power gays think they have. By all means they should be treated equally. They should not be made to feel like second-class citizens. But equality and superiority are two different things. No one, be he gay or straight, has the right to prevent the free exercise of speech or religion, unless the speech or sermons fall within reasonable time, place and manner restrictions or a seditious in nature. That the speech or sermons may offend people is of no consequence.
Ironically, gays use this tactic all the time themselves, referring to themselves in terms that, were a straight person to utter the words, would cause a backlash. But this falls under the liberal mantra of do as they say not as they do.
That is not equality.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Monday, October 27, 2014
Canada Attacked
Last week, our friends north of the border suffered an assault on their liberty and way of life when as-yet unknown gunmen killed a Canadian soldier and attacked the Parliament building in Ottawa. I had to leave right after the preliminary reports were coming out so I'm not sure if any more is known about the attack. For my purposes, it's enough to know that Canada was attacked.
First, my condolences go out to the family of the serviceman killed today, the other serviceman killed earlier in the week and his companion who was injured, their families and the nation of Canada. This is intolerable and must be avenged.
Second, I call on my country to stand up and defend Canada, not only our best neighbor but also one of our closest allies. Canada has always been there for us, so now it's our turn.
Third, the United States better see this for what it is.
This is an attack on a soft target. Canada, based on some of the reports by Canadian news outlets that I was able to hear today, called the country complacent. Given how easily the armed intruder was able to gain access to the Parliament building today, I'd have to agree. It would seem that Canada thought that nothing of the sort of thing that happened to us on 9/11 would ever happen to it. Unfortunately, for them and for us, they were wrong.
Reports have now surfaced that the murderer was a radicalized Muslim, native of Canada. This seems to be what we can expect in the near future, sort of a welcoming committee for extremists from the Middle East who eventually will arrive here. We've seen the same in our own country, with attacks in New York City, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Texas already. Eventually, however, we'll see foreigners attempting more attacks here.
More troubling for me is the nature of the threat on the northern border. For obvious and compelling reasons, our focus has been on the porous southern border. It's been the scene of infiltrations and attempted infiltrations over the years -- let's not forget the infamous Zimmerman telegram that encouraged an invasion there during World War I -- with the active and violent participation of the drug cartels. Islamofascist terrorists can easily blend in with Latins seeking a better life within our borders. Yet the northern border presents a different kind of threat.
Longer and more porous than the southern border, terrorist elements can cross the border in hundreds of unpopulated and undefended locations. To be sure, Islamofascists don't blend in as well with the local population as they could on the southern border, but especially in Minnesota, there is a population that would aid them to covertly infiltrate the country and hide them as they plot and carry out their missions. With most of our attention diverted to airports and the southern border, the increased activity along the northern frontier is worrisome.
I mourn the losses Canada suffered last week and hope that for both their and our benefit they'll be more vigilant now. But the attacks should serve as a wake-up call to us to focus more attention along what was once the longest undefended border on earth, not because of the threat from Canadians, but because of the threat that the porous border presents to those who would all too readily utilize it.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
First, my condolences go out to the family of the serviceman killed today, the other serviceman killed earlier in the week and his companion who was injured, their families and the nation of Canada. This is intolerable and must be avenged.
Second, I call on my country to stand up and defend Canada, not only our best neighbor but also one of our closest allies. Canada has always been there for us, so now it's our turn.
Third, the United States better see this for what it is.
This is an attack on a soft target. Canada, based on some of the reports by Canadian news outlets that I was able to hear today, called the country complacent. Given how easily the armed intruder was able to gain access to the Parliament building today, I'd have to agree. It would seem that Canada thought that nothing of the sort of thing that happened to us on 9/11 would ever happen to it. Unfortunately, for them and for us, they were wrong.
Reports have now surfaced that the murderer was a radicalized Muslim, native of Canada. This seems to be what we can expect in the near future, sort of a welcoming committee for extremists from the Middle East who eventually will arrive here. We've seen the same in our own country, with attacks in New York City, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Texas already. Eventually, however, we'll see foreigners attempting more attacks here.
More troubling for me is the nature of the threat on the northern border. For obvious and compelling reasons, our focus has been on the porous southern border. It's been the scene of infiltrations and attempted infiltrations over the years -- let's not forget the infamous Zimmerman telegram that encouraged an invasion there during World War I -- with the active and violent participation of the drug cartels. Islamofascist terrorists can easily blend in with Latins seeking a better life within our borders. Yet the northern border presents a different kind of threat.
Longer and more porous than the southern border, terrorist elements can cross the border in hundreds of unpopulated and undefended locations. To be sure, Islamofascists don't blend in as well with the local population as they could on the southern border, but especially in Minnesota, there is a population that would aid them to covertly infiltrate the country and hide them as they plot and carry out their missions. With most of our attention diverted to airports and the southern border, the increased activity along the northern frontier is worrisome.
I mourn the losses Canada suffered last week and hope that for both their and our benefit they'll be more vigilant now. But the attacks should serve as a wake-up call to us to focus more attention along what was once the longest undefended border on earth, not because of the threat from Canadians, but because of the threat that the porous border presents to those who would all too readily utilize it.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Monday, October 20, 2014
A Day in the Woods
When Karen and I moved into our new house, one of the things we needed to get done was to lay in a supply of firewood. Unlike other houses all over the area, we have no deadfall on the property, so getting firewood was going to be an issue unless we were willing to pay for it, which we weren't. So through a series of coincidences, we were able to locate a site where there was a sufficient amount of fallen trees that the owners graciously agreed to allow me to cut up and bring home for firewood for our fireplace this fall and winter.
Getting to the deadfall was the easiest part. The site was only a few miles from our house, the wood plentiful and readily accessible. About the only hiccup in the process was the chainsaw that had sat largely unused for over a year while we lived in an apartment. It wouldn't start up right away, and after a trip to Home Depot it worked well enough. But after I stopped to load the cut wood, it wouldn't start up again. But it didn't diminish the fun.
I guess I'm a firewood hunter. I combed over the area for the best pieces of downfall I could find and then cut them in appropriate lengths for later splitting. The autumnal weather was magnificent: Not too cold, no rain, sunny with a gentle breeze rustling the colorful leaves still on the branches. Underneath, a blanket of gold, orange, red and green crunched with every footstep. The high-pitched whine of the chainsaw engine was the only disturbance of the quiet in the woods, but somehow it belonged there, as sawdust flew back at me as I knelt down to evaluate the progress of my cut. As the whine grew more quiet, the log turned into firewood dropped to the ground and rolled to its rest in the fallen leaves as the engine puttered.
For me, cutting up firewood is relaxing. For Karen, cleaning is relaxing. I could have cut up half the deadfall in the woods where I was and been exultant, albeit tired. Sweat poured off me despite the cool weather, and I was sticky and smelly. But to see all those logs collecting at the bottom of the hill made me smile in anticipation of the fires that would be in our fireplace over the holidays.
Loading the cut logs into my car, I smelled the freshly-cut wood and wondered how long that smell would linger in my vehicle. Between that and the gas for my chainsaw, it would be awhile before Karen deigned to ride with me. I got the wood home and unloaded it into a neat stack in the driveway. We hadn't decided exactly where to put the woodpile yet, so there was no point in having to move it twice more.
The next trip to the woods joined me with my friend Hampton, with whom I would share collection of the firewood. We surveyed the woods for the best spots to collect the logs and then discussed other projects we'd carry out together. Hampton asked me if I had a wood splitter and I told him he was looking at it -- meaning myself -- which prompted Hampton to offer generously to lend us his wood splitter. We drove to his house, hooked up the splitter to his pick-up truck and brought it to our house. Within two hours Karen and I were splitting the cut up logs and beginning the woodpile stack. It took a very short time to get through those logs that had taken me a few hours to cut and haul. As much as I like splitting logs with a maul, a sledgehammer and wedges, I have to admit that splitter works almost effortlessly. It also puts a lot less wear and tear on my body. Karen and I worked quickly and efficiently, trading off on either splitting the wood or stacking it in a four-foot high pile, about eight feet long. The neatly split wood fit together like a Tetris puzzle. Soon enough, we had roughly two-thirds of a cord of wood, with more smaller branches to be sawed up to add to the pile.
When we finished, tired but smiling, we looked with satisfaction on the new woodpile. We knew we'd have enough wood for more than a few fires, especially since I'd be gathering more wood next weekend. Aided by Hampton's splitter, we'd make quick work of the logs I'd get and start another row for our woodpile. Just thinking about a roaring fire in the fireplace, with Custer splayed in front of the fireplace, made us content. It would be a good fall and winter with fires going every weekend, at least.
There is nothing like gathering firewood to calm my soul. There's just something primal about it that appeals to my basic instincts. The thought of Karen warmed by the fires makes me smile even more.
Our new house will be warm this winter.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Getting to the deadfall was the easiest part. The site was only a few miles from our house, the wood plentiful and readily accessible. About the only hiccup in the process was the chainsaw that had sat largely unused for over a year while we lived in an apartment. It wouldn't start up right away, and after a trip to Home Depot it worked well enough. But after I stopped to load the cut wood, it wouldn't start up again. But it didn't diminish the fun.
I guess I'm a firewood hunter. I combed over the area for the best pieces of downfall I could find and then cut them in appropriate lengths for later splitting. The autumnal weather was magnificent: Not too cold, no rain, sunny with a gentle breeze rustling the colorful leaves still on the branches. Underneath, a blanket of gold, orange, red and green crunched with every footstep. The high-pitched whine of the chainsaw engine was the only disturbance of the quiet in the woods, but somehow it belonged there, as sawdust flew back at me as I knelt down to evaluate the progress of my cut. As the whine grew more quiet, the log turned into firewood dropped to the ground and rolled to its rest in the fallen leaves as the engine puttered.
For me, cutting up firewood is relaxing. For Karen, cleaning is relaxing. I could have cut up half the deadfall in the woods where I was and been exultant, albeit tired. Sweat poured off me despite the cool weather, and I was sticky and smelly. But to see all those logs collecting at the bottom of the hill made me smile in anticipation of the fires that would be in our fireplace over the holidays.
Loading the cut logs into my car, I smelled the freshly-cut wood and wondered how long that smell would linger in my vehicle. Between that and the gas for my chainsaw, it would be awhile before Karen deigned to ride with me. I got the wood home and unloaded it into a neat stack in the driveway. We hadn't decided exactly where to put the woodpile yet, so there was no point in having to move it twice more.
The next trip to the woods joined me with my friend Hampton, with whom I would share collection of the firewood. We surveyed the woods for the best spots to collect the logs and then discussed other projects we'd carry out together. Hampton asked me if I had a wood splitter and I told him he was looking at it -- meaning myself -- which prompted Hampton to offer generously to lend us his wood splitter. We drove to his house, hooked up the splitter to his pick-up truck and brought it to our house. Within two hours Karen and I were splitting the cut up logs and beginning the woodpile stack. It took a very short time to get through those logs that had taken me a few hours to cut and haul. As much as I like splitting logs with a maul, a sledgehammer and wedges, I have to admit that splitter works almost effortlessly. It also puts a lot less wear and tear on my body. Karen and I worked quickly and efficiently, trading off on either splitting the wood or stacking it in a four-foot high pile, about eight feet long. The neatly split wood fit together like a Tetris puzzle. Soon enough, we had roughly two-thirds of a cord of wood, with more smaller branches to be sawed up to add to the pile.
When we finished, tired but smiling, we looked with satisfaction on the new woodpile. We knew we'd have enough wood for more than a few fires, especially since I'd be gathering more wood next weekend. Aided by Hampton's splitter, we'd make quick work of the logs I'd get and start another row for our woodpile. Just thinking about a roaring fire in the fireplace, with Custer splayed in front of the fireplace, made us content. It would be a good fall and winter with fires going every weekend, at least.
There is nothing like gathering firewood to calm my soul. There's just something primal about it that appeals to my basic instincts. The thought of Karen warmed by the fires makes me smile even more.
Our new house will be warm this winter.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
WMD's
I wonder how aggressively the MSM is going to report this story:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/14/world/middleeast/us-casualties-of-iraq-chemical-weapons.html?_r=0
Yes, Virginia, there were WMD's in Iraq.
For more than a decade now, the Left has railed against former President Bush, alleging that he used the search for non-existent WMD's as a pretext for finishing the war his father didn't. Stories of a lack of WMD findings, flawed intelligence, even an abortive attempt to have President Bush impeached for manipulating the facts, were used to smear the Mr. Bush. Now, stories are being leaked thanks to a FOIA request that there were plenty of WMD's found in Iraq.
Surprise, surprise.
I, for one, always believed that WMD's existed, but that they were spirited away to Syria, a Sunni nation, to help out the late Saddam Hussein. Given that Bashir Al-Assad used chemical weapons against his opponents last year, my speculation was reasonable. But now, thanks to the FOIA request, we're learning that the Pentagon concealed the truth from Congress and, by extension, the American public.
I wonder when the MSM is going to apologize for lambasting Mr. Bush. I doubt that will happen. If anything, it will complain that Mr. Bush was in charge when his Pentagon withheld this information. The MSM will not use the same logic in addressing Mr. Obama's shortcomings, of course, because that, after all, would only be fair. Instead, it will use this to pillory Mr. Bush as being incompetent, detached, unaware and just plain stupid that he didn't know -- even by osmosis -- that WMD's were found and that the discoveries were to be kept silent. That Mr. Obama didn't know about the NSA spying, the IRS misdeeds, the Benghazi terrorist attacks, the Obamacare failure, the AP meddling, the James Rosen flap, the Secret Service reports or any of the other myriad scandals that have plagued his administration will be excused or ignored. No, Mr. Bush will not receive an apology but will be blamed for this as well.
Even so, for a fair-minded person, shouldn't there be an acknowledgement that Mr. Bush got it right and that the handwringing was all wrong?
Eventually, the history of this era will be written with the benefit of released documents, the perspective that time provides and perhaps a change in attitudes brought about by developments that we can't foresee today. In the meantime, we're left with this mess. All I want is fairness.
On a personal note, I've had a chance, recently, to talk with a former soldier who was in Iraq ten years ago. He told me unequivocally that they found WMD's there but never knew what happened after he told his superiors about them.
Perhaps now we know.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/14/world/middleeast/us-casualties-of-iraq-chemical-weapons.html?_r=0
Yes, Virginia, there were WMD's in Iraq.
For more than a decade now, the Left has railed against former President Bush, alleging that he used the search for non-existent WMD's as a pretext for finishing the war his father didn't. Stories of a lack of WMD findings, flawed intelligence, even an abortive attempt to have President Bush impeached for manipulating the facts, were used to smear the Mr. Bush. Now, stories are being leaked thanks to a FOIA request that there were plenty of WMD's found in Iraq.
Surprise, surprise.
I, for one, always believed that WMD's existed, but that they were spirited away to Syria, a Sunni nation, to help out the late Saddam Hussein. Given that Bashir Al-Assad used chemical weapons against his opponents last year, my speculation was reasonable. But now, thanks to the FOIA request, we're learning that the Pentagon concealed the truth from Congress and, by extension, the American public.
I wonder when the MSM is going to apologize for lambasting Mr. Bush. I doubt that will happen. If anything, it will complain that Mr. Bush was in charge when his Pentagon withheld this information. The MSM will not use the same logic in addressing Mr. Obama's shortcomings, of course, because that, after all, would only be fair. Instead, it will use this to pillory Mr. Bush as being incompetent, detached, unaware and just plain stupid that he didn't know -- even by osmosis -- that WMD's were found and that the discoveries were to be kept silent. That Mr. Obama didn't know about the NSA spying, the IRS misdeeds, the Benghazi terrorist attacks, the Obamacare failure, the AP meddling, the James Rosen flap, the Secret Service reports or any of the other myriad scandals that have plagued his administration will be excused or ignored. No, Mr. Bush will not receive an apology but will be blamed for this as well.
Even so, for a fair-minded person, shouldn't there be an acknowledgement that Mr. Bush got it right and that the handwringing was all wrong?
Eventually, the history of this era will be written with the benefit of released documents, the perspective that time provides and perhaps a change in attitudes brought about by developments that we can't foresee today. In the meantime, we're left with this mess. All I want is fairness.
On a personal note, I've had a chance, recently, to talk with a former soldier who was in Iraq ten years ago. He told me unequivocally that they found WMD's there but never knew what happened after he told his superiors about them.
Perhaps now we know.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Friday, October 10, 2014
Reality Show Misfires
In the interest of full disclosure, I admit to being a loyal fan of three reality shows: The Amazing Race, Yukon Men and Top Chef. The first affords me the opportunity to see places I'll never visit and the second amazes me with the skills these people have for cooking. The third is simply amazing. Beyond that, I may peek from time to time at a reality show , but that's only because Karen watches far more of them than I do.
But piggybacking on her viewing, I've gotten to see some shows that are, shall we say, questionable. Because they're on particular channels, we also get to see the promos for other reality shows. It seems as if more and more, there are wacky concepts that provide people with reasons to appear on television. I don't understand the attraction for most of them, to be honest, but then again, there are probably people who question my choices, which is only fair.
Here then are some reality shows that cause me to scratch my head:
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo: How on God's green earth is it necessary for a television show made in America regarding Americans to have subtitles? That alone makes this lunacy. Then there's the obnoxious quality of the people in the show. Nevermind what's happened to them recently; this show is a train wreck.
My Crazy Obsession: All I needed to see to know that this show wasn't for me was the promo for the guy who was kissing and fondling his car. It's the functional equivalent of filming inside an insane asylum.
Hoarders: Karen thinks I'm a hoarder; I'm not. I have a lot of books, sure, but I have nothing on an order with the people in this show. I don't like filth (although my girl regards anything that's not hospital-level antiseptic as filth) and these people, besides keeping junk, are just filthy.
Naked and Afraid: Let me see if I get this straight: We put a man and a woman in the jungle, naked, and task them with toughing it out for twenty-one days. They get a machete and a bag and nothing else? And then we blur out the private parts after we put that name on the show? What's the point? And what compels a person to be on such a show in the first place?
Moonshiners: Another absolute headscratcher. So someone's engaged in a criminal enterprise and he decided to go on television showing him committing the crime? How is this even allowed? And why isn't the guy in jail?
Half Pint Brawlers: Little people wrestlers? Seriously?
Pit Bulls and Parolees: Pit bulls and matched with parolees for what reason, exactly? And why isn't Michael Vick on this show?
Hillbilly Handfishin': Yahoos stick their hands under water and pull out catfish that are bigger than their arms. And they get bitten. How long can and audience's attention be held for that?
Any Housewives show: I admit I watched a season or two because I was mesmerized by rich people acting like they had their arses on their shoulders to the point the police were called in. But the fake drama, the out-of-touch-with-reality members of the shows, and all the stinking spinoffs...ugh. It's a narcissist's wet dream.
Hard Knocks: I'm a sports nut, but I'm not a big pro football fan and I've never seen this show. I can't imagine anything more boring that watching a football team practice.
Dancing With the Stars: I'm not sure this qualifies. Technically, it's a game show. But it's about celebrities as themselves trying to do something that's not their forte, which is otherwise fine. Where I part company with it is when the supposed ballroom dancing veers into Broadway spectacles or, worse, stripper club routines that are more suited to a Vegas show. Even Karen thinks it's jumped the shark.
There are more that I can't remember at the moment. But these suffice to show just how absurd reality TV can be.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
But piggybacking on her viewing, I've gotten to see some shows that are, shall we say, questionable. Because they're on particular channels, we also get to see the promos for other reality shows. It seems as if more and more, there are wacky concepts that provide people with reasons to appear on television. I don't understand the attraction for most of them, to be honest, but then again, there are probably people who question my choices, which is only fair.
Here then are some reality shows that cause me to scratch my head:
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo: How on God's green earth is it necessary for a television show made in America regarding Americans to have subtitles? That alone makes this lunacy. Then there's the obnoxious quality of the people in the show. Nevermind what's happened to them recently; this show is a train wreck.
My Crazy Obsession: All I needed to see to know that this show wasn't for me was the promo for the guy who was kissing and fondling his car. It's the functional equivalent of filming inside an insane asylum.
Hoarders: Karen thinks I'm a hoarder; I'm not. I have a lot of books, sure, but I have nothing on an order with the people in this show. I don't like filth (although my girl regards anything that's not hospital-level antiseptic as filth) and these people, besides keeping junk, are just filthy.
Naked and Afraid: Let me see if I get this straight: We put a man and a woman in the jungle, naked, and task them with toughing it out for twenty-one days. They get a machete and a bag and nothing else? And then we blur out the private parts after we put that name on the show? What's the point? And what compels a person to be on such a show in the first place?
Moonshiners: Another absolute headscratcher. So someone's engaged in a criminal enterprise and he decided to go on television showing him committing the crime? How is this even allowed? And why isn't the guy in jail?
Half Pint Brawlers: Little people wrestlers? Seriously?
Pit Bulls and Parolees: Pit bulls and matched with parolees for what reason, exactly? And why isn't Michael Vick on this show?
Hillbilly Handfishin': Yahoos stick their hands under water and pull out catfish that are bigger than their arms. And they get bitten. How long can and audience's attention be held for that?
Any Housewives show: I admit I watched a season or two because I was mesmerized by rich people acting like they had their arses on their shoulders to the point the police were called in. But the fake drama, the out-of-touch-with-reality members of the shows, and all the stinking spinoffs...ugh. It's a narcissist's wet dream.
Hard Knocks: I'm a sports nut, but I'm not a big pro football fan and I've never seen this show. I can't imagine anything more boring that watching a football team practice.
Dancing With the Stars: I'm not sure this qualifies. Technically, it's a game show. But it's about celebrities as themselves trying to do something that's not their forte, which is otherwise fine. Where I part company with it is when the supposed ballroom dancing veers into Broadway spectacles or, worse, stripper club routines that are more suited to a Vegas show. Even Karen thinks it's jumped the shark.
There are more that I can't remember at the moment. But these suffice to show just how absurd reality TV can be.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Monday, October 6, 2014
Monday Musings Again
Ansel Adams weeps.
Quietly, without any notice, the federal government has decided that our basic cultural patrimony -- our beautiful country -- will now be subject to further taxation as a means for paying for the entitlement programs a spendthrift Congress has enacted. Not being satisfied with the user fees that any visitor to a state park must pay -- fair or not, they are, at least, arguably necessary for the maintenance and preservation of the parks -- the government is now levying at $1,500.00 fee for anyone wishing to take pictures in a state park. This is for anyone, amateur or professional, who wants to take a picture with a camera, Ipad, Tablet or other device. Failure to pay the fee and subsequently being caught taking photographs results in a $1,000.00 fine.
Yes, the fine is less than the fee. We could spend all day discussing that one. But let's not.
It is absolute insanity to require citizens to pay a fee to take pictures of the natural beauty that is, by all rights, theirs. The government no more owns that land than do Martians. That land pertains to the citizenry of the United States. For the government to try to tax personal photographs is abominable. That the MSM isn't screaming from the rooftops on this one astounds me.
Is there any more evidence needed that this administration is one of the worst in the history of this country?
--------------------------------------------------
The growing chorus of doubters that no ground troops will be needed to clear ISIS out of its lairs in Syria and Iraq has reached a crescendo.
Quietly, without any notice, the federal government has decided that our basic cultural patrimony -- our beautiful country -- will now be subject to further taxation as a means for paying for the entitlement programs a spendthrift Congress has enacted. Not being satisfied with the user fees that any visitor to a state park must pay -- fair or not, they are, at least, arguably necessary for the maintenance and preservation of the parks -- the government is now levying at $1,500.00 fee for anyone wishing to take pictures in a state park. This is for anyone, amateur or professional, who wants to take a picture with a camera, Ipad, Tablet or other device. Failure to pay the fee and subsequently being caught taking photographs results in a $1,000.00 fine.
Yes, the fine is less than the fee. We could spend all day discussing that one. But let's not.
It is absolute insanity to require citizens to pay a fee to take pictures of the natural beauty that is, by all rights, theirs. The government no more owns that land than do Martians. That land pertains to the citizenry of the United States. For the government to try to tax personal photographs is abominable. That the MSM isn't screaming from the rooftops on this one astounds me.
Is there any more evidence needed that this administration is one of the worst in the history of this country?
--------------------------------------------------
The growing chorus of doubters that no ground troops will be needed to clear ISIS out of its lairs in Syria and Iraq has reached a crescendo.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Sleeper Movies
Everyone's got a list of movies that they think are the best movies to watch. Typically, they include classics like The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane and others. There are many worthy movies that belong on those lists, but they become somewhat impersonal, since everyone and his brother includes them. I'm not criticizing the movies at all -- although I can't claim to have seen GTWT -- but they make virtually everyone's list.
This isn't a list of the greatest movies every made. I'm not knowledgeable enough to claim that my list would be superior to anyone else's. Heck, I haven't even seen ET. So by no means is this list authoritative on the subject of Best Movies of All Time.
Instead, these are recommendations for movies that are subtle, fun, heartwarming and entertaining. They may have flaws -- all movies do -- but these movies have proven to be very entertaining and meaningful to me in different ways:
Doc Hollywood: I didn't care for Michael Fox before he developed Parkinson's, and although I feel for him and his family, I'm still not a fan. But this movie is by far his best effort. I could watch this movie all day long. It's sweet, it's quirky and Mr. Fox doesn't ruin it with his retread Alex P. Keaton act. In fact, due to this movie I've searched for a town similar to Grady -- Miconapy, Florida, if you really are interested -- in which to live, and I can state quite happily that Karen and I know live in a Grady-like town. This movie is worth checking out even if you don't care for Mr. Fox.
The Guilt Trip: I loathe Barbra Streisand. Yes, she can sing beautifully. But she's about as much of a Leftist as the character she played in The Way We Were, and I just can't stomach her. That being said, she did a marvelous job in this movie. This one has her as Seth Rogan's mother on a road trip, and it's hilarious. It has its poignant moments, but they're not overwhelming or unctuous. Mr. Rogan, for his part, restrains his goofier tendencies and actually does a great, understated job as the son. It's a gloriously funny film well worth the time.
She's Out of My League: The premise is sound, although I'm not sure the outcome is...unless one believes in the Rik Ocasek-Paulina Porizkova happening. The supporting cast is excellent, the writing top-notch and the story somewhat plausible. It's an entertaining movie that missed most people simply because the casting made it seem implausible in the extreme. Again, they must have missed the Ocasek-Porizkova nuptials.
Under the Lighthouse Dancing: An Aussie movie -- one of the best, in my opinion -- this has an ensemble cast with the notable inclusion of a very young and unknown Naomi Watts. It's a sad story, but a beautifully woven tale based on a true event. It's magical, sad, funny and heartwarming. Aussie movies are among my favorite, and this tops the list. It's well worth seeing.
Volver a empezar: A Spanish movie that shouldn't be unknown, considering that it won the Best Foreign Oscar for 1982, it tells the story of a Nobel laureate who is going to Oslo from Berkely where he's lived in exile since fleeing Franco's Spain. He decides to take a detour to see him old stomping grounds in Asturias, specifically Cangas de Onís, which I've visited. There, he runs into his old love, who stayed behind when he fled. The only annoying part of this movie is the repeated use of Begin the Beguine, which almost becomes an earworm.
Silverado: One of the modern Westerns that deserves an audience, it's harmless fun. It has a great cast, doesn't take itself seriously and moves the story along, albeit in predictable fashion. The director Lawrence Kasdan allegedly did this movie to make up to Kevin Costner for cutting his role in The Big Chill, and although this movie isn't as good as that one, it's still entertaining.
Zulu: Michael Caine's first movie, this is one of the best war movies of all time. It depicts the true battle of Roarke's Drift and is just endless action. There are very few slow moments and the mutual respect between the combatants is moving. Having Richard Burton narrate doesn't hurt the movie at all.
Rounders: I can't play poker. I know the hands but not the ranks. I don't like to gamble. I love this movie. Sure, it's got a heavyweight cast, but it's not about the cast. The mix of gambling addiction, Russian mobster and law school is an odd one, but it's effective.
Total Recall (the original): I'm not much into sci-fi movies, but this one was exciting. Going through the plot was interesting, and the star-studded cast didn't distract. I haven't seen the remake and won't do it.
True Lies: It may seem that I like Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, which isn't true, but this one's a hoot. In fact, the comic relief provided by Tom Arnold is half the reason. It's a rollercoaster of action scenes, and the plot is pretty thin, but it's just good, unadulterated fun.
Swordfish: I enjoyed the twists and turns in this. Another movie that has a ton of celebrities in it, the covert world with its murky allegiances appeals to me. I'm no fan of Travolta movies generally, although I do like Hugh Jackman. Even Halle Berry does a good job in this one. It's worth a watch when nothing else is on.
50/50: Jason Gordon Levitt is such a fine actor. Seth Rogen actually contains himself as the utterly believable friend who helps his best friend through cancer surgery. The movie is subtle, poignant and wonderfully captivating.
Christmas in Connecticut: Far and away my favorite Christmas movie. Barbara Stanwyck is wildly alluring, the madcap plot moves along briskly and the setting is absolutely beautiful. I know they remade this years later but I will never watch it. There is no improving upon this movie.
Anamorph: I truly enjoy watching Willem Dafoe. This is a cop movie about anamorphs. If those aren't familiar, look 'em up, then try to figure out how they're integrated into a cop movie. I found this movie fascinating.
There are more out there, but I can't remember them all right now. I'll add to the list as I come upon new ones.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
This isn't a list of the greatest movies every made. I'm not knowledgeable enough to claim that my list would be superior to anyone else's. Heck, I haven't even seen ET. So by no means is this list authoritative on the subject of Best Movies of All Time.
Instead, these are recommendations for movies that are subtle, fun, heartwarming and entertaining. They may have flaws -- all movies do -- but these movies have proven to be very entertaining and meaningful to me in different ways:
Doc Hollywood: I didn't care for Michael Fox before he developed Parkinson's, and although I feel for him and his family, I'm still not a fan. But this movie is by far his best effort. I could watch this movie all day long. It's sweet, it's quirky and Mr. Fox doesn't ruin it with his retread Alex P. Keaton act. In fact, due to this movie I've searched for a town similar to Grady -- Miconapy, Florida, if you really are interested -- in which to live, and I can state quite happily that Karen and I know live in a Grady-like town. This movie is worth checking out even if you don't care for Mr. Fox.
The Guilt Trip: I loathe Barbra Streisand. Yes, she can sing beautifully. But she's about as much of a Leftist as the character she played in The Way We Were, and I just can't stomach her. That being said, she did a marvelous job in this movie. This one has her as Seth Rogan's mother on a road trip, and it's hilarious. It has its poignant moments, but they're not overwhelming or unctuous. Mr. Rogan, for his part, restrains his goofier tendencies and actually does a great, understated job as the son. It's a gloriously funny film well worth the time.
She's Out of My League: The premise is sound, although I'm not sure the outcome is...unless one believes in the Rik Ocasek-Paulina Porizkova happening. The supporting cast is excellent, the writing top-notch and the story somewhat plausible. It's an entertaining movie that missed most people simply because the casting made it seem implausible in the extreme. Again, they must have missed the Ocasek-Porizkova nuptials.
Under the Lighthouse Dancing: An Aussie movie -- one of the best, in my opinion -- this has an ensemble cast with the notable inclusion of a very young and unknown Naomi Watts. It's a sad story, but a beautifully woven tale based on a true event. It's magical, sad, funny and heartwarming. Aussie movies are among my favorite, and this tops the list. It's well worth seeing.
Volver a empezar: A Spanish movie that shouldn't be unknown, considering that it won the Best Foreign Oscar for 1982, it tells the story of a Nobel laureate who is going to Oslo from Berkely where he's lived in exile since fleeing Franco's Spain. He decides to take a detour to see him old stomping grounds in Asturias, specifically Cangas de Onís, which I've visited. There, he runs into his old love, who stayed behind when he fled. The only annoying part of this movie is the repeated use of Begin the Beguine, which almost becomes an earworm.
Silverado: One of the modern Westerns that deserves an audience, it's harmless fun. It has a great cast, doesn't take itself seriously and moves the story along, albeit in predictable fashion. The director Lawrence Kasdan allegedly did this movie to make up to Kevin Costner for cutting his role in The Big Chill, and although this movie isn't as good as that one, it's still entertaining.
Zulu: Michael Caine's first movie, this is one of the best war movies of all time. It depicts the true battle of Roarke's Drift and is just endless action. There are very few slow moments and the mutual respect between the combatants is moving. Having Richard Burton narrate doesn't hurt the movie at all.
Rounders: I can't play poker. I know the hands but not the ranks. I don't like to gamble. I love this movie. Sure, it's got a heavyweight cast, but it's not about the cast. The mix of gambling addiction, Russian mobster and law school is an odd one, but it's effective.
Total Recall (the original): I'm not much into sci-fi movies, but this one was exciting. Going through the plot was interesting, and the star-studded cast didn't distract. I haven't seen the remake and won't do it.
True Lies: It may seem that I like Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, which isn't true, but this one's a hoot. In fact, the comic relief provided by Tom Arnold is half the reason. It's a rollercoaster of action scenes, and the plot is pretty thin, but it's just good, unadulterated fun.
Swordfish: I enjoyed the twists and turns in this. Another movie that has a ton of celebrities in it, the covert world with its murky allegiances appeals to me. I'm no fan of Travolta movies generally, although I do like Hugh Jackman. Even Halle Berry does a good job in this one. It's worth a watch when nothing else is on.
50/50: Jason Gordon Levitt is such a fine actor. Seth Rogen actually contains himself as the utterly believable friend who helps his best friend through cancer surgery. The movie is subtle, poignant and wonderfully captivating.
Christmas in Connecticut: Far and away my favorite Christmas movie. Barbara Stanwyck is wildly alluring, the madcap plot moves along briskly and the setting is absolutely beautiful. I know they remade this years later but I will never watch it. There is no improving upon this movie.
Anamorph: I truly enjoy watching Willem Dafoe. This is a cop movie about anamorphs. If those aren't familiar, look 'em up, then try to figure out how they're integrated into a cop movie. I found this movie fascinating.
There are more out there, but I can't remember them all right now. I'll add to the list as I come upon new ones.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Monday, September 15, 2014
Lack of Military Intelligence
Let's get this straight right away: I never served in the military. I've been on a military base once or twice in my lifetime. That's it. What I know about the military I've gleaned from reading and talking with military personnel.
That being said, what this administration does regarding military matters is absolutely ridiculous. In fact, were it not for the fact that most of the people doing it aren't in the military, there would be courts martial virtually every week.
The administration loves to telegraph its punches. I can't believe the Joint Chiefs of Staff are signing off on this. The only reasonable explanation is that the self-proclaimed most-transparent-administration-in-the-history-of-the-nation only feels the need to be transparent when it comes what military actions it's contemplating. This would otherwise be wonderful in a democratic society but certainly not in an age where information can be transmitted in a nanosecond and the opposition thrills when it cuts off the heads of its opponents.
Back in World War II, the Chicago Tribune, fueled either by journalistic partisan zeal (the Trib was and is a conservative news organ), published a report about how naval codebreakers determined that the Japanese were targeting Midway, thereby allowing Admiral Nimitz and his staff to plan the ambush that led to the turning point in the war in the Pacific. Thankfully, not too many Japanese wer lurking in the United States that could transmit back to Tokyo what they could read in the Trib, and even more thankfully, PDA's and the internet were still but a gleam in the eyes of Al Gore (surely, I jest...about Gore, that is), but the damage to our war effort, had that revelation made its way back to our opponents, would have been incalculable. Nowadays, Mr. Obama and his band of merry political partisans thinks first, foremost and only about winning elections and burnishing someone's legacy. By telling our enemies that we're not going to commit ground troops, that drastically alters what responses ISIS must plan. It also makes our job that much more difficult.
But telegraphing our punches is just one act of lunacy. This fantasy of not committing ground troops, while expecting other nations to commit theirs, is not only ridiculous, it's immoral. Our journalists were murdered, not theirs. Why should the Aussies unhesitatingly agree to send their blood and treasure, while we fly well above the danger, safe in the knowledge that ISIS has no anti-aircraft weaponry that can shoot down our planes? What's more, once we bomb the snot out of ISIS, how are we to occupy the land that's stained by the blood of those dead terrorists? Who can make bomb damage assessments accurately from satellite images or planes flying at three or four times the speed of sound from four or five miles above the earth? Did that work well when our intelligence community determined Iraq had WMD's?
I didn't go to Harvard, but I know a thing or two more about military actions than this President does. Sure, he has access to more militarily intelligent people than I do, but he disregards their advice. Besides showing contempt for the life's work these men and women have put in, it's darned foolish to endanger the men and women on the firing lines by supposing that he knows better than the people who have dedicated their lives to protecting this country.
Occupying ground taken is what the army and to a lesser extent the Marine Corps does. Bombing ISIS back to the stone age just means that another radical group will fill the vacuum left by their deaths. When we pulled out of Iraq, that very thing happened.
When will this President learn to put reality over politics?
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
That being said, what this administration does regarding military matters is absolutely ridiculous. In fact, were it not for the fact that most of the people doing it aren't in the military, there would be courts martial virtually every week.
The administration loves to telegraph its punches. I can't believe the Joint Chiefs of Staff are signing off on this. The only reasonable explanation is that the self-proclaimed most-transparent-administration-in-the-history-of-the-nation only feels the need to be transparent when it comes what military actions it's contemplating. This would otherwise be wonderful in a democratic society but certainly not in an age where information can be transmitted in a nanosecond and the opposition thrills when it cuts off the heads of its opponents.
Back in World War II, the Chicago Tribune, fueled either by journalistic partisan zeal (the Trib was and is a conservative news organ), published a report about how naval codebreakers determined that the Japanese were targeting Midway, thereby allowing Admiral Nimitz and his staff to plan the ambush that led to the turning point in the war in the Pacific. Thankfully, not too many Japanese wer lurking in the United States that could transmit back to Tokyo what they could read in the Trib, and even more thankfully, PDA's and the internet were still but a gleam in the eyes of Al Gore (surely, I jest...about Gore, that is), but the damage to our war effort, had that revelation made its way back to our opponents, would have been incalculable. Nowadays, Mr. Obama and his band of merry political partisans thinks first, foremost and only about winning elections and burnishing someone's legacy. By telling our enemies that we're not going to commit ground troops, that drastically alters what responses ISIS must plan. It also makes our job that much more difficult.
But telegraphing our punches is just one act of lunacy. This fantasy of not committing ground troops, while expecting other nations to commit theirs, is not only ridiculous, it's immoral. Our journalists were murdered, not theirs. Why should the Aussies unhesitatingly agree to send their blood and treasure, while we fly well above the danger, safe in the knowledge that ISIS has no anti-aircraft weaponry that can shoot down our planes? What's more, once we bomb the snot out of ISIS, how are we to occupy the land that's stained by the blood of those dead terrorists? Who can make bomb damage assessments accurately from satellite images or planes flying at three or four times the speed of sound from four or five miles above the earth? Did that work well when our intelligence community determined Iraq had WMD's?
I didn't go to Harvard, but I know a thing or two more about military actions than this President does. Sure, he has access to more militarily intelligent people than I do, but he disregards their advice. Besides showing contempt for the life's work these men and women have put in, it's darned foolish to endanger the men and women on the firing lines by supposing that he knows better than the people who have dedicated their lives to protecting this country.
Occupying ground taken is what the army and to a lesser extent the Marine Corps does. Bombing ISIS back to the stone age just means that another radical group will fill the vacuum left by their deaths. When we pulled out of Iraq, that very thing happened.
When will this President learn to put reality over politics?
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Friday, September 12, 2014
Presidential Word Games
I've never seen such parsing of the English language by our government in our lifetime. It's getting to the point where the definition of cognitive dissonance is going to be accompanied in the dictionary by a picture of the POTUS. Admittedly, he's not alone in this, since various members of his administration have contributed to this phenomenon, but since they work for him, he should be the face of this collective effort.
When he was president, George W. Bush was roundly criticized for not being the smartest person around. He would mangle the English language, routinely inventing words and hardly sounding articulate. He would, however, come off as sincere, irrespective of his syntax. President Obama, on the other hand, is described often as articulate and thoughtful (no matter how bad his math and knowledge of foreign languages may be), although there are some who view these appraisals as racist. Although they both have degrees from the Ivy League, it is widely thought that President Obama is the smarter of the two men, and that may well be. I don't believe, however, that President Obama is viewed as being as sincere as President Bush was.
Part of the reason for that may be how the President and his minions parse the English language to avoid saying things that are readily apparent to the rest of the country. Take the speech Mr. Obama gave about ISIS this past Tuesday. First, the President insists on referring to ISIS as ISIL, something that the Brits do, despite the fact that virtually every news organ in this country calls is ISIS. Some see some malevolent purpose behind the difference, claiming that it's a slight toward Israel. I don't know yet why he does it; it may or may not be an insult. But why not use the common acronym that everyone else in the country uses? Will he be trotting out the redundant U next, referring to flats and lifts and telling us his child is in hospital?
In his speech, the President said that ISIL is not Islamic. Really? I read the transcript, and I know what he was trying to do: Separate the ISIL thugs from moderate Muslims without insulting Islam. But a far wiser alternative would have been to say that ISIL terrorists have corrupted Islam. Instead, the smartest person in the room basically caused a nationwide case of whiplash by declaring something so absurd -- ISIL or ISIS starts out with Islamic State, for heaven's sake -- that it just sounds stupid.
Then there's the issue of the President and his right hand man, Uncle Joe, not being on the same page. The POTUS said his strategy -- more on that anon -- was to make the problem manageable. Uncle Joe, on the other hand, famously declared we would chase the terrorists to the gates of hell. Which is it? Listening to Josh Earnest try to resolve this conflict was amusing.
Of course, not to be outdone, Secretary of State John Kerry and designated presidential piñata Susan Rice both demurred when asked if we were becoming involved in another war. Meanwhile, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff admitted we were, unlike Tin Man Kerry, who suggested instead that we were in an ongoing counterterrorism operation. Piñata Rice moved her lips in agreement as instructed by her Gepetto.
Remember the promises made about health care plans before Obamacare became effective? Well, that worked well, didn't it? Even funnier were the explanations after the website malfunctioned and the stories came out that the promises weren't exactly true.
Benghazi? Doubletalk never had it so good.
The IRS scandal? Emails that apparently disappeared have suddenly reemerged. But there wasn't a smidgeon of corruption there.
The murders of fellow servicemen by Major Hassan Nadal at Fort Hood weren't caused in battle or in an act of terrorism, despite the fact that Nadal shouted Allah Akbar before he opened fire. No, it was workplace violence.
The President can't even admit he called ISIS the JV squad. Even when shown videotape of his statement, the President equivocates.
His acolytes follow suit. Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee declared that Democrats never sought to impeach President George W. Bush, but had to backtrack when shown the resolution she cosponsored seeking impeachment of President George W. Bush. She later claimed she misspoke. That's usually the dodge of the uneducated by highly visible professional athlete, not a seasoned politician who's spent nearly twenty years in Congress.
If for no other reason than it makes discourse impossible the above is lamentable. But it's more than that: When people are willing to say anything without regard for the consequences, where does that leave the electorate? Whom can it trust? This administration believes that it can say anything and not be held accountable largely because the MSM has given him a free pass for six years of his presidency. Others have taken note and imitate his lead. It puts the country in quite a pickle.
Hope and Change was the campaign slogan the President used during his first presidential campaign. It's come to mean that he and his followers hope that people will believe anything they utter and then change the meaning of what they said after they're challenged.
It's a helluva way to run a country.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
When he was president, George W. Bush was roundly criticized for not being the smartest person around. He would mangle the English language, routinely inventing words and hardly sounding articulate. He would, however, come off as sincere, irrespective of his syntax. President Obama, on the other hand, is described often as articulate and thoughtful (no matter how bad his math and knowledge of foreign languages may be), although there are some who view these appraisals as racist. Although they both have degrees from the Ivy League, it is widely thought that President Obama is the smarter of the two men, and that may well be. I don't believe, however, that President Obama is viewed as being as sincere as President Bush was.
Part of the reason for that may be how the President and his minions parse the English language to avoid saying things that are readily apparent to the rest of the country. Take the speech Mr. Obama gave about ISIS this past Tuesday. First, the President insists on referring to ISIS as ISIL, something that the Brits do, despite the fact that virtually every news organ in this country calls is ISIS. Some see some malevolent purpose behind the difference, claiming that it's a slight toward Israel. I don't know yet why he does it; it may or may not be an insult. But why not use the common acronym that everyone else in the country uses? Will he be trotting out the redundant U next, referring to flats and lifts and telling us his child is in hospital?
In his speech, the President said that ISIL is not Islamic. Really? I read the transcript, and I know what he was trying to do: Separate the ISIL thugs from moderate Muslims without insulting Islam. But a far wiser alternative would have been to say that ISIL terrorists have corrupted Islam. Instead, the smartest person in the room basically caused a nationwide case of whiplash by declaring something so absurd -- ISIL or ISIS starts out with Islamic State, for heaven's sake -- that it just sounds stupid.
Then there's the issue of the President and his right hand man, Uncle Joe, not being on the same page. The POTUS said his strategy -- more on that anon -- was to make the problem manageable. Uncle Joe, on the other hand, famously declared we would chase the terrorists to the gates of hell. Which is it? Listening to Josh Earnest try to resolve this conflict was amusing.
Of course, not to be outdone, Secretary of State John Kerry and designated presidential piñata Susan Rice both demurred when asked if we were becoming involved in another war. Meanwhile, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff admitted we were, unlike Tin Man Kerry, who suggested instead that we were in an ongoing counterterrorism operation. Piñata Rice moved her lips in agreement as instructed by her Gepetto.
Remember the promises made about health care plans before Obamacare became effective? Well, that worked well, didn't it? Even funnier were the explanations after the website malfunctioned and the stories came out that the promises weren't exactly true.
Benghazi? Doubletalk never had it so good.
The IRS scandal? Emails that apparently disappeared have suddenly reemerged. But there wasn't a smidgeon of corruption there.
The murders of fellow servicemen by Major Hassan Nadal at Fort Hood weren't caused in battle or in an act of terrorism, despite the fact that Nadal shouted Allah Akbar before he opened fire. No, it was workplace violence.
The President can't even admit he called ISIS the JV squad. Even when shown videotape of his statement, the President equivocates.
His acolytes follow suit. Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee declared that Democrats never sought to impeach President George W. Bush, but had to backtrack when shown the resolution she cosponsored seeking impeachment of President George W. Bush. She later claimed she misspoke. That's usually the dodge of the uneducated by highly visible professional athlete, not a seasoned politician who's spent nearly twenty years in Congress.
If for no other reason than it makes discourse impossible the above is lamentable. But it's more than that: When people are willing to say anything without regard for the consequences, where does that leave the electorate? Whom can it trust? This administration believes that it can say anything and not be held accountable largely because the MSM has given him a free pass for six years of his presidency. Others have taken note and imitate his lead. It puts the country in quite a pickle.
Hope and Change was the campaign slogan the President used during his first presidential campaign. It's come to mean that he and his followers hope that people will believe anything they utter and then change the meaning of what they said after they're challenged.
It's a helluva way to run a country.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Political Ads
Unless one is in the industry, political advertisements are more a nuisance than anything to most of the electorate. I find it hard to believe that the messaging, no matter how slick, influences anyone to vote in a particular way. What the politician says, what she does on the campaign trail, typically has more to do with how someone votes than anything.
There are, from what I've seen, some very well-done ads out in the hinterland. In major metropolitan areas, at least in my experience, the ads are slick but boring. Rarely is an ad from a major metropolitan area shown across the country for its inventiveness, its uniqueness or its humor.
A new trend, especially in Democratic ads, is to attack not the Republican opponent, but the Republican opponents' financial backers, especially if they're the Koch brothers. Because the Democrats are hamstrung by their support of President Obama, they need a bogeyman to distract people. If a Democratic candidate doesn't have a sterling record of her own, if she has supported the President too much, she deflects by attacking not her opponent, but the big money interests behind the candidate.
The trouble with this approach is that, like a tracer round, the Democratic efforts to distract voters is being used against them. Billionaire Tom Steyer has been bankrolling liberal candidates across the country throughout the last year. Not nearly as well-known as the Koch brothers -- thanks largely in part to that moron Harry Reid hypocritally labeling the Koch brothers un-American for their very similar actions -- Mr. Steyer has his own agenda. Reasonable people can differ, but there is no qualitative difference between what Mr. Steyer and the Koch brothers are doing: They're putting their money where their politics lie and backing candidates that support their policies.
Frankly, I support development of the Keystone pipeline and for that reason oppose Mr. Steyer's views. It's crazy to me not to want to develop that energy source and reduce our reliance on foreign oil. But that's not the point.
For Democrats to descry the infusion of money from wealthy supporters while at the same time having the likes of George Soros and Mr. Steyer, not to mention the wealthy elite in Hollywood, give financial backing to their candidates is a joke. Sure, there may be more money on the Republican side, but at that level, there isn't a great deal of difference between one billionaire and another.
This could smack of desperation. I haven't followed all the races across the country, but the chatter is that Democratic candidates are in trouble.
--------------------------------------------
I have just a quick comment on the address President Obama made to the country last night. I didn't see it but heard reports about it. At a later date I'll comment on the substance of it, but one note in particular caught my ear:
ISIL is not Islamic.
This is not going to go over well in the hinterland.
I've read the portion of the transcript wherein the POTUS made the comment, and I understand what he was trying to do: He was chiding the terrorists by trying to separate them from moderate Muslims, whose support he apparently covets, claiming that Islam does not allow for the killing of innocents. He went on to say, correctly, that ISIL is not a state, and in that he's correct.
The problem is this is an era of sound-bytes. The four words highlighted above are what most people will remember. And ISIL is invoking Sharia law, thereby cloaking itself in the mantel of Islam. Just as not all Germans were Nazis and all Japanese were inspired with the spirit of bushido during World War II, the general perception is that ISIL is an Islamic outfit. With its murders of Shi'ites and westerners, its rape of women and slavery of opponents, ISIL is relying on its interpretation of Islam to carry out its agenda. It may be a perverted sense of Islam, but it's Islam nevertheless.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
There are, from what I've seen, some very well-done ads out in the hinterland. In major metropolitan areas, at least in my experience, the ads are slick but boring. Rarely is an ad from a major metropolitan area shown across the country for its inventiveness, its uniqueness or its humor.
A new trend, especially in Democratic ads, is to attack not the Republican opponent, but the Republican opponents' financial backers, especially if they're the Koch brothers. Because the Democrats are hamstrung by their support of President Obama, they need a bogeyman to distract people. If a Democratic candidate doesn't have a sterling record of her own, if she has supported the President too much, she deflects by attacking not her opponent, but the big money interests behind the candidate.
The trouble with this approach is that, like a tracer round, the Democratic efforts to distract voters is being used against them. Billionaire Tom Steyer has been bankrolling liberal candidates across the country throughout the last year. Not nearly as well-known as the Koch brothers -- thanks largely in part to that moron Harry Reid hypocritally labeling the Koch brothers un-American for their very similar actions -- Mr. Steyer has his own agenda. Reasonable people can differ, but there is no qualitative difference between what Mr. Steyer and the Koch brothers are doing: They're putting their money where their politics lie and backing candidates that support their policies.
Frankly, I support development of the Keystone pipeline and for that reason oppose Mr. Steyer's views. It's crazy to me not to want to develop that energy source and reduce our reliance on foreign oil. But that's not the point.
For Democrats to descry the infusion of money from wealthy supporters while at the same time having the likes of George Soros and Mr. Steyer, not to mention the wealthy elite in Hollywood, give financial backing to their candidates is a joke. Sure, there may be more money on the Republican side, but at that level, there isn't a great deal of difference between one billionaire and another.
This could smack of desperation. I haven't followed all the races across the country, but the chatter is that Democratic candidates are in trouble.
--------------------------------------------
I have just a quick comment on the address President Obama made to the country last night. I didn't see it but heard reports about it. At a later date I'll comment on the substance of it, but one note in particular caught my ear:
ISIL is not Islamic.
This is not going to go over well in the hinterland.
I've read the portion of the transcript wherein the POTUS made the comment, and I understand what he was trying to do: He was chiding the terrorists by trying to separate them from moderate Muslims, whose support he apparently covets, claiming that Islam does not allow for the killing of innocents. He went on to say, correctly, that ISIL is not a state, and in that he's correct.
The problem is this is an era of sound-bytes. The four words highlighted above are what most people will remember. And ISIL is invoking Sharia law, thereby cloaking itself in the mantel of Islam. Just as not all Germans were Nazis and all Japanese were inspired with the spirit of bushido during World War II, the general perception is that ISIL is an Islamic outfit. With its murders of Shi'ites and westerners, its rape of women and slavery of opponents, ISIL is relying on its interpretation of Islam to carry out its agenda. It may be a perverted sense of Islam, but it's Islam nevertheless.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Friday, September 5, 2014
Questions About Current Events
I'm naturally curious, so I've been watching events unfold lately with a rather discerning eye. Some things either don't make any sense to me or raise questions that remain unanswered, so I thought I'd raise them here in search of assistance:
-- With both the Foley and Sotloff murders at the hands of ISIS, what chills me isn't that both men were beheaded -- although that was horrific enough -- but what both men did before they were beheaded. No one can know for sure, but both made declarations that were probably coerced, whether by force or by intimidation, thinking it would spare them, that denounced the President and our efforts in the area. Both knelt there quite calmly as if they were resigned to their fates or as if they weren't expecting what ultimately happened to them. My questions are, which is it? Were they deceived and taken unaware? Were they resigned to their fates? Or was it something else?
-- How can the loyal liberal base be proud of the man they elected into the White House when he makes mistake after mistake such that even the MSM is questioning his competence?
-- Is it just me, or does that guy doing the Lady Jane's radio commercials sound like he could be related to the late actor Andy Devine?
-- Why o' why hasn't the government shored up the defenses along the southern border?
-- Does anyone else wonder how long it would take the US military to destroy the Mexican cartels?
-- With both Robin Williams and Joan Rivers gone now, who is the greatest living American comedian?
-- A choice must be made, and death is not an option: Who's the worst spokesperson in this administration, Jay Carney or Jenn Psaki?
-- Has there been a worse Secretary of State than John Kerry?
-- Does Debbie Wasserman-Schultz really believe what comes out of her piehole, or does she go home and snicker to her husband about how she riled up the opposition with outlandish statements?
-- Why won't the President refer to ISIS as terrorists but will call them extremists instead?
-- Are the people claiming Megyn Kelly is a racist because she preferred to focus on the beheading of an American citizen by ISIS instead of another night of rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, stupid, drunk or high?
-- Why isn't the MSM pursuing harder the revelations by the DOJ about Lois Lerner's emails still existing?
-- Is the entire country against basic chocolate chip ice cream?
-- Why are critics so quick to call Fox News Faux News and ignore the obvious shortcomings and egregious behavior at MSNBC?
-- Why does Sean Hannity have to speak over guests with whom he disagrees when it's obvious that if he just let them talk, they'd prove his point for them? Trying to prove he's a badass doesn't win him extra points.
-- Is the NFL in danger of jumping the shark?
-- Is Scarlett Johannson stupid or just rabidly partisan enough to design those t-shirts for Planned Parenthood that totally misconstrue the Hobby Lobby decision?
-- To the woman on Fox who is the biggest attention whore on television: you're obviously an attractive, intelligent woman; why are you so needy when it comes to being seen?
-- When is Congress going to cut an immunity deal with Lois Lerner?
-- Will the expected result of the midterm elections portend anything for the 2016 presidential elections or will they have no effect?
-- Will Europe find the testicular fortitude to join the US and the UK and defeat ISIS before it's too late?
-- How does Al Sharpton have any credibility anymore?
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
-- With both the Foley and Sotloff murders at the hands of ISIS, what chills me isn't that both men were beheaded -- although that was horrific enough -- but what both men did before they were beheaded. No one can know for sure, but both made declarations that were probably coerced, whether by force or by intimidation, thinking it would spare them, that denounced the President and our efforts in the area. Both knelt there quite calmly as if they were resigned to their fates or as if they weren't expecting what ultimately happened to them. My questions are, which is it? Were they deceived and taken unaware? Were they resigned to their fates? Or was it something else?
-- How can the loyal liberal base be proud of the man they elected into the White House when he makes mistake after mistake such that even the MSM is questioning his competence?
-- Is it just me, or does that guy doing the Lady Jane's radio commercials sound like he could be related to the late actor Andy Devine?
-- Why o' why hasn't the government shored up the defenses along the southern border?
-- Does anyone else wonder how long it would take the US military to destroy the Mexican cartels?
-- With both Robin Williams and Joan Rivers gone now, who is the greatest living American comedian?
-- A choice must be made, and death is not an option: Who's the worst spokesperson in this administration, Jay Carney or Jenn Psaki?
-- Has there been a worse Secretary of State than John Kerry?
-- Does Debbie Wasserman-Schultz really believe what comes out of her piehole, or does she go home and snicker to her husband about how she riled up the opposition with outlandish statements?
-- Why won't the President refer to ISIS as terrorists but will call them extremists instead?
-- Are the people claiming Megyn Kelly is a racist because she preferred to focus on the beheading of an American citizen by ISIS instead of another night of rioting in Ferguson, Missouri, stupid, drunk or high?
-- Why isn't the MSM pursuing harder the revelations by the DOJ about Lois Lerner's emails still existing?
-- Is the entire country against basic chocolate chip ice cream?
-- Why are critics so quick to call Fox News Faux News and ignore the obvious shortcomings and egregious behavior at MSNBC?
-- Why does Sean Hannity have to speak over guests with whom he disagrees when it's obvious that if he just let them talk, they'd prove his point for them? Trying to prove he's a badass doesn't win him extra points.
-- Is the NFL in danger of jumping the shark?
-- Is Scarlett Johannson stupid or just rabidly partisan enough to design those t-shirts for Planned Parenthood that totally misconstrue the Hobby Lobby decision?
-- To the woman on Fox who is the biggest attention whore on television: you're obviously an attractive, intelligent woman; why are you so needy when it comes to being seen?
-- When is Congress going to cut an immunity deal with Lois Lerner?
-- Will the expected result of the midterm elections portend anything for the 2016 presidential elections or will they have no effect?
-- Will Europe find the testicular fortitude to join the US and the UK and defeat ISIS before it's too late?
-- How does Al Sharpton have any credibility anymore?
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
The ISIS Threat
A week ago, ISIS terrorists beheaded the journalist James Foley. It was savage, it was unsettling and it was unnerving to many to see the decapitated remains of Mr. Foley with the head resting in the back of the shackled body. Today, another American journalist, Stephen Sotloff, was beheaded, as promised by ISIS once drone and aerial strikes didn't end. A Brit is the next to be beheaded, according to ISIS.
The country is aghast at this brutality, but it shouldn't be. The only reason it's enervated is because the terrorists filmed the act and posted it on the internet. Atrocities like this have taken place in warfare and terrorism for years. Japanese military men raped and ravaged hundreds of thousand of Chinese in Nanking in 1937. Japanese officers had a beheading contest to see who could behead the most Chinese with samurai swords. Live Chinese captives were used for bayonet practice. At area 731 in Manchuria, the Japanese tested weapons on live Chinese, sprayed biological weapons on unwitting Chinese farmers and conducted live vivisections on downed Allied airmen.
Suffice it to say that that atrocities the Nazis committed are far more well-known.
Vietcong troops used to desecrate the bodies of killed American troops. Lest anyone think U.S. troops were immune from these depravities, plenty of it went on in reverse, as well. War is hell, as Sherman said, and that's a good thing, to paraphrase Robert E. Lee, or we would grow too fond of it.
So for all those innocents wringing their hands and gnashing their teeth, I can only say: George Santayana warned you about this.
Actually, he didn't mention ISIS or wartime atrocities. But he did say, famously, that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
If you don't believe me, check out these videos:
Nazis killing Jews.
ISIS killing Christians.
There is no qualitative difference between the two videos.
As with the Nazis and the Japanese, there is only one answer: Total War. No Geneva Convention treatment (although we abided by the Convention with the Japanese, they did not; the Germans did, by and large). No mealy-mouthed rules of engagement. The vast and awesome power of the United States military, assisted by other countries who believe in the rule of law, must be imposed on these murderers. Their like must be extirpated from the face of the earth. Unlike the Japanese and the Nazis, there is no state to overtake.
What's particularly chilling is that ISIS may well mimic the actions of The Following, a fictional piece of work where acolytes of a deranged murderer carry out hideous acts of depravity against unwary innocents because they believe it furthers the murderer's grand plan. Here, with ISIS, there may well be a core of religious zealots, but it is surrounded by castoffs, outcasts and criminals who are given free rein to commit murder on a grand scale.
The truly scary thing is that there are reports of people popping up in places with signs written in Arabic announcing that ISIS is in Chicago, or Washington, D.C., or London, or other Western locations. These people, like the Japanese before them, consider death an honorable outcome to their actions.
This is hardly the time for a humanitarian approach of engagement. No hemming and hawing, no indecisiveness. We need a direct approach that meets force with force. Our force is superior to theirs. If it weren't, why are the ISIS people in all the videos largely covering their faces? They fear our capabilities, as well they should. The only response people like this understand is overwhelming force, and we should oblige them by giving it to them.
There is a movie about the Korean War, Pork Chop Hill, in which the North Korean negotiators prove to be intransigent beyond stubbornness. The American negotiators step out of the conference room with the younger negotiator shaking his head. The wizened older negotiator tells him that it's a matter of the communists wanting to see how much we'll put up with this. It's a test of wills.
That's what we're facing. Call it ideology, intransigence or stubbornness, no matter how it manifests itself.
We have to be stronger. We have to have the testicular fortitude to do what's right, no matter how messy it is.
Our way of life depends on it.
Our lives depend on it.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
The country is aghast at this brutality, but it shouldn't be. The only reason it's enervated is because the terrorists filmed the act and posted it on the internet. Atrocities like this have taken place in warfare and terrorism for years. Japanese military men raped and ravaged hundreds of thousand of Chinese in Nanking in 1937. Japanese officers had a beheading contest to see who could behead the most Chinese with samurai swords. Live Chinese captives were used for bayonet practice. At area 731 in Manchuria, the Japanese tested weapons on live Chinese, sprayed biological weapons on unwitting Chinese farmers and conducted live vivisections on downed Allied airmen.
Suffice it to say that that atrocities the Nazis committed are far more well-known.
Vietcong troops used to desecrate the bodies of killed American troops. Lest anyone think U.S. troops were immune from these depravities, plenty of it went on in reverse, as well. War is hell, as Sherman said, and that's a good thing, to paraphrase Robert E. Lee, or we would grow too fond of it.
So for all those innocents wringing their hands and gnashing their teeth, I can only say: George Santayana warned you about this.
Actually, he didn't mention ISIS or wartime atrocities. But he did say, famously, that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.
If you don't believe me, check out these videos:
Nazis killing Jews.
ISIS killing Christians.
There is no qualitative difference between the two videos.
As with the Nazis and the Japanese, there is only one answer: Total War. No Geneva Convention treatment (although we abided by the Convention with the Japanese, they did not; the Germans did, by and large). No mealy-mouthed rules of engagement. The vast and awesome power of the United States military, assisted by other countries who believe in the rule of law, must be imposed on these murderers. Their like must be extirpated from the face of the earth. Unlike the Japanese and the Nazis, there is no state to overtake.
What's particularly chilling is that ISIS may well mimic the actions of The Following, a fictional piece of work where acolytes of a deranged murderer carry out hideous acts of depravity against unwary innocents because they believe it furthers the murderer's grand plan. Here, with ISIS, there may well be a core of religious zealots, but it is surrounded by castoffs, outcasts and criminals who are given free rein to commit murder on a grand scale.
The truly scary thing is that there are reports of people popping up in places with signs written in Arabic announcing that ISIS is in Chicago, or Washington, D.C., or London, or other Western locations. These people, like the Japanese before them, consider death an honorable outcome to their actions.
This is hardly the time for a humanitarian approach of engagement. No hemming and hawing, no indecisiveness. We need a direct approach that meets force with force. Our force is superior to theirs. If it weren't, why are the ISIS people in all the videos largely covering their faces? They fear our capabilities, as well they should. The only response people like this understand is overwhelming force, and we should oblige them by giving it to them.
There is a movie about the Korean War, Pork Chop Hill, in which the North Korean negotiators prove to be intransigent beyond stubbornness. The American negotiators step out of the conference room with the younger negotiator shaking his head. The wizened older negotiator tells him that it's a matter of the communists wanting to see how much we'll put up with this. It's a test of wills.
That's what we're facing. Call it ideology, intransigence or stubbornness, no matter how it manifests itself.
We have to be stronger. We have to have the testicular fortitude to do what's right, no matter how messy it is.
Our way of life depends on it.
Our lives depend on it.
(c) 2014 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Alternative Employment
Considering that tomorrow is Labor Day and that for the better part of six years I've been gainfully underemployed, I thought today's blogpost should be about jobs that in no way would I or should I be allowed to do. Mind you, this isn't a take on Dirty Jobs, or am I commenting on jobs that I don't want or would never want to do. These are jobs that, for the public weal, I should not be allowed to attempt. Brief explanations behind each will clarify.
Chef: I hate eggs and am allergic to scallops. As anyone who watches television cooking competitions could tell you, those are the two fallback ingredients in any challenge. What's more, I have a very heightened capacity for spice and a low tolerance for bland. I don't like creamy dishes, so something like risotto would result in an epic failure. For as much as I love to eat, and for as much as I believe I'm competent in the kitchen, having a job cooking for other people is something the CDC and FDA would balk at, correctly.
Artist: I'm incapable of drawing a stick figure, so the notion that I could do art for commission is laughable. The best I could do would be to imitate Jackson Pollock or an elephant with a brush in its trunk flinging it at a canvas. Even then, I'd probably miss the canvas more often than not.
Judge: I know what's being thought: He's an attorney, why couldn't he be a judge? For one, I lack the patience to do it. Second -- and this will dovetail nicely into the next non-job for me -- I'm not exactly the most tactful person. If nothing else, the fact that I don't even wear a robe around the house should disqualify me from consideration.
Diplomat: Trust me on this one: Ain't no way homey is going to be a judge. Karen, when she reads this, will guffaw and guffaw. I don't have a diplomatic bone in my body. I've learned some self-restraint in my dotage, but that's about it. That I can spell diplomacy is a wonder.
Auto Mechanic: I don't know the difference between an alternator, a carburetor and a radiator. I barely know what any of them do. Other men wax nostalgic for the cars of old and their clean lines and muscled power. I hope my car gets me where I'm going inexpensively.
Politician: For one simple reason: I'm too direct.
Salesman: I've never had a job in sales. That should say something as to why this job is on the list.
Actor: I can't pretend. It's as simple as that. What's more, I think most of what comes out of Hollywood is crap anyway.
Computer Tech Guy: That I hate Bill Gates probably disqualifies me already, but it's more than that. I don't know the difference between a gigabyte and a megabyte and don't know what's bigger. Clouds are something in the sky or things Georgia O'Keefe painted. Besides that, my sense of logic in no way corresponds to what these guys do. And when I hit three keys and something happens to my screen that they can't explain, well, what's the point?
Sports Reporter: I remember John Schulien explaining that he left sports reporting when he realized he was standing in the shower interviewing eighteen-year-olds about their exploits on the playing field. Yeah, I like sports. I just don't think they're as important as these guys make them out to seem.
Sports Agent: On one level, the creative negotiating would be cool. But bailing my client out of the drunk tank at 2.30a isn't my idea of being an agent.
Gambler: My views on gambling are set forth in earlier posts, so I won't belabor the point. I just see no allure in gambling, either as an avocation or a vocation.
Barber/Hairdresser/Stylist: No.
(2014) The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Chef: I hate eggs and am allergic to scallops. As anyone who watches television cooking competitions could tell you, those are the two fallback ingredients in any challenge. What's more, I have a very heightened capacity for spice and a low tolerance for bland. I don't like creamy dishes, so something like risotto would result in an epic failure. For as much as I love to eat, and for as much as I believe I'm competent in the kitchen, having a job cooking for other people is something the CDC and FDA would balk at, correctly.
Artist: I'm incapable of drawing a stick figure, so the notion that I could do art for commission is laughable. The best I could do would be to imitate Jackson Pollock or an elephant with a brush in its trunk flinging it at a canvas. Even then, I'd probably miss the canvas more often than not.
Judge: I know what's being thought: He's an attorney, why couldn't he be a judge? For one, I lack the patience to do it. Second -- and this will dovetail nicely into the next non-job for me -- I'm not exactly the most tactful person. If nothing else, the fact that I don't even wear a robe around the house should disqualify me from consideration.
Diplomat: Trust me on this one: Ain't no way homey is going to be a judge. Karen, when she reads this, will guffaw and guffaw. I don't have a diplomatic bone in my body. I've learned some self-restraint in my dotage, but that's about it. That I can spell diplomacy is a wonder.
Auto Mechanic: I don't know the difference between an alternator, a carburetor and a radiator. I barely know what any of them do. Other men wax nostalgic for the cars of old and their clean lines and muscled power. I hope my car gets me where I'm going inexpensively.
Politician: For one simple reason: I'm too direct.
Salesman: I've never had a job in sales. That should say something as to why this job is on the list.
Actor: I can't pretend. It's as simple as that. What's more, I think most of what comes out of Hollywood is crap anyway.
Computer Tech Guy: That I hate Bill Gates probably disqualifies me already, but it's more than that. I don't know the difference between a gigabyte and a megabyte and don't know what's bigger. Clouds are something in the sky or things Georgia O'Keefe painted. Besides that, my sense of logic in no way corresponds to what these guys do. And when I hit three keys and something happens to my screen that they can't explain, well, what's the point?
Sports Reporter: I remember John Schulien explaining that he left sports reporting when he realized he was standing in the shower interviewing eighteen-year-olds about their exploits on the playing field. Yeah, I like sports. I just don't think they're as important as these guys make them out to seem.
Sports Agent: On one level, the creative negotiating would be cool. But bailing my client out of the drunk tank at 2.30a isn't my idea of being an agent.
Gambler: My views on gambling are set forth in earlier posts, so I won't belabor the point. I just see no allure in gambling, either as an avocation or a vocation.
Barber/Hairdresser/Stylist: No.
(2014) The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)