A couple of years ago, I made the mistake of subscribing to a British online publication called openDemocracy. Week after week I have been subjected to the most vile anti-American viewpoints from the world’s foremost liberal elites. These “intellectuals” have had nothing but scorn for our efforts in Iraq and have displayed an almost mocking disdain for President Bush in general. They are apparently oblivious to the irony of being Islamofascist apologists and blind supporters of tyrants and dictators in a journal that includes the word “democracy” in its title. I don’t know why I have kept reading it week after week; I guess it’s the not being able to avert your eyes from the train wreck syndrome. Or maybe I’m just a masochist.

So this week’s edition just hit my inbox, and the lead story is a hopeful piece entitled “How al-Qaida can win”. (Ok, to be fair I didn’t read this article. I found the headline alone was enough to raise my blood pressure to dangerous levels). My eyes were however drawn to another article called “Hope and Humour in Afghanistan”, and subtitled “The photographs of Keirón Allen and Rupert Edis depict a country where American soldiers encounter local people as human beings not enemies”. [UPDATE: I just noticed there is yet another title to this piece: Humanising a beast – the American military]

That it is considered “news” that AMERICAN troops can actually treat the locals as human tells you all you need to know about openDemocracy and its view of the world. My daughter is now midway through her second tour of duty in Afghanistan, and her reports of the contribution our troops are making as the Afghani people build the foundations for a future of peace and prosperity are very encouraging. [You can read more about Hillary here.] So I just couldn’t resist reading OD’s take on the situation.

And I was astounded. This is the first time I have seen any endeavor undertaken by the USA given a positive spin by these America-haters. Oh, the apparent shock and awe of the writer as he discovers that American troops are about more than destruction and torture is cause for some bemusement. But overall it does honor to the men and women who are doing important work under difficult circumstances. I encourage you to have a look at this article.

Man, I can’t believe I just linked openDemocracy. Well, there is a first time for everything I suppose. And since I have gone through years of hell to find the one worthy article they published, I feel an obligation to make sure you see it also. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Ok, I broke down and read “How al-Qaida can win”. It was presented as a farce, but it still pissed me off. As I said, a good article in openDemocracy is the rare exception. Still, it is good to remember that there are lots of people hoping we lose this fight, and they are not all radical Muslims.

A couple readers have asked what it is that I am doing (a question I frequently ask myself BTW). I realized that for those of you who are relatively new visitors to LTG, I have not really explained about my future plans. I have been meaning to post an explanation on my “about me” page, but I just have not had a chance to do so as yet. I think my very first blog post (way back on December 12) says what needs to be said. So, for those who are interested you can read it here.

Well, that title might be a tad overly dramatic. But today is my last day at the United States Department of Education. They threw a very nice farewell party for me yesterday afternoon and I was reminded that I really have met some wonderful people in my four years at ED. I have some pictures to upload, but right now I have to get ready to go and catch that train to DC.

This whole transition from one life to another is almost surreal. Closing doors and saying goodbye does not get easier with age. And lord knows, I have had lots of practice.

So, it looks like I don’t act my age…..

How old do you act?

Hat tip: Outwit.Outblog.Outsnark.

Loved this post over at Tim Blair’s place……

Of course it’s wonderful to see the human race rallying to the aid of disaster victims, but it’s the inconsistency that has me foxed. Nobody is making this sort of fuss about all the people killed in Iraq, and yet it’s a human catastrophe of comparable dimensions.

Of course, many did make a fuss about all the people killed in Iraq. Subsequently, the dictator who was killing them has been removed.

All right, the blogfather linked to this post from IowaHawk today, so its not exactly news. But it is damn funny! Just in case you missed it:

Farewell, My Producer

Excerpts from the new Inspector Dan Rather mystery by David Burge

It was a quiet cold Monday at Black Rock. Too quiet, I thought, slowly polishing the lens on my trusty Sony VC6809. New York is not the kind of town that likes to keep secrets, and my tingling senses told me that somewhere in Gotham somebody was spilling some beans. And in my line of work, you get to know deep down in your gut those beans have a habit of being silent – but deadly.

My name is Rather. And I’m a dick.

I had just finished the final teleprompter read-through on the Alberto Gonzales caper (Dan Rather #31: The Sadist Wore a Sombrero) when a familiar figure sauntered into the studio.

“Look what the cat drug in,” I smiled. “What brings you down to the salt mines, Captain Moonves?”

Moonves and I were once tighter than two cousins in a Kentucky hayloft. I helped show him the ropes at Black Rock back when he was a green rookie straight out of the programming academy, but lately I sensed tension between us after the release of the Nielsen Report (Dan Rather #29: The Case of the Missing Viewers).

“Can the wisecracks, newsreader,” he sneered. “You’ve got a little date with Commissioner Thornburgh downtown.”

Read the rest here…….

via Instapundit

See them here.

Hat Tip: Instapundit

Then make it a point to read this blog daily.

And then you can go read this one.

These guys are Iraqis who give the straight scoop and don’t pull any punches. No, everything is not roses, but they, better than any of us sitting here safe and warm in the USA, know what life was like under Saddam. And they can envision a future of peace and freedom. The election is just over two weeks away. They know having hope is already better than living in tyranny ever was, and they are optimistic that things are going to continue to improve.

All of us have a stake in this, and while the future is always unknown, a successful outcome depends on all of us on the homefront not losing the will to stay the course. Don’t depend on our “friends” in the media to paint a full and complete picture of the transformation that is taking place in Iraq. Yes, you can get the latest car bomb news on CNN. Listen to these Iraqis if you want to understand the real story. There’s a lot more happening than murder and mayhem folks.

The problem with comments is resolved. Thanks, Lisa!

Now a challenge for my readers: Everyone who has had the pleasure of working with her knows that Lisa at blogs-about.com is the best dang blog host in the business. In an earlier post I called her my blog mistress. I was thinking in terms of the feminine version of blog master. My wife didn’t seem to care for me calling her that (heck, maybe Lisa didn’t like it either and was just to gracious to say anything). So, what would be the appropriate honorific for the person behind the scenes of this and many other (and better) WordPress blogs?

Now that my comments are working again, I am open to your suggestions.

I remember in high school how my girlfriend and I would mark the anniversary of all kinds of things….the months since our first kiss, first date, months we had been going steady, etc.. And yeah, I know anniversary’s are normally measured in years, but a year is a long time when you are young and in love.

Rest assured that I will NOT be marking such milestones here at LTG. At least not on a strictly monthly basis. Still, today marks one month in my journey as a blogger. I haven’t had a lot to say of significance perhaps, but I am confident I will find my voice soon–so hang in there! LTG was and is intended to document my adventures in Korea and I won’t be leaving until January 22. Geez, that’s only ten days away, and the closer it gets the louder that voice in my head is screaming, “What in the hell were you thinking?”. I always respond, “Shut up”. So anyway, I should have some unique things to write about once I arrive overseas, above and beyond those conversations I am having with myself.

This has been a great experience and I have already discovered some wonderful people and talented writers I would not have otherwise “met”. I am also looking forward to being an active participant in “The Wide Awakes”. You will be hearing from us!

Finally, the best part has been spilling my guts and having readers actually drop in and have a read. Thank you and please keep coming back. Feel free to leave comments and share your views, even if it is to disagree. I love a good debate, and I don’t yell nearly as much on here as I do in real life. 🙂

Speaking of which, I notice my comments worked overnight, but they appear to be down again this morning. I am working to get that resolved.

Thanks to all of you. I look forward to sharing my adventures with you and hearing what you think about these interesting times in which we live.

Hey, I just learned that my comments are showing as closed. Don’t know what’s up with that, but as soon as I get it figured out I will let you know. I love comments!

Hopefully tomorrow.

I was surfing while I ate lunch today and came across this post at AZ Perspective. I found it very funny. Hope you enjoy it too:

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and Usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it to school and talk about it, they’re welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater. She holds up a snapshot of an infant. “This is Luke, my baby brother, and I’m going to tell you about his birthday. First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom’s stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.” She’s standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I’m trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

“Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, ‘Oh, oh, oh!’ Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. “She walked around the house for, like an hour, ‘Oh, oh, oh! Now the kid’s doing this hysterical duck walk, holding her back and groaning. “My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn’t have a sign on the car like the Domino’s man.” “They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.” Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall. “And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!” This kid has her legs spread and with her little hands are miming water flowing away. It was too much!

“Then the middle wife starts saying ‘push, push, and breathe, breathe.'” “They started counting, but never even got past ten.” “Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff, they all said was from Mom’s play-center! , so there must be a lot of stuff inside there.” Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I’m sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, if it’s show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another Erica comes along.

Kids are great.

I am not going to make a career out of writing on this issue, but it is big news whenever the MSM is exposed for what they are. The guys at Powerline were on top of this story from the beginning and really demonstrated how a blog could break a major story and keep the heat on a major news organization. Today’s post captures my views on the matter completely and if you have any interest in the behind the scenes political agenda of CBS News, you will won’t won’t to miss reading this.

Well, this story is all over the ‘sphere but I do feel compelled to jump on the bandwagon as well. MSNBC has decent coverage of the story here. What I found most interesting was the CBS response to the panel’s investigation. It’s in PDF, but you can access it here.

Alright, so they hung the blame on Mapes and she does bear the brunt of responsibility and was deservedly fired. Three other senior management folks who failed to provide the oversight that they were paid to provide were relieved of their duties and asked to resign. That is also appropriate.

They gave Rather a pass which is somewhat of a double-standard, especially in light of the lame excuses offered in his defense. The fact that he is stepping down in March means little since he will still be reporting on stories as a senior correspondent. I don’t believe he can be trusted to offer the weather in an unbiased fashion.

Andrew Heyward, CBS News President, also got a pass. I’m more willing to give him the benefit of doubt because it appears he was asking the right questions, and being fed a load of BS from his underlings.

Although the panel found that CBS pursued the story with “myopic zeal” resulting in a story that was “neither fair nor accurate”, they conclude:

The independent investigators former Republican Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and Louis Boccardi, retired president and chief executive officer of The Associated Press said they could find no evidence to conclude the report aired two months before the election was fueled by a political agenda.

Ok, if you say so. How do you define political agenda? If all those involved had the same documented dislike of George Bush as does Dan Rather, isn’t it just a little bit possible that this fact contributed to the “myopic zeal” in which they pursued the story (and more importantly, ignored evidence in their possession that undermined the basic premise of the story)? I remain convinced that it was political bias and/or personal agendas that caused all the breakdowns in standards and practices that allowed this story to air. Just the fact that Mapes was in contact the DNC (who coincidentally began a major ad campaign the day after the report was aired challenging the President’s guard service) seems like pretty good evidence of political bias, but hey, what do I know–I’m just a news consumer (but not from CBS thankfully).

Anyway, Rather deserved to be dismissed for his conduct after the story was aired. Calling critics of his reporting “partisan hacks” (critics who were proven correct) is not political bias, right Dan?

Overall, I will give CBS a B- for its actions in response to the report. Am I being too easy or too harsh?

hat tip to More sense than money, where I lifted the quote.

A wide awake reader sent me this:

I got the company newsletter about five days after I started working at my new job. The front page of it dealt with one of the guys who
works here, his reserve unit was called up,and he’s been serving in
Iraq for the last few months. Just last week he got his first leave
and came home.

The article then continued, listing employees who had a family member
serving in Iraq and Afganistan. From what I remember, we’ve got about
a dozen of those. There’s a pretty good spread too. From the lowest
manual labor job, up through managers and Department heads, there are
folks who’ve got a son, or brother, or husband serving in a war zone.
That’s what made what I saw later the same day all the more amazing.

I’m working on a system, and then I notice the corkboard behind this
chick’s desk. She’d just put up a large poster, using the same color
scheme and logo that the Army uses for their recruiting. The poster
was of a cemetery. Rows and rows of headstones. The caption?

“You can’t be all that you can be if you’re DEAD.”

I walked over, and took a closer look. The message underneath
basically said, “You can serve your country, and get money for college
in ways besides serving in the military.”

Nice. Just nice.

Now notice, this isn’t a poster saying the war in Iraq is wrong.
People can disagree about that. I personally stay up some nights
wondering if those people over there are worth one drop of American
blood. Like I said, people can disagree about policy, that’s America,
Jack.

This was a poster encouraging people not to enlist in the military.
This is also a poster, the subtext of which states, ‘If you serve in
the armed forces, you’re a moron. You’re also probably going to die.”

There are people not three desks from where this…individual…sits
that have loved ones serving over there. She posts a poster of a
giant cemetary which implies this is where a soldier or marine will
most likely end up.

That’s so classy!

Tell me that part about how the left supports our troops but not the war again?

Let me break this down for you, honey. If it wasn’t for that ‘moron’
slinging a rifle and guarding your freedom, if it wasn’t for that hick
planted in that cemetary that your friends photographed, you wouldn’t
have the freedom to ‘be all that you can be’.

Then again, I’ve met you. You didn’t turn out to be much.

Sometimes I think it must really be nice to live in a “reality” where the military serves no purpose. A “reality” where no one would attack you if you could not defend yourself. A “reality” where terrorists did not crash planes into buildings thinking we had grown weak and soft and would not have the will to strike back.

To bad for the rest of us who must live in a world where difficult choices must be made in the interest of security and where freedom is never free. We have our compensations though. Like a dedicated, professional, all volunteer military who is out there protecting us from evil doers who would see us dead or enslaved. We can sleep safe and secure in our beds each night because these brave men and women are on the job. Hell, maybe we can even have dreams of alternate realities, just like the woman described above. Of course, we will wake up free and give a prayer of thanks for the people who sacrafice so much to make that possible.

And that’s my reality.

UPDATE: Found this quote over at FlightPundit. Thought it fit nicely here:

“the West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact, non-Westerners never do.”

Samuel P. Huntington

Sorry for the lack of posts. I have just not been able to get anything accomplished today. I have worked a little on my new photo gallery page, check it out. Lots more to do, but I am having trouble taking the photos from my desktop, to CD, to here on my laptop (I am using it today because of other problems with the desktop). Both of the D drives are doing weird things. So, all I am feeling is frustrated.

Ever had one of those days when you would have been better off just staying in bed?

Ann Althouse has had an interesting discussion on whether the intelligence of a potential partner (compared to your own) is an important factor in a successful relationship. She has come down pretty much on the side of equality of intelligence. Read about it here. Ann doesn’t do comments, and email responses are limited to 300 characters. Being the verbose individual that I am, I was unable to respond within those parameters. So, my overlong email is now this post:

Well, if equality = compatibility I agree. It seems to me all this talk about preferring smarter/less smart mates is irrelevant if there is not basic compatibility present. And I think compatibility goes way beyond equality in intelligence.

Personally, I am attracted to successful women but I am not sure success is a reliable indicator of intelligence. More important is the presence of some shared interests and the ability to talk about topics and issues at a level where both partners can potentially enlighten or be enlightened. I appreciate learning something new from my wife and I like to think she has learned some things from me over the years. (Unfortunately, I was unable to make her see the errors in her logic for supporting Kerry, but that is a moot issue now thankfully).

We are probably saying close to the same thing Ann. But as I see it, intelligence and equality are really just part of the overall universe of compatibility.

I will be spending the day in the Norfolk area. Carol’s brother is in the USAF and was recently transferred from Nellis AFB (near Las Vegas) to Langley AFB. So, they invited us down to see their new home and have a little visit. It’s about a two and a half hour drive normally, but it is raining in Virginia today, so we’ll see.

Anyway, I won’t have any blogging time until later tonight. And yes, I have been forced to moderate my comments, so don’t panic if your comment does not appear right away. I do not edit any reader comment, just have to winnow out the spam.

Thanks to the folks who have suggested the spam blocking plug-ins. As soon as I have the chance to check it out, I will definitely go that route.

Until later.

Carol’s brother sent this to her. I offer it as a public service. Don’t shoot the messenger ladies……

Finally, the guys’ side of the story.

We always hear “the rules” from the female side.
Now here are the rules from the male side.

These are our rules!
Please note… these are all numbered “1” ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It’s like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it.
That’s what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you won’t dress like the Victoria’s Secret girls, don’t expect us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” we will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, expect an answer you don’t want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine…Really.

1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are
prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don’t mind that? It’s like camping.

Pass this to as many men as you can – to give them a laugh.

Pass this to as many women as you can – to give them a bigger laugh!!

I am having a couple of upgrades added to my blog by the good folks at http://elegantwebscapes.com/

And of course Lisa is responsible for my design and is the most gracious of hosts (she is NOT responsible for the content however, so don’t blame her!).

But that is not what this post is about. I mentioned to her in a recent email that one of the first posts I had read on her blog had affected me deeply. She appeared somewhat surprised to hear that. I decided to tell the back-story here.

It was a year ago this month that I encountered Just a Girl in the World for the first time. Lisa had submitted a new design for Kate at Electric Venom, a blog I read regularly (you can find her and Lisa on my blogroll). Anyway, Kate invited her readers to take a looksee over at Lisa’s, so off I went. And there I found her telling of the story of Ann and George.

It is a beautifully written piece, and it is also very sad. I would have been moved regardless, but the story affected me so deeply because it reminded me of the struggle my dear friend Linda was going through in her battle with cancer. A few days after reading this post I got the call I had been dreading for months…. Linda was no longer responding to any treatment and was being moved to a hospice in Phoenix where she would be made as comfortable as possible for whatever time she had left.

Before I got on the plane to spend a few days with Linda at the end of her life, I printed a copy of Lisa’s post to carry with me. In an odd way, I found courage and strength from the story of Ann and George. Their love, their grace, their dignity. I wanted to be there for Linda and this story inspired me to rise above my own selfish sense of loss and allowed me to be a comforting friend and caregiver. We laughed and cried and remembered the special times we had shared, and I will always treasure those last moments together. Linda was the bravest person I have ever known. She never lost her faith or her humanity and despite crushing blows that would have destroyed lesser beings (her daughter committed suicide several months earlier), Linda fought on until her body finally failed. But her spirit never did.

Anyway, I mentioned in an earlier post that I had found several emails from Linda as I closed out my archives at work. And she has been especially on my mind as the anniversary of her death approaches. I also found a link to Lisa’s post titled “George”
in my old email. While I was in Phoenix I shared it with Linda’s sister and she agreed it sounded so much like Linda and Rick, and she was also moved by the power of love the story conveyed. You will be too, so go have a read.

So Lisa, a belated thank-you. You must be one hell of a caregiver, touching the lives of people you have never met through your compassionate words.

As a postscript, I got wrapped up in the events of my own life and struggles after Linda’s death and was an infrequent visitor to many of the blogs I had once followed. When I found out I was moving to Korea, I made the decision to get my own blog to share my experiences with family and friends back home. And yes, to share my views on politics and world events. I spent a week on blogspot and was not at all satisfied with the result. I started making some inquiries, and then I remembered Lisa. She had me set up and running in no time, and I am one very satisfied customer. Funny how the world works out sometimes, isn’t it?