Prof Calls for Treason

Is sensitivity training really the answer to this?

Criticism During Wartime

Yesterday, VP Cheney responded to the recent mounting accusations of intelligence manipulation by the Bush administration to justify the war. Tell it like it is, Dick! (Hat tip to Lorie Byrd, guest blogging for Michelle Malkin.)

Today, I received an e-mail from my mother on this same topic, so I thought I'd share it here:

I saw a program on the History Channel a few weeks ago … ‘Dogfights: The Greatest Air Battles’. I was spellbound for the entire two hours, watching the archival films, personal recollections of fighter pilots from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and beautiful computer graphics of air battles that were not captured on film. Rickenbacker’s contributions during the air battles of World War I were also discussed, but of course there were no films to back up the commentary.

I found myself literally holding my breath as the World War II pilots described some of the dogfights they survived – in such great detail, and with such passion (yet with great humility), as if those air battles had occurred just yesterday. Capt. Bud Anderson, especially, (a Triple Ace, with 16 enemy aircraft downings), who flew the P-51 Mustang, was mesmerizing as he described his engagement with an ME-109. I had to remind myself to breathe as he re-created his strategies and the responses and offensive and defensive maneuvers of the German pilot.

When the credits rolled, I couldn’t help but reflect on the dramatic changes that have taken place in the American psyche in the sixty years since Bud Anderson and his compatriots performed their heroics, with little thought of personal safety, and a stubborn focus on bringing the enemies of liberty to their knees.

That is not to say that the American military is any less courageous or any less focused on the defense of our people and our homeland than was Anderson. The difference lies in our political leadership, and in the public’s ignorance of the techniques of modern propaganda, and their general thirst for instant gratification.

During World War II, few if any in national leadership positions would have ever considered openly criticizing the administration in power during wartime … or sabotaging our own military personnel by accusing them of barbaric behavior toward the enemy … or denigrating their stunning victories … or questioning the reasons for
their sacrifice.

During the Civil War, the public was horrified by the Matthew Brady photographs of the aftermath of historically unprecedented bloody battles – especially Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Brady depicted, as no one ever before, the ravages of war on both man and landscape.

Mostly as a result of the powerful effect of Brady’s photos on the populace, from World War I through the Korean War, the American media, in co-operation with our national leadership, made it a point to avoid focusing on visual images of casualties, so as not to diminish or undermine public support for the war effort.

And during World War II, the citizenry was busy doing their part at home to support the war effort. They would never have considered whining about the duration of the war, or demanding that an end to hostilities be publicized before it was safe to withdraw from the conflict.

Not so in 2005.

We now live in an era in which we expect our food to be prepared in five minutes. We believe that time-saving is often more valuable than depth or quality. We prefer sound-bites to in-depth analysis. Indeed, we much prefer to have others do our thinking for us, because spending time in weighing pros and cons, or engaging in personal study, would waste precious time that could be better spent watching reality TV or getting our nails done.

It is sad when instant gratification, and lack of appreciation for the things that matter, permeate the national psyche of what was once the greatest civilization in the history of mankind. But now that same need for instant gratification, and lack of a spirit of
thanksgiving, threaten to erode our national unity in a time when the black evil that we face is obsessed with destroying all that is, and ever has been, good about America.

Now, when we need national unity and resolve perhaps more than ever before, we are allowing the leftists among us (in politics, the media and academia) to attempt to demoralize our troops who are courageously standing in harm’s way in order to preserve the American way of life, by minimizing their accomplishments and victories, criticizing the strength of their resolve, and demanding that they perform miracles in the relative blink of an eye … or we will declare as counterfeit (at best), or corrupt (at worst), the reasons for their sacrifice.

Such is the hallmark of an emotionally immature, self-absorbed society, drowning in superficiality – without an appreciation of heritage, ancestry, and the sacrifices of more than two centuries of patriots who did not measure the breadth of victories and achievements in nano-seconds … and whose countrymen honored them for carrying a selfless, open-ended vision of liberty and goodness into battle … rather than a vulgar, carping stop-watch.

New Rules

Thanks to kasheesty for establishing the new rules we've been needing for quite a while.

New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.

New Rule: If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy, old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is the idea wasn't good enough to be a movie.

New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for Classmates.com! There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days: mowing my lawn.

Hey, Big Spender

When Bush came to office, he, like Reagan, talked of tax cuts, increased defense spending, and reduced federal spending. Sounds like a great plan, right? Well, thanks to our spendthrifty Congress and Bush's willingness to sign every piece of legislation that comes across his desk (literally - he hasn't vetoed one spending bill), things aren't going according to plan and spending is off the charts.

Tammy Bruce sums it up well:

Wonderful. I love President Bush and his efforts to keep this nation safe, but his willingness to spend our money, as though it were water and government were Daddy, is unacceptable. At large President Bush is our Cowboy, willing to do what it takes to win the War on Terror. At home, he's Jimmy Carter, acting as though government was responsible for paying for everything.

On another note, Tammy also made us aware that the avian flu has struck the U.S.

Recommended Listening

When you have time, listen to this episode of NPR's Creators at Carnegie featuring Audra McDonald.

My first encounter with Ms. McDonald was the CD Songs from Ragtime. I instantly fell in love with her sound - classical and Broadway styles combined in one powerful, limitless voice. When I saw her in the Broadway production of Ragtime, I was blown away. Her voice is even more remarkable in person, not to mention her fine acting. I guess that explains the four Tonys.

This 2004 episode includes songs from her three solo albums, a live performance of a new song cycle, The Seven Deadly Sins, and commentary from Audra about each of the new songs in the cycle. The best sins are Gluttony: "I Eat" (12:20), Lust: "Burning the Sauce"(23:25), and Envy: "Can You Look Me In The Eyes" (36:35).

One Night in Bangkok

After reading this, I guess I should revise my plan for my Thailand trip and skip the part where I pick up a tranny. Darn.

Harriet the Tortoise

Wow.

Me Fail English? That's Unpossible!

I received an e-mail from a coworker today that contained unbelievably poor grammar. It reminded me of an e-mail I received in which a coworker meant to write, "I hope this doesn't cause you any inconvenience." At least that what I'm assuming she meant to write. I think she must have misspelled 'inconvenience', causing the spell checker to make some poor suggestions, one of which she accepted. The e-mail actually read, "I hope this doesn't cause you any incontinence."

Murder in Lititz

When I first heard about the murder/possible kidnapping in PA on Fox News this morning, all I caught was that it happened somewhere in Amish Country. Then I read that it happened in Lancaster County...in Lititz. Holy #&@*!

I grew up in Lancaster County. I vividly remember going to the Sturgis Pretzel House in Lititz as a little girl. The tour started with each person getting a blob of pretzel dough, which you got to roll and twist into a pretzel (or another shape, if you were daring). Then they'd bake your pretzel creation while you toured the place and you'd pick it up afterwards. I don't think they offer this as part of the tour anymore, but man, was it fun!

One summer when my friend Melissa and I were both home from college, we joined the YWCA in Lititz and went several times a week to play racquetball and workout. Almost every time we went, we'd end up driving behind a horse and buggy most of the way. How is this story coming out of Lititz?! I am dumbfounded.

Personal Statement from Alito

Sam Alito's 1985 application for Deputy Assistant Attorney General includes a statement of his political views. (Note: That's some very nice handwriting.)

Semper Fidelis

Today marks the 230th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps. Four new stamps have been issued today, honoring four Marine Corps heroes.

Strike at NYU

Here's the latest on the graduate assistant strike at NYU. In case you're unaware of the situation, here is the union's side of things; here is the university's.

The union flier urges undergrads to support the strike. But if the union contract is re-established, then the cost of health care for undergrads (which is an out-of-pocket expense for them) will most likely increase to offset the union demands for university-funded grad health care. Hey, union, put that on your flier and post it.

Update: Discussing this topic with fellow blogger, Anya.

Bad Parenting

Speaking of the grocery store, it seems that I always end up shopping with the bad mothers and their misbehaving children. You know, the kids scream and run around the store, whining and crying about not getting every thing they want, while the mother says, “Don’t do that,” every five seconds. Maybe it’s not some bizarre coincidence that I find myself shopping at the same time as these people. Maybe it’s that there are so many bad mothers that I can’t help but run into several of them at the grocery store or any other public venue for that matter.

Last night, I was waiting in line to pay for my groceries. There was another woman behind me and a woman behind her with two children, Ashley and Kaiden. How do I know the children’s names? Well, after you spend twenty minutes in line with two of Satan’s minions, their names tend to get seared into your brain.

Kaiden insisted on weaseling his way around everyone’s cart to get up to the candy at the checkout. While kneeling at the display (which prevented anyone from moving their carts through the line), he proceeded to pick up every type of candy and scream, “Mommy, I want this!” Mommy’s reply was, “We already got your candy.” Sure enough, the entire front basket was full of discounted Halloween candy, along with various other sugar-filled snacks. “But MOMMY, I want this, too!” Mommy answered, “If you get that, then no candy from the machine on our way out.” Kaiden whined, “But I want the stickers from the machine!” This seemed reasonable to Mommy, so Kaiden dropped the candy in the basket and proceeded to grab and whine for every other kid-oriented item in the area.

Meanwhile, Ashley decided it would be fun to kick the wheels of the woman’s cart in front of her. Each kick caused the cart to inch closer and closer to the woman, until it finally started bumping her. Of course, Mommy had said multiple times, “Ashley, don’t do that,” but that didn’t stop Ashley. The woman took a step forward, pulling the cart away from the Ashley, but Ashley stepped forward as well and continued kicking the cart and bumping the woman. Again, Mommy said, “Ashley, you’re hurting the lady.” The lady’s response was, “Oh, that’s okay.”

WHAT?! That’s okay?! How is that okay? There are very few things that make me more enraged than witnessing bad parenting and this was one of the worst cases I’ve seen. I felt my pulse pounding in my temples. I wanted to scream at the mother, “What are you doing?! You are supposed to be the parent! For the love of God, do something before it’s too late!!” But I didn’t. It wasn’t that I was afraid to say it, or that I didn’t want to seem like the intolerant bad guy. It’s because confronting a mother like that is pointless.

“Kids will be kids,” people say. That’s true, but kids will only be bad kids if their parents teach them it’s acceptable to behave badly. Lee and I have recognized that these are the parents who refer to their kids as “ornery.” Don’t be fooled. This is just their candy-coated dismissive way of avoiding the proper term: brats.

Seasonal Favorite

I'm a Starbucks Pumpkin Latte junkie. When I think of autumn, it's one of the first things that comes to mind. How could it not? Pumpkin, spices, piping-hot Starbucks espresso, whipped cream...oh, I can almost taste it now. But at around $4.00 per cup, not to mention almost 500 calories and 22 grams of fat, I only indulge occasionally.

Last night at the grocery store, I came across something new: Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice creamer. I was somewhat skeptical, but for only $2.00, I figured it was worth a shot. I'm very happy to report that this is a good way to satiate a Starbucks craving. It's rich and flavorful, adding just enough pumpkin and spice to the coffee. I'm looking forward to trying the other seasonal flavors of Coffee-mate: Peppermint Mocha and Gingerbread (which also happen to be two seasonal flavors that Starbucks offers).

Donuts. D'oh!

I just went down to the kitchen to get some ice water and found a box of donuts with a note reading, "Help yourself!" Even though I'm working on losing a few pounds, I found myself considering Homer Simpson's logic:

Homer: Lisa, would you like a donut?
Lisa: No, thanks. Do you have any fruit?
Homer: This has purple in it. Purple is a fruit.

I wanted the cruller, not the purple-filled one, so I just got ice water and returned to my desk. Sigh.

Winds of Change

Good news indeed.

When I was in London in May, I was shocked to see baked beans on every breakfast menu. "Baked beans for breakfast," you say? Yes, it's true. Baked beans are very popular in the UK. At the grocery store, there was an entire aisle of nothing but beans. Granted, the aisle was about 1/3 the length of the ones at American grocery stores, but still, that's a lot of beans.

On English breakfast menus, you'll usually find the traditional Full English Fry-up, which includes fried eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, fried toast and black pudding (which is made from congealed pig's blood). Of course, no one would live past 40 if they ate that breakfast every day, but you can still satiate your early-morning bean craving by ordering plain baked beans on toast.

I've heard that British baked beans are very different from American baked beans. But unless they come out of that can tasting like waffles, I'll pass.

Tweaking the Layout

Those of you who know me know I'm a bit of a perfectionist. My folks joke about my refrigerator being alphabetically arranged. (Hello? It's all about the shape and hue of the food. Duh.) So, please excuse the changes in appearance while I fiddle with the layout of this site. I'll get it just how I want it one of these days.

Quiz: Which Fantasy/Sci-Fi Character Are You?

I am:

YODA

A venerated sage with vast power and knowledge, you gently guide forces around you while serving as a champion of the light.

Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not - for my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life greets it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us, and binds us. Luminescent beings are we, not this crude matter! You must feel the Force around you, everywhere.

(No, Dad. I won't do the voice...)

It's a Boy!

CONGRATULATIONS to my friends Susie and Paul on the birth of their third son. Pierce Alexander arrived yesterday, November 2nd, at 11:57 a.m., weighing in at 8 lbs, 2 oz, and 20 inches long.

Ay, Caramba!

Are the burritos at 7-Eleven really that good?

(Hat tip: KB)

Buying Blue or Red?

My friend, Kirstin, told me about a recent shopping experience which I would like to share here.

While on vacation in Florida with her family, Kirstin went shoe shopping at a Liz Claiborne outlet. After looking for a pair of clogs for several weeks without any success in finding a style she liked at a decent price, she finally found a pair at the outlet for the bargain price of $40.

At the checkout counter, the cashier scanned the barcode on the shoebox and the price of the clogs came up $49. "I’m sorry," Kirstin told her, "but the sign said these were $40," so the cashier paged the manager to sort out the situation.

As Kirstin so beautifully put it, "Here comes the manager, bright red clip-on hair and all." I wasn’t sure I heard her correctly, so she clarified it for me. "You know that fake hair-on-a-clip they sell at the mall that makes you ask yourself, 'Who's buying that?' Well, apparently the manager at the Liz Claiborne outlet. That's who."

The following is the conversation that transpired between Kirstin and The Red Menace:

Red: What's the problem here, hon?
K: Well, these are supposed to be $40, but they rang up $49.
Red: Hon, they're $49.
K: Um, but the sign said...
Red: Hon, you gotta read the sign, hon.
K: I did read the sign. It says $40.
Red: Hon, let's see this sign.
[After reviewing the sign]
Red: Hon, the sign says the red and green ones are $40, not the brown ones.
K: But there's no other price listed anywhere for the brown ones!
Red: Hon, the brown ones are $49, hon.
K: You know what? I don't want the shoes!

With that, Kirstin walked out of the store. She really liked and wanted those shoes, but as she put it, "It's the principle." She didn't want to support a store that would employ someone, let alone make that someone a manager, who would be so rude and condescending to customers.

You see, there's power in your wallet. By purchasing goods and services, you are supporting everything and everyone that store supports. Keep this in mind as you check out this site to see who you're supporting with each of your purchases.

In other words, spend your money wisely, hon.

Men vs. Women

Thanks to my mom for this.

Cube Life, Part One

When I started my last job, I had very little work to do. For weeks, I would ask my supervisor, "Is there anything you need or want me to do today?" Invariably, she'd answer, "Oh, we'll have lots of work coming your way soon. Don't worry." So, I'd create as much work for myself as I could and spend the rest of the time writing observations about life in a cubicle. I just happened upon one of those observations and thought I'd share it. (The names have been changed to protect the innocent.)

Wednesday, March 24th, 2004

My cube neighbor at work had a baby last night. Well, his fiancée did. When I came to work this morning the office was buzzing with baby talk. “Did you hear? Bob had the baby last night. It’s a girl. A little girl!” Since I sit next to Bob, I was forced to field all of the questions from people walking by and noticing that he was absent. “Gasp! Bob's not here today? Did the baby come?!” By the end of the day I’d hear a gasp and say, without breaking keystroke, “4:26 p.m. yesterday. Serena Kaylee. 6 pounds, 12 ounces, 20 inches.”

Of course someone having a baby puts everyone in the mood to talk about their own kids. My supervisor, who sits across from me, held up a painting her 5-year-old made at school yesterday. With tears in her eyes, she insisted it was a perfect rendition of daffodils, and that her little girl was destined to be the next Rembrandt. It was a picture of yellow blobs.

The woman who sits on the other side of my cube is pregnant. As I was returning from fetching my second cup of coffee, she called me over to her desk to show me the pictures taken during her ultrasound this morning. “Have you ever been to an ultrasound?” she asked with a mixture of pity and pleasure in her tone. As if a pathetic, childless, single gal such as me was less of a woman for not experiencing this blessed joy. “Actually, I have,” I was able to reply, thanks to a friend of mine. She seemed startled. “Oh. (Pause) Well, isn’t this picture amazing? That’s my baby!” It was a picture of a grey blob.

Another woman in my department came over this afternoon with her son’s latest artistic creation. “Look what Brian made for me!” She held up a giant conglomeration of ragged, cutout red construction-paper, supposed-to-be hearts, held together by approximately 49 stickers, and scribbled on with thick black marker that bled through the paper. “It says, ‘I love you Mommy and Daddy.” “Actually,” I replied, “It says, ‘I luv you Mommy and Dabby.” She just stood there staring at it as she said, “He didn’t have any tape or glue, so he used stickers. He’s just so creative!” It was a construction paper/sticker/marker red blob.

As I walked to the bathroom after my third cup of coffee, I noticed something for the first time: Every cubicle and office was covered with pictures of families and art projects created by kids. What’s hanging in my cube? A picture of me, Kirstin, Lee and Jonathan roller skating on New Year’s Day and my own masterpiece – Sad Clown.

Happy Birthday, Me!

Today, I am 31. It's gonna be a good year. I can feel it.