Toys in the Attic

[All quotes are by John F. Kennedy] A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. Sometimes it feels as though I'm living in a cartoon world. The Bush administration is once again attempting to silent dissent by claiming those who speak out against him are aiding the enemy and essentially helping the terrorists win. Of course one of the loudest voices of protest again Bush this week is Pennsylvania Congressman, Democrat John Murtha. Murtha served in Vietnam, spent 37 years in the Marines, retiring as a Colonel, won a bronze star, and was the first Vietnam vet elected to Congress... so clearly he's a hateful, evil anti-American who only wants the terrorists to win, or as Speaker Hastert called Iraq critics, people who "would prefer that the United States surrender to the terrorists who would harm innocent Americans." See it's a cartoon world when the President and Vice-President evade fighting in Vietnam can label as gutless, someone who fought for his country for 37 years.

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. I just think there's a certain segment of the population that doesn't "get it". And I don't mean that in an intellectual elitist view. I don't disparage those who voted for President Bush, in fact I bask in the light of their democratic freedom to do so. But there seems to be a certain small segment of folks who just refuse to ever question anything as if somehow to question is to reject. Recently a town in Pennsylvania voted out 8 members of their local school board who tried to put 'intelligent design' in the science curriculum as a means of diluting the theory of evolution. Pat Robertson then went on television and essentially told the town that they shouldn't come running to God if bad tidings were heaped upon their town for their 'rejection of God'. Personally, I didn't know God followed politics like that, but to hear Robertson, and Bush (and Dobson et al) talk perhaps he does... Which begs the question: If God brings vengence upon those who vote opposite His wishes...and Florida has more hurricanes reach landfall there than anywhere else in the US...is God also saying he's a little peeved about the 2000 election? or just merely 'Stop voting for Jeb Bush for Governor'? But this is precisely the reason the Founders wished to keep religion and government separate. Notice I use the word religion (they would use 'Church') which is the human manifestation of spiritual practice, not God as an entity. The Founders didn't believe people should be athiests, but they relalized that zealotry in 'religion' is a dangerous thing, especially when partnered with government. Don't believe me? Ask the Taliban- religion dominated government.

Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners, and necessity has made us allies. Those whom God has so joined together, let no man put asunder. It's been almost 3 years since I became an expatriate. Living in a country other than one's homeland is difficult, even when that new country is so close to the old, literally and figuratively. It's tough at times to hear people, especially in class at the University, spout negative things about America- really vicious things too. Sometimes you just take it because you realize they are mistaking hatred of policy with a nation or its people, but sometimes you wonder exactly where they are coming from. Do they really think the world would be better if the US didn't exist? One hopes not at least.

If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. I read an astounding statistic in a column by George Will today... In 1991, the 546 pork projects in the 13 appropriation bills cost $3.1 billion. In 2005, the 13,997 pork projects cost $27.3 billion It seems these days the biggest endangered species is 'fiscal responsibility' and it just goes to show the phoniness of the word "conservative" in regards to todays Republican Party.

OK, enough politics...(my brother Dave is probably saying "'bout time, cracker") Anyway, so what's new? Last Sunday our power went out again (for the second straight Sunday...during football!!), so I gathered up Ginny Grace and went to a local sports pub/restaurant and watched the Falcons have another "ugly as a bucket of dead frogs" game, losing to Green Bay. Gracie is the center of attention wherever we go, and the people at the restaurant thought it was cool that she sat on the table and watched the big screen as the game was going on. If they only saw her during Hockey Night in Canada! Speaking of football...this is THE big weekend of course. BYU versus UTAH. The 'Y' vs The 'U'... Blue vs Red... I haven't checked my sports package yet to see whether I'll get the game, but they do usually show it, so hoepfully they will and I can once again put the Utes scarf on Dixie, dress Gracie up in her Utah gear, and play "I'm A Utah Man" all day on my computer...woohoo I'm struggling (as I fully expected) with my Egyptology paper. Sometimes the material is just deeply inpenetrable. Of course the difficulty I'm having is always because for the longest time I was researching the 'OLD' Kingdom, instead of the 'MIDDLE' Kingdom period...and let's just say there was a reason I was finding NOTHING. Me=Idiot. Tuesday we celebrated Gracie's 2 month birthday...she's getting sooooo big. She's already into her 3-6 month clothes because she's so tall. Picture time... This one is mostly for my mother-in-law...