August 29th, 2008
The announcement of Sarah Palin as the VP pick by Senator McCain indicates that perhaps political process may not be dead in the interest of the greater good.
Palin is phenomenal. But the real big deal is that she is the genuine article, and totally “Alaska” - self-sufficient, driven in every endeavor and not afraid of anything.
Palin’s rise could only happen in The West and could only happen in America.
We should be encouraged that a Woman of such character, transparency, and proven leadership ability is being promoted into consideration for such prominence. This is quite a swing from the “leader” (quitter) featured in my most recent post.
Here are a few excerpts from some very fine writing at Quid Nimis:
If Hillary is every man’s ex-wife, then Sarah Palin is the opposite. Too wholesome and solid to be a trophy, but someone who leaves most American men regretting whatever sad twist of fate prevented his parents from moving to Alaska.
And this:
She’s not perfection, not a Utopian vision, but a human being who has led a life that could only be led in the United States of America. She has met many challenges, in the physical realm, in the political realm and in her personal life. She has spent her life saying, “Yes, I can.” And she did.
August 28th, 2008
One month ago, Brigadier General Thomas Tinsley died of a gunshot wound to the chest. Tinsley was the commander of a premier organization within the United States Air Force. Tinsley commanded the 3rd Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska - an organization that flies a diverse collection of front-line aircraft, including the newest and most capable fighter aircraft.
It is reasonable to come to the conclusion that Tinsley purposefully took his own life, and here is why: Tinsley was a career fighter pilot, engaged in a line of work that contains no shortage of opportunities for accidental death, and that is merely in the basic operation of a complex aircraft, let alone the aspects of air combat. There are very many ways to get killed flying fighters, more than half of those ways involve some kind of complacency, technical ineptitude, or foolish risk-taking. I find it inconceivable that Tinsley would accidentally shoot himself with a simple firearm.
With this suicide premise established, I will now describe the greater significance of this event.
Continue reading
August 26th, 2008
As I reinvigorate this blog project, I am concerned that I might write again on themes that I already explored in other posts (I may repost those archives here later). However, I think that the study of humanity and the human condition will forever be warranted.
In today’s news was the story of an Iraqi teen girl, dis-armed of a bomb vest, perhaps only moments before becoming another spent human bomb. At this time it is unclear whether or not the individual was a willing participant. The article mentioned that the girl may have been drugged. However, regardless of the details of her involvement or coherent awareness, it is clear that the girls closest relatives were active participants in the dubious activity.
Continue reading
August 23rd, 2008
I studied several bumper stickers on the back of a Prius yesterday. Funny how when you read one of these you almost know what is coming next - diversity of thought is frequently absent in these cases.
One sticker said “My other car is a Prius.” This is perhaps to let us know that this person, or these people, want us to know how doubly good they are feeling about themselves for driving a hybrid.
Then there was the “Pro-Child, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice” sticker - a moral non sequitur. Then there was the obligatory “War is not the answer.” Wouldn’t the answer first depend upon the question?
However, the low point was “Don’t pray in my school and I won’t think in your church.”
Not only is this patently offensive to any ‘person of faith,’ regardless of denomination - or even regardless of religion, but it also belies an extreme ignorance on the part of the sloganeer. An indisputable characteristic that runs through Western history is that until very recently, ‘the church’ has been the prime initiator and supporter of academic learning and the institutions where said learning occurs. Much of the intellectual capacity of the West, and therefore much of the goodness and prosperity produced throughout western history, has been a result of outstanding thinking skills attributable to the Christian heritage of the West.
August 19th, 2008
It is time for a blog re-vamp and return to postings here. Standby for the new look and more activity here!