AllTheseThings

In the Course of Human Events

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry, Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery, Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott, William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris, Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark, Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross, Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean, Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton, William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn, Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Look at me...No hands!!!

Ah!  A new, safer world is now here!  At least in California.  Here, our nannies--sometimes referred to as state legislators--have implemented a hands-free-driving law.  It is probably more accurate to note that it's the phones used while driving that must be with a hands-free device.

The net effect, however, I think will be the same.  You are allowed to dial with your hands--I'm not good with my nose and I feel using my feet would make me a less-safe driver--you just can't talk with your hands (the ACLU has filed suit on behalf of all Italian-Californians.)   So, the nannies determined that it is not the concentration limitation when talking that causes the accidents, it is the holding of the phone.  That's be a bit different than my experience.  In fact, I have an unofficial--yet often utilized--rule when Mrs. More is driving:  cease all conversation 3/4ths of a mile before any major freeway interchange she should be taking.  I don't, however, stop holding hands with her.  My conclusion:  the concentration in conversations, particularly with a certain half of our species, is more important than the use of any appendages.

It now appears that the scientific research on the topic is less than conclusive--can you imagine, Sacramento passing a law before they understood the problem?  Shocking!  In this piece from the LA Times, it is shown that it is unproven what effect hands-free v. hand-held phone usage has on driving.  One study, interestingly, noted that the mere talking on the phone (hands-free or not) impaired driving as much as drunkeness.  (They do not note how drunk though.)  Also not commented on:  if a drunk was talking on the phone while driving, would the two factors cancel each other out--kind of like a double negative?

So, we have a law that isn't shown to be designed to solve a problem--diminished driving capacity based on hand usage.  The law allows a person to dial with their hands, the person just can't hold the phone to their ear with their hands.  Which do you think is more of a danger while driving:  holding or dialing?  But, for those of you who are outraged at your communication-freedom limitation, have cheer.  The law does NOT ban texting while driving.  Perfect, right.  I can't hold my hand to my head and look forward, but I can type while looking at a one inch screen.

I think this is one of these do-gooder legislative moves designed to allow the bill's sponsor some nice mail pieces on how they saved lives.  Whether it actually does so is another matter completely.  So we now have our police trying to figure out how you are using your phone--"was he texting or talking"?--while driving. Good, there's nothing better for them to do.  In any event, before Sacramento came to the rescue, I had actually implemented a few safe-driving policies of my own.  In addition to the talking-at-interchanges-with-the-Mrs., I also: 

• allow two lanes on freeways near minivans, three lanes if the driver is talking on a cell phone and: a) frantically looking over at the exit s/he was supposed to be taking or b) not frantically looking at anything;
• allow two lanes for the guy with the oversized Hollywood sun glasses talking on the phone;
• never drive one lane over and immediately behind the guy whose seat is reclined below his dashboard level (there's one for some good legislation it seems:  shouldn't there be a law saying you have to be able to physically see the road?); and
• never enter a crosswalk where someone is trying a right-on-red while talking on the phone (with or without hands) and looking at traffic to their left--they are going to turn without looking at pedestrians, we all know it, so why step out?

As is so often the case, we probably need less laws on things and more enforcement of existing rules.  If someone is driving in an unsafe manner--for whatever reason:  cell phone, yelling at kids, changing the DVD in the car, rocking out to Cheap Trick, etc.--then pull them over and cite them.  Instead, we get a goofy ok-to-text-not-to-talk law that creates a boom in hands-free-device purchases with no evidence anyone will be safer.  Oh well, at least we'll have a nice mailer telling us how many lives Sen. John Q. Moron saved while in Sacramento!

Hold on, I need to take this call,

Thomas More

allthesemore@yahoo.com

Another piece of the puzzle

I did wonder why the Americans of Japanese heritage/immigrants living on the West Coast were interned during WWII.  But here is another piece of the puzzle. The Japanese attacked Alaska, and for one year secured one or more of the Aleutian Islands.

http://www.nps.gov/archive/aleu/WWII_in_the_Aleutians.htm


Beth

allthesebeth@yahoo.com

All for a good cause?

I have often been accused of over-thinking a situation. This may well be another one of those times, but this is something I’ve been (over) thinking about recently….

In the church, and especially in small groups, we often meet newcomers who have a lot of material needs. Some of them have just recently fallen on hard times. Others have a long history of calamity.

How sympathetic I am to their situation (and how willing I am to help) is very much tied to which of these groups they fall in to. If they seem to be reasonable people who’ve had bad luck then I generally feel happy to help if I can. If I talk to them and hear about a string of bad decisions (still to be recognised as such) then my alarm bells start ringing and the barriers come up.

Is it our place to judge people in this way? God calls us to help someone in need, but should that help ever be conditional on the recipient having sound judgement? If not, then how can we be sure that our provision for them will really help? 

There is more I could say, but I don’t want to be accused of over-writing as well as over thinking, so I’ll just let you, my fellow Saints and friends, straighten me out.

Philomena

allthesephilomena@yahoo.com

Goodbye, Tim

We lost a wonderful man today -- Tim Russert passed away after being a veritable icon of political journalism.  He was tough, smart and surprisingly fair in a very difficult industry.  He also seemed to be a good family man.  I and many others will miss seeing him interview and give his commentary, particularly this election year.  It won't be the same without him.

Just reminds me that death will come to us all.  Are we ready to meet the Lord?

Lucy

Prep Work

Last week we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is a favorite spot for my seven year old and me.  After studying Egypt, we spent almost 2 hours in the Egyptian collection; she knew more than the junior college kids falling asleep in front of the Temple of Dandur.  Last month we rented the audio guide and she was engrossed in the Greek and Roman Collection before and after lunch.  But this most recent visit we went because my aunt was visiting. We had not studied any new period closely, so we meandered around.  L. enjoyed the audio tour again, but was more aimless. (The biblical imagery was understandable to her.  My 4 year old and I reasoned out who we thought was the bad thief and who was the good thief.  She had good reasons, but the artists were not as interested in the thieves as we were.)

Anyway.  What struck me following our most recent tour was how much L. benefited from studying a period before seeing the great works from that period.  It was the same reaction I had today at Muscoot Farms; the animals fascinated the children: the farm tools they had no concept of were ignored.  Being a homeschooling mom, this is helping me focus what we study and where we go for field trips.

Still Learning,

Beth

allthesebeth@yahoo.com

Set free

There have been a lot of worship songs floating around in my head recently. Today, these words are going round and round as I work…..

“My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace”

I have no idea why. We didn’t sing them last Sunday. But nevertheless it is interesting to think about the words. “My chains are gone, I’ve been set free”. I just looked at the guy who sits next to me at work and wondered what they would mean to him, a pretty hardcore atheist. To him it might be like a foreign language, or at the very least, some old fashioned words written by a religious fanatic.

But I wonder if I can relate to them any more than he can. Did I ever feel like I was “in chains”? If I didn’t, can I really appreciate being “set free”? But it is good this morning to have those words in my head (coming from who-knows-where) and to remember that sin is slavery and life with Christ is freedom. Whether I realise it at the time or not, I was in chains and I put myself back in chains every day when I chose anything other than God. It’s sad when we see it the other way around: sin becomes “freedom” and God is oppressive. I know that’s the prevailing wisdom out in the world, and probably in the thoughts of my friend in the next cubicle.

I’m thinking about breaking out in song to see if I can get the message across. Although, I might find myself back in chains when they lock me up for being a religious fanatic!

Philomena

allthesephilomena@yahoo.com  

Fan

I was never a groupie; the number of concerts I went to can be counted on one hand.  But two days ago I enjoyed an hour as a fan and went with my mother to a book reading by author Leif Enger.  He read from his new book, "So Brave, Young, and Handsome."

Enger's first novel "Peace Like a River" sold 1 million copies, and now seven years later his second novel is doing well, too.  They both take place in the MidWest among manly men; his audience was composed of men and women.  I try to read 21st century novels, but their angst and overtly base descriptions send me away.  Not so with Enger.  I can read his books without wondering what I'll need to filter out in the next chapter.  But more attractive than the lack of horror is the numinous, all-permeating kindness, gentleness, mercy and attendant humor.  Enger loves his characters and during his reading spoke of them as if they were real - outside of himself.  He smiles at their faults and loves them anyway.  Both of Enger's books search for redemption - and his bad guy is searching for justice, even immortality:  but an earthly one.

I cannot recommend Enger's books highly enough. His writing is poetic, funny, earthy; he also knows his history.

Reading in Peace and Joy,

Beth

allthesebeth@yahoo.com

How about some new soccer GOALS?

So we're getting ready to have the final game of the spring soccer season, and I get the expected e-mail about gifts for the coaches, pizza and cake for the kids, and medals.  Ah, the medals.  At least it's not trophies, I thought.  Last season, all the kids got trophies with their names on them.  They were thrilled... until they got home, and the trophies were completely ignored.

This time, when the e-mail came around, I had to speak up.  I told my husband, "I'm going to suggest we don't give out awards to all the players."

Ever the diplomat, he said, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

“What?  When we were young we never got trophies unless we were MVP or Most Improved Player or something like that.” 

He said, “I know – it was the same for us.  But it’s a different world now.  Now people get a trophy just for showing up.” 

I said, “Actually, you don’t even need to show up.  You just need your name on the roster.” 

At the risk of offending, I sent the e-mail.  Do you know what?  Everyone agreed!!  One mom even wrote, "Amen. I agree 100%, I just didn't have the guts to suggest something so countercultural!  With your suggestion as the excuse, however, I'll put it to the group!"

Is it any wonder that college graduates expect to make 6 figures right out of school?  Why even get a job when you can live at home and mooch off your parents?

Youth soccer today has been stripped of many of the beneficial aspects of sports.  The coaches don't keep score lest a player feel "inadequate."  Let me tell you, every kid on the field is keeping score.  My 5-year-old son made the mistake last week of saying, "We're gonna BEAT 'EM!" right before kick off.  The coach quickly corrected his exuberance.

You know, if you take away the score, you also take away most of the incentive to try.  And then, give every kid a trophy regardless of whether he even moved his butt off the sideline, and you render every trophy meaningless.

Competition is real-life, people.  Even when children are children, a little competition helps them work hard and gain a sense of accomplishment.  If a few tears are shed too, it won't kill them.  Frankly, we're killing our kids more by coddling them and rewarding them for nothing.

This soccer mom has had enough,

Lucy P.

Finley's Birthday

This is a remarkable story about a mother who--mercifully--failed in her attempt to abort her son.  She had lost a child previously to a kidney disease, and her second son has kidney problems.  Fearing the emotional trauma of losing another child to kidney problems, she thought she would abort baby number three--Finley.  The mom had the procedure, which failed.  She learned it didn't work weeks later upon feeling "fluttering" in her tummy and returned to the hospital.  Learning the boy had survived, she decided to carry him to term.

Finley was born and has only minor kidney problems.  Doctor's anticipate he will grow and have a 'normal' life.  Hopefully someone will follow up with Finley and his mom after his first steps, first day of school, prom, graduation, wedding, or child's birth, etc. to see if they think mom made the right decision. 

Thomas More

allthesemore@yahoo.com

Codependent Driving

Driving in Westchester County, just north of New York City, has healing properties.  Of course one is always considering ones mortality, which is good.  But I was also able to laugh at myself the other day.  Driving 9 miles over the speed limit, the pharisee in me looked in my rear view mirror to see someone on my tail.  I pulled over and watched the car weave in and out of traffic.  Years ago, I remember thinking, "I should stay in the fast lane and drive what I think is a reasonable speed and not let someone pass because then I will be allowing/condoning their speeding behavior."  That reaction is textbook codependency.  It is the same thinking that leads a wife to pour out her husband's alcohol so that there is none in the house.  I can change behavior by controlling the environment.  Most of you know that is not so. It is really exciting to me to be figuring this out, even in my fourth decade of life.

As I have mentioned before, Al-anon is new in my life and has been hugely helpful.  Moving over and letting the driver make his own choices and not watching for him to be pulled over or in an accident ("I told you so.  If only you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened.") was exciting and freeing.

I have to go to the grocery store today - who knows what the roads will teach me today.

Beth

allthesebeth@yahoo.com

Verbal Cues

This past week I had the privilege to be part of a group of seminary students who were being trained to visit hospital patients.  One might think (I did) that visiting previously unknown patients is fairly straightforward stuff:  simply go in to a person’s room who, say, is suffering from cancer, and exercise the same social and listening skills that we wield at a drinks party.  Of course, the man at the drinks party has a tremendous ego who can’t listen to another person’s words and is more concerned about himself and how he is perceived than listening to the content of speech across from him.  At least I am, such is the grip of vanity.  But a patient who has saline solution instead of a gin and tonic, and who doesn’t care in the least about YOU has, naturally, different needs.

Some of those needs come out in verbal cues.  The female readers of this blog probably already know this by instinct, but for a tone-deaf male like me, this is news.  Little things, like when the patient says,

“It’s been a long stay – and the food stinks.”  Or,

“You’re the first person who has come by to visit.” Or,

“It’s a beautiful day outside – I hope I can be discharged tomorrow.”

….are all like doorways.  The emotion, the worries, the thing that concerns them are floating up to the surface of their conversation, and in their way, asking for attention. The teacher at the hospital this week gave as much help as she could to assist us in catching these cues, perhaps knocking at the doorways such conversations present, and helping a patient go one step further in expressing what it is that most troubles them.

I do not mean to parade a discourse about active listening, but the wonder at how often people mention things in the course of their speech which indicate hurt, worry, fear, and loneliness.  And it’s not only in hospitals.

St. Nicodemus

Demi

More of her books, is what I want.  Demi writes and lavishly illustrates books of ancient folktales which my daughters and I love.  "The Empty Pot" tells the story of a child who, guided by his father, chooses honesty over winning a contest which will determine the next emperor.  Demi's painting is in the style of chinese painting; in "Firebird", which takes place in Russia, the illustrations remind one of lacquered Palekh boxes.  There is nothing cartoon-y or insipid in either the stories or the pictures.  Instead, one is drawn to the intricacy and richness of detail, in both word and illustration.  Before a child is reading, he is spending thousands of hours hearing words and seeing pictures.  It seems to me after seven years and countless hours of reading mountains of books that goodness, truth and beauty in the spoken word and illustrations are crucial to their formation.

Beth

allthesebeth@yahoo.com

P.S. Not to be confused with the Hollywood version who shares the author's name.

Going back in time

A few days ago I was rummaging through my childhood closet and noticed a piece of paper with some handwriting I didn’t recognise. When I pulled out the paper to take a closer look, this is what a read:

‘Ninevah city was a city of sin
The jazzing and the jiving made a terrible din
Beat groups playing a rock and roll
And the Lord when He heard it said ‘Bless my Soul!’’

Any guesses? Here’s some more……

‘The people wouldn’t listen, danced night and day
No time for work, no time to pray
They went on dancing by day and night
‘Till the Lord he said ‘Well this ‘aint right!’’

Yes, it was the words to that classic Childrens’ choral piece ‘Jonah Man Jazz’, which tells the bible story of Jonah.  I vaguely remember performing it with my Sunday school class exactly one million years ago. Well, maybe not that long ago, but it certainly seems that way.  I do remember there were a lot of words to memorize and I felt quite proud of myself once it was over.  I guess I was so proud that I decided to keep the song sheet in my closet (aka The Time Capsule).

Reading back through just the first few paragraphs of Jonah Man Jazz made me laugh.  I know there’s a certain amount of poetic licence involved with making things rhyme and this also needs to be tailored for a PG crowd, but take a look at the ‘sins’ the Ninevites were guilty of……

1)    Jazzing
2)    Jiving
3)    Playing rock and roll music
4)    Dancing

It’s rebellious stuff indeed.  It certainly makes me question every marriage celebration I’ve ever been to!  Another favourite line is ‘A city dancing, dancing and romancing, all too obviously to virtue must be blind!’

It may be relevant that Jonah Man Jazz was written in 1966, in the midst of the ‘sex, drugs and rock and roll’ social revolution.  So maybe ‘dancing and romancing’ was a polite euphemism for a lot more than that.  It probably also signified a spirit of rebellion against anything organised, especially organised religion.  The church needed to oppose this rebellion and anything associated with it! ‘Dancing and romancing’ was definitely off the list.

The Ninevites were probably just as rebellious as the teenagers of the ‘60’s.  The writer of Jonah Man Jazz (Michael Hurd) was using the most relevant description of sin (rebellion) that he could, or at least one which connected most with his audience at the time, to get the point across. 

Yes, times have changed.  Our tendency towards rebellion is still there, but I’m very happy to be able to play music and dance (maybe even ‘romance’!?) without condemnation!

Philomena

allthesephilomena@yahoo.com

Prince Caspian

It has been, perhaps unsurprisingly, a very Lewisian weekend. A good friend, Rev. Dr. Michael Ward, visited our family and we all ventured to see the new film release, Prince Caspian. In general, I am an unshakeable purist as far as cinematic “adaptations” go: virtually no book I have loved has ever been improved by screenwriters in the transition from page to screen. Whether it be Austen, Lewis, Tolkien, or Dickens, the Faustian bargain of exchanging word for image has always been disappointing, and at times, infuriating. It only gets worse when quite modest (at best) screenwriters and directors put their stamp on exquisite dialogue and plot. With all that admitted, and in many instances replicated in the case of Prince Caspian, this film satisfies the viewer more than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Perhaps The Lion on screen wrestled viewers sufficiently away from the book to allow an even greater freedom for future Narnia Chronicles. Indeed, all of Prince Caspian’s variations and permutations suggested the original book but obviously did not feel obliged to it. The additions to plot and dialogue echo, in a sense, the classical tradition of retelling by authors and playwrights who really had no strong fidelity to an original, authorized, version. Homer’s Iliad and Sophocles’ Oedipus all benefited – and suffered – from successive retellings. Has Narnia become so mythic as to join the stockpile of characters and plots who can all be, within reason, reconfigured for a given version? Will its flexibility mean resilience and continued imaginative power? Perhaps, and purists such as myself would do well to avoid an Ossified Version that crosses all genres. Moreover, it was a powerful and violent film. It was martial from the word “go”, with early battles leading to ever greater and more massive final battles; its character development depended on conflict to an almost absurd degree (e.g. Caspian and Peter in a perpetual adolescent battle of ego’s). Yet, and again yet, the fundamentals of belief in redemption against all hope and the absolute power of the Lord of heaven and earth (and water) made for a highly thrilling story.

Even more satisfying on Narnia was Dr. Ward’s recent talk on C. S. Lewis at “Socrates in the City” in New York, a fantastic outfit run by Eric Metaxas. Dr. Ward is a scholar, who through decades of love for the Narnia tales, first discerned an astonishing depth to Lewis’s “childrens” books. OUP was so taken by his discovery about Narnia that they published his dissertation on the Chronicles in the book Planet Narnia, which details the way in which C.S. Lewis used an imaginative conception from the Middle Ages to create the governing scheme for all seven Chronicles. In short, no one for fifty years had seen, before Dr. Ward, the manner in which a medieval conception of the cosmos as articulated in their astronomy – and taught by Lewis for decades as a scholar – made for that perfect number seven in Lewis’s books. Nor had anyone seen the way in which the seven planets gave the very atmosphere of each of the Narnia books. For more, read the book (or visit www.planetnarnia.com), as the author does a masterful job in explaining why the Chronicles are far more than bald Christian allegories. By Jove!

Nicodemus

What do I say?

This is an email from young friends whose baby is returning to the Lord.  V is about 115 days old.  Here is the most recent email from her parents.  I think it is an excellent representation of what people feel and think when someone they know is passing on. They are saying what most people cannot say themselves.  So, when you know someone who is passing on or whose family or friend is dying, reread this, and follow their request.

"We wanted to add something at the risk of sounding rude, but hopefully it will be helpful to some.  People often say, "I don't know what to say," so they don't say anything or don't call or write.  The thing that has brought us this far is the love and support of friends and family--you are the hands of Jesus to us.  Please don't stop communicating just because you don't know what to say (though try to avoid, "It'll be all right," or, "Are you over it yet?" or, "She's in a better place now," because those aren't really words of comfort at a time like this). We already feel so empty knowing our girl is slipping away...we need the constant support of friends and family to help us work through this grief.  We aren't great at phone calls at this time (we can't talk on our phone in the room--it will interfere with the monitors) but we do appreciate the letters and calls and emails we have received from you.  We want to talk about V. because we want to remember her and never forget our little treasure.  We just wanted you to know how much your support has meant to us both and how much we will continue to rely upon it."

Beth

allthesebeth@yahoo.com

Which Era Mentality Do We Choose?

This is a sobering time to be alive.  Myanmar, China, rising food prices, rising gas prices, and now, my husband informs me of a worldwide water shortage.  No matter which political party you prefer, the election in November is unpredictable.  Add in Iran, Russia, Libya, Syria and most of the Middle East, and there are myriad reasons to be concerned. 

Growing up in Miami in the 70's and 80's, my family lived with a Depression-Era mentality.  When we went out, we always ordered water to drink, could only order chicken and occasionally could share one dessert among us all.  We usually didn't buy designer clothes.  I remember begging my parents for the popular items (a Seiko watch and a Cabbage Patch doll, for example), and they refused.  They also refused to buy me a car, unlike most of my friends at school.  My sister and I drove an old station wagon that smelled like rotten eggs whenever it idled.

Looking back, the "sacrifices" we made were hardly significant.  We never suffered... not even close.  We never really went without at all.  But my parents who could have afforded to buy many things, chose not to.

Now my husband and I have an opportunity to raise our own kids.  Which "era" mentality will we choose? 

In this sobering time, I have tried to educate my children about the realities of our world.  They are young-- just 3, 5 and 6 -- but they know about Myanmar, China, Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the world food crisis and cancer.  We read The Washington Post together and discuss current events because this is real life.  I suppose you could say we're living with a Neo-Depression Era mentality. 

We say no a lot.  We don't buy tons of toys.  We usually order water in restaurants; we're trying to go out to eat less, and we recently filled boxes with food for a local food bank.  It's a lesson we're trying to teach our children as well as our own selves.  I think the whole country is moving in that direction. As Philomena aptly pointed out in a recent post, America seems to be moving back to some of the values of the Depression:  Saving.  Postponing pleasures. Saying no.  Helping others. 

As we seek to embrace some of the positive elements of the Depression, it may help prepare us for difficult times ahead.  Just as important, it reminds us that our blessings as Americans are both incredibly abundant and rare.

Grateful,

Lucy Pevensie (for the Pevensies, young and old)

A State of Denial

I hope you get a chance to read this article--"Republicans Are in Denial"--in the Wall Street Journal today.  The piece is written by Senator Coburn of Oklahoma.   I assume Sen. Coburn is obviously a big All These Things reader, as he's hitting on many of the same themes I've been writing about for some time now!  Republicans cannot assume all is well and that they just need a new ad campaign.  They do not need an image makeover, they need a new, limited-government direction with their policies.  Without it, they will suffer massive losses in November.

Coburn writes: 

Many Republicans are waiting for a consultant or party elder to come down from the mountain and, in Moses-like fashion, deliver an agenda and talking points on stone tablets. But the burning bush, so to speak, is delivering a blindingly simple message: Behave like Republicans.

Unfortunately, too many in our party are not yet ready to return to the path of limited government. Instead, we are being told our message must be deficient because, after all, we should be winning in certain areas just by being Republicans. Yet being a Republican isn't good enough anymore. Voters are tired of buying a GOP package and finding a big-government liberal agenda inside. What we need is not new advertising, but truth in advertising.

Truth in advertising is exactly the problem Congressional Republicans faced in getting whooped in 2006.  The GOP said it was the party of limited government, and then turned around and increased the size and scope of federal government throughout President Bush's term.  All a consultant could say is "don't do that; find areas to undo what you've done."  But undoing your own mistakes, rather than harping on the other side's mistakes, is difficult in a political setting.  Nevertheless, "righting the ship" must happen, and sooner is better than later.  As I wrote previously on a story saying the GOP was going "to bring in consultants and auditors to figure recent losses out,"and sounding a bit like the good Senator Coburn:

In reading the story, however, I was chagrined to learn that the actual plan is for audits and new consultants.  Great, audits and consultants.

The House GOP leadership, and back benchers, are rightly disturbed by 3 recent special election losses.  ...  The solution, I'm afraid, is not in the land of audits, name calling, and consultants.  That is, unless the audits and consultants show that the problem the GOP has is not tied to deploying the proper political resources to the right location.

Here is how Sen. Coburn suggests they begin regaining GOP brand identity, and I agree:

Regaining our brand as the party of fiscal discipline will require us to rejoin Americans in the real world of budget choices and priorities, and to leave behind the fantasyland of borrowing without limits. Instead of adopting earmarks, each Republican can adopt examples of government waste, largess and fraud, and restart the permanent campaign against big government.

This is not rocket science.  The GOP has always stood for freedom.  That was the issue--found in 'the proposition' that 'all men are created equal'--that gave the party its reason for being.  A strong notion of individual freedom is what compels a person to seek a limited government.  Historically, and logically, it is without exception in human experience that when a government's powers grow, the citizens' freedom contracts.  Debating about size of government, spending plans, budgets, etc., however, is not compelling T.V. for most viewers.  The debate, therefore, must be about individual freedom--that is compelling to all--even though budgets, powers, and spending are directly related to citizens' freedoms.  Sometimes, however, this connection is less than obvious.  The GOP must explain this connection.

The GOP is poorly positioned to talk seriously about its belief in freedom without a track record of limiting government when it was in power.  At the very least GOP leaders should offer a plan for the future, that is realistic and believable, that proposes to reduce government.  In essence, the 'brand image' or 'party image' must flow from the product being made or policies promoted.  You cannot 're-brand' something--at least in a sustainable, long-lasting way--if you don't have anything different to offer.

In the pre-Civil War years, the Whigs and the Democrats didn't offer much difference on slavery--the fundamental 'freedom issue' of the day.  The difference between the two parties, therefore, was minor and uninteresting.  One brand died, the other lived--but who really cares which was which, they were really the same.  If the GOP falls into a mold of being Democrat-lite it will also go the way of the Whigs.  History shows that we will never lose a pro-big-government party, but we don't need two.  History also shows that without demonstrating a clear difference from the 'government growers' the limited-government party will shrink or even cease to be.

I do not think that will be good for liberty's cause.

Thomas More

allthesemore@yahoo.com

Bringing the Ball Back

I have a close friend who is waiting for her family to be given government permission to open a branch office of an existing company in a restricted Muslim country.  It seems they are made to take 3 steps forward, 2 steps back, and sometimes 10 steps back all at one time!  I've been so encouraged by the faith and faithfulness of her and her husband as they go through this process.  She wrote this to me a few days ago:

"Lately I have been having such a struggle with the Lord over different issues that I have felt like my times with him have been devoid of the usual joy.  I cried out to him asking for his help. Here’s how he answered: 

I was sitting at the edge of a field when a woman and her dog came onto the field to play with a big red ball.  The Lord said to me, “Watch this…it is for you.”  I sat there attentively watching the woman play ball with her dog.  Back and forth they played.  The master threw the ball and the dog picked it up and joyfully brought it back to her master.  The dog’s tail wagged and the joy was exuding.  They were having a great time playing their game.

He said, “I am the master and you are the dog.  We are playing a game.  I throw you different issues in life, hurts, struggles, joys, challenges…you name it.  Your job is to bring them right back to my feet.  This allows you to remain in my joy – tail wagging.  I’ll keep throwing things and your job is just to bring them back to my feet.”

There was one time when the dog brought the ball back to them master’s feel, but she didn’t drop it.  She still held it in her mouth and stood at the master’s feet.  She just wasn’t ready to drop it.  Her tail
didn’t wag, she just sat there with the ball in her mouth.  I noticed that the master never tried to yank the ball out of the dog’s mouth.  The dog just sat there next to the master while the master gently petted the dog with the ball in her mouth.  When she was ready, the dog dropped the ball and the master and the dog resumed their joyful game.

Another time the master threw the ball, but instead of catching the ball, the dog wandered off into the trees and was looking around at things.  The master never yelled – “Hey!  Get back here, you dog!”  or
“Yo Dog!  Get the ball!”  Nor did the master go and drag the dog over to the ball or criticize it for being in the trees.  Rather, the master stood there and patiently waited while the dog wandered in the trees. At last, the dog perked up and realized, “oh yeah, the ball…that’s right…forgot all about that one.”  The dog went back to the ball and brought it back to her master’s feet and the catching and throwing of
the ball continued.

As we are continuing to look at our future with not a whole lot of clarity in terms of dates for our move to ---, I am daily, sometimes many times a day, needing to bring the “ball” back to the Lord and let
go of it at His feet."

Fetch,

Theresa Olive

Right the Ship, Indeed

I was somewhat encouraged when I saw the headline in today's Washington Post:  "In Wake of Defeats, House GOP Moves to Right the Campaign Ship."  When the Post capitalized "Right" I thought they meant the House GOP leadership was going to make a policy adjustment and unveil some real differences with the Democrats.  In reading the story, however, I was chagrined to learn that the actual plan is for audits and new consultants.  Great, audits and consultants.

The House GOP leadership, and back benchers, are rightly disturbed by 3 recent special election losses.  Two of those losses came in solid GOP areas.  One, in fact, was the seat formerly held by the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert.  The solution, I'm afraid, is not in the land of audits, name calling, and consultants.  That is, unless the audits and consultants show that the problem the GOP has is not tied to deploying the proper political resources to the right location.

Instead, the leadership needs to sail the ship in a different policy direction, and effectively communicate this change of course.  Presently, the House GOP is seen as the group that brought you:  1) the Iraq War; 2) increased domestic spending, with a Republican President; 3) earmarks and pork barreling; and 4) Mark Foley and Duke Cunningham--with a side dish of Abramoff.  The Democrats bring--and will bring after this year's election--you:  1) belly aching about Bush & Iraq--with no actual change in course, but effective complaining and righteous indignation nevertheless; 2) increased domestic spending, with anyone as President; 3) earmarks and pork barreling done by true pros of federal spending; 4) no Foley-Cunningham-Abramoff; and 5) tax increases in the name of 'fiscal responsibility' as a means of paying for all the Republican's years of lavish spending!

Essentially then, the GOP gets you the same size--and consequent cost--of federal government, plus an unpopular war.  They are able to do all this with an aura of possible scandal and corruption.  The problem is that after years in power, the leadership got comfortable with the perks of power and ways of Washington, D.C.  They were popular back home if they brought home the goodies.  Thus, the debate became "where should we spend federal dollars on projects that have NOTHING to do with the federal government's role?" rather than "where can we limit and reduce the reach of the federal government, so that our citizens have more freedom individually?"

The first question was answered:  "In Republican districts."  There has been no answer to the second question--from the GOP leadership, who gets the media time--for years now.  It is, however, long past time to re-engage that issue.  Simply put, the GOP will not change its image unless it relaunches--with a message suited for the present times--the timeless ideas that brought Lincoln and Reagan to power:  Lincoln looked at the proposition: "all men are created equal."  With that equality comes the idea that the government must be limited in order to not sap you and I of our individual rights to choose what we ought to do--with our time, family, and money.  The larger the government grows--the more it interferes with your daily life--the less freedom you have.  When a government bureaucrat gets to decide your life for you, you are no longer equal to him.  This is made worse when the government official helps one citizen--maybe a prominent figure in a powerful Congressman's district--and harms you, all by government fiat.  Where is the equality of man there?

Reagan's rise came, domestically, from the realization that government is, generally, not the solution, and thus ought to be boxed in--a similar realization as the Founders had, which is why federal power was limited by the Constitution and Bill of Rights.  Yes, it is necessary in some places:  national defense, interstate commerce, securing our borders, etc.  But it is not needed, and is in fact harmful, in most other places.  Thus, contrary to Progressives' assumptions, reducing--not simply limiting growth, but actually reducing--the size and reach of government helps the nation and its people.

But equality of man and reducing government are not the themes I hear emanating from the halls of Congress.  Instead, it seems the message is "spend on this (GOP idea or district) not on that (Dem idea or district.)"  The GOP will lose that type of debate.  It cannot be the party of "spend here not there" it must be the party of "stop spending."  If America wants tried and true federal tax-and-spenders, they will vote Democratic.  They must be given a party to vote for if they actually want the opposite.

I hope the audits and consultants reveal this to our Congressional GOP leaders.  If they don't, we are in for a tough November.  Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana put it best:  "The Republican Party as a whole has a credibility problem."  Not taking bold stands on government spending and control reduces the credibility of the party of "limited government."

For a bold, new direction,

Thomas More

allthesemore@yahoo.com

Are you hungry?

I came across a very interesting scene earlier today and I thought I’d share it. I was heading through campus to the gym. In the center of the plaza were two groups of people trying to get students’ attention. One lady was standing in a open space carrying a bible and wearing a T shirt which read “Only sin-free saints go to heaven”. On the other side was a group of students standing over a BBQ, selling hot-dogs to raise money to send kids to camp.

Both sides were yelling to the crowd. The hot dog students: “Hey, are you hungry? Hot dogs for $1! Help send kids to camp!” The bible lady: (couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, but I heard the name “Antichrist” several times).
As they were no more than 20 feet apart, the voices were mingling with each other and increasing in volume, each side clearly frustrated at the competition. As I walked by, the hot dog students apparently decided to make the best of their challenging situation…..

“I think there was something about hot dogs in the bible!!”. The crowd burst out laughing.

It was such a bizarre scene, it prompted an equally bizarre thought. If Jesus was here, I wonder which camp he would be in? Would he be wearing an ominous T shirt and shouting about the antichrist, or serving hot dogs to raise money for summer camp? I can’t say with 100% certainty, but I have a pretty good idea…….   

Philomena

allthesephilomena@yahoo.com

Some Priceless Lessons

The signs are everywhere: oil prices are through the roof, mortgage lenders are in crisis, people are losing their jobs and their homes. We are firmly in a Recessi….er, I mean economic slow-down.

Personally I’m laying low and keeping my head down. I go to work, pay the mortgage, fill up the car with gas as much as a can and try and remain thankful for what I have. But there’s one time when the economic situation confronts me and that’s when I walk into a clothing store. The “sale” section used to be right at the back, in a corner. Now the whole store is covered in red tags. And I used to be able to browse for a least a couple of minutes before being approached by an over-enthusiastic sales assistant, checking if I was finding everything OK and if I had any questions. Now I can barely get across the threshold before being accosted. Not only are they checking if I’m OK and if they can help me find anything but I get a 5 minute presentation on applying for their store credit card. And then another presentation by another sales assistant 5 minutes later. I’m not buying it, and neither is anyone else, apparently. 

If you’re a store owner, this is obviously bad news. But for the rest of us, I’m beginning to think there are significant benefits to our current situation. In a world full of credit cards and “no payments until 2009”, finally we are beginning to understand that having a lot of stuff is not a fundamental human right; it is a privilege. Yes, we all need basic food and clothing, but if we can’t afford Grand Theft Auto IV and a plasma screen to play it on then we will still be OK (better than OK). What do we really need in life? Do we still have it in abundance? The answer for me is “yes” and I think it’s easier for me to recognise it now.

I wouldn’t want anyone to lose their job or their home, but I think this current financial situation is reminding us of some valuable truths: we are not entitled to have material blessings, they are a gift from God, and He is still making sure we have everything we need. 

Philomena

allthesephilomena@yahoo.com

Struggling

I've been struggling.  You see, my children won't obey.  They whine and talk back and give me attitude, and I'm getting worn out.  The fact that I'm homeschooling means that I get a full dose of this nearly every day all day long.  You would think the fact that I'm with them all the time would mean that I would have trained them NOT to do such things.  But alas, they have not "arrived" yet, so to speak.  (In their defense, they don't disobey ALL the time.  But sometimes it seems quite frequent! :)

I have spent many hours reading parenting books, coming up with my disciplinary strategies, etc.  I have spent many hours praying and asking God to give me patience, wisdom and clarity as to how I should parent them.  But the most convicting thing I've read lately was in I Samuel 3:13 when God says that He is ready to punish Eli, the priest, because, "I have warned him continually that judgment is coming for his family, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn't disciplined them."  Eli and his sons would die soon after.

My children aren't blaspheming God, but I still have a responsibility to discipline them.  Their behavior is my responsibility, especially while they are young.  One day it will be theirs alone, but hopefully by then, they will have learned how to submit to the Lord and obey Him directly, after learning to obey their Mom and Dad in their youth.

Working every day to do better (by God's Spirit),

Lucy 

Made Whole with a Hole - or, Why Faith?

When my friend, Bryan, was in Jr. High he slammed his finger in a door.  We had been goofing around, running and slamming doors and his Dad told us, "Stop! You are going to get hurt!"  Bryan disobeyed and whack!  Door, slam, finger, ouch!  The nail turned purple the pressure built.  To go to his Dad with this injury would be to admit disobedience so Bryan tried everything to alleviate the pain...distraction, diversion, sedation - nothing worked.  Finally he couldn't take it anymore, the pain and pressure was killing him. So he went to his Dad admitted his guilt, asked for forgiveness and received it.  Now, if his Dad had stopped there, at forgiveness, what would you think of him?

He didn't.

His Dad said, "FOLLOW me."  We went into the garage, he dug around in the tool box and pulled out a butane torch and drill.  He lit the torch to sanitize the drill bit.  Our eyes were popping out of our heads!  The plan at this point was apparent - Bryan was not...Poof!

Bryan could apologize, he could be nice, he could start to obey, he could praise his Dad...but none of that would accomplish the healing that could only come from - faith, from following and obeying his Dad. 

What if forgiveness is just the beginning, not the end of what God has in store for us?  Gosh, I hope so, because I need a "hole" lot more than just forgiveness.

Be His,

Didymus

Three beautiful words

“I don’t know.”

May we teach these to our children.  First, so that they know we are not God.  Second, so that they can see how one learns: “Let’s go find out.”  Third, so that when they have a job, they know what to say when they do not know.  Honesty, humility, truth: they revive the soul.

Beth

allthesebeth@yahoo.com

Go BoJo!

You probably don’t keep as close an eye on British politics as I do, so you may have missed some high drama a few weeks ago. On the heels of national polls indicating that the Conservatives had the highest lead over Labour since Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, the Tories swept to victory in local elections held all over the country. For many years they have been considered “unelectable”. But now, possibly due to some party “regrouping”, combined with a nationwide disappointment with Gordon Brown, Labour's successor to Tony Blair, they are enjoying a new found hope that they shall soon be back at Number 10 Downing Street.

The most exciting election was for the Mayor of London. It was exciting because the Conservative candidate was one of my favorite politicians and journalists, Boris Johnson. Boris is a sight to behold: a mop of shaggy yellow hair and tired eyes that make him look like he just rolled out of bed. But don’t let that soporific appearance fool you. Boris is not afraid to tell you what he thinks! And aside from generally agreeing with his politics, his forthrightness is what gives me the most hope.

This forthrightness has been labeled as a political liability. On the list of “Boris Johnson’s Key Challenges as London Mayor”, in amongst crime, community cohesion and preparation for the 2012 Olympics is:

“Gaffes: His love of speaking freely was kept in check during his campaign, but will he be able to restrain himself and avoid public controversy during four years in office?”

Is speaking freely really such a political crime? Speaking as someone who is sick of political correctness sucking all the substance out of any speech, I say “let the free speech flow”! Of course, this depends on who is doing the speaking! I'm not advocating any kind of hate-speech or incitement to violence. But at this stage, the pendulum has swung so far in favor of not offending anyone that most politicians are afraid to say anything that we don’t already know. After 8 years of beaurocratic mess, London needs leadership, not pandering. So I would much rather Boris spoke his mind and risked a few “gaffes” than become some kind of stiff, smartly dressed crowd-pleaser.

Just look at a photo of Boris. Read just a few lines of any of his articles (like this one or even better, this one) and it will become clear that he does not care one bit about what other people think. And, in my opinion, people with good ideas SHOULD speak loudly and clearly. So, although I will miss his newspaper column, (which I’m assuming he will have to let slide in favor of more important matters), I still say,

“Go BoJo!” London needs you.

Philomena

allthesephilomena@yahoo.com   

Ice Cream Shops

Our seven year old struggles with a glass half empty.  Yesterday she played all day with her best friend, watched a movie and had friends to dinner. She bewailed the fact that she hadn’t had time to read 'Peter Pan’. Here is an image that seemed to help her see the folly.

You are taken to an ice cream shop.  You choose a chocolate chip ice cream on a sugar cone. Licking it with pleasure, your eye spies the caramel ice cream. You drop the cone on the floor and cry out, “But I don’t get to have caramel!”

A smile dawned on her face.

This parenting is tough work.  Patience is not a natural virtue in me.  But then, I guess I struggle with the same temptations as our daughter!

Beware of falling apples.

Beth

allthesebeth@yahoo.com

3 Out of 3 Politicians Agree: It's All Bush's Fault

Victor Davis Hanson, over at National Review Online, makes an interesting argument about the current campaign.  Unlike elections since 1952, no one is running as President or Vice President.  As a result, no one is defending the current Administration or its policies.  In fact, all three major candidates have a vested interested in blaming Bush for America's problems, and then saying they are best able to fix them.

Thus, where Obama or Clinton might disagree on Iraq, they can constantly use the media to play up problems with the Iraq policy, and have no incentive to point out things that might be going well.  Similarly, McCain disagrees with Bush on spending--and I agree with McCain on that.  Therefore, McCain can attack Bush's overspending, while not mentioning their similarities on Iraq policy.  In summary, all three candidates make an already unpopular President the national punching bag.  In past elections, the nominee from the President's party would likely have a vested interest in securing and upholding the predecessor's legacy (think Bush the Elder for Reagan or Gore for Clinton.)

Here is a key passage from Hanson's article:

It’s been noted here before that we have not had an election since 1952 in which an incumbent president or vice president was not running in at least partial defense of an existing administration’s record.

That means Bush is not just a lame duck but an easy target for all three current candidates — none of whom have any investment in the president’s legacy.

Consider that the last president in a similar position was Harry Truman. He left office with an approval rating in the 20s, and it took years before historians revised the standard negative and mostly unfair view of him.

When there is no incumbent in a long race, almost everything of the last four years becomes fair and uncontested game. In 2004, Bush defended his record for months on the stump; now it has become almost second nature for all three candidates to denounce it daily.

John McCain has distanced himself from Bush as much as he can, even as his Democratic opponents dub him John McBush — when they are not outdoing each other in their denunciation of the president.

I have often said that I believe history books will treat Bush the Younger better than newspapers do.  I usually get laughed at when I mention this.  But it is important to remember that Abe Lincoln looked like he was not going to get re-nominated by the GOP in 1864--because the Civil War wasn't going so well.  The newspapers mocked him, too.  Historians have been slightly more favorable in their assessment of Lincoln.  Not that Iraq is the Civil War or that Bush is Lincoln.  It is just to emphasize the point that instant polls and yellow-by-tomorrow-newspaper op/eds don't tell the whole story.  Hanson demonstrates this well with the story about Harry Truman.

Not all will be as it currently seems to be,

Thomas More

allthesemore@yahoo.com

McCain At His Best

We are still waiting--I believe--for Sen. John Kerry's military records to be released.  It was a point of contention in the 2004 presidential race, and I think they are still sealed at Kerry's urging.  Sen. John McCain's records, however, were just released.

Here is the opening paragraphs of the AP's story on what those records contain:

From his five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp to his tenure as the Navy's liaison to the Senate, John McCain's Navy record boils down to a series of unadorned paragraphs that bestow upon him some of the nation's top military honors.

The Navy recently released McCain's military record - most of it citations for medals during his Navy career - after a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press.

McCain was awarded a Silver Star Medal for resisting "extreme mental and physical cruelties" inflicted upon him by his captors from late October to early December 1967, the early months of his captivity, according to the citation. The North Vietnamese, according to the Navy, ignored international agreements and tortured McCain "in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes."

I've added some emphasis on what we need to review.  We'd all like the summary of our life's service to the country to be "unadorned paragraphs" wherein we got the military's highest honors.  Impressive service.  This is the side of McCain I've always liked.  Here's a man that understands duty, honor, and sacrifice for the nation--remember, he turned down early release out of fairness to his fellow servicemen!  He was the personification of the Navy's unofficial motto:  "Not self, but country."

I've taken exception on some of his more-recent policy moves:  limiting free speech with bizarre campaign-finance laws and an off-base approach to immigration.  But, his positions on these items will be seen as conservative in comparison to what his opponent would do.  Plus, his opponents have, at best, a very naive understanding of the dangers of the world, and the purpose and use of our military might.  Thus, in taking the good with the bad--I'm again comforted to be reminded of how much good John McCain did for his country even before he was a politician.

Non sibi sed patriae,

Thomas More

allthesemore@yahoo.com

Taking a Bullet for the Team

Sports Illustrated/Golf.com has got an annual PGA Tour Players survey up on their website.  It has various questions about the pro-golf world and then the doozy on U.S. politics--see number 8 on the slide show.  Not surprisingly Obama is a serious option.  I must say I was a bit suprised that Hillary was running third amongst the various choices.  It is often said that golfing is a Republican sport, but this might be taking it to the extreme!

Here is the question and the responses:

If you were forced at gunpoint to vote for the Democratic presidential candidate, whom would you choose?
Barack Obama: 53%
Hillary Clinton: 16%
I'd take the bullet: 31%

H/T Fred Couples

Duck when they yell fore,

Thomas More

allthesemore@yahoo.com

Be Still

Have you noticed how hard it is to be still these days?  Even if you want to be, the world around you seems to sabotage your efforts.  Phones still ring (or buzz), blackberries still sing out, E-mail still signals its arrival, IPODs still play and the TV always cries out to be watched.

All of us benefit from moments of quiet.  Spiritually, they are the times God speaks and we can actually hear Him.  Physically, our bodies rejuvenate in those peaceful times.  Emotionally, we can refill our cups as our brain quietly visits long lost subject areas.

I believe children especially need to be quiet sometimes.  Here, many kids find themselves on the fast track, with different activities every day of the week.  Our kids are a bit different.  We purposefully do not overbook them, and we build in a break time each day.

Quiet Time is when each child spends time alone for about 2 hours each afternoon.  It's amazing how they enjoy that time!  Though only 6, 5 and 3 (the youngest sleeps), they seem to crave the quiet time of creating, reading and day dreaming.  I came in last week to find my oldest daughter laying on the carpet in a path of sunlight under her window.  When I asked what she was doing, she said, "I'm working on a story."  It was in her head. 

I'm writing this now during Quiet Time.  My oldest just came down to show me a creation she made with wire, popsicle sticks and a bead.  I can hear the birds outside and a faint lawn mower blocks away, but nothing else.  It's delightful.

Love,

Lucy