Our Christmas Newsletter

The Oman Family

Christmas Newsletter

2011

Well, here we are, another year, another picture I guess. This is our crew minus Becki’s husband Kyle, he had to work the day this photo was taken; we will get him next year I guess. The first row is Weston, Greg, Joyce and Elijah, the back row Melissa, Ben, Becki and Adelaide, or Addie as we call her.

The big event from last Christmas was the arrival of Addie on Dec 29, 2010. Boy oh boy has she brought some class and happiness to the operation here. Everybody seems to love her just fine. She doesn’t have a shortage of personal attention.

Becki and Kyle have their hands full with the two boys and the new infant. Kyle puts in long and irregular hours while he finishes his Family Practice Residency at the University of Utah. Becki is go, go, go, with the kids, her part time employment as a Speech Pathologist plus she teaches some exercise classes at a local gym.

Ben and Melissa are finishing school at Utah State--He in Electrical Engineering and she in Psychology. They purchased a new home last July and are settling in. Their hearts belong to Nana their boxer dog who has a Class III malocclusion and a unilateral cross bite from my way of looking at her.

We did some wandering around this year. February took us to Arizona for golfing and visiting with our dear friends The Westergard’s. Some dental conferences to Washington DC and San Antonio, a trip to England last July and a Dental Humanitarian trip to Panama gave us some air miles. We kayaked the Panama Canal and had a great experience in that country. England was wonderful. We visited Leeds where Joyce’s brother and his wife were serving a mission. We trained on down to London and saw some of the sights. There we met a dear friend from our humanitarian trips over the years, Dr. Rawa Hassan who graciously showed us around for a day or so.

Somehow we always seem to find something to do. If there isn’t work here on the plantation in Farmington there is always something else happening. Summer seems to take us up to Bear Lake quite often and we enjoyed a wonderful week the end of July. Ben’s in-laws were there the same time our family was so we were able to intermingle and have a lot of fun. We love this time of our life.

The earth continues to rotate and revolve—that means the years pass and we are all getting older. Sometimes we have some aches and sometimes we don’t but it is becoming more common to wonder inside if our legs and arms are going to move fast enough and in the right direction.

This Thanksgiving Season has given us cause as usually happens to ponder our blessings, our freedom and our liberty—what it is, what it should be and in some ways what we have lost. In the whole scheme of things we are all blessed and grateful for the circumstances we find ourselves in; we are grateful for the degree of health we enjoy; we look forward to the future with an eye towards an increased devotion to our Eternal Judge and His continued blessings upon this land. Our hopes are that your sentiments are congruent with that.

Merry, Merry Christmas to You, And a Happy and Content New Year

Greg and Joyce

Wind or War

Just last week we had a devastating wind event that destroyed property, damaged homes, altered landscapes and gave opportunity to serve. Today, 70 years ago there was another wind that came to our land from the west. It was an attack on what was then U.S. Territory at Pearl Harbor. Much has been written about the beginning of our country's participation in World War II, precipitated by that event. It has been revealed by diligent research that quite possibly this was the only way the Japanese government and military could respond to sanctions and restrictions that were placed upon it. In all honesty too, there is every indication that in Washington DC there were some that knew the attack was imminent from intelligence gathered through intercepted Japanese communiques.

No matter. The attack was abrupt, the destruction was great; even so Providence did look down on this nation. The might of the Naval Forces was out at sea, the carriers which were supposed to be in Pearl Harbor were not there. The battleships were damaged and destroyed, young lives were taken and for the next three and three quarters years nary a person in this country was not affected by the war.

In Europe there had been war already for 2 years. Devastation, death, destroyed and divided families lived day by day. Some were occupied by foreign soldiers, others had to withstand air assault and constant bombings. Homes, businesses, roads, utilities were all destroyed sometimes in just an instant.

Looking about our landscape from our wind event it is obvious that this was a minor inconvenience. As I think of what the world was like 70 years ago, very few of us can relate to the Wind of War. As I stood at one time on the deck of the USS Missouri where the Surrender was signed to end the war in the Pacific; there I could look and see the buried hulk of the USS Arizona; I could imagine the incredible chaos that comes from an organized attack. There in the Punchbowl Cemetery as well as other military cemeteries I have visited one thought comes to my mind: "Walk softly, this is sacred ground, Fallen Warriors are here"

Hannan Rides Again

Here is an offering from the brilliant and witty Daniel Hannan.

East Wind

We had a big east wind blowing last night, through the morning and it is finally settling down a little this afternoon. Hundreds of trees are down, power has been out and even one house fire that I saw that started after a tree fell on the house in Bountiful, Ut. My dad lost most of his barn roof, power is still off in most of Centerville, UT. A big spruce in Farmington, UT that has been decorated every Christmastime for years by the Neumann family near the Farmington Cemetery came down.

Driving on I-15 in Davis County I saw about a dozen big rigs on their sides. They are starting to clean that up as I type this out. This area is known for some big east wind events from time to time. You get high pressure to the north and east of Utah and low pressure in the Four Corners area and happens. We're not alone though, it looks like California and all parts between here and there have had some strong winds with damage.

Paul Rahe--Have a Listen

This is an uncommonly good and fairly profound discussion on our Republic, past and present.

I'm Full

Well, the kids are at their in-laws today for Thanksgiving so, knowing this some weeks ago, I arranged for Joyce and me to go to the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake and have the Thanksgiving Brunch. It is the second time we have done this. 5 years ago with Becki and her family in Milwaukee and Ben in New England we did it for the first time. Incredible food, incredible spread and incredible service. I will list here what I consumed: Turkey, dressing, prime rib, shrimp, king crab, bacon, beans, cheeses of different kinds, cucumbers, a roll, cranberry sauce, Bavarian Chocolate cheesecake, Spice cake, Regular cheese cake, parfait, carmel pudding, a different parfait thingy, cupcake, macaroon, 2 diet cokes, a glass of cranberry juice and a hot chocolate to sip and finish with. I am glad we went to the gym this morning and I am going to hit it hard again tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Proclamations

For this Thanksgiving I will let two Great Americans express their thoughts. In Washington's proclamation remember that some f's are s's:

General Thanksgiving

By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America
A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houfes of Congress have, by their joint committee, requefted me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to eftablifh a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and affign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of thefe States to the fervice of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our fincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the fignal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpofitions of His providence in the courfe and conclufion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have fince enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to eftablish Conftitutions of government for our fafety and happinefs, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are bleffed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffufing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleafed to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in moft humbly offering our prayers and fupplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and befeech Him to pardon our national and other tranfgreffions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private ftations, to perform our feveral and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a bleffing to all the people by conftantly being a Government of wife, juft, and conftitutional laws, difcreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all fovereigns and nations (especially fuch as have shewn kindnefs unto us); and to blefs them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increafe of fcience among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind fuch a degree of temporal profperity as he alone knows to be beft.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand feven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

And Lincoln's message:

Proclamation of Thanksgiving

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863

This is the proclamation which set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving. During his administration, President Lincoln issued many orders similar to this. For example, on November 28, 1861, he ordered government departments closed for a local day of thanksgiving.

Sarah Josepha Hale, a 74-year-old magazine editor, wrote a letter to Lincoln on September 28, 1863, urging him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." She explained, "You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving held on the same day, in all the States; it now needs National recognition and authoritive fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution."

Prior to this, each state scheduled its own Thanksgiving holiday at different times, mainly in New England and other Northern states. President Lincoln responded to Mrs. Hale's request immediately, unlike several of his predecessors, who ignored her petitions altogether. In her letter to Lincoln she mentioned that she had been advocating a national thanksgiving date for 15 years as the editor of Godey's Lady's Book.

The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." According to an April 1, 1864, letter from John Nicolay, one of President Lincoln's secretaries, this document was written by Secretary of State William Seward, and the original was in his handwriting. On October 3, 1863, fellow Cabinet member Gideon Welles recorded in his diary how he complimented Seward on his work. A year later the manuscript was sold to benefit Union troops.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Post Script: This Steynian draft could also add to the spirit of the day.

Post Script Script: This from Gary Aminoff is educative.

What a Day!

Anytime it is nice enough to play golf this time of year is a bonus, but today I played 18 holes in shirtsleeves. None of this riding a golf cart sissy stuff, I walked and truly enjoyed it. The only damper was a fairly slow twosome in a cart in front of me. It took an hour longer than my usual walking pace around the links.

I do hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A Well Spent 50 Minutes

I suppose I could say the best used time in my life today was the 2 hours I spent on the golf course. Walking a brisk 18 in 2 hours is invigorating. Returning home I sat down and come across this interview of Professor Paul Rahe. You can watch it here. Anyone interested in ancient and modern republics and how things stand in ours will consider this worthwhile. I endorse it and recommend it to you.

Men and Women?

I don't know if this is completely true, but it sounds like it is.

American History in Black and White

It sometimes get to the point that what we think we know, we are sure we know and when some other stuff is added to what we think we know we suddenly don't think we know what we thought we knew. The author in this book has been researching and digging into this topic for 20 years or so. He presents the history of Black Americans in a wonderfully lucid and terribly plain way. I think it is one of the more provocative and important sources of information that I have delved in this year and I highly recommend it. It is well documented and the things I learned have never been presented to my eyes in this manner ever before.

Diapers Anyone?

The grandkids spent the night. They were brought by my daughter, their mother. The 10 month old is crawling around diapered. She is cute. I caught this Steyn article here and suddenly diapers didn't seem so cute.

Link to What's Up

I never thought of this quite this way.

If This Is True, It Is Just Plain Wrong

Doctors, hospital and many different kinds of health care providers seem to catch a lot of flack these days. This story, if true and I think it is, is more than a small symptom, it could be an indication of a metastatic, parasitic mindset.

Another Victor Davis Hanson to Think About

I get the chance to read VDH from time to time.  I have never been disappointed.  While swimming around the frog infested cooking pot of life sometimes we need someone like this to encourage us to hop out of the pot.  Take 4 minutes to read this.

Religion vs Science

From time to time I enjoy listening to interviews by Peter Robinson on his video blog called Uncommon Knowledge. This interview here is with a rather interesting fellow named David Berlinski. I found it rather thought provoking and entertaining as he discusses Science and Religion.

If you pull up the link, go to the first interview out of the 5 he has listed and click on Permalink. When that is done repeat with 2-5.

TSA Sucks

Maybe this could be considered an update from a prior post. We were in Panama doing some dentistry on young folks. We came back through Houston. Immigration was okay, the lines went fairly quickly but we always seem to get in the slow one. Then it is on to security and the TSA Experience.

I screwed up and there was a bottle of water under my laptop in my pack and I forgot it was there and they took that which was fine; I mean there are fewer things more dangerous than an unopened bottle of water. Then they made me go through the body scan. I always have to go through that thing and I hate it. I told them I thought it sucked that I had to do it but they smiled that half buttocked smile they have. I made it through.

My wife does not have to do the body scan, she glides though the regular thing you walk through. BEEP. They ask her if she has something metallic on her. I imagine they think she has an AK 47 or a small portable thermonuclear device. No, she has a metallic hair clip. They ask her to step over to the Groping Area. The guy yells out, We Need A Female Groper to Check this Prospective Terrorist. So, I watch this woman who gently glides up and down my wife's body. She feels the underwire in her bra. Then she progress around her chest area, dropping to inspect her inner thighs and beyond. I said outloud, "This is a bunch of Bravo Sierra!" I wasn't being confrontational mind you, just expressing my opinion.

Well, after the hanky panky by the female groper we get our shoes on, get out stuff together and she is livid, I am livid. I see some other folks in our group and ask them what they think about it and the basically say it's not a big deal, that stuff doesn't bother them. I just about said something like "Well, aren't you guys Americans?" but I held my tongue.

We had passports, we've had them for a while. I wonder why they can't start with all passport holders in the country and set up a database that could include number of years paying taxes, social security taxes withheld, stuff like that and have a card, a "This Is A Really Nice Traveler" card that we can show and we could just kind of glide through security. Then it could be developed further so there would be shorter lines, fewer TSA people. Traveling wouldn't be such a hassle. It would cost the government less. Hoping for that is like hoping for Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, all at once.

I know Sec. Napolitano thinks they are being considerate, that they evaluate people's sensitivities but it is an innocuous onslaught that is slowly hypnotizing and programming us to give up freedom, liberty and self respect. It is Bravo Sierra.

UPDATE: This just in from Human Events, just like I said in the above statement. TSA Sucks by the guy who started the whole thing. Read his thoughts here.

Flash Mob

Via Powerlineblog this link to a great flash mob in Copenhagen.

66 Year Ago

Has it been that long, 66 years, since the ending of WWII? It was at this time of year that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed with nuclear weapons. Whether we agree now with the decisions made then, well that doesn't matter, most of us weren't there, we don't know what the situation was at the time. This Afterburner by Bill Whittle is worth the time to consider how we weigh the effects of that decision.

Rich Man, Poor Man

This link has Bill Whittle talking a little bit about the Great Divide in American Society.

Where Have All The Manners Gone?

Last week we were at Bear Lake in northern Utah. It has been a vacation spot for our family for some decades now. The water sports and the condo area we are at is a lot of fun for all age groups in our family. One thing we have done the past couple of years is attend the melodrama at the Pickleville Playhouse. It is full of laughs and a lot of fun. I was sitting next to a young man and woman, early to mid twenties by my estimation. As the play progressed I kept getting these white flashes from my right side. They had their smart phones out. They were using thing as flashlights to read the program so they were directed right in my direction. I pondered for a moment whether I should make a suggestion that they turn off their phones completely until intermission or until the end of the production. It certainly distracted me from the melodrama as I pondered the different points of view that could arise from such a discussion. The phones weren't making any noise so they weren't bothering the entire audience. Maybe the direction they were flashing the light was only bothering me. I realized soon that they had family sitting on the other side and behind them, so they obviously didn't care. They were a handsome couple so I figured they were the nouveau youth, you know, their society and their social interaction has probably been completely dominated by cell phones. Later in the production the young man pulled his out and started playing games on it. I personally think we have gone way over the edge and maybe their should be cell phone ed classes like drivers ed classes. Is it really that hard to not turn on a phone for a couple of hours, really? Anyway I remembered reading Amy Alkon's book on rudeness, I think it is called There Are Rude People Everywhere. It's been a while since I read it, I'll have to dig it out and skim it again. I wonder if a heavy duty case of flatulence would be considered just as rude, especially if it was quiet.

Baby Talk

Here is more from the guys at Powerlineblog and their Debt Contest. This is not just baby talk either.

Weight

For any interested Powerlineblog has been running a contest to see who could produce the best explanation of the national debt problem. Here is #8 in the judges opinion. I'll try and keep on top of the rest of them for you.

Reckless Endangerment

I finished this book on the financial collapse in the housing market that ricocheted through the economy affecting just about everybody. There are many questions in my mind, many of which were catalyzed by this book. The first question I have is "why aren't there a bunch of people in jail right now?" This includes a bunch of politicians, bankers, Wall Street big shots, mortgage brokers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac people and community organizing groups and union officials.

My reading has included several books on this particular topic and this is probably the best, because it is clear on who the major participants were, the greed that drove them and the attitude they had towards the rest of the citizens of this country and the people of the world. Read it, let me know what you think.

Salt and More Salt

This just came out in the Scientific American. There is controversy in diet and nutrition and we are not all subject to the same dogma because of genetics, metabolism, existing disease, etc, etc. I don't use a lot of salt because I just don't like the salty taste. Pepper however is another story altogether. The movie Fathead is worth a look at, especially if you have seen Supersize Me.

Eat The Rich Revisited

Courtesy of the legendary Iowahawk you may find this piece of Americana illuminating. This inspired post was the inspiration for Bill Whittle's video.

Neighborhood Wildlife

I went out to try a new camera lens out and I noticed the bikes parked in the driveway across the street. I assumed they belong to somebody, and sure enough look what showed up. You might find young women as cute as these three but I doubt you will find any cuter. For their protection I will withhold their names, but I see them around a lot.

Prager in the Review

I happened to catch this today. One doesn't have to agree with everything here, but they are food for thought and much of it does jibe with my observations of society.

Day Lilies Are Really Talking

I was out in the yard working and took some time to appreciate the day lilies in our yard. The cool wet spring we had with the warm temperatures now have been a flower's paradise.

NY's JFK Just Sucks

I plan on more regular posting in the next couple of weeks. We just returned from a trip to England. I'll have more to say about that in a couple of days. I have to talk about JFK Airport and the Immigration mess that I experienced there.

Our plane landed and they pulled us to the gate but we were told that we could not get off the plane because Immigration services were too busy. When we finally disembarked the plane we headed to clear Customs and we were shepherded down a hall behind some ropes. There appeared to be 3 or 4 other flights crammed into the hall. Our connection was about 90 minutes away from taking off to Salt Lake. We were handed a little card that said Quick Connect. Evidently we were supposed to kind of jump to the front of the line. After standing in the herd for 10 minutes I went back up to the shepherd girl and showed it to her. She said that we should go right in to a special line.

We headed in and followed the special line to a dead end. Asked by some Immigration worker why we were there we told him we were Quick Connect. Evidently we weren't supposed to be there. They sent us in a different line and we eventually made it so we had a shot of getting through. Looking around I saw a line of US citizens that had about 3-4 hundred people in it. I wondered why it took so long to clear US citizens through.

My thought process led me to think that Customs and the airlines could work together so Customs could have some idea as to how many people were coming in. Most of the Custom booths were empty, there was not enough man power there to do the job. And planes just kept coming and unloading more people. I suppose it could be shrugged off as Government in Action, but I think we deserve a little better than that. My advice is avoid JFK at all costs, especially on a weekend. Talking to some friends Miami seems to be much better at getting people through and my experience at Houston has been really positive.

Don't get me started on TSA.

Peter Falk was Columbo

I loved Columbo. I never saw a bad episode and Peter Falk was Columbo. For those that remember him this clip shows a side of the man and the character. It is amazing to see the irreplaceable talent on the dais; talent that show business will never see again.

No Way Should Palin Be President

After watching this clip it is obvious to me that Sarah Palin should not be President. Not only that but I can't see how anyone else can measure up or be an improvement to the current White House occupant. And it is more than obvious that those reporting and commenting on the political matters of the day have things pretty well pegged and their opinions and observations cannot be improved upon nor corrected in any way.

Vets vs Pols

“When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state, while thousands note their passing, and proclaim that they were great. The papers tell of their life stories, from the time that they were young. But the passing of a Veteran goes unnoticed and unsung. Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of this land, Some jerk who breaks his promise and cons his fellow man? Or the ordinary fellow, who in time of war and strife, Goes off to serve his country and offers up his life?” A. Lawrence Vaincourt

Flag In A Pawn Shop

A nice Memorial Day tribute. Here

Reinvestment or Recovery?

I was in my car heading up the road to visit a neighbor this morning. And advertisem came on the radio suggesting the wisdom in keeping your gas tank above half full in case of emergency. Good advice I suppose if not obvious to most people. The gist was if the power went out or if there was some kind of emergency it would be advantageous to have gasoline in the car so one could move about if necessary. What really caught my attention was the ad was sponsored by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. I wondered if this was really something that needed to be invested in by the government and was it a worthy use of tax payers dollars? Someone obviously thought so, but it seemed to me an odd thing to be covered by that act which was supposed to do much more than buy radio ads and appears to have not happened the way it was designed, no matter the good intentions.

Oily Udders

I love Mark Steyn. He seldom lets me down. This is an utter delight.

Robin of Berkeley

I read Robin on the American Thinker fairly regularly. Yesterdays post can be found here. I have no disagreement with her premise.

How Many Guys Does It Take to Hang a TV On The Wall

I was in DC this past week for a conference. The main focus was political issues as they pertain to dentistry. During the conference we had a few speakers, some of whom were members of Congress. One of the speakers was Paul Gosar from Arizona. He was a practicing dentist who had to give up his practice when he ran for Congress. He told this story.

He had a TV that he wanted to have hung on the wall. He called the maintenance people in his office building. A guy showed up and asked him where he wanted it hung. He made a mark on the wall where the center of the TV would be. He left. A while later 2 other guys show up and measure from the mark to the point where the hanging brackets would be placed. They left. An hour later two different guys show up to put the brackets on the wall. He then offered to help them lift the TV in the brackets. They said, "No, that's not our job." Two other guys show up and set the TV in the brackets. He said to them, "Let's plug it in and see if it works." They declined indicating that wasn't their job. An electrician would come up to plug it in.

The electrician showed up and secured the power cord to the wall and plugged it in. Finally, the Congressman was able to turn it on to see if it worked. He said as a freshman Congressman it became readily apparent watching this process of what was wrong with Washington. It is obvious that it takes a lot of different people to hang up a TV.

The list:

1. A guy to do the mark

2. Guys to measure where the brackets will be

3. Guys to hang the brackets

4. Guys to put the TV in the brackets

5. A guy to plug it in.

Iowahawk

I don't get to read all of his stuff, but The Iowahawk has a fascinating sense of humor. His latest on the Bin Laden operation is PDG, pretty dang good. I know most of us are not shedding any tears for OBL, and probably not for his family either. But American Pride is at least coming back as described ably here.

The Man from Fargo

50 years ago on April 26, 1961 Roger Maris hit is first home run of a magical, yet tortuous baseball season. He hit 61 asteriskital (I made that word up I think) home runs that year. 30 of them were in Yankee Stadium and 31 were in the other ballparks in the American League. Now, this may not seem like a big deal in the steroidal age of baseball, but it was a big deal then. He was loved and hated by the fans and the baseball establishment. How dare someone approach the record of the beloved Babe Ruth. Well, Roger did it, and this past week marked the date of his first HR. He hit his next on May 3rd. I include some scans of a couple of the Maris cards I have and the back of the 1963 Topps card that has his stats. I also give you the 1963 card of Paul Foytack, who surrendered the first home run that year in the 5th inning at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Nobody had any idea what was going to happen the rest of the year, including me. I was in kindergarten, and Maris and Mantle were names I was just beginning to recognize. Here is a link with the complete list of his home runs during the season.

Mother's Day is Coming

I have been reading this book. I know I am not a mother but I am married to and live with one. I must say without apology that I have learned some things I did not know from this book. What are the 10 habits? Here are the chapter titles which explain a lot. Understand Your Value as a Mother. Maintain Key Friendships. Value and Practice Faith. Say No to Competition. Create a Healthier Relationship with Money. Make Time for Solitude. Give and Get Love in Healthy Ways. Find Ways to Live Simply. Let Go of Fear. Hope is a Decision--So Make It! Give it a shot and you may appreciate your wife and mother a little more. Life is not as easy for them as you would think.

I Guess There Is No Problem

With the budget deal last week evidently saving less than one billion dollars in real spending (It seems Congress and the White House over the years have learned to cook the books) there are all kinds of little things flying around there that get our attention. Kevin Williamson at NRO has this thought which maybe doesn't seem like much but it kind of concerns me.

The incredible Iowahawk offers this little ditty to whet the fiscal whistle. In the old days I always like Tennessee Ernie Ford, but I doubt he believed even this song would be used to illustrate this point.

Coming Apart At the Seams, The Division

Rich Lowry quotes Charles Murray in this post in The Corner. Many are starting to make the comparison of the division in the country and likening it to the same level of division as occurred during the Civil War. 150 years ago today the shot was made on Fort Sumter, S.C. and the fight was on. I actually do think we are in a quiet Civil War. The Southerners preferred to call the war, The War of the Northern Aggression. But the war now is a different type of aggression. It appears to be an aggression of entitlement, devoid of foresight into the future with a rapidly increasing abandonment of the Constitution and the Spirit of Liberty that we have inherited.

Gaia has Human Rights

Hmm. I have felt for sometime that the United Nations has finally reached to point that it has no worth. This doesn't exude much confidence in the bureaucratic nightmare on Oyster Bay.

Come On Spring

We have had almost four days of continual snow. It has been a wet, heavy snow that melts but we still have a couple of inches of 'slurpee' on the lawn. I saw this in the paper and was wondering if there are any of you out there with similar thoughts as we continue to hope for warm weather.

The 100 Women in Sports

Since SI has published their Swimsuit issue, and the Final Four is Finally Over, this came up and I couldn't pass up sharing it. This is a list of the 100 Most Desireable Women in Sports. I wouldn't want to tangle with any of them, but I would maybe tango with them.

Taxing the Rich Should Do It

This op ed on American Thinker seems to show that Taxing the Rich will take care of the problem. Or does it?

Viewmont High School Alumni Golf Outing

We are having a VHS Alumni Golf Outing. Info and Registration is easily available the Alumni Association web page www.viewmontalumni.net

Hijab or Helmet

One continues to read stuff like this and it doesn't help but make one wonder if there is anybody in the Pentagon that has the foggiest idea what is going in the world. I am not one that is big on women fighting in the front lines, but that isn't the point. Either they are soldiers and treated like soldier or they aren't, and it seems to me that this directive does not exude the image that the woman in uniform is a soldier in hostile territory.

56

Yes, that is how old I am. But that doesn't have anything to do with the title of the post. If you are a baseball fan, then this book 56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number In Sports is a great read, especially as Spring Training is underway and Opening Day is a week away or so. Not many of us ever saw DiMaggio play. Most of that generation is gone or going. I did see him in some Old Timer's games in the 60's and early 70's.

The book details the hitting streak. The author does a good job a describing many minute details, relationships and the stress on Joe and his teammates and manager. I recommend it. It does expose some of the human weaknesses of the Yankee Clipper but nothing you wouldn't expect especially compared to the man who replaced him in centerfield, Mickey Mantle.

A Courageous Man

Geert Wilders from the Netherlands is one of the bravest men I know. He is a politician so that may sound contradictory, but in this case it isn't. He delivered a speech in Rome yesterday dealing with multiculturalism and the problems in Europe. You can and should read it in its entirety right here.

Steyn This Week

Mark Steyn is back from a 2 month hiatus and this article shows why he is a delight to read.

USA Inc

We know that the country has a fiscal crisis that is worse than anything in it's history. This report is eyeopening. This is much worse than radioactive clouds working their way across the ocean.

China Syndrome

For any interested this may be more informative than anything you have heard or read on the nuclear power plant situation in Japan.

Grandkids Take Some Effort

So, our daughter and her husband had a meeting to attend for a couple of days. That means we were able to watch the two grandsons overnight. Here you can see them in action playing with some trucks borrowed from one of our great neighbors. They came Friday afternoon and left Saturday afternoon. We had a lot of fun. Saturday afternoon our daughter arrived to pick them up. Little Adelaide was tired of riding in the car so laying on the carpet was great. She is two months old and starting to get some weight on her. She thinks she is talking already and has started smiling a lot. It's tough to be a grandparent.

You Read About this Stuff and Cannot Believe It.

I can see just a small, dim, hint of rationale behind the policy that this is based on. It is really quite dim though. I seems to me if a young man sees a woman with her hands full, trying to come through the door, that the young man would hopefully open the door for the woman. I would be disappointed if he didn't. How many female gunpersons have we had in schools anyway?

Semper Fi

This goes without saying. I understand the Supreme Court decision on free speech and the Westboro clan, but I must say that Westboro has no common decency.

VDH Rides Again

Victor Davis Hanson always hits the nail on the head. Here you see the point of impact.

The Lifecycle of Democracy

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's great civilizations has been two hundred years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.

Anonymous

Washington's Birthday

I have never really liked President's Day. I mean, there are a lot of Presidents that don't deserve to really have a day to be honored. I think it was President Nixon who declared the President's Day Holiday and there are a lot of things he did I don't want to remember and that doesn't include Watergate. Woodrow Wilson is another; there are others but I will stop there.

George Washington the Father of Our Country is special; incredibly unique and probably had more character, honestly and respect from his fellow men than anyone else who has served and he was the First President. It was George Washington that said the President should be addressed as Mr. President--simple,direct and not majestic in anyway. I think Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee said it best in 1799:

"First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in the humble and endearing scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate and sincere; uniform, dignified and commanding, his example was as edifying to all around him, as were the effects of that example lasting. To his equals he was condescending, to his inferiors kind, and to the dear object of his affections exemplarily tender. Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence, and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues."

Now, there have been some Presidents in my life time that I have personally felt were above the ordinary, but none I could describe like the above. February 22nd is George Washington's Birthday. Lest we forget.

I Think He Has This Right

Andrew McCarthy at the National Review posits this. It seems right to me.

A Birthday

Our grandson Weston turned 6 today and the requisite get together happened without a hitch. Becki and Kyle took us to lunch at a Mexican place that I used to frequent quite a lot. Some of Weston's friends came for cake and ice cream, games and tomfoolery. Of course, we got to see our little Adelaide. She was wide awake for a while and looking around at everything. She even smiled and grinned but I doubt she knew what she was doing. Joyce gave Wes one of the double Jedi light saber things and they had several light saber fights on the patio as shown in the photo. Life keeps going on.

Power is Everything

Whoa, whoa, guys--Power is everything. Without it they don't talk to us, they don't correct the trajectory, they don't turn the heat shield around.

And so it goes. Most of you will remember that is the quote from Apollo 13, the movie with Tom Hanks. Well, Power is Everything, energy is everything on our planet and I wonder if the folks at the Department of Energy know that; I wonder if the theocratic environmentalists understand it, because it doesn't appear to me that anybody in Washington DC seems to be worried about it.

Health, prosperity and progress depends on power; not political power but the kind we get that makes engines run, turns on lights and warms and cools us. I don't see much of anything going on and I haven't for some time. We are under capacity in oil refining, we haven't really thought of building any nuclear power plants. (It was heartening to hear President Obama mention a couple of weeks ago that we need to do more in this area, but we'll see.)

People think it is a great idea to build those avian osterizers that chop up birds and make a little electricity when the wind blows. Geothermal output looks decades if not centuries away and as carbon is politically cursed it is practically the cheapest, easiest and best method to make power.

Without more power we can't turn this thing around that we are stuck in right now; this anemic and sputtering economy that has received stimuli that have been declared successful though I don't see much happening and I don't expect much.

Our economic house needs to be put in order and it cannot happen without more power; more and cheaper energy. I don't know why people think that is so hard to understand.

The Right of Assembly

Well, this post gives some sense of proportion to what is going one with the public union sector protests compared to those cursed Tea Party protesters. Which group looks like real Americans, you know the kind of people that pursue life, liberty and happiness--instead of having it handed to them.

Jedi's and Angels

This morning we had a minor invasion. The Jedi knights you can see were here in force with all their karate and jedi moves, running around and yelling and wrestling. And Adelaide came too with her brothers. She was wide awake most of the time, looking around at all the colors in the house. Here you catch a quick glimpse of her napping on a full tummy. She is almost 8 weeks old. I really didn't expect grandkids to be this fun. My grandparents didn't act like we were that much fun when I was a kid.

Egypt Has Come A Long Way

Here you can see the changes over the years in Egypt. Notice the difference in the woman in the photos.

She's Made It A Month

Here is Adelaide in a little dress my wife made 25 years ago. She made it for her sister's girl for her blessing day in church. Now Addie fills it out nicely with all the accoutrements, ie bracelet, ribbons, shoes.

Why We Are Fat

This link is to an interview of the author of the book Why We Are Fat by Gary Taubes. The book is great and the counterintuitiveness of his thesis is delightful.

VDH Rides Again

Reading Victor Davis Hanson is an education in itself. This classicist and remarkable thinker does it again in this well thought out piece. Dr. Hanson is a gentleman. He makes his point and his argument with well chosen words and I never seen him use ad hominem attacks. He is a national treasure of thought and knowledge; of what the world was, what it is and what it will be.

The State Department Stuck on Stupid

Having been to the country of Honduras on 3 occasions serving the people there on dental humanitarian trips, I have made many friends and I have observed the country and it's people. I continue to hear things like this coming from the State Department and the Administration. Just before Christmas we spent time with some friends from Honduras who were in Salt Lake for their daughter's wedding. This girl's father looked me in the eye and asked, "What is going on in your country? We don't understand what your government is trying to do to us." Enough said. When this incident started in Honduras President Obama and Secretary Clinton immediately took the absolutely incorrect position on this issue and they are doing all they can now to defy the Constitution of Honduras and move the country into the direction that Venezuela now suffers under with Hugo Chavez.

Grandpa and Granddaughter

There are few things in the world more idyllic than napping with a grandchild. Here Addie shows she already loves her Grandpa.

Maher and Civility

I want to be up front on this; I enjoy saying things to see how people react. In certain situations it can be fun and it can lead to a civil and interesting discussion. I saw a clip of Bill Maher and he referred to the NRA as the 'assassins lobby'. I have never thought that Bill Maher was a polite person, at least on camera. He may be charming and interesting in 'real life'. I find his positions politically bizarre and I am sure the Founding Fathers would look at him as some kind of alien life form. Here you can find some links to clips and Hugh Hewitt's assessment of Maher and others like him. I think it is spot on. I wonder why politicians who seem to think civility has ebbed never ever refer to the entertainment and the pseudo-news businesses and their effect on society?

The President's speech was oratorically good and he emphasized improving how we treat each other. Because we disagree on things does not mean we cannot be civil. In my mind it also means we do not have to give up passion. I listened to part of it on the radio in my car. I was unsettled by the immature collegiate atmosphere that I sensed with my ears and mind as I listened; not seeing what was going on. Many pundits have lauded the speech, excusing the atmosphere as an Irish wake-like milieu, but I believe it showed in itself a lack of civility, a lack of compassion, a shallowness of feeling towards the victims and their families. A true leader while at the podium would have said directly, in no uncertain terms, "This is not the place for loud applause and cheering." The retreaded theme on the shirts that were passed out only added to, what I sensed at least, the mockery being displayed as solemn recognition over the deep seriousness of the brutal act and it's consequences.

I did not see civility coming to the soldiers slaughtered by an Islamic fanatic nutcase at Ft. Hood. The President declared that we not jump to conclusions. Yet, the major shakers and screamers in the media within hours were blaming this tragedy on everyone and everything except what it was, a disturbed, damaged, pathological human being. I want to declare, unabashedly, I did not have anything to do with it, nobody I know had anything to do with it; it happened because of a choice this suspect made with his diseased mind. No politics, no Tea Party, no NRA; the foundation of this could have been family, maybe peers, who knows. What bothers me is how more than a few people think it was caused by rhetoric, talk radio, etc. Are there really that many ill-informed, ignorant people out there?

Now, we have, probably in the moment of a delusional attack in his own mind, Rep. Peter King in NY(R) who wants a law to forbid anyone being within 1000 feet of a federal official with a weapon. Why is a federal official any better than the rest of us? No, I do not want people out shooting them, but from a governing standpoint it would not hurt if we did have quite a few less federal officials. 1000' is 3 and 1/3 football fields. I wonder, why this episode has had such a profound effect? Here near my home a few years ago a guy went into a mall, Trolley Square, and started shooting and killing. Is it really manifestly more terrible because a judge and a US Representative were shot? Are they really more important than the rest of us? Maybe Vince Flynn is to blame. He wrote a novel, Term Limits (a great read by the way if you want some action and intrigue) which describes the Speaker of the House and a Senator being assassinated in an attempt to get the Congress thinking correctly about their duties, how they spend and tax and waste. Do we know if Loughner read Term Limits. Get Mitch Rapp on the case. Maybe every member of Congress should read it.

I am thrilled to hear Rep. Giffords appears to be improving. Whether she will be fully functional is unknown and maybe unknowable. Certainly, pain and destruction has affected many because of one person's actions. I fear we will see it again sometime.

Factual Inaccuracies

The Fannie Freddie debacle causes some folks to come unglued. Here it is. Follow all the links. Be warned--there are graphs in these articles.

My 2010 Reading List

Gridlock by Randal O’Toole ♥♥♥

Shakedown by Ezra Levant ♥♥1/2

From Poverty to Prosperity by Arnold Kling and Nick Schulz. ♥♥1/2

61 Hours by Lee Child ♥♥♥♥

The Age of Reagan by Steven F. Hayward ♥♥♥1/2

Courage and Consequence by Karl Rove ♥♥♥

Scientific Discoveries by Dan Neville ♥♥♥

The Confessor by Daniel Silva ♥♥♥

The English Assassin by Daniel Silva ♥♥♥

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis ♥♥♥1/2

One Eternal Round by Hugh Nibley and Michael Rhodes ♥♥♥

No Apology by Mitt Romney ♥♥1/2

Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One by Zev Chafets ♥♥♥

How the Left Swiftboated America by John Gibson ♥♥1/2

Physics for Future Presidents by Richard A. Muller ♥♥♥

Real Education by Charles Murray

The Reagan I Knew by William F. Buckley Jr. ♥♥1/2

Lights Out by Mark Steyn ♥♥1/2

Culture of Corruption by Michelle Malkin ♥♥♥

Binge: What Your College Student Won’t Tell You by Barrett Seaman

In The President’s Secret Service by Ronald Kessler♥♥♥

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer ♥♥1/2

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

On The Wealth of Nations by P. J. O’Rourke ♥♥1/2

Common Sense by Glenn Beck

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki ♥♥1/2

Hollywood, Interrupted by Andrew Breitbart ♥♥♥1/2

The Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton ♥♥♥♥

Wicked Prey by John Sanford ♥♥

Bonk by Mary Roach ♥♥1/2

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen ♥♥♥♥

Never Enough by William Voegeli ♥♥♥

Dismantling America by Thomas Sowell ♥♥♥♥

Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things by Madeleine L Van Hecke ♥♥♥

The Battle by Arthur C. Brooks

♥♥♥♥

The World Turned Upside Down by Melanie Phillips ♥♥♥

The Overton Window by Glenn Beck ♥♥♥

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson ♥♥♥♥

Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things by Richard Wiseman ♥♥♥

Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef with Ron Brackin ♥♥♥

The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Vietnam War by Phillip Jennings ♥♥♥♥

The Great Global Warming Blunder by Roy Spencer ♥♥♥♥

The Post American Presidency by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer ♥♥♥

A Charge Kept by Marc Thiessen ♥♥♥

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand ♥♥♥

Stan the Man by Wayne Stewart ♥♥

The Greedy Hand by Amity Shlaes ♥♥1/2

This Time It Is Different by Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff ♥♥♥

Persons Missing or Dead by Cliff Black ♥♥1/2

Why Johnny Can’t Think by Robert W. Whitaker ♥♥

The Confession by John Grisham ♥♥♥1/2

Radical-In-Chief by Stanley Kurtz ♥♥♥♥

Worth Dying For by Lee Child ♥♥♥

There is No Alternative by Claire Berlinski ♥♥♥

The New Road to Serfdon by Daniel Hannan ♥♥♥

Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge MD ♥♥♥

The Last Boy by Jane Leavy ♥♥♥

The Soul of Battle by Victor Davis Hanson ♥♥1/2

Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman ♥♥♥

Saving Freedom by Jim DeMint ♥♥1/2