Thoughts On Greatness

I just finished "John Adams". Again. It's still one of my favorite books. I really need to buy it some time and read the parts that were edited out of the audiobook.

Not that the book is entirely comfortable. In reading about a great man I can only concede the fact that I will never be one. It's not that I lack the ambition for greatness. I lack the discipline and strength of character. I'm a path-of-least-resistance, trade-better-for-good type, unfortunately. I suspect I should be following Salieri, the patron saint of mediocrities everywhere.

It's About Time

David Gilmour's son absolutely hated high school, and wanted to drop out. So Gilmour read between the lines and agreed. His son, Jesse, could drop out of school, but he had to stay home and watch movies with him. Jesse agreed and Gilmour, a film critic and documentary director, started the pair off on a three-year journey through over 350 films. Jesse eventually finished his GED and put in a year of college before pursuing a career in film himself.

In it all, I believe, lies an important lesson. According to Jesse:

“I don’t think you necessarily learn life lessons from films. I think the only life lessons you learn are from knocking yourself around and actually living. But we’d have conversations that sprang out of these films. I did learn from that, things guys need to talk about, heartbreak and drugs and all that. It happened to be movies, but it could have been something else my dad and I did. I think it was more about us spending time together.” (emphasis added)

Like, I'm Totally Voting For Paris?!

I heard Paris Hilton had filmed a response to John McCain's "Celebrity" ads. In spite of my loathing of all things "Paris", I finally broke down and watched it here.

I have to say I'm impressed. It's an excellent blend of self-parody and "right-back-at-ya" image defiance that, I believe, successfully puts her above and apart from the political fray.

Scary to say it, but this may even have raised my estimation of her a bit. I'm sure she had her PR people come up with the whole thing, but that she'd agree to go ahead with it shows a canny calculation that belies her bimbo personae.

That she's making regular trips to the bank is obvious. I sometimes wonder if she isn't laughing along the way.

EDIT: Here's some background on the video.

I Guess I'm A Racist

The Corner at NRO posts a "Foxworthy-esque" tool for determining if one is racist.

Some highlights:
4. If you're in favor of drilling for oil and building nuclear power plants you...may be a racist.
7. If your pastor is nothing like Rev. Wright or Father Pfleger you... may be a racist.
11. If you don't think America is a "downright mean" country you...may be a racist.
13. If you think the surge is working and that's a good thing you...may be a racist.
23. If you're not sure invading Pakistan is a particularly good idea—what with their nuclear weapons and all— you...may be a racist.

Guilty as charged.

Past Imperfect

I went to my 20-year high school reunion over the weekend. For the most part it was not that great an experience. But an impromptu session on Saturday morning has left me examining my past with a new perspective.

I was a "choir junkie" in high school. We had a terrific teacher who had put together one of the most successful programs in the state. I blossomed there in a way I never had in junior high school band. By the time I graduated I wanted to be a choir teacher, just like Mr. Bowman.

It took me seven years of college to finally realize that deep down I didn't want to teach after all.

One of my classmates had arranged a casual get-together with our choir teacher, who is now retired after a 35-year career. It was a thoroughly enjoyable visit in ways the official reunion the night before hadn't been. But during the visit I came to a realization that took 20 years to reach.

I could never have been a music teacher like Mr. Bowman. I lacked sufficient self-esteem and self-discipline, as well as a concern for others. I still do. I loved music. I loved making music. But that wouldn't have been enough.

The career I'm in now is not without its drawbacks, but it's much better than what I might have had if I had stuck with music. Just where I might have ended up it's rather pointless to speculate. But I doubt it would have been pretty.

But I wouldn't trade my high school choir memories--and my subsequent college career--for anything.

Not Buying That One

What does Obama say he was referring to with his "presidents on the dollar bills" quip?

"What Barack Obama was talking about was that he didn't get here after spending decades in Washington," Gibbs said. "There is nothing more to this than the fact that he was describing that he was new to the political scene. He was referring to the fact that he didn't come into the race with the history of others. It is not about race."

Uh huh. Right. Sure. That's certainly what I think about when I think of Washington, Lincoln, Jackson and Grant. All of them were long-time Washington operators.

Assuming for a second that he's right, that's the most obscure way of saying what he claims to have said I've ever heard. I NEVER would have gotten that from what he said. So much for the Great Communicator. But let's look at this more deeply.

George Washington: There was no "Washington D.C." or White House. He served in the Contintental Congress for perhaps over a year before taking military command until 1783. Became president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, then served eight years as President of the United States. So his "Senate" record is about as short as Obama's.

Abraham Lincoln: Served one term in the House of Representatives. Served as president for just over one term. Very active in politics, it's true. But his "Congress" record is about as short as Obama's.

Andrew Jackson: Served less than a year in the House. Served less than a year in the Senate. Elected senator again for three years. Lost the election for President in 1824. Served two terms as president. Somewhat longer record, but not by much.

Ulysses S. Grant: No prior political office at any level. Elected president for two terms.

So yes, I guess Obama has very little in common with these men--they were all elected president, and the majority had military experience.

Pardon me if I'm not buying his explanation. He dropped the bait out there and is now trying to weasle out of it. He played the Race Card. McCain called him on it. There is no other logical interpretation.

EDIT: DOHT! I missed the most obvious point of all. If Obama is trying to imply that he's not a Washington Insider, a career politician, etc., then why does he think we would be SCARED of that? Wouldn't he WANT McCain and Bush to attack him in that manner? Wouldn't it be a GOOD thing to be different?

Nope, definitely not buying it.

What Is He Talking About?

"Nobody thinks that Bush and McCain have a real answer to the challenges we face. So what they're going to try to do is make you scared of me," Obama said. "You know, he's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name, you know, he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."

Is that so? Can he cite some instances, or is HE just trying to scare people first?

I don't care if he wears a flag pin. I do care that it's so important to him to be liked in Europe.

I don't care that he has a funny name. I've heard it so many times it's not that unusual any more--and never WAS funny. At this point I wouldn't care if his name was Chimpy McBushitler. And I find it a bit insulting that he thinks I'm weak-minded enough to let anyone scare me about his name.

What?! Obama doesn't wear a wig?! He doesn't wear antiquated clothing?! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!!! Since when in the last 50 years have we had ANY president that looked like "those other presidents on the dollar bills"? That's a pretty lame charge, and it's just Obama obliquely calling McCain a racist without actually saying it.

Why is it the Obama campaign that keeps playing the race card, while continually and pre-emptively accusing the other campaigns? In assuming that the "White Candidates" will attempt to smear him based on race, isn't that in itself racist?

Do we need a president who will continually try to deflect all criticism beforehand by saying "They're just racist"? I don't think that'll fly in international diplomacy, frankly.

Speaking of which...

I got to see "Batman Begins" over the weekend. I'm still digesting it, but it doesn't hold up as well in post-viewing contemplation as I might have thought. I've decided that it was a poor choice to have most of the fight scenes be between people dressed in black. I'm sure the choreography was great, but I could never see any of it. It was just a big blur of black, with people falling on the ground, and then Batman would walk away.

I did think the acting was pretty good, though. I usually enjoy Michael Caine, of course, and I do think Christian Bale brings something to the part that Keaton, Kilmer, and Clooney lacked. And I rather enjoyed seeing Gary Oldman get to be a good guy for a change. Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson are perpetual pleasers, too.

I love the cityscapes. They did that well, especially The Narrows.

Anyway, it was fun, but I'm glad I saw it for free. I'd still like to see "The Dark Knight" someday, but probably not anytime soon. Not until I can rent it.

Does That Make Cheney "The Boy Wonder"?

Andrew Klavan, in the Wall Stree Journal, opines that The Dark Knight is really veiled homage to George W. Bush.

And like W, Batman understands that there is no moral equivalence between a free society -- in which people sometimes make the wrong choices -- and a criminal sect bent on destruction. The former must be cherished even in its moments of folly; the latter must be hounded to the gates of Hell.

He also slams Hollywood for churning out bomb after moral-equivalance bomb castigating the War on Terror while relegating all the true depictions of heroism to the fantasy/superhero category--which then set box office records.

Read the whole thing.

They Like Me!

Someone else--in actual media--has seen the same thing I did:

Another irony is that while Obama downplays the effectiveness of the surge in Iraq, he is urging a similar tactic now in Afghanistan.

Speaking of Celebrities...

Here's a bit of trivia. Christopher Lee (Count Dooku, Saruman) volunteered to fight for Finland during the Winter War with Russia in 1939. He was only there a couple of weeks, though, and never saw action. He did, however, join the RAF later and was involved in military intelligence--including some stuff that is still classified to this day.

He was the only memeber of the Lord of the Rings cast to have personally met J.R.R. Tolkien.

(For an interesting interview with Lee, go here)

It's the Afghanistan, Stupid!

I remember not that long ago the presidential campaign was all about Iraq. Afghanistan scarcely got a mention. Obama made it clear time and time again that he thought Iraq was, is, and will be a bad idea. I don't recall him ever saying it was a bad idea because we should be focusing on Afghanistan.

Now Afghanistan is all the rage. The war in Iraq is taking resources away from the war in Afghanistan. No really, I've been saying this all along!

Yeah, right. What's he been saying?

- Iraq was a bad idea. It's not made us safer.
- We need to bring our troops home
- The Surge would not work, and hasn't really worked. It's the political changes that have brought about the progress in Iraq.
- We need to fight Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan
- We need The Surge in Afghanistan

So let me get this straight. We need to bring our troops home--but not until after we've sent them to Afghanistan to defeat Al Qaeda there, even though it's the Taliban in Afghanistan, not Al Qaeda. If Al Qaeda is in Afghanistan, it's because they've fled from Iraq to there. So if we hadn't gone to war in Iraq we'd have to go there to get to Al Qaeda. But that would have been Obama's choice, so it would be okay.

Furthermore, we need a Surge in Afghanistan, even though The Surge hasn't produced the success we're seeing. It's the political progress that's produced results. So why are we moving troops to Afghanistan? Just implement that political solution that works so dang well? And by the way, we do not have Pakistan's permission to operate within their country. Are we planning to invade them to get at Al Qaeda? Isn't that the same reason we went into Iraq?

So vote for Obama! He'll move our troops somewhere else to fight a war that won't do any good pursuing people who are not there, but are hiding in a separate country we'd have to invade. But a political solution would do the job better anyway.

Pardon me, but that seems like his plan is screwier than he accuses Bush's plan of being.

The good news is, though, that if he's elected Susan Sarandon will not move to Italy.

Speed Reading

I've finished Michael Crichton's "Next". It was an odd book. It was over rather quickly, and a lot of characters seemed like throw-aways. I wasn't even sure why they were in the book, really. A lot of plot lines were left hanging.

And then I realized that I'd only listened to half the book. The second half. The books I download come in two parts, and for some reason I got Part 2 instead of Part 1. The really weird thing is that, the way Crichton writes, I couldn't tell. He always writes as if he's starting in the middle of things, and even half-way through the book he still repeats enough detail about characters that for all you know it could be the first time. It was only at the very end of the book that I even began to suspect that I'd missed something.

Well, now that I know, I don't think I'll bother going back. It wasn't that exciting a book. I'm kinda glad I managed to get through it in half the time.

Now I'm re-listening to David McCullough's "John Adams". I could do with a little inspiration.

Snark-o-Lepsy

Thought for the day:

I've been to Europe four times now, for a combined duration of about three months.

I have more "Foreign Policy Experience" than Barak Obama, even after he completes his "Foreign Policy Tour" vacation. I need to write a book and run for president.

Moral High Ground

Peter Schweizer has a new book out looking at tendencies between liberals and conservatives. Right Wing News (hat tip Dr. Helen) has an interview with Schweizer to discuss some of the points in the book. One more telling quote:

I think that modern liberalism, since the 1960s in particular, has been all about outsourcing your responsibilities -- meaning that the government is supposed to take care of you and other people -- so I think this encourages that sort of mindset. They (feel) that they gave at the office, they voted for the right political candidate, they believe in the right political causes -- so they've done their bit for poverty and they'll leave it to government to spend money on people that have needs.

Read the whole thing.

Michael Totten in Kosovo

“We are more pro-American than you are,” one young Kosovar told me.

“Thank you,” I said. “We appreciate that. Some people don’t like us.”

“Bad people,” he said.

Boy, if that doesn't say a lot; both about Kosovo and the US.

Read the whole thing.

It's A Birthday...It's A Birthday!

We've lived in this area for nine years now. In all that time we've never been to the reservoir just up the river from town. After our trip to Finland when it was never warm enough or stopped raining long enough to take the kids to the beaches there, we decided we should make up for it and visit our local reservoir.

What's taken us so long? It's actually three separate areas, two of which are state parks. Above the dam is where all the boating happens. Below the dam is a man-made beach area where no motorized boats are allowed. Further down river is a more natural park area where dogs are allowed and kayakers and canoers can launch into the river.

We didn't know any of this, of course, because we'd never been before. We chose the area below the dam. They've built a large picnic area on a point of land with the water wrapping around it on three sides. Water is fed into the "lagoon" via a pipe that sprays a big cloud of spray about 50 fee in the air. I imagine it's nice to stand under it on a hot day.

We chose the beach around the back side where there weren't many people. In fact there were hardly any people there all morning, even though the other side was getting fairly busy. Not that we minded.

The kids had a great time splashing in the water, making sand castles, dredging out the moats made by previous visitors, wading after the minnows, and generally playing. It was an unusual experience for Terhi and I. The kids entertained themselves and left us mostly alone. We weren't prepared for it. We usually have to keep them entertained. We weren't prepared to entertain ourselves. Not a bad problem to have, though.

We wrapped it up around noon and had a picnic before heading back home. On the way back out we stopped at the ranger station to see about paying, as no one had been around when we arrived. It turns out we picked the state park system's birthday to come. Entrance was free for the day. Boy, what timing!

We did come away with some brochures. I've lived in this state all my life, but there's a lot I didn't know about our state park system. There's a lot of cool parks in the state. Since the summer is rapidly coming to a close we're going to visit another one this next weekend. It's even closer to our house in the opposite direction.

Either one is perfect. We can have a fun morning before it gets too hot or too busy, and still be home in time to get some things done around the house in the afternoon. What a country!

What's Next?

I've begun listening to Michael Crichton's "Next". I'm not sure why I've been putting it off, but I wouldn't be listening to it now if I hadn't forgotten to download "John Adams" and I had to load something before I headed out the door this morning.

In other news, I went jogging again last night. I hope to go three times per week, and perhaps if I make myself answerable here I'll stick with it better?

The Sound of Summer Running

I bought my own pair of Cream-sponge Para Lightfoots the other night. Okay, they're actually $70 Asics, but dang if they don't feel good. My feet actually felt lighter with them on. Good enough to make me go jog once around the cemetary that very night.

I need to get in better shape. I suspect that if I did my allergies and asthma would at least diminish, perhaps significantly. I'm sure I'd be less tired (eventually). I've decided it's worth half an hour every other day.

If I stick with it the shoes will be a bargain.

Antelopes. Gazelles.

They Don't All Hate Us

Here's some unusually strong praise for Bush...from England!