August 06, 2004

CAPTIONS

Duane's is still a classic, but all these captions for that Wendy's photos are good too.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:37 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 18 words, total size 1 kb.

GREATEST

Carla shows that she and I have fundamental common ground...and that she writes those statements that make me wonder "Why didn't I think of that?"

As something of an aside, there is another vital difference that makes the case for Bush over Kerry: Bush believes, I think, and has stated that the United States is the greatest country in the world. Kerry's politics are such that he could never say such a thing, much less believe it. I don't want a president who doesn't recognize the United States' standing as the most moral country (in it foundations) in the world.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:25 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 102 words, total size 1 kb.

LINKS

One way to stop worrying is to return to business as usual. So I return to blogging.

INDC has an intriguing piece about President Bush.

Tanker sent me this link, which is wicked cool, about success in Afghanistan using Schwarzenegger's "girlie man" technique.

People misspeak all the time, and I -- like everyone else who can follow unscripted spoken English -- have no problem understanding what President Bush meant. But why on earth do we have to throw Kerry-was-in-Vietnam into every single news article? It's irritatingly irrelevent here.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:23 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 90 words, total size 1 kb.

DISRESPECT

My belief system affects everything I do in my life. My values shine through in every conversation and circumstance, and I think it's very important for people to have shared values, "common ground" as I normally call it. If I don't share basic assumptions and values with someone, we can still be friends, but in the back of my mind I'll always know that all of our ground isn't quite common. I'm not a person who can easily set my beliefs aside and become close friends with someone I fundamentally disagree with.

That said, when someone needs my help or reaches out for emotional support, all of that goes out the window. No matter my feelings towards the person, if he is suffering or upset then I will do what I can to try to make him feel better. Even if I did have I-told-you-sos echoing in my head, I wouldn't bring them up in his time of need. There's a time and a place for everything.

There's a time and a place for political debate and arguing, and there are times when it's 100% inappropriate. When Daily Kos said "Screw 'em" when the contractors were killed in Fallujah, that was unequivocally inappropriate. When that crazy DU lady said "I hope the bloodshed continues in Iraq", that was clearly inappropriate. And when dc used my friend's injuries as a springboard for talking about "deceit" and "lies", that was wholly inappropriate as well.

You see, our friend LT A wants to be in the military more than anything, so much so that the other OBC guys sometimes worried he was a little too hooah. LT A's father went through unspeakable horrors in Vietnam and stayed in the Army to retire as an LTC, and all LT A wanted to do was follow in his father's honorable footsteps. He never questioned his role in this war, even when two of his soldiers died in his arms the first week they were in Iraq. I imagine he would be mighty pissed off to hear someone tell him that he is "trapped in a lie".

Last night dc should have put partisan bickering aside for five minutes and let me worry in peace. A simple "I hope your friend is OK" would have been fitting, as would reverent silence have been. Instead, in the moment when I most needed someone to hold my hand, dc chose to give me an indian burn instead.

I don't know how to ban someone, but you're no longer welcome here, dc. I have tolerated your dissenting views for a long time now, but you stepped over the line last night. I am a person, dc, not just pixels on a computer, and you've disrespected my feelings. It's not politics when I talk about my injured friend; it's emotional and personal. Please don't comment anymore.


LT A is stable, and they should be moving him to Germany any time now. His wife will be on her way as soon as she gets the go-ahead, and I will meet them at Landstuhl early Saturday morning. I'm anxious to give her a big hug, as well as a gentle little one for LT A.

Thank you to all who are thinking of him...


UPDATE:

Seems now they're sending him right on to Walter Reed. More info when I know it.

UPDATE II:

I did some detective work and called Landstuhl hospital. I got to leave a message for LT A with the ICU desk, so hopefully they can pass it on to him before they move him back to the States...

Posted by: Sarah at 04:22 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 602 words, total size 3 kb.

August 05, 2004

WOUNDED

I just learned that one of our good friends was critically wounded in Iraq yesterday. I'm sure he could use our thoughts and prayers...

MORE TO GROK:

Here's a harrowing account of the firefight he was in. One of the commenters was right -- he couldn't have been hit with an RPG -- but he was the Soldier hit in the stomach during the battle.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:05 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
Post contains 67 words, total size 1 kb.

PERSONAL

There's an interesting discussion going on at Tim Blair's blog about Michael Moore's claim that more Congressmen should send their kids to Iraq. There are all sorts of discussions going on (and lots of tangents being taken), but a comment by Sam caught my eye:

... The bottom line, sure it would be nice if more of the congressmen had a personal link to Iraq so that they could take that into account when making decisions. But as congressmen one would expect they would do that any way. ...

I'm thinking I'd like to disagree here. I would like Congressmen to acknowledge how this war affects individual families and soldiers, but I'm not sure it's appropriate for them to look at the war through a more personal lens. What's good for individual persons is not always good for the country. If the war becomes too personal for our leaders, they might have trouble making the tough decisions. I see that happening a fair amount around here with wives' voting intentions: they want to vote for whoever will bring their husbands home. Instead of what's best for the country as a whole or what's best for Iraq, they just want their Soldiers home at any cost. I personally don't think that's a principled stance. In the military, the country should always come before the self.

Yes, I want Congress to fund body armor and HMMWVs because they keep our Soldiers and Marines safe, but I don't want them to make decisions based on emotion. If a larger number of them had children in Iraq, there's a chance it could cloud their judgement about what's best for the country.

Posted by: Sarah at 07:33 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 279 words, total size 2 kb.

SURPRISED?

U.N. Must Rely on U.S.-Led Force to Protect Iraq Envoy Because No Countries Offer Troops, Annan Says

Heh.

(via Sir George)

Posted by: Sarah at 04:41 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 23 words, total size 1 kb.

SWEET

The Hulk is going to hunt terrorists. Sweet. (via RWN)

Posted by: Sarah at 04:10 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 12 words, total size 1 kb.

LOW

I read about this the other day, but I just didn't post a link. Sure, Ms. Heinz-Kerry might not know what chili is, but whatever. Paris Hilton had never heard of Walmart, right? But the fact that the Democrat candidates faked going to Wendy's just for the photo op (which backfired majorly when the Marines rebuffed them) when they knew they had gourmet food waiting for them on the bus is just...low.

Where's that guy from Family Guy episode 36 to yell "You're a great big phony!" every time Kerry walks by?

Posted by: Sarah at 03:59 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 94 words, total size 1 kb.

MUSIC

Since dc is so interested in the group of bands that is touring the US supporting Kerry, perhaps he'll be interested in this link via LGF; it seems even commenters on an anti-Bush site want musicians to shut their yappers.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:24 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 42 words, total size 1 kb.

EQUALITY

That war cheerleaders website berated me for saying that I value an American life over a non-American one. So I supposed that site's owner will also berate this Muslim woman for saying "the blood of a Muslim is for us more precious than the Ka’ba , but the blood of [Paul Johnson] is the blood of a dog because he is an idolatrous infidel.”

But I won't hold my breath waiting for it...

Posted by: Sarah at 02:20 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 73 words, total size 1 kb.

August 04, 2004

LURKER

I've been a lurker at Stereo Describes My Scenario for several weeks now, always admiring Avery's wit and smarts, but this post is really something: Oooh! A Battle. I'd share sammiches and Kool-Aid with Avery anytime, especially if we'd get to talk about Rocky.

Posted by: Sarah at 10:18 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 46 words, total size 1 kb.

WOW

According to Justin Vaisse, a French historian:

"Europeans are surprised to hear that John Kerry is talking about America the same way as George W. Bush does," the paper said. "They are amazed that at the Democratic Convention in Boston, he saluted like a soldier, one hand up at his temple. They would prefer not to hear it when Kerry promises that he would never hesitate to use force in case America is under threat. They are disappointed."

QandO has the rest.

Also check out what GEN Tommy Franks says about the Mission Accomplished banner, and how the AP takes Kerry to task for having vague plans on Iraq.

(All hat tips towards the Instapundit)

Posted by: Sarah at 09:53 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 117 words, total size 1 kb.

CARICATURE

Fascinating article via Ambient Irony, Hating America, about how Europe views the US through the lens of caricature. It's really long, and there are a million passages I could quote, but this made me chuckle:

Though fewer than 14% of Frenchmen have visited America, “most have strong views” of it; indeed, “Europeans who have not been in the U.S. . . . have the strongest opinions” about it, and malice toward America is inversely proportional to the amount of time individuals have actually spent there.

Conversely, I loved France and everything French until I actually lived there.

(And if you see the text as a mess of question marks, follow Pixy Misa's advice for changing the encoding.)

(P.S. I finally had enough time to sit down and read Pixy's post on Thought too.)

Posted by: Sarah at 08:12 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 135 words, total size 1 kb.

GO BUSH

Hahahaha. Nice photo.
I have just one thing to add to these Marines' statement: Hooah!

Posted by: Sarah at 04:49 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 19 words, total size 1 kb.

CHOMSKY

A sobering sentence from Diary of an Anti-Chomskyite (via Amritas):

The embrace of Chomsky by the mainstream liberal elite in America and the political consensus in Europe -- both Left and Right -- has to be regarded as one of the most unsettling developments in the intellectual world since 9/11; if only because, for the first time since Vietnam, the idea that America is, on a fundamental level, not merely misguided or mistaken but also evil is becoming a part of acceptable discourse.

President Bush got ripped a new one for using the term Axis of Evil because of its biblical and dichotomous overtones. But now we're tossing the word evil around like it means nothing anymore. Amritas and I were laughing over the weekend about the Canadian kids who said the US was a "force for evil." A force for evil, such a strange expression. Who says something like that?

There is true evil out there in the world; those who call the US evil have never seen it.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:38 AM | Comments (32) | Add Comment
Post contains 172 words, total size 1 kb.

3/11

I just finished reading the gloomy and foreboding article The Terror Web (via LGF). If you can read that article and not think that the terrorist threat is real and frightening, then we have no common ground at all.

One passage from the article struck me in particular:

And yet, according to Spanish police officials, at the time of the Madrid attacks there was not a single Arabic-speaking intelligence agent in the country. Al Qaeda was simply not seen as a threat to Spain. “We never believed we were a real target,” a senior police official said. “That’s the reality.”

Where's the 3/11 commission report in Spain? Where's the Fahrenheit 3/11 movie to expose the ineptitude of Spanish intelligence and law enforcement? Where's the outrage that "The goverment lied; people died!" when Spain continued to blame the attack on the ETA long after they knew it smelled of Islamism?

Oh wait...nevermind.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:06 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 153 words, total size 1 kb.

ANECDOTES

I'm scared of old spaghetti sauce. When I was a kid I ate some spaghetti sauce that had been in the refrigerator for way too long, and I got so sick. So yesterday when I was eying the Ragu that I had opened on Saturday, I did what every kid does when she comes across a dilemma: call mom. Mom said she thought it would be OK, so I ate it. And I was sick all night. I don't think I made the situation any better today when I started eating my cereal and noticed that the milk was not quite right. Check the carton: it's a few days too old too. My poor stomach.

Last night I came across a new word in Dark Star Safari. Often I read words and can't quite remember the definition, but it's pretty rare that I find a word that I've never seen before. So I looked it up, and I'm not surprised I had never heard the word detumescent before. I'm fairly certain it was not present on our high school vocabulary tests.

MORE:

Dang, I just came across another new word online: jeremiad. Just when I start to think I'm getting smarter...

Posted by: Sarah at 03:38 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 203 words, total size 1 kb.

August 03, 2004

RIBBONS

Navy Capt. Roger Dean Edwards was sentenced to 115 days in jail and fined $7,500. He might end up forced from military service, defrocked as an Episcopal priest and face at least a suspension of his Virginia pharmacy license. What was his crime? Wearing military ribbons he didn't earn. Military honors are taken quite seriously, which is why anyone who believes in what those ribbons stand for should be quite appalled that John Kerry chose to throw his away.

(via Smash)

Posted by: Sarah at 02:40 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 83 words, total size 1 kb.

UPDATE

I got an email today from Spirit of America with an update on the sewing centers in Iraq:

Two new sewing centers have opened - one in Ramadi and one Habbaniyah.
The Marines helped refurbish the building and Spirit of America
provided the sewing machines being used in the centers. The Centers
provide women with a way to make money and improve their standard of
living. They also offer a safe place to meet to discuss women's issues
and day care for the women's children.
...
Major General Jim Mattis - Commanding General of the 1st Marine
Division - emailed us about our donation of sewing machines saying,
"The sewing centers are getting good use and more are planned. We
should see a lot of very beneficial impact as the word of these
spread. While the first one in Ramadi is well attended, I am
surprised at even greater anticipated use in smaller, less affluent
areas. I guess I should have forecast that, but we will look at our
roll-out plan and make sure that we have targeted the future centers
for the greatest good based on what we are seeing. Thank you and your
team again. Semper Fi, Jim"

There are photos of the ribbon cutting in Ramadi and Habbaniyah. I'm so proud we could be part of such an event; thanks to all who donated with me!

Posted by: Sarah at 01:45 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 231 words, total size 2 kb.

<< Page 5 of 6 >>
260kb generated in CPU 0.0403, elapsed 0.1272 seconds.
64 queries taking 0.098 seconds, 319 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.