OUR COMMENTS FEATURE IS KAPUT...
...at Least Until We Can find a Better Program
Because of the complaints we've received about how difficult it's been using our Enetation comments program, we've removed it and are looking into an alternative plug-in.
If you have any recommendations, please e-mail us at dpinstitut@aol.com
Thanks for your patience.
"Any questioning of the moral ideas that prevail ...is received with the utmost hostility.
To attempt such an enterprise is to disturb the peace"
--H. L. Mencken
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
THE KAY REPORT REDUX:
What the Mainstream Media Won't Publish
If one reads accounts in the Washington Post or New York Times about what was revealed this past week to Congress by David Kay, the leading U.S. weapons inspector sent to Iraq in search of evidence of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, one gets the impression that Mr. Kay came away empty-handed.
But according thean editorial in yesterday's New York Post nothing could be further from the truth. Notes the editor, in part:
Did Kay find nuclear-tipped ICBMs on their launch pads?
Of course not.
But evidence of biological, chemical and nuclear programs in various stages of development - from just-getting-started to possibly can-be-deployed-in-a-week?
Yes. And he found massive evidence of big-time coverups by Saddam and his evil elves.
And Kay says he's barely scratched the surface - though, again, what's been found already is impressive enough.
"We have discovered dozens of WMD-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations during the inspections that began in late 2002," Kay told Congress Thursday. Including:
* "A clandestine network of laboratories and safehouses . . . that contained equipment . . . suitable for continuing [chemical and biological weapons] research."
* A prison lab, "possibly used in human testing" of biological weapons.
* "Reference strains of biological organisms, one of which can be used to produce biological weapons."
* Hidden documents and equipment, useful for enriching uranium for nukes.
* "UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] not fully declared."
* "Plans and advanced design work for long-range missiles."
* "Clandestine attempts between late 1999 and 2002 to obtain from North Korea technology related to [long-range] ballistic missiles . . . cruise missiles and other prohibited equipment."
There's more - like reports by Iraqi scientists of the development of a production line that "could be switched to produce anthrax in one week if the seed stock were available."
Why hasn't even more been found?
"Iraq's WMD programs spanned more than two decades, involved thousands of people, billions of dollars and were elaborately shielded by deception operations that continued even beyond the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom," said Kay.
He noted that two key scientists were shot after talking to his team. And that chemical weapons might be stored at any of 130 known Iraqi "Ammunition Storage Points."
How many have been inspected? Ten.
Given that many exceed 50 square miles, we'd say that's pretty good work for three months. But much work plainly lies ahead.
What the Mainstream Media Won't Publish
If one reads accounts in the Washington Post or New York Times about what was revealed this past week to Congress by David Kay, the leading U.S. weapons inspector sent to Iraq in search of evidence of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction, one gets the impression that Mr. Kay came away empty-handed.
But according the
Did Kay find nuclear-tipped ICBMs on their launch pads?
Of course not.
But evidence of biological, chemical and nuclear programs in various stages of development - from just-getting-started to possibly can-be-deployed-in-a-week?
Yes. And he found massive evidence of big-time coverups by Saddam and his evil elves.
And Kay says he's barely scratched the surface - though, again, what's been found already is impressive enough.
"We have discovered dozens of WMD-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations during the inspections that began in late 2002," Kay told Congress Thursday. Including:
* "A clandestine network of laboratories and safehouses . . . that contained equipment . . . suitable for continuing [chemical and biological weapons] research."
* A prison lab, "possibly used in human testing" of biological weapons.
* "Reference strains of biological organisms, one of which can be used to produce biological weapons."
* Hidden documents and equipment, useful for enriching uranium for nukes.
* "UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] not fully declared."
* "Plans and advanced design work for long-range missiles."
* "Clandestine attempts between late 1999 and 2002 to obtain from North Korea technology related to [long-range] ballistic missiles . . . cruise missiles and other prohibited equipment."
There's more - like reports by Iraqi scientists of the development of a production line that "could be switched to produce anthrax in one week if the seed stock were available."
Why hasn't even more been found?
"Iraq's WMD programs spanned more than two decades, involved thousands of people, billions of dollars and were elaborately shielded by deception operations that continued even beyond the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom," said Kay.
He noted that two key scientists were shot after talking to his team. And that chemical weapons might be stored at any of 130 known Iraqi "Ammunition Storage Points."
How many have been inspected? Ten.
Given that many exceed 50 square miles, we'd say that's pretty good work for three months. But much work plainly lies ahead.
Friday, October 03, 2003
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
MAYBE SHE JUST LOOKED OLD FOR HER AGE:
Bush Critic's 40-Year-Old CIA Wife Was Undercover for 30 Years...
...at least according to former CIA analyst Larry Johnson, who claimed to have "trained" with Valerie Plame, the wife of former Clinton-era-Ambassador-turned-Bush-critic Joseph Wilson.
Hmmmm. We had no idea the CIA recruited 10-year-olds.
Bush Critic's 40-Year-Old CIA Wife Was Undercover for 30 Years...
...at least according to former CIA analyst Larry Johnson, who claimed to have "trained" with Valerie Plame, the wife of former Clinton-era-Ambassador-turned-Bush-critic Joseph Wilson.
Hmmmm. We had no idea the CIA recruited 10-year-olds.
Tuesday, September 30, 2003
OF ANGELS, ROCKY ROADS …AND HEROISM:
A Local Singer’s Battle and Triumph
We were heart-broken to learn this past weekend that Grace Griffith, a very talented and much-loved Washington, DC-area-based singer-songwriter well-known to fans of traditional and contemporary Celtic and folk music here and around the US, faces a long, hard, rocky road ahead in the form of advancing Parkinson’s Disease, a gradually crippling neurological disorder.
Anyone who has experienced Griffith’s music, whether on CD or (especially) in one of her small, intimate local concerts (which, sadly, have become much less frequent), can testify to the magic she works with her voice, a magic which goes straight into the listener’s heart and soul. This is to be expected, for Griffith pours her own heart and soul into her performances; so much so that, even long before PD set in, the experience would, she has said, leave her completely drained both emotionally and spiritually at the end of a concert. Not surprisingly, then, she developed a large, loyal following over her 20-plus-year-long music career.
But even more noteworthy than her wonderful voice (which, happily, remains unaffected by PD), Griffith is known among friends and colleagues for her kindness and generosity, especially towards other lesser-known singers, songwriters, and musicians --including one (about whom more in due course) who would later surpass her in fame and attention. For example, although she is a talented composer and lyricist in her own right she rarely records her own work, preferring instead to give other artists a chance to give their work more exposure.
In a highly competitive field like professional music, it’s unusual for one recording artist to risk his or her own career advancement for the sake of another performer. To do so would be seen by many as foolhardy rather than as what it really is –unselfish and noble.
Yet in early 1996, Griffith did exactly that when she convinced her record company, Blix Street, to sign on the phenomenally talented singer Eva Cassidy, who at that time was playing Washington, DC area pubs and other small venues. Once Blix Street followed Griffith's advice, Cassidy become an international star almost overnight, and continues to remain popular in Europe and Canada since her untimely death later that same year. Griffith's career, on the other hand, seems to have been eclipsed by Cassidy's.
In an article she wrote earlier this year, Griffith downplayed her risky act of generosity because, she noted, she had struggled with the decision to carry it out:
…My debate was between my better self and my ? less-than-better self. The better self was inclined to pass her beautiful music along regardless of any potential cost to my own position, because beauty should be shared. The less-than-better self was voicing concern that I might be shooting myself in the foot by making my record label aware of an artist of such caliber -- I have often been accused of not being competitive enough in a competitive world, and I was thinking twice about this one. But I am a person who must follow a certain way to be comfortable in my own skin.
In our opinion, not only was what Griffith did objectively praiseworthy in and of itself, the very fact that it was the result of a spiritual struggle -- a conflict between one's better inclination to serve another at risk to oneself and one's lesser impulse to “look out for number one”-- made her choice something more than merely praiseworthy.
It made her choice heroic.
The same choice would not have been as significant --or heroic-- if it had been made by someone who had no such conflict to overcome. Such battles within ourselves –battles, ultimately, between self-giving love and self-serving egotism-- are often more important than any other battles we may find ourselves engaged in, even when we end up "losing" in the end:
For when such a choice is made we enter the ranks of the angels.
In her case, Grace Griffith's battle between her "better self" and "less-than-better self" ended in a triumph rather than a loss, for it resulted in a great accomplishment: Were it not for Griffith’s efforts to promote her younger, much lesser-known “competitor” --who also happened to be one of her most ardent fans-- the world would probably not have known about Eva Cassidy.
For that gift, as well as for the gift of her own music, the world has Grace Griffith to thank.
A Local Singer’s Battle and Triumph
We were heart-broken to learn this past weekend that Grace Griffith, a very talented and much-loved Washington, DC-area-based singer-songwriter well-known to fans of traditional and contemporary Celtic and folk music here and around the US, faces a long, hard, rocky road ahead in the form of advancing Parkinson’s Disease, a gradually crippling neurological disorder.
Anyone who has experienced Griffith’s music, whether on CD or (especially) in one of her small, intimate local concerts (which, sadly, have become much less frequent), can testify to the magic she works with her voice, a magic which goes straight into the listener’s heart and soul. This is to be expected, for Griffith pours her own heart and soul into her performances; so much so that, even long before PD set in, the experience would, she has said, leave her completely drained both emotionally and spiritually at the end of a concert. Not surprisingly, then, she developed a large, loyal following over her 20-plus-year-long music career.
But even more noteworthy than her wonderful voice (which, happily, remains unaffected by PD), Griffith is known among friends and colleagues for her kindness and generosity, especially towards other lesser-known singers, songwriters, and musicians --including one (about whom more in due course) who would later surpass her in fame and attention. For example, although she is a talented composer and lyricist in her own right she rarely records her own work, preferring instead to give other artists a chance to give their work more exposure.
In a highly competitive field like professional music, it’s unusual for one recording artist to risk his or her own career advancement for the sake of another performer. To do so would be seen by many as foolhardy rather than as what it really is –unselfish and noble.
Yet in early 1996, Griffith did exactly that when she convinced her record company, Blix Street, to sign on the phenomenally talented singer Eva Cassidy, who at that time was playing Washington, DC area pubs and other small venues. Once Blix Street followed Griffith's advice, Cassidy become an international star almost overnight, and continues to remain popular in Europe and Canada since her untimely death later that same year. Griffith's career, on the other hand, seems to have been eclipsed by Cassidy's.
In an article she wrote earlier this year, Griffith downplayed her risky act of generosity because, she noted, she had struggled with the decision to carry it out:
…My debate was between my better self and my ? less-than-better self. The better self was inclined to pass her beautiful music along regardless of any potential cost to my own position, because beauty should be shared. The less-than-better self was voicing concern that I might be shooting myself in the foot by making my record label aware of an artist of such caliber -- I have often been accused of not being competitive enough in a competitive world, and I was thinking twice about this one. But I am a person who must follow a certain way to be comfortable in my own skin.
In our opinion, not only was what Griffith did objectively praiseworthy in and of itself, the very fact that it was the result of a spiritual struggle -- a conflict between one's better inclination to serve another at risk to oneself and one's lesser impulse to “look out for number one”-- made her choice something more than merely praiseworthy.
It made her choice heroic.
The same choice would not have been as significant --or heroic-- if it had been made by someone who had no such conflict to overcome. Such battles within ourselves –battles, ultimately, between self-giving love and self-serving egotism-- are often more important than any other battles we may find ourselves engaged in, even when we end up "losing" in the end:
For when such a choice is made we enter the ranks of the angels.
In her case, Grace Griffith's battle between her "better self" and "less-than-better self" ended in a triumph rather than a loss, for it resulted in a great accomplishment: Were it not for Griffith’s efforts to promote her younger, much lesser-known “competitor” --who also happened to be one of her most ardent fans-- the world would probably not have known about Eva Cassidy.
For that gift, as well as for the gift of her own music, the world has Grace Griffith to thank.
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
"SAPPY ECUMENICISM" VS. TRUTH-SEEKING:
Why Religious Debate Is Important, Now More Than Ever
Two years ago, in response to movie actress Nicole Kidman's decision to leave the Church of Scientology (a popular Los Angeles-based sci-fi-oriented "self-help" cult she and now-ex Tom Cruise belonged to) and return to the Catholic Church of her youth, taking her children with her, National Review writer Arthur Stuttaford made the following astute observations in his article Scientology Chic:
....Ask most Americans, and they will tell you about their respect for the spiritual, but it is a sloppy and uninformed devotion, a pastiche piety with no intellectual force behind it, more Hallmark than holy, the perfect background for a new cult recruit. Ironically, Nicole Kidman herself provided an example of this mindset in a 1998 interview with Newsweek. Asked about her religious beliefs, the actress replied, "there is a little Buddhism, a little Scientology. I was raised Catholic, and a big part of me is still a Catholic girl."
Hand in hand with such an attitude is an unwillingness to debate the religious beliefs of others. Such debate is now believed to be insensitive at best, bigoted and hateful at worst. These days everyone is meant to be a little bit Buddhist, Catholic, Scientologist , whatever. A sappy ecumenicism is now America's civic religion, and it appears to include just about everyone (other, interestingly, than atheists and agnostics). We are taught that such supposedly inclusive tolerance is the hallmark of a tolerant society, when, in fact, it is precisely the opposite. True religious tolerance is the acceptance of the right of others to follow a different creed. In our ersatz, contemporary version, however, it is denied that there are any different creeds. Instead, we are encouraged to think that all religions are basically the same, just different routes to the same transcendental Truth.
In the name of "diversity," we try to erase difference. When it comes to religious belief, this is a country chary of controversy and anxious about argument. In the interest of fraudulent civility and soi-disant "respect" we have removed the right of the religious to disagree with each other. On the face of it, traditional religious distinctions remain, but all too often they have been trivialized and shrunk down to the superficial, reduced to a matter of folklore or ethnic heritage, nothing more consequential, say, than a choice of headgear: Yarmulke, or turban?
This is a mistake. Old-style rigorous religious debate was bruising, tough, and frequently impolite, but it served a function. Homo Sapiens is a credulous creature, ready to believe just about anything, but, fortunately, he has an innate love of argument. Controversy sharpened our great faiths and pushed them, however painfully, towards some form of intellectual coherence. More than that, it acted as a filter for the worst of the nonsense that people would otherwise be tempted to accept. Now that filter has disappeared. The more established religions are gutted, sunk into PC blandness, or, ironically, introspective fundamentalism. In their intellectual retreat they have left behind a spiritual landscape in which anything goes....
Why Religious Debate Is Important, Now More Than Ever
Two years ago, in response to movie actress Nicole Kidman's decision to leave the Church of Scientology (a popular Los Angeles-based sci-fi-oriented "self-help" cult she and now-ex Tom Cruise belonged to) and return to the Catholic Church of her youth, taking her children with her, National Review writer Arthur Stuttaford made the following astute observations in his article Scientology Chic:
....Ask most Americans, and they will tell you about their respect for the spiritual, but it is a sloppy and uninformed devotion, a pastiche piety with no intellectual force behind it, more Hallmark than holy, the perfect background for a new cult recruit. Ironically, Nicole Kidman herself provided an example of this mindset in a 1998 interview with Newsweek. Asked about her religious beliefs, the actress replied, "there is a little Buddhism, a little Scientology. I was raised Catholic, and a big part of me is still a Catholic girl."
Hand in hand with such an attitude is an unwillingness to debate the religious beliefs of others. Such debate is now believed to be insensitive at best, bigoted and hateful at worst. These days everyone is meant to be a little bit Buddhist, Catholic, Scientologist , whatever. A sappy ecumenicism is now America's civic religion, and it appears to include just about everyone (other, interestingly, than atheists and agnostics). We are taught that such supposedly inclusive tolerance is the hallmark of a tolerant society, when, in fact, it is precisely the opposite. True religious tolerance is the acceptance of the right of others to follow a different creed. In our ersatz, contemporary version, however, it is denied that there are any different creeds. Instead, we are encouraged to think that all religions are basically the same, just different routes to the same transcendental Truth.
In the name of "diversity," we try to erase difference. When it comes to religious belief, this is a country chary of controversy and anxious about argument. In the interest of fraudulent civility and soi-disant "respect" we have removed the right of the religious to disagree with each other. On the face of it, traditional religious distinctions remain, but all too often they have been trivialized and shrunk down to the superficial, reduced to a matter of folklore or ethnic heritage, nothing more consequential, say, than a choice of headgear: Yarmulke, or turban?
This is a mistake. Old-style rigorous religious debate was bruising, tough, and frequently impolite, but it served a function. Homo Sapiens is a credulous creature, ready to believe just about anything, but, fortunately, he has an innate love of argument. Controversy sharpened our great faiths and pushed them, however painfully, towards some form of intellectual coherence. More than that, it acted as a filter for the worst of the nonsense that people would otherwise be tempted to accept. Now that filter has disappeared. The more established religions are gutted, sunk into PC blandness, or, ironically, introspective fundamentalism. In their intellectual retreat they have left behind a spiritual landscape in which anything goes....
Monday, September 22, 2003
SANITY AND REASON ABOUT "THE PASSION":
David Horowitz Reviews Mel Gibson's New Film
One of our heroes, former far-left activist turned conservative activist David Horowitz, who now devotes his time blowing the whistle on the hypocrisy and deceptions of liberalism and the Left, had the following to say on his web log in defense of Mel Gibson's new film, which he viewed earlier this year.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Horowitz's review is that he is not only not a Catholic, he's not a Christian of any kind. He's a secular Jew.
....Gibson's film is an artistic vision and must be judged that way. ...It is an awesome artifact, an overpowering work. I can't remember being so affected by a film before. It is extremely painful to watch and yet the violence is never gratuitous. You never feel like you want to take your eyes off the screen. It is a wracking emotional journey which never strays from its inspirational purpose. It is as close to a religious experience as art can get.
It is not anti-Semitic, as the film-burners have charged. [For example,] Jesus is referred to in the film as "rabbi," and there is never any distancing of Jesus or his disciples from their Jewishness....
...The moral of this Christian story -- of Mel Gibson's film -- is that we all killed Jesus -- Jew and Gentile alike -- and tortured him, and we do so every day. But if you believe the vision that Gibson has rendered so searingly and so well, Jesus forgives us for that very act. Whosoever will give up cruelty and love his brother will enter paradise. That is the message that Gibson has framed in his extraordinary work. The effort to shut down his film before it opens is just another station of the cross.
David Horowitz Reviews Mel Gibson's New Film
One of our heroes, former far-left activist turned conservative activist David Horowitz, who now devotes his time blowing the whistle on the hypocrisy and deceptions of liberalism and the Left, had the following to say on his web log in defense of Mel Gibson's new film, which he viewed earlier this year.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Horowitz's review is that he is not only not a Catholic, he's not a Christian of any kind. He's a secular Jew.
....Gibson's film is an artistic vision and must be judged that way. ...It is an awesome artifact, an overpowering work. I can't remember being so affected by a film before. It is extremely painful to watch and yet the violence is never gratuitous. You never feel like you want to take your eyes off the screen. It is a wracking emotional journey which never strays from its inspirational purpose. It is as close to a religious experience as art can get.
It is not anti-Semitic, as the film-burners have charged. [For example,] Jesus is referred to in the film as "rabbi," and there is never any distancing of Jesus or his disciples from their Jewishness....
...The moral of this Christian story -- of Mel Gibson's film -- is that we all killed Jesus -- Jew and Gentile alike -- and tortured him, and we do so every day. But if you believe the vision that Gibson has rendered so searingly and so well, Jesus forgives us for that very act. Whosoever will give up cruelty and love his brother will enter paradise. That is the message that Gibson has framed in his extraordinary work. The effort to shut down his film before it opens is just another station of the cross.
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
HURRCANE ISABEL ON THE MOVE:
Storm Heading for Virginia, Maryland, and DC
Back in 1985, Virginia Beach-based televangelist Pat Robertson said he prayed away Hurricane Gloria, which was threatening his newly built Christian Broadcasting Network facilities there.
So where is Robertson now that we need him?
Storm Heading for Virginia, Maryland, and DC
Back in 1985, Virginia Beach-based televangelist Pat Robertson said he prayed away Hurricane Gloria, which was threatening his newly built Christian Broadcasting Network facilities there.
So where is Robertson now that we need him?
ATTACK OF THE PHANTOM CHADS:
California's Recall Election is Recalled, At Least for Now
It seems the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found a problem with the voting machines in six counties --the same machines which, albeit rather antiquated, were used to help elect Governor Gray Davis only 12 months ago.
These are punch-card machines similar to those used in Florida prior to the Gore-Bush election fiasco. Thus, apparently fearing the prospect of hanging chads, the judges decided the recall election should be post-poned until the machines' more modern replacements sometime next Spring.
But given the track record of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals --the same folks who issued that lamebrained decision a few months ago which found the Pledge of Allegiance "unconstitutional"-- the decision may not stand once it reaches the Supreme Court, which it may very well do in the very near future.
California's Recall Election is Recalled, At Least for Now
It seems the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found a problem with the voting machines in six counties --the same machines which, albeit rather antiquated, were used to help elect Governor Gray Davis only 12 months ago.
These are punch-card machines similar to those used in Florida prior to the Gore-Bush election fiasco. Thus, apparently fearing the prospect of hanging chads, the judges decided the recall election should be post-poned until the machines' more modern replacements sometime next Spring.
But given the track record of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals --the same folks who issued that lamebrained decision a few months ago which found the Pledge of Allegiance "unconstitutional"-- the decision may not stand once it reaches the Supreme Court, which it may very well do in the very near future.
Monday, September 15, 2003
SO MUCH FOR FEMINISM ON CAMPUS:
The Washington Post Profiles Georgetown U's "Sexpert"
(Hey, ya gotta do something to keep those circulation numbers up, right?)
The "sexpert" in question is a college student who writes a "dating and sex advice" column for the student newspaper of the ostensibly Catholic Georgetown University. She seems to think of herself as a "feminist" and advocates forms of dating which end with sitting and talking rather than heading for the nearest bedroom.
So far, so good.
But she has also clearly jettisoned one of the better (and one of the central) principles of feminism which got that movement started in the first place: Namely, decrying casual sexual encounters ("hookups") with men who want the goodies but don't want the demands and requirements of a real relationship.
For example, she writes:
"It's my opinion that if you're completely realistic about what you're getting out of the situation, there's absolutely no harm in a hookup. People have needs, right? I think the problem comes when people expect a relationship to come out of it. That's the hard part."
IOW, gals, why not think and behave just like all those self-centered guys you call "jerks"?
Betty Friedan, call your therapist.
The Washington Post Profiles Georgetown U's "Sexpert"
(Hey, ya gotta do something to keep those circulation numbers up, right?)
The "sexpert" in question is a college student who writes a "dating and sex advice" column for the student newspaper of the ostensibly Catholic Georgetown University. She seems to think of herself as a "feminist" and advocates forms of dating which end with sitting and talking rather than heading for the nearest bedroom.
So far, so good.
But she has also clearly jettisoned one of the better (and one of the central) principles of feminism which got that movement started in the first place: Namely, decrying casual sexual encounters ("hookups") with men who want the goodies but don't want the demands and requirements of a real relationship.
For example, she writes:
"It's my opinion that if you're completely realistic about what you're getting out of the situation, there's absolutely no harm in a hookup. People have needs, right? I think the problem comes when people expect a relationship to come out of it. That's the hard part."
IOW, gals, why not think and behave just like all those self-centered guys you call "jerks"?
Betty Friedan, call your therapist.
Saturday, September 13, 2003
DISSING THE VICTIMS AND HEROES OF 9/11:
When NetLoons Have Waaaaaay Too Much Time on Their Hands
Unfortunately, horrible tragedies like 9/11 seem to draw all sorts of kooks and nincumpoops out of the woodwork.
Such is the case with a truly weird web site, apparently authored by someone trying to pull our collective cyberlegs in order to push some lunatic-fringe political agenda. The theme of this site is that the "official story" (whatever that means) of what happened on 9/11 is a "hoax." (You know, just like the Holocaust, heliocentricity, evolution, and those manned landings on the moon.)
For a more detailed look at, and debunking of, this strange "theory" see our commentary at our Bullies 'N' Bozos web log.
When NetLoons Have Waaaaaay Too Much Time on Their Hands
Unfortunately, horrible tragedies like 9/11 seem to draw all sorts of kooks and nincumpoops out of the woodwork.
Such is the case with a truly weird web site, apparently authored by someone trying to pull our collective cyberlegs in order to push some lunatic-fringe political agenda. The theme of this site is that the "official story" (whatever that means) of what happened on 9/11 is a "hoax." (You know, just like the Holocaust, heliocentricity, evolution, and those manned landings on the moon.)
For a more detailed look at, and debunking of, this strange "theory" see our commentary at our Bullies 'N' Bozos web log.
Friday, September 12, 2003
MORE 9/11 RECOLLECTIONS AND REFLECTIONS:
At the Catholic Web Log Heart, Mind, and Strength
Many thanks to HMS blogger Kevin Miller at that site for posting these accounts by his readers of their experiences on that awful day:
Among these are the following powerful and poignant accounts written by one of his readers, a New York City resident, during the first three days after that tragedy:
From Day Two, 9/12/01:
Yesterday
and
Overcoming Evil with Good
From Day Four, 9/14/01:
Life Goes On
Several more moving recollections and thoughtful reflections, including by Mr. Miller, can be read starting HERE
At the Catholic Web Log Heart, Mind, and Strength
Many thanks to HMS blogger Kevin Miller at that site for posting these accounts by his readers of their experiences on that awful day:
Among these are the following powerful and poignant accounts written by one of his readers, a New York City resident, during the first three days after that tragedy:
From Day Two, 9/12/01:
Yesterday
and
Overcoming Evil with Good
From Day Four, 9/14/01:
Life Goes On
Several more moving recollections and thoughtful reflections, including by Mr. Miller, can be read starting HERE
Thursday, September 11, 2003
"WHERE WERE YOU
When the World Stopped Turning on that September Day?"
Country Music singer-songwriter Alan Jackson's reflections on 9/11
Listen to the song and read the lyrics HERE
A profoundly moving piece, whether you're a Country-Western Music fan or not.
When the World Stopped Turning on that September Day?"
Country Music singer-songwriter Alan Jackson's reflections on 9/11
Listen to the song and read the lyrics HERE
A profoundly moving piece, whether you're a Country-Western Music fan or not.
"LEST WE FORGET: REFLECTIONS ON 9/11"
by Megan, a Catholic College Student in Chicago, Illinois
On the Eve of September 11, 2003: Lest We Forget
At the end of August, I was at the site of another memorial of another national tragedy. As I looked down into the crystal clear waters of Pearl Harbor at the remnants of the USS Arizona, I couldn't help but think of 9/11. And as I watched the images of the Japanese fighter planes bombing the naval base and the battleships, I could not help but remember 9/11. I was not alive during Pearl Harbor--so 9/11 is like my generation's Pearl Harbor. And ironically it happened during the 60th anniversary year of that day.
I think about my generation. We're starved for lack of heroes. Our teenagers look to Madonna, Eminem, and Britney Spears as role models. Let us take this time to remember and honor real heroes, the firemen and other workers that gave their lives to help their fellow men in trouble. Let us remember them and the ultimate sacrifice they paid. Lest we forget.
I'm proud to be an American. I know that America has her faults and her sins. But I also see alot of good in the USA and that good was shown in the heroic examples of her citizens who showed remarkable unselfishness and courage in the face of danger. Let us not forget the sacrifice they paid. Let us pray for their souls, for all of the souls of the dead that day. Let us remember the courage that led the over 300 firemen to their deaths that day. God bless them. They are true heroes. They deserve to be honored and remembered. God have mercy on their souls and God have mercy on our land.
And, once, again, in my mind I go back to the crystal blue waters of Pearl Harbor and lay a flower on the waters of the tomb of those men who fell, remembering at the same time my generation's Pearl Harbor. Aloha and God be with you.
by Megan, a Catholic College Student in Chicago, Illinois
On the Eve of September 11, 2003: Lest We Forget
At the end of August, I was at the site of another memorial of another national tragedy. As I looked down into the crystal clear waters of Pearl Harbor at the remnants of the USS Arizona, I couldn't help but think of 9/11. And as I watched the images of the Japanese fighter planes bombing the naval base and the battleships, I could not help but remember 9/11. I was not alive during Pearl Harbor--so 9/11 is like my generation's Pearl Harbor. And ironically it happened during the 60th anniversary year of that day.
I think about my generation. We're starved for lack of heroes. Our teenagers look to Madonna, Eminem, and Britney Spears as role models. Let us take this time to remember and honor real heroes, the firemen and other workers that gave their lives to help their fellow men in trouble. Let us remember them and the ultimate sacrifice they paid. Lest we forget.
I'm proud to be an American. I know that America has her faults and her sins. But I also see alot of good in the USA and that good was shown in the heroic examples of her citizens who showed remarkable unselfishness and courage in the face of danger. Let us not forget the sacrifice they paid. Let us pray for their souls, for all of the souls of the dead that day. Let us remember the courage that led the over 300 firemen to their deaths that day. God bless them. They are true heroes. They deserve to be honored and remembered. God have mercy on their souls and God have mercy on our land.
And, once, again, in my mind I go back to the crystal blue waters of Pearl Harbor and lay a flower on the waters of the tomb of those men who fell, remembering at the same time my generation's Pearl Harbor. Aloha and God be with you.
"THE HOLE IN THE SKYLINE"
National Review Writer Rod Dreher's Reflections on 9/11
In his column at NROnline Dreher notes, in part:
It is, I think, good to be reminded of the tragic sense of life — good, because it reflects the truth, and having that front and center, day and night, helps one guard against blithe optimism, our American temptation. Forewarned is forearmed. Before September 11, I used to marvel at the Twin Towers and the lower Manhattan skyline. The morning sun glinted off the towers, twin diamonds in a crowning achievement of mankind: New York City, the breathtaking palace atop that shining city on the hill that is America. At night, the lights of the towers glittered against the scrim of night, a constellation of our own making. You cannot see the stars at night from New York City, but you didn't have to if you had the Twin Towers.
The last time I saw the towers as they were was one year ago tonight, I had a drink with a friend in the neighborhood, and said goodbye to him at my doorstep, watching him walk away with the towers over his shoulder. I next saw them on fire, and within two hours, saw nothing.
They were there and now they are not: that simple brute fact I still have trouble accepting. Video of the plane crashes and the two collapses doesn't bother me; rather, what I can't take are pre-9/11 images of the World Trade Center. Not long ago, my little niece showed me video of her visit to New York three years ago. At one point, there is a shot with the Twin Towers in the distance. As soon as I saw them there, my chest tightened, tears leapt to my eyes, and I had to leave the room. That video clip was a snapshot from a time and place when we could take things for granted, from a day when the mighty towers were mere background scenery. Of course, we never could, not really; but it was easy in our peace and prosperity, to forget that.
How true, and how very well said.
National Review Writer Rod Dreher's Reflections on 9/11
In his column at NROnline Dreher notes, in part:
It is, I think, good to be reminded of the tragic sense of life — good, because it reflects the truth, and having that front and center, day and night, helps one guard against blithe optimism, our American temptation. Forewarned is forearmed. Before September 11, I used to marvel at the Twin Towers and the lower Manhattan skyline. The morning sun glinted off the towers, twin diamonds in a crowning achievement of mankind: New York City, the breathtaking palace atop that shining city on the hill that is America. At night, the lights of the towers glittered against the scrim of night, a constellation of our own making. You cannot see the stars at night from New York City, but you didn't have to if you had the Twin Towers.
The last time I saw the towers as they were was one year ago tonight, I had a drink with a friend in the neighborhood, and said goodbye to him at my doorstep, watching him walk away with the towers over his shoulder. I next saw them on fire, and within two hours, saw nothing.
They were there and now they are not: that simple brute fact I still have trouble accepting. Video of the plane crashes and the two collapses doesn't bother me; rather, what I can't take are pre-9/11 images of the World Trade Center. Not long ago, my little niece showed me video of her visit to New York three years ago. At one point, there is a shot with the Twin Towers in the distance. As soon as I saw them there, my chest tightened, tears leapt to my eyes, and I had to leave the room. That video clip was a snapshot from a time and place when we could take things for granted, from a day when the mighty towers were mere background scenery. Of course, we never could, not really; but it was easy in our peace and prosperity, to forget that.
How true, and how very well said.
THE PRIESTS OF 9/11:
More Little-Noticed and Unsung Heroism on That Awful Day
Most of us know of the incredible acts of courage on the part of the hundreds of New York City firefighters and police officers who put their lives on the line on Sept. 11, 2001 helping those caught in the burning WTC twin towers to escape, often at the cost of their own lives.
We know also of the hundreds of rescue workers who, painfully and out of compassion as well as a sense of duty, risked their own lives searching for victims and survivors among the ruins of that calamity.
We know also of the ultimate sacrifice paid by Fr. Mychal Judge, the courageous Catholic chaplain with the NYC fire department who lost his life ministering to his FDNY colleagues as they lay injured or dying from the continually falling debri.
But most of us don't know about the dozens of Catholic priests who, alongside dozens of their colleagues of other faiths, went into that Hell on Earth to help others instead of run for their lives. After the dust and debris at Ground Zero settled, dozens more mobilized to help and comfort those hundreds of firefighters, police, rescue workers, survivors, and victims' family members who needed them.
This, and not the unfortunate sex abuse scandals on which the media seem so fixated, is what being a Catholic priest or any other cleric in any other religion is really all about, or at least should be all about.
More Little-Noticed and Unsung Heroism on That Awful Day
Most of us know of the incredible acts of courage on the part of the hundreds of New York City firefighters and police officers who put their lives on the line on Sept. 11, 2001 helping those caught in the burning WTC twin towers to escape, often at the cost of their own lives.
We know also of the hundreds of rescue workers who, painfully and out of compassion as well as a sense of duty, risked their own lives searching for victims and survivors among the ruins of that calamity.
We know also of the ultimate sacrifice paid by Fr. Mychal Judge, the courageous Catholic chaplain with the NYC fire department who lost his life ministering to his FDNY colleagues as they lay injured or dying from the continually falling debri.
But most of us don't know about the dozens of Catholic priests who, alongside dozens of their colleagues of other faiths, went into that Hell on Earth to help others instead of run for their lives. After the dust and debris at Ground Zero settled, dozens more mobilized to help and comfort those hundreds of firefighters, police, rescue workers, survivors, and victims' family members who needed them.
This, and not the unfortunate sex abuse scandals on which the media seem so fixated, is what being a Catholic priest or any other cleric in any other religion is really all about, or at least should be all about.
9/11 TWO YEARS LATER:
And the Nation Remembers Its Fallen Loved Ones and Fellow Citizens
But while we in the USA still live relatively free of terrorism since that awful day, terrorism continues in Israel, Iraq, and the rest of the world.
God help those for whom terrorism is a daily reality, and God bless and comfort those who have lost their friends and family members to terrorism.
And the Nation Remembers Its Fallen Loved Ones and Fellow Citizens
But while we in the USA still live relatively free of terrorism since that awful day, terrorism continues in Israel, Iraq, and the rest of the world.
God help those for whom terrorism is a daily reality, and God bless and comfort those who have lost their friends and family members to terrorism.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
ANOTHER O'HAIR-BRAINED ANTIC:
The American Atheists Want the Ground Zero Cross Removed
Shortly after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, while Ground Zero was being cleared of debris, a segment of three joined steel girders was found which uncannily resembled a perfectly symmetrical Christian cross. At the urging of the men and women who spent weeks searching for survivors and body parts, the NYC committee in charge of establishing a memorial at the site may include that 20-foot tall artifact in its memorial plans.
But not if the perennially cranky American Atheist organization has its way, as we take a look at this silly outfit and it's equally silly complaint at our Bullies 'N' Bozos web log.
The American Atheists Want the Ground Zero Cross Removed
Shortly after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, while Ground Zero was being cleared of debris, a segment of three joined steel girders was found which uncannily resembled a perfectly symmetrical Christian cross. At the urging of the men and women who spent weeks searching for survivors and body parts, the NYC committee in charge of establishing a memorial at the site may include that 20-foot tall artifact in its memorial plans.
But not if the perennially cranky American Atheist organization has its way, as we take a look at this silly outfit and it's equally silly complaint at our Bullies 'N' Bozos web log.
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
FROM THE SO-WHAT-ELSE-IS-NEW? DEPARTMENT:
The Church of $cientology Is at It Again --TWICE!
According to an on-line report by NBC News, members of the Church of Scientology, including celebrities like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Juliette Lewis, who want to move up into the upper ranks in their religion are now required to sign a contract which relinquishes to their "church" some key rights, "including a right to psychiatric care and the right to see their families."
Apparently this new requirement came about in the wake of a successful malpractive suit brought against the "church" by the family of a mentally ill member who died from dehydration and starvation while under the "care" of her colleagues.
And the Catholic Church's critics think we're the bad guys???
For a more in-depth look at this story, see our commentary at our Bullies 'N' Bozos web log.
The Church of $cientology Is at It Again --TWICE!
According to an on-line report by NBC News, members of the Church of Scientology, including celebrities like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Juliette Lewis, who want to move up into the upper ranks in their religion are now required to sign a contract which relinquishes to their "church" some key rights, "including a right to psychiatric care and the right to see their families."
Apparently this new requirement came about in the wake of a successful malpractive suit brought against the "church" by the family of a mentally ill member who died from dehydration and starvation while under the "care" of her colleagues.
And the Catholic Church's critics think we're the bad guys???
For a more in-depth look at this story, see our commentary at our Bullies 'N' Bozos web log.
Thursday, September 04, 2003
GETTING BOOTED BY THE POPE?
Gay Porn Priest May Get Fired by the Vatican
Sounds like a good beginning. All we need now is for the U.S. Bishops to start cleaning house, as they promised to do over a year ago.
Gay Porn Priest May Get Fired by the Vatican
Sounds like a good beginning. All we need now is for the U.S. Bishops to start cleaning house, as they promised to do over a year ago.
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