Update to "It's That Date Again"

Since I've been on vacation, I've found the the time to unpack all my books. So, I finally found the piece of paper I was looking for when I made this post.

When I sang in the Rolling Requiem for the victims of 9-11-01, I wore the name of Richard P. Fitzsimons printed on a heart-shaped nametag over my own heart. As I wrote here before, it was a physical weight that pressed down so hard that I couldn't take a full breath.

A character sketch of Mr. Fitzsimons was published in the NY Times on September 27, 2001:

Richard Fitzsimons, of Lynbrook, N.Y., kept his Irish roots well watered. For him, a visit to Ireland was going home, said Colleen, his daughter. He last saw Dublin in the summer, when he ate, drank and danced for 13 hours to celebrate a niece's wedding.

At home, he kept busy. In his job as a fire safety inspector at the World Trade Center, he conducted drills and planned evacuations. He was, Ms. Fitzsimons said, almost certainly "saving people right from the start."

Mr. Fitzsimons golfed and coached a working men's ice hockey team. He belonged to the Ancient Order of Hibernians and had studied Gaelic with Patricia, his wife.

At 57, he was keeping his life interesting by starting fresh. He was toying with the idea of another career as a guidance counselor or as a travel agent. Two years ago, he began taking piano lessons. He and his wife would spend evenings at home, singing old tunes while he played along.

[After the requiem, I remember looking up his name on the Internet and reading that he was last seen helping to evacuate a childcare center at one of the WTC towers. I can no longer find that reference.]

When we finished singing, we were encouraged to write a note on the back of the tags we had worn so heavily. I sat thinking for quite awhile; I knew that words could ring hollow, and I had no idea how his family had coped in the year since his death, or even how old he was (I hadn't yet had the opportunity to research his name). I finally wrote, with a heartfelt prayer that it would be true, "May God Bless and Comfort You." Then I signed my name and the location of the Requiem performance. The name tags were collected and sent to the respective families. I have heard nothing about Mr. Fitzsimons and his family since that day, but I hope that his widow and children have found some peace--and even joy--in these intervening years.

I will most-definitely Never Forget.

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(Pea)nuts to Me!

I found this quiz by accident when I got a blog address wrong, and found it to be fun. Not sure about the results, though... I'm definitely not practical, haha! I think I'm actually a cross between Marcie and Sally. Try it...

Which Peanuts Character are You?

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Meeting Flight Pundit

Unfortunately, the Support the Troops activity we had planned for Luke Air Force Base fell through. The main gate was shut down, we couldn't find a gate that was being used a lot, and nine of the eleven people scheduled to come didn't show up.

Yup. Just me and Michael (Flight Pundit). I was disappointed, but the silver lining was a chance to sit and talk with Michael, who proved to be a great conversationalist. He credited his ability to draw me out to having six sisters. But frankly, I think he just spiked my water; either that, or he used some super-secret mind ray on me that nearly made me spill my guts. Fortunately, my strength of mind resisted it... I think. LOL!

Regardless, we sat in McDonalds and talked for two and a half hours--about everything from our careers to religion, politics, sociology and psychology. Lots of laughs were interspersed, and in the moments I shut up and listened, a lot was learned.

All in all, a nice start to my trip. Thanks, Michael! :)

P.S. Michael, anytime you need a paper placemat shredded into a couple hundred tiny pieces, you know who to call. ;)

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Phoenix

Safely in Phoenix and met up with Michael of Flightpundit. I will have a description up tomorrow, but in the meantime, don't believe a word he says! ;)

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Incommunicado

Speaking of supporting the troops, I will be at Luke Airforce Base in Phoenix this Saturday (Oct 1). If you are in the central Arizona, come join us.

I'll be down there for several days, staying with friends, so I don't know what my Internet access will be; I may be offline until Tuesday. "See" you then!

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Captain Fishback

I am no expert on military matters of any stripe, but I count among my friends those who definitely are. So, I'd like to share with you something that one of those friends sent me recently.

For those who may not know the whole story, an Army Captain of the 82nd Airborne has gone public with his concerns that he was not given adequate guidelines for how to treat prisoners or detainees during his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He says he spent 17 months asking internally for advice and clarification and that this lack of direction created situations that lead to what he fears was abuse or torture. CPT Fishback was apparently interviewed by Human Rights Watch over the last several months, and his ethical concerns clearly come through in his words. He seems very credible and earnest, but of course he's taking a lot of heat from both his army peers and the Pentagon types.

Because of CPT Fishback's apparent credibility, I am extremely disturbed and disappointed to think that there may have been a such a huge (systemic) failure of leadership in this case, and that there could be horrendous cases of abuse associated with this failure. I brought this up with a friend who is a rather high-ranking military officer. I found his reply so insightful and thought-provoking that I asked (and received) permission to share it here. I'll let him simply speak for himself:

Nothing rises or falls on one man's opinion, no matter how passionately held. We do a better job of most at staying on top of the core values: Duty, Honor, Country for the Army. Honor, Courage, Commitment for the Navy. The Corps, for the Corps. But none of us are perfect, and as institutions, sometimes we are very far from that we ought to be.

The Captain has launched his volley - the [military/DoD] will respond. Somewhere between the two the truth will be found. I'm sure he would have gotten someone's attention if he had said, "Look, I feel really seriously about this issue and it's not being answered to my satisfaction. If I can't get a square response from someone, I'm going to the people via the press - I'm going over everyone's head." If he did so and was still shut down, then everyone in his chain of command deserves what's coming to them. If he did so and they answered but he still wasn't satisfied, well that's something different, and we'll have to look at the facts.

It's never all of one thing, or all of another. I'm sure the captain had his guidance - I'm not sure he agreed with it. At some point, an officer is supposed to use his judgement - not everything can be spelled out. That's why we pay them the leadership bucks. Ultimately, he is responsible to the Army (and to the country) for doing what he thought was right.

[snip] No one should be surprised when people on the other side of the issue (all of whom believe they're doing the right thing for the country) look for a way to discredit the author of what will end up being a very damaging letter.

Is the captain's moral quandary more important than winning the war? ...Does he relish the opportunity to be the One Brave Man while everyone else goes grimly about the task at hand? I guess we'll find out soon.

Knowing the author of the above, those last questions are asked with great sincerity. He closed his letter with the famous line by General Sherman (Civil War): "All war is cruelty - there is no use trying to reform it."

He certainly left me with a new perspective and a lot to think about...

See Neptunus Lex and Castle Argghhh! for additional informed discussion of this topic from a military officer's perspective (be sure to read the comments).

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Support the Troops?

[I've rewritten/amplified this just slightly, though I think the message is the same]

Holly Aho, Valour-IT's webmistress and a great blogger, has written one of the best dissections I've seen of what it means to "support the troops." She points out that support is an action, not a feeling. As she says, there are few people actually opposed to the troops and wishing them ill. However, it's hard to say that the rest of the U.S. population is actually supporting the troops. "Support" is a verb--an action.

Holly discusses the intense disagreements between the various types of people who say that they support the troops. Then she writes:

I think the obvious has yet to be stated. When you support our troops you are aiding their mission. How so? Well, a letter to a soldier that boosts his morale will enable him to better perform his job (ie. accomplish his mission). [snip]

Something else - trying to do what you think is best for someone is not the same as supporting that person. Trying to bring the troops home now (if that's what you believe to be right), is doing what you think is best for them. Now perhaps there are those soldiers who might agree with you on what is best, but not all of them, and not most of them. So in effect you are putting what you believe to be best above what they believe. Kind of like forcing someone to get married who chooses to remain single, or forcing them to be a doctor when they'd rather be a lawyer because you think you know the best choices for them, regardless of what they want (or pushing a minority position on a majority public? Can we say democracy?).

So what am I saying? That you must be for the war in Iraq? [...] No. What I am saying is this - if you are supporting our troops with actions such as letter writing, carepackages or whatever, you have to realize you are aiding the mission you oppose.

Holly goes on (read it all) to theorize that there are three types of people who say they support the troops: 1) Cheerleaders--those who wish them the best, but do not demonstrate active "support" for the troops, 2) Those who try to do what they think is best for everyone ("bring them home!"), and 3) Those for whom support is a verb--those who are actively building the troops' morale and providing for their needs before/during/after deployment (this can encompass far more than just letters and packages). I'll add one more 4) The extreme leftists who appear to want them to lose, and whose actions (such as picketing Walter Reed) actively reduce troop morale. This last category attempts to use "We support the troops," as a shield against criticism.

This reminded me of a conversation at Villainous Company in response to a post about what it would mean if the U.S. pulled out of Iraq too soon. A commenter wrote:

I try to put myself in their shoes. If I were in the military, would I want to be used as a mercenary, or in a just cause that actually made my country safer?

Yes, our soldiers should all be proud of the honorable work they do. They are all loyal to whatever cause they are told to support, as our armed forces need to be. It is the people who sent them there, to do their personal bidding, that are committing an unforgivable crime.

My reply was (in part): "It is not honorable to simply support a cause because you are told to support it. Ah, yes... let us laud the honor of the mindless automotons that simply do the evil leadership's bidding. And you call that supporting the troops?!"

Another commenter replied, "Yep. Not very supportive, is it? More like the kind of support you give an abuse victim. Which might work with someone who's actually suffered abuse, but with military personnel, it probably pisses them off." I'll add that the reason it "pisses them off" probably has a lot to do with honor, a word that gets thrown around a lot, but with little understanding of what it actually means. Because as near as I can figure, there's no honor in being used as a tool for evil.

I share all of this because it seems to be excellent food for thought the next time we say we "support the troops."

Btw, if you are looking for a non-politcal way to support the troops, consider donating to Valour-IT. Valour-IT provides voice-activated laptops to warfighters who suffer hand and arm wounds. It's a great way to support the troops after they return from the battlefield.

UPDATE II: Holly cross-posted at Mudville Gazette, sparking a throught-provoking comment thread.

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Back to Our Regular Programming...

We now temporarily return to our regularly-scheduled programming of ignoring politics.

I like the concept of this quiz (in best Homer voice: uhhh.... pizza!), so I thought I'd share it. Enjoy! (Mmm... I think it's pizza for supper tonight...)

What's" Your Pizza Personality?

Cheese Pizza

Traditional and comforting.You focus on living a quality life.You're not easily impressed with novelty.Yet, you easily impress others.

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We Took it Back!!!

Yes, the title of this post was shamelessly stolen from Blackfive. But it captures the joy and relief of those who were deeply disturbed by the plans of the "International Freedom Center" for the WTC site memorial in New York. From the Take Back the Memorial website:

Governor George Pataki has cancelled plans to build the controversial International Freedom Center at the World Trade Center site - and representatives of the center say the location change has forced the entire project to be scrapped.

The center had drawn criticism from some 9/11 victims’ family members because it would not focus exclusively on the terror attacks. Family members also said the IFC could potentially contain exhibits that were anti-American.

Pataki said Wednesday that he’s given the center a chance to clarify its intentions, but there’s just too much opposition.

In a statement, Pataki said: “The creation of an institution that would show the world our unity and our resolve to preserve freedom in the wake of the horrific attacks is a noble pursuit. But freedom should unify us. This center has not.”

The governor asked the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to work with the IFC to explore other locations for the center, but representatives of the center have decided to scrap the idea completely.

In a statement, the IFC said: “We are deeply disappointed that the will could not be found to continue the development of the International Freedom Center at this hallowed site. We do not believe there is a viable alternative place for the IFC at the World Trade Center site. We consider our work, therefore, to have been brought to an end.”

Background on this issue here, and Washington Post details of the IFC withdrawal here.

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I'm Pro-Victory

Those who want to end U.S. military involvement in Iraq have long claimed the title "Anti-war." The logical antonym would seem to be "Pro-war." But as I've said before, I am not "for war." So, people who oppose "Anti-war" types struggle to label themselves. "Pro-troop is somewhat satisfactory, but some people are pro-troop but truly believe the war is hopeless and we should withdraw, so that doesn't fit. Other labels are even less satisfactory.

But Jay Tea at Whizbang has come up with the correct label for those opposing the "anti-war" position:

Let the other side be "anti-war." If they choose not to recognize that the war started a long time ago, and we've only recently started fighting back, that's their stupidity. We have more important things to worry about than their whining and kvetching.

We're pro-VICTORY.

It's a good word. It says exactly what our goal is: to win, to defeat the enemy, to stop those out to destroy us and our way of life and impose their tyrannical vision on people.

I like it! A North American Patriot agrees, and has given it a logo. If you are Pro-Victory, get your logo here and display it proudly.

H/T Mudville Gazette / Holly Aho

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The Politics Quiz

I thought this quiz was very interesting because it illustrated what I said about my political values a few days ago. I found it at Grim's, and he does a great analysis of the quiz itself.

You are a Social Liberal (63% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (66% permissive) You are best described as a:Libertarian Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

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Well, We're Movin' On Uh-up...

I'd seen some slight sagging recently, but hadn't noticed the pouch until this morning... I'm a Marauding Marsupial!! *Happy Hoppity Dance*

Less than two months of blogging, and I'm already a Marauding Marsupial! Wish I could take credit for it, but I started out with a couple of unfair advantages--Status as a Castle Denizenne, and the visibility of being Team Leader for Valour-IT. Still fun, though.

Speaking of Valour-IT, keep your eyes open. Things will be picking up soon.

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Attack of the Killer Meme

The day I dreaded has arrived... I've been tagged with my first meme (since I started blogging). I saw this one developing (ick!) and prayed it wouldn't land on my doorstep. Thanks a lot, AFSis! :P

1. Do you try to look hot when you go to the grocery store just in case someone recognizes you from your blog? Nope. In fact, I don't even clean up as much as I should, considering I'm likely to run into some of my students and their parents.

2. Are the photos you post Photoshopped or otherwise altered? What photos?

3. Do you like it when creeps or dorks email you? Yes, I like Neffi just fine. ;)

4. Do you lie in your blog? No, though I have used subterfuge to conceal various peoples' identities at times.

5. Are you passive-aggressive in your blog? What do you think?

6. Do you ever threaten to quit writing so people will tell you not to stop? No. Is it just me, or is this meme just a little...pathetic?

7. Are you in therapy? If not, should you be? If so, is it helping? No. Probably, haha!

8. Do you delete mean comments? Do you fake nice ones?The only comments I've ever deleted were removed because they were XXX-rated. I've never faked a nice comment...that's so pathetic!

9. Have you ever rubbed one out while reading a blog? How about after? What would I need an eraser for when reading a blog? You asking if I killed someone?! Because I hated their blog or something?!

10. If your readers knew you in person, would they like you more or like you less? Who knows...ask them after we've met!

11. Do you have a job? Yes. See Question 1.

12. If someone offered you a decent salary to blog full-time without restrictions, would you do it? Probably not. I'm still trying to figure out why I started blogging in the first place, and what I really want to do with it.

13. Which blogger do you want to meet in real life? A long list of them. Most of the bloggers I read would be on that list, but lately Sgt. B, Lex, BillT and Kat (put us in the same city and watch what happens!) have been hanging out near the top. [AFSis, I would have included you, not after you gave me this meme! Pbbbppbbbt!]

14. Which bloggers have you made out with? None

15. Do you usually act like you have more money or less money than you really have? Probably slightly less. I tend to really stress about money, and I hate spending it on myself.

16. Does your family read your blog? Yes, a couple family members do. Most don't even know I blog.

17. How old is your blog? Look at the archives on the sidebar. Duh! ;)

18. Do you get more than 1000 page views per day? Do you care? Definitely not 1000! On a good day it's about 50 visitors and 75 page views. I guess I care because it's fun to see that people are interested in what I say. But ultimately it's more like a game than anything else.

19. Do you have another secret blog in which you write about being depressed, slutty, or a liar? No way, LOL! I felt bad enough about creating FbL at the Castle!

20. Have you ever given another blogger money for his/her writing? Yes. I've hit the tipjar for some of my friends.

21. Do you report the money you earn from your blog on your taxes? What money?

22. Is blogging narcissistic? I think partially, yes. I think that's especially true for more personal (non-informational/non-discussion) blogs. But then again, as a professional musician, I don't have much room to talk, haha! How much more narcissistic can it get than thinking people want to sit and listen to you play 200-year-old music?

23. Do you feel guilty when you don't post for a long time? Yes, but only because this is a way for me to publicize Valour-IT. So, I feel like I can't let the blog die or lose any of my meager readership.

24. Do you like John Mayer? Who?

25. Do you have enemies? Probably, but no idea who they might be.

26. Are you lonely? Considering that I just moved by myself to an overgrown small town in the middle of nowhere... yes.

27. Why bother? I hate questions like this. I have no idea what they mean. If it's some kinda nihlistic thing, I guess my answer would be: because. Because life is strange and interesting, and sometimes wonderful... and what we choose to do in this world always matters to somebody.

Now... [rubbing hands together evilly] who shall I tag with this nasty little meme? John, SWWBO, and Sgt. B... You're it! Don't you dare wimp out on these questions. I suffered through them; you can too. :D

Update: John reports for duty, hairy eyeball in tow. Sgt. B checks in.

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What "Get Out of Iraq" Really Means

In another of her amazing essays, Cassandra articulates one of the many reasons why the "anti-war" pressure to leave Iraq prematurely is so repugnant, and bereft of fundamental human decency. [For those who may not know, Cassandra is a Marine officer's wife, veteran of many deployments of family and friends]. The entire thing is excellent, but her closing paragraphs are powerful:

The anti-war Left has told us over and over that Iraq is a quagmire: another Vietnam. It is not, of course. The differences are numerous and striking, but the unpalatable truth is that they long to make it one. And the old adage, "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it" may well come true once again; for if we withdraw too soon from Iraq, we betray not only the Iraqis, but 150,000 men and women who have served bravely, believing that their service actually stood for something.

Believing that America meant what she said.

How sad for them to find out that the country they believed in with all their hearts is but a paper tiger: a nation of videots whose attention span lasts no longer than the next episode of Survivor Vanuatu?

That we sent them into danger and bloodshed and toil on a fool's errand and then, losing interest, said, "Oh... nevermind. This isn't really all that important after all."

Perhaps you can look that young graduate stepping off the parade ground in the eye after we make it clear what he has just signed up to serve: a nation that doesn't honor its commitments. A nation that will ask him and his friends to die for causes it does not really believe in.

I know I can't.

And here is a Marine of 3 deployments to Iraq (commenter "USMC in Iraq" at Indepundit) who says the same thing his own way in response to a the commenter I quoted in yesterday's post:

How many Iraqis have you had to look in the eye and promise that you would not desert them...then have to worry that your own countrymen would be the cause of you breaking your promise? I know the answer to the last question -you and those who espouse your belief are telling them, "you're days are numbered...we're going to do everything we can so that you suffer the same fate as the Vietnamese and Cambodians" Why? God knows...I sure can't figure it out. [...] Despite your best efforts, I am betting my life, as so many Iraqis are betting their lives and the lives and future of their children, that Iraq will succeed as a democratic nation. I know why I am here and what my efforts are worth. Go look yourselves in the mirror and tell me what you are....and what it's worth..then tell me how you can live with yourselves.

These two say it better than my feeble attempts of yesterday. I'll give a nod of respect to genuine pacifists, and I'll pity those too unintelligent to comprehend the meaning of their actions...but this is why I find the majority of "anti-war" protestors so disturbing and disgraceful.

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"Anti-war" and the War

A warm welcome to Mudville Gazette and Free Republic readers (thanks, bnelson44)! As long as I've got your kind attention, please check out Valour-IT, a Soldiers' Angels effort to provide voice-activated laptops to troops with hand/arm injuries. More info is on the sidebar. Thanks so much for dropping by my humble little blog! Oh, and don't be afraid to comment. I don't bite... though I've been known to scratch! ;)

Okay, the gloves are off. I'm out of the closet. Whatever you want to call it. Let's talk politics...

I could probably be classified as a philosophical Conservative, with Libertarian tendencies (my thoughts on social issues run the gamut from typical "liberal" views right through libertarian leanings). I also am a Christian, something that colors my attitudes in ways most people don't expect; I believe that we have the God-given right to choose our spiritual and physical paths, including rejecting God completely and doing things that will cause us personal or spiritual harm. Besides, who knows if my beliefs are correct, anyway? So, on an individual level, short of interfering with someone else's choices/life, we can do what we want; we'll all answer for it in the end. My particular brand of religion also encourages a strong separation between church and state.

Until 3 years ago, I was a registered Independent. When I moved at that time, I said I'd been lying to myself and I might as well register as a Republican. I did, and after seeing Sen. Kerry running for President, I called up my local party office and put in hours helping to make sure he wasn't elected. In those hours, I met some great people, and I met a lot of people that scared the you-know-what out of me: single-issue voters and those who thought George W. Bush was the herald of the Second Coming. Their political discussions consisted of slogans from talk radio shows and showed a level of ignorance of basic history, logic, etc., that was startling. I was embarrassed to be associated with three-fourths of them (Interesting sideline: many of the employees and local party officials quietly told me they were Libertarians). I haven't gotten around to changing my registration back, but since I've moved again, I'll be registering as an Independent. I'm no Bush Worshipper, but I have had the opportunity to interact with him very briefly, and while I don't agree with all his policies, I found I greatly admired and respected him as a human being.

Why am I telling you this now? Because I read something at Smash's that compelled me to speak out, and I want you to know where I'm coming from.

I support our fighting men and women and I support their mission. One. Hundred. Percent. That shouldn't be a surprise to most people who already know me, but let me make sure it's clear. I believe that what they are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan is vital to the future of this country and possibly the world. They should be out there as absolutely long as they need to be in order to leave stable and non-threating countries behind them when they go. I'm not saying that it's been conducted with anything close to perfection, or even by people with pure motives, behaviors, etc. I'm just saying that it matters and it must be done, as terrible as it is to see.

My heart literally aches at the news of each death, both Coalition and Iraqi. War is hideous for what it does to those who must carry it out, those who die, those on the sidelines, and those who love them all (civilian and military, on all sides). But this world is a messed-up place (my religion says that humans will never make the whole world perfect or even "good"), and so we have to muddle along as best we can. Sometimes that means war is necessary. I despise its necessity, but I see the world as it is, not as I wish it to be.

So, when I read the post I linked above, I was in complete agreement with the Marine in Iraq who wrote:

They [enemy in Iraq] absolutely cannot defeat us militarily and have no strategic vision except the destruction of all who oppose them. A strategy based on such a negative is doomed to fail, unless we cut and run. That is the enemy's only chance to win. The biggest threat we face is a determined enemy who will not quit because, like the Vietnamese they see the possibility of victory because of a perceived willingness to quit at home. [break]

I've said it several times before: this war will be won or lost on the homefront, and the fact that there are so many of our so-called fellow citizens determined to defeat us scares me. You are the ones who can keep history from being repeated and you can help us by not allowing the anti-American crowd to help the enemy snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. [break]

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal after his retirement, [North Vietnamese] Col. Tin explicitly credited leaders of the U.S. anti-war movement, saying they were "essential to our strategy."

"Every day our leadership would listen to world news over the radio at 9AM to follow the growth of the antiwar movement," Col. Tin told the Journal. [break]

"Through dissent and protest [America] lost the ability to mobilize a will to win," Col. Tin concluded. "

Thanks for taking the time to help us out. You are the ones who clearly support the troops... because you support our mission. You may not appreciate the role you will play in helping to win this fight. But I do.

Thanks again.

A commenter replied simply, "I guess Iraq is Vietnam, then."

And another commenter responded:

You bet it is.. and it's going to end the same way, not because of the anti-war movement, that is simply an effect, not a cause, but rather because both wars were started for the wrong reasons, with false goals, naive bravado and arrogance. [break]

...This weekends protest will hopefully mark the beginning of the real rise of public dissent against the Iraq war across the American population. Polls are showing that Americans are finally starting to realise their Administration has no plan to win this war and is just betting aimlessly on the lives of thousands of American men and women and an untold number of Iraqis... and THAT simply isn't American.

I had just finished breakfast, and when read that I honestly had to swallow hard because I thought I was going to throw up. Truly. As I said in the comment thread at Smash's, "May whatever god you believe in forgive you for what you are trying to do."

I'm too young to remember the Vietnam war, but I am increasingly frightened and angered by the ignorance, self-centeredness and almost suicidal tendencies of so many who call themselves "anti-war" protestors (Btw, we're all anti-war, you idiots! Get off your high horses!). Whether we win or lose IS all about our homefront staying power. I have respect for tender souls who are philosophical pacifists (a very rare breed). But whether they know it or not, in our multimedia, interconnected world "anti-war" activists are acting to make us lose, with all the disastrous results that implies. And they DO have the power to do it if we let them.

So, get off your butts and get out there to counter those who (largely due to ignorance and lack of thought) want America to lose. You heard it from one of our fighting men: you have the power to help our warfighters win.

UPDATE: Be sure to read the comments on Smash's post to see the Marine in Iraq's response to people like the commenter quoted above. Very powerful.

UPDATE II: See my follow-up post here.

[H/T to BCR at Snark Patrol for the Smash post. Thanks to Mudville Gazette and Stop the ACLU for "open post" opportunities.]

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Calling all Computer Geeks...

Ahh, don't take offense, guys. One of my best friends in college was a Computer Science Ph.D. ;) I need your help...

I consider myself moderately computer savvy. Maybe another way to say it is that I know just enough to be dangerous!

I know my way around the basic insides and outsides of a desktop computer, and can install and unistall hardware and software in just about any configuration. I can (with occassional major brain cramps), make everything from BIOS and Windows to music notation software sit up and do what I want it to. In the past I've shorted a brand new motherboard, stuck my fingers in a CPU fan, and rewired a power switch. My first modem was a 9600 (in 2000!). My last desktop was self-constructed (with a little help from my computer science friend).

But I have a confession... I'm a complete Luddite when it comes to Internet access. I'm still on dialup [*hides face in utter shame*]. But I recently discovered that with the limited number of ISPs available in my new hometown, an additional phone line plus ISP comes out to the same price as DSL or cable Internet.

However, what I like about dialup right now is that I've got a 35-foot phone cord. I can move my laptop all over, even out to the patio. This is important, as I get very poor radio reception, so most of my listening is via computer. And I'm expecting a small windfall soon, so maybe wireless would be nice...

So, the tech-savvy me goes searching for information on home wireless (and cable/DSL) and soon is lost in discussions of routers and multiple access points, security, and even cordless phones! Argghhh!! Every article I read seems to be either written for computer geeks, or leaves out ALL technical discussions because it's written for someone who thinks windows are what you look through. Not helpful to marginally-educated me.

So, to make a very long and tedious story short(er):

What kind of Internet should I get (DSL or cable)? Why? (btw, I don't have cable TV--or any TV, for that matter)

Do I need to purchase extra security software?

What hardware do I need in order to set up wireless access for a single-computer home? (new laptop is WiFi-ready, but no local access)

Since I don't want to set up an entire home network, do I still need a router if I go wireless?

How much can I expect to spend on equipment/software, either way?

Thanks in advance to any wonderful, awesome, sexy computer geeks who can help me. ;)

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Simon Wiesenthal, R.I.P.

Kat, at The Middle Ground, has the best writing on the death of Simon Wiesenthal that I have seen anywhere.

The world has lost a spirit of tremendous fire.

"Maybe it's my craziness," he told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. "Because I will never stop. I tell my wife, 'The great things in life are never done by normal people. They're done by crazy people.'."

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Talk Like a Pirate Day

Well, that that was no surprise

You are The Cabin Boy/Galley Wench

What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

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The Return of Valour-IT?

Despite what you may have heard, the demise of Valour-IT has been greatly exaggerated. We're still plugging away, albeit very, very slowly. The needs of Hurricane Katrina victims pretty much wiped us off people's charitable-giving map. And with such gargantuan time-sensitive needs, it wouldn't have been right to push something (Valour-it) that is not about life-threatening concerns, of course.

But the question now is, when do we start increasing Valour-IT visibility once again? We don't plan to push it online until the fundraising competition in October, but there are opportunities for local community organizations, businesses, media, etc. We now have a lot of materials available for everything from motivational presentations for a club that may like to do a fundraiser for Valour-IT, to materials for approaching corporations and media outlets.

So, what sense are you getting of the lay of the land where you are? Do you think people are almost ready to listen to non-hurricane charity requests? What might be a good way to frame this? Let's pool our info/perceptions and see if we can answer these questions...

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Caption Contest!

Neffi kindly offers up the following photo for comic relief...

Note: Castle rules apply (the PG-17 is on patrol).

And speaking of caption contests, check out the hilarious one Greyhawk hosted, if you didn't see it a couple days ago.

On a totally unrelated note... I was rifling through the site meter stats and discovered the following:

"We're number one!" Well, I am, that is. Go to MSN Search and enter "why 'september 17' 'united states' birthday," and Fuzzilicious Thinking is first in line. Whoot, whoot! ...still trying to figure out why someone would use that as a search string, though. Hey, I'm still number one!

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