Wednesday, February 26, 2003
HokiePundit is on hiatus for now. Once I'm older and wiser, I'll resume. In the meantime, you can infrequently find posts of mine at Sgt. Stryker.
Sunday, February 16, 2003
A Dialogue
Me: "I'm going to bed. Do you mind if I turn out the light?"
Hippo: [facetiously]"Yeah, I mind!"
Me: "Consider yourself the UN." (turns off light)
Me: "I'm going to bed. Do you mind if I turn out the light?"
Hippo: [facetiously]"Yeah, I mind!"
Me: "Consider yourself the UN." (turns off light)
Thursday, February 13, 2003
For the last two sessions of my weekly Bible Study, we've been discussing the role of men in society and in marriage. To begin, we discussed how modern American society views these roles. Women are expected to work full-time, be assertive, be the brains in the marriage, be responsible, and generally take charge and be in control. Men are viewed as less-intelligent and generally incapable. Under no circumstances should a man make all or most of the decisions.
We then looked at what the Bible had to say about this, and it turned out to be essentially the same as we discerned from talking to wimmins ourselves: that doesn't make women happy. Most of them, while they wanted a job, weren't really looking for a career and instead wanted to raise a family. (As a side note, it's interesting to see how any commandment/advice on how to live found in the Bible can be discerned from stopping for a few minutes and considering what you've seen with your own eyes.) Furthermore, these women didn't want to be the decision-makers. This isn't to say that they wanted to be slaves to their husbands, but rather that they were happy following a reasonable plan of action devised by their husband.
Husbands are to be servant-leaders. To lead is to serve. The man has the role of leading, but must respond to the wife's role of nurturing by encouraging and affirming her (and correcting, if need be). He must be willing to lay down his very life for his wife and children. However, he must also lead. This means making the decisions unless strongly opposed by his wife and not shirking the responsibility. He should consider his wife's input, but not let her rule.
While we were discussing this, an analogy, subsequently confirmed as good by another member, occurred to me: namely, that marriage is like being a Rank Captain in marching band. As a Rank Captain, I'm responsible for the people in my rank. If I tell them to do something, they're expected to do it. However, being an RC isn't just about ordering people around. I have to attend leadership meetings, collect, highlight, and distribute drill charts, maintain order, earn respect, and serve as a communications link between the band as a whole and the directors. It's a lot of work. My core role is to lead my rank in marching. My rank's core role is to be in the formations shown on the drill charts. Their core reaction to my core role is to submit to my will when I tell them to do something, while my core response to their core role is to affirm them when they're correct and make sure they have everything they need to fulfill their task.
[More later, I'm tired...]
Sunday, February 09, 2003
"Putting the UN in Unilateralism"
A new feature here is the "Honor Roll," to the left above the links, of countries who support the overthrow of the Ba'athist regime in Iraq. Most of the European countries signed either the "Gang of Eight" or Vilnius Group letters, while the Netherlands have agreed to send one of their four Patriot missile batteries to Turkey and the Irish have offered to let us use Shannon AFB for refueling and such (a fairly major offer, as Ireland is nominally neutral). Australia is, well, Australia, and so nothing more really needs to be said. Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain have all agreed to let us use their territory for staging an attack on Iraq. Look for Norway and possibly Finland to join the Honor Roll in due time, as well. If I've left anyone off, I apologize, and ask that they be listed in the Comments section of this post.
My thanks go to these countries. We remember both our friends and those whom have betrayed us.
A new feature here is the "Honor Roll," to the left above the links, of countries who support the overthrow of the Ba'athist regime in Iraq. Most of the European countries signed either the "Gang of Eight" or Vilnius Group letters, while the Netherlands have agreed to send one of their four Patriot missile batteries to Turkey and the Irish have offered to let us use Shannon AFB for refueling and such (a fairly major offer, as Ireland is nominally neutral). Australia is, well, Australia, and so nothing more really needs to be said. Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain have all agreed to let us use their territory for staging an attack on Iraq. Look for Norway and possibly Finland to join the Honor Roll in due time, as well. If I've left anyone off, I apologize, and ask that they be listed in the Comments section of this post.
My thanks go to these countries. We remember both our friends and those whom have betrayed us.
Saturday Night Live?
Wow. I saw SNL last night/this morning and was just generally pretty confused. I tuned in a little late, and so the first sketch I saw was of an anti-war protest led by Matthew McConaughey that kept degenerating into that which Leftist protests generally do. If I remember correctly, the very next item was a piece by the Dixie Chicks, which I think was about having a boyfriend or husband who was off at war and how his girlfriend or wife supported him. Later, we had a European music show, which was quite possibly better than the originals, where everyone kept making anti-America comments and then saying how much the liked specific American songs. The highlight of this was a song by one singer played by McConaughey who said his song was written because he opposed Bush invading Iraq, with the entire song basically being "Wow...wow...Dubya, wow...wow." Later, we had another Dixie Chicks song where one line was "praise the Lord and pass the ammunition," a quote supposedly said by a minister manning an anti-aircraft gun during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Now, I know that SNL has, um, slipped in recent years. There have been whole episodes where I haven't laughed once. Gone are the days of Samurai Chef, Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood, and now Celebrity Jeopardy. We are left with Mango and TV Funhouse. Weekend News, which I considered to have gone seriously downhill with Dennis Miller, Norm MacDonald, and Colin whatsisname has now apparently (hopefully) hit bottom. Thus, I wasn't sure if this was actual support for an intervention in Iraq or if they were trying to somehow oppose it by trying to make it look stupid and failing miserably. Luckily, it seems that it was the former. I suppose having a Pop-Country band like the Dixie Chicks and an openly religious Matthew McConaughey as the guest should've tipped me off, but I'm sometimes a little dense.
UPDATE: InstaPundit has more.
Wow. I saw SNL last night/this morning and was just generally pretty confused. I tuned in a little late, and so the first sketch I saw was of an anti-war protest led by Matthew McConaughey that kept degenerating into that which Leftist protests generally do. If I remember correctly, the very next item was a piece by the Dixie Chicks, which I think was about having a boyfriend or husband who was off at war and how his girlfriend or wife supported him. Later, we had a European music show, which was quite possibly better than the originals, where everyone kept making anti-America comments and then saying how much the liked specific American songs. The highlight of this was a song by one singer played by McConaughey who said his song was written because he opposed Bush invading Iraq, with the entire song basically being "Wow...wow...Dubya, wow...wow." Later, we had another Dixie Chicks song where one line was "praise the Lord and pass the ammunition," a quote supposedly said by a minister manning an anti-aircraft gun during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Now, I know that SNL has, um, slipped in recent years. There have been whole episodes where I haven't laughed once. Gone are the days of Samurai Chef, Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood, and now Celebrity Jeopardy. We are left with Mango and TV Funhouse. Weekend News, which I considered to have gone seriously downhill with Dennis Miller, Norm MacDonald, and Colin whatsisname has now apparently (hopefully) hit bottom. Thus, I wasn't sure if this was actual support for an intervention in Iraq or if they were trying to somehow oppose it by trying to make it look stupid and failing miserably. Luckily, it seems that it was the former. I suppose having a Pop-Country band like the Dixie Chicks and an openly religious Matthew McConaughey as the guest should've tipped me off, but I'm sometimes a little dense.
UPDATE: InstaPundit has more.
God Save the Queen!!
This is yet another reason I hope that Queen Elizabeth II can hold out to at least her Diamond Jubilee (nine years hence), and preferably to whatever follows. I keep hoping that he'll marry Camilla Parker-Bowles, convert to Roman Catholicism (as he seemed formerly inclined to do), or convert to Islam (in which he now seems interested), all of which would remove him from the succession, since the King must be considered an impeccable Anglican (divorce is okay, but remarriage most certainly would not be). I'd prefer for someone like Prince Andrew, who fought in the Falklands War, to reign, but not only Charles but also William and Harry would have to be removed. Neither of Charles' children have expressed any public opinion on the war, to my knowledge, and both seem fairly immature.
Is it to late to get Margaret Thatcher in line for the throne? Yes? Drat.
This is yet another reason I hope that Queen Elizabeth II can hold out to at least her Diamond Jubilee (nine years hence), and preferably to whatever follows. I keep hoping that he'll marry Camilla Parker-Bowles, convert to Roman Catholicism (as he seemed formerly inclined to do), or convert to Islam (in which he now seems interested), all of which would remove him from the succession, since the King must be considered an impeccable Anglican (divorce is okay, but remarriage most certainly would not be). I'd prefer for someone like Prince Andrew, who fought in the Falklands War, to reign, but not only Charles but also William and Harry would have to be removed. Neither of Charles' children have expressed any public opinion on the war, to my knowledge, and both seem fairly immature.
Is it to late to get Margaret Thatcher in line for the throne? Yes? Drat.
He's Alive!
That's right folks, after shamelessly not blogging for almost a year after having a baby (well, his wife did, but...), John "The Other" Hawkins of the worthy HawksBlog has returned. He's still retooling and all that, but already has several good posts up on the war. It's about time!
That's right folks, after shamelessly not blogging for almost a year after having a baby (well, his wife did, but...), John "The Other" Hawkins of the worthy HawksBlog has returned. He's still retooling and all that, but already has several good posts up on the war. It's about time!
Saturday, February 08, 2003
Procrastination
I've got two very good reasons for blogging right now. Firstly, it beats doing homework, though I suppose I'll have to get around to that eventually. Secondly, I've just spilled tea (hot tea, mind you) on my desk, so doing homework would be well-nigh impossible right now. Justified thusly, I shall blog (and I shall also quit talking like that).
First on the list of things about which to blog (sorry, I've just gotten into the habit of not ending sentence clauses with prepositions) is this bet reported by the newly-hitched Ben Domenech and a similar question he himself has posed. Though I'm not a gambling man and wouldn't claim not to be a stud, Mike Krempasky is not to be underestimated. Besides, he's got a infant/toddler neice, and if that's not a chick-magnet, I don't know what is. I, on the other hand, intend to wait at least until I've completed my Master's degree, so Mike's got a 2-3 year head start on me.
I've also recently toyed around with the idea of enlisting in the military with their new eighteen-month short-term enlistments. However, upon talking to my dad about it, he seemed almost ready to come and kneecap me himself to prevent me from doing so. You see, the men in my family have a grand tradition of dying in horrible ways during war (concentration camps, sinking with a Union ironclad, dying on the Eastern Front, getting shot down in a zeppelin, etc.). Those that have survived (essentially my dad, my uncle, and both grandfathers) survived because they either were young enough that the war was nearly finished by the time they were old enough or because they were so old that they weren't combat troops but did things like supervise the installation of radar in Corsairs aboard aircraft carriers. I'd also neglected to heed the advice I gave to a friend when he didn't get into the Naval Academy. I told him that as an engineer, he could do a lot of good by designing better weapons for the military than by serving. Don't get me wrong: different people have different gifts. His (and I've been told mine) are better used in giving others every possible advantage.
I've also been considering going into teacher, preferably with students somewhere between sixteen and twenty. However, I'd like to do it in England. You see, I feel this urge that's very close to being missionary, but it slightly different. Instead of wanting to go spread the news of the Gospel, America, and things like that to places that have never heard of it, I want to go to those places which already know but are forgetting. Other people can build the towers; I want to make sure that the foundations are intact. For instance, regular readers know that I've got a big problem with the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) and the Church of England (CofE), and that I prefer the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA). Somewhat similarly, I was struck by my time in London by how little most Brits seemed to know about their own history. If you don't even know your own history, how are you going to be able to spread the virtues that made your people and your country great? While America is the greatest power and national source of good in the world today, the other English-Speaking nations (UK, Canada, Australia, and NZ) are also cities on hills. France, China, Brazil, and South Africa ought to be, but are too concerned with either blaming their troubles on America or on repressing their own people. There are a lot of countries, both developing and industrialized, which need the help of the Anglosphere. America has liberated Afghanistan, most of the former Yugoslavia, helped in Ethiopia, protected Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan, and is the largest supplier of international aid. Britain and Australia have also played major roles in these actions, with Australia also helping liberate East Timor and Britain holding off the Nazis virtually singlehandedly for several years (I think they're even now still recovering from this). Places like Poland, now free, remember the help they've been given and admire the lives we live. In my favorite movie, The Razor's Edge (1984), there's a scene where Larry tells Izzy "I found out that there's another debt to pay: for the privilege of being alive." In the same vein, there's also a debt to pay for the privilege of being born in a city on a hill. You have to defend it from invaders, but also protect those in the valleys from enemies and privations. I know that evil can't be eradicated from the world. The Bible says that the poor will always be with us, and I suspect that it refers not only to monetary poverty, but also spiritual, cultural, emotional, and all other sorts. Yesterday, a friend described me as an idealist, "in the best sense." Whenever I take the Keirsey personality tests, they show me as an "Idealist-Healer." I'm often cynical because things are so wrong in the world, but I'd like to try and help.
I've got two very good reasons for blogging right now. Firstly, it beats doing homework, though I suppose I'll have to get around to that eventually. Secondly, I've just spilled tea (hot tea, mind you) on my desk, so doing homework would be well-nigh impossible right now. Justified thusly, I shall blog (and I shall also quit talking like that).
First on the list of things about which to blog (sorry, I've just gotten into the habit of not ending sentence clauses with prepositions) is this bet reported by the newly-hitched Ben Domenech and a similar question he himself has posed. Though I'm not a gambling man and wouldn't claim not to be a stud, Mike Krempasky is not to be underestimated. Besides, he's got a infant/toddler neice, and if that's not a chick-magnet, I don't know what is. I, on the other hand, intend to wait at least until I've completed my Master's degree, so Mike's got a 2-3 year head start on me.
I've also recently toyed around with the idea of enlisting in the military with their new eighteen-month short-term enlistments. However, upon talking to my dad about it, he seemed almost ready to come and kneecap me himself to prevent me from doing so. You see, the men in my family have a grand tradition of dying in horrible ways during war (concentration camps, sinking with a Union ironclad, dying on the Eastern Front, getting shot down in a zeppelin, etc.). Those that have survived (essentially my dad, my uncle, and both grandfathers) survived because they either were young enough that the war was nearly finished by the time they were old enough or because they were so old that they weren't combat troops but did things like supervise the installation of radar in Corsairs aboard aircraft carriers. I'd also neglected to heed the advice I gave to a friend when he didn't get into the Naval Academy. I told him that as an engineer, he could do a lot of good by designing better weapons for the military than by serving. Don't get me wrong: different people have different gifts. His (and I've been told mine) are better used in giving others every possible advantage.
I've also been considering going into teacher, preferably with students somewhere between sixteen and twenty. However, I'd like to do it in England. You see, I feel this urge that's very close to being missionary, but it slightly different. Instead of wanting to go spread the news of the Gospel, America, and things like that to places that have never heard of it, I want to go to those places which already know but are forgetting. Other people can build the towers; I want to make sure that the foundations are intact. For instance, regular readers know that I've got a big problem with the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) and the Church of England (CofE), and that I prefer the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA). Somewhat similarly, I was struck by my time in London by how little most Brits seemed to know about their own history. If you don't even know your own history, how are you going to be able to spread the virtues that made your people and your country great? While America is the greatest power and national source of good in the world today, the other English-Speaking nations (UK, Canada, Australia, and NZ) are also cities on hills. France, China, Brazil, and South Africa ought to be, but are too concerned with either blaming their troubles on America or on repressing their own people. There are a lot of countries, both developing and industrialized, which need the help of the Anglosphere. America has liberated Afghanistan, most of the former Yugoslavia, helped in Ethiopia, protected Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan, and is the largest supplier of international aid. Britain and Australia have also played major roles in these actions, with Australia also helping liberate East Timor and Britain holding off the Nazis virtually singlehandedly for several years (I think they're even now still recovering from this). Places like Poland, now free, remember the help they've been given and admire the lives we live. In my favorite movie, The Razor's Edge (1984), there's a scene where Larry tells Izzy "I found out that there's another debt to pay: for the privilege of being alive." In the same vein, there's also a debt to pay for the privilege of being born in a city on a hill. You have to defend it from invaders, but also protect those in the valleys from enemies and privations. I know that evil can't be eradicated from the world. The Bible says that the poor will always be with us, and I suspect that it refers not only to monetary poverty, but also spiritual, cultural, emotional, and all other sorts. Yesterday, a friend described me as an idealist, "in the best sense." Whenever I take the Keirsey personality tests, they show me as an "Idealist-Healer." I'm often cynical because things are so wrong in the world, but I'd like to try and help.
Monday, February 03, 2003
Well, At Least...
This morning, as I stumbled back from my shower (without glasses or contacts), I found that I'd been locked out of my room. Luckily, I was able to stay at my neighbor Kyle's until my roommate got back. All I had besides my towel was soap, shampoo, and a change of underwear.
Thus, I had far more than any Frenchman.
This morning, as I stumbled back from my shower (without glasses or contacts), I found that I'd been locked out of my room. Luckily, I was able to stay at my neighbor Kyle's until my roommate got back. All I had besides my towel was soap, shampoo, and a change of underwear.
Thus, I had far more than any Frenchman.
Oh Well
Yes, I missed my one-year blog anniversary. I like to think that it'll be good practice for being married one day.
Yes, I missed my one-year blog anniversary. I like to think that it'll be good practice for being married one day.
Saturday, February 01, 2003
No Clever, Snappy Title
I'm in the library now, so no links for a while until I get back to my room. As I'm sure you know, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry this morning around 9AM, EST. On board were six Americans and the first Israeli astronaut. I don't know much more than I've heard on CNN, but all were heroes. The commander had flown several missions before, and was the commander on just his second flight, an impressive accomplishment. The Israeli was a fighter pilot who had fought in the 1973 war and who had taken part in the Israeli destruction of Iraq's nuclear power plant. If you want diversity, this crew had it. In addition to an Israeli Jew, you had a black man and two women, one of whom was an Indian-born naturalized American. Again, I don't have the resources right now to list full information, but I'll add it as soon as I find it. The usual mental perverts are declaring this to be an example of God's wrath and punishment for the "arrogance" of America and Israel. Dean Esmay, in a comment to which I'll link when I update, said rightly that, other than the initial surge of revulsion, we don't feel anything towards these sick people. They're not even worthy of our contempt or pity, and that it's sad to see a "soul choked so full of hate" (my apologies for any mangling).
I'm not angry right now, just sad. We're used to normal people dying in accidents, crime, and terrorism. We're used to our heroes dying fighting for a great cause. We're not used to our heroes dying because their vessel broke.
I offer my sympathy and condolences to the families of both the Columbia and Challenger victims. I know that all of NASA is in shock right now, and I hope they can recover from this, learn from what went wrong, and use that knowledge to honor the memory of these heroes.
I'm in the library now, so no links for a while until I get back to my room. As I'm sure you know, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on re-entry this morning around 9AM, EST. On board were six Americans and the first Israeli astronaut. I don't know much more than I've heard on CNN, but all were heroes. The commander had flown several missions before, and was the commander on just his second flight, an impressive accomplishment. The Israeli was a fighter pilot who had fought in the 1973 war and who had taken part in the Israeli destruction of Iraq's nuclear power plant. If you want diversity, this crew had it. In addition to an Israeli Jew, you had a black man and two women, one of whom was an Indian-born naturalized American. Again, I don't have the resources right now to list full information, but I'll add it as soon as I find it. The usual mental perverts are declaring this to be an example of God's wrath and punishment for the "arrogance" of America and Israel. Dean Esmay, in a comment to which I'll link when I update, said rightly that, other than the initial surge of revulsion, we don't feel anything towards these sick people. They're not even worthy of our contempt or pity, and that it's sad to see a "soul choked so full of hate" (my apologies for any mangling).
I'm not angry right now, just sad. We're used to normal people dying in accidents, crime, and terrorism. We're used to our heroes dying fighting for a great cause. We're not used to our heroes dying because their vessel broke.
I offer my sympathy and condolences to the families of both the Columbia and Challenger victims. I know that all of NASA is in shock right now, and I hope they can recover from this, learn from what went wrong, and use that knowledge to honor the memory of these heroes.
