9
Jun
I’ve been saying for a year or more that it would be conservative women who would be the ones to step forward and try to turn us away from the ghastly economic and civil strife we face. Tonight’s election reassures me that I ain’t gone stupid yet.
When there are no longer many good men to be behind, women will step forward and lead. Their experiences with family, community, church, and child-rearing will make them experts at knowing what the world really needs.
8
Jun
I mentioned earlier that Dalia bought a Nook e-reader at Barnes & Noble for me a few days ago. Among the first books I downloaded upon it was the Bible. I don’t say that to be arrogant or pious, but to acknowledge its constant worth amidst any collection of books, be they those of a scholar, a theologian, a believer, or a non-believer.
No book has influence more people. Nor will any other, ever.
8
Jun
I received a touching e-mail from my first cousin and dear friend, who said that he would prefer that I didn’t stop posting on this blog.
Because of the inability to be active, I sit for a major part of the day with a computer in front of me, watching the lunacy of the world as it develops and flows by like a turbid, morbid stream. Sometimes, I want to scream at the injustices, naivete, thuggery, and out-and-out lies that seem now to be the fuel upon which the world runs. If evil were oil, we would have no fuel shortage.
But there’s another side, a side the media is not reporting with any propriety, a large and growing group of people who meet on places like Twitter, and various blogs. These people are coming out of the comforts of their homes, some of them for the first time, others, years after they had fought what they though would be their last wars.
These people are just as mortified at the condition into which the U.S. has fallen, at the hands of people who are so removed from reality as to believe they are being believed by everyone. They have heard the call to action and I believe that the torrents of emotion, dedication, and commitment to the Constitution will make a huge difference in the course of the Ship of State, and make it very soon.
Today, for the first time, I found the left-leaning Associated Press to be editorializing about people’s loss of faith in their government. Almost as amazing were the paragraphs at the end of the piece. They sounded as though they were taken from a Glenn Beck show, with talk of Founding Fathers, and what their purpose had been.
So there is hope. And I lose sight of that, sitting in my chair, or lying awake all night, fighting sleep because of the horrid dreams I know will come.
There is hope, my doctor said. And he added, “Hope is the spine of life.”
Thanks for caring, cuz.
7
Jun
Today, the Euro hit $1.19, against the dollar. This is not good news for Europe, nor is it good news for the U.S.A. With the U.S. no longer thought of as the bright and shining hope, Europe is stumbling in the darkness, and Islam and Russia are both there to pick up the pieces.
We’re now experiencing the beautiful blue-sky days of summer in the mountains. I might get to go out and sit on the back deck today. That would be great.
6
Jun
During a recent Tea Party gathering, an audience member was called upon to make his statement. What resulted was a tremendous surprise to everyone there, and, I think it will be a surprise to anyone who listens.
6
Jun
We spent several days in the desert, looking for a house, shopping, playing, enjoying each other’s company, and for me, sleeping a lot.
Dalia bought me a Nook e-reader and I just love it. For my eyes, shaky hands, and other issues, it’s the perfect solution to being able to read again. So I also read a lot. Almost finished with three good books, over three days. I’ve read about 15 books using the Kindle for PC download and reading for the computer screen. That’s a great blessing too.
Dalia’s book is on the shelf at Barnes & Noble. She really got a kick out of seeing it there, and sent me a phone picture of it. She deserves happiness, for all the time, energy, and love she put into that project. It’s a good book. Please order it and read it.
1
Jun
Well. I’ve been wondering what to put here for a while, so I’ll do this.
Get this out of the way: twice in the emergency room since I last wrote. But I’m okay.
Became 68 years old a few days ago.
We’re calling the weather in the Sierras “June-uary,” because it’s been unseasonably cloudy and cool, and even snowed.
Won’t put anything personal about the kids, but they — Dalia’s and mine — are all fine and admirable.
This summer, we’re moving.
I’ve been thinking of taking the blog down. It’s sort of useless and uninteresting to me, and probably has the same effect on everyone else. And if I keep it, I’m bound to mentioned how upset I am about the way conditions in the world have deteriorated.
So. Maybe more. Maybe not.
30
May
The President of the U.S. always goes to Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, to lay a commemorative wreath in memory to our fallen heroes.
Obama went on vacation.
That’s it. The end. It’s over. Please, good people of the U.S., vote that sonofabitch out.
22
Apr
BAGHDAD (AP) US military jury clears Navy SEAL in Iraqi abuse case linked to Blackwater 2004 killings.
02:16:49 AM Thursday, April 22 2010
Clear the other two SEALs!
5
Apr
We’re snowed in again. Everything was clear, the snow all gone, two days ago. But today, it’s a Frosted Flake Winter wonderland. The actual wonder is: when will Spring arrive?
I can barely get around, what with my back pain, which seems to telescope everywhere. And my lungs are a mess. I guess when the snow clears a bit, I’ll have to get to the hospital. Can’t take much more of this.
31
Mar
My back is completely out. I can hardly move.
The weather here has been weird: snow, sunshine, spring, winter, hail, torrential rain. And that’s just within the last 24 hours.
31
Mar
Much as I despise the Russian oligarchy, I’m saddened by the loss of life of the innocents who were caught up in what appears to be Muslim terrorist suicide bombings.
Life is hard enough in Russia, with the people’s own government as their enemy. But to add a quasi-external threat to the lives of the people there must be a terrible burden to bear.
For those who are unaware, at a military theater, the National Anthem is played before every movie.
This is written from a Chaplain in Iraq :
I recently attended a showing of ‘Superman 3′ here at LSA Anaconda. We have a large auditorium we use for movies, as well as memorial services and other large gatherings. As is the custom back in the States, we stood and snapped to attention when the National Anthem began before the main feature. All was going as planned until about three-quarters of the way through The National Anthem the music stopped.
Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-22 year-olds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments; and everyone would sit down and call for a movie. Of course, that is, if they had stood for the National Anthem in the first place.
Here, the 1,000 Soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again. The Soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. And again, at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect to happen? Even here I would imagine laughter, as everyone finally sat down and expected the movie to start.
But here, you could have heard a pin drop. Every Soldier continued to stand at attention. Suddenly there was a lone voice, then a dozen, and quickly the room was filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers, finishing where the recording left off:
“And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.”
It was the most inspiring moment I have had here in Iraq . I wanted you to know what kind of Soldiers are serving you here. Remember them as they fight for you!
Written by Chaplain Jim Higgins
LSA Anaconda is at the Ballad Airport in Iraq , north of Baghdad.
26
Mar
I’m almost finished re-reading Arthur C. Clarke’s seminal book, RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA. Already 35 years old! But like most of Clarke’s work, science-based, plausible, and predictive.
And I’m having a ton of fun with KINDLE FOR PC (or Mac) (or Linux, using WINE). I’ve purchased 21 books so far, paying half what I’d ordinarily pay, and have read half of them. With the free download of Kindle For PC (or Mac), you don’t need to buy the Kindle. You just use your computer just like you would the Kindle, order the books, have them within 60 seconds, and read them on any computer (up to five different ones, I think).
Some people don’t like reading off a screen, and I admit that I miss the tactile aspects of a book. But we’ve run completely out of storage space and book shelves, so this is a way to collect and not collect at the same time. It’s fantastic. Some day I’ll probably break down and buy a Kindle, but I want to wait till I can afford the larger one.
Oh, yeah, there’s the type size issue too. You can’t make the type bigger in a book, but you can on the computer, to the point you could read the book from across the room, if you wanted to.
23
Mar
No matter what your political persuasion, if you compare and contrast what President Obama has said to what he has done, there is one inescapable conclusion: the president of the U.S. is a liar. He has lied openly, not just once, but many times.
It is because of this that he finds it increasingly difficult to engage the rest of the world’s leaders. If he lies to the American people, would he not then lie to us? they ask.
Today, polls show that massive numbers of people — 79 percent — believe the U.S.A. could collapse. In one year, we have changed from a nation of optimists, to a nation of pessimists, about our future and the futures of our children.
This is not the condition of the nation I and my brothers fought and died for. We fought to save the nation. The president and his ship of fools seem hell-bent upon destroying it. And, even at my age, that makes me mad.
Medallion Press has released Dalia’s boo early! It’s available at all major online booksellers. I haven’t had a chance to check Borders or Barnes and Noble stores yet, but will, soon.
Book signings are being set up and the beginning of the legwork has begun. A film treatment is being written because of some interest by movie producers. Lots of fun and excitement. And Dalia’s hard at work on the next book.
Pick up your copy of
A CATCH IN TIME, by Dalia Roddy
Let us know how you enjoy the book. We’ll try to get up a Website and a Facebook page soon. Or contact Dalia at @DaliaRoddy on Twitter!
Thanks for all your support. I love her and want to see her succeed in the best possible way.
Thomas S. Winter
14
Mar
We sprang forward today, an hour in time, a season in the year. We’re in Reno till tomorrow. Today, the sky is perfectly blue, though it’s still chilly outside. There’s evidence of trees trying to bud and bloom. The valley is ringed by snow-frosted mountains but the valley itself is absent any evidence of winter.
Our usual gun-toting detective is watching the house while we’re gone, as he always does. House protected by Glock, as they say. No doctors’ appointments this time, just recreation in the dry, warmer setting. The mountains are still too winter-like for my old bones.
This area is the founding of the West. Above us looms Donner Pass. Just hours to the east is the Humboldt Sink, where pioneers trudged along-side covered wagons, and threw away many — if not most — of their belongings so they could make it across the barren, desolate, near-waterless stretch of desert. Just south-east is Virginia City, where whores, silver miners, and Mark Twain gained and lost fortunes. It’s now in an a state of arrested decay, with businesses that can hold out all trying to accommodate today’s silver rush, tourists. The economy has really done a number on Nevada, but the larger casinos and hotels are still packed with people from all over the world. More diversity on a Reno elevator than in most cities.
Nevada is, for me, one of the most interesting states. Area 51, nuclear testing grounds, Bolder Dam, Burning Man, endless mountainous fractals, all shaded so delicately that you have to let your senses subside, calm, to pick up the beauty of it all. To the west, the massive Sierra Nevadas, to the east, the Great Salt Flats. And then there’s the enigmatic highway 50, stretching most of the way across the U.S., through some of the most unique parts of states like Nevada.
Hovering above the Reno valley is Mount Rose, almost 11,000 feet skyward, now pack with a 97-inch base of snow. Just to the north of it is one of the nation’s treasures, Lake Tahoe. That’s a lot of stuff to pack into a relatively small part of the U.S.
Beyond that, Reno is full of attractions that have nothing to do with gambling and associated vices: a world-class museum, an international airport, and a beautiful city center along the Truckee River that gives everyone access to some really unique recreation.
We like Reno. That’s why we’re trying to move here.
