Way to go, Franco

When is a sports figure actually a hero? Easy ... when he shows a generous spirit to a traveling fan and soldier. Read the story here.

Send Hook to Washington!

The amazing Sgt Hook needs a boost, folks. If you like what you read at his fine blog, then you owe it to him to hit the Vote button at You Served. There's a short time window left for voting, and he's only about 200 votes down -- so he'll be grateful for every vote cast. You see, he needs to find a way to fund the trip to Washington for the milblog conference this spring ... and this contest is a great way to do that! Go Vote now!

Protecting the children

There is a lot of 'political correctness' packed into public schools these days, especially here on the left coast. So I have to applaud the backbone of the parent who stood up to the Federal Way school system to fight the showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" to their children. Federal Way schools restrict Gore film By ROBERT MCCLURE AND LISA STIFFLER The Seattle Post Intelligencer Jan. 11 This week in Federal Way schools, it got a lot more inconvenient to show one of the top-grossing documentaries in U.S. history, the global-warming alert "An Inconvenient Truth." After a parent who supports the teaching of creationism and opposes sex education complained about the film, the Federal Way School Board on Tuesday placed what it labeled a moratorium on showing the film. The movie consists largely of a PowerPoint presentation by former Vice President Al Gore recounting scientists' findings. This doesn't actually mean that the film cannot be used in the schools. The decision simply forces teachers to present an opposing view to the students as well, rather than simply throwing this out as being absolute fact. School Board members adopted a three-point policy that says teachers who want to show the movie must ensure that a "credible, legitimate opposing view will be presented," that they must get the OK of the principal and the superintendent, and that any teachers who have shown the film must now present an "opposing view." I would love to hear how this works, and I hope that parents don't simply assume that this resolves the issue. I actually think that showing this film (or bits of it) as part of a series on Critical Thinking would be a very good idea - if aimed at the right age group. This kind of training was proposed recently by Teresa of Technicalities. I think this would be a great move for schools to use items of controversy, have the students study opposing views and debate them with each other -- all parts of learning how to think about and evaluate the world around them. It's obviously needed!!

Returning to Normal

We who wait for our friends and loved ones to return from war simply want them home safe and sound. Still, lack of physical damage doesn't mean that one simply returns home to 'normal' ... and sometimes the memories of those who gave their lives is a great weight to carry. And sometimes, a total stranger can capture the unique emotions and create a piece of music that strikes right to the heart, as happened to America's Son.

Good stuff

I can't keep up with all the good reading material out there. Here's just a few of the posts that have captured my attention... John of Castle Argghhh shares a tale of two Marine mothers, one who's son gave his life for his brothers, and one who has to live with the fact. Read the whole story, and thank whatever providence you wish that we have men like Cpl. Dunham and Cpl. Miller. Mike Yon is back in Iraq, and Walking the Line. Jack Army says he is at War. Yes, he's in Iraq, but that isn't what he means. Homefront Six fisks Watada, as only a military spouse with a hubby serving in Iraq can. Way to go, HfS! At SpouseBuzz, Airforcewife reminds the so-called News Media that there is a time to write about events, and a time to Shut Up. Francis Marion points to some news from the front - although it is not the front you may be thinking. He's in one of those other places. It's not called the GWOT for nothing. Chuck defines a Bad American ... and his definition works fine for me as well. Maj Pain shares a Secret Letter from a Marine in Iraq - a must read! Matty at Blackfive has an awesome collection of links to help prepare for thoughtful listening to the President on Wednesday.

Best and Worst of 2006 in local politics

The folks at Sound Politics have pulled together a list of the best and worst of (local) politics and journalism for 2006.  If you aren’t from the Seattle region, most of these will be lost on you, but I found it quite amusing.   My personal favorite was this one: Worst non-elected official: Mrs. Gregoire  (our supposed governor, after many recounts and much controversary) But this one is worth a mention, as a prime example of the mind-set of the local academia: Worst new word definition that won't make it into Webster's dictionary: Seattle Public Schools entry for 'racism' Racism: The systematic subordination of members of targeted racial groups who have relatively little social power in the United States (Blacks, Latino/as, Native Americans, and Asians), by the members of the agent racial group who have relatively more social power (Whites). The subordination is supported by the actions of individuals, cultural norms and values, and the institutional structures and practices of society.

Feline Physics

Law of Cat Inertia - A cat at rest will tend to remain at rest, unless acted upon by some outside force - such as the opening of cat food, or a nearby scurrying mouse. Law of Cat Motion - A cat will move in a straight line, unless there is a really good reason to change direction. Law of Cat Magnetism - All blue blazers and black sweaters attract cat hair in direct proportion to the darkness of the fabric. Law of Cat Thermodynamics - Heat flows from a warmer to a cooler body, except in the case of a cat, in which case all heat flows to the cat. Law of Cat Stretching - A cat will stretch to a distance proportional to the length of the nap just taken. Or to reach that must-have-morsel. Law of Cat Sleeping - All cats must sleep with people whenever possible, in a position as uncomfortable for the people involved, and as comfortable as possible for the cat. Law of Refrigerator Observation - If a cat watches a refrigerator long enough, someone will come along and take out something good to eat. Law of Electric Blanket Attraction - Turn on an electric blanket and a cat will jump into bed at the speed of light. Law of Prime Position - A cat will always take the best position available to observe and take part in his human's activities. Law of Random Comfort Seeking - A cat will always seek, and usually take over, the most comfortable spot in any given room. Law of Bag/Box Occupancy - All bags and boxes in a given room must contain a cat within the earliest possible nanosecond. (Corollary: also applies to desk and file drawers) Law of Cat Embarrassment - A cat's irritation rises in direct proportion to her embarrassment times the amount of human laughter. Law of Cat Disinterest - A cat's interest level will vary in inverse proportion to the amount of effort a human expends in trying to interest him. Law of Pill Rejection - Any pill given to a cat has the potential energy to reach escape velocity. Law of Cat Composition - A cat is composed of Matter + Anti-Matter + It Doesn't Matter.

(After) Christmas meme

Hope you all had a good Christmas, enjoyed the gathering of friends and family, and ate plenty - but not too much. I'd love to blame the lack of blogging on the power outage on the 15th (which lasted 7 days for Casa Way), and the continued lack of internet until yesterday. But the loyal two or three of you who still visit know better - it's been a long time, hasn't it? Of course, I always rise to Meme bait, and thus I have emerged from the darkness. Someone managed to tag Snarkatron with a meme ... and rumor has it they're still ambulatory, quite an accomplishment. So to share the Christmas cheer and joy, she naturally tagged some of us in easy reach... Three things I wanted for Christmas: 1. Season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2. Restored power at Casa Way (which I got!) 3. Something to read that isn't by Anita Shreve Three things I did NOT want for Christmas: 1. Anything requiring dusting 2. A Dance Revolution 3. Strangely colored Rubber Rain boots There, I believe that satisfies the minimum requirement. As to tagging someone else with this one, Christmas is past now, and I think that popping out of blog limbo and tapping anyone else on the shoulder would be ... rude. So no tagging here. Whatever passes for normal blogging can now resume.

Peaceful Nature ... Me?

Me ... Peaceful? That'll make a few people laugh out loud!! What Famous Leader Are You? personality tests by similarminds.com I should go back and play with the questions to see what the other options are. AFSister is digging her result...

Why does this surprise me?

This is one of the real downsides to living in the pacific northwest. I'm surrounded by tree-hugging anti-war numbskulls who think that supporting Watada is somehow good for our society. December 5 * 7pm. Lt. Ehren Watada Discussion and Film Screening Lt. Watada will discuss his personal history and reasons for his refusal to deploy to Iraq, and his charge that it is an illegal war. Lt. Watada became the first commissioned officer in the US armed forces to publicly refuse deployment to Iraq in June 2006. He is now facing a court martial. Professors Michael Honey (UW-Tacoma) and Mark Jensen (PLU), will show Honey's short film A Soldier's Duty?: Lt Ehren Watada's Story and discuss the issues involved in the case. The event is co-sponsored by United for Peace of Pierce County and People for Peace, Justice and Healing. King's Books 218 St. Helens Ave. Tacoma, Washington 98402 Of course he's facing a court martial, dummies - he disobeyed orders. His personal history and 'reasons' are meaningless. The Army (and Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard) don't function when soldiers disobey orders. Yes, I know, that part of their intent is to destroy our military. They might not be honest enough to say that, and their little poster boy here is supposedly willing to go to war in Afghanistan, just not in Iraq. But at the end of the day, they would love nothing better than to gut our military and have us all bow down to the terrorists of the world. I can't get down to Tacoma tomorrow night to join them, but some of the Operation Support our Troops folks will be there. If you can get to King's Bookstore in Tacoma, Jeff and the gang would love to have you join in protesting this bizarre event: You gotta be kidding! Lt. Ehren Watada Film Screening !!?? This man deserted his troops! He refused to deploy after training with his troops endangering those he swore to protect! This man has no honor! Shall we go down there and hold some signs on the sidewalk outside this place on Dec 5, at 6:30 pm? We have the right to peacefully express our views. Who is up for it?? Jeff Brigham

Sheepdogs

America's Son didn't really take a vacation from blogging this summer/fall, he was just a bit wrapped up in the transition from Marine to Police Officer. There are still wolves to be dealt with, and fellow Sheepdogs to honor. There are also some somber but important parallels between Suffolk County and Al Anbar province.

CENTCOM: Pilot Earns Distinguished Flying Cross

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2006 — Back in March in Iraq, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lori Hill, with the 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, was piloting her Kiowa Warrior when the lead chopper came under heavy fire. She drew the fire away, simultaneously providing suppressive fire for the troops engaged with the enemy on the ground. A rocket-propelled grenade hit her, damaging the helo’s instrumentation, but instead of focusing on her predicament, she established communication with the ground forces and continued to provide them with aerial weapon support until the soldiers reached safety. As she turned her attention to the aircraft, which was losing hydraulic power, the helo took on machine-gun fire, a round crashing into one of Hill’s ankles. Still, with a damaged aircraft and an injury, she landed at Forward Operating Base Normandy, saving her crew and aircraft. For her actions she was presented the Distinguished Flying Cross by Vice President Richard Cheney at Fort Campbell, Ky., on Oct. 16. “It’s was a once-in-a-lifetime thing to get the award and then have the vice president come and award it to you,” she said. “It’s just incredible for any soldier.” Recalling that day in March, Hill reflected, “I was actually just glad I didn’t pass out and very happy I was able to help the ground guys out, and get our helicopter down safely on the ground.”