Tempered Thoughts

"As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake."

That's what I'm talking about! It's about time. Thank you, sir, for saying so. You have my full support.

Dear Colin Powell-

I forgive you for standing in front of the United Nations, before a shamefully covered "Guernica", and lying about WMD and advocating a badwrong war. You spent pretty much all your capital of integrity on that move. I was disheartened by it and lost faith in you.

I forgive you even though we're still being battered by the consequences of that action, and none more than the military men and women of this country.

But see, now you get to go back into my "good guys" pile. Because you said what needed saying (that the face of America includes Muslims, and we're a better nation for it), exactly when it needed saying. Thank you, from a Christian who happens not to believe Muslim is code for terrorism, evil, or the destruction of America. Long live our country. May it ever promote religious freedom, including the right to pursue no religion.

Lately, every time I hear the president say something, instead of getting all angry and tense like I used to, I react with surprise, almost laughter: this guy is still president? He still says stuff? People stop to listen and broadcast what he says? Really? It seems like a peculiar throwback and I feel indulgently amused, as if my dog just performed a trick without my asking him to and is waiting hopefully for his treat.

I can't be the only one who reacts this way.

• I like that he voted in favor of the land mine ban treaty (some longtime readers will remember that opposition to the land mine ban has been a particular sticking point of mine with numerous recent democratic candidates). Read what the GYWO guy says about it, and know that I mostly agree with him.
• I like that his words and delivery are so pitch perfect that they practically make a song, and that someone thought of putting his words to music, and that the song is not half bad, and that it's hopeful, and that it's available on youtube. (Yeah, I like it on a lot of levels).
• I like that no matter whether we get Hillary or Obama as a democratic candidate, that either one will be history making and ground breaking in their own ways. I like standing on the cusp of history, and not due to war or to unrest, but due to human progress. As slacktivist so eloquently phrased it: "For myself, I'd be more than satisfied with either Obama or Clinton as my party's nominee. I understand that Magic Johnson is supporting Hillary Clinton. Kareem Abdul Jabaar, meanwhile, is supporting Barack Obama. That's the choice: Magic or Kareem. It's an understandably tough call, but I'm not complaining about the options." Ever since reading this, I go around with a little smile, muttering "Magic or Kareem". It's not my party, but it's making me smile anyway. It's making me hopeful.

As an aside, if you are interested in helping take care of our war detritus (and by that I mean the land mines we leave everywhere we send our armed forces), my charity of choice is Adopt-A-Minefield.

The assassination of Benazir Bhutto today is bad news for all of us, but it is especially bad news for Pakistan. Violence follows like night after the sun sets.

Good news. Bad news. Good news. Bad news. Good news. Bad news.

Dear Blackwater: You are not helping. Please go home now. Thanks. Kisses, Anarkey.

Dear Madeleine L'Engle: I am not going to be able to write you one of those greatly moving eulogies or remembrances that I've read all over the internet in the wake of your passing. I can only say one thing: I'm sad that the woman who taught me the word tesseract is gone from the world. Love, Anarkey.

Dear Jena, Louisiana: Please feel free to join us in this century. Your behavior is appalling. I've never been to your town, but I've been to Olla, and it makes me think of rustling sun-dried grass and train tracks and cicadas and chewing tobacco. I'll extend these associations to your town, but only if you cut it out. Seriously, Anarkey.

Dear They Might Be Giants: I adore the new video to your song "I'm Impressed". Sorry I missed your show a couple of weeks ago. Singing along, Anarkey.

Dear Buddhist monks in Myanmar: I love you for your courage. Fight the good non-violent fight, brothers. Praying for you, Anarkey.

Dear Atheists and Christians: You should read this. No, really. Notice that last entry there? "You'll never harass the other side out of existence?" Thanks, Anarkey

Dear Belgium: Cheer up. I think you're a real country. You make great chocolate! Sincerely, Anarkey.

Dear Elissa Wall: I honor your courage. By your example, you make the need for social justice real, and ours. Thank you, Anarkey.

I borrowed HP7 on Sunday evening (from a cute high school girl who raced through it) and finished it on Tuesday before taking Sophia to camp. I thought to myself, "Aha! I don't have to worry about spoilers, I can read all those blog entries and forum discussions and things I've been avoiding." But I haven't bothered, and now realize I'm still reluctant to read anything about the book. It's not for fear of having something about the plot spoiled, since I know it, but because I don't really care what anyone else thought about it. Except maybe Kurt, who is reading it now, and we should be able to talk about it by the weekend. So even though I have some thoughts on the book, I'm probably not going to share them here.

On Monday it snowed in Buenos Aires for the first time in nearly a hundred years (since 1918). It was Independence day, so most people were off work, and ran out to play in the snow, which fell for hours. The national weather service (SMN - Servicio Meteorologico Nacional) saw a chance for snow, but thought the possibility so far fetched, they were reluctant to include it in their forecasts.

• Coverage of the event in English
• La Nacion's archival photos of the June 1918 snowfall
• La Nacion's photos of Monday's snowfall
• Coverage from La Nacion and El Clarin(in Spanish)
• A remembrance of the 1918 snowfall from El Clarin (in Spanish)
• Tango composer Bardi witnessed the 1918 snowfall on his way back from the horse races in La Plata, and created a tango about it called "Que Noche!", which got plenty of radio play this past Monday.

It is strange, strange to see all those familiar places in snow.

My husband asks,"So have you heard about Paris Hilton?"

"No, I listen to NPR, they don't cover dumb celebrity stuff."

My husband opens his mouth. In it is the story of Paris Hilton, waiting to come out.

"Nor do I want to," I interrupt,"I find my life sufficiently full and wondrous without any news whatsoever on Paris Hilton."

My husband thankfully leaves me ignorant. However, today, catching up on Making Light, I become slightly more informed (some outrage circus about prison time, I think). Oh well. You think you're safe, but that dumb celebrity info is just waiting to attach itself to your brain, leechlike, when you least expect it. I spent about twenty seconds trying to generate interest, failed, and moved on to this post. Because, you know, it's been too long.

I like the world in which I don't have to keep up with famous people, especially the ones who are just famous for having money. I also like the world in which they aren't keeping up with me, either.

Some people might call my attitude willful ignorance. I call it filtering.

And if there's anyone who thinks surviving the Holocaust isn't in itself heroic, how about throwing yourself in front of a gunman to save your students?

I am awed and humbled by this example of human courage. Thank you, Liviu Librescu, for your example.

Link located at and echoed from Transylvanian Dutch's blog. It merits, in my opinion, the widest possible dissemination.

I watched part of the ceremony retiring Steve Yzerman's jersey last night. Yzerman embodies everything that is cool about hockey, in my opinion. He's that rarity in professional sports, a sportsmanlike athlete. I'm thrilled that he's been honored in this way.

Still, the most moving thing about last night, for me, was that moment when Konstantinov appeared. I was waiting for it. They'd called all his fellow retired teammates from that 1997 championship team. Several of his teammates hovered around the entryway instead of proceeding to their seats. Oh, of course, I thought, someone's gotta push Konstantinov's wheelchair. Then they call his name and by God, the man appears, walking with a walker! He's on his feet, none too steady mind you, but he's walking!

Sometimes the ability of the human spirit to overcome adversity just kicks you in the solar plexus. As with me, last night, seeing that man walk to his chair. Only once did Probert, walking next to Konstantinov, reach out and steady him.

Oh, and let me undercut my own gravity here. Larionov? Still a hottie. I think it's the glasses.

You know, I belong to the school of people who don't speak ill of the dead. Sometimes I will note the passing of people who I think were great in some regard, or whom I'll miss, or whose passing I think diminishes us all. None of these things apply to Augusto Pinochet, who died yesterday. I shall make an exception now, and speak ill. This will seem unkind of me, and that's because it is, but good riddance. The world doesn't need you, nor dictators of any stripe.

I voted today (yesterday, actually, but I didn't hit post). Did you? Here's something cool about Missouri elections that I did not know before today, even though I've voted in like four of them. Judges are not appointed for life. There were around a dozen judges on our ballot and we could vote whether to retain them or not. Cool, huh? Unfortunately, I was not able to find information that I wanted for the vast majority of the judges, so I had to abstain. For next time I need to find a good source of information on judges and their voting records. Suggestions?

Banksy rocks.

From the beeb : Artist Banksy targets Disneyland.

The brief version, for those not into the clicky clicky:

A life-size replica of a Guantanamo Bay detainee has been placed in Disneyland by "guerrilla artist" Banksy.

Additionally, if you were curious about the "stencilled image, which showed a naked man hanging onto a window ledge" that locals voted to leave up, it's viewable here.