Musings of the Chronologically Challenged™ Fourth Generation

 

CIRCLE OF NATIONS

Occasionally, I have used my blog to share excerpts from John Two-Hawks' Circle of Nations newsletter. You may have seen them before. Even those who are not familiar with Native American religion and customs should get a feeling of inner peace from John's very touching words. I always do, and that's why I have wanted to pass his wisdom along. (e.g. It may bring you a greater understanding of John's spirituality, if you don't already know this, to know that Wakan Tanka is Indian nomenclature for God. If anyone is offended by this, there are other links here at the right which may be more to your liking.) This month, however, John's offering is so especially meaningful (to me) that I am posting it in its entirety. Even the SOUTH message from Peggy, John's wife. As you will see, she is the "marketeer" of the family! LOL Please take a few extra quiet moments as you read NORTH in order to absorb and enjoy the feeling of peace that will surround you.


Hau to all my brothers & sisters around the world....
Welcome to all new Circle members! Each section of the Circle of Nations newsletter is written 'facing' one of the four sacred winds, beginning with the east, then the south, west and finally the north. This is to honor the old ways. It is to teach and to help us focus and find the center. I have designed the Native Circle website in the same spirit. I welcome you all to the Circle....

EAST - Wiyohinyanpata - Yellow (Four Winds)
Tonight, I sit here in my square house and wonder.... Wonder what this ol Indian guy is supposed to think.... Wonder what this ol Indian fella is supposed to feel.... or say.... or do. Sometimes I just wanna turn away from it all and go hide in my tipi.... wish for a better day.... dream of a better time. Sometimes I just wanna be just an ol Indian. Peace marches, war drums beating, nuclear threats, pollution.... Mother Earth's pain screams out to my Indian heart like the sound of bullets ripping through the soft cover of an old, warm lodge. Death, dying, loss.... What am I to say to her? Tears flow as I sit here, wondering.... wondering. I grow weary of semantics. Words.... phrases.... paragraphs.... sentences. Wovoka, the Paiute holy man, told us the vision.... Creator took him to the sky.... showed him a new world.... Creator knew our pain, our loss.... Gave us the Wacipi Wanagi (Ghost Dance).... We would stop fighting the "white man", who had taken everything from us.... Make peace. We would dance the dance.... see our lost relatives. And we did. The vision said to us.... keep dancing.... for peace.... for love.... and the day will come when the earth will be rolled under like a carpet, burying the genocide, the destruction, the hate, the war, the pollution, the unnatural.... The vision said to us.... the buffalo will roam again, and the old ways will return. The land will be pure again, and the meek.... the earth keepers.... shall walk upon it once again. Free.... Free.... Free.... Sometimes I close my eyes.... and I am there. I smile.... I cry.... even now. Yes.... I am tired. Weary of politics.... Sick of ignorance.... Fed up with foolishness. I want this cold, concrete, skyscraper, computerized, plastic, painted up, fiberglass, glamorized, carnalized, logicalized, desensitized world to melt away like an icicle on a warm spring day. I want to wake up in my old simple Lakota lodge with my sweet wife and daughter and discover, with joyful tears, that it was all a bad dream. But it is not. I try to turn my back and walk away, back to just being a simple Indian, back to the old times.... but I cannot. For when I turn away, I hear the cries of little children.... the weeping of elders.... the pain of mothers.... I hear the babies, seven generations from now, asking us to save their world. And I turn around. This is my time. I am Lakota now. Not then, or someday.... now. I will never forsake the power of the old ways, or the value of the old times. I carry that power and those values with me as I walk my path in this time. I carry them like a torch.... a light in the darkness of a confused and mixed up world. I carry them like a healing balm for the wounded souls of humanity. I hold up the beauty and power of the old ways like a banner of hope. The 'old ways' of my people.... Respect.... honor.... honesty.... compassion.... humility.... wisdom.... patience.... selflessness. The ways of Spirit. Yet I could really use the solitude of a small fire crackling inside my warm lodge.... a thick blanket wrapped around me.... the gentle trickle of the nearby creek.... If I could talk to my great grandmother tonight, I would tell her, with tears, that the old times are gone. But that love, like the wind, lives on.... When all else is gone, love will remain. The old ways, which are so strong, will always be with us. And though I have my tipi and spend time in it.... and pray with the sacred pipe.... and offer my smoke to the wind with an eagle feather.... and spend much time sitting quietly, listening to the breath of Mother Earth.... and, in my spirit, live as close to the old times as I can.... I honor my path and know that this is my time. And so I offer my medicine. And my prayer is that the child, seven generations from now, will know a better world than I have known. Sometimes I wonder. Sometimes I wonder....


SOUTH - Itokagata - Red (Red Earth)
A note from Peggy....
Hello friends, there are several things that I want to share with you this month. First, I want to thank all of you for your prayers. I felt them as I was healing from my auto injuries. I am feeling much better and I must admit that the time of rest and quiet gave me new perspective and new strength. I am a person who is often very busy and sometimes too task oriented. Some of you wrote me wonderful insights on the message board, you spoke directly to my Spirit. Life has its dark moments, there are cold days and sometimes unfathomable sadness and the only answer I have is....... sometimes it is just that way. Thanks for being there for me!
I wanted to tell you a little about the new Nuwati products that we have added. I have used them all and am very convinced of the healing energy in the teas and the bath salts. I hope you will give them a try. The healing tea is very powerful and I am particularly hooked on the take my pain away bath salts. These are not flowery "smell good" bath items........they are real Cherokee plant medicine and they work!!
http://www.nativecircle.com/nuwatiherbals.html
Many of you have asked me to save space for you at the Mending Medicine Retreat, please send in your registration forms so I can count you on board for the retreat. Make sure you state on the form that you want to reserve time with John Two-Hawks and/or reserve a massage. We have limited places available for the massage with Poco and the free consultation with John, so I am numbering them as the registration forms come in.
http://www.nativecircle.com/Retreat.html
Last but not least, I am very excited to tell you that Four Winds Trading Company has begun to do distribution for John Two-Hawks music. So please, when you go to your local American Indian retail stores tell them they can now order Heal, Good Medicine and Traditions from Four Winds Trading!
We now have our 2003 schedule up and we will continue to update it as new venues come on board. John is steadily in the studio working on his new Christmas CD "Peace on Earth". How appropriate this title is for our times. You know that John and I are true lovers of Peace! Please continue each day to pray for peace. Continue to think and love for peace. Peace must start in our hearts and overflow into the world. It may seem futile sometimes but I know that it is not!! Tiny drops of rain wear away the greatest of stones. Don't give up, be kind to yourselves... laugh..dance.... hope... and above all love!
Peace,
Peggy


WEST - Wiyohpeyata - Black or Blue (We are STILL Here!)
I have some great updates coming for this part of Native Circle! Keep your eye on the site!
I named this section 'We are STILL Here' for a reason.... Do you know that I once had a class of children ask their teacher to bring them down to meet me because they thought "all Indians were dead"? Yes, thanks to hollywood movies, bad western shows, bad art and government propaganda, the real face of Indian people has been erased from the eyes and minds of most Americans and replaced with a fantasy stereotype. In the USA alone, there are well over 500 Indigenous Nations. Each of these 500+ distinct groups of people are unique in their customs and traditions. This uniqueness applies to facial and physical features as well. Yes, it is safe to say that not all Indian people, then or now, looked like Sitting Bull! My Grandfather used to tell me about Tacunka Witko (Crazy Horse), who is part of our tiyospaye (extended blood family). He told me that Crazy Horse (the 3rd by that name) was grey eyed and fair skinned with brown hair. This, with no non-Indian blood in his veins. I have heard very old stories of Indians with red hair. A Muscogee Elder once shared with me that there have always been "blue eyed Muscogee Indians". I've seen very tall Apaches and very short Lakotas. I've seen Indians with thick mustaches and curly hair. So.... my point in all this is, Indian people are probably walking past Americans at Walmart every day, but because they're not dressed like the Indians on TV, riding a horse down the produce aisle and spearing veggies with a painted face like the ridiculous stereotypical Florida State mascot, real Indians are invisible to the mainstream American public. Yes, that's right. Real Indians are invisible. At the 'Race Talks' during the Clinton era, guess which ethnic group wasn't represented? American Indians. It's sad, but it's true. The propaganda of America has made it very difficult for people to accept, and see, the 'many faces' of the American Indian. So, the next time you find yourself at Walmart (which is the 'Indian store', by the way *wink*), take a look around.... The guy with the t-shirt reading the hot rod magazine.... Indian? The lady trying to decide on a box of hair color.... Indian? The short haired, shirt and tie man in the checkout aisle.... Indian? It is time to put a new face on Indian people in America.... a real face. A visible face.... Maybe then, classes won't have to come and see me anymore thinking "all Indians are dead".

NORTH - Waziyata - White (Words of Wisdom)
This too will pass.... The heavy snow is hanging on the cedar trees.... They bend over under its pressing weight.... accepting.... waiting.... strained.... Drip by drip, the snow begins to melt.... Bit by bit, the weight lessens.... Not quickly.... Very slowly.... Hours.... Days.... This too will pass. Everything in nature seems to understand this truth. Some of the smaller saplings may perish, but most will survive. This is the natural order. It is the ebb and flow of life. It is the perfect will of WakanTanka. In time, the snow will subside.... The cedars will lean for a while.... Then, little by little, they will straighten back up. No 'quick fix', just total acceptance and understanding of the true 'time' of Mother Earth. The 'second' is a relatively new invention you know. Mother Earth doesn't care about your Timex. You see, Spirit time is much, much different than 'clock time'. Mother Earth, the planets, the moon, the seasons, the gentle, steady and gradual cycles of life all move at a pace that most humans have lost touch with. Folks, although we are highly adaptable creatures, we were never meant for the speeds we live at today. This speed separates us from everything that matters.... the pitter patter of raindrops on the leaves of trees.... the pitter patter of little feet.... the screech of a redtail hawk.... the cries of a newborn baby.... the gentle rustle of wind through the grass.... the gentle touch of a loved one.... a flower blooming on a warm spring day.... a daughter blossoming into a lovely young woman.... the bubbling of water in a fresh stream.... the bubbling laughter of a child.... These are the things this hasty pace separates us from. We must slow down.... Tune back in to the real ebb and flow of life, not this new break-neck, human-made version. Sit sometime with a newly blooming flower. Watch it closely as it very, very slowly unfolds. Did you see it move? Most likely not. But it moved. This is the real pace of life.... The real pace of change.... The real pace of healing. Look at your daughter or son. They blossom very, very slowly. You may not even see it happen. But it will. And trust me, this too will pass. That's right. This too, will pass. Be sure to slow down so you don't miss it....

My sisters and brothers. As you know, long before all this talk of war, I have always been a champion for world peace. My prayers for peace are much more than a reaction to the current political climate, and I hope you all will continue, with me, to work and pray for the mending of the sacred hoop of humanity. I thank you for your ear, and hope my ramblings have been led by Spirit, that you may find a personal blessing. May WakanTanka encircle you with faith to believe, hope for the future and love for all....

In the spirit of mending the sacred hoop of the nations of the world,
Your Oglala Lakota brother & friend,
John Two-Hawks
http://www.nativecircle.com
http://www.johntwohawks.com

posted by HCL at 1:54 PM

 


ZANDERISMS

Z ** If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Z ** When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
(Indigo note: Since my blogroll is in limbo awaiting the Update Fairy, Zander is not appearing there yet - as well as several others I want to add. So I've been trying to link his site when I use material from his blog that he stole from Steve Wright. LOL! At least that's what he said! Find Zanderkind here.)
posted by HCL at 12:41 PM

 
MAIL BOX - from JD of Greenville, NC
(Southern manners dictate that I apologize in advance to my Northern friends with no sense of humor.)

A very prim and proper southern lady was driving across the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, SC one day. As she neared the top of the bridge, she noticed
a young man standing near the edge of the bridge getting ready to jump.
She stopped her car, rolled down her window and said, "Please don't jump! Think of your Mom and Dad".
He replied, "My Mom and Dad are both dead. I'm gonna jump".

She said, "Well think of your wife and kids".
He replied, "I'm not married and don't have any kids".

She said, "Well think of Robert E. Lee".
He replied, "Who's Robert E. Lee?"
She replied, "Well just go ahead and jump then you damn yankee!"

posted by HCL at 12:35 PM

 
GOOD THINGS?

(From Blogger home page) Big news: Yes folks, it's true. As you may have read, Blogger's parent company, Pyra Labs, was purchased by Google. This should only mean good things for Blogger users. No immediate changes will take place, except we're working furiously to get more servers in place to handle the extra load this news has caused. Stay tuned.
– Ev. [2/17/2003 11:44:22 PM] +

And I sez to myself, "Self," says I, "this should be a new awakening for blogging. Surely "good things" will mean better transporting, faster posting and publishing, dependable and consistent Comments, no lost archives, and perhaps even smooth linking occasionally!" Oh, I had great expectations. Now I'm wondering will all these "good things" be in my lifetime. Nine days later and I've only seen new problems with Blogger - not new "good things". Is it just me and my general obtusity with high-tech cyberworld thingies, or are other bloggers experiencing weird glitches? Yeah, yeah. I know it's free! And they said "no immediate changes will take place." But really, a click is a click, is a click. How difficult should it be to get the desired results with an index digit? (Mini-rant. I'm very frustrated!)

posted by HCL at 10:53 AM

 
AUDIOBLOGGING?

Oh Man! What a surprise! I followed Bubba's link over to Say Uncle to hear the latest on Camera-Hound Clinton, but what really got my attention was Oliver Willis and his first audioblog. What an idea! So will Oliver go on a "The First" list? Don't know. But it's the first I've encountered. Oliver is asking for input on this innovative idea. Leave him a comment if you have time. I thought it was very good quality. Get busy with the second installment, Oliver.



posted by HCL at 10:25 AM

 

FEELINGS OVER GRADES

Juan Gato said "When I was in college, I took a job with one of the local public schools to coach their 4th and 5th grade basketball teams. The league was one of those that didn't keep score, or track of fouls or really enforce the rules of basketball. When I told the kids before our first game about the no-keeping-score thing, two of them sing-songed together, "So that The Children™ won't feel bad about themselves." They saw right through it and kept track of the score in their heads anyway. Well, it was just a matter of time before this concept drifted to academics." (Posted by Eric on Juan Gato's Bucket of Rants, coquettishly borrowed by Indigo. Thanks, Juan and Eric. This was too topical not to share with my 3 readers!)



posted by HCL at 9:56 AM

 
VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS?

Media Research Center: Not every Hollywood celebrity is anti-war: James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars films, who used to be the deep-voiced announcer who intoned, "This is CNN," looks favorably upon finishing the job in Iraq, the Fayetteville Observer reported last week in a story about what he said to college students on February 19.

Washington Times reporter Jennifer Harper picked up on Earl's remarks for a February 21 news story. She began: "Not every Hollywood luminary has fallen in with the anti-war elite, who have joined forces with a political group originally formed in 1998 to help America forget President Clinton's impeachment."

"All people have to be prepared. If we are going to be the police, we also have to be the guardians. We can no longer play games," actor James Earl Jones told a group of North Carolina college students Wednesday night. "I was not against the war in Bosnia. I was against it taking so long. I was not against the war in Somalia. Again, it took too long, and we didn't finish the job. We should've stayed and finished the job. About this pending war, I just think we should've finished that war the first time," Mr. Jones said, referring to the 1991 Persian Gulf war.

The man who provided the voice of Darth Vader in "Star Wars" is also a former Army officer. His remarks drew "the loudest applause of the evening," reported the Fayetteville Observer....


posted by HCL at 9:26 PM

 
HIATUS

Looks like Our Rachel is on a "blog vacation" - to quote her. This is bad news. Don't know how much of her site will remain active, if any, but she has cut off Comments. We'll miss you, Rachel. Come back ASAP - or just as soon as you learn to burn only one end of the candle! Love you, GF

.POLL ANYONE?

One of my oldest and dearest and ultra-liberal cyber pals sent this to me - I assume to test whether or not he wanted to continue our cybership! Want a few chuckles, terminated by a moment of truth? Go here and see where you fit.

TODAY'S ZANDERISMS
(*Zander says he "thinks" he stole some of these from Steve Wright.)

Z -- ++ Borrow money from pessimists - they don't expect it back.
Z -- ++ 42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.





posted by HCL at 12:15 PM

 
WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT AMERICA?

Joanie and Michelle have taken on a project to tell other countries What's Good About America. Breakdown is by states, so if you have any good things to tell the world about your state, go here and see how it can be done.




posted by HCL at 6:08 PM

 

NOSTALGIA

On 2/1/03 I posted 'My Hero.' Yesterday I received this lovely piece from my friend John in New Jersey and it instantly took me back to those times and reminded me of how often My Hero and I walked those dirt roads. Please turn up your speakers, copy in this URL http://web3.foxinternet.net/safe/dirtroads/dirt_roads.htm (which would not link) and enjoy. If you're too young to appreciate it, forward it to your parents. It’ll be a warm and fuzzy moment in their day.


SPEAKING OF HEROES

Some blogs I visit for entertainment; some for independent analysis of the day’s news; others for different opinions than my own, just to keep me on my toes. And then there are a few I visit for the sheer joy of it. One of these is Close Encounters of the Zander Kind. Several weeks ago, while surfing comments in blogs, I noticed a poster named Zander. He was refreshingly amusing and I began to look forward to his comments. I must not have caught every single comment of Zander’s, because I didn’t know he was a teenager until I read this blog from Acidman. Go there for background.

I was blown away to learn that Zander the blogger is only 16 years old. I guess I was practicing both stereotyping and age discrimination – two of the most detested items on my personal “PO” list. Such wisdom, aplomb, and winning persona as Zander's in such a young physical body makes me suspect that he may have encountered the same evil genie that trapped my young spirit in this old body – reversed in Zander. Told you that genie was evil!

Anyhow, for a real Profile in Courage, visit Zander’s world and learn about him in his own words. Leave him a comment if you feel like it, so he'll have greetings from a lot of new people to read when he gets out of the hospital.








posted by HCL at 2:58 PM

 
ANOTHER BLOCKED BLOGGER

Well, I don't feel so bad about not blogging today now that I visited Rachel's blog and found she was also in a brain drain. Difference is she'll be blogging, probably before the end of the night. with rejuvenated fervor. And while she's in limbo, her previous wonderful blogs, plus the support of her great audience, will keep "Piquants" afloat. In fact, if you haven't dug into her archives, go there and start clicking. I'd like to say the same, but Alas! mine are not nearly as good as hers - plus, they're gone!


MAIL BOX - from Greg in Vancouver (via a Canadian relative, he says)

THE COMPLETE MILITARY HISTORY OF FRANCE

Gallic Wars - Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by (of all people) the Italians.

Hundred Years War - Mostly lost, saved at last by female schizophrenic who inadvertently creates The First Rule of French Warfare; "France's armies are victorious only when not led by a Frenchman."

Italian Wars - Lost. France becomes the first and only country to ever lose two wars when fighting Italians.

Wars of Religion - France goes 0-5-4 against the Huguenots.

Thirty Years War - France is technically not a participant, but manages to get invaded anyway. Claims a tie on the basis that eventually the other participants started ignoring her.

War of Devolution - Tied. Frenchmen take to wearing red flowerpots as chapeaux.

The Dutch War - Tied.

War of the Augsburg League/King William's War/French and Indian War Lost, but claimed as a tie. Three ties in a row induces deluded Francophiles the world over to label the period as the height of French military power.

War of the Spanish Succession - Lost. The War also gave the French their first taste of a Marlborough, which they have loved ever since.

American Revolution - In a move that will become quite familiar to future Americans, France claims a win even though the English colonists saw far more action. This is later known as "de Gaulle Syndrome", and leads to the Second Rule of French Warfare; "France only wins when America does most of the fighting."

French Revolution - Won, primarily due the fact that their opponents were also Frenchmen.

The Napoleonic Wars - Lost. Temporary victories (remember the First Rule!) due to leadership of a Corsican, who ended up being no match for a British footwear designer.

The Franco-Prussian War - Lost. Germany's first play at the role of drunk Frat boy to France's lonely girl home alone on a Saturday night.

World War I - Tied and on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States. Thousands of French women finally find out what it's like to sleep with a winner who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French military bloodline.

World War II - Lost. Conquered French liberated by the United States and Britain just as they finish learning the Horst Wessel Song.

War in Indochina - Lost. French forces plead sickness, take to bed with the Dien Bien Flu.

Algerian Rebellion - Lost. Loss marks the first defeat of a western army by a Non-Turkic Muslim force since the Crusades, and produces the First Rule of Muslim Warfare; "We can always beat the French." This rule is identical to the First Rule of Warfare of the Italians, Russians, Germans, English, Dutch, Spanish, Vietnamese and Esquimaux.

War on Terrorism - France, keeping in mind its recent history, surrenders to Germans and Muslims just to be safe. Attempts to surrender to Vietnamese ambassador fail after he takes refuge in a McDonald's.

Classic Quote: "Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion."
--Donald Rumsfeld

posted by HCL at 8:06 PM

 

IN THE MAIL BOX -- Kevin from Texas

Hi Indigo -
Another imbecile entertainer has proffered his pacifist thoughts in regard to the Iraq situation. Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews Band has written an open letter criticizing the Bush administration's policies and calling for a non-military solution to the Iraq situation. Won't these entertainment types ever get it? His letter can be viewed here. Here is my response to his letter:

Sorry Dave, but to say that you are being naive in this case is an understatement. We artists have a tendency to be idealistic, and that is usually not a bad thing. However, we often fail to understand that the realities of human frailty are the undoing of the highest of our ideals.

War is always tragic, and should never be taken lightly. War, however, is sometimes inevitable. Just as police must sometimes use force, even lethal force, to bring evildoers to justice and (first and foremost) to ensure the safety of the innocent, so must moral sovereign regimes sometimes act to bring evil and immoral regimes to justice. You may be among those who argue that ours is not a moral regime. If that is true, against whom are you directing your indictment? Our administration and our elected leaders are democratically chosen by our populace. More often than not, and by a wide margin, the policies of our government are the desired policies of the electorate. I'm sorry that you happen to be in the minority opinion on this particular policy issue, but the simple fact is that it is the will of a substantial majority in this great and largely moral nation that military force be used to take down the regime of Saddam Hussein. Saddam's regime, by contrast, is not democratically elected. He governs his people with an iron fist, brutally torturing and murdering any who dare question his supreme will. Saddam is a madman harboring and abetting terrorists and maintaining vast stockpiles of deadly chemical and biological weapons to which those terrorists have ready access, and which WILL SURELY BE USED AGAINST US should we allow him and his accomplices the opportunity.

Let us consider the recent history of appeasement. During the great military buildup in Germany in Hitler's early days, most of the world chose to pretend that Germany was not a threat to world security. After all, Germany had just been dealt the utter humiliation of military defeat in WWI, and had been brought low by devastating economic sanctions. The people had been reduced to beggars and paupers, and whole wheelbarrow loads of Deutsch marks were not sufficient to buy a loaf of bread. These Germans could surely never be a threat. Sure, Hitler was not bashful about expressing his plans for a new and powerful Germany that would rise from the ashes of defeat and crush its former oppressors under an iron boot. But who could take this ridiculous little man seriously? Germany was a wreck. Surely the military alliance that had brought down Kaiser Wilhelm's regime could readily put an end to the designs of this madman should he attempt to see them realized. So it was that Hitler was allowed to build his forces until he was able to unleash them on an unprepared world. Those favoring appeasement were wrong, and with deadly result. In addition to the massive loss of life and the devastation to the nations upon whose soil WWII was prosecuted, there were literally millions of INNOCENT deaths of non-combatants, such as those who lost their lives in Hitler's concentration camps and ovens. Despots do not respect the dignity of those who have neither the will nor the ability to resist them. They kill with impunity until they are brought down by force.

There are those who would argue that there are few parallels between Hitler's Germany and Saddam's Iraq, but they are wrong. Both nations reeled but survived following years of punitive sanctions. Both nations used lies and subterfuge to skirt arms limitations imposed as a result of their past military defeat. Both nations' leaders were/are men who believe themselves to be virtually messianic figures. Hitler believed that he was restoring the true Aryan kingship of Europe and the world, while Saddam has mused that his mission is to restore the glory of Nebuchadnezzar. While Saddam may not possess the raw military might of Hitler's Luftwaffe and Panzer divisions, he possesses that which Hitler never obtained or used: asymetrical weapons of mass destruction. Saddam has shown his willingness to use chemical and biological weapons, and he would certainly use nuclear weapons if given the opportunity. Left to his devices, there is no question that Saddam Hussein will continue to create WMDs and to forge alliances with the terrorist masterminds capable of delivering those weapons to the soil of the United States and of other nations that oppose him.

Let us also take a moment to consider the consequence of past appeasement of the North Korean regime of another madman, Kim Jong Il. What has that gotten us? Our vast humanitarian aid and provision of millions of barrels of petroleum has freed that rogue state to create a nuclear enrichment program that has already yielded one or two nuclear devices. When this subterfuge was discovered and our aid reduced punitively, Kim decided to reactivate his plutonium breeder reactor and press ahead with his nuclear weapons program. N. Korea is already the world's largest proliferator of missile technologies, and may have already provided nuclear know-how to other rogue states. Can there be any question that the weapons-grade plutonium it is now intent on producing will be available to the highest bidder? Again, appeasement has led us to the brink of tragedy, and to the reality of nuclear proliferation to rogue and terrorist states.

The lesson we perpetually refuse to learn is that totalitarian states governed by madmen cannot be negotiated with. For negotiation to have any basis, there must be grounds for believing that a regime or a dictator will abide by his agreements. Just as violent criminals should not be paroled if they cannot be trusted to not immediately perpetrate another crime against the innocent, so should the ultimate sanction be imposed on repressive and immoral regimes who continue to be a threat to their neighbors and to the law-abiding free world. This is not a new issue with Iraq. We are now at the end of the road on a 12-year journey of defiance and brutality, during which time Saddam has grown more dangerous, not less so.

Now, let us consider the people of Iraq. May I suggest that you consider the stories of those who have escaped that totalitarian regime after their own torture, and after the brutal tortures, murders, and rape of their family members. Iraqis live under a reign of terror. Common Iraqis do not enjoy the fruits of the vast mineral wealth of their homeland. Saddam and his loyalists live in regal splendor, while the common Iraqis live in abject poverty. Perhaps war will result in innocent deaths, but how many innocent lives will it save from the hand of Saddam Hussein? Furthermore, is not this sacrifice a cheap price to pay for the liberty and prosperity that will arise from the destruction of Saddam and his evil regime? Just as a surgeon must often cut and excise healthy tissue to remove a malignant tumor, so may there be innocent lives lost in removing Saddam. Nevertheless, must the tumor not be removed, given that failing to remove it will lead to a far worse consequence?

Finally, there are those who claim that the US is an imperial force, seeking to impose its will on the Iraqis and to despoil them of their oil. When has this ever been true? If such were the designs of the US, then why did we not do the same to Germany and particularly to Japan in the aftermath of WWII, rather than spend our own tax dollars to rebuild and reestablish those nations as free republics? After taking out Noriega, why did we not make Panama a satellite state, rather than standing by our unilateral agreement to hand over the Panama canal, which was built with the toil and tax dollars of hard-working Americans? Why have we not siezed the oil production of Afghanistan in compensation for our vast expenditures in bringing down the repressive Taliban? When has America EVER taken spoils after military victory over a soveriegn state? True, we took territory from the Spanish and the Mexicans in the 19th century, but those were only (mostly) uninhabited territories, and not established national homelands. Understand also that spoils have been a part of military conquest, even acting as a deterrent to rash aggression, from time immemorial, yet the United States has eschewed that privilage from its inception. The same cannot be said of Britain, China, France, or Russia, who share our position as permanent members of the UN Security Council.

I hope you will consider these realities, and will reassess your stand in light of these facts. I admire your idealism, but reality intrudes on your vision. We do not live in a utopia, and we will never live in a utopia. Free will guarantees that there will always be those inclined to evil and possessed of will to power. The world can never be free of despots, and we must realize that reason is the sole province of the reasonable. Within the constraints of reason, those who love freedom must be willing to take up arms when our lives and liberty are threatened and when our fellow humans are repressed under the iron fist of a human monster. Such is the case today. We can act when we must act and avert the terrors waiting to be unleashed, or we can go the way of cowardly appeasement until we are given an overt cause for action that will silence the naysayers such as yourself. The problem with the latter course is that such a cause for action may be the loss of an entire city or perhaps multiple cities to nuclear, biological, or chemical devastation, and that in the past it has led to such horrors as the Holocaust. When that happens again, will you be willing to admit that the blood of those innocent lives is on your hands as much as it is on the hands of the monster whose intent has long been manifest?

Sincerely,

Kevin Scott Stone
posted by HCL at 8:46 PM

 
UNFREAKINREAL DEPARTMENT

Are there no normal folks in California? If so, you'd think some of them would make the headlines occasionally rather than this type.

North Miami City Councilman Jacques Despinosse created a bit of a stir Tuesday when he asked the police department to rescind its swimming requirement for recruits because it eliminated many black candidates.

Say it ain't so, Steve!

"We feel that David could potentially be a target in prison for people who may have a grudge against him" LOL OF THE DAY!

Saddam's son: Proud to be a chip.

NC leads nation in duct tape use and Freedom Fries (Google gives no info on Freedom Fries yet, but local TV stations are telling the story that some fast-food places are substituting "Freedom" for "French".)

NC jumps on "Goat Wagon" too!





posted by HCL at 8:37 PM

 

BILL WHITTLE ON COURAGE

Bill has given us another essay. Here are a few excerpts from his gift.


"I’ve thought a lot about courage in the last few years. And what I’ve come to realize is that behind courage is a greater emotion still, and that emotion, not surprisingly, is love
.
"Think about it. Think of the infantryman who throws himself onto a hand grenade. Perhaps love of country brought him to that time and place. Certainly he loved his family, his wife and children. And more than that, even, he loved his own life, his chance to watch his sons grow into honorable manhood, to give his daughter away in a small church on a Sunday morning. All of this love may have given him the courage to come to the place where he would face that grenade, but it was his love of his buddies that overcame all of that in that one instant where the heart rules the mind and courage rises unbidden from its mysterious, deep harbor.

"Courage is not the absence of fear. It is taking action in the face of fear."

Bill's entire essay on COURAGE can be found here. You'll be glad you went there.



posted by HCL at 11:42 AM

 



WHO LIKES YA, BABY?

Is there anyone else out there who's sick and tired of all the polls being taken in foreign countries as to whether or not they "like" us? The last time I looked, the word "like" had nothing to do with foreign policy. I prefer "respect" or "fear". They worked for Rome, which civilized and kept the peace in the known world a hell of a lot longer than our puny two centuries - plus.

((For those who are not history buffs the downfall of The Roman Empire was from internal rot, not outside forces. And it started at the top -- e.g. Debauched politicians, No strong government leadership [paid off other countries rather stand up to them], no morality, no morals, me first and everybody owes me a living attitudes, excessive taxation to support lifestyles, etc., etc. -- Sound familiar?))

I see a left-wing German got elected to office recently by campaigning against the foreign policy of the United States. Yeah, that's what I want, to be lectured about war and being a "good neighbor" by a German. Their head honcho said they wouldn't take part in a war against Iraq. Kind of nice, seeing them taking a pass on a war once in while. Perhaps we needed to have the word "World" put in front of "War".

I think it's time to bring our boys home from Germany. Outside of the money we'd save, we'd make the Germans "like" us a lot more, after they started paying the bills for their own defense.

Last time I checked, France isn't too fond of us either. They sort of liked us back on June 6th, 1944, though, didn't they? If you don't think so, see how nicely they take care of the enormous American cemeteries up above the Normandy beaches. For those of you who've studied history, we also have a few cemeteries in places like Belleau Woods and Chateau Thierry. For those of you who haven't studied it, those were from World War One, the first time Europe screwed up and we bailed out the French.

That's where the US Marines got the title 'Devil Dogs' or, if you still care about what the Germans think, "Teufelhunde". I hope I spelled that right; sure wouldn't want to offend anyone, least of all a German.

Come to think of it, when Europe couldn't take care of their Bosnian problem recently, guess who had to help out there also? Last time I checked, our kids are still there. I sort of remember they said they would be out in a year. Gee, how time flies when you're having fun.

Now we hear that the South Koreans aren't too happy with us either. They "liked" us a lot better, of course, in June 1950. It took more than 50,000 Americans killed in Korea to help give them the lifestyle they currently enjoy, but then, who's counting? I think it's also time to bring the boys home from there. There are about 37,000 young Americans on the DMZ separating the South Koreans from their "brothers" up North. Maybe if we leave, they can begin to participate in the "good life" that North Korea currently enjoys. Uh huh. Sure.

I also understand that a good portion of the Arab/Moslem world now doesn't "like" us either. Did anyone ever sit down and determine what we would have to do to get them to like us? Ask them what they would like us to do. Die? Commit ritual suicide? Bend over? Maybe we should follow the advice of our dimwitted, dullest knife in the drawer, Senator Patty Murray, and build more roads, hospitals, day care centers and orphanages, like Osama bin Laden does. What with all the orphans Osama has created, the least he can do is build some places to put them. Senator Stupid says if we would only "emulate" Osama, the Arab world would love us.

Sorry, Patty; in addition to the fact that we already do all of those things around the world and have been doing them for over sixty years, I don't take public transportation, and I certainly wouldn't take it with a bomb strapped to the guy next to me.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not in favor of going to war. Been there, done that. Several times, in fact. But I think we ought to have some polls in this country about other countries, and see if we "like" THEM. Problem is, if you listed the countries, not only wouldn't the average American know if he liked them or not, he wouldn't be able to find them on a map! Map? Like, wazza map? So much for our education system - but I digress. Bottom line here is: If we're supposed to worry about them, how about them worrying about us?

We were nice to the North Koreans in 1994, as we followed the policies of Neville Clinton. And it seemed to work; they didn't re-start nuclear weapons program for a whole year or so. In the meantime, we fed them when they were starving, and put oil in their stoves when they were freezing.

In a recent visit to Norway, I engaged in a really fun debate with my cousin's son, a student at a Norwegian University. I was lectured to by this thankless squirt about the "American Empire", and scolded about dropping the atomic bomb on the Japanese. I reminded him that empires usually keep the stuff they take; we don't, and back in 1945 most Norwegians thought dropping ANY kind of bomb on Germany, or Japan, was a good idea. I also reminded him that my uncle, his grandfather, and others in our family spent a significant time in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, courtesy of the Germans, and they didn't all survive. I further reminded him that if it wasn't for the "American Empire" he would probably be speaking German or Russian.

Sorry about the rambling, but I just took an unofficial poll here at our house, and we don't seem to like anyone.

William Lane
Guest Blogger

posted by HCL at 9:24 AM

 
HONORING OUR ROOTS

February again and Black History Month. Same TV shows as 2002, but each year there are probably viewers who missed some of the shows last year. Designating a month for historical exposure of ethnic American groups that contributed to the building of our country is an excellent idea. Such an excellent idea, in fact, other groups should have a month of honor. After many years of Black History Month, we are all familiar with names of outstanding Black Americans. Quickly coming to mind are Booker T. Washington, Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, and WEB DuBois.

So how about a month for the Indigenous People who were here first, our Native Americans? If I were choosing their month of recognition, I would pick January, the first month of the year, but November is already designated as National American Indian Heritage Month. November doesn't seem to get the media coverage that February does, though. In fact, I didn't even know November was National American Indian Heritage Month until I started researching a little for this post. Just as February is filled with historical information on African-American heritage, November should regale Americans with background history on Native Americans.

Tecumseh, for instance, is considered by many historians to be the greatest Indian leader of all time. He was of the Shawnee Nation, born in West Virginia, March 9, 1768. Tecumseh supported the British, and in a battle in 1811, William Henry Harrison followed him into Canada and killed him. This made Harrison a national hero and paved the way for his election as president with the campaign battle cry of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too". Tecumseh's name was so famous in that era that General William Tecumseh Sherman was named for him. General Sherman was referred to by other names in the South, you may recall.

Ely Samuel Parker was born in 1828, a member of the Seneca-Iroquois tribe on the Tonawanda reservation in Indian Falls, N.Y. His first tribal name was Hasanowanda (“The Reader”). His family had originally adopted the Parker name for use when dealing with the white settlers in the area. Before his birth, a tribal prophet told Ely's (pronounced E-lee) mother that her son would become a distinguished warrior and peacemaker. Parker lived 67 years and achieved widespread recognition as a scholar, tribal leader, Civil-War soldier, and champion of Indian rights.

As a warrior and a statesman, Chief Red Cloud's success in confrontations with the United States government marked him as one of the most important Lakota Sioux leaders of the nineteenth century. Considered a military genius, Red Cloud evaded capture by the U.S. Calvary for nearly a dozen years. My favorite vignette illustrating Red Cloud's military prowess in outsmarting the Calvary is that in all the years of chasing him back and forth across the plains, he was never caught. One of his strategies was to dismount at the bottom of a hill and walk the horses up; then, remount and ride on when the terrain flattened. The Army horsemen rode their horses to exhaustion. This is his speech given at a reception in his honor in New York, July 16, 1870.

Crazy Horse (Tashunkewitko), an Oglala Sioux, was born on the Republican River about 1845. He was killed at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, in 1877, so that he lived barely thirty-three years. Although no known photograph exists of him. there are drawings of various artists' impressions. The picture here was a "guess" out of some unknown photographs, it is said. Crazy Horse envisioned his own death and told of it long before it occurred. The Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota will be the world's largest mountain carving when completed. Some pictures here give an idea of its enormous size.

Ira Hamilton Hayes, full blood Pima Indian, was born in Sacaton, Arizona, on the Pima Reservation on Jan 12, 1923. His parents Joe E. and Nancy W. Hayes were both farming people. When he enlisted in the Marine Corps, he had hardly ever been off the Reservation. His Chief told him to be an "Honorable Warrior" and bring honor upon his family. Ira was a dedicated Marine. Quiet and steady, he was admired by his fellow Marines who fought alongside him in three Pacific battles. We would probably never have heard of him had he not been one of the six Iwo Jima flag raisers.

The Navajo Code Talkers were instrumental in shortening the war in the Pacific, according to World War II military historians. Due to the secrecy of their mission, and public apathy so long after the fact, they received no recognition from our government until 1992, when, after decades of appeal, The Department of Defense officially and openly honored its Native American code talkers.

That takes care of two months of remembering Americans who helped forge our nation. October might be appropriate for Italian-Americans, since Columbus landed on our shores in that month of 1492. Perhaps March for the Irish-Americans, in honor of St. Patrick. Chinese, Japanese, Germans, Poles, Spanish, Scotch, Lithuanians, and all other ethnic groups who represent our United States deserve a month too.

Of course, that's just my opinion. What's yours?







posted by HCL at 11:20 AM

 
NEUROPATHY

To both of my fans who inquired as to why there have been no new posts for a few days, see headline above. That, plus the prescribed medications, did me in. Will try to do better the rest of the week. Thanks for asking.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Best birthday wishes to Janis Gore. She's over at Gone South, in case you want to stop by and leave her a birthday card.


IN-BOX --

++ From Vicky, Cedar Point, NC
In WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace. There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate, every evening at 9:00 pm Eastern Time, stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, its citizens, its men and women in the military, and for peace in the world. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. God Bless America.
++From my friend in Doha, Qatar, a quotation:
"The only time in his life that a French general puts up a fight is when he's asked for his resignation." - Winston Churchill


REBUT TO CHUCK (see Monday 2/10/03)

Cats have the simplest of taste - the best will suffice.
Dogs are like kids. Cats are like roommates.
Cats are living proof that eating and sleeping all day isn't all bad.
Cats teach us that not everything in nature has a function.
Traits we despise in people, we prize as virtues in cats.
Cats know all the sunny places.
An aquarium is just interactive television for cats.
A cat's favorite game is: "Hah! Made you look!"
A cat's worst enemy is a closed door.
Cats aren't clean, they're just covered with cat spit.
Cats aren't as dignified as people say they are. (Ever watched a cat clean its privates?)
Cats are good for dusting high places.
Cats have fur coats because they look silly in raincoats.
You don't own your cat. The cat owns you. And the cat owns the house. You just pay the mortgage.
Cats have their own lives; get on with yours.
Someone once said: "He who doesn't like cats doesn't like pets smarter than he."










posted by HCL at 7:51 PM

 
AND THEY KNOW THIS HOW??

Marc Morano, CNSNews.com
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003

WASHINGTON – A video presented at the Lincoln Memorial appears to suggest that former President Abraham Lincoln would have supported modern-day, left-of-center political causes such as homosexual rights, abortion and the modern feminist agenda.

Too 'Controversial' to Discuss
A National Park Service spokesman told CNSNews.com he was "reluctant" to comment on the Lincoln video because the whole issue had the "potential to be quite controversial."

'Beyond Words'
CNSNews.com asked several of the tourists visiting the memorial what they thought of the video and whether they believed it implied Lincoln would support modern-day causes such as homosexual rights and abortion.

"I liked it ... I think [Lincoln] would have [supported homosexual and abortion rights] because that's how Lincoln was; he was very supportive of the people. He didn't care who you are and what you are, he loved everybody," said Elizabeth Baksi, a high school student from Houma, La., after viewing the video. [AND SHE KNOWS THIS HOW?]

But Paul Meisius of Sheboygan, Wis., rejected the video's message as he interpreted it, and he chastised the National Park Service for showcasing it. "That's awful," Meisius said as he finished watching the video. "The political correctness of it is beyond words. I don't think that's proper. They are giving themselves credit to be able to say whatever they want about Lincoln's political views." [AT LEAST HE DOESN'T SPEAK FOR LINCOLN!]

Pick up a handful of expletives from Gut Rumbles and go see the rest of the piece here.

posted by HCL at 4:29 PM

 
REDNECK CORNER

Billy Joe Bob, over at Compleat Redneck, thinks I have a "cute name". Thanks, Billy Joe Bob. And also thanks for adding Indigo Insights to your blogroll, whether due to the "cute name" or the fact that I understand your language and your BBQ. Anyone who reads Indigo Insights even occasionally knows how big the Executive Round Tuit is, but any day now the blogroll WILL BE updated. I have complained, begged, pleaded, and even tried to bribe, but now there is a plan in place. I promise! Going to have to call in some chits from the genius #1GD, but I almost have a commitment.

Redneckin's Chuck Tales is growing. So stay current! Way down in the Executive Round Tuit is a plan for a similar page for Indigo Insights. Or maybe I should call it the Ralph Kramden File -- "one of these days."


MAIL BOX -- from Susan of Arkansas

As we all know, whatever arrives in email may be current or years old. That seems to be the nature of email. Flat Stanley touring the White House obviously was produced at a happier time for the President and staff than the last several days have been. But for some upbeat DC coverage, read the following intro, then link here to see the pics of Flat Stanley's White House adventures.

Flat Stanley finally hits pay dirt ---

Do you know the story of Flat Stanley, the kiddie book about a boy who's flattened by a bulletin board, then makes the best of a bad situation by mailing himself to a friend? It's huge in grade schools, where kids mail paper dolls of Flat Stanley to big shots who have their picture taken with him and then mail it all back. Well, Flat Stanley has finally made it to the top: in President Bush's lap. The exclusive story: Marcy Ring, a teacher at Chicago's Henry Suder School, sent Flat Stanley to her White House pal Susan Ralston, Karl Rove's aide. Rove took it from there, taking the black Flat Stanley everywhere, even the Oval Office. "He had better access," says Ralston, "than the senior staff." But Rove did more. He spent hours at home preparing a 13-page, 25-photo package autographed by the prez. There's Flat Stanley with chief of staff Andy Card reading a top-secret report, and with national security adviser Condi Rice, who's lecturing Flat Stanley to obey his parents. What drove Rove? "He loves kids," we're told.

TILT! TILT! FOUL! FOUL! HISS AND BOO! Sorry, folks, but U.S. News would not allow you to see their pictures. Here's their URL, if you want to paste it somewhere. YOU CHOOSE WHERE! http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/whispers/documents/stanley1.htm


MAIL BOX -- from Tom of SLC, Utah

Don't even go here unless you have time to kill. I was intrigued because it was a "poke fun" at John Ashcroft item -- and it is -- but much, much more. Just keeps linking, and linking, and linking. And once into it, you don't want to miss one!


QUOTABLES

++"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." -- Winston Churchill
++"When they show a dog on TV, do you try to get your dog to look at him? Don't you want your dog to see the dog on TV? I do. "Look at the doggie! Over there!" He won't look. They never look where you want. If you point at something, they just stare at your hand." -- George Carlin



posted by HCL at 11:05 PM

 
MY HERO

Football Heroes sometime become Life Heroes. At least it happened for me.

Football, or sports in general, was way down on my priority list when I was in high school. My world was all about music. Then one day I had an epiphany that would change the course of the rest of my life. It became evident to me that the neatest boys were not as interested in Chopin as they were football. That was when I was motivated to become a cheerleader and pursue fall activities that would take me away from the piano bench. A real hunky baseball player had caught my eye and, coincidentally, he decided to go out for the football team that same fall. The fact that cheerleaders and team players rode to games on the same bus had absolutely nothing to do with our decisions.

Although baseball was his first priority and love, he enjoyed football once he got into it because he could show off his running and agility. He played left end, now known as tight end. The adulation from the stands when he made a touchdown didn't hurt either. His extraordinary strength and excellent physical condition made him a natural in athletic prowess. He was a farm boy, used to hard labor, and had muscles that were the envy of many of the city boys. Some of my city girl friends were a little envious of me too! Once when he was teasing me, he picked me up like a sack of potatoes, and I was afraid he would drop me. He said I was light as a feather, compared to the 200-lb bags of fertilizer he had loaded all day on the farm. Muscles, galore.

His participation on the team and mine on the cheering squad intensified the bond between us. We had a little ritual before every game. When he made the team, I had given him a rabbit's foot for good luck - a really big deal in those days! He wanted to wear it around his neck only during the game, way down under all the uniform padding, so our ritual was I would meet him for a few fleeting seconds as he ran out of the field house to go onto the field; I would put the chained rabbit's foot around his neck and give him a quick kiss on the cheek for good luck. After the game he returned it to me to keep until the next game, when the ceremony would be repeated. Mild by today's standards, but very meaningful stuff to my generation's teens. Funny how small things were so important then. I still have that rabbit's foot.

"They tried to tell us we're too young - too young to really be in love. They say that love's a word - a word we've only heard - but can't begin to know the meaning of." Nat King Cole sang it, and we proved it wrong. Storybook "highschool sweethearts marry and live happily ever after" scenario. We married young; had a family young; grew up with our children; and enjoyed every minute of it. While life was happening (John Lennon), our son and daughter were the joys of our lives and ultimately gave us grandchildren who enriched us too.

It was an ongoing joke between us that he gave up a major league baseball career to marry me. I would quip back that I gave up a concert pianist career to marry him. His joke was a lot closer to the truth than mine. Semi-pro baseball scouts continued to approach him even after we had two children. So his talent was recognized by someone other than himself! Yes, he was a hotdog ball player. Even in his forties, after both children were married, he won the MVP trophy in the town softball league. To the delight of the crowd, and himself (!), he could still catch fly balls in the outfield, one-handed, behind his back.

Besides his sports talents, he was the quintessential Southern gentleman, wonderful husband, model father to his children and son to his parents, and a benchmark- setting grandfather. Goodness of heart and spirit and winning smile were his trademarks. Forget "Everybody Loves Raymond". Everybody loved Willis.

Today marks the second anniversary of his death. The void in my life will never go away, but faith tells me he is hotdogging in that Big Outfield in the Sky. And still smiling.


-
posted by HCL at 12:13 AM