SOTU highlight

Anyone else notice how Dems stood and cheered after Bush said that, unfortunately, Congress failed to pass his initiative to save Social Security? As the Brits would say: too clever by half. Impressionable baby boomers may not have been favorably impressed.

He's baaa-ak...

Professor Jones is at again (he of the "prepositioned explosives" took down the WTCs theory). Now he's part of an outfit called "Scholars for 9/11 Truth." Their website is here.

Bud Clay v. Cindy Sheehan

From a link at One Hand Clapping -- a letter from the father of a Marine KIA in Iraq:

December 7, 2005
President George Bush,
The White House,
Washington, DC.

DEAR PRESIDENT BUSH:

My name is Bud Clay. My son, SSgt Daniel Clay--USMC was killed last week, 12/01/05, in Iraq. He was one of the ten Marines killed by the IED in Fallujah.

Dan was a Christian--he knew Jesus as Lord and Savior--so we know where he is. In his final letter (one left with me for the family--to be read in case of his death) he says "if you are reading this, it means my race is over." He's home now--his and our real home.

I am writing to you--to tell you how proud and thankful we (his parents and family) are of you and what you are trying to do to protect us all. This was Dan's second tour in Iraq--he knew and said that his being there was to protect us.

I want to encourage you. I hear in your speeches about "staying the course". I also know that many are against you in this "war on Terror" and that you must get weary in the fight to do what is right. We and many others are praying for you to see this through--as Lincoln said, "that these might not have died in vain".

You have a heavy load--we are praying for you.

God bless you,
BUD CLAY

Marines are instructed to write a letter to their familes in case of their death while deployed. Mr. Clay included his son's last letter home with his message to President Bush:

MOM, DAD, KRISTIE, JODIE, KIMBERLY, ROBERT, KATY, RICHARD, AND MY LISA:

Boy do I love each and every one of you. This letter being read means that I have been deemed worthy of being with Christ. With MaMa Jo, MaMa Clay, Jennifer .... all those we have been without for our time during the race. This is not a bad thing. It is what we hope for. The secret it out. He lives and His promises are real! It is not faith that supports this .... but fact and I now am a part of the promise. Here is notice! Wake up! All that we hope for is Real. Not a hope. But Real.

But here is something tangible. What we have done in Iraq is worth any sacrifice. Why? Because it was our duty. That sounds simple. But all of us have a duty. Duty is defined as a God given task. Without duty life is worthless. It holds no type of fulfillment. The simple fact that our bodies are built for work has to lead us to the conclusion that God (who made us) put us together to do His work. His work is different for each of us.

Mom, yours was to be the glue of our family, to be a pillar for those women (all women around you), Dad, yours was to train and build us (like a Platoon Sgt) to better serve Him. Kristie, Kim, Katy you are the five team leaders who support your Squad ldrs, Jodie, Robert and Richard. Lisa you too. You are my XO and you did a hell of a job. You all have your duties. Be thankful that God in His wisdom gives us work. Mine was to ensure that you did not have to experience what it takes to protect what we have as a family. This I am so thankful for. I know what honor is. It is not a word to be thrown around. It has been an Honor to protect and serve all of you. I faced death with the secure knowledge that you would not have to. This is as close to Christ-like I can be. That emulation is where all honor lies. I thank you for making it worthwhile.

As a Marine this is not the last Chapter. I have the privilege of being one who has finished the race. I have been in the company of heroes. I now am counted among them. Never falter! Don't hesitate to honor and support those of us who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting.

Now here are my final wishes. Do not cry! To do so is to not realize what we have placed all our hope and faith in. We should not fear. We should not be sad. Be thankful. Be so thankful. All we hoped for is true. Celebrate! My race is over, my time in war zone is over. My trials are done. A short time separates all of us from His reality. So laugh. Enjoy the moments and your duty. God is wonderful.

I love each and every one of you.

Spread the word .... Christ lives and He is Real.

Semper Fidelis

The case for invading Iran

Tom Holsinger makes the case at Winds of Change.

Nukes in the news

French President Chirac announces that France may use nuclear weapons against terrorists or terrorist states. Meanwhile, Iran moves toward its own development of nuclear weapons.

Apple's latest greatest

"What's an Intel chip doing in a Mac? A whole lot more than it's ever done in a PC." -- Apple's new slogan

Steve Jobs' keynote at MacWorld Expo yesterday was the platform for launch of the first Intel Macs, both built on Intel's brand new Core Duo processor: the MacBook Pro (a 15" PowerBook successor with a built-in iSight camera billed as 4x faster than the fastest PowerBook), and new iMac (which wasn't updated all that long ago -- this one's reportedly 2x faster than the prior iMac).

Apple also updated iLife (including a podcast composer in GarageBand) and iWork (new spreadsheet tables), and its .Mac web services with the addition of iWeb -- the easy way to publish blogs, photos, movies, and podcasts to the Web.

With Intel inside Macs, there's speculation that the Apple OS may soon be able to run on PC boxes, or that Windows may be able to run natively (without emulation) on Macs. We'll see.

I'm a Mac addict (since 1984 and the original Macintosh). Nearing its 30 year anniversary (1 April), Apple Computer has been through a lot of twists and turns. But in recent years, it is clearly established as the coolest computer and software company. Microsoft lumbers sluggishly behind, and Windows PC boxes are borrrring.

Long live Apple!

Interesting times

Michael Ledeen wrote this thought-provoking column, which appeared in today's Jewish World Review. To sum it up in one sentence, he looks at the overall situation in the Middle East in a much more optimistic and positive way than do the hand-wringing, gloom-and-doom pundits and opinionmakers of the mainstream media. While reading it, I reflected on an old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times." All of us have certainly done that, haven't we?

Ah-nuld, Tookie, and Graz: a political lesson

Mark Steyn comments on the difference between a man of action and Austrian political preening.

Abramoff and "The Steamroller"

Peggy Noonan analyzes the Big Government steamroller and the damage to Republicans from their corrupt and cozy association with Jack Abramoff.

Krauthammer on Sharon

Charles Krauthammer laments Sharon's stroke as A Calamity for Israel because "Ari's" centrist third-way alternative to Labor and Likud would mark the way forward from the failed policies of the right and left.

Ronan Tynan and "Passing Through"

This morning, getting ready for church, I turned on the radio to hear the Tabernacle Choir's "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast. It was already underway.

I heard Lloyd Newell midway through describing Ronan Tynan (one of "The Irish Tenors"): the amputation of both legs, his Paralympic records and gold medals, his vocal training that didn't begin until his 30's, and his mother's inspiration. Then Ronan introduced a song he wrote for his mother who now suffers from Alzheimers.

She used to say, "put courage in your dreams, Ronan, and leave the rest to the Man Upstairs, and then you'll carve your footprints in the sand." Then he sang "Passing Through": "Light the candle, say I love you, on your way to passing through."

I rediscovered that friend Garry Wilmore had given me the CD "Ronan" last year. Fortunately, "Passing Through" is the final cut (and the CD's full of other wonderful music). You can hear an excerpt here. Now I've loaded the whole CD into iTunes on my laptop.

Sometimes the world seems full of only conflict, strife, and evil. But Ronan's tribute to his mother reminds of the good, the wholesome, and the noble.