Dunce Upon A Time's article: Why George Bush Makes me Proud to be an American

BC Woods is a brilliant writer. I've been reading some of his stuff on and off, but I only found him recently. A friend clued me into this amazing article. It was written in June 2008, but resonates just as strongly today.

Here's the intro to get you started, click through to read the entire thing:

Almost eight years ago, George Walker Bush took office, and the world has never been the same. Since then, he has redefined what it means to be an American, has never cracked under the scrutiny of his peers, and has remade the entire world according to his sincere beliefs. Considering all this, it is safe to say that George Bush is far and away the greatest president who has ever lived. His courageousness, imagination, and perseverance, are an example to all Americans.

Cash For Clunkers

Unbelievable, I read the story in the paper today. Congress will pay folks $3500-$4500 for upgrading their auto from a gas guzzling SUV/truck getting 16mpg to a mean green machine that gets 18mpg... wait, what?

Yup, you'll get paid $3500 to buy a 18mpg gas guzzler, even $4500 for a 23mpg guzzler.

What a moronic idea.

For a real breakdown devoid of the anger and frustration I harbor, read: The Oil Drum | The 2012 Oil Crunch vs. Cash for Clunkers

Momma's 3 Days Away Summary

Simone did great while Mary was away. A big part of that is due to Nana coming down and hanging with her, but I've got to give credit to Simone as well.

Every once in a while she'd mention "momma" but that was about it.

We waited on the front porch for Mary to come home, and we definitely had a love fest when she walked up to greet us.

I look forward to the next adventure with Simone.

Torture

I'm tired of the torture debate.

I'm especially tired of the media and how it presents the debate. Almost always the story is set up as "human rights" versus "freedom to be safe", i.e. either torture the guy or the ticking time-bomb goes off. Almost never does anyone bring up the fact that torture doesn't work, let alone the fact that not torturing people but instead earning their respect and trust is what works.

Even my favorite, John Stewart, fails to bring up those points and falls into the debate of the ticking time bomb.

The more nuanced, pro-torture, debater brings up the argument that the anti-torturing side thinks that the idea of anything but the most benign interrogation techniques is not allowed. Again, this is a straw man, don't accept the argument, for once you do, you end up debating where to draw the line for torture.

The bottom line is:

• torture doesn't work, you get bad intelligence
• not torturing does work, it has worked, and it will continue to work
• water boarding is torture
• there's never been a ticking time bomb situation - stop watching 24
  

Some Simone Pics

Simone with a daisy. We couldn't find the horses this particular day, so we looked at some flowers.

Simone and Ayli sharing a seat.

Ayli playing peekaboo with Mary. By the end of Carl and Jana's visit, Ayli was smiling lots, but it was so quick. This was the best one I got on film.

Simone waiting for some lunch - so much fun eating at a restaurant, especially one with fish tanks!

Simone, Carl and Ayli at the water fountain.

A picture on our hike at Breitenbush.

Another shot of Simone and Papa at Breitenbush - Simone was pretty worn out from all the tubbing.

Simone and Momma racing around in a car at the playground.

Check out the little photo albums (some of the same pics).

• A couple pictures from Breitenbush.
• Carl, Jana, and Ayli come to visit.

Momma's First Day Away

I guess I'm kind of live-blogging the adventures of Momma being away. It'd be interesting to know what she's going through at the same time, but phones don't work at Breitenbush, so we can't really know.

Simone slept solid the night through, nearly 11 hours. I slept a chunk with her because she requested it shortly after getting the drink last night. Other than slowly rotating in bed, I think she slept peacefully.

Nana drove down early today to hang out with Simone so I could do my time in the office in Wilsonville. I think it was a good move as her first response to me was, "no, no, no" when I walked in the room (I don't know what that's about, but am hoping it's a phase). Then Nana poked her head in the room and Simone lit up, hid against the wall for a second, and came out hopping and dancing. They had a very pleasant morning/day/afternoon, while I did my usual drudgery in Wilsonville.

We had a dinner of left-overs and fresh strawberries (picked by Simone), and now she's in bed, reading stories with Nana.

I'd better go clean off the bed in the back room so Nana has somewhere to sleep tonight.

Momma's First Night Away

Mary is at a retreat for the next three nights, her first nights away.

We spent the day together at Breitenbush, soaking in the tubs, eating lunch and dinner, and taking a nice little hike. It was my second time at Breitenbush, and I must say the food was really good this time (it was rather disappointing the first time) - I guess it just depends on the mood of the cook.

Simone had a great time going from tub to tub at the spiral tubs, and even got into the cold water dunk tank.

We said our goodbyes to Mary and headed home after dinner. Simone sang some for the next half hour and dropped off to sleep. Once home, she transferred to bed real easily, and slept for an hour while I unpacked. I knew she'd woken up when she walked into the kitchen saying, "I want juice."

She's getting very clear like that, both a blessing and a curse.

I opened the fridge, and saw the strawberry lemonade. Simone saw it too and said, "strawberry." So I poured her some.

After downing 6 ounces she asked to be carried into bed (a new and unusual request), so I carried her in and laid her in bed.

She finished the drink, I asked if she was all done, to which she replied, "yeah," turned her head to the side and closed her eyes to go to sleep.

I don't think I've ever had a night like that with her, it was very sweet and just pointed out how much she's changed recently. All sorts of new phrases and sentences are coming out now. Whereas before you could kind of gauge what she might say, pretty much every sentence she utters is new and unique.