The Anchoress

Hey, my site was down most of the morning, along with a few others who are on this server. Problem is fixed, obviously, but since I couldn’t blog I got involved with my other project and now I want to play over there, today, so blogging has been light-to-non-existant. And I have had a foamy, yummy Guinness because it’s very, very hot over here, right now, and my doctor says it’s good for my blood! Oh, stop, it is not global warming. The world has been hot before!. I may have another.

Here’s a quick round-up of the few things I found pretty interesting today:

Katie bars the door - says “uh-uh, no, hell no, not me, I ain’t going” to the idea of her reporting from Israel, Lebanon or environs therein. I totally understand that - I’m a mother with kids, and she’s a widow - something happens to her, it’s not good for the kids - (do you see how reasonable and sane I can be? I don’t like her and wish CBS had taken my advice and hired Lester Holt or Dehlia Gallagher, but I can sympathize!) Also, to be honest, I never did understand why Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw and the rest felt the need to go running out into storms and battlefields once they were promoted to the anchor desk. After all, an anchor is supposed hold things in place, not go galloping off into whatever fray seems attractive. So, Katie, I applaud your stand. I don’t much like ya, but when you make a good call, I’ll support it. I hope you can do the same for, say, conservatives and even - gasp - the president, once you get behind the desk…but don’t worry, I won’t fixate on it, or nuthin’. Heck, even APB agrees!

It’s about where they put the baby carriage. Dr. Sanity has a simple illustration that deftly lays out the difference between the Israeli army and the Palestinians and One Cosmos is striking a similar theme Doc Sanity also links to a good piece by Dr. Sowell, on pacifism. Siggy expands on Dr. Sanity’s excellent post and you should go read it, also.

Ben Stein lays out the definitive argument against the disproportionate mantra. (H/T The Wide Awake Cafe) The left loooooves to raise goal posts. They cannot deny the fact that Hezbollah started this, or that Israel has the right to defend herself, so now, it’s all “but they’re being just too mean and decisive and disproportionate…” Well, yeah. When someone is lobbing missiles into your country, just because they feel like it, you take all necessary steps to insure that they understand they should stop that and not think of doing it again. You gotta let them know they need to “stop this crap.” Professor Kenneth Anderson is also writing on this issue, very well, indeed. War is horrible - it is horrific. But sometimes it is necessary. Hezbollah went after Israel for no reason. Hamas went after Israel directly after Israel gave up Gaza. Israel must strike back. Does anyone think if Israel were “proportionate” Hezbollah would suddenly come to the table? *

Meanwhile this Israeli fellow spells it out.

We withdrew from Gaza, despite all the internal objections, hoping to move Palestinian statehood – and peace – one step closer. But all we got in return was the election of Hamas, and a barrage of more than 800 Qassams that they refused to end. And then they stole Gilad Shalit. Not from Gaza. Not from some contested no man’s land. From inside the internationally recognized borders of Israel. As if to make sure that we got the point – “There is no place that you’re safe. There is no place to which we won’t take this war. You can’t stay here.”

Because as much as we have wanted to believe otherwise, they have no interest in building their homeland. They only care about destroying ours.

The Israelis are fighting not just because they “feel like it.” They’re fighting for their lives - for their very existance. Of course it is terrible that innocents die in war. They’re dying on both sides, though. What exactly should Israel do, just give in and allow herself to be pushed into the sea?

Where will it end? Clear-thinking, no-nonsense Charles Krauthammer gives his answer. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Did you know Bill Clinton and Al Gore and Ted Kennedy were all once against abortion? You could look it up! Read it for yourself. Here’s Clinton’s statement: Bill Clinton, in a letter to Arkansas Right to Life, September 26, 1986
“I am opposed to abortion and to government funding of abortions. We should not spend state funds on abortions because so many people believe abortion is wrong.” Okay. People change their minds, I guess…but what struck me there is that his writing sounds…a lot like something an 8 year old would write, if they were assigned a writing task of say, sending a letter to their congressman, or something. Not precisely in single syllables, but very near. (Shrug) Perhaps he felt the Right-to-Lifers he was addressing were particularly sluggish.

If only Christians weren’t so pushy! This lady writes a piece at once appreciating and slamming Evangelicals. She likes their commitment to life, but wishes they’d shut up about Jesus, already. I have to admit, I’ve been proselytized from time to time by Evangelicals who don’t think I’m actually a Christian (perhaps because I say “crap?”) and occasionally it’s gotten on my nerves (especially when someone left a Jack Chick comic book in my mailbox and my neighbor’s - a very sweet elderly lady who in no way deserved to have her sensibilities assaulted with that drivel), but you know…the job of the Evangelicals is…to Evangelize! They just want to tell you about Jesus, they’re not threatening to either convert you or behead you, with no in-between!

We Catholics are more circumspect, I guess. We just shove a missalette into your hands and tell you to follow along, if you want, and be down at the bar by 5PM.

That reminds me of an episode in my life, when I was younger. I once went to a meeting of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians, because a neighbor wanted to join and she didn’t want to go alone. We both joined, but it didn’t last. First off, I’m not much of a joiner, second, the ladies auxiliary - to which, I guess, we belonged - didn’t like it when we giggled and snorted as, week after week, the president or whoever she was would make her announcements for upcoming activities and every single one of them seemed to end with, “and, the bar will be open!” Also, my neighbor and I once volunteered to be the auctioneers for a “penny auction” they held to raise money for - I dunno, missions, or something. We took turns introducing the wares - little coffee pots, juice glasses, etc - and at one point I found myself auctioning off a bagful of tennis balls. So, I said, “ladies, I’ve been told I have a lot of balls, and for fifty cents, you can have a lot of balls, too!”

We actually made a lot of money at the auction, but they never let us do that, again. Eventually, when I found out they wouldn’t let me learn the bagpipes because I was a girl, I gave up on them. All for the best, of course - they’d have taught me and then I wouldn’t have been able to march in the parades, because of my arthur-itis, so I’d have wasted their time. Buster and I learned on a chanter, instead. Heh.

I do believe girls are now allowed to pipe up at that particular Hibernian Hall. And the bar is open!

Getting back to the round-up, Rick Moran over at the Rightwing Nuthouse has a great Friday afternoon thingy going on - he’s listing the 10 most influential people of the second millenium and inviting you to do the same. I hope some of you will choose me. But if you don’t, that’s alright.

Tigerhawk got Chocolate, today. I did not. Sigh. I miss my husband and Buster. They’re still doing that backpacking-in-a-heatwave-with-no-toilets thing. Buster told me it’s been a genuine ordeal and he will never do such a stupid thing again. Apparently he’s got a rash, or a fungus or something, too. I tried to tell them this he-man stuff wasn’t necessary. But I’m proud of them, too. They’ve had a grueling week, climbing up 1500 ft. inclines and eating freeze-dried trail food and such. Silly beans! I wish they’d get home, already!

Triangulation Kibble now being served! Captain Ed notices that Bill and Hillary are once again doing the Triangulation Trot. This time over Joe Leiberman. This is, of course, what they always do. One steps right, the other steps left, and they manage to cover the dancefloor without crashing into each other. I call it Triangulation Kibble because it is the food they always serve the Democrats. One is the hard outside, the other is the chewy center, and they have the remarkable skill of being able to switch roles at the drop of a hat. I’ll never forgive her for putting on a Yankee cap and utterly cursing my baseball tribe!

Meanwhile, Gateway Pundit spells out the many ways the African American community has benefited by the Bush presidency. He’s pretty persuasive.

Israel’s full-scale invasion is also being covered by Ed, and I must say, Pajamas Media has been very impressive in their coverage, as has The Truth Laid Bare. They’ve both been exceptional resources.

Blue Crab Boulevard has Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on the case of the so-called sockpuppet; a pretty amusing read. Forget that last part, though…I happen to have it on excellent authority that it was Iago did the whispering in his ear.

Finally, Charlotte Church - the formerly cute-as-a-button child soprano, who made a nice living off of Catholic customers who bought her stuff, has decided that she wants to be as daring as Madonna and so she’s choosing the safest target imaginable: Catholics, nuns and the pope. Wow. No one’s ever done THAT before! I’m gobsmacked! I bow in freaking awe at her moxie. That’s some cutting edge stuff, right there! How about call me when she pretends to be a Muslim woman buried in sand up to her neck and being stoned for…oh yeah…getting raped. She’ll do that soon, right? Sure, she will. She’s all courageous and stuff. H/T Julie

And no, I am not tipsy. I’ve only had one Guinness (filled me up - I suspect that’s supper!) and I can hold that pretty well. But I will say, this is the most relaxed keyboard tapping I’ve done in a little while!

*Added for clarity.