Oh the primal, necessary drums
behind the words so dumb!
That power, the bang and the boom and again the bang
we cannot, need not, live without,
nor without other means to make sweet noise,

From Regarding (Most) Songs by Thomas Lux.

My name is Jeff Hess and I’m a biblioholic. I own hundreds of books. Not valuable books, mostly Science Fiction paperbacks and text books, tomes rescued by the bag from library book sales. A few years ago, in the interest of not burying myself, I began reading more books from the library and taking notes. My electronic chapbook was born.

This is a passage I copied from A Charlestonian”s Recollections 1846-1913 by Daniel Elliot Huger Smith.

Before 1860 the planters were on the average fairly well-to-do with cash incomes ranging from $5,000 to $70,000 per annum; but those living, as most of them did, on their plantations were at little expense for the support of their establishments. p. 135

I know that I should be gracious about this kind of thing, but I’ve never forgiven McNamara for Vietnam and I don’t see why I should forgive a single one of the bloviating enablers who now want to admit that well, gee, they didn’t really have clue about Iraq and, you know, all those dead and wouned fighting men and women? Sorry doesn’t cut it.

Via Daily Dish comes John Derbyshire:

I mention this only to show that the Iraq adventure has made fools of many of us bystanders. That is not of much consequence by comparison with the fools it has made of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Rice, and the rest; and that is not of much consequence when set against the brave Americans maimed and killed in this war, and the stupendous waste of national resources and prestige the war has involved.

As we bloviators fret over our wounded egos, we should remember that a wounded ego is utterly nothing by comparison with an actual wound, let alone a death, or the humiliating of a great nation in the eyes of her enemies.

Why did you hate America so much Mr. Derbyshire?

On Sunday mornings I teach 9th graders at a Conservative synagogue here in Cleveland. It’s going to be interesting to learn how our professional staff is going to approach the decision this week to allow homosexual clergy and the performance of commitment ceremonies for homosexual congregants. There is still a lot that must be ironed out.

From the Jewish Telegraphic Association (via she who Writes Like She Talks) :

Even before the ink was dry on the Conservative movement”s decision to accept gay rabbis and allow same-sex commitment ceremonies, its impact was already being felt.

Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the movement”s congregational arm, immediately announced that he was recommending a change in the organization”s hiring practices, which had required employees to be observant of Jewish law – effectively barring gay men and lesbians.

“I see no reason why we should not revise our hiring policies so we may consider applicants for United Synagogue jobs no matter what their sexual orientation may be,” Epstein said in a statement. “United Synagogue”s leadership will discuss the issue at our next scheduled meeting.”

With advocates on both sides of the issue warning that Wednesday”s decisions by the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards could irreparably fracture the movement, the two-day meeting was closely monitored around the Jewish world.

In the end, the committee endorsed three separate teshuvot, or responsa, on the issue. One, by Rabbi Joel Roth, affirmed the movement”s traditional ban on gay rabbis and commitment ceremonies. Another, by Rabbis Elliot Dorff, Daniel Nevins and Avram Reisner, reversed those positions while upholding the biblical prohibition on male intercourse. Both papers earned 13 votes, a majority of the 25-member committee.

How can we have it both ways? Reread the head on this post.

The United States is the greatest nation on the Earth. And at or near the top of the list of reasons why we are who we are is the way we think. My grandfather was a Jack Of All Trades and I could just see him having this kind of Aha! moment if he had been faced with the challenges of our men and women fighting in Iraq. From the Associated Press:

In an age of multimillion-dollar high-tech weapons systems, sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that can save lives. Which is why a New Jersey mother is organizing a drive to send cans of Silly String to Iraq.

American troops use the stuff to detect trip wires around bombs, as Marcelle Shriver learned from her son, a soldier in Iraq.

Before entering a building, troops squirt the plastic goo, which can shoot strands about 10 to 12 feet, across the room. If it falls to the ground, no trip wires. If it hangs in the air, they know they have a problem. The wires are otherwise nearly invisible.

Now, 1,000 cans of the neon-colored plastic goop are packed into Shriver’s one-car garage in this town outside Philadelphia, ready to be shipped to the Middle East thanks to two churches and a pilot who heard about the drive.

Foiling the best efforts of Iraqi insurgents with Silly String; you couldn’t make this stuff up.

From CAPT Doug Traversa: The Mongolians moved in on our “street” so we have new neighbors. Today a couple of our guitar players were out with them playing music. So a bunch of us gathered, and they took turns playing songs. The Mongolians sang one as a group that was pretty darn impressive. It was another one of those great Hollywood moments, if anyone…

I could never bring myself to forward all the email jokes, cartoons and other Internet comedy that land in my inbox. But then I started posting the ones my dad sends me. Judging from my comments and emails, my dad has become one of my greatest blogging assets. So for your morning blog chuckle I present: From My Dad.

Sam arrived home from work early one afternoon only to surprise his wife busily engaged with a midget in bed.

After chasing the rogue away, Sam liberally expressed his dismay to his wayward spouse. “I just don’t know what to do with you!” he said, shaking his head

We’ve talked about this over and over. We’ve spent hours with the marriage counselor. I was really starting to believe that I could trust you again.”

“I know, I know…” acknowledged the wife contritely. “But at least I’m cutting back!”

Part of being a good citizen of the blogosphere is visiting, reading and, most importantly, taking the time to leave a comment on other’s blogs. It’s all about the conversation. In the interest of setting an example I’ve decided to link to those blog posts that have compelled me to leave a comment.

0754 [updated] Conservative Judaism allows commitment ceremony, ordination of gay rabbis, prohibits male sodomy
0743 Corporate blog placement: when do I get me some?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Issue No. 3 went down in flames, but it will be back wearing a different coat of lamb’s wool. I’ll give you 10:1 odds on that bet. So it can’t hurt to keep reminding folks that the people who think gambling is a good economic policy are among the losest predatory scum on the planet.

My name is Jeff Hess and I’m a biblioholic. I own hundreds of books. Not valuable books, mostly Science Fiction paperbacks and text books, tomes rescued by the bag from library book sales. A few years ago, in the interest of not burying myself, I began reading more books from the library and taking notes. My electronic chapbook was born.

This is a passage I copied from A Charlestonian”s Recollections 1846-1913 by Daniel Elliot Huger Smith.

There was no money in the land! The passage of raiding bands through every section had carried off what little gold and silver there had been; the banks had all failed; the National Bank Act indirectly prevented the issuance of demand notes payable to bearer which might be used as currency. The result was that the South had practically to buy currency from the North, and for some years the rate of interest fluctuated from 25 percent to 18 percent per annum. p. 132

Part of being a good citizen of the blogosphere is visiting, reading and, most importantly, taking the time to leave a comment on other’s blogs. It’s all about the conversation. In the interest of setting an example I’ve decided to link to those blog posts that have compelled me to leave a comment.

2048 [updated] Conservative Judaism allows commitment ceremony, ordination of gay rabbis, prohibits male sodomy
1305 Tevye strikes again: Conservative movement likely to say yes, and no, to homosexuality

[Update, 1634 — Yup, I knew this was coming. From The Jewish Telegraphic Association:

The Conservative movement”s highest legal body moved to allow commitment ceremonies for gays and the ordination of gay rabbis.

With the endorsement Wednesday of three conflicting teshuvot, or halachic responsa, by the movement”s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards – two upholding the longstanding ban on homosexuality and one permitting ordination of gay rabbis and commitment ceremonies – it”s likely that other rabbis will now begin performing such ceremonies, comfortable in the knowledge that they enjoy halachic sanction from the movement”s highest legal body.

This is a good day.]

Jill over at Writes Like She Talks links to a good piece on how Jews are wrestling with homosexuality. Reform, Reconstructioninst and Renewal Jews have already declared this a non-issue. Conservative Jews may do so this week. It’s the right move, but it will ultimately create a tiny sub minority within a tiny minority.

From CAPT Lee Kelley: Some soldiers take pictures of everything. Some just take pictures of what they consider unique — things they don’t think they’ll ever see back home, like palaces, or Iraqi children, or themselves behind a .50 caliber machine gun looking like a battle-hardened steely-eyed killer. But it’s interesting when there’s a beautiful sunset. I see a lot…

I could never bring myself to forward all the email jokes, cartoons and other Internet comedy that land in my inbox. But then I started posting the ones my dad sends me. Judging from my comments and emails, my dad has become one of my greatest blogging assets. So for your morning blog chuckle I present: From My Dad.

Click Image To Enlarge

If you believe the world is perfect,
think of Keats dying young.
I never would have seen it if I hadn’t believed it,
the saying goes. Somebody has to awaken us
to the time of day it is when the earth is empty
of any intention, or any human presence.

From Prayer by James Armstrong.

Mary Cheney is pregnant. She and her partner Heather Poe are expecting a baby in late spring. Life always finds a way, despite all the political posturing, all the strum und drang, of reminding us that we’re born, we find some moments of happiness and we die. And we really just need to get over ourselves.

My name is Jeff Hess and I’m a biblioholic. I own hundreds of books. Not valuable books, mostly Science Fiction paperbacks and text books, tomes rescued by the bag from library book sales. A few years ago, in the interest of not burying myself, I began reading more books from the library and taking notes. My electronic chapbook was born.

This is a passage I copied from A Charlestonian”s Recollections 1846-1913 by Daniel Elliot Huger Smith.

There followed the creation of the so-called “black and tan” governments, composed of negroes and carpet-baggers, sustained by the military force of the United States. These fell one by one, but that in South Carolina lasted until the United States troops in 1876, eleven years after the close of the war. p. 131

I was going to write about this last week when Dennis Prager The Asshat, first made his pronouncement from upon high. This just goes to show that the Christianists and Islamists don’t have a lock on idiotic Theocon behavior. If Judaism has Judists, Prager is the ring-leader. But if there are Judists, there are still Jews.

From the Anti-Defimation League.

Dennis Prager’s argument that Representative-Elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, should not be permitted to take his oath of office on a Koran is, intolerant, misinformed and downright un-American.

Prager is flat-out wrong when he asserts that Representative Ellison’s use of a Koran would be damaging to the fabric of American civilization. To the contrary, the U.S. Constitution guarantees that, no religious test shall ever be required to hold public office in America. Members of Congress, like all Americans, should be free to observe their own religious practices without government interference or coercion.

Prager’s patriotic prattling is misinformed on the facts, too. No Member of Congress is officially sworn in with a Bible. Under House rules, the official swearing-in ceremony is done in the House chambers, with the Speaker of the House administering the oath of office en masse. No Bibles or other holy books are used at all. Members may, if they choose, also have a private ceremony with family and friends. At these unofficial ceremonies, Members frequently solemnize the event by taking an oath while holding a personal family Bible.

Prager ridiculously asserts that permitting Rep. Ellison to take the oath of office would be doing more damage to the unity of America and to the value system that has formed this country than the terrorists of 9-11. What he fails to understand is that what truly unifies all Americans is a value system built on religious freedom and pluralism, not dogmatism and coercion.

Prager presents intolerant, ugly views. His comparison of Ellison”s desire to choose his favorite book to that of the right of a racist elected to public office to use Hitler”s Mein Kampf is outrageous. If Prager were merely a blogger and radio talk-show host trying to be relevant and provocative, these views might not merit a response. But as a newly-appointed member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Prager and his views must be held to a higher standard.

From Tadpole: At the end of the movie The Green Berets, John Wayne tells a little Vietnamese boy “You’re what this is all about…” He was absolutely right. I cannot speak to the motivation for much of what we do at the political level, but I can say that for those of us out here, boots-on-ground, every day, the women and children of this country are what it’s all…