Goodbye and Good Riddance 2008

Tonight we wrap up another year. Normally, there is some bit of nostalgia, even melancholy. For me, much of that comes from the end of the Christmas season, which is always a bit of a let down. But then there's also the thought of another year that has just whizzed by; a pace that is definitely quickening here on my 50th New Year's Eve. And then you recall the highlights that filled the calendar.

But this year is different. I cannot remember any other year that I was as anxious to leave behind as 2008. A year filled with change and stress, disruption and heartache, disappointment and regret. Too many tears and fears. It will not be missed. Not that there weren't good times and some blessings mixed in, and those have to be remembered tonight too. But the overall was not one I would like to live again.

So rather than dwell on another year spent and gone, perhaps I'm finally doing the proper thing anyway by focusing on the year to come. Looking forward at the possibilities and potential that comes with the blessings of good health, family and friends. 2008 is in the books and disappearing fast in the rear-view mirror. Here's to 2009 and the future.

Christmas 2008

It is that time of year where those of us that yearn to know Christ in our daily lives come face to face with a society that works harder each Christmas to relegate him to not much more than an ancient curiosity. The significance of his birth lost in the celebration of it in the best case, and in the worst case there’s no more Christ in Christmas than in St. Patrick’s Day. Just this week I was in a Hallmark card store and noticed that all of the “Holiday Cards” had been compartmentalized into sections, one of which was for “Religious” Holiday cards! What a concept! By the way, that section was not quite as large as the “Humorous” one.

Here at the home of The Mole Hole, we do the best we can to fight the trend and keep the family focused on the real reason for the season. It would be easy to say that it’s mostly the children who are driven to the commercial aspect of the holiday, but that would be disingenuous. Both the adults in the household are just about as apt to be sucked into the greed machine that fires-up right after Halloween, if we were not watchful. I like that word, “watchful”. It was recently used by our parish priest in her attempt to define the Advent season. Watchful as in anticipation for the arrival of the Christ-child, but nowadays, I steer it towards meaning watchful, as in peering into a mirror and asking one’s self about what they should be looking for on this special day called Christmas. What do you expect out of the day?

There are so many bible phrases and quotes from great theologians that best frame what we should, as Christians, be focused on for this day, but in our modern era, there are times when a more simplistic and immature approach might be more effective. So for all of us who need to be watchful:

“He puzzled and puzzled ‘till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more? - Dr. Suess

Let us all be watchful for something that means a lot more. Merry Christmas to all!

Yet Another "Association"

.....Good times....good times!

"I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening." --Barack Obama, friend and ally of Gov. Blagojevich

"I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them." --Obama adviser David Axelrod on 23 November (Axelrod now says he was "mistaken" when he said that)

Blogging on Blago - Part 2

A perfect quote to mirror my earlier comments about the missing element of “due process” for Illinois Governor Blagojevich:

“At this point, every Democrat in the country seems willing to give more due process rights to a terrorist at Guantanamo than to Rod Blagojevich!” – Rush Limbaugh

Again, the question is why??

Blogging on Blago - A Man Without A Friend

Blogging this morning from the epicenter of corrupt politics in America, and the home state of Barack Hussein Obama, with a couple of big questions rolling around inside my head:

Whatever happened to “due process”? Innocent until proven? It is so strange to hear the fallout from yesterday’s arrest of Blagojevich…especially as it comes from the dems, all the way up to Obama. Every single one of them, without exception, is either calling for his immediate resignation or for an impeachment action in an emergency session they want to schedule next week! In addition, they’re moving for some kind of an immediate court injunction, which would strip him of any ability to name Obama’s replacement if he dare try to do that in the interim. It’s like old-time frontier justice. Setting up the gallows the night he’s called into court!

All of this panic mode could be understandable coming from Republicans, but why is there not one dem coming to his defense? Not one friend? In their minds, he is absolutely guilty. It really leads me to only two possible conclusions. First, and at the very least, they are not surprised by any of this. That they actually suspected for some time that he was dirty. So why didn’t any ever speak up? (Sorry, dumb question.) But the second possibility, and where the real issue might be, is that they didn’t just suspect, but that most of these democrats had some direct knowledge of his activity. They knew this guy was up to a lot of bad stuff. And I include Obama in that.

This is just so odd….and so out of the ordinary for politicians, dems and Republicans alike, when one of there own stands accused. Just recalling this past year’s activity with Kwame Kilpatrick back in Detroit. Oh how sickeningly long did the democrats in that state, (including the do-nothing governor, Granholm) stick by that guy’s side. All of them talking about due process and such, when the evidence of his guilt was piled so high he couldn’t see over it!

No, something is very different this time. And it smells. Let’s see what the media turns up. Of course it will have to be Fox!

Faux "Fir"

A decision of huge importance was made at the home of The Mole Hole this past weekend. After 27 years in existence, this household has gone “artificial” for Christmas! Yes, the delicate scent of pine resin does not waft through the house this evening although it is completely decorated for the Holidays.

How did a decision of this magnitude come about? Well, it was a combination of a few things. An alignment of Yule-time planets as it were:
· The lack of convenient access to “tree farms” which was our traditional method of obtaining a real tree. Here at our new home in Chicagoland, we faced quite a drive once we even identified a couple of them out there. Returning home on the Interstate with one tied to the roof of the car would probably result in most of the needles ending up in the Grilles of the cars behind us!
· Our desire to put the tree up earlier, and probably leave it up longer, because we’ll have less time to enjoy it while we return “home” to Michigan for Christmas week. Much too long to have a real tree standing in the house. I can picture a spontaneous combustion event occurring around January 7th or so!
· A young cat in the house, who is way too energetic, and he’s seeing a Christmas tree for the first time. It has been our experience that real trees are never quite stand straight enough to balance well in the stand. There have been years when we literally tied them to the walls! So should this frisky feline decide to have fun with the tree, a stable and balanced fake Fir is much more likely to withstand a full scale attack.

So it was with this decision process that we now have a gorgeous facsimile of a seven and a half foot Douglas Fir standing proudly in the living room. I have to say, that these man-made jobs have come a long way, even to the point of actually designing in some inconsistencies in the branching and coloration just like nature would have it. And maybe the most amazing thing of all, the thing is manufactured right here in the U.S.A.! Who would’ve thought that in this day and age! Nice to see.

So many other things have changed for us since the Big Move, we really felt it important to stick to tradition as much as possible for the Holiday, but upon further consideration of the items listed above, it was probably a good move. Now I need to pick up some spruce-scented candles and then learn to live with the convenience!

Words of Waffle

"What exactly is this foreign policy expertise? Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no. ... It's what's wrong with politics today. Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected. ... She'll say anything and change nothing. ... The question is, what kind of judgment will you exercise when you pick up that phone ... In fact, we've had a red-phone moment. It was the decision to invade Iraq. Sen. Clinton gave the wrong answer."
--Barack Obama during the campaign on his pick for secretary of state, Hillary Clinton

You Can't Have it Both Ways, Mr. Senator

So the CEO’s for the “Big-3” domestic autos were back in Washington this week to throw themselves on the mercy of our all-knowing, all-seeing Senators, most of which don’t know a disc-brake from a radiator.

All of this has been a nauseating process to watch. First, that these companies are even in this position, but secondly, and even more disturbing, is seeing a bunch of puffed-up politicians who are literally enjoying having these big-wigs begging in front of them. And how sick is that?

The final straw for me was when one of the Senators, I forgot which, wanted to know the travel plans of each of these CEO’s returning to Detroit. He wanted to make damn sure that there wasn’t a corporate jet stashed behind a hanger somewhere in Washington, set to whisk these guys away, and that they were ready to get back in the Malibu and head for the Interstate! He actually asked each one of them in order how they were returning home!

I tell you this; there is a sickness in America when we take delight in tearing down executives and others for their personal successes. Yes, I understand that there were many mistakes by these automakers, but 90% of those are part of a legacy of short-sightedness and caving-in to big labor by their long-ago predecessors. These guys today are smarter and tougher, but the past has finally caught up with them in the middle of this recession, and they’ve inherited the mess. These companies are not in trouble because of decisions made five or even ten years ago. These are not the thieves of Wall Street (who by the way, did get a bailout!).

So in typical Socialist fashion, the libs resent the CEO’s, and secretly have a little gleam in their eye when they insist on these execs stopping at Burger King in there hybrids! Don’t think they don’t! Can you imagine how badly they’d like to see the same for the chiefs at Exxon-Mobil or Chevron?!!

There isn’t one single UAW job that is going to be saved by having these guys sell the corporate jets. In fact, jobs will be lost. What about the maintenance and flight crews for them? What about the few business aircraft builders left in the U.S.? Who do they think buy most private aircraft anyway? Not individuals. Not even Senators with their wealth. Corporations do!

But so many people today just can’t stand to see others having what they do not. So they tear them down!

I’ve flown in corporate jets. Employers in my past have owned them, and I’ve had the rare privilege. But now in my particular industry, few companies still have them, but why should I have resentment for those that still do? I admire their success. We should all admire their success. This is what makes America great.

I remember driving by the new Chrysler Technical Center when it was being built. It was huge, impressive and yes, even ostentatious. The CEO’s office was right behind the big glass Pentastar at the top of the tower. And then I can recall being in Mexico on a business trip one time and seeing two beautiful GM-owned business jets sitting, gleaming on the tarmac in such stark contrast to the poor surroundings of the country around it. Why would you not feel pride at either of these sights? But some people just can’t stand that. There are Senators in Washington who would rather see the CEO of Ford, pumping gas in his Focus on the way to his next meeting, then stepping out of a big shiny jet. These are the new Socialists stinking up our government today, and voted-in by the same.

Don’t think I’m conflicted on this issue. I’m still against a bailout, mostly because I’m afraid it will only prolong the issue and have this same pleading and begging happening all over again in six months, but also because the bailout itself is a government controlling way too much. No, it’s time to take these companies down to the foundation and start anew, as painful as it might be.
And I hope to God they come back stronger than ever.

The same capitalism that allows the success of shiny corporate jets also allows for failure. And our government was not intended to ever step into the path of either of those things. This government needs to get the hell out and stay out. So go ahead and deny the automakers their loans Mr. Senator sir, but when you have that next meeting with Mr. Exxon, don’t you dare challenge his profit!

Rumors of it's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Here in Illinois, our Socialist Governor, Rod Blagojevich, now has the task of naming a successor to Barack Hussein Obama's seat in the Senate. The process is of course, getting huge attention here in Chicagoland. There has been much speculation about who that will be, and today the Governor was asked again about where he was at in the process. Here is one comment about it, which he made yesterday:

"The race factor is something that carries much weight in my mind." He made this comment in response to the pressure being applied here by the libs to fill the seat with another black. Keep in mind, that his comment was made in support of that view. In fact, it appears that he is leaning strongly towards State Senator Jessie Jackson Jr..

Now I want you to imagine changing the circumstances of this slightly, and then replay the press conference. Let's say another Governor, maybe Sarah Palin, had to make the same decision and said that "The race factor is something that carries much weight", only she meant it important to put a white in that Senate seat. Can you even begin to imagine that?!!

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if something similar to that was said at some point in our history, maybe 100 years ago, in the South perhaps. The point is, that it would have been blatant racism. Of course! And it would be today, whether it's a process around promoting a black, or a white, or a green! Pure racism. But today it is allowed under license of liberal politics, and it is unbelievable to see.

Since Obama's election, I've grown very tired of the commentaries declaring some variation of "We can now say that racism is a thing of our past. It's history". I've read it in the U.S. press, and I've heard it trumpeted from lib politicians around the world.

This is absolute crap.

On the contrary, racism is thriving in this country, and is no better illustrated than as it's being carried out by the libs in the trail left by Obama. You can't call it anything else.

An Observation on Faith

Blogging again from San Luis Potosi, Mexico tonight. I had the opportunity this evening to visit the old town center. San Luis is now a huge (and growing) city of 1,000,000 people, but it is an old city. Very old. First it was a Aztec settlement many years ago. Then of course the Spanish made claim to it. Both wanting to exploit the minerals and metals to be dug from the nearby Sierra Madre.

The most beautiful sights in the old town are the Roman Catholic churches, and yes, you can certainly believe that there is no other religion in this country! Certainly not in San Luis. There are actually 35 Catholic Churches in the old town proper, and I could almost consider calling every one of them a cathedral, at least by American standards. I got to go inside three of the oldest, largest and most beautiful. They were just magnificent, and all within walking distance of one another.

Each of them had Mass tonight, and as I, the tourist, got out of the way, the faithful were filling each of them. Young and old, singles and families. I couldn´t help feeling as I watched this, the purity of faith here among these Catholics in these ancient sanctuaries. Not purity as in free from sin, but as in undivided, as in unadulterated. The focus here is not on being inclusive. The focus is on meeting a covenant. There is a huge difference.

Looking Up

This week I am writing from central Mexico. San Luis Potosi to be exact. The trip down here had it´s usual "opportunites" as most travel events do that involve more than one airplane and international borders. Still, there were no major problems, and actually one very nice treat.

My second plane ride had departed Dallas/Fort Worth at sunset. As you fly over southern Texas in the dark, you can tell that you are coming to the Mexican border when the lights from the ground slowly start to wink out. You are leaving the U.S. and you are starting to overfly the nothingness that is northern Mexico. A lot of desert scrub and only the very rare and small points of light that are probably ranches or oil rigs or something of that sort. Just miles and miles of nothing, and a lot of darkness.

So it was in this darkness that the airplane made a subtle left bank and then this nice little astronomical event came into view through my window. I had read that it was coming, and being the astronomy geek that I am, was looking forward to seeing it; a rare alignment of the moon, Jupiter and Venus. The only problem being that it was set to occur in the cloudiest month of the year in Chicago, and then I also found out that I would be travelling that night. So I had basically given up and sort of forgot about it.

But now, here it was; a quarter-moon tipped upside-down to form a perfect bowl, under which sat Jupiter and Venus beaming very, very brightly. All so closely compacted together, that you could cover them all with your thumb at arms-length. The total darkness of the desert made them stand out so crystal-clear, and the moon was strong enough in that darkness that it actually illuminated the Sierra Madre mountains that sat right below it. It was gorgeous sight. Unfortunately, windows don´t open on a 737, but I so wanted to be outside of that window to really take it in.

I hope that I never lose my appreciation for the gifts that nature gives us like this. Especially the night sky in northern Michigan, (or in northern Mexico). Anywhere, where you can get away from our artificial light on a crystal clear night.

I remember coming into the house one cold, clear night, and announcing that I had just seen a meteor streak across the sky. My wife, who had heard me say this so many times before, could only say, "Again? How is it you see so many of these?" My response was that "I guess because I´m always looking up!" I like that thought.