People are noticing that both the Army and the FBI fell down on that Hassan case and let a bunch of unarmed soldiers die with more wounded. People are also wondering how our very expensive foreign "Intelligence" outfits missed Egypt. Um, could it be that political correctness does not work with law enforcement, the military and intelligence? Perhaps I could have shortened that to "political correctness does not work".
We had another six or seven inches of snow overnight. When the freeze started I got caught by surprise. I seldom check the weather, Linda Lou is mesmerized by it and checks it constantly so she tells me about it. I, OTH, look out the window before I need to go out and then dress. Well, Linda Lou fell down on the job and did not tell me we were getting cold into the 'teens. The pipes are frozen somewhere and we have no running water.
I shall trudge through the snow over to Patsy's and beg a few gallons, over and above our emergency drinking supply so I can flush toilets, water dogs, etc. When the cold only gets into the mid twenties I don't have to run water because our "pipes, actually PVC "hoses" run right next to the heat and air ducts under the house.
Anyhow, it's really pretty out there, I hate the idea of leaving footprints through it. If for no other reason that my feet will get cold. Anyhow, I really, REALLY, REALLY hope that my flexible "pipes" have enough stretch in them to not have burst. Won't know 'til the thaw. Fortunately, this ain't the frozen tundra where blogfaddah Harv lives so we will find out sooner than, say, June.
Later: I have trudged through the snow, twice, returning with four gallons of water each time. I should have done another trip but, to heck with it. Linda Lou's bedside commode and the toilet is cleaned out, there is a pot o' coffee brewin' and we still have a dozen bottles of drinking water.
Things are pretty nice in the modern days with electric lights, heat without having to chop and haul wood, running water and all. It's easy to forget.
I'm wondering things about modern life as I age. I have had some major disagreements with my (electronic) friend and sister in all but blood Cynthia. Cynthia, who writes better than I, plus understands computers and stuff better, disagrees with me about gay marriage and gays in the military, both of which I believe I am on the losing side. Time will tell which of us is right. Still, Cynthia's position is rooted in what she considers justice, mine is rooted in practicality. I am not against either thing out of anything but my conservatism. I do not wish to make big changes until I know the long term results of those changes. Gays in the military? Fine. Put one Army division, plus all the support troops with a like sized bunch of the other Services, into the gay-friendly mode. Let's see how those organisations far over ten years. I'm not sure exactly how to do the same with gay marriage but someone smart could figger it out.
Later: 2/08/11. I got tired of writing but shall finish torquing the rest of the world off with abortion. I believe the deplorable conditions in that Philly "clinic" and the apparent willingness of various Planned Parenthood offices to ignore the law and not report probable statuary rape cases and even assist in child prostitution rings. Life is either a precious gift (from our Creator) or it isn't. If it isn't, it's just a commodity with varying value. So, why are we acting surprised when some do not value that commodity the same way others do?
I am an equity feminist. I could not grow up to be my Mother's son without being an equity feminist. My Mother was a lot more skilled and competent than many, perhaps most, of the men promoted over her at the railroad. Yet "the rules" stopped her promotion. Yet when gender feminism came along, she ignored it. The kind of feminism that came along was a construct of soulless leftism, much of it was simply a way to get some gullible women to lie down with leftist men.
Why is abortion such a big industry? It's simple, a couple of generations of leftists has convinced a sizable percentage of the women of this country to lie down with men whom they have no desire to raise children. Of course there was the movement to create lots of men with whom no one would want to raise children. These at the same time have literally destroyed the family.
At the same time there is the myth that women were not valued, back in the day. That wife beating was common, that rape happened on a regular basis. Well, maybe. In Arabia or some faraway place. As recently as the 1950s rape carried the death penalty here. And in the 1950s people on death row did not die of old age while going through 98 rounds of appeals.
Commercially viable abortions are not because of rape. Nor are they because of failure of birth control or the unborn baby being deformed. Commercially viable abortion businesses are simply from enough women who have devalued themselves enough to lie down with those valueless men. Funny how those people laugh at those who still value themselves.
As to the idea that wifebeating was common back then, again, people still believed in punishment. Here is a thought experiment, it's 1895. Police are still rudimintary in the big cities, almost nonexistent in the countryside. People still believe in protecting themselves and punishing the wrongdoers. Now, imagine being a man and wanting to beat your wife for some minor infraction. That wife has a big iron skillet, butcher knives, the hatchet used to kill the chicken and access to the family shotgun. And you are going to beat this woman and then go to sleep next to her. Right. And just how do you plan on awakening?
Sorry, the women of yesteryear helped fend of Indian attacks and coyotes from the chicken coops. They helped stand off horse thieves and rustlers. Then came their daughters and granddaughters. Yesterday's women stood the great depression and we now think they let themselves be beaten? Worse, we think their men thought so little of them they they would beat them? That those men thought so little of themselves that they would set themselves in harness for a lifetime with someone of so little value?
Sorry, people who value themselves so little is recent. and it's on purpose. And it will destroy the last best hope of mankind if left to run amok.
The antidote is both very easy and very hard. It starts with believing that I have worth. That is easy. The hard part? I must live up to that worth. It continues with believing that you have worth, and treating you as if you do, while expecting that you live up to that worth.
This is why the self esteem craze that flowed through our "education system" a while back only got half the problem. Why, yes, it is important that kids feel good about themselves. What the "educators" forgot is that those kids must do something they can feel good about first. Why is our society heading down the tubes? Well it probably started when we became a nation of consumers, rather than producers. And it all started with the devaluing of humanity. And it will continue until humanity is valued.
Oh, if anyone cares, we got through with no pipe damage, the snow is gone and we are resupplied for the next storm which is due later today. We have milk, coffee, Linda Lou's soda, bacon, eggs, meat and canned goods, and the propane tank is over half full and the water is running enough to prevent a freeze in the pipes. Is it spring yet?
4 comments:
Yay, comments!
You covered a LOT of ground... but from the perspective of a woman: the girls of yesteryear may have had butcher knives and frying pans but they were not always equal partners in their marriages. The man made the money and held the majority of the power. The woman, unless she inherited personally, had no means and was thus trapped in a way. How could she take her kids and leave with no money? There were single mothers, of course... but can you imagine the life?
Now that women are more independent divorce is prevalent.. which is unfortunate. But at least women have choices now...
My mom and grandmothers all were valued and respected partners in marriage. All were tough farm wives with many skills. It took at least two adults to raise kids and farm during their lives.
Peter, I would add that the main problem in America is that we have left God.
mary
Pam, I would submit that few people then ever regretted the lack of choice. First off, few people subscribed to the ridicules idea that "someone will make me happy".
Secondly, most folks were a lot more careful about marrying, knowing it was for life. And, knowing it was for life, they went on, mindful of the first point.
A case in point, many of our most prolific bloggers today have a spouse with a long term health problem, that feller who puts puppies in blenders, Capt. Ed, and others. The same thing used to happen, both with health problems and with plain old indifference.
Lastly, Pam, folks were too durned busy to worry very much about finding a new prince or princess. There were cows to milk, kindling to chop, chamber pots to empty ad clean, eggs to be gathered, cows to milk again in the evening, peaches to can, fields to plow, diapers to be washed, ironing to be done...
Mary, there is a reason I mentioned life as a gift from our Creator.
Practically off-topic at this point, but yes, spring is here.
Leastwise, in Wisconsin the daytime temps are starting to crack the freezing mark for the first time in 6 weeks.
Close enough for me.
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