Political Nutrition

I know the buzz today is all about Amy Winehouse. Yeah. I'm sorry she made bad choices too. But in Norway 93 or more people who made good choices are also gone. And will be sorely missed. Their potential will never be known. One, maybe 10 might also have become voices of a generation. So take a moment and express your sadness that one lone misguided singer wasted her talent and her life, and then maybe take a few more if you can spare them to mourn the loss of almost one hundred souls at the hands of a Norwegian madman. You can write off the Norwegian as a crazed lone gunman. Like Jared Loughner. Maybe. But, perhaps not so coincidentally, their insane ideology was identical. Breivik, who admitted to the shooting spree and bomb blast, has said through his lawyer that his actions aimed to "change Norwegian society" which he saw as being undermined by multi-culturalism. That is a frightening statement for anyone to hear, in any country. But here in the US, the hairs on y...

I am truly astounded. I shared a post on Facebook yesterday expressing the horror that can't ever be expressed, when faced with a tragedy such as Norway's. I expected to be sharing that emotion with a good number of facebook friends. None. Not one. While the death toll mounted, I saw only posts about the weather. And fish. And beer. And song. But none about what was happening across the seas to family after family. Norway's children were being slaughtered and everyone was silent. Shock? Fear? Ignorance is Bliss? I don't know. Perhaps Norway is simply not on anyone's radar. It is mine. I had the sheer joy of spending time there during the summer after finishing college. I loved it. A country on the sea, where you could find a sophistication in the downtown Oslo area, and the traditional harbor village on the sea. We travelled there by car ferry, accompanied by a group of Norwegian sailors. Memories that will last a lifetime, and hopefully in time overshadow th...

Did you ever want to just tell someone they are important? You know just because? Not because they are an extraordinary, heroic, super-smart, multi-tasking, brave, adventurous, talented hero. But because they simply are who they are. I admit, I am the jealous, envious, green monster type. I hear about how great other people are, or their kids, or their friends, and I want to puke. Seriously. There. I said it. Sue me. So how come I am such an internal toad? Because there are so many people in this world who live their lives in a seemingly ordinary way, yet by every measure they are the ones we should be acknowledging. The ones who get up at 4am and go to work at the coffee shop. Or behind the wheel of an OTR Semi. Maybe just get up and take care of their kids. See it's not what they do. It's how it's done. The one who greets you at the coffee shop with a smile and a coffee exactly how you like it? They just set the tone for your day. They made you feel important, if on...

Some of this I've posted before, but considering it's history, it never gets old. Every year on this holiday weekend I remind my daughters to say Thank You to their ancestors who fought the good fight and gave us the freedom we have today. Freedom that some would slowly but surely take from us if we aren't vigilant. So before entering into my rant for today: Hats off to my childrens' forefathers: Lemuel Sturtevant. Lieutenant, Massachusetts Line Daniel Baldwin.  Private, Connecticut Line Elijah Baldwin.  Private, Connecticut Line John Dean. Corporal New Hampshire Militia, Battle of Bennington Ambrose Barnett. Private, 14th Virginia Regiment William Johns. Private, 5th Pennsylvania Regiment, at Valley Forge Valentine Coosard. Private, New Jersey Militia, POW at Sugar House Levi Davis. Private, Maryland Line Gilbert Ritchey. Private Pennsylvania Line Real Patriots. Real People. Who Deserve Real Respect. Read a little about what one such ancestor endured. ...