So I Was Watching "Hee-Haw" the Other Night ...

Consider that your warning: this post may meander just a bit.

But yes, we did indeed sit down and watch an old episode of Hee-Haw, hosted by Roy Clark and the late Buck Owens. Loretta Lynn was a guest star, and the episode contained all of the classic sketches and segments I somehow remember even after all of these years. At first, I could only shake my head at the simple, silly, and at times lame comedy. Before long, though, I was laughing.

Later, I got to thinking, somehow, about an old vinyl album we recovered from the storm:

This venerable Tom T. Hall album was given to me by my great-uncle Lew on a trip I took as a young child to the northwest. My memories of that trip are very sketchy: I have only fleeting images within my recall. Yet somehow I remember that "Faster Horses" for a time was my favorite song.

Over the years, I listened to this record over and over again, before it got put away somewhere. Today, I don't even have a turntable to play it on, so I had to resort to YouTube. After listening to a few songs off the playlist, I'm convinced I still know all the words to every song on the album. Tom T. Hall is a noted singer, songwriter and storyteller, and it is the stories he tells through his songs that seem to matter the most to him. From here, I got to thinking some more.

Stories. On the back of the "Faster Horses" album, there is a letter of sorts from the singer about a sabbatical he took in the winter of 1975. It isn't a letter so much as a collection of entries, observations and here and there a nugget of wisdom. I couldn't help but to think of my favorite future fantasy of owning a simple house on a lake, with a dock, boat and canoe. That really has nothing to do with the point I'm slowly working towards here, but it does serve as a backdrop for the gentle melancholy I feel at times in our present reality. The stories of previous generations seem different as each one passes through this age of "progress." This present era seems ever more confining, in the sense that more and more we relate to one another only through electronic mediums. We live in a cocoon defined by our favorite webpages, social media, and email lists. Living in such a bubble, what stories can we tell? What narratives and legacy can we pass on that can go beyond the confines of our technology? The age of progress has resulted in a tangible retreat into a false reality of being. The internet is not the real world, and too often it serves not as a bridge, but as a barrier between us and other very real people. What stories can we tell, that will enliven the imagination of our children? Technology may "connect" you to the world, but it also isolates you to the point that intimate, substantive relationships become hard to develop. It is the relationships that enrich us most, that provide us the fertile material for the story of our lives.

My advice? Don't let this virtual world suck all the life out of you. It can do that. Seek out experiences, passive and active, that add flavor to your existence. Your kids want to know who you are, what you did. Or if they don't now, they will someday. I think it matters.

Well now, isn't that just cheery? Hee-Haw to deep, guilt-ridden thoughts about life in the virtual age. How typical of me! So to cleanse your palette, or to drive you away from this blog at the speed of light, here's just a little Pickin' and Grinnin' !


Hi, I'm Jim from Huntsville, Alabama. Population: 182,956. "SAA-LUTE!!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Every day brings incontrovertible evidence that what we have is not so much the product of our own making, or the privileges deserved from our misguided sense of entitlement. But rather it is the grace of God, and God alone, that extends to us blessings that we have not earned, but are given nonetheless. Knowing that our treasure is not found in the things of earth, but rather in communion with our Father, His Son and His Spirit, we give thanks today and every day.

What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
I shall lift up the cup of salvation
And call upon the name of the Lord.

- Psalm 116:12-13

Give thanks today, with a grateful heart!

O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,
Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God
And a great King above all gods,
In whose hand are the depths of the earth,
The peaks of the mountains are His also.
The sea is His, for it was He who made it,
And His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

- Psalm 95:1-7

Honor is Not an Anachronism

I took a break this weekend from world events and social media / internet discourse to accompany a den of Webelos on camping trip in extreme northeast Alabama. Although the nights were quite cold (low 30's), it was a beautiful couple of days in the outdoors. I couldn't escape thinking about the state of our culture, however, as I watched these young scouts interact with their older Boy Scout brethren. When the older scouts began to instruct their younger counterparts on the Scout Oath and Scout Law, I could not help but to consider the vital importance of the values they convey.

The Scout Oath

On my honor, I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

I could expound on the whole of the above, but allow me to highlight that last line. Keeping physically strong means what it means - take care of your body. Keeping mentally awake (I love this one), means to learn all you can, be curious and ask questions. In other words, observe, learn and think. Finally, keeping morally straight means to live honestly, be clean in your speech and actions, and to be a person of strong character. In this day and age, how hard that is to do! But it can be done. Fulfilling the principles that undergird this oath requires a self-discipline that we often fail to exercise. But again, it can be done!

The Scout Law

A Scout is:
- Trustworthy,
- Loyal,
- Helpful,
- Friendly,
- Courteous,
- Kind,
- Obedient,
- Cheerful,
- Thrifty,
- Brave,
- Clean,
- and Reverent.

That's a tall order to ask of anyone, much less a modern teenager. But if we (and they) are able to model even a portion of the values and attitudes embodied above, how much brighter would our future be! For a life lived this way cannot help but to shape and mold us into people of integrity, honesty and honor.

Honor is not an anachronism. It continues to be imbued and imparted to a new generation of young men. Their numbers may be small as a sample of the population, and many may fall short at times (don't we all), but the principles and values remain essential and timely.

Our world and our nation needs honorable men and women. They are out there, not making headlines, but doing what they can, where they are, to the best of their ability. We just need more of them.

The great wonder of learning to live honorably is this: We can start at any age. Each of us. May we choose to do so, and set the example for the next generation.

Veterans Day 2012

On this Veterans Day, we honor those who have stood in the gap on the front lines of history to protect and defend this thing we call America. For its Constitution, for its lands, for its interests, for its people, our Veterans have stood on the ramparts and are due our honor and our gratitude. Accordingly, we further owe them our commitment to preserving that for which they stand. Not just for them, but for ourselves.

Who we are, in other words, still depends crucially on what we are prepared to stand up for - and on our willingness to stand up for it. Who we are today ... is unquestionably the product of what previous generations were prepared to stand up for even at the cost of their lives. Therefore, when we cease to honor such sacrifices, ... we cut ourselves off from our past and, in some essential sense, from our selves."

-- James Bowman

May we remember our heritage, our ideals, and our liberty. May we remember and honor those who have stood and continue to stand for this republic. May we have the courage to stand with them.

Relive the Moon Landing

Here is a neat little diversion. Well, it's neat if you're up to a little Apollo 11 geek-out. It is a website that allows you to relive the Apollo 11 moon landing from a unique, interactive perspective:

This project is an online interactive featuring the Eagle lunar landing. The presentation includes original Apollo 11 spaceflight video footage, communication audio, mission control room conversations, text transcripts, and telemetry data, all synchronized into an integrated audio-visual experience.

...

Visitors begin the experience by hearing the words of Buzz Aldrin while simultaneously viewing the moon through the lunar module window. Moments later, the audience hears capsule communicator Charlie Duke inform flight director Gene Kranz that the astronauts are on schedule to start the descent engine. Throughout the presentation, visitors are able to customize their experience by jumping to key moments in the timeline. The timeline guides visitors to the crucial moments in the mission, including: program alarms (computer alerts), famous Go No-Go polls in the control room, low level fuel milestones, and landing.

Total play time is around 20 minutes or so. Neat stuff!

The 2% Election Post-Mortem

The final tally may adjust the percentage slightly, but using available numbers early this morning, the president returns for a second term with a 2.3% victory in the popular vote and a comfortable margin in the Electoral College.

The American people went to the polls and made their choice. I believe they made the wrong choice. But it is what it is.

So what's ahead for the president's second term? I find it interesting that the only suggestions seem to be coming from the media and various politicos, and less so from the president himself. Normally, an incumbent would make that case during the campaign, but that did not happen - or if it did, it was lost in the negative assault.

Still, from reading around, here's what I see:

Obamacare is coming, and it will come with a vengeance. Despite all the promises, premium costs are going up. Higher premiums or fines, choose your poison.

Immigration reform. Not saying it’s a bad thing, just pointing out that if there is political hay to be made from it, you can expect it.

Global warming prevention. No, really. The EPA is already on the move with new regulations on energy companies. Which in turn means that we can expect energy prices to continue to rise, increasing the costs to businesses and individuals.

Tax Reform / Fiscal Cliff. This is a near term crisis that will immediately test the bi-directional promises to "reach across the aisle." Bottom line is this: unless Washington finds a compromise of sorts, taxes are going up. Way up. On businesses and individuals. Broad spending cuts will also go into play, across the board. Many predict that if we go off this cliff, the economy will fall back into recession early next year, and it won't get better for a while. But you can almost rest assured that whatever "fix" comes into play in the next couple of months, it will simply add more to the national debt.

The sad thing is, in looking at this list, is that the priority seems to be on anything but the economy and jobs. Sure, these agenda policies intersect with the economy, but for an election where the bulk of the voters stated the economy was the number one concern, it doesn't seem to really be on the agenda. The American economy is remarkably organic and dynamic, largely able to respond to changing conditions in the economic climate. But the weight of government regulation (particularly on energy and healthcare) is going to push companies to reduce the costs of doing business wherever they can. Which means, less jobs, less hours for the jobs that are there, and fewer benefits for those employed. I'm no expert, but from where I sit, I expect the economy of 2016 to look a lot like that of 2012, and possibly a little worse. We'll see. (To be fair, this would have been likely even if Romney had won).

Culturally, I have come to the conclusion that the balance has been tipped, and we are no longer a "center-right" country. Voters have put in office a party that supports policies (present in Obamacare) with mandates that businesses and taxpayers provide for free abortion and contraception coverage. No conscientious or religious objections allowed. There are other examples, but the bottom line is this: for now, the conservative argument has been rejected by the majority (not that Romney made a big case for it, by the way). With their vote, the majority has declared that they are willing to accept more government involvement in their lives. They'll get what they want, but it will be a while before they figure out what we all lose in the process.

Which brings me back to fiscal matters. The people want their entitlements, and they want others to pay for them. That came through loud and clear in this election. It doesn't matter that Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare, and so forth are not financially sustainable and are doomed to collapse without reform or crippling taxes that in turn will severely suppress the economy and jobs. The voters put a party back in power, in the White House and in the Senate, that has failed to produce a budget for 4 years. Four years. I can guarantee you, the House Republicans will pass a budget each and every year, and the Senate will shelve it. I will eat my hat if you see a legitimate budget come out of Congress to be signed by the president in the next 4 years.

It is fiscally irresponsible for Washington to fail to pass an operating budget. I can only conclude that most voters don't mind. Astonishing.

In re-reading the above, it is probably clear that I didn't allow enough time to pass in processing Tuesday's result. My mood is admittedly dour on the state of our nation. I will not invest in the petty, juvenile vitriol that seems to be all around, but I will also not stop calling things as I see them, pointing out issues and arguments and direction that concerns me.

Benghazi, anyone? Anyone? How about Iran? Afghanistan? Russia?

Last Mission for the USS Enterprise

Here's a fun story pointed out to me by my brother this morning. The U.S. naval aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, activated back in 1962 as the world's first nuclear powered carrier, is on its final deployment. After this, it will be deactivated, decommissioned, and finally reduced to scrap. The Enterprise has a long and storied history, as have other ships of that name, highlighted in this article from CNN:

In October of 1962, the ship had just finished its maiden deployment when the White House and the Kremlin sparred over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba.

"We'd only been back a couple of weeks and they said, 'get out to the ship.' Nobody knew what we were doing, so we flew our airplanes out to the carrier as we were headed south," McCain said.

The Enterprise was one of the first U.S. ships to establish a blockade around Cuba, according to Navy documents on the Enterprise's history.

"I was launched a couple of times just to fly around, but not towards Cuba," said McCain, now the senior senator from Arizona. "They made sure we headed away from Cuba so as not to spark anything."

After 13 days, the crisis eased and the Enterprise returned to its home port of Norfolk, Va.

The carrier played a large role during Vietnam, and its story includes a major accident that took the lives of 27 sailors and 15 planes. But despite this disaster, the Enterprise sped back to the combat zone following emergency repairs.

After dozens of deployments around the world over the next three decades, the Enterprise was leaving the Persian Gulf for home when the hijack attacks struck New York and Washington on September 11, 2001.

Without orders, the Enterprise turned around and steamed at maximum speed toward Pakistan. By October 7, warplanes on the Enterprise were among the first to launch retaliatory strikes against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

According to the article, the USS Enterprise will be deactivated on December 1st. Over the next three years, its nuclear reactors will be safely removed. Soon thereafter, it will be salvaged and sold for scrap.

So is the 8th USS Enterprise the last of the line? Anyone who knows their future history knows the answer to this. Plans are in the works that a future carrier, already on the books, will be christened Enterprise. (Assuming it isn't cut out of the Navy's budget, that is.)

It brings to mind the end of this classic:

Breaks in the Benghazi Blackout?

I submit the following not as substance or fact, but merely as exhibits that demonstrate the beginning of the breach in the media blockade of the Benghazi story. It appears that the news media is finally discovering that this is a story. Links to support this supposition:

Foreign Policy: 'Troubling' Surveillance Before Benghazi Attack

ABC News: The Benghazi Drip-Drip-Drip

Newsweek (The Daily Beast): New Details on Benghazi

CBS News: Sources: Key task force not convened during Benghazi consulate attack

CBS News: U.S. officials counter Benghazi attack reports

These articles raise more questions that need answers. But perhaps, at last, they are finally starting to ask the questions and do the reporting.

We shall see.