Category: America and the World
Posted by: an okie gardener
The China Post has this transcript of an address by Thomas J. Christensen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, stating the official U.S. position on the security of Taiwan. (When you click on the link, you will be asked to install a language pack. Click cancel, you do not need the language pack, the Post is in English.)
In a nutshell, we want a democratic Taiwan, make vague noises against agression by China, but very much warn Taiwan not to do anything that might annoy China.
In a nutshell, we want a democratic Taiwan, make vague noises against agression by China, but very much warn Taiwan not to do anything that might annoy China.
12/09: The Good Coverage from Iraq
Category: America and the World
Posted by: an okie gardener
We have recommended Michael Yon before, and do so again. He is embeds with the troops and reports professionally. Here is a link to the start of his latest series.
Category: Mainline Christianity
Posted by: an okie gardener
September 30 is the deadline the Anglican global bishops gave the Episcopal Church to repent of its endorsement of same-sex practice. In advance of that deadline, the Diocese of Pittsburgh has begun a process that could enable it to maintain ties to world-wide Anglicanism even if the Episcopal Church fails to repent. Story here from the American Anglican Council.
American Christianity has always had a certain arrogence toward third-world Christians. Perhaps Pittsburghers will show some humility. See earlier post.
American Christianity has always had a certain arrogence toward third-world Christians. Perhaps Pittsburghers will show some humility. See earlier post.
12/09: A Christian Hero Dies
Category: From the Heart
Posted by: an okie gardener
Bishop Han Dingxiang, a Chinese bishop who maintained loyalty to the Pope even through 19 years in labor camps and more years of house arrest and jail. He died in police custody. His cremated body was buried within 6 hours of death with little notice given. Newsmax has the story.
Though I myself am Protestant, I stand to honor one whose loyalty and faithfulness to his Christian beliefs shames my easy circumstances.
Brother Han, RIP.
Though I myself am Protestant, I stand to honor one whose loyalty and faithfulness to his Christian beliefs shames my easy circumstances.
Brother Han, RIP.
Category: Bush Hagiography
Posted by: A Waco Farmer
I have had C-SPAN on TV 24-7 (literally) for the past few days.
This morning, during the moment of silence at the White House, my five-year old (born five months after 9-11 and carrying the middle name Walker) sauntered through my bedroom and paused in front of the television screen. Momentarily interested in the long angle of the Bushes and Cheneys striding out onto the South Lawn, my son asked: "who is that man who looks like John Wayne without his cowboy suit?"
You guessed it; my son had spotted the President.
It reminded me of one of my favorite Bush lines (from his acceptance speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention):
"Some people say I swagger. In Texas, we just call that walking."
I know plenty of folks who don't like Texans. And, I know plenty of Texans who hate George Bush so much that they deny his "Texasness." In truth, regardless of where Bush was born or educated, I know no one who is more thoroughly Texan than our 43rd president.
Even more to the point, he is thoroughly cowboy. Perhaps he would be clueless on a horse--but he has internalized the code of the West: he is slow talking, straight shooting, loyal, sometimes stoic, sometimes tender, not easily intimidated, slow to anger, but a powerful force when finally fully riled.
And them that don't know him won't like him
And them that do sometimes won't know how to take him
He ain't wrong he's just different
but his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em [be president] and drive them old trucks
Make 'em be doctors and lawyers and such
In truth, many of the unkind observations regarding George Bush are absolutely correct. He is often a painfully poor public speaker. He is stubborn. He is loath to admit error. He does have a "high noon" worldview. His loyalty to friends is often misplaced and muscular to a fault.
Specifically, the President "misunderestimated" the scale of the task in Iraq, which led him to stake the vital interests and future of the United States on an extremely difficult long-term mission. As a result, his Iraq policy has placed high stress on the military, the treasury, and American hegemony.
Having said that, much of the ugliness concerning him is egregiously exaggerated and completely unfair. For me, 9-11 is a day that summons the images of the President at his most gallant, standing up to lead a fearful nation with vigor and vision after an attack that might have debilitated a less confident and less grounded man.
No man is entirely good. No man is entirely bad. But, all things considered, I continue to support this president and continue to believe we have been well-served by his decisive leadership. Faced with a menu of unappealing options fraught with peril in the post 9-11 world, the President pursued the best hard choice to the best of his ability (review here). Perhaps over time, history will vindicate him--or perhaps not. Regardless, if we prevail ultimately in Iraq, inarguably, it will be principally a testament to this President's true grit.
This morning, during the moment of silence at the White House, my five-year old (born five months after 9-11 and carrying the middle name Walker) sauntered through my bedroom and paused in front of the television screen. Momentarily interested in the long angle of the Bushes and Cheneys striding out onto the South Lawn, my son asked: "who is that man who looks like John Wayne without his cowboy suit?"
You guessed it; my son had spotted the President.
It reminded me of one of my favorite Bush lines (from his acceptance speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention):
"Some people say I swagger. In Texas, we just call that walking."
I know plenty of folks who don't like Texans. And, I know plenty of Texans who hate George Bush so much that they deny his "Texasness." In truth, regardless of where Bush was born or educated, I know no one who is more thoroughly Texan than our 43rd president.
Even more to the point, he is thoroughly cowboy. Perhaps he would be clueless on a horse--but he has internalized the code of the West: he is slow talking, straight shooting, loyal, sometimes stoic, sometimes tender, not easily intimidated, slow to anger, but a powerful force when finally fully riled.
And them that don't know him won't like him
And them that do sometimes won't know how to take him
He ain't wrong he's just different
but his pride won't let him do things to make you think he's right
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em [be president] and drive them old trucks
Make 'em be doctors and lawyers and such
In truth, many of the unkind observations regarding George Bush are absolutely correct. He is often a painfully poor public speaker. He is stubborn. He is loath to admit error. He does have a "high noon" worldview. His loyalty to friends is often misplaced and muscular to a fault.
Specifically, the President "misunderestimated" the scale of the task in Iraq, which led him to stake the vital interests and future of the United States on an extremely difficult long-term mission. As a result, his Iraq policy has placed high stress on the military, the treasury, and American hegemony.
Having said that, much of the ugliness concerning him is egregiously exaggerated and completely unfair. For me, 9-11 is a day that summons the images of the President at his most gallant, standing up to lead a fearful nation with vigor and vision after an attack that might have debilitated a less confident and less grounded man.
No man is entirely good. No man is entirely bad. But, all things considered, I continue to support this president and continue to believe we have been well-served by his decisive leadership. Faced with a menu of unappealing options fraught with peril in the post 9-11 world, the President pursued the best hard choice to the best of his ability (review here). Perhaps over time, history will vindicate him--or perhaps not. Regardless, if we prevail ultimately in Iraq, inarguably, it will be principally a testament to this President's true grit.
11/09: Tolerance in Europe
Category: America and the World
Posted by: an okie gardener
Gates of Vienna has the scoop on the police reaction to today's demonstrations in Brussels against the Islamification of Europe. Water cannons, dogs, batons, mass arrests. Link from Instapundit.
Which party's candidates want us to become more like European culture and governments?
Which party's candidates want us to become more like European culture and governments?
Had you told me on 9/11/01 that we would not be hit hard on our own soil for the next six years, I would not have believed you. And yet it is true. The Bush Administration has accomplished a difficult task on a level with the great governmental achievements of any nation at any time. Three cheers.
1. We live in a dangerous world in which there are people who want us dead.
2. The most sophisticated spy satellites will not replace human intelligence gathering.
3. We must not make a god of Political Correctness. One of the ticket agents thought about notifying authorities regarding one of the hijackers who seemed dangerous, but did not do so for fear of being labeled a racist.
4. The best defense is a good offense. We have not been hit hard in our homeland because we are not passively waiting another attack.
5. We cannot make American security a hostage to the attitudes of European elites.
6. Islamic ideology is the driving force behind the jihad against us. We are in another hot phase of the nearly 1400 year-long war of Islam against everyone else.
7. Expensive weapons systems will not replace human soldiers in the dangerous alleys of the world.
8. The war against Islamic radicals is not a police action that can be carried on under the rules of law enforcement. Those who declare themselves to be our enemies by their actions and words must be treated as enemies. "Ride with outlaws; hang with outlaws."
9. Killing individual jihadis is like swatting mosquitoes. We must take on the ideology of radical Islam like we took on the ideology of Marxist-Leninism during the Cold War.
10. Forget the corrupt and ineffective U.N. We must make common cause with nations that share our values and have their own reasons to fight Islamic radicals. Nations like Britain, Australia, India, Israel.
11. Nations that support attacks against us, like Iran, must pay a heavy price.
12. We must realize, and act upon the knowledge, that two incompatible world-views are in conflict. The winner will determine the future. Our freedom, and existence, are on the line.
13. We must not forget that the world is more complicated than us versus the Islamic radicals. China will take advantage of the situation to gain power in the world; Russia will pursue the old dream of being a Great Power. The world is a dangerous prison yard--to the unaware comes the shiv.
14. If we maintain our freedom, it will be because of the triumph in our nation of the Great Values: courage, self-sacrifice, honesty, commitment to the Common Good, honor.
15. We must wean ourselves from foreign oil: we are paying for our own destruction.
2. The most sophisticated spy satellites will not replace human intelligence gathering.
3. We must not make a god of Political Correctness. One of the ticket agents thought about notifying authorities regarding one of the hijackers who seemed dangerous, but did not do so for fear of being labeled a racist.
4. The best defense is a good offense. We have not been hit hard in our homeland because we are not passively waiting another attack.
5. We cannot make American security a hostage to the attitudes of European elites.
6. Islamic ideology is the driving force behind the jihad against us. We are in another hot phase of the nearly 1400 year-long war of Islam against everyone else.
7. Expensive weapons systems will not replace human soldiers in the dangerous alleys of the world.
8. The war against Islamic radicals is not a police action that can be carried on under the rules of law enforcement. Those who declare themselves to be our enemies by their actions and words must be treated as enemies. "Ride with outlaws; hang with outlaws."
9. Killing individual jihadis is like swatting mosquitoes. We must take on the ideology of radical Islam like we took on the ideology of Marxist-Leninism during the Cold War.
10. Forget the corrupt and ineffective U.N. We must make common cause with nations that share our values and have their own reasons to fight Islamic radicals. Nations like Britain, Australia, India, Israel.
11. Nations that support attacks against us, like Iran, must pay a heavy price.
12. We must realize, and act upon the knowledge, that two incompatible world-views are in conflict. The winner will determine the future. Our freedom, and existence, are on the line.
13. We must not forget that the world is more complicated than us versus the Islamic radicals. China will take advantage of the situation to gain power in the world; Russia will pursue the old dream of being a Great Power. The world is a dangerous prison yard--to the unaware comes the shiv.
14. If we maintain our freedom, it will be because of the triumph in our nation of the Great Values: courage, self-sacrifice, honesty, commitment to the Common Good, honor.
15. We must wean ourselves from foreign oil: we are paying for our own destruction.
10/09: Do We Still Remember?
Five years ago, I delivered a public address to commemorate the first-year anniversay of 9-11.
September 11, 2002:
“ALWAYS REMEMBER.” We are not likely to forget. The images of that day are seared into our national memory. September 11th is one of those exceedingly rare universal moments of history, in which all Americans, for as long as they live, will recall with absolute clarity where they were and what they were doing when the reports of the attacks first reached them. So many of us were on campus when we first heard the news, first viewed the startling pictures, and grappled to make sense of the tragic spectacle as it unraveled before our eyes.
Our initial reactions differed. Many of us reached out to loved ones via the telephone. Some of us paused in silent meditation. Or perhaps we could only watch in stunned silence. But then, after that, we turned to each other for solace. It is appropriate that we congregated again not only to honor the heroes of September 11th but also to reflect together on our world then and our world now and the world that we will make.
Today our students presented selected historical readings, which included Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Daniel Webster, Franklin Roosevelt, Barbara Jordan and John Kennedy. It was especially moving to hear the collected wisdom of our past proclaimed in such powerful fashion by the caretakers of our future. They emphasized the words of Lincoln as he addressed the crowd at Gettysburg so many years ago. I am struck by Lincoln’s poignant and forceful appeal to Americans of his generation, exhorting his listeners to complete the work left undone by the valiant warriors who sacrificed their lives at Gettysburg.
Today we placed a memorial wreath, the Marines fired off a salute, we shared a moment of silence and we read a poem to honor our countrymen lost on that catastrophic morning one-year ago. During the moving memorial many of us shed a tear in their memory. All of those gestures were good and fitting and necessary. We do well to commemorate our fallen citizens in that way.
However, those emotions alone are not sufficient. The honored dead deserve more; they demand more. Lincoln was right. Webster was right. Kennedy was right. Those honored dead don’t cry out for our sympathy, they call out fervently and surely for our commitment. The distinct and compelling voices of our past entreat us to act boldly, and they remind us that our sacred obligation of citizenship is now due.
"Always Remember." Certainly, we will remember. We will remember the tragedy and terror and chaos of that day. We will remember the heroism of New York City, the brave men and women of Flight 93, the heroes of the Pentagon, and countless other acts of valor that summon hope and lament simultaneously. We will always remember them. We will construct monuments of steel and stone so that future generations will remember them also.
But will anyone remember us? Will we respond to this defining moment with humanity, brotherhood, resolve and dedication? Will our reply to this test of national and individual character be worthy of our heroic past? Our answer must be yes. Invoking the “better angels of our nature,” we will defeat the external threats to our freedom, fight tenaciously in defense of our domestic liberty and continue to strive toward fulfilling our “national purpose.” In the end, total commitment to those ideals offers the most profound memorial to our fallen brothers and sisters. May God rest their souls and bless our efforts.
September 11, 2007:
Today we stand at a significant crossroads in American history. Unfortunately, in this hour of decision, whether we are up to our defining moment of collective responsibility remains an open question.
September 11, 2002:
“ALWAYS REMEMBER.” We are not likely to forget. The images of that day are seared into our national memory. September 11th is one of those exceedingly rare universal moments of history, in which all Americans, for as long as they live, will recall with absolute clarity where they were and what they were doing when the reports of the attacks first reached them. So many of us were on campus when we first heard the news, first viewed the startling pictures, and grappled to make sense of the tragic spectacle as it unraveled before our eyes.
Our initial reactions differed. Many of us reached out to loved ones via the telephone. Some of us paused in silent meditation. Or perhaps we could only watch in stunned silence. But then, after that, we turned to each other for solace. It is appropriate that we congregated again not only to honor the heroes of September 11th but also to reflect together on our world then and our world now and the world that we will make.
Today our students presented selected historical readings, which included Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Daniel Webster, Franklin Roosevelt, Barbara Jordan and John Kennedy. It was especially moving to hear the collected wisdom of our past proclaimed in such powerful fashion by the caretakers of our future. They emphasized the words of Lincoln as he addressed the crowd at Gettysburg so many years ago. I am struck by Lincoln’s poignant and forceful appeal to Americans of his generation, exhorting his listeners to complete the work left undone by the valiant warriors who sacrificed their lives at Gettysburg.
Today we placed a memorial wreath, the Marines fired off a salute, we shared a moment of silence and we read a poem to honor our countrymen lost on that catastrophic morning one-year ago. During the moving memorial many of us shed a tear in their memory. All of those gestures were good and fitting and necessary. We do well to commemorate our fallen citizens in that way.
However, those emotions alone are not sufficient. The honored dead deserve more; they demand more. Lincoln was right. Webster was right. Kennedy was right. Those honored dead don’t cry out for our sympathy, they call out fervently and surely for our commitment. The distinct and compelling voices of our past entreat us to act boldly, and they remind us that our sacred obligation of citizenship is now due.
"Always Remember." Certainly, we will remember. We will remember the tragedy and terror and chaos of that day. We will remember the heroism of New York City, the brave men and women of Flight 93, the heroes of the Pentagon, and countless other acts of valor that summon hope and lament simultaneously. We will always remember them. We will construct monuments of steel and stone so that future generations will remember them also.
But will anyone remember us? Will we respond to this defining moment with humanity, brotherhood, resolve and dedication? Will our reply to this test of national and individual character be worthy of our heroic past? Our answer must be yes. Invoking the “better angels of our nature,” we will defeat the external threats to our freedom, fight tenaciously in defense of our domestic liberty and continue to strive toward fulfilling our “national purpose.” In the end, total commitment to those ideals offers the most profound memorial to our fallen brothers and sisters. May God rest their souls and bless our efforts.
September 11, 2007:
Today we stand at a significant crossroads in American history. Unfortunately, in this hour of decision, whether we are up to our defining moment of collective responsibility remains an open question.
Category: Something Personal
Posted by: A Waco Farmer
To my recollection, we have never endorsed a political candidate on the Bosque Boys. However, I received word today that one of my old schoolmates and good friend, Jamie Johnson, is running for a seat in the Iowa House of Representatives. This development makes me optimistic about the future of our political system.
I know Jamie to be a person of exemplary character and a stalwart patriot with a heart for public service. He personifies the best traditions of citizen-driven democracy. I wish him success in his campaign and call on friends of the Bosque Boys to extend their prayers and support to him and his family during this campaign.
His campaign website here.
God speed.
I know Jamie to be a person of exemplary character and a stalwart patriot with a heart for public service. He personifies the best traditions of citizen-driven democracy. I wish him success in his campaign and call on friends of the Bosque Boys to extend their prayers and support to him and his family during this campaign.
His campaign website here.
God speed.
