Monday Morning Rant 125

  
Well, did you have a good Christmas? Ours was a time of good rest, faithful friends, and thanksgiving for our many blessings. Our pastor reminded us this morning that it is a “season.” More than just “eve” and “day,” it represents a prolonged exposure to the fulfillment of prophecy and the realization of the Son of God making his first earthly appearance. After all, He is the reason we have this blessed time of year.

I’ll not be asking how your year went. I already know. Superficially, it may have looked normal but we both realize that it went downhill in a number of areas. I will take a look at it in a later post but for now I’ll settle for being alive, having a wife on the mend, not being completely broke, and thanking God for the stamina to put up with things as they are.

On TSA, Homeland Security and other failed enterprises

In the interest of keeping my sanity, my person, and my integrity intact, I do not fly. At my stage of life I have vowed that if I can’t drive there: I don’t go there. I have seen all of the world beyond the seas which I care to. My last flight was one-way to Hawaii to link up with the Fitzgerald (DDG-62) for a Tiger cruise on that destroyer to San Diego. It was well worth the time, trouble and inconvenience.

Over the weekend, an Islamic terrorist from Nigeria made a “failed” attempt to blow up a plane as it landed in Detroit. The explosion didn’t occur but the terror took place anyway. Much has been heard from Washington about how this somehow reflects favorably on the department of Homeland Security.

Apparently the word terrorist is not well understood in DC. It may be safely understood that any attack on any American anywhere causes a measure of fear in all Americans. The assumption that we are all easy targets is at the root of that terror. Each time a radical Islamic extremist slips through the security net, it lessens our confidence in the agencies that are sworn to protect the citizens. This in turn heightens our mutual fears for ourselves and kindred and therefore achieves the desired intent of the terrorist. If this zealot had been successful, it would have been a horrible tragedy but it still damages the country to know that his penetration of our protective wall was accomplished at all.

Mr. Abdulmutallab’s father ratted him out some time ago and firmly identified him as a Muslim extremist. He was then placed on a watch list with 550,000 others with that dubious distinction. Theoretically, his name could be checked on that list and he could be be forbidden to fly on a commercial flight. The president’s press secretary pled that huge number made bringing up the information extremely difficult due to that vast number. To test that theory, I just Googled “Abdulmutallab” and had 411,000 returns in 0.21 seconds. To further emphasize the rank stupidity of Gibb’s remark; I am using Windows 98, with IE 6, on a satellite link which downloads at 56 kps. My computer is an antique! It takes far longer to enter the name than it does to get the information. Yes, this is the same government that just paid $19,000,000 to set up web site on the internet which still doesn’t work.

Mrs. Napalitano, director of DHS, is claiming the airport security system works! Perhaps in some parallel universe it is satisfactory but surely not in this one. If your goal is throwing away granny’s hair gel, seizing a nail clipper from a teenie-bopper or exposing a hole in your sock, it works really well; thwarting terrorists--not so much. One wonders how long it will take her to recommend civilian criminal law to deal with this cretin. Her main thrust has been to seek remedies after the fact to dispose of those charged but encompasses little in the way of actual constructive defensive measures to prevent terrorism. The primary result has been to turn airline travel into a punch line for late night comedians and make little difference in actual security. Mr. Abdulmutallab was on the plane. What further proof is necessary?

The absolute result of this fiasco should be the immediate dismissal of Janet Napalitano to be replaced by one of the many un-employed professionals we have idle. If nothing else, can we now have air marshals on the planes so that we don’t have to depend on some guy from Holland to do the dirty work? Oh, I forgot, Obama has them all committed to join his private army.

Greetings

This was lifted from a piece by Andy McCarthy on NRO and it was too good not to filch:

“To All My Liberal Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.

To All My Conservative Friends:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

And Finally

This patch we call home on Buzzard’s Ridge underwent a transformation which started about the time I finished the annual reading of “King Robert of Sicily” on Christmas Eve.

At first it was a light coating of ice and then the temperature dropped to about 15º and the world went white. When we awoke, we had a beautiful 3”+ with a breeze shaping the snow into moraines and gullies. We rolled over and went back to sleep.

When we finally ventured out to walk the dogs we remembered that they were unfamiliar with this rarity. There is nothing quite as funny as a dog using his nose as a snow plow. Shortly thereafter, we discovered that the 100 watt bulb in the well house had burnt out, the water froze and the joy of the winter idyll ended abruptly. We lucked out because after I placed the double wicked propane lantern in the well house we soon had our water back. It was a close call since nothing ruptured, but, also, very good training for the winter to come. Normally a 100 watt bulb will protect to -5º since the tiny house is extremely well insulated. I’m not sure what we’ll do when they are outlawed completely.

The rest of the day was spent rejoicing; gorging on T-bones (we’ll save the turkey for New Years) and pies, and making sure the birds were also well fed. God’s in His heaven and all’s right with the world. Mostly!


On His abiding love,

Cecil Moon