The Delaware Curmudgeon

Merit-Bound Alley posts on people conducting prayer vigils in order to lower gas prices.

Now in Montana, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Fischer is asking people to pray for “whichever candidates will bring the greatest blessing to Montana”:

“Fischer said he would establish a continuous prayer schedule for Montanans 24 hours a day, seven days a week. People would sign up for time slots and pray for the state regularly.”

Whatever works, I guess.

Prophecy or irony? Or both?

“Out of the gobbledygook comes a very clear thing: you can’t trust the government; you can’t believe what they say; and you can’t rely on their judgment; and the --- the implicit infallibility of presidents, which as been an accepted thing in America, is badly hurt by this, because it shows that people do things the president wants to do even though it’s wrong, and the president can be wrong.”

From Daily Kos, an alert to the site Things Younger Than John McCain. Some of the entries include LSD, Scientology, Spam, The Beav and Pat Buchanan.

I guess it’s kind of mean, but it’s also funny.

I would also think it might be more of a challenge to find things older than John McCain, but that's just me.

“After 58 years, the United States Navy will reactivate the Fourth Fleet, which will be in charge of patrolling Latin American waters.

The fleet had been deactivated following the end of the Second World War, but starting July 1st of this year, U.S. naval forces will have a high level command specifically dedicated to supervising the projects of its units in Latin America and the Caribbean.” (LINK)

The question is, why? Don’t we have enough problems?

The military attempts to allay our fears:

“….this does not imply in itself an increase in U.S. military presence in the region.”

Huh?

“In reality, the U.S. naval forces of the Southern Command have been acting as a fleet, so from the operational point of view in the region, nothing has changed. Basically this is about changing the name of reality.”

Again, I say, Huh?

Another question one would ask: Does South America even want us there?

“Analysts point out that one of the operational challenges confronting the U.S. military forces in the region is the difficulty of obtaining permission to operate bases in Latin America.…it is expected that after 2009, the Ecuadorian government will not renew Washington’s permit to operate there.”

And even scarier:

“For the last few years, the United States was concentrated on Iraq and Afghanistan. Recently now it is trying to return to Latin America…”

Well at least we have a heads up on where we’ll be after Iraq and Afghanistan. At least the climate is a little more welcoming.

....at least in the Marsh/Naamans area. According to Delmarva, we will be without power until 10 PM ! Egad ! This should be a fun evening ... no internet, no TV..... we may be forced to have an actual adult conversation.

Sigh.

From PoliticoDotCom:

“The founders of Paulville recently announced the purchase of the first 50 acres in West Texas on which they plan to build one of their “gated communities containing 100 percent Ron Paul supporters and or people that live by the ideals of freedom and liberty.

One man who won’t be moving there anytime soon: Ron Paul.” (LINK)

It goes on:

“The community is structured as a co-op; freedom-loving denizens can purchase plots as small as one acre and are not required to use the co-op’s water or energy supply.

But dropping out and creating an isolated community isn’t the answer, says Paul, a congressman from Texas. “You don’t want the ideas to be centered in one place,” he says. “But it shows how desperate people are for freedom.”

Form your own opinion, but I just found this to be a little creepy. I support Ron Paul, but am not sure I’d join a commune-like association. Then again, it kind of reminds of the good old days.

The situation in Myanmar is tragic. Thousands upon thousand of people have died and many more are suffering.

Much has been said about Myanmar’s initial refusal to allow United States relief efforts into the country.

But really, can you blame them?

We have a long history of prolonging our visits, and like an embarrassing drunk uncle who refuses to leave, we slobber continuously around the dinner table, knocking things over, and making everyone quite uncomfortable. We seem to think we know what is best for everyone.

The problem is, we can’t just express an opinion. We make it a lifestyle.

Thanks to my favorite blogger outside of the state of Delaware, I was made aware of This Filthy World, a John Waters monologue on a number of most interesting topics. Thanks to the non-springlike weather we have been having, Chainsaw and I watched it last night and were literally laughing out loud.

If you have Showtime On Demand, it is now available. (Hint: Showtime puts things in a weird order. I was looking under either “The” for “This” or “F” for “Filthy”, but in their wisdom they put it under “J” for “John Waters.)

If you are familiar with John Waters, especially his earlier works where the burning question of the day is “Does Divine really eat dog feces?”, you may wonder if there are any limits to his madness. Yes, even John Waters has limits, and he goes into some detail. I was somewhat disconcerted to find that Chainsaw knew exactly what he was talking about. I had to google everything later.

This is a howlingly enjoyable 90 minutes of ruminations by one of the most innovative, dangerous, and radical directors of our time or perhaps even for all time. It is amazing that at one time he was routinely arrested for public indecency; nowadays, he is given the keys to the city when he hangs private parts from trees.

The cultural issues of the day are addressed in Waters’ unique way. Check it out.

The 485th Chemical Battalion unit of the Delaware Air National Guard returned home yesterday to their loving families. This is the son of one of those happy "Golden Warriors".

The complete album can be found here. Joe Biden was there and is in some of the pictures, as well as Patriot Guard Riders, but first and foremost the friends and families of the 485th.

Welcome Home ! Thank you for your fine service.

The model for the 28-foot statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. that will be the centerpiece of the King Memorial in Washington, DC is being built, where else?

China. Home of tainted pet food, poisonous toys, and the tethering of Tibet.

There seems to me to be something wrong with this. One of the greatest civil rights leaders of all times with a “Made in China” label attached to his suit jacket?

There is also some flak over the way Dr. King is portrayed, with some saying it makes him appear “too confrontational”, and the Commission of Fine Arts calling the style “Social Realist”, which is apparently a bad thing (LINK to story and picture).

Personally, I think that being confrontational was part of Dr. King’s style. It was part of what made him who he was.

Discussion in the art world is ensuing. Construction in China is being tinkered with. Round and round we will go.

There is an excellent piece in the Philadelphia Daily News editorial section today. It is written by Linda S. Wallace who runs Cultural Coach, and writes a blog called Cultural IQ. In “10 Ways to Poison the Debate”, Ms. Wallace is addressing the presidential candidates, however her advice applies to any discourse.

It might do well for some bloggers and commenters to read this article.

The “10 Ways…” are listed below. The column at its original source expounds on each one of them.

1. Instead of seeking a discussion of facts or truth, shut down the conversation right away by announcing you take offense at a remark.

2. Never ask open-ended questions to clarify another speaker's position and promote discovery.

3. Always attach labels to others and throw around words such as elitist, racist, conservative or liberal when describing them.

4. Don't listen with the purpose of understanding another speaker's intent.

5. Call in the media to provide around-the-clock interpretation and analysis.

6. When responding to ideas you don't happen to agree with, never EVER say: "That's an interesting take on the issue. However, I see it a bit differently. May I explain?

7. After a speaker admits making a mistake and offers you an apology, steadfastly refuse to move forward in the conversation.

8. When discussing mistakes, never, ever use yourself as an example.

9. Attack people who aren't in the same room or same place as you.

10. Whenever possible, focus the conversation on what's wrong with 1) the world, 2) your family, 3) your neighbors, or 4) the nation) rather than their strengths.