31st December 2005, 05:13 pm
What can I say about this year that hasn’t been said?
I leave it with a shrug.
Yes, it is over.
Yes, there is someone who I respected who isn’t around to start another year.
Yes, bad things happened – but some good things did too.
The Kid is alive. The Wife is alive. I’m alive.
And for some mysterious reason we’ve ended up with 7 of these little guys:
Those are gerbil pups – about 11 days old now.
Life is strange and every year it gets stranger still.
30th December 2005, 01:03 pm
2005 – Biggest Disappointments of the Year
Artists and Poets Have More Fun
And the Understatement of the Year Award goes to…
What I Want for Christmas
5 years – One Day At A Time
24th December 2005, 12:05 pm
“I want an Ipod. What’s an Ipod?” – 9 year old to parents.
“May I borrow the shotgun?” – 8 year old to 9 year old during pretend gunfight.
16th December 2005, 07:24 am
“Anybody who doesn’t appreciate what America has done and President Bush, let them go to hell”
– Iraqi Citizen (link)
As Dean Esmay notes, it didn’t have to be this way for the Democrats. The party has been hijacked by a minority of extremists who believe that America is the root of all evil. Patriotism is something that they sneer at, and they fail to acknowledge the successes of America while wallowing in its failures. They have driven away “natural Democrats” like me – born and raised Democrat, populist, with a strong commitment to human rights.
The Democrats have lost this historic election in the Middle East, and they have no one to blame but themselves.
15th December 2005, 12:08 pm
Those of us who have supported the war in Iraq since before it was launched have reason to celebrate today. Not only have we made our nation safe from future attacks, protected Israel and encouraged the Palestinians to get serious about peace, encouraged democracy throughout the Arab world, freed Lebanon from Syrian tyranny, and allowed Kurds to have the freedom of their own state denied them for millennia, we have allowed scenes like this to take place:
To the brave men and women who have sacrificed to make this day happen, what better way to celebrate your sacrifice than seeing the results of your sacrifice first hand.
13th December 2005, 10:39 am
Lileks has an interesting piece on 2005 in American Enterprise Online:
Pope John Paul II dies. To the horror of many, his successor turns out to be Catholic.
Hehehehe…
12th December 2005, 11:28 am
The Iraqis recently told us what they think about things in a poll located here. While there is much to be happy about for those who oppose the war and those like me who continue to support it (half of Iraqis say it was wrong for the US and the coalition to invade while preference for democracy has soared and an Islamic state fallen), there is something being missed by the media:
Plurality
Plurality – difference of opinion – is always a good thing. If you want to guage how healthy a nation is, check out how much plurality and dissent it has. Dictatorships never grokked this point: if you want to rig an election and have it appear fair, don’t invite it St. Jimmy Carter’s platoons of bootlickers to “observe” the election – have the dictator win by a s percentage or two. Instead we have witnessed 100% or 99.7% elections victories by dictators from Kim ilSung to Saddam to Castro. These elections are farces – and everyone knows this except St. Carter’s Apostles.
Iraqis haven’t had this much political freedom in at least two generations – possibly longer. It doesn’t surprise me that they express opinions which I don’t like, but I am happy that they do express them. Doing so shows that Iraqis are cottoning on to a greater truth that has been hidden from them for so long – that Democracy works.
In the meantime they will fuss and fight and whine just like a bunch of Democrats – just with more spine.
8th December 2005, 10:35 am
Source: ABC News:
...87 percent call the U.S.-led overthrow of the Taliban good for their country. Osama bin Laden, for his part, is as unpopular as the Taliban; nine in 10 view him unfavorably.
Think about that for a second: Those numbers are probably higher than any you would find in all but the reddest parts of this country – and the opposite you would find in such outposts of fascism as Berkeley.
Maybe it’s time we sent troops to liberate UCB.
7th December 2005, 08:31 am
Source: Wheelers Forest Products
6th December 2005, 02:55 pm
This guy needs marbles for a prank.
Lots of marbles.
I’m looking for three milliion marbles. Your eyes are not deceiving you, we’re in need of three million. A group of friends of mine play practical jokes on one another and it’s time for some Marble Madness. We’re planning to fill my friend’s 1750 sf house to the top (or as much as poss.)with marbles. After some very unmathematical estimating, we’re guessing 3 mil should be good. We expect the biggest expense to be shipping so the closer to Chicago, IL, the better.
Don’t play tricks on this guy. Nope. A must read...
6th December 2005, 10:20 am
Now this is a chainsaw…
Source: Hotsaw.com
1st December 2005, 05:08 pm
I write about it here at Dean’s World
For those of you who knew me before then, you’ll understand what an accomplishment this is.
