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Just a guy from the sticks living in the city


Wed Mar 17, 2004

Attention Listeners

A few days ago I was doing some tinkering with some of the back-end scripting on this site and, like a complete freaking idiot, I didn’t check all of my links. As a result some of you haven’t been able to access the “more” links.

Thanks to the e-mailers who brought it to my attention. The problem is now fixed, carry on.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 17, 04 | 9:30 am

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The Blue Horizon

I believe it was 1983 when Rob, Dennis, and I were on our way to Cascade via the Middle Fork of the Weiser River road sometime in mid-August. We were on our way to the Cascade rodeo in Dennis’ new Chevy S-10, the one in which Rob had gotten decidedly drunk and puked in my lap the night before while I drove and Dennis crashed on my couch back at my apartment. As I looked down in my lap I realized that Rob had apparently had macaroni and cheese for supper that night.

The rest of the story »
Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 17, 04 | 2:37 am

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Tue Mar 16, 2004

Appeasement, Arrogance, Honor, and Cowardice

Michael J. Totten calls a spade a spade and catches grief for it.

To use the word "appeasement" in regards to the Spanish surrender in the war on terror is not arrogant, it is accurate. There is no other way to look at it.

My wife, who is Eastern European, made an interesting observation today which may be somewhat of an indicator of the differences between the mind set of Old Europe and Eastern Europe: "It's sad that there seems to be no shame in cowardice any more."

Is "cowardice" a strong word? I don't think so. I think that it accurately describes the situation. Fact: just days before the 3/11 bombings all polls indicated that Aznar's party was set to win re-election. Fact: just days after the bombings the pro appeasement party socialists win in a landslide. Why? Because the people of Spain were frightened. No dishonor in being frightened but to collapse under the fear to appease the wishes of your enemy is cowardice.

This is not to say that the US has not buckled under to cowardice, far from it. But we've paid the price and I sincerely hope that we've learned a lesson; a lesson that, sadly, Spain will almost assuredly learn the hard way.

Okay, I've just about beat this dead horse back to life. I need a break. I think I better start posting some "Life In Council" stories.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 16, 04 | 2:32 pm

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Okay, One More Whack At Spain

As an indicator of the quality of government that Spain has just elected itself one need only read this. It's the same article that I linked below but you need to thoroughly read it to come up with gems like:

A senior colleague of Mr Zapatero, Jose Bono, mistakenly blurted out live on television that Mr Blair was "un gilipollas integral [a complete dickhead]".

Yep, Spain, in your cowardice you just bought yourself one wild ride.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 16, 04 | 3:13 am

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Repercussions Of Spain’s Surrender

The dinner with Jimmy and Linnea went well. Like I've said before, good food and good wine with good people will result in good conversation; especially if the people with whom you are dining are as intelligent as Jimmy and Linnea.

While sitting at the table digging into prime rib and slurping Chianti we talked politics, the terror war and, of course, the Spain train bombings were heavy on our minds. We all didn't agree on many points but you know what? We still managed to give our hugs and shake our hands before leaving, planning our next dinner date. That's the difference when truly intelligent people converse, even when they may not agree.

Jimmy has, what I consider, valuable insight in that he has spent a considerable amount of time in the Middle East and has first hand experience with the people and their culture. Because of that I have to respect many of his opinions even though I may not agree with all of them.

The thing that all four of us agreed on was the notion that the current brand of terrorism that we are fighting is based, mostly, on religious ideology. The US and the West could pull every influence out of the Middle East and we would still suffer attacks at the hands of Islamic terrorists. That is fact, period. The main motivation behind 9/11 and subsequent Islamic terrorist attacks is for the simple fact that we are hated because we are not Muslim. This is not to say that all Muslims are a threat but, in this war on Terror, most if not all our enemies are Muslim. The chasm is wrenched even wider given the fact of the vast differences in life and world views between the Arab/Islamic world and most everyone else in the civilized world.

Where we didn't agree is in what to do about it. Jimmy asked me, if all that we discussed to this point is true then what do we do? I turned the question around and asked him what he thinks we should do. His answer is much the same as many Europeans in that Islamic terrorism is something we simply cannot prevent in total and that the best we can do is hope to manage it. This is where we differ because, to me, this is just not acceptable. The civilized world cannot progress under such a threat. Like I said before, civilization may as well put a bullet in its head if we cannot even ride a train to work without the possibility of being blown up because we don't believe and live under Islamic law.

I think that one of biggest hindrances in our ability to fully understand what we're up against is that we tend to look for answers based on our cultural world view. Many people in the West share the idea that people just want to live and be left alone, a sort of "live and let live" approach. You do what you want and we'll do what we want and we'll just leave it at that. This is one of the reasons that many feel that our very going to war against terrorism has stirred the hornets nest so to speak. This train of thought promotes the idea that the 9/11 attacks here in the US and the 3/11 attacks in Spain are simply the result of our geo-political actions within the Middle East. It is apparent that the election in Spain is the result of such a belief. As a result, I believe, that Spain has possibly opened a Pandora's Box the likes of which Europe has never seen in regards to terrorism by, in fact, allowing terrorism to dictate the outcome of an election. Even if 3/11 was not the work of Islamic terrorists the fear that it was changed, to some degree, the political direction of a nation. Terror aims to get results by instilling fear and Spain's 3/11 worked like a charm. Yeah, Pandora's Box is wide open. Spain is the first terror war ally to, in essence, surrender:

Mr Zapatero made clear that it would take a revolution in US policy to stop him withdrawing Spanish troops from the "disaster" of Iraq.

He said he would develop a more pro-European policy, and would seek to develop a "magnificent" partnership with France and Germany.

"Mr Blair and Mr Bush must do some reflection and self-criticism . . . you can't organise a war with lies," he said in a radio interview.

"The war has been a disaster," Mr Zapatero said. "The occupation continues to be a disaster. It has only caused violence.

The only response I can think of for Mr. Zapatero is; Fuck you.

One has to wonder if this is a first possible step in what Mark Steyn refers as Europe's transormation into "Eurabia"?

Steyn puts it in even starker perspective with:

"When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, naturally they will like the strong horse." So said Osama bin Laden in his final video appearance two-and-a-half years ago. But even the late Osama might have been surprised to see the Spanish people, invited to choose between a strong horse and a weak horse, opt to make their general election an exercise in mass self-gelding.

Islamic terrorists have no intention of living and letting us live. To them we are infidels and as such we must either convert or die. I have no intention of converting to Islam and I have no intention of dying at the hands of an Islamic terrorists.

So what are we to do? I don't have the answer to that. I do know that to simply acquiesce is the sure road to enslavement. I do fear that many people do not seem to realize that. I also fear that this will get far, far worse before it gets better. I strongly feel that we cannot survive this, win the war on terror, by trying to root out individual terrorist cells around the world and throughout the Middle East, much like we've been doing since 9/11. We can go this route for generations and it will be to no avail. I feel that the long term solution to Islamic terrorism can come, ironically, only from within the Islamic world but the Islamic world needs the incentive to police its own. How do we provide or force such incentive short of horrific and cataclysmic responses to terror acts? Is that what it's going to take?

The one thing I do know for certain is that the actions of Spain and Mr. Zapatero are what will most likely prove disastrous in the war on terror.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 16, 04 | 2:48 am

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Mon Mar 15, 2004

The Way Of The EU

Apparently Spain's new leadership is preparing to relinquish its sovereignty to the EU.

BRUSSELS, March 15 (Reuters) - Spain's new priorities are to restore relations with core European allies, rethink its role in Iraq and leave strategic dialogue with the United States to the European Union, its likely future Socialist foreign minister said on Monday.

I won't get into whether or not this is a good thing. I will say that this is an almost perfect demonstration of the differences between the American and European approach as the idea of relinquishing matters of national security to a foreign body is unacceptable to most Americans.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 15, 04 | 2:28 pm

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Sun Mar 14, 2004

Spanish Implications

It's still too early and close to call in Spain right now concerning the elections. However, for those who foolishly believe that the terrorist attacks are the result of Spanish support of America in the war on terrorism and in Iraq-they are both one and the same, for those who are willing to live with terrorist attacks because the best we can hope to do is manage terrorist activities to a tolerable level, please read this.

Mark Steyn says that, fundamentally, Islamic terrorists want to kill us anyway. He points out that Islamic terrorism is different than other brands of terrorism such as that of ETA or the IRA. As insidious as the acts of terrorism are from these two organizations at least there is some rationality behind their thought processes.

Even if you'd avoided Iraq or Andalusia or British banks or Pilger or any other affront to Islamist sensibilities, you'd still be a target. As the PR guy for the Islamic Army of Aden said after blowing up that French tanker: "We would have preferred to hit a US frigate, but no problem because they are all infidels." Commissioner Keelty is confusing old-school terrorism – blowing the legs off grannies as a means to an end – with the new: blowing the legs off grannies is the end. Old-school terrorists have relatively viable goals: They want a Basque state or Northern Ireland removed from the UK. You might not agree with these goals, you might not think them negotiable, but at least they're not stark staring insane.

If Islamic terrorism were as rational as Irish or Basque terrorism, it would be easier. But Hussein Massawi, former leader of Hezbollah, summed it up very pithily: "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you." You can be pro-America (Spain, Australia) or anti-America (France, Canada), but if you broke into the head cave in the Hindu Kush and checked out the hit list you'd be on it either way.

I can think of no better summation. That is what makes the war on terrorism so pressing. For those who attack us, it is not about what we do or who we support. It is about what we are not.

So the choice for pluralist democracies is simple: You can join Bush in taking the war to the terrorists, to their redoubts and sponsoring regimes. Despite the sneers that terrorism is a phenomenon and you can't wage war against a phenomenon, in fact you can – as the Royal Navy did very successfully against the malign phenomena of an earlier age, piracy and slavery.

Or you can stick your head in the sand and paint a burqa on your butt. But they'll blow it up anyway.

Update

As early results are indicating, putting the anti-Bush/anti-war on terrorism socialist party in power, Spain has apparently made its unfortunate decision.

If this is the case than the terrorists have won an important battle in Spain. They have managed to change the outcome of an election to one that is more favorable to them. We'll wait and see.

Pathetic.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 14, 04 | 1:27 pm

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Sat Mar 13, 2004

99 Percent Certain

Reuters is reporting:

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) - Spain's intelligence service is "99 percent certain"Muslim Islamo-facists not Basque militants terrorists perpetrated the Madrid train bombings that killed 200 people, a Spanish radio station reported on Saturday.

I've taken the liberty of de-PCing the above copy so that it is easier to get at the truth.

Keep in mind that "99 percent" is still not certain but if it does indeed turn out to me the work of Islamo-facists the whole war on terror just took a whole other turn.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 13, 04 | 11:16 am

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Saturday Morning Nonsense

I actually managed to make it to 5:00 am before waking up. Amazing.

Later in the day Anna and I are having another couple come over for dinner, Jimmy and his wife, Linnea. My wife met Linnea in graduate school and they have been pretty good friends since. Jimmy is Air Force and he's currently waiting for word on where he will be stationed. As such we are all getting in some friend-time before they move away.

Right now I have a five pound prime rib marinating in a mixture of olive oil, grated onion, thyme, marjoram, basil, and garlic. I've also placed several cloves of garlic in slits in the roast it self, one can never have too much garlic. After it's done marinating I'm going to encase with about a half inch of a water-Kosher salt paste mixture. I know it sounds crazy but, I tell you, it's the best way to cook a prime rib.

After it's done cooking you have to break the casing away because after cooking it's very hard, almost like porcelain. Once it's all broken away you have an extremely juicy and melt in your mouth tender prime rib that tastes like heaven.

The plan is to have a soup before the roast along with a salad. As a side note we do have a bottle of Chianti which will be consumed during the dinner. Damn, I'm getting hungry all ready.

Because I'm up so damn early and I'm currently a bit bored I've been trekking through blogville to see what I can see.

I like this site. I don't know why I like it. All I do know is I've spent the last few minutes reading it and, ding ding, I like it. Too bad the side-bar links are so freakin' small. I try to resize them and the site breaks. Oh well, still a good looking web site.

Heh, if this guy ain't full of piss and vinegar than I don't know who is:

Ya know, it is really hard to completely despise comment spammers* when such are the only comments your seem to be gettin' on a regular basis. Still, I ain't workin' hard to produce the finest blog in the blogosphere so as to advertise places to buy certified used fuckin' trucks the fuckin' crap you are sellin', so go to Hell, asshole.

This American living in Madrid has some interesting insights.

This guy is about as far opposite of my ideological approach as can be. In fact I read his sight and think, "what a knuckle head", but that's okay. I like reading those of a different point of view. Nothing wrong with different.

I wonder when we are going to fully realize that the war on terrorism is for real and that it is a matter of life and death? People need to realize that civilization may as well put a bullet in its head if you can't get on a train to go to work out of fear that you will become a victim of terrorism. After yesterday's demonstrations in which millions of Spaniards denounced terrorism it looks like Spain now understands.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 13, 04 | 6:58 am

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Thu Mar 11, 2004

Get Fully Informed

John Venlet points us to Jurorsrule.com, a website dedicated to informing 1,000,000 citizens about their rights and obligations as jurors. The website is an Eagle Scout project.

The fully informed jury is the biggest and most powerful law enforcement agency in the United States. It has "absolute, non-neogtiable power to ignore laws, keep people out of prison, ignore judges and prosecutors, make any jury trial come out the way they want, and make our government honest".

John Venlet thinks we should direct as much traffic as possible. I agree.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 11, 04 | 9:32 am

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Also . . .

it should be pointed out that not all are blaming the ETA or Basque Separatists:

A top Basque politician, Arnold Otegi, denied the separatists were behind the blasts and blamed "Arab resistance." Many al-Qaida-linked terrorists were captured in Spain or were believed to have operated from there.

We'll wait and see.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 11, 04 | 9:09 am

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An Update And Unslanting The Slanted News

As expected the Madrid body count goes up:

MADRID (Reuters) - Basque separatists killed 173 people in simultaneous blasts that ripped through packed Madrid trains in the guerrilla group's bloodiest attack in more than three decades, Spain said on Thursday.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks across the Spanish capital three days before a national election, but Spain insisted the Basque separatist group ETA was to blame.

On a somewhat unrelated matter I'm bringing you back to this post from yesterday where I talked about how political correctness is used to supersede the truth. The above Reuters report that I link to is an almost perfect example of such craziness.

The attacks in Madrid are, in every sense of the word, terrorism carried out by terrorists yet Reuters insists on referring to the terrorists as separatists and guerrillas.

Terrorism:

The systematic use of violence as a means to intimidate or coerce societies or governments.

Terrorist:

One that engages in acts or an act of terrorism

Separatist:

An advocate of secession or separation from a larger group (such as an established church or a national union)

Guerrilla:

A member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment

Granted, many in the Basqueland certainly entertain notions of separatism but the ETA is a terrorist group bent on acts of terrorism not guerrilla warfare as train loads of innocent morning commuters can hardly be considered a superior military force.

Note to Reuters: Bite me.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 11, 04 | 9:01 am

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Rush Hour Explosions In Madrid

Madrid has just been smacked hard by a, seemingly, well coordinated terrorist attack.

MADRID, March 11 (Xinhuanet) -- More than 60 were killed and many others injured in four deadly train explosions during rush hour on Thursday morning in central Madrid.

This sucks to the tenth power.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 11, 04 | 2:27 am

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Wed Mar 10, 2004

Spare Me Please

As a society we are painting ourselves tighter and tighter into a corner called PC. Diane Ravitch talks about Forbidden words and the ridiculous "education" guidelines that forbid them.

A textbook writer sent me the guidelines used by the Harcourt/Steck/Vaughn company to remove photographs that might give offense. Editors must delete, the guidelines said, pictures of women with big hair or sleeveless blouses and men with dreadlocks or medallions. Photographs must not portray the soles of shoes or anyone eating with the left hand (both in deference to Muslim culture). To avoid giving offense to those who cannot afford a home computer, no one may be shown owning a home computer. To avoid offending those with strong but differing religious views, decorations for religious holidays must never appear in the background.

On the surface much of this seems almost comedic but as you delve further into this trend it takes on a bit more ominous tone in that it begins to shape cultural literacy into something that it wasn't or is not.

A college professor informed me that a new textbook in human development includes the following statement: "As a folksinger once sang, how many roads must an individual walk down before you can call them an adult." The professor was stupefied that someone had made the line gender-neutral and ungrammatical by rewriting Bob Dylan's folk song "Blowin' in the Wind," which had simply asked: "How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?"

Think about it, if this keeps up our children will have a completely skewered notion of what and where they came from. The past will mean nothing because it will all be a big lie based on the idea of political correctness above anything else. Can you imagine this nation being founded and built upon such vacuous notions? In short it couldn't have been which makes one think that all might not bode well for the future.

The state of New York, as Ravitch points out, is the poster child for culturally debilitating political correctness.

So here is how New York made itself an international joke. The state's guidelines to language sensitivity, citing Rosalie Maggio's "The Bias-Free Wordfinder," says: "We may not always understand why a certain word hurts. We don't have to. It is enough that someone says, 'That language doesn't respect me.' " That is, if any word or phrase is likely to give anyone offense, no matter how far-fetched, it should be deleted.

Next the state asked: "Is it necessary to make reference to a person's age, ancestry, disability, ethnicity, nationality, physical appearance, race, religion, sex, sexuality?" Since the answer is frequently no, nearly all references to such characteristics are eliminated. Because these matters loom large in history and literature--and because they help us to understand character, life circumstances and motives--their silent removal is bound to weaken or obliterate the reader's understanding.

In fact it has become so ridiculous that when I read something like this:

Meanwhile, the word "elderly" should be replaced by "older adult" or "older person," if it is absolutely necessary to mention age at all. "Gentleman's agreement" must be dropped in favor of an "informal agreement." "Ghetto" should be avoided; instead describe the social and economic circumstances of the neighborhood. "Grandfather clause" is helplessly sexist; "retroactive coverage" is preferred instead. The term "illegal alien" must be replaced by "undocumented worker."

I have to wonder if the motivation is less about the preservation of some one's feelings and more about, simply, the exercise of power, of simply tearing down society in any way that one sees fit.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 10, 04 | 2:40 am

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Mon Mar 08, 2004

It All Ties In

For those who continue to toe your party line yet more proof that it doesn't matter.

US senators' personal stock portfolios outperformed the market by an average of 12 per cent a year in the five years to 1998, according to a new study.

"The results clearly support the notion that members of the Senate trade with a substantial informational advantage over ordinary investors," says the author of the report, Professor Alan Ziobrowski of the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.

He admits to being "very surprised" by his findings, which were based on 6,000 financial disclosure filings and are due to be published in the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis.

Are you surprised by this? I know I'm not.

Oh, and here is why your party affiliation simply does not matter:

There was no difference in performance between Democrats and Republicans.

Now that they are finished with Martha I wonder when they will begin investigating these schmucks . . .holding your breath?

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 08, 04 | 3:21 am

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Martha The Sacrificial Lamb

Now that Martha Stewart has been found guilty I've finally found the inspiration to make a comment about the whole mess.

There is no doubt that Martha is guilty. Say what you want it doesn't matter because she's guilty. That being said I think it is insidious that she's facing prison time.

I tend to think that she is being made the example not to those who'd break the law and partake in insider trading but to those lowly commoners who dare think they can compete on the same level as the big boys. There is no way you can tell me that insider tactics aren't used by most if not all the big investors and still maintain any kind of integrity. The whole stock market game is exclusionary in favor of those who are mega-wealthy. No, I'm not talking Martha Stewart wealthy, I'm talking the kind of wealth where one can afford to pump out a minimum of $500,000 for an IPO that everyone knows will see a substantial profit in 24 hours on a daily basis.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 08, 04 | 3:04 am

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Thu Mar 04, 2004

Whack!

Wow, nothing like opening up the ‘ol Lobowalk mailbox and getting hit up side the head with a huge nostalgia stick.

Thanks, Sue and Barbara. Wow.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 04, 04 | 2:02 pm

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Lev Landau's Legacy Beyond Theoretical Physics

Even if you're not familiar with renowned Soviet theoretical physicist Lev Landau you would be doing yourself a favor to read this endearing, often times poignant, excerpt from the memoir of his niece, Ella Ryndina.

My earliest memories of Dau (as Landau was known to those close to him) date back to 1937, when I was four years old. Into the quiet and calm of our home burst, unexpectedly, a strange kind of person. He brought an atmosphere of bustle, festivity, noisy and lengthy arguments, excitement, and shouting. Mom said that this was my Uncle Lyova [his familiar name], her brother, and that he had just arrived in Leningrad. He was very tall (especially from my four-year-old's perspective), very thin, very disheveled, and very lively. He couldn't stay in one spot for a second; he kept measuring our modest-sized room with his long legs, running back and forth. Not knowing what to talk to me about, he bent down, stuck his cold fingers in the scruff of my neck, cheerfully called me "chick," and continued running around the room.

Although the extent of Lev Landau's contribution to Soviet theoretical physics, most notably his contributions to their atomic bomb project, can never be over-stated he had an almost innate subversive nature that put him in the crosshairs, so to speak, of government authorities.

Dau's quick visits to Leningrad always brought joyful excitement to my family, and sometimes he took us all to a restaurant. Whenever Dau visited, Mom would ask him to recite poems. He would oblige willingly, without being coy or making any excuses. He recited in a loud singsong yet somewhat monotonous voice, as if intoxicated by the music of the poem.

And so he would begin to recite Nicolai Gumilyov, and the first stanzas of the poem "Gondla" would boom around the room:

The wedding cup has been drained dry,
The nuptial banquet devoured,
Why then do you sit, morose,
At the ceremonial feast of kings?

His recitation caused chills to run up and down my spine--the effect was extraordinarily powerful and breathtaking. One knew little about Gumilyov during the Soviet era. He had been executed in 1921 and was a forbidden poet, but Dau knew a lot of his poems by heart.

Later, Lev would pay a price for his subversive proclivities with his arrest and subsequent jailing for his part in the distribution of this caustically anti-Stalin leaflet.

"WORKERS OF THE WORLD, UNITE!"

Comrades!

The great cause of the October Revolution is being despicably betrayed. The country is inundated with torrents of blood and filth. Millions of innocent people are being thrown into prisons and no-one can tell when his own turn will come.

It is clear, comrades, that the Stalinist clique has carried out a fascist coup. Socialism has remained only on the pages of the habitually lying newspapers. In his rabid hatred of genuine socialism, Stalin is not different from Hitler and Mussolini. Destroying the country for the sake of his own power, Stalin is turning it into an easy prey for the brutal German fascism.

The only way out for the working class and for all the toilers of our country is a struggle against Stalinist and Hitlerist fascism, a struggle for socialism.

Comrades, get organized! Don't fear the NKVD [secret police] butchers! They are capable only of slaughtering defenseless prisoners, of catching unsuspecting innocents, of plundering national property, and of concocting absurd court trials for nonexistent plots. . . .

From this it is apparent that he was an ardent supporter of Communist/Socialist ideals, just not Stalin's brand. Ella's response to this is somewhat interesting in her reference to her uncle's naïve faith in socialism.

After Lev's release from prison he began to take a strong position in Ella's education, becoming her mentor in all things intellectual and personal, including her love life. Particularly amusing was his approach to love and the advice he attempted to pass on to her.

As to issues concerning love, marriage, and children, Dau started to "educate" me when I was still a young girl. He preached to me his theory that one should acquire a lover at the age of 19 and get married to the third lover. How he could assert all that with such precision, I don't know. I would blush, turn pale, plug my ears, and run away from him. But nothing could stop him. When I turned 19, he tormented me to such an extent that I found it necessary to invent a nonexistent lover so that finally he would let go of me. Today I understand that my conversations and arguments with him emancipated me, peeled off my girlish timidity and inhibitions.

The most important, however, was his political education of his beloved niece. Not so much as his political views as his willingness to speak out for what he believed, even if it were dangerous. Ella sums up his influence with:

The educational conversations with Dau turned me into a new person; I began to look at many things differently, with open eyes.

Keep in mind that this was Stalinist Soviet Union.

It is amazing how far reaching one person's influence can be on another and, consequently, the world around them. I see in Lev Landau not only the great physicist he was, but also an uncle who touched and changed the life of his niece. He changed her life. No matter what he did or what accomplishments he gained, his most grand accomplishment was that of the effect he had on the life of his niece, Ella.

Link is via Arts & Letters Daily.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 04, 04 | 1:02 pm

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Trying To Make News Out Of Nothing

Man, I have a late night last night, didn't get home until 4:00 this morning. I don't need to read bullshit whining like this first thing in the morning.

WASHINGTON - Relatives of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and a firefighters union said Thursday they're angry that President Bush (news - web sites)'s new campaign ads include images of the destroyed World Trade Center and firefighters carrying a flag-draped stretcher through the rubble.

"It makes me sick," Colleen Kelly, who lost her brother Bill Kelly Jr., in the attacks and leads a victims families group called Peaceful Tomorrows, said Thursday. "Would you ever go to someone's grave site and use that as an instrument of politics? That truly is what Ground Zero represents to me."

Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, on Thursday called the ads disgraceful and said they should be pulled.

"We're not going to stand for him to put his arm around one of our members on top of a pile of rubble at Ground Zero during a tragedy and then stand by and watch him cut money for first responders," Schaitberger said. He said his union is politically independent even though it endorsed Kerry and has donated money to Republicans.

Barbara Minervino, a Republican from Middletown, N.J., who lost her husband, Louis, in the attacks, questioned whether Bush was "capitalizing on the event."

Bla, bla, bla, freaking bla . . . Oh shut up. Anyone who sees this as some kind of assault on the sanctity of 9/11 is either blatantly stupid or blatantly disingenuous. The fact is that 9/11 was the most devastating act of war to ever be carried out against U.S. citizens on U.S. soil. G.W. Bush, love him or hate him, was the president during this attack, not Al Gore or John Kerry; thank your lucky stars. It was the seminal moment in G.W. Bush's presidency if not the current and next couple of generations. I think the fact that idiots like these whining fools need reminding of this is far more disgusting than the ads.

The inanity ends with this:

"Until Bush cooperates with the federal commission that is investigating the nation's preparedness before the attacks and its response by testifying in public under oath ... he should not be using 9/11 as political propaganda," said Kristen Breitweiser, of Middletown Township, N.J., whose husband, Ronald Breitweiser, 39, died in the World Trade Center.

"Three thousand people were murdered on President Bush's watch," Breitweiser said. "He has not cooperated with the investigation to find out why that happened."

Rather than insinuating that Bush was somehow responsible perhaps you should consider the fact that there have been no attacks on American soil since 9/11; all under Bushe's watch.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 04, 04 | 11:21 am

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Wed Mar 03, 2004

Rapunzel; The Rest Of The Story

Everyday before his nap time I try to do some reading to my son. Today we finally made it through Rapunzel before he lost interest.

You know Rapunzel; the story where the wicked Witch forces her neighbors to give up their newborn daughter to her after she caught the father absconding with her rapunzel in an effort to satisfy his over-demanding wife and then named the child, Rapunzel, in an apparent effort to express some sort of irony. When Rapunzel reached the age of twelve the Witch locked her up in a tower where she would visit her daily via access made possible by Rapunzel’s long hair.

Later in life, presumably in her late teens, Rapunzel hooks up with a Prince after he becomes infatuated with Rapunzel’s singing as he walked through the forest doing princely things. After some time of him climbing into the tower and he and Rapunzel doing God knows what every night, the Witch finds out, cuts Rapunzel’s hair, banishes her to a desert and throws the Prince out of the tower where he is rendered blind by some thorny bushes that should have been cut back a long time ago.

The Prince spends several years wandering around in a blind stupor until he chances upon Rapunzel who, with joy, sheds tears that spill upon the good Prince’s eyes thus giving him his sight back. They then marry, move to the castle and live happily ever after.

Do you think I’m going to leave this story so woefully unfinished for my son? Hell no. Here’s the rest of the story.

See, after they moved to the castle the prince, having his vision restored, knew it was time to kick some Witch ass. He knew that the only reason she got the drop on him was because he was so freaked out at the loss of his babe. So the prince told Rapunzel to hang tight and off he went.

He found the old hag in her garden tending to her stupid rapunzel and was enraged by the, now apparent, irony and commenced to kicking her ass in a proper way. He then snapped her neck and buried her in her damn garden. The neighbors, wanting to see what all the commotion was about peaked over the fence, “What the hell’s going on?”

The Prince replied, “I snuffed this bitch because she kept this chick locked in a tower, put my eyes out years ago and then abandoned the chick to the desert. Luckily for me I found the chick some years later, got my eyes back, we got married and live in a nice house up on the hill. I just had some unsettled business to take care of before I could truly live happily ever after.”

The neighbors were truly stunned and the woman, now elderly, asked, “Say, does this chick happen to be in her late twenties, blonde hair?”

The Prince scratched his head, “Yeah, quite a looker too.”

Realizing that their long lost daughter and the looker were one and the same, the neighbors told them the whole story. The prince invited them to come live with him and Rapunzel in the castle so they loaded up their wagon and off they went. Upon arrival, Rapunzel was elated to know that the bitch Witch was not only dead but not her real mother and that these kind folks her hubby dragged home were, in fact her real parents.

After a few years of family therapy, Rapnuzel and the Prince proceeded to knock out a passel of babies and the whole damn family lived happily ever after.

Now if only Rapunzel could keep the Prince’s eyes off that damn mermaid who insists on flopping around in the water with her breasts exposed.

The end.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 03, 04 | 1:25 pm

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Tue Mar 02, 2004

Gourmand's Delight

In the twenty months since our son was born Anna and I have not been out on a date let alone a dinner date. So when we were invited to a culinary event by my good friend Tom and his brother, Chef Jerry Garcia (yes, that's his real name) which took place at one of Park City's finer eateries of which they are co-proprietors, my wife was absolutely delighted.

The draw of this event was that it featured Robert Sinskey of Robert Sinskey Vineyards and his wife, Maria Helm Sinskey, author of The Vineyard Kitchen : Menus Inspired by the Seasons. Chef Jerry Garcia prepared dishes from Maria's book along with wine pairings from Robert Sinskey Vineyards. This was a real gourmand's delight.

One thing that I've realized to be an axiom is that if you surround yourself with good people drinking good wine and eating good food you will soon find yourself enjoying good conversation. Such was the case last night at our table which found Paul and Linda, a retired couple from Cincinnati to my right, followed by Maria and Robert, Tom's wife, Holly, Eric, a chef from another local eatery, and finally making the full circle, my wife, Anna to my left. I remember thinking to myself that the only missing element would have been the presence of renowned gourmand and American literary treasure, Jim Harrison. In fact I found myself entertaining the notion of gouging one eye out with a fork, quickly putting on a hundred pounds or so, and affecting a limp in an attempt at a pale comparison. I quickly abandoned the notion however, opting, instead, for another spoonful of Parsnip Soup with Crispy Parsnip Chips and Spiced Crème Fraiche followed by a sip of Robert Sinskey's Three Amigos Chardonnay; quite possibly the most remarkable pairing of the evening.

Much of the conversation was, invariably, about wine and food within which Mr. Sinskey espoused his philosophy that wine making should not be treated as an athletic event which seems to be the case with many aspects of the current rating/point system used to grade wines which emphasizes boldness and power at the expense of elegance and nuance. His view is that the wine making process and the wines themselves are much too complex and relative to the food and the conditions under which they are consumed to be relegated to so simplistic of an approach. Granted, I'm no wine connoisseur but I did find myself embracing his philosophy so much as I understand it. Besides, I've always been a sucker for the Zen approach.

Soon we found ourselves enjoying the Grilled Hanger Steak with Lemon and Arugula paired with Robert Sinskey's Los Carneros Merlot. We followed this up with Fig Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and a cup of coffee; an excellent way to cap such an evening.

Good job, Tom. Good job, Jerry and a good job to Robert Sinskey and his lovely wife, Maria. Thank you all for an absolutely wonderful evening.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 02, 04 | 10:53 am

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Mon Mar 01, 2004

More California Dreaming

The California legal/political system is capable of many things not least of which is the ability to not make sense. This is a perfect example of what I'm talking about:

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The California Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a Catholic charity must offer prescription contraceptives in its employee health insurance plan even if church teaching opposes birth control measures.

However:

The charity could avoid any conflict with religious values by not offering its employees prescription drug coverage, the justices held. Employers in California are not required to offer such coverage.

One has to wonder, if employers in California are not required to provide prescription coverage, why should the courts, most notably, the California Supreme Court, care? On its face this seems to have more to do with religion, or a disdain of it, than anything else.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 01, 04 | 3:16 pm

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February Search Phrase Roundup

We’ve finally arrived at one of my favorite, quickly becoming Lobowalk traditions, events; the monthly search phrase roundup. It should come as no surprise that the number one search phrase used to get to my site for the month of February was janets tit followed by janets tit shot and just about every variation of anything that might have anything to do with the Super Bowl Halftime Boobygate. It’s all very expected I suppose.

As I go down the list I see the other usual fare; daniel medley, lobowalk etc.

Of course no monthly search phrase roundup would be complete without the head scratchers, sicko’s , and emotional drek of the world; those responsible for horse ass dog pain stories dog barn bounded, shirt in her panties waistband, small penis club (small penis club? You mean we have a club?), and dumb slut using my wife her pussy. Does your wife present a full use and disclosure clause with that?

Of course, as in previous months, I see catheter punishment rearing its ugly head once again. I’m wondering, is catheter porn a popular subject for greasy foreheaded, crusty crotched, mango haired disgusting schmucks who leave used tissues in empty pizza boxes next to their computers? Or is this just one or two people who are in to this shit? For the person who comes to this site looking for pornography of the catheter variety; could you please leave a comment and tell us all just what it is about such endeavors that seem to wake your wank? Then, when you’ve done that, check yourself into the nearest mental institution.

I also see blogville provo girl beer, damn fine microbrew beer I might add, and various phrases connected to literary summaries of various books; Catcher In The Rye, Call Of The Wild, The Moore’s Last Sigh, etc.

Okay, that does if for this month. One can only wait in wonder at what this month will bring.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 01, 04 | 11:28 am

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Chavez Calls Bush Asshole

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez displayed his verbal diplomatic skills today:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called US President George W. Bush an "asshole" today and told him not to meddle as his opponents battled troops ahead of a ruling on a recall vote against him.

Am not! Are too! Am not! Are too!!!

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 01, 04 | 2:42 am

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What Would We Do Without Movie Critics?

I have not seen The Passion and I won't see it until it comes out on dvd. Because of this I don't have an opinion about the film at all except to say that the people I've talked to who have seen it strongly deny its alleged anti-Semitism.

This reviewer who gave the film one star is catching some grief which is unfortunate:

I knew the reaction would be hostile - movie critics routinely get hate mail, even one time for a review of "Bambi."

But, as they would say in an action movie of the kind Mel Gibson formerly made, this time, it's personal.

Like I said, unfortunate, but she certainly doesn't help her cause with this:

What interests me as a movie critic is the profusion of people who do not understand or care how to evaluate a movie.

They don't see how film images are juxtaposed to create a desired emotion, that what is left out of a screenplay can be as important as what is kept in, and how constantly and subliminally manipulative a medium this is. They cannot see through filmmaking's beautiful deceptions.

So I'm guessing that the masses are just too ignorant to decide if they like a movie or not.

Posted by: Daniel Medley on Mar 01, 04 | 2:25 am

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