It’s hard to go on vacation nowadays, at least for me. Most hotels have internet access and the ability to connect is almost aways there. So here I am typing away at seven in the morning from my room in Lake Louise. This is an addiction – an addiction to the news and to the online phonemenon. it is also a fear of not being au courant, of the moment slipping away from me. But what is my knowledge of the moment anyway? Only the most miniscule slices of some illusory reality. And yet I feel compelled to find out. I go online during my vacation, though I promise myself only briefly. Still, bits of information intrude … Kofi Annan blaming the Israelis (of course) for atttacking an Hezbollah guerrilla unit that was importing arms, some blogger I had never heard of before instigating a letter writing campaign against Hollywood types who had the temerity to sign a rather bland statement supporting Israel. Never mind that these so-called addresses are care of the celebrities’ agents (and therefore probably will never get through), the actions of this hitherto (to me) anonymous person set my blood to boil – here in the most perfect natural setting, looking up at a glacier.
In some sense I admit I have always been an exception with this compulsion to know. But how much of an exception? I suspect not all that much. Indeed, as a kid, I can recall many of my friends memorizing sports scores and batting averages, not that different an impulse, if you think about it. But I fear for our future. As information intrudes everywhere, it will become harder and harder to find peace – unless we find it in ourselves… not always an easy thing.
I think that “Kofi Annan blames Israel” is news only in the sense that it was cold today in Antarctica is news. Kofi Annan converts to Judaism– now that would be news. Maybe on vacation it’s best to pay attention only to the latter and not the former. Have some fun, Kofi will still be an ass when you get back.
“As information intrudes everywhere, it will become harder and harder to find peace – unless we find it in ourselves… not always an easy thing.”
When I turned 30 I noticed that time seemed to be speeding up; that a year would pass by more quickly than it seemed previously. The pace has only increased now that I’m 56. Part of that, I think, is that I keep finding additional things with which to occupy my time. Even though I pour through PJM like an addict, I still take almost the same amount of time to read the newspapers as I did previously, albeit with even more of a jaundiced eye. And then there’s sudoku. Something has to give somewhere.
Mid-August at Sourdough Mountain Lookout
Down valley a smoke haze
Three days heat, after five days rain
Pitch glows on the fir-cones
Across rocks and meadows
Swarms of new flies.
I cannot remember things I once read
A few friends, but they are in cities.
Drinking cold snow-water from a tin cup
Looking down for miles
Through high still air.
Gary Snyder
I can understand your angst, lately I have been feeling like a total moron if not up to speed on any of the events in the middle east, but remember all work (or in your case all internet) makes Jack a dull boy. Enjoy the lake, spend sometime with that beautiful daughter and lovely wife of yours. We, your loyal readers will still be here when you get back.
I’ve been noticing myself that I need more silence, and less information. The TiVO helps: I record the things I want, and watch them hitting fast-forward over the commercials; even deleting things that apper not to have useful content. And I’ve taken to writing first draft with a fountain pen, in a bound notebook.
Roger:
I agree with Charlie. Kofi blames Israel. The French decide not to participate. And even if they do, nobody wants to, you know, actually disarm Hezbollah. Yawn.
By now breakfast is over and you’ve walked around the grounds and gone down to the lake. Just that will make you start to forget the above. The process will be complete as you drive north to Jasper on Highway 93. Guaranteed.
Your Angst seems to coincide with that of a father with a young child. Not all that unusual.
“I have always been an exception with this compulsion to know” Exception? How about spending most of waking hours checking back and forth the same websites trying to read the latest entries? How about staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning to see if there were new news somewhere? How about cutting short a vacation to a foreign country because ther internet connections were not fast enough? Web surfing is definitely addictive.
I was sharing with my 87 year old mother that my heart was heavy with the concern that western civilization is not up to the fight of resisting the eventual victory of Islamic extremism. Her consoling words in response were that there was a time that many felt that way about communism…that there was a fatalistic acceptance that generations to come in the US would live under communist rule. I know what she’s saying but I still sadly think it’s more possible that this time it’s different. Do you out there in cyberspace know what i mean?
Roger:
I know what you mean. But the truth is the world might actually get along better if some of us let it alone. I think we are perhaps a tad hypervigilant.
As for Kofi, he is worthless. But that is becoming more and more apparent to more people if it is any consolation.
“I know what she’s saying but I still sadly think it’s more possible that this time it’s different.”
It is possible to lose because of leadership. “…if Bush sneered that John Kerry and Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi’s constant companion is the white flag, they’d huff about how dare he question their patriotism. But, if you can’t question their patriotism when they want to lose a war, when can you?” I saw this in a Steyn article in the Chicago paper this morning. We have people in government who want us to lose.
We seem to be running a war by committee, we started right but seem to have come to a stop. Why not fight this WW2 style and get it over with in a month. We have enemies, why not kill them before they kill us. Lets keep it very simple, use what ever it takes to get rid of the threat. If we have a General Patton around, tell him to just do it. Why are we taking years on a 1 month war, these people aren’t the German Army of WW2, we keep screwing around and we will lose a city to these head choppers.
meander, it is hard not to be depressed. So I fight the way I can fight: by spreading information around (especially historical information, because that is where I have most of my expertise.) I have gained at least 3 other allies (better than none, eh?) And I have decided to NOT ALLOW ANY MORE ATTACKS ON WESTERN VALUES in my presence – even if it means a fight at a ‘civilized’ dinner table.
Years ago, I adopted that same stance re anti-semitic remarks. I just announce my disgust at that sort of thing and move on.
Now, in this anti Islam battle, I have to re-fight the Crusades, support British Imperialism and Christianity, and Empiricism, and all the other ways ignorant and foolish people trash my life and future, and the future of my children and grandchildren.
So, fighting and individual fight at least cheers one up enough to overcome depression.
meander
In my youth I would look at sports stats.
These days I look at the daily stats of the Jihadis.
Not a pretty site.
Fear not Roger; imagine what it must it being like for this guy. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415940168/103-0136398-5435065?v=glance&n=283155
Ron:
60 million people were killed in WW2. 2.5 million Japanese. 6 million Germans. A third of the civilian population of Okinawa was killed in one battle. 100,000 people were killed when Manila was liberated.
My Dad was at Nagasaki five days after the atomic bomb was dropped. He had screaming nightmares until his death because of it. He died at the age of 55, August 1, 1980. The Doctors said his cancer was radium induced and that this kind cancer often took decades to manifest. Was it the war? Hell if I know. But that bomb changed us all.
I don’t think Bush could get Congressional approval for something like that today, do you? Really? I don’t think he could get Congressional approval for the invasion of Iran or North Korea with the use of conventional weapons.
And btw, it took decades to defeat communism and if you listen to the raving of Hugo Chavez it ain’t dead yet. So does that mean we failed?
I think some folks on the right are getting bored and are ready to move on. Too bad, this is not 1941 and there is no way we are going to defeat Islamic jihadism and change the thinking of backwards and obstinate people by fire bombing Tehran.
Terrye
I have been reading your comments for the last 3 or 4 years. I respect your intelligent and common sense words more than most of what I read around the blogs. As a matter of fact it has been a pleasure watching you find your voice these last few years. When you speak, I listen. But…
There are some out here who feel that the more we accommodate now, the more who will die later. That is not, in and of itself, an extreme view. There is historical precedence to support such a scenario. I say this in thinking, that the options western civ has for ensuring its survival are becoming fewer and fewer. Our enemies are well entrenched, both within and without our borders.
Having said this, I do not disagree with your thoughts on what more, exactly, GWB could do better than he is doing now. He is essentially hamstrung.
I am not sure I had a point when I started this diatribe. Perhaps just to say that no response on our part, should be excluded from the conversation, out of hand.
Yes, my leading graph would indicate my fear of the wrath of
Yes, I mean that in a good way. Written for those who have been around here for the last several years. Perhaps I become too personal.
Terrye
“Too bad, this is not 1941 and there is no way we are going to defeat Islamic jihadism and change the thinking of backwards and obstinate people by fire bombing Tehran.”
Terrye, these throwbacks have big plans for us and they are not kidding. There is a way to “defeat” Jihadists and that is to kill them before they even have a chance to kill us.
My Father Island hoped through lots of action in the Pacific Theatre and was in the occupation forces. To bad your Dad had a bad time of it but mine always thought Harry Truman had saved his life. He was slated for the invasion when the “Enola Gay” dropped the first bomb and at that moment knew he might make it home. He survived, they didn’t, they started the action; we finished it. Before these death cult thugs do something really foolish and stupid, lets do them a big favor and stop this crap now. Give them a peek of what will happen if they get lucky and kill everyone in your city.
Ron:
I support the war and always have. The point here is that you are talking about going total war with Islamists when half the west does not even think we are at war at all. And a great many of the half that do are not prepared to see tens of millions die.
BTW, my Dad had two feelings about Nagasaki, he felt it save his life and he felt guilty about it all at the same time…because of all the dead children. He was there long before the bodies were all cleaned up.
Luther:
I understand what you mean. Don’t fear my wrath, I am very harmless. Usually.
WW1 was a vicious war, it killed tens of millions and it was supposed to be the last war. It was not, 20 years later there was another one very much like it in much the same place.
It seems that just killing a lot of people does not always put an end to these things. I am not saying that we should go easy or be afraid to fight but it seems to me that this enemy kind of enjoys getting killed and getting their families killed. In that respect they are different and so they might require a different approach beyond the firebombing of Tokyo scenario.
Roger:
So. How was the drive?
Well Terrye, it is that “usually” which gives one pause
I think we cannot expect ‘one’ war to end a future war. The millions who died in WWI did indeed end that particular war. As did those who died in WWII, in fact, end that war. There will be no ‘one’ war too end all wars, at least in my life time. War may be a constant component of, dare I say, civilization. With the ‘hopefully’ better side winning more often than not. I still submit that the sooner engaged in full, the sooner it is over, with fewer casualties all around.
I think war will always be with us, so long as we are human. The interesting thing I have learned from Keeley’s “War before Civilization” is that the more stable, organized an entity, the fewer people die in these ‘altercations.’ There never was a golden age when people lived together harmoniously with the people in the next valley.
In fact, there is LESS savagery in our modern wars than there were (or are) in tribal battles…
Anyway, I just rec’d a missive from Rich Galen of “Mullings”. He notes that good ol’ Kofi is on his way to visit Ahmacadrabrah in Teheran, and says, “.. Kofi Annan, being an expert in the ways of United Nations resolutions, would likely go to help Iran draft an official response to the demand that it stop enriching uranium which would, at a minimum, allow it to buy more time to continue to enrich uranium…”
and furthermore:
“The biggest danger in Kofi Annan waltzing around the Middle East is this: His term as Secretary-General ends on December 31, 2006.
Even when he was supposed to have cared about his public image he has overseen the most corrupt period in UN history – including his son’s being up to his ears in the Oil-for-Food scandal.
When he leaves office and becomes a private citizen who knows what deals – cooked up while on the UN’s travel dime – will kick into force? ”
Thought I would drop that thought into our time of waiting until Aug 23…
Luther:
I heard that some folks refused to get on a plane with some young men because they were Arabic speakers. I think that if more and more people refuse to allow political correctness to dictate their reactions and if they make it plain that they are fed up with the vicimhood and the whining and the crying of a culture that simultaneously begs for mercy while it shows none…well that in and of itself could have a huge impact on the war on Terror.
We have to kill the bad guys, I will not argue that. But we also have to impress upon the rest of the Middle East that we are as a culture and a society getting fed up with this nonsense and that unless they want the entire Middle East to look like southern Lebanon they might should think about who they hang out with.
I just do not think that the west is ready for WW2 again. I am hopeful that if they stand up for themselves sooner rather than later it might not be necessary.
Yep, I too hope we stand up for ourselves sooner rather than later, because that is the only way we may dodge this oncoming horror.
“We have to kill the bad guys, I will not argue that. But we also have to impress upon the rest of the Middle East that we are as a culture and a society getting fed up with this nonsense and that unless they want the entire Middle East to look like southern Lebanon they might should think about who they hang out with.”
Apologies for the long block, but…
Terrye, is that not all part and parcel of the same thing. Does it not all come down to the same thing? Whether we piss off a million or one billion, ‘they’ have to understand that we will not go down without a fight, a fight which they, after a while, may wish they had never entered. But a fight which we will see through to conclusion. Because we’re just that way. Thus my point about leaving no options off the table. Though politically untenable now, if they push hard enough, that will not always be the case. If otherwise, then there may be no hope.
All this “war” talk against the Islamist and we can’t even bring ourselves to methodically check’m before they get on a plane, in spite of the foil plot for a second round of suicide planes. We pay lip service to security by confiscating lipstick.
We are not serious about this threat.
I’m told that driving a car is a privilege; it appears that getting on a plane unmolested is sacrosanct.
Not all Islamists are Jihadists but all Jihadists are Islamists. You do the math.
Roger,
put down the keyboard, hike up to the intersection of all the glaciers and then have tea etc at the lodge on the mountain side. listen to the harp player in the hotel and forget the rest of this stuff……….
Roger, I agree with Patrick. Forget all the crap for awhile and enjoy your trip. I and a couple of freinds visited Lake Louise in 1966. We spent the night before in a motel in Calgary (which was managed by a couple from Kansas, where we were from). We checked out Lake Louise the next day on our way to Jasper where we camped out for a night before heading home by way of Idaho, Utah and Colorado. Banff and Jasper parks are pretty spectacular.
Luther:
No, it is not all part of the same thing. Not yet anyway.
My point is that if we stand up to the terrorists now, if we make it plain to the rest of the Middle East now, that we are getting tired of the demonstrations over silly crap like cartoons and the attacks and everything else maybe we can avoid killing tens of millions of people.
Like Lem noted, we can not all even decide there is a threat. In truth the fact that people refused to get on a plane with Arabic speakers is good..because it is spontaneous. It shows that people are getting fed up and until they do the idea of total war is not even debatable. Unless there is some huge precipatating event.
You may be right Terrye. It’s just that reason, logic and self preservation do not appear to be high on the list of considerations for those who would like to see us dead.
Luther:
This is true, which makes WW2 tactics questionable.
Yes Roger, you are an addict. A news junkie is much more difficult to cure than handling something like heroin or alcohol. The following twelve step program is designed to help (not cure) your malady.
Honesty. Acknowledge that your life is unmanageable when you hear a breaking story on the car radio, slam on the brakes and make an illegal U-turn to get to the nearest modem.
Faith. You must believe that a greater power can restore your sanity, causing you to turn off the computer before the guests leave.
Submission. Turn over your will and your life to the higher power. If this is your wife, ask her permission to turn on your computer.
Inventory. Make a searching and fearless inventory of yourself. Ask yourself how many poker games you have missed with old buddies, how many baseball games went unseen, how many movie nights out with the family, how many- -.
Confession. Admit to others the exact nature of your wrongdoings. Confessing that you may have once voted democratic would be a beginning.
Readiness. Be ready to have these shortcomings removed. Be ready to join the family for casual conversation. Restrain telling your daughter that North Korea is a threat.
Make A List. Yes Roger, make a list of all those that you have maligned. Be willing to make amends. Even Mickey Kaus.
Make Direct Amends. Tell Bruce Willis directly that you are sorry you noted his indiscretion.
Make Another List. Now you can add those that you have most recently looked upon with disfavor. Screenwriters Guild? Make amends.
Meditate. Seek further improvement through meditation. No meditating on the computer.
Pass On The Message. Let us other junkies know how your doing and what we can do to stop this useless pastime.
Ray Elliott
Speaking of letting them know we are fed up, see Jihad Watch story (Tiny Url link below) about CAIR’s letter campaign against CSpan’s SPencer interview (scroll down 5 0r 6 posts). THEN send CSPAN a message in support, and toss a few less diplomatic sentences to CAIR too.
http://tinyurl.com/nh96s
Nice discussion, Terrye, Luther, et. al.
Luther: I would have thought you have no fear…aren’tt you Luther Mcleod from the Clan Mcleod…the Highlander? (-:
Yes Terrye, questionable, but not unthinkable.
Bruce, yes, that be me. “Hold Fast” the clan motto. And I’ve the long waisted, short ‘hill climbing’ legs to prove it.
Then again, there really are times when discretion is the better part of valor
OK this is war: go to Google and type in “failure”/ and then type in “liar”
The bastards.
Heather
I don’t know what you are getting but when I followed your instructions I got something about Michael Moore being a miserable failure.
Lem,
I did it and under “failure” the first link is to George Bush and
under “liar” is Tony Blair…
…because of that kind of manipulation and their ties to China and their general disposition to liberal politics I don’t use Google.
Roger,
Enjoy the vacation. The world will be there when you get back. You’ll never tell yourself you should have paid more attention to the news. You could, however, wish you had more pictures of your daughter growing up.
My youngest is a senior in college.
Boy, that is a beautiful and magical part of the world. I remember my trip in ’97. May you have the best of time Roger, despite the political world’s sorry condition. Turqoise waters and towering mountains. Aaaaaahhhhhh…..
Maybe follow Mr. Jerome’s prescription:
“1 lb. beefsteak, with 1 pt. bitter beer every 6 hours.
1 ten-mile walk every morning.
1 bed at 11 sharp every night.
And don’t stuff up your head with things you don’t understand.”