Rumors Of Our Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Yeah, we did lose Paul for a bit. I'm very well aware of the demands on his life right now, and I completely understand his decision. But that doesn't quite mean we're done here. And hopefully, after the big events in his life come to fruition, we'll see our celebrated blog conscience return to the fold. In the meantime, we still have things to futilely bitch about and more interesting reading to call your attention to.

First off, the wonderfully talented Mitch Albom has written a column that sums up a subject that I have tried, and failed, to effectively put into words. That is why he is a famous and wealthy writer and I'm still in my day job writing blogs that no one knows about. Some nice excerpts to tease you with:

In recent issue of Time, I read several letters to the editor. One said, "I love that the president is stubborn enough to stick to his guns . . ."

The letter came from Texas, but it could have come from anywhere. In a world where everything is so fast, so complex, where you don't know who owns the company that owns your company, we cherish simplicity. We want it fast and understandable.

For this, the president has been well coached by his handlers. Say the same thing. Stick by your guns. A certain number will believe you. A certain number will think you're lying.

But an even bigger number will admire you for not changing your mind.

Folks, I don't care what your political persuasion, this is a dangerous quality for us to admire.

And here is a very important piece that should be required reading for anyone registered to vote. It is a very thoughtful dissertation whose writers have placed this in the NY Times. More excerpts to whet the appetite:

History shows decisively that, over the long haul, attacking terrorism increases terrorism. And indeed, that is what is happening right now across the world. As long as they feel aggrieved or attacked, there is nobility and importance in their cause, and their membership rolls increase. When they are no longer aggrieved or attacked, membership declines.
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We should not preemptively attack. We were right to invade Afghanistan. Al Qaeda had viciously attacked us on 9/11, and a concentration of their financial support and training bases were in Afghanistan. We had asked the Taliban leaders of Afghanistan for assistance in pursuing al Qaeda, which they rebuffed. We were right to invade Afghanistan, but we have been wrong in abandoning Afghanistan and ceding the country back to the Taliban and the warlords. Lawlessness has returned, the Taliban are reestablished and Afghanistan is again the number one producer of opium in the world. It is the most prominent economic resource they know, and we have not been there to provide alternatives.

Iraq, on the other hand, never attacked us. In fact, we have now learned that our sanctions against Iraq had done their work in essentially eliminating Iraq’s capacity for weapons of mass destruction. By attacking Iraq, we increased the perception of our antagonism toward Muslim nations, and we increased poverty — both direct and powerful factors in inciting the terrorist actions we seek to end. And we damage our case for the morality of our cause. Again, we veer from our founding principles: Lincoln wrote “If, today, (anyone) should choose to say he thinks it’s necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us … you may say to him, ‘I see no probability of the British invading us.’ But he will say to you, ‘Be silent; I see it, (even) if you don’t.’” Generals Lee and Grant both struggled with their conscience regarding the U.S. invasion of Mexico in 1847, which they both fought in but thought to be an egregious war and a stain on the honor of the U.S. The only war that a democratic society can ultimately conduct is a true war of self-defense, not a preemptive war under the guise of self-defense.

Yeah, we're back!
- posted by Jon @ 1:13 PM

 
A Public Service Announcement
Despite our best efforts, leukemia is still one of the many diseases that we've haven't yet completely conquered. However, there's always hope as everyday, researchers go after new ways of treating the disease. It all starts with bone marrow transplants, and it's fairly easy to get involved in the donor registry.

Two people that we know of have been affected by this disease. One is a person that my wife used to work with who has had Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia since 1997. The other is the mother of someone who's a good friend of one of my friends. She's currently battling leukemia for the third time. Both have reached the point where their best options are to pursue a bone marrow transplant.

My friend's friend has set up a website, www.bmt4cathy.com to help raise more awareness of the need for bone marrow donors. So please take a look and see if you can help out in any way. Even something as simple as just getting the word out will be a huge help.
- posted by Jon @ 10:47 PM