The Great Depression was so much fun, let's do it again!
Don't think that's such a good idea? Then why are we doing exactly the same things that brought on the First Great Depression?
http://blog648.wordpress.com/2009/01/29/oh-thisll-work/
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A note about the River Trail Ward photoblog...
I regret to inform anyone who might be interested that the River Trail Ward photoblog has been discontinued by request. Sorry.
Happy Birthday, Noelle
Blogger tells me I've exceeded my photo quota and can't upload any more images.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Happy Birthday, Bradley
Today, Jan. 13 is Bradley's birthday.
Here's Brad with Noelle and Chris when he was about 6 months olds.
Here he is a few months later, after he'd learned how to walk, in fact run.
Here he is at the Calgary Stampede, guzzling an Orange Chrush.
One thing about Brad was that he always did everything with a lot of gusto. He always talked loud, almost like he was shouting. Of course, he had 3 older siblings, so I guess he figured he had to compete for attention. And he never walked anywhere, it was always on the dead run. If it was some place he wanted to go to, he wanted to get there fast. You could always tell when Brad was happy, because you could hear him. If he was unhappy or sad, he was quiet. Or, another possibility was, if he was quiet he was getting into something he wasn't supposed to. He couldn't resist flavored Chap Sticks. He thought they were candy or something. One time we caught him hiding in the coat closet with a butter knife, scooping out one of my Chap Sticks.
Here's Brad at Huck Finn Day in Spanish Fork.
Chris and Brad won blue ribbons at the Cub Scout Space Derby.
Brad is married to Jodi, and they have three boys of their own.
Being a father has matured Brad in a lot of ways, but in some ways he's very much like that little boy of long ago.
Happy Birthday, Bradley. I love you, son.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Can Israel Bomb Its Way To Peace?
Has Israel learned its lesson?
by Jeff Jacoby
The Boston Globe
"The hard truth is that no matter how much Israelis crave peace, they cannot achieve it through concessions and compromises and "road maps" - not when their enemies view such overtures and agreements as signs of weakness, and as proof that terrorism works. For 60 years, Israel has had to contend with the hostility of its neighbors and the heavy costs of war; its yearning for peace is understandable. But there will be no peace without victory, and no victory without fighting for it."
...
"Whether this strong rhetoric will be backed up by strong action in the long run remains to be seen. Yesterday, the Israeli cabinet rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour truce. Perhaps, at long last, the lesson has been learned: With an enemy like Hamas, which boasts that it "loves death" and "drinks blood," truces and deals are illusory. If Israel seeks lasting peace, it must first win a lasting victory."
Read More Here
Israel can't bomb it's way to peace.
by Rosa Brooks
The Los Angeles Times
"In a strictly military sense, Israel will "win" this battle against Hamas. For all its threats and bravado, Hamas is weak, and its weapons -- terrorism, homemade rockets -- are the weapons of the weak. Since 2001, Hamas has fired thousands of unguided Kassam rockets at Israel, but the rockets have killed only a handful of Israelis."
...
"Israel has no viable political endgame here: There's just no clear route from bombardment to a sustainable peace. But the damage caused by this new conflagration won't be limited to the Israelis and Palestinians. Israel's military offensive already has sparked outrage and protests throughout the Arab world. The current crisis also may destabilize some of the more moderate Arab governments in the region -- in Egypt, for instance -- where leaders now face popular backlash if they don't repudiate Israel."
...
"It's time for the United States to wake up from its long slumber and reengage -- forcefully -- with the Middle East peace process. Only the U.S. -- Israel's primary supporter and main financial sponsor -- can push it to make the hard choices necessary for its own long-term security, as well as the region's. In January 2001, the Taba talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority came achingly close to a final settlement, but talks broke down after Likud's Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister on Feb. 6, 2001. Sharon refused to meet with Yasser Arafat, and newly inaugurated President George W. Bush had no interest in pushing Israel toward peace."
"Eight years later, Israel faces another election, and we're about to swear in a new president. When he takes office, Obama needs to push both Israelis and Palestinians to sit back down, with the abandoned Taba agreements as the starting point. Here's to a less bloody 2009."
Read More Here
My own view is that the Palestinians, particularly Hamas, do not want peace. They boast that they love death and drink blood. They make no bones about wanting to wipe Israel off the map. They have sought war, not peace, and now they have it. Hamas has no hope of bringing Israel to its knees militarily. Their hope is that the rest of the Arab world and Iran will take up their cause and attack Israel. When all the Israeli Jews are dead, then, and only then, will there be peace in the Middle East.
by Jeff Jacoby
The Boston Globe
"The hard truth is that no matter how much Israelis crave peace, they cannot achieve it through concessions and compromises and "road maps" - not when their enemies view such overtures and agreements as signs of weakness, and as proof that terrorism works. For 60 years, Israel has had to contend with the hostility of its neighbors and the heavy costs of war; its yearning for peace is understandable. But there will be no peace without victory, and no victory without fighting for it."
...
"Whether this strong rhetoric will be backed up by strong action in the long run remains to be seen. Yesterday, the Israeli cabinet rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour truce. Perhaps, at long last, the lesson has been learned: With an enemy like Hamas, which boasts that it "loves death" and "drinks blood," truces and deals are illusory. If Israel seeks lasting peace, it must first win a lasting victory."
Read More Here
Israel can't bomb it's way to peace.
by Rosa Brooks
The Los Angeles Times
"In a strictly military sense, Israel will "win" this battle against Hamas. For all its threats and bravado, Hamas is weak, and its weapons -- terrorism, homemade rockets -- are the weapons of the weak. Since 2001, Hamas has fired thousands of unguided Kassam rockets at Israel, but the rockets have killed only a handful of Israelis."
...
"Israel has no viable political endgame here: There's just no clear route from bombardment to a sustainable peace. But the damage caused by this new conflagration won't be limited to the Israelis and Palestinians. Israel's military offensive already has sparked outrage and protests throughout the Arab world. The current crisis also may destabilize some of the more moderate Arab governments in the region -- in Egypt, for instance -- where leaders now face popular backlash if they don't repudiate Israel."
...
"It's time for the United States to wake up from its long slumber and reengage -- forcefully -- with the Middle East peace process. Only the U.S. -- Israel's primary supporter and main financial sponsor -- can push it to make the hard choices necessary for its own long-term security, as well as the region's. In January 2001, the Taba talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority came achingly close to a final settlement, but talks broke down after Likud's Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister on Feb. 6, 2001. Sharon refused to meet with Yasser Arafat, and newly inaugurated President George W. Bush had no interest in pushing Israel toward peace."
"Eight years later, Israel faces another election, and we're about to swear in a new president. When he takes office, Obama needs to push both Israelis and Palestinians to sit back down, with the abandoned Taba agreements as the starting point. Here's to a less bloody 2009."
Read More Here
My own view is that the Palestinians, particularly Hamas, do not want peace. They boast that they love death and drink blood. They make no bones about wanting to wipe Israel off the map. They have sought war, not peace, and now they have it. Hamas has no hope of bringing Israel to its knees militarily. Their hope is that the rest of the Arab world and Iran will take up their cause and attack Israel. When all the Israeli Jews are dead, then, and only then, will there be peace in the Middle East.
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