In pondering the question of whether or not Team Obama released for publication his prayer at the Western Wall, I wondered if any other politician had done the same. John McCain apparently did not. There has been a case where the text of a prayer left at the Western Wall was purposely released, but that was a very specific prayer, released for a specific reason. As part and parcel of a whole acknowledgment of wrongs against the Jewish people, John... Read more
Well, it’s a better attempt at satire than the New Yorker cover, which utterly failed because it did not go far enough, but…it still doesn’t really work. Perhaps it’s the smug superiority. It’s so thick, it undercuts the irony. Ugh. Read more
:::UPDATE:::Okay, so after writing all the reasons why I believed Obama and his campaign meant his prayer at the Western Wall to be private…there comes word from the Israeli paper Ma’ariv – which came under attack for publishing the prayer – that the prayer was released to the press as Obama was leaving the hotel. Which throws everything into doubt. Was the prayer “stolen” or not? Was it ever, in fact, “personal and private” or not? Was the whole thing,... Read more
“All Americans can be proud that Roy Benavidez was one of us.” I’d never heard the astonishing story of this Vietnam-era Medal of Honor winner, Roy Benavidez, until today. You hear the story – of his almost unbelievable heroism in war, and his spirit of volunteerism in civilian life – and ponder his attitude of service, and you wonder…why doesn’t Hollywood tell this story? It sounds like it could be very inspirational. Nothing wrong with being inspired by substance. We’ve... Read more
Bush holding Stanley Debshaw before leaving the Peoria Airport (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) (H/T Fausta) How great is that shot? How adorable is that kid? The picture is part of a 4-shot gallery of photos entitled Bush’s fun with kids at airport, and all four shots are excellent. I especially liked this one, of the president sharing a laugh with a primary school principal: It is amazing to me that this president, who has a very full plate and carries the stigma... Read more
In a two-year election season we see a lot of ugliness, and a lot of boundaries pushed, and the publishing of Barack Obama’s prayer at the Western Wall – the holiest site in Judaism – is seriously out-of-bounds. I’m kind of appalled that anyone took his prayer out of that wall, more appalled that it was made public, and incredibly appalled that some a faith-based site is “fisking” the prayer while a few bloggers (and forum commenters) are daring to... Read more
Very sad to read that Randy Pausch, who used his illness to teach all of us how to live fuller, more meaningful lives, has passed away. In May, Dr. Pausch spoke at the Carnegie Mellon University commencement. He said a friend recently told him he was “beating the [Grim] Reaper” because it’s now been nine months since his doctor told him he would die in six. “But we don’t beat the Reaper by living longer. We beat the Reaper by... Read more
Cuter than all fab four at once! Read more
Serious question, here – I am just wondering. Seems scientists have found a way to pull carbon out of the atmosphere and dispose of it. Which I guess could mean the “climate change” problem has a tentative “solution.” But…if you pull out too much carbon, won’t you affect the trees and plants? Don’t they take in carbon and release oxygen? And should we be screwing with the atmosphere for the sake of a very unsettled “science” that no one can... Read more
In most colleges, Communications 101 teaches that in order to give a really memorable and meaningful speech, a speaker should have a genuine issue to speak about, and some relevance to the occasion. Think of Reagan hoping to “tear down these walls…” Martin Luther King longing for the day people would be judged not by the color of one’s skin, “but on the content of [one’s] character… Churchill pledging victory and offering nothing but “blood, toil, tears and sweat…” Bush... Read more
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