The question is on the lips of many.  Some  decry our failings and insist they are endemic, and show the decline of our Country's greatness. 

They point to our prosperity as evidence of our selfishness. 

They point at our innovation and insist that we are lazy and weak.

They insist that in their lives we have never done anything worthy of pride.

Some point to the White House and our president, and decry his failings and decide the America has suffered under his leadership.  They accuse him of crimes and demand his oust.

They demonstrate against our Military, and defame them.  They falsely accuse them of crimes and atrocities.

They protest in the streets against the war we fight, against our foreign policy, against our leaders, against our culture and against religion.

The take the symbols of our country and deface them in protest.

Again, I apologize, I seem to have been missing for another week or so.  Life is like that, sometimes.  Chalk it up to some needed down time and a family reunion.

So one of the 'big' stories on my return to the blog world was the whole Rachel Ray kerfluffle over her scarf?

So initially I assumed there was some dark sinister message hidden in her headgear, but then I saw the picture you see to the right.

And I don't get it.

Oh, I get the fact that it is somewhat similar to a kaffiyeh, the traditional Arab headdress worn by our enemies in the middle east.

But at the same time, it is a scarf, around the neck of a woman who hosts a TV cook show, and who has never to my knowledge made a single political stance on the war or on Islamfacism.

Peter Davies reports at Blogger News Network, that Chinese troops are backing up Robert Mugabe in his quest to to remain Dictator of what is left of Zimbabwe.

Recent headlines have focused on the “cargo of death” shipped from China to Zimbabwe last week, but in an even more sinister development, Chinese troops have been seen on the streets of a Zimbabwe town… (Daily Mail)  Chinese and North Korean troops were also in evidence alongside Mugabe’s own troops when he attended a rally in Harare recently.  I believe the Chinese and North Korean troops are now needed to stiffen Zimbabwean military support for Mugabe.  There are increasing signs that not all the police, or the military, are still willing to enforce Mugabe’s murderous rule. 

More from the Daily Mail:

Zimbabwe and China have close military ties involving equipment and training.

I have long been opposed to ethanol (and many bio-fuels) on many grounds, not the least of which is that I feel it immoral to use foodstuffs to create fuel while millions starve in the world.

Many others have noted that as the population increases, along with standards of living in the developing world, that the most basic resources will become scarce, including the two most basic: Food and Water.

I will leave speculation on the coming water wars for another time, as shortages of food are far more pressing today.

I had not given much thought to food shortages in the past, as, like most Americans, I was content that the Breadbasket of the World (in which I include the US and Canada) could easily produce enough to feed not only the North America, but the world. 

I thought this was pretty appropriate.  Today while many people watch the Pennsylvania primaries, it is also a holiday:

Patriots Day.  While it is a little known holiday that is only observed in Massachusetts and Maine, the roots of the holiday seem more important today than ever before.

Jules Crittenden starts this off with a long but fascinating series of accounts about Patriot's Day:

April Morning

Patriots Day may be  the least knowwn American holiday, and the day  mostt deserving of our recognition. Observed in Massachusetts and Maine only. Don’t know it? It marks the day, April 19, 1775, on which Americans took up arms agaiinst their kiing, and bled, at the crack of teerrible dawn.

Orders from Gen. Thomas Gage to Lieut. Col. Smith, 10th Regt. Foot, 18 April 1775:  

…

 Paul Revere’s account: 

The post contiues with many more accounts and I urge you to read it thoroughly.

The Latin American Press and some in Congress are calling Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's refusal to bring the negotiated trade agreement between Columbia and the US up for a speedy vote the "Hugo Chávez Rule". Although Speaker Pelosi's intention may be to kowtow to powerful US Trade Unions, the consequence of not ratifying the treaty after Columbia jumped through various hoops required by members of Congress in order for it to be considered may be severe.  Continue reading here. 

NW fruit producers are among those who would benefit from the free trade treaty.

_{Reposting this from 2006.}

The world of politics is never pretty and often very ugly.

One of the most ugly features is how the politicians switch facts around to protect their argument.  They determine a conclusion that fits their needs, and then find the facts that support their conclusion, almost an intellectual reverse engineering.

It's not all that hard, we teach it in every school that has a debate team.  You are assigned a topic, and have to develop an argument to support it.  The validity or accuracy of the facts you present is unimportant unless they are challenged by your opponent.  Preparation becomes the driving factor: are you able to anticipate the challenges and overcome them?  The bottom line is that in the end, the facts don't matter.  Just the Feel.  Can you offer convincing sincerity?  Confidence?  Can you sway them with an emotional plea?  All powerful weapons.

Charlton Heston was an iconic actor, with a voice rivaled by Alex Hailey.  He was the star of many of Hollywood’s most memorable films, from the Ten Commandments, and Ben Hur (which endeared him in the American Heartland), to Planet of the Apes (the original, not the schlock that followed).

A statement from the family is available here.

The BBC (curiously) seems to have the best, and most respectful obituary of this screen legend:

Charlton Heston’s life story reads like a film script. From the backwoods of Michigan, he became one of the world’s most famous faces, a high-profile campaigner for Civil Rights and an unapologetic president of America’s National Rifle Association.

Of course, while the Hate-mongers and smear merchants to the left of the political spectrum in the US will never forgive Heston for his term as president of the NRA, this WWII Army Air Force veteran was a very public and vocal supporter for Civil Rights, at a time when most Democrats (including Al Gore’s father) were opposed.

I think his own words speak to that. The Oregonian has an article today telling us what the governor of Oregon thinks about the Iraq war…

Gov. Ted Kulongoski continues to attend nearly every funeral of Oregonians killed in Iraq. And he doesn’t believe for a minute they died defending the nation from terrorism.

"It’s all part of a message, but it is not the reason we’re there," Kulongoski said in an interview with The Oregonian. The real reason: Oil, he said.

"If they had zero oil, do you think we’d be there?"

Yes Mr. Kulongoski, I think we’d still be there. Read this post for an enumerated listing of the reason’s we’re there in the first place. We have enough proven sources of oil here in the United States to take care of our need for oil for a decent amount of time… if Democrats like yourself would let us tap them.

This year’s crop of Presidential candidates is anything but inspiring. Conservatives don’t really have any great choices, but John McCain is certainly looking better than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Even so, if conservatives want to hold the line against socialism we need to concentrate on the congressional elections.

… or so I thought.

This AP story reminds me of where the real problems in our government lie. It’s in the court systems.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A federal appeals court on Monday upheld an injunction against a Minnesota law that targeted at children under 17 who rent or buy violent video games.

A three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals agreed with a lower-court judge that Minnesota went too far when it passed its law two years ago because the state couldn’t prove that such games hurt children.

Excuse me?