And, suddenly I realized: I think I'm the only lady on it! *gasp, shock* C'mon, lady Virginians - you know you're out there! Anyway, it's wonderful to be associated with such savvy guys, and I've got to say thanks to Chad for putting it together, and to Kilo for kicking me in the rear so I'd get more involved. (UPDATE - and Kilo, bless his kind heart, chimes in!)
Browsing throught the blogroll this morning shows me that we have some new members. From On High is one of them, and Jerry has two pieces this morning which are very interesting. The first, "You Knew It Would Come To This," is a stern warning about sexual agendas -
When homosexuals and their liberal pals decided it was perfectly legitimate for gays to marry each other, there were a number of us who argued that to sanction such abnormality would open the floodgates to all other kinds of "marriage."
and his other post, which I really liked, "Yes To Democracy" reminds us that being involved isn't just a duty:
So I say, Let Freedom Ring. Let us vote. Let us decide our own future. Reduce the reliance on the weasels in Washington and the rotters in Richmond.
Jerry has a lot of great articles, and I reccommend that you go and read his blog carefully.
Norman, one of the Charter Members of ODBA (or as close to it as makes no difference), blogs at One Man's Trash and mentions the Tuesday Morning Group Meeting (whence cometh that, guys? Is it a regular thing?) where he will give a talk about blogging. Rich (Rick?) Sincere and Shaun Kenney, two other ODBA members, will also be there speaking, and I'm hoping we'll get a transcript.
Shaun is also a recent addition to ODBA, and I know I'm going to enjoy him, since he asks questions like, "Is Lieberman a Right Wing Extremist, Too?" ***zzzziiing!***
Rick has a good post up from last week, talking about the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's murder. He does an excellent job of reminding us of the historical events which shape us:
Each generation of young adults has its own touchstone moment in which nearly every person, when posed with the question, "Where were you when you heard that [blank] happened?", will be able to answer with vivid and precise detail.
For my grandparents' generation, that moment was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, commemorated yesterday. And for most of that generation, the death of President Franklin Roosevelt nearly four years later is nearly as prominent.
For my parents and their cohort, the date November 22, 1963, is forever embedded in their memories, and not because that was the day C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, died. No, on that day the assassination of President John F. Kennedy became the stuff of legend (and unending theories of paranoid conspiracy).
Today's generation, of course, remembers the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, with the same precision. The generation 10 to 15 years older may think back to the Challenger explosion in January 1986.
James at the Skeptical Observer follows the history theme with "Touching History," and reminds us
It's rather odd, or perhaps a sad commentary on the woeful state of history education in this country, but in that small town, I never learned in school that a local man had played an important role (at church yesterday, a retired Air Force officer commented to me, "Well, he got them there") in one of the most historically significant events of the Twentieth Century. As I told my sons, who were with me, long after we're dead and gone, people will remember what Ted and the crew of which he was a part did to end World War II.
Welcome to the blogroll, James. I can see you're going to be a great contributor!
Kilo, my beloved blog-brother, is really just out to sabotage me by talking about Fried Oreos... I can feel the arteries hardening and the pounds increasing, Kilo. I'm blaming you, 'cause you know I'm going to have to try that recipe! (Kilo is also the only one with trackbacks so far! **hint, hint**)
Chad (who also has trackbacks!) notes that Kaine appears to be lobbying for an amendment to the State's Constitution (or so it appears, anyway). Now that I think about it, Norman mentioned it, too.
Old Zach at Sic Semper Tyrannis says that Sen. Allen
is dropping his support for 'hate crimes' legislation that includes sexual orientation as a protected class. Allen voted for similar legislation back in 2004.
Thank goodness! If idiocy like that starts passing, I'd be waiting for the Thought Police to arrive on my doorstep. Current law forbidding murder, assault, and such crimes are more than sufficient - so long as they are properly enforced. Adding "hate crimes" is just a bunch of PC-pandering which will, as Old Zach quotes, "...have a chilling effect on First Amendment rights." You bet it will!
Did you read Hans Mast at the (Not So) Daily Me on Friday? He has a great post about global warming that you need to read:
Global Warming is a verifiable fact, as liberals like to tell you. That much is true. However, some of the extra hypotheses surrounding the causation of Global Warming are just that: a hypothesis; quite shaky hypotheses at that. The thrust of the politically-motivated, added hypothesis is this: burning hydrocarbons is causing global warming. This hypothesis makes a vast historical assumption that is fast being proved untrue. Any time science makes a foray into history, assumptions are made. Because of the intricate (and absolutely fascinating) math required to form some of these greatly extrapolated conclusions, the smallest inaccuracy in the assumptions can majorly change the conclusion.
Well, that's what caught my eye this morning. I hope that you will take the time and browse through the ODBA (that's for Old Dominion Blog Alliance, if I haven't already told you) blogroll in my right sidebar. There's lots of talent there, and it will be a good idea to keep an eye on Virginia, since it's quite possible that at least two Presidential candidates will come from this State in 2008.
