Dig That Christmas Music

And now the Brian Setzer (former lead singer of the 80's band, Stray Cats) Orchestra...



...a modern rendition of the Nutcracker Suite.

His Christmas albums are very good: my favorite song is 'Angels We Have Heard on High' off of his Dig That Crazy Christmas.

Old Blood and Guts" dies

Everyone who knows me, knows I'm a big WWII history buff...fanatic. So, I like to periodically blog about WWII stuff. Today, 63 years ago, General George S. Patton, Jr. (affectionately known by his Soldiers as 'Old Blood and Guts') was severely injured in a car accident outside of Mannheim, Germany (in fact, the accident occurred in the vicinity of Kafertal, where I used to live).

He certainly was a 'tough as nails leader' but proved to be a little too controversial for the U.S. Army.

"Along the way, Patton's mouth proved as dangerous to his career as the Germans. When he berated and slapped a hospitalized soldier diagnosed with 'shell shock,' but whom Patton accused of 'malingering,' the press turned on him, and pressure was applied to cut him down to size. He might have found himself enjoying early retirement had not General Dwight Eisenhower and General George Marshall intervened on his behalf."

On December 9, 1945, a day before he was due to return to the United States, Patton was severely injured in a road accident. He and his chief of staff, Major General Hobart R. "Hap" Gay, were on a day trip to hunt pheasants in the country outside Mannheim. Their 1938 Cadillac Model 75 was driven by PFC Horace Woodring (1926 - 2003). Patton sat in the back seat, on the right with General Gay on his left, as per custom. At 11:45 near Neckarstadt, (Käfertal), a 2½ ton GMC truck driven by Technical Sergeant Robert L. Thompson hit the car containing the general head-on. According to the book "Unexplained Mysteries of World War II" the crash was at a railway crossing and the vehicles were just starting up, this means the crash was at no more than 20 MPH. At first the crash seemed minor, the vehicles were hardly damaged, no one in the truck was hurt, but George Patton was leaning back with trouble breathing. General Patton had been thrown forward and his head struck a metal part of the partition between the front and back seats. Gay and Woodring were uninjured. Paralyzed from the neck down, George Patton died of an embolism on December 21, 1945 at the military hospital in Heidelberg, Germany with his wife present.

Dwarves Have More Fun!

Curly's Sweater

It's been awhile since my last post, but I'm back from several weeks of travel and field duty.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

On this date 145 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most famous speeches in American history at the dedication of the military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Using just 272 words, Lincoln brilliantly and movingly articulated the meaning of the conflict for a war-weary public.

At the dedication, the crowd listened for two hours to Edward Everett before Lincoln approached the podium. His address lasted just two minutes, and many in the audience were still making themselves comfortable when he finished. He began by reminding the assembled crowd of the Founding Fathers' vision, which established a nation that was "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." He addressed the country's civil war, which was testing the endurance of American revolutionary ideals, and he honored the soldiers who fought at Gettysburg, suggesting that their struggle had already consecrated the ground "far above our power to add or detract." Lincoln then succinctly stated the purpose of the Northern war effort: "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

The Galactic Empire Needs You!

My vote is cast...

Obama, the Moral Choice?

This will most likely be the last time I post anything on the U.S. presidential race. I've already sent in my absentee ballot...

I read where a fellow follower of Jesus Christ claimed that Obama was her moral choice for president. She based her decision on the candidate's stance on the Iraq war, fighting poverty, and several other positions. She also wrote: 'although not happy about his stance on abortion, still found him as the moral choice.'

I was surprised about this. It echoes of the classic abortion mitigating strategy: 'I'm personally oposed to abortion but...'

So, here's the reason why Obama is NOT my moral choice for president:

1. His stance on abortion is immoral. He voted against the Illinois Senate Bill 1095-Born Alive Infant Protection Act whic only illustrates one aspect of his anti-life stance. Now if you don't see murdering a human being, no matter the location, as not a moral issue, then it's a non-issue for you. However, this is not a biblical Christian view.

2. His pro-socialist/marxist stance. I still can't figure out why modern day liberals have this love affair with communists (they were in love with Uncle Joe--Joe Stalin and still defend him as if he was Mother Teresa). It is a suprise to most voters that Obama has ties to members of the radical left (read, socialists and communists). The Communist Party USA recently endorsed him for president and he has ties to socialist-marxist radicals such as Bill Ayers.

"Our time has come...I can see a role for the Communist Party USA in the next period." Those words from Libero Della Piana, an operative speaking at the headquarters of the Communist Party USA and eagerly anticipating an Obama presidency.

I do not want to commit the logical fallacy of 'guilt by association;' however, one writer noted, relevant associations do matter and context is everything. Moreover, my mother and father told me on numerous occasions during my youth, 'you are judged by the company you keep.' Who can argue with your parents?

Additionally, his 'spread the wealth' comment is very telling of his socialist-marxist proclivity. Karl would be proud...


The power elites which include liberal democratic party members, keep all of their money and take the working classes money and 'share' it with the non-working class which only creates more poverty and gives no incentive to work harder or even work at all. Good policy.

Why is it that former Soviet-Bloc countries are turning towards democracy and capitalism?

Communism has never worked in any country in which it has been tried. In practice, Communism — the ultimate goal of liberalism — affords everything to and for the power elite and little to nothing for everyone else. It also does away with the concept of meritocracy — unless of course one is a member of the aforementioned power elite. However, more and more this is what Democrat presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama seems to be proposing.

Comrade Commisar Obama is not my moral choice for president.

Obama-Marxist rhetoric: http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/13/obama-plumber-plan-spread-wealth/

Communist Manifesto: http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html

Das Kapital complete version: http://www.bibliomania.com/2/1/261/1294/frameset.html