In Flanders Fields

For Memorial Day:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Memorial Day

Today, as every day, our American flag is flying. But today we will spend some time remembering those brave Americans who died while defending this great nation and its principles.

Often these men and women were so very young -- I've read that the average age of our fallen soldiers is just 19. Often they died in distant, lonely, and strange places; there's something particularly discomfiting about dying so far from home.

Today is the day we remember their sacrifices. Today we salute the bravery and dedication of the American soldiers and sailors, past and present -- they have kept America safe and free for over 200 years.

Thank you, one and all.

Here are some Memorial Day links for you:

Wikipedia

Paralyzed Veterans of America

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Memorial Day Links Roundup

Memorial Day History

Memorial Day Thoughts

Cal and Jamie Johnson, Part II

Jamie Johnson left an extensive comment on my previous post, and once again I will let her comment speak for itself. I have made some trivial formatting changes to make it more readable:

Thank you for the opportunity to set a few more wrongs right.

Yes, my husband has lost weight. Partially from the addiction and partally from the daily stresses of being self employed in a city that is corrupt and immune from persecution. As to my weight loss. In August of 2004 I underwent gastric bypass surgery in an attempt to better my life and reduce the health related problems I was enduring as a result of being overweight for more than 15 years. To inadvertently imply I may have been using as well shows the ignorance of society and the "jump on the band wagon" mentality that I have tried to overcome.

Secondly, our children's health has NEVER been disregarded. I have always been the primary caregiver when it comes to our kids and that has not changed. Our family life was not one of anger and rage. Do we punish our kids for wrong doings...yes. We ground them, we take away possessions, we do not torture, beat, threaten or abuse our children. don't you think if the police saw evidence of abuse, my kids would be elsewhere instead of at home with me where they are.

I also believe that persons under the influence of drugs should be held accountable for thier actions. At no time have I insinuated that I think my husband should be treated with "kid gloves" because I have chosen to give him the chance to make a change in his life. I will stand up in court and tell the truth and when asked if I support my husband I will say that I do. does that mean I don't want him to take what he has coming to him for these acts. Absolutely not. He will be spending time in prison for this, I do not delude myself into thinking that I can stand up and ask a Juadge to go lightly on him.

On the other hand, he has 100% committed to entering himself into intensive residential treatment for however long it takes. He will have to prove to me that nothing like this can ever happen again before we can even begin to try to heal our relationship. I have to give him the chance to get better and heal himself and as a result I can heal as well.

Our children are our first priority and steps have already beenn taken to begin treatment for their mental well being. I will never let my kids think that it is okay to treat someone in this manner. It has to be said that our family is not crippled with a continuing pattern of domestic abuse. This incident is the one and only exception to domestic violence. I am not saying we have had a perfect 23 year relationship, but at no time has my husband abused me prior to this tragic day. Has he called me names, yes. Has he yelled at me or raised his voice, yes. Has he lost his temper and said things he later regretted, yes, but who hasn't. I have too.

We have worked very hard instilling consequences and values in our kids and if you really know my family, you would know that as well. I don't excuse my husbands actions and simply blame his addiction. I was merely trying to say that absent the addiction this would not have happened. My family will need time to heal and my husband needs time to heal as well. He isn't going to be in Jamul for a very long time. His treatment is going to begin immediately upon his release from jail and will continue for as long as it takes. Cal knows he screwed up and he also knows that only time and a genuine committment to himself will begin the road to recovery. I can only hope and pray that he will be successful.

Now to set the record straight as to the false reports from the press and Sgt. Mary Helman. First and foremost, my husband had NO weapons on him when he was arrested. Secondly, he was not "on the run" for days. He waited until he was able to talk to me so that I could meet him and we could go together to the police station and he could turn himself in. He wanted his soulmate by his side and I in turn wanted to be there to support him and to let him know he wasn't in this alone. Our children asked me to be with him so he would not be alone and afraid. Selfless acts are the wings of angels.

Third, my husband did not torture me over a week, as stated by the prosecutor, or even 3 days as stated by the press. This incident began on that tragic day and ended on that tragic day. Fourth, at NO TIME did my husband threaten to kill our children. My comment to the police was that if they were to arrest my husband in front of our children...IT would kill them.

If you noticed the news reports made no mention of my husbands addiction. Why you ask. If one were to find out that perhaps an addiction played a role in this it might not be as sensational. He may not be viewed as such a horrible monster. Well, enough said.

Those that think you are immune from addiction and the pain of a tragedy...think again. Meth isn't predjudiced. It will take ahold of anyone that chooses to partake of it. The only thing that I can say may be my saving grace in all of this is that if one women can be saved from being abused by having this tradgedy brought to light then the humiliation and pain that I feel every second of every day since this happened is worth it.

To the young women who stopped that morning on Proctor Valley Road...I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are an angel and I will never forget you.

God bless,

Jamie Johnson

Jamie, thank you for sharing this with the community. I am reminded once again (for the bazillionth time) just how different the same events can appear when viewed from a different perspective, or in a different context. I hope that in some small way it is helpful for you to have a public forum for your thoughts and feelings.

We wish you and your family all the best as you move on from this awful day -- you, your kids, and Cal all have some real challenges ahead. Feel free to contact me (email at right) if there's any way the JamulBlog and its readers can help...

Ivory Sector Rule

The beautiful old instrument at right is a very fine example of a "sector rule". These sector rules were computational tools, the equivalent of a calculator in their time -- the 1700s and 1800s. This particular sector is made from ivory and brass by the English instrument makers Nairne and Blunt; it dates from about 1790.

You can read more about this instrument at my collection web site.

Formidable People

Last November, the London Telegraph published this fine essay by Andrew Gimson. A comment I heard the other day reminded me of it, and this weekend seemed an appropriate time to share it. The essay concludes:

The Americans are prepared to use force in pursuit of what they regard as noble aims. It is yet another respect in which they are rather old-fashioned. They are patriots who venerate their nation and their flag.

The idea has somehow gained currency in Britain that America is an essentially peaceful nation. Quite how this notion took root, I do not know. Perhaps we were unduly impressed by the protesters against the Vietnam war.

It is an idea that cannot survive a visit to the National Museum of American History in Washington, where one is informed that the "price of freedom" is over and over again paid in blood.

The Americans' tactics in Iraq, and their sanction for Israel's tactics in Lebanon, have given rise to astonishment and anger in Europe. It may well be that those tactics are counter-productive, and that the Americans and Israelis need to take a different approach to these ventures if they are ever to have any hope of winning hearts and minds.

But when the Americans speak of freedom, we should not imagine, in our cynical and worldly-wise way, that they are merely using that word as a cloak for realpolitik. They are not above realpolitik, but they also mean what they say.

These formidable people think freedom is so valuable that it is worth dying for.

Read the whole thing.

And remember -- and give thanks for -- the soldiers and sailors who died making us a "formidable people"...

"Dr. Death" to be Released...

Dr. Jack Kevorkian (aka "Dr. Death") is about to be released from prison, after serving just over eight years of a 10-to-25 year sentence.

He plans to promote assisted-suicide enabling laws after he is released next week, but says he won't break any laws while doing it. In other words, he's pledging not to kill anybody himself, so long as it remains illegal to do so. Actually, Oregon has such laws, so presumably he could start plying his hobby (or whatever it is) there with impunity...

Whatever your beliefs about assisted suicide, this guy is creepy. My impression of him -- and I know I'm not the only one -- is that he just plain likes to kill people. Very creepy, he is...

I imagine him smiling as he pushes the button...

What's That Funny-Looking Thing Up There?

A reader asks "What's that funny-looking thing to the right of your blog's name?" The reader, by the way, is from Jamul himself.

That "funny-looking thing" is the trunk of a manzanita tree -- the most emblematic image of the chaparral that I could think of. Apparently it wasn't emblematic enough, if even another Jamulian didn't recognize it!

So I hereby announce a contest -- or maybe it's a plea -- for an image that evokes the chaparral, at least for people familiar with the chaparral of Southern California...

Day-by-Day

I always keep Chris Muir's excellent Day-by-Day cartoon posted on the sidebar. Today's is a great zinger on the lamestream media's awful coverage of the war in Iraq -- and Chris would know, as he was himself embedded a short time ago.

Just click on the small image at right, and it will zoom to readable size...

Blogger Update

Another 50 old posts imported, and once again Blogger said "STOP, SPAMMER"!

Sigh.

On the positive side, I believe I have figured out a way to re-insert all my old photos and images into the old posts (which now just have funny boxes where the photos are supposed to be). But I won't do this unless Blogger solves my import problem!

Cal and Jamie Johnson

I've posted twice (here and here) about the recent strange case of Cal Johnson, accused of holding his wife captive, beating her, torturing her (including with over 100 electric shocks), and threatening to kill her. The news reports have been very sketchy, and my earlier posts included a plea to the community for any information they might have about Mr. Johnson and his wife.

This morning I discovered that Jamie Johnson -- Mr. Johnson's wife -- added a comment to the second post. I must be careful to point out that this could be someone pretending to be Jamie, as I have no way to verify the authenticity of the commenter. The rest of my comments here will assume that this really was Jamie Johnson; you can judge for yourself (I have corrected some obvious and trivial spelling errors):

First let me say that Cal Johnson is not the person the prosecutors are trying to portray. I know this as I am his wife and the victim of this assault. My husband is the most loving, caring, giving person one could meet...that is until he became addicted to methamphetamines. My husband did not do these acts to me..the drugs did. I know some of you will say I am ignorant or just trying to protect the man I love and the father of my children. To a point you would be right, however I also know that he has to be held accountable for what has happened. He knows he has to be held accountable for this. The news did not report the facts as accurately as they should have. The actions of the reporters covering this case, particularly the reporter from channel 39 is deplorable. Seeing as this is being referred to as a sexual assault...what about my rights?!?! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who the wife of "Cal Johnson, 47 of Jamul" is. Why can't a personal and private family tragedy be kept personal and private. Those in this community that wish to pass judgment on us, on him, go ahead. I will stand by my husband every step of the way just as I have for the past 23 years. He is not a danger to anyone but himself and I am saddened and perplexed how anyone could judge another person until you've walked a mile in their shoes. Go ahead and scorn us and turn your heads and whisper when you see us about town, just remember...this could happen to anyone. I pray that no one would have to endure what we are at this point in our lives, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and we are definite fighters. I sincerely hope that our friends will still be our friends, but if not then you never really were.

God bless,

Jamie Johnson

This is certainly a far different context than the one reported in the news. While it's easy to understand Jamie's desire for privacy, reality is that the moment Cal committed a crime (which she is not denying), his actions became a public matter -- something for all of us to be concerned about. Her assertion that Cal is not a danger to anyone but himself is belied by her own experience as his victim, which she confirms. I'm guessing that she means that he is no danger to others going forward, but that is a matter that it is definitely in the public interest to ascertain.

I find myself reacting in several different ways to Jamie's comment, all at the same time. On the one hand, who could help but admire a loyal wife "standing by her man" in his time of need? On the other hand, her man's behavior and actions have caused her great pain, and apparently put her very life in danger -- would we admire her if she had been killed?

Jamie makes a clear distinction between her husband's actions and the drugs's actions, and she accuses the latter rather than the former. While she doesn't directly say this, one can infer that she would like to see her husband treated for the drug addiction, and gently punished for his actions while under the influence. This, of course, is a classic public policy question with lots and lots of baggage. From my own reading, the success rate of drug addiction treatment is not high -- there are great success stories, but there are many more stories of failure. Those successes seem well worth fighting for ... until you discover the costs (to individuals and to society) of the failures. My personal viewpoint is that people should be held accountable for their actions without regard to whether they were under the influence of some substance when they committed those actions. In this case, I'd argue that Cal should be punished for whatever crimes he is guilty of, without considering his methamphetamine addiction as a mitigating factor.

But my overriding reaction to Jamie's comments is one of sympathy. Just think what this poor woman has lived through! Even before Cal attacked her, I'm sure there much fear, anguish, and distress over her husband transformed by his addiction. Quite likely there were failed attempts to get him into treatment. Then the awful attack -- reading even the lightweight news reports about it gave me the shivers. Then there's the experience with the press, the appearance in court, her husband -- whom she obviously loves very much -- in jail, and in distress himself. My life seems like a complete cakewalk when compared with just her recent experiences. Whatever you feel about her and her situation, you just can't help but admire Jamie's pluck and courage...

Evening in Jamul

It's a lovely, quiet evening in Jamul. This photo is from the near-realtime camera on Lyons Peak. This particular camera is pointed due north; if our home was visible, it would be just right of dead center in the photo.

If you click on the photo to expand it, you can see the evening mists starting to gather in the valleys. Looking out my window, I can see the first tendrils of it wandering by in the evening gloom...

American Honor

The Wall Street Journal has a superb column by Peter Collier on line (but behind the subscription wall) in honor of Memorial Day. Hopefully they will make it publicly available in the next few days (they usually do).

Meanwhile, here's the lead:

Once we knew who and what to honor on Memorial Day: Those who had given all their tomorrows, as was said of the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy, for our todays. But in a world saturated with selfhood, where every death is by definition a death in vain, the notion of sacrifice today provokes puzzlement more often than admiration. We support the troops, of course, but we also believe that war, being hell, can easily touch them with an evil no cause for engagement can wash away. And in any case we are more comfortable supporting them as victims than as warriors.

Former football star Pat Tillman and Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham were killed on the same day: April 22, 2004. But as details of his death fitfully emerged from Afghanistan, Tillman has become a metaphor for the current conflict -- a victim of fratricide, disillusionment, coverup and possibly conspiracy. By comparison, Dunham, who saved several of his comrades in Iraq by falling on an insurgent's grenade, is the unknown soldier. The New York Times, which featured Abu Ghraib on its front page for 32 consecutive days, put the story of Dunham's Medal of Honor on the third page of section B.

And here's the end:

Leo Thorsness was also at the Hanoi Hilton. The Air Force pilot had taken on four MiGs trying to strafe his wingman who had parachuted out of his damaged aircraft; Mr. Thorsness destroyed two and drove off the other two. He was shot down himself soon after this engagement and found out by tap code that his name had been submitted for the Medal.

One of Mr. Thorsness's most vivid memories from seven years of imprisonment involved a fellow prisoner named Mike Christian, who one day found a grimy piece of cloth, perhaps a former handkerchief, during a visit to the nasty concrete tank where the POWs were occasionally allowed a quick sponge bath. Christian picked up the scrap of fabric and hid it.

Back in his cell he convinced prisoners to give him precious crumbs of soap so he could clean the cloth. He stole a small piece of roof tile which he laboriously ground into a powder, mixed with a bit of water and used to make horizontal stripes. He used one of the blue pills of unknown provenance the prisoners were given for all ailments to color a square in the upper left of the cloth. With a needle made from bamboo wood and thread unraveled from the cell's one blanket, Christian stitched little stars on the blue field.

"It took Mike a couple weeks to finish, working at night under his mosquito net so the guards couldn't see him," Mr. Thorsness told me. "Early one morning, he got up before the guards were active and held up the little flag, waving it as if in a breeze. We turned to him and saw it coming to attention and automatically saluted, some of us with tears running down our cheeks. Of course, the Vietnamese found it during a strip search, took Mike to the torture cell and beat him unmercifully. Sometime after midnight they pushed him into our cell, so bad off that even his voice was gone. But when he recovered in a couple weeks he immediately started looking for another piece of cloth."

We impoverish ourselves by shunting these heroes and their experiences to the back pages of our national consciousness. Their stories are not just boys' adventure tales writ large. They are a kind of moral instruction. They remind of something we've heard many times before but is worth repeating on a wartime Memorial Day when we're uncertain about what we celebrate. We're the land of the free for one reason only: We're also the home of the brave.

If you get the chance, do read the whole piece...

Rolling Thunder

It's an annual Memorial Day weekend tradition:

Every Memorial Day weekend on Sunday, Rolling Thunder, an organization of mostly Viet Nam veterans, comes to DC for their motorcycle ride from the Pentagon to the Vietnam Memorial. It’s an hours-long parade of thousands of participants from across the country to insure that America doesn’t forget the men and women who died for this country in that unpopular war.

This year it’s a little different - today they partnered with the newly-formed Gathering of Eagles, which has it’s roots in the internet. When Vietnam veterans felt that the Wall was threatened by anti-protesters back in March of this year, they hastily assembled an internet gathering point and made plans to protect that monument from being defaced. On March 17th, they gathered around the three Vietnam memorials and the Korean War Memorial and lined the protest to the Pentagon. Crowd estimates were about 20,000 pro-troops participants to about 4,000 anti-war protesters.

There are lots more photos at the link. I particularly enjoyed a sign (obviously directed at the liberals supporting redeployment withdrawal) that read:

What part of "Support our troops!" don't you understand?

Missing In Action

Watch this video:



Then ponder this: Jack-in-the-Box's competitors are suing them. This is a statement about our society, and I don't think it's a good one.

Where the heck is their sense of humor? It's completely missing in action. Wouldn't a competitively funny ad have been a much better response?

Sheesh, folks...

Take A Beating...

Scott Adams has a completely rational answer to the major issues related to global warming:

The question of whether people are the cause of global warming, or part of the cause, is somewhat irrelevant. It doesn’t really matter if the problem is caused by cars or farting cows or rotting leaves. If the warming is going to threaten life as we know it, the only important questions are these:

1. Are we sure global warming will cause more bad than good?

2. Realistically, can we do anything to stop it?

3. Would the costs of stopping it be more or less than the benefits?

I’m fairly certain the answer to all three questions is “Beats the shit out of me.”

Me, too -- though I'll add that experience would indicate that any cries of "The sky is falling!" are best met with intense skepticism, and shouldn't be believed without very credible evidence (as opposed to, say, someone's over-simple and fudge-factored computer model). Remember "nuclear winter"? That was just thirty years ago, and some of the same climatologists where are now warning us about global warming were then warning us about global cooling...

But enough of that serious stuff. Isn't it just a hoot to watch Scott Adams think?

Hero Dog

A dog named "Hero", who used to live in Iraq, now has a new home in New Hampshire with the parents of one of our fallen heroes. In Iraq, Spc. Justin Rollins was amongst the soldiers who discovered Hero in a litter of newborn puppies. The very next day (two months ago), Justin was killed by a roadside bomb near Baghdad. Skip and Rhonda Rollins, knowing that Hero was one of the last things to bring joy to their son, were eager to adopt him. His fiancee, Brittany Murray, felt the same way. So the three of them are going to jointly take care of Hero:

He was one of the soldiers of Charlie Company who discovered the mixed-breed dog, among a litter of newborn puppies, outside an Iraqi police station on the streets of Samarra in March.

Pictures were taken of the soldiers and the puppies, and Justin told Murray when they talked that night "I have some great pictures, you're going to flip out when you see them." But he never told her what they were, she said.

When Justin's mother saw the pictures, she said "The first thing I said when I saw the pictures is 'I want that puppy.' I named him Hero because Justin is a hero," Rhonda said yesterday with her voice cracking as she stood with her husband and Murray in Hodes' office before the dog arrived.

The three intend to share the puppy. "I wanted Brittney to have something positive for her. Justin loved her and was going to propose to her when he got home ... Justin was a great kid. He loved what he was doing," Rhonda said.

It took a lot of work to get Hero out of Iraq and into the United States -- thickets of bureaucracy to navigate, rules and regulation to appease, and plenty of hassle. But with perseverance and a lot of work from good people, they pulled it off. Several companies contributed gifts that will help Hero's new "parents" with the costs, too:

Word came earlier this month that U.S. Central Command had authorized the transfer. One of Rollins' best friends in the unit, Sgt. Jason Wheeler, had been taking care of Hero in Iraq.

Yesterday, representatives of DHL, the company that flew Hero from Iraq to New York and then to Manchester, drove the dog from Manchester to Concord and watched as the dog got to know its new owners.

Petting the puppy, Skip Rollins thanked every one who helped to bring the dog to the United States. "Our family can never thank you enough for what you've done for us," he said.

The gifts kept on coming as Sandy's Pet Food Center in Concord donated a year's supply of dog food as well as a basket of doggie gifts.

The Associated Grocers of New England arrived with a side of beef that Hero liked the smell of.

Before Hero arrived, Hodes told the media "Today is a very moving day in more ways than one. This has been a long Odyssey for a little puppy and a family that has had a tremendous loss."

What a nice story for a memorial day weekend!

Lyrics of the Day

Dan Collins, writing at Protein Wisdom, has rewritten the lyrics to the song originally titled Happy Together:

Imagine me with nukes, I do
I think about it day and night, it’s only right
To dream about the means you need, kafir to smite
The weapon I’d treasure

I called up AQ Khan, but at the time
The guy was under house arrest, it crossed my mind
To send the boys to rescue him, it would be fine
To take such a measure

Just think of the interesting things I could do
With such a bomb
Who needs to shape charges when you can kablooey
New York, with megatons?

Me and nukes, and nukes and me
You know the I would roll the dice, if it could be
To hit them from this cave I’m in, indignity
Would turn into pleasure

The photo is the album cover. Do go read the whole thing...

Martian Art

NASA has a wonderful collection of photos and graphics from the various robotic spacecraft orbiting Mars, or exploring its surface. The photo at right was taken by the Opportunity Rover, two years ago. The collection has multiple pages, so don't forget to flip through them all!

Fetal Consent Bill

Now here's some abortion reform that I could get behind!

New Abortion Bill To Require Fetal Consent

Torture Manual

A few days ago, American forces discovered an Al Qaeda torture manual, complete with illustrations like the one at right (see The Smoking Gun for details). Horrifying, but hardly surprising; we know too well what barbarity the warriors of the "Religion of Peace" are capable of. The news mostly left me frustrated that the lamestream media essentially ignored this story whereas they trumpeted even false stories of American "torture" that was positively loving by comparison. Wretchard says it very well:

The problem with the word "torture" is that it has been so artfully corrupted by some commentators that we now find ourselves at a loss to describe the kinds of activities that the al-Qaeda interrogation manual graphically recommends. Now that the term "torture" has been put in one-to-one correspondence with such admittedly unpleasant activities as punching, sleep deprivation, a handkerchief pulled over one's face and loaded with water, searches by women upon sensitive Islamic men or the disrespectful handling of Korans -- what on earth do we call gouging people's eyes out?

Answer: we call it nothing. My fearless prediction is that not a single human rights organization will seriously take the matter up. There will be no demonstrations against these barbaric practices, often inflicted upon Muslims by other Muslims, in any of the capitals of the world. Not a single committee in the United Nations will be convened nor will any functionary in the European Union lose so much as a night's sleep over it. The word for these activities -- whatever we choose to call it -- will not be spoken.

Read the rest of his post, too. Michell Malkin noticed Wretchard's comments as well, and she also has a great roundup.

Meanwhile, in our upside-down world, Americans will continue to be condemned and even sent to prison for "torture" such as exposing Muslim prisoners to Playboy centerfolds, and Al Qaeda is not condemned for gouging out eyeballs, drilling holes in hands, amputating fingers and genitals, endless beatings, and beheadings.

Makes you want to run right out and vote for a liberal Democrat, doesn't it?