This Week's Good Movie: "Man in the Wilderness" starring Richard Harris and John Huston

In the early 1800's, a group of fur trappers and Indian traders are returning with their goods to civilization and are making a desperate attempt to beat the oncoming winter. When guide Zachary Bass (Richard Harris) is injured in a bear attack, they decide he's a goner and leave him behind to die. When he recovers instead, he swears revenge on them and tracks them and their paranoiac expedition leader (John Huston) down. This film is a great adventure for those who love the mountains and the outdoors. There is a message of determination, the will to live and also forgiveness and peace. There is very little dialogue in this movie. That is not necessarily a negative. The viewer is free to interpret Zach Bass' thoughts and feelings as he struggles to survive in the wilderness.

China Update

More bad stuff from China. Mattel, America's largest toymaker has recalled millions of toys tainted with lead and harmful magnets. Why wasn't safety screening done in China before these toys left the factory? Let's face it, China's desire to make money off Americans supercedes any concern about safety. Also, as stated before, our trade policies are making China wealthy to the point that they are increasing their military. Any time we buy Chinese goods, we are helping make China into our biggest military threat. I know it's hard to do, but check labels and boycott Chinese goods when possible.

This Week's Good Book - "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Last year we took a trip to Chicago and I thought I'd do a little reading about Chicago prior to the trip. I came upon this book and was captivated by the story woven through the magnificent Chicago World's Fair of 1893.

The Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 was nicknamed the “White City” for its majestic beauty. Architect Daniel Burnham built it; serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes used it to lure victims to his World’s Fair Hotel, designed for murder. Both men left behind them a powerful legacy, one of brilliance and energy, the other of sorrow and darkness.

The World’s Fair introduced America to such classic favorites as Cracker Jack, Shredded Wheat. and Juicy Fruit and was the birth of historically significant symbols like Columbus Day, the Ferris Wheel, and the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a truly magical place, where the most important figures of the late 19th century made their appearance, among them Thomas Edison, Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, Clarence Darrow, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Buffalo Bill, and Helen Keller. Many looked to the fair as a source of inspiration, from Walt Disney, whose father, Elias, helped build the White City, to L. Frank Baum and his illustrator, who visited the fair and created the grandeur of Oz based on what they saw.

But, there was a sinister side to this fair, a serial killer. In fact, he was a doctor. Erik Larson tells a true tale of grandeur and mayhem at the Chicago World's Fair of 1893.

Have Conservatives Been Betrayed?

Many Conservatives are feeling betrayed by the Bush White House and other Republicans. Let's take a look at some issues and think about what a conservative would believe about them:

1 - No Child Left Behind - Conservatives are for less govt. involvement in your life. Bush's No Child Left Behind is a betrayal of that principle in that it dictates to your locally-elected school board what to do. In other words, Washington knows better how to educate your child than you do. Is this conservatism?

2 - Medicare Prescription Drug Plan - Conservatives are for less govt. spending. Bush's Medicare Prescription Drug Plan is busting the budget and adding huge amounts to the national debt. Is this conservatism?

3 - Dubai Ports World deal - Hiring a company from a Muslim Middle Eastern country to guard our ports is what Bush proposed. Sending jobs overseas and outsourcing our national security, is this conservatism?

4 - Hurricane Katrina Response - Is our nation secure when we can't even help our own people in need? News helicopters were able to fly over New Orleans, but we couldn't get National Guard helicopters to rescue our citizens. Are we ready for terrorist attacks in America? Is this conservatism?

5 - Family Values and the Republican Party - Conservatives tout the family as being all-important. Let's take a look at Republican leaders and their personal value history: Fred Thompson - divorced, John McCain-divorced, Newt Gingrich - divorced his wife who was dying of cancer, had an affair while he was impeaching Clinton, Rush Limbaugh and his wife have 4 divorces between them, George Will - divorced, Rudy Giuliani- twice divorced and had a very public affair while he was Mayor and still married, Ronald Reagan - divorced, Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia - married three times. Barr had the audacity to author and push the "Defense of Marriage Act." (Which marriage are you defending?) Is this conservatism?

6- Amnesty for Illegal Aliens - Bush proposed amnesty for illegals - This is a pretty clear violation of conservative principles. You DON'T let law breakers off the hook. (Scooter Libby is an exception.) Is this conservatism?

7 - Military Service - Conservatives and Republicans are the party of the military. They tell us that all the time. Let's look at some GOP leaders and their military service: Bush - Went AWOL from the National Guard after his dad got him into the Guard around a long waiting list to avoid Viet Nam. No one has come forward to say they served with him in Alabama in 72-73; Dick Cheney- DNS (did not serve) ; Karl Rove - DNS; John Ashcroft - DNS; Bill Frist - DNS; Paul Wolfowitz, DNS; Fred Thompson-DNS; Trent Lott - DNS; Jack Kemp had a bad knee from football-DNS; Rick Santorum, DNS; Condi Rice - DNS; Rudy Giuliani - DNS, Jeb Bush - DNS; Mitt Romney - DNS; McCain served and was a war hero. Why was he bashed by the Bush campaign in 2000? Minority Leader Mitch McConnell- DNS; Minority Leader John Boehner-DNS; Minority Whip Roy Blunt-DNS; Dennis Hastert-DNS; Dick Armey-DNS; Chuck Hagel - 2 Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star in Viet Nam; Tom DeLay-DNS; Where were all you conservatives when America needed you? FYI - Democrats who served: Ted Kennedy, Tom Daschle, Richard Gephardt, Al Gore, John Kerry, Bob Kerrey - Medal of Honor Viet Nam; Daniel Inouye- Medal of Honor WWII; Charles Rangel - Bronze Star Korea; Wesley Clark - 38 yrs in the Army including Supreme Commander of NATO; former CA governor Gray Davis-Bronze Star Viet Nam; Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) -- Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts in Viet Nam; Jack Murtha (D-PA) - 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts;

Let's stop making an assumption that one party is the party of the military and the other party is weak on national defense. Also, consider that those who have sacrificed the most in war may be the ones who are most careful when considering going to war. Also, consider how war may affect your family personally. Do you think Bush would have been so quick to go to war if his daughters were on the front lines?

8 - National Debt and Big Government - True Conservatives are upset when we have an unbalanced budget and a national debt. Republicans have betrayed this principle. It used to be the Democrats who were the "tax and spend" party and now we have the Republicans who are the "no tax and big spend" party. Consider that the national debt tripled under Reagan. Consider that the last President to achieve a balanced budget was Clinton. Do you remember the summer of 2001 when the big debate was how to spend the surplus? The Dems wanted to begin paying down the national debt and the GOPers wanted to give it to the people in the form of a tax refund. The greatest cause of the current record national debt increase is the tax cut (Congressional Budget Office-2004). This administration and Congress is not fiscally conservative. Do you realize that the federal govt. has added a million jobs since Bush took office? Govt. has gotten bigger under Bush, not smaller. And that costs money!

Disaster in Minneapolis

I've driven across the I-35W bridge many times. I take it for granted that the bridges we use are safe. But...they're not. After a new infrastructure is completed, we assume that all is done and that we'll not have to worry about it again. However, it costs money to maintain our infrastructure. By now, you've heard about the thousands of "structurally deficient" bridges in our country. Maybe we need to spend some money in America to keep our citizens safe from bridge collapses instead of sending billions down the drain in Iraq. How ironic that the Twins had to postpone the groundbreaking for their new $480 million stadium because of the neglect of a bridge. But, this is what America wants. We want to spend money on lavish stadia and want to give our athletic heroes millions of dollars while our bridges and schools deteriorate. Good teachers leave the profession so that they can better afford to feed their families. Wow, what the heck are the priorities in America? BTW, the citizens of Hennipen County were not allowed to vote on the taxes they now pay for the stadium. The county commissioners knew that they might not get the stadium if they put it to a vote of the people. So much for democracy in Minnesota. I pray for the families who lost loved ones in the bridge collapse and I am thankful for the first responders and average citizens who helped in the rescue efforts. It should never have happened.

This Week's Good Book: America Reborn - A Twentieth-Century Narrative in Twenty-six Lives - by Martin Walker

The author presents a narrative of the outgoing American century through individual portraits of 26 of its most influential participants. Beginning with Teddy Roosevelt and concluding with Bill Clinton, Walker's portraits are less biographical than they are temporal. Each chapter takes a well-known individual as a paradigm for a larger development ("Emma Goldman and the American Dissident," "Lucky Luciano and the American Criminal," etc.). The early chapters are essentially recapitulations of received wisdom: for instance, Henry Ford invents mass production and realizes he must also create a mass consumer class, hence the five-dollar day for his workers. This is an interesting history of the 20th Century using biography as a format for enlightening the reader about larger issues. Some of the biographies include Woodrow Wilson, Babe Ruth, William Boeing, Winston Churchill, Katherine Hepburn, John Steinbeck, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King and Billy Graham.

This Week's Good Movie - "Twelve O'Clock High" starring Gregory Peck

The film stars Gregory Peck in one of his finest performances as a callous general who assumes command of a bomber squadron based in England. At first, the new commander has little rapport with the 918th Bomber Group, whose loyalties still belong with their previous commander. As they continue to fly dangerous missions over Germany, however, the group and their new leader develop mutual respect and admiration, until the once-alienated commander feels that his men are part of a family--men whose bravery transcends the rigors of rigid discipline and by-the-book leadership. This book has been used in leadership training in the public and private sector because of the leadership principles involved. Twelve O'Clock High has historical value and instructional value in leadership training.