And This Week's Winner Is.....

This week's Henry Waldo Award for Literary Excellence does not go to Dr. Stephen Norwood of Harvard University for using "legitimate" as a verb. More hoity-toity nonsense from the ivy tower of academia. Wassamatter, Doc? Couldn't spell "legitimize"?

Phoning It In

One of the disadvantages of being on the road so much is the unpredictability of 'Net access. Driving 1400+ miles in two days doesn't do much to help the situation either. Rather hard to publish this blog at 65mph with no 'Net access. But, travel we must. Of course, the first stop was Santa's workshop, to have some repairs made to The Original Mobile Home. After that, and after a lunch visit with Wolfman and Pack Rat, it was off into the Rockies for some vacation.

We were really hoping to meet up with some of our fellow Linksters, but that didn't pan out. Mostly due to incredibly tight scheduling. There is a chance, though, that we might be able to get together after the spring thaw. Pack Rat actually considered the idea of relocating, and we could certainly use an assistant at the Center. We've known each other for enough years that he would do well in the job, even though it doesn't pay. It's a pity, though, that we can't take him on as a student, no matter how much he'd benefit from the experience. Familiarity breeds contempt, and we've known each other for too long. He'd never survive the initial interview.

Despite the chilly nights, it was good to see where we lived so many years ago. Most of the changes to the place have been good, although some spots have lost their character. We can't help but wonder why it is that "modern" architecture has to be so soul-less. The old buildings that are gone had charm and character. Their replacements have all the warmth and personality of a hospital waiting room.

If we can find a good place to hole up for the winter, we might actually make some progress on our book. It really doesn't need all that much to get it ready for publication, but we'd like to at least get some feedback from Pack Rat, since we value his opinion. The next week or so should bring progress on that front.

Why Didn't We Leave Them In Charge?

There's an old joke about how, when the white man got here, there was no national debt, no taxes, and women did all the work. And the white man thought he could improve on a system like that. Always good for a laugh, except among the PC crowd.

However, one should not discount the superiority of the aboriginals in some respects. While driving The Original Mobile Home up thru the Rockies, we had to make a pit stop at a remote gas station. Wondering if we might need to re-fuel before pressing on, we asked the attendant -- a Navajo woman -- how far it is to the next town. "40 miles", she replied.

After gassing up and heeding nature's call, we were about to leave but stopped long enough to congratulate her on the quality of her answer. By way of explanation, we mentioned that far too many people (many of them self-styled "superior" white people) would have said "An hour" or "45 minutes". Our question, of course, concerned distance and not time. Hence our congratulations to the young woman for being smart enough to answer the question in the same terms in which it was asked.

Of course, she'd never make it in politics.

Another Dumb Question

Ah, yes.... they just keep rolling in.

The other day, we're in a little store to buy a low, padded stool for the Cave (got to have that to sit on for interviews; our bony old butt is just getting too old for sitting directly on the floor). Anyway, we find just the right one, but discover upon arriving at the check-out counter that it has no price tag. Cashier does the smart thing and calls a colleague over for a price check. Interesting conversation ensues:

Colleague: Was this the only one over there?

Master: No

Colleague: So there are more?

Well, let's see.... if that's not the only one over there........

Here's your sign, lady. Wear it proudly.

Another One Doesn't Get It

Writing in World Net Daily, David Kupelian tries to convince third-party voters that a vote for anyone but Bush "regardless of whatever personal virtues they possess, or those of their party's platform -- amounts to a vote for Kerry".

Sorry, we're still not buying it.

Compounding the problem is Kupelian's contention that the lesser of two evils is the greater good.

Nope, not buying that one either.

The tragedy that has already occurred is that we have reached the point in our Republic where honest candidates don't stand a chance.

Admittedly, we're not wild about Badnarik. Having met him, Gary Nolan, and Aaron Russo at the Libertarian Party National Convention in Atlanta, we remain convinced that Gary Nolan would have been the best candidate. But we do find Michael Badnarik far more acceptable than either Bush or Kerry.

Apparently, Mr Kupelian has fallen for the "Fourth Lie" about which we have already written (q.v.). According to his "logic", since we are all sinners, we should give up trying to find the best possible candidate and vote for the least evil capable of actually winning.

The best analogy we've heard for voting one's conscience goes like this: you're on death row, with a 50% chance of dying by lethal injection, a 45% chance of dying in the gas chamber, and a 5% chance of escape. Which one do you vote for?

The fact that the majority of American voters might support Kerry is no reason for any of us to vote for "the lesser of two evils". In so doing, we would still be supporting an evil. Hardly a righteous choice for a Christian. The object of our vote, of course, is not "to avoid supporting evil", it is to support the most worthy candidate and let the chips fall where they will. If this country elects John Kerry, then this country is getting exactly what it deserves.

It is sad that we do not have "a clear choice between a better option and a worse option". Instead, we have a choice among several options, the top two being bad and much worse. As the esteemed Vox Day has so aptly pointed out, Mr Bush is hardly a conservative. More like "socialist lite". If a bad choice is forced upon us by an electorate that is either stupid, lazy, wicked, or some combination of the above, so be it. But we refuse to co-operate in our own destruction.

There might be a million compellingly logical reasons to re-elect Pres. Bush. But him being "the better man" is not one of them. In our view, Mr Badnarik is clearly not only the better man, but the best man in the race.

Nor do the exigencies of the current socio-political climate constitute a valid reason. As Paul Harvey pointed out, in times like these, it helps to remember that there have always been times like these.

Times change, principles don't. Vote your conscience and hold your head high in the knowledge that you have done the best you can.

God help America.