Echo Chamber

At times, I can do nothing better than 'borrow' from other blogs. Today, Ghost Town Orange is an echo chamber:

I'm just going to take this wholesale from a comment below, because I wholeheartedly (and broken heartedly) agree with it:

I wanted to post the following from something I read at DailyKos. The question was, "why did BushCo fumble this so badly?"

The answer from one tcorse:

They deny that we are a community, asserting that we are only a group of competing individuals. They deny that we are hurt or helped by being a member of a community, and thus owe nothing and can expect nothing from that community. They will not invest in the future of the community, in the infrastructure that benefits us all, because to do so would be to admit that we are not all self-made men, and that their own personal wealth is not strictly their own doing. To acknowledge such would place upon them an ethical obligation to share their good fortune, and this they are loath to do. They can not grasp that it is cheaper to prepare for disaster than clean up after, for to do so would be to recognize their own limitations, and to ask them to sacrifice today for a better, shared future for the community they deny exists.

Their incompetence is ideological. We can not expect better. They will not learn from this. Our only hope is to oust them, else this disaster will be repeated - again, and again, and again.

So now we have people being sent to get aid from churches as the ultimate "you're on your own" to the survivors. Now, good people will step up as communities, but, ironically, it signals the death of national community, the fate of the idea of "the common good."

There is nothing but sorrow...
--Diogenes

--rmj

source: Adventus [Read Adventus to learn about the sheer magnitude of the ongoing effort needed to care for refugees from the hurricane.]

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

What exactly has the so-called Department of Homeland Security been up to?

Virtually any terrorist attack with Weapons of Mass Destruction (TM) on a major American city would create thousands of refugees. Why in bloody hell has there been no planning for a refugee crisis? One thing we all know now for certain -- the Bush Administration had no plans to protect the American people in case of a terrorist attack. May every incompetent government official and clueless right-wing pundit rot in hell.

It's amazing that Mr. Bush feels no shame for the lousy job he has done.

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

Callous incompetence

Why city's defences were down by John Vidal and Duncan Campbell, UK Guardian. An excerpt:

Lloyd Dumas, professor of political economy and economics at the University of Texas at Dallas, criticised the government's failure to oversee a more efficient evacuation. "It's remarkable that with the massive restructuring of the federal government that took place with the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, they don't have more well thought-out plans to evacuate a city like New Orleans," he said.

"An emphasis should be placed on plans that have multiple purposes, like evacuation plans for a city like New Orleans that can of course be useful in the event of a terrorist attack but also in the event of a natural disaster like this one ... There were plans during the cold war to evacuate major cities in a few days."

Professor Dumas added that not enough provision seemed to have been made for poor people. "There doesn't seem to have been much attention paid to people who didn't have private automobiles," he said. "I didn't hear anything about school buses or city buses being used to aim people out of town." He said that there appeared to be little forward planning to cater to those on low incomes who would be unable to return to their homes for up to two months but who would not have the money to pay for that time in a hotel. "The Department of Homeland Security says on its website that it deals with natural disasters," he said. "They don't seem to have done a very good job. There doesn't seem to have been any long-term planning."

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

Worst President of the United States -- ever

"I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees."

--President Bush

Why did anyone vote for this idiot?

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

Bush Administration plans for National Parks

NY Times opinion piece -- Destroying the National Parks:

Recently, a secret draft revision of the national park system's basic management policy document has been circulating within the Interior Department. It was prepared, without consultation within the National Park Service, by Paul Hoffman, a deputy assistant secretary at Interior who once ran the Chamber of Commerce in Cody, Wyo., was a Congressional aide to Dick Cheney and has no park service experience.

Within national park circles, this rewrite of park rules has been met with profound dismay, for it essentially undermines the protected status of the national parks. The document makes it perfectly clear that this rewrite was not prompted by a compelling change in the park system's circumstances. It was prompted by a change in political circumstances - the opportunity to craft a vision of the national parks that suits the Bush administration.

[snip - details of the changes and what's wrong with them]

It is clear by now that Mr. Bush has no real intention of living up to his campaign promise to fully finance the national parks. This document offers a vivid picture of the divide between the National Park Service, whose career employees remain committed to the fundamental purpose of leaving the parks unimpaired, and an Interior Department whose political appointees seem willing to alter them beyond recognition, partly in the service of commercial objectives.

LA Times-- Proposed revisions of National Park cause stir:

A series of proposed revisions of National Park policy has created furor among present and former park officials who believe the changes would weaken protections of natural resources and wildlife while allowing an increase in commercial activity, snowmobiles and off-road vehicles.

National Park Service employees warn that the changes, which were proposed by the Department of Interior and are now undergoing a park service review, would fundamentally alter the agency's primary mission.

The leaked draft can be found here: Coalition of Concerned NPS Retirees

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

It takes one to know one award

It angers me when a member of the pundit class calls ordinary people bad names. Intellectuals are supposed to be above name-calling and ad hominem attacks. Whenever one of these bilge-sodden pigs bladders calls ordinary people names, they get the 'it takes one to know one' prize at Ghost Town Orange.

Therefore, Christopher Hitchens has earned the nomiker Fruitbat and Nutbag:

So as well as being an hysterical paranoid ideologist, or at least being manipulated by people who are, who turned this into Camp Fruitbat and Nutbag, she has decided not to have the courage or maybe the cowardice of her conviction.
--Source: Mediamatters.org and MSNBC

Earlier winners of the Ghost Town Orange 'it takes one to know one' prize were:

• Arnold Schwarzeneggar= "Girly Man"
• Ann Coulter= "Hippie Chick Pie Wagon"

Bilge-sodden pigs bladders all.

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

Vacation Day 6

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation--A Ghost Town Orange Mini-series. [Click on photos for a larger view; e-mail me to request higher-resolution versions for printing...]

Saturday June 4, 2005: a travel day.
During the first part of the drive we were passed by a large number [it may have been more than 30] of BMW sports cars. Many of them bore Texas plates; they were eager to drive fast on curvy mountain roads.

Church signs:

• "Kind words make good echoes."
• Don't wait for the hearse to take you to church."
• Forbidden fruit creates many jams.
• God is like scotch tape:
  you can't see him, but you know he's there.

We had hoped to camp at Blanchard Springs Caverns Campground [US Forest Service] but it was completely full. So we drove a few more miles to another Forest Service Campground, Gunner Pool. This campground was originally a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, Camp Hedges. Company 743 was active from 1933-1942. At any one time, about 170 enrollees and 10 'overhead' employees lived at this camp. Over its period of operation, about 2200 men served at the camp. [Source: placque at the campground.]

• A list of CCC companies in Arkansas. [cccalumni.org]
• Arkansas State Parks: The Legacy of the CCC

Gunner Pool campground is near Sylamore Creek. Today's photos:

At Gunner Pool Campground, Arkansas
June 4, 2005 

Water source at Gunner Pool Campground, Arkansas
June 4, 2005 

Tadpole, Gunner Pool Campground, Arkansas

June 4, 2005 
Tune in tomorrow for Day 7: Rocks, church, and an unspoiled cave.

"Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your voews to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
--Psalm 50:7-15

Vacation Day 5

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation--A Ghost Town Orange Mini-series. [Click on photos for a larger view; e-mail me to request higher-resolution versions for printing...]

Friday June 3, 2005: Lake Ouachita and Hot Springs

A lazy morning -- the boys swam and got sunburn, and I painted this:
"Traffic Planning," June 3, 2005
Joe took these photos in the afternoon:
Woodpecker holes in the trunk of a tree
Lake Ouachita State Park, Arkansas
June 3, 2005

Here are pictures 2 and 4 from a panoramic set of 5:
Notice the charcoal -- scattered by racoons looking for food.
Late in the afternoon we went to town [Hot Springs] for some grocery shopping -- we planned to have a campfire, cook hobo dinners and roast marshmallows. Signs lured us to a rock shop that did not have the museum promised -- and then grouchily told us to not 'cherry pick' the by-the-pound tumbling mix. [Grumble, grumble -- there's not even a pound there and I am accused of cherry picking? Fine, I won't buy anything from this dump. Another lousy business not plugged by Ghost Town Orange.]

Tim had the camera when we went to the place where people go to fill up containers with the famous Hot Springs water. I wanted him to take of picture of people driving up with dozens of milk jugs, etc. to fill with the 'medicinal water,' but this is what he took a picture of:
Fountain in Hot Springs, Arkansas
June 3, 2005
We did have hobo dinners [meat, potatoes, and carrots wrapped in foil and cooked in the coals of a campfire] but Joe didn't like them. And then Tim didn't want to help clean up and was angry that we didn't eat marshmallows before dinner. OK, no co-operation, no marshmallows...

Tune in tomorrow for Day 6.

"What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.
Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth;
my judgments flashed like lightning upon you.
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
--Hosea 6:4-6 [NIV]

Vacation Day 4

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation--A Ghost Town Orange Mini-series. [Click on photos for a larger view; e-mail me to request higher-resolution versions for printing...]

Thursday June 2, 2005: Hot Springs, Arkansas

Drizzly morning:
Displaying my watercolor 'Cooking oatmeal in the rain'
Lake Ouachita State Park, Arkansas
June 2, 2005
We went into town to accomplish two things: find a laundry and find out more about the Hot Springs Music Festival -- tickets, addresses of venues, etc. So while the washing machines were running, Tim and I drove around town to find out where the day's rehearsals and concerts were being held. The most unique thing about the Hot Springs Music Festival is the informal atmosphere -- rehearsals are open to the public. So we finally located the Hot Springs Youth Center which is where the Festival Orchestra rehearsed and would hold the concert, got back to the laundromat to finish folding the clothes, and returned to camp for lunch.
Then to the rehearsal:
Hot Springs Music Festival Chamber Orchestra at rehearsal
Hot Springs Youth Center
June 2, 2005, 3:42 pm
We then went to dinner at a fancy hotel restaurant that served the blandest watery carrots I have ever eaten and other food I can't even remember. I will not identify the restaurant here; they must have been short-staffed that evening -- we were not having very good luck picking restaurants. Then we returned to the Hot Springs Youth Center to purchase tickets as soon as the box office was open, and also to be in time to listen to the pre-concert talk by conductor/artistic director Richard Rosenberg. [Meanwhile, the boys worried about a little bird -- see below] The spectators at the center back of this blurry photo in the yellow and blue shirts are Tim and Joe:

Hot Springs Music Festival Chamber Orchestra at concert intermission
Hot Springs Youth Center
June 2, 2005 9:17 pm

The Program:

• 'Concerto for two trumpets' by Antonio Vivaldi
  [Joe's favorite]
  
• 'L'Apprenti Sorcier' by Paul Dukas
  [Mickey Mouse vs. the brooms; Tim's favorite]
  
<>'Moses, cantata for bass and orchestra' by Nicola Scardicchio
[first American performance; uses Hebrew and Islamic scriptures for the text]
-------------Intermission-------------

• 'Yamekraw: A Negro Rhapsody' by James Price Johnson
  [This piece was orchestrated by William Grant Still; my favorite]
  
• 'An American in Paris' by George Gershwin
  [Joyce's favorite]
  

Outside the concert, this little bird had fallen out of its nest:

Young bird, Hot Springs, Arkansas,
June 2, 2005
Tune in tomorrow for Day 5.

The tempter came to him [Jesus] and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "
--Matthew 4:3-4.
[NIV; Jesus quoted part of Deuteronomy 8:3.]

Rachel Maddow Show

Rachel Maddow's show [Air America's 'Front Page'] is a bright spot on Air America. It's entertaining and informative and not too long to download [unlike Al Franken's much longer show, which I sometimes download overnight.] If only she didn't have such a pro-abortion bias ... [like much of the Democratic Party, alas.] The libertarian in me says one thing; the Christian consistent-life ethic in me says another...
Here are some of today's links from the Rachel Maddow Show:

• The Vanity Fair article [pdf] alleges that one of the things [FBI whistleblower Sibel] Edmonds uncovered at the FBI is that Denny Hastert, the man who no one can ever remember is Speaker of the House, was bribed by Turks.
  
  Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics [Press release here] in Washington this week filed a complaint with federal election officials requesting an investigation into whether Hastert was bribed.

• Three state department bureau chiefs apparently warned a month before the US invasion of Iraq that there was no planning for the post war occupation.. The February 7th memo was made available yesterday by the National Security Archive under the Freedom of Information Act - it's pretty damning.

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

Early American Blogging, sort of

Food for thought about blogging:
Blogging in the Early Republic: Why bloggers belong in the history of reading by W. Caleb McDaniel [at common-place.org]

Henry Clarke Wright was an antebellum American reformer whose eclectic interests ranged from antislavery to radical pacifism to health reform and beyond. Born in 1797 and educated as a minister, he later abandoned institutional religion and became a prolific writer and speaker.

[snip]

As a writer with grand aspirations for shaking the world, Wright was also an inveterate journal keeper. For most of his adult life, he filled a steady stream of over one hundred diaries. In these, comments on world events and social reform jostle with reflections on the diarist’s loveless marriage and his struggle for faith. While private, the journals were also public. Wright mailed pages and even whole volumes to his friends or read them excerpts from the diaries, and many pages were later published in his numerous books. Thus, as his biographer Lewis Perry notes, in the case of Wright, "distinctions between private and public, between diaries and published writings, meant little."

Blogs are not merely a new form of political pamphleteering -- the impression you may get from some of the mainstream media coverage, since the most visible blogs are political. Blogs are too diverse to try to confine into that box -- but I'm not sure what the purpose they serve. For me, this blog is just a way to remember and possibly share some 'stuff' with like-minded folks.

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

Vacation Day 3

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation--A Ghost Town Orange Mini-series. [Click on photos for a larger view; e-mail me to request higher-resolution versions for printing...]

Wednesday, June 1, 2005 was a traveling day. We headed north with a shopping list of things we forgot to pack for camping:

• Extension cord
• Whisk broom
• Sharp knife

In Glenwood, we did find an extension cord and a small broom with dust pan, and this fire station:

Fire Station at Glenwood, Arkansas, June 1, 2005 

We stopped at Caddo Gap, Arkansas so Tim and I could look at the rocks in a roadcut:

Examining a shaly road cut at Caddo Gap, Arkansas, June 1, 2005 

Meanwhile, Joe explored nearer the car:

Gazebo at Caddo Gap, Arkansas, June 1, 2005 

Crawdad, Caddo Gap, Arkansas, June 1, 2005 

We went out of our way a bit to visit Pine Ridge, Arkansas, setting of the Lum 'n' Abner radio show. [Another Lum 'n' Abner link here -- some audio available] We visited the Lum 'n' Abner Museum and Jot 'Em Down Store and bought a few audio tapes of Lum 'N' Abner shows. Unfortunately, they asked us not to take pictures so we have no photos to show you. These shows are laugh-out-loud funny -- we listened to them constantly while in the car for the next few days.

Despite the rainy weather, we decided to go ahead and camp at Lake Ouachita State Park.

Tim and I attended the evening ranger program "Rock-hounding in the Ouachita Mountains" so we could learn more about Arkansas rocks.

Here are two lovely and large moths we spotted at the campground:

Unknown moth, Lake Ouachita State Park, Arkansas, June 1, 2005 

Luna Moth, Lake Ouachita State Park, Arkansas, June 1, 2005 
Tune in tomorrow for Day 4: Hot Springs: Laundry and the Hot Springs Music Festival.

Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he leads justice to victory.
In his name the nations will put their hope.
--Matthew 12:18-21, quoting Isaiah 42:1-4 [NIV]

Vacation Day 2

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation--A Ghost Town Orange Mini-series. [Click on photos for a larger view; e-mail me to request higher-resolution versions for printing...]

'Continental breakfast' oddity: a container of peaches from Greece packed in Thailand. How can that be cost effective? Do we not raise peaches in this country anymore?

We spent about half of our second day digging for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, where "any diamonds, semi-precious stones, rocks or minerals you unearth are yours to keep, regardless of their value."

Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas

Sifting for diamonds

Joyce at Crater of Diamonds State Park, May 31, 2005.

We were getting hot after 5 hours in the sun, so we called it a day about 2:00 pm. It takes about 100 tourist hours on average to find a diamond. We did not find any in 20 tourist hours. I did find some nice pieces of jasper and agate.

Nearly every rock shop we saw in Arkansas has a table with big chunks of colorful 'slag glass.' I have no idea who makes it or why--or what you would do with a chunk of it. It is pretty.

Slag glass in Murfreesboro, Arkansas.

This is an authentic general store in Murfreesboro:

Their motto: "We have almost everything if you help us find it"

We drove through Old Washington State Park on the way to Hope, Arkansas [Former President Clinton was originally from there.] Old Washington seemed more like a ghost town than a 'living history museum' -- and we were hungry so we hurried on to Hope. We ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant there.

Tune in tomorrow for Day 3: North to Hot Springs via Lum 'N Abner's Pine Ridge.

A rich man may be wise in his own eyes,
but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

When the righteous triumph, there is great elation;
but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.

--Proverbs 28:11-12 [NIV]

Today's German Maxim ...

is actually a Latin maxim from a letter by the ancient Roman philosopher/statesman Seneca warning against relying on maxims.

The German version:

Die Wahrheit steht allen offen; sie ist noch nicht eingenommen worden.
-- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

After paraphrasing it into English and Googling, I was able to find several English translations:

• Truth lies open for all; it has not yet been monopolized. And there is plenty of it left even for posterity to discover.
• ... the truth is open to all and is not yet fully possessed.
• The truth is open to all; (but) her domain is not yet occupied; [and much of it remains to be discovered by the men who are yet to come.]
• Memory guards what is entrusted to us, but knowledge consists in making it our own, and not thinking of masters. If we are satisfied with what has been found out, we shall find nothing more. They who have gone before us are not our masters, but our guides. Truth is open to all, and has not yet been taken possession of, but many discoveries will be left for future ages.--Epistle xxxiii, secs. 8, 10 and 11.

[I have emphasized the part quoted in German above.]
The original Latin:

Patet omnibus veritas; nondum est occupata; multum ex illa etiam futuris relictum est.

Source: Seneca's Moral Epistle 33 [at latinlibrary.com -- Scroll down to letter 33: XXXIII. SENECA LUCILIO SUO SALUTEM]

A little more context for Seneca's anti-maxim maxim:

For this reason, give over hoping that you can skim, by weans of epitomes, the wisdom of distinguished men. Look into their wisdom as a whole; study it as a whole. They are working out a plan and weaving together, line upon line, a masterpiece, from which nothing can be taken away without injury to the whole. Examine the separate parts, if you like, provided you examine them as parts of the man himself. She is not a beautiful woman whose ankle or arm is praised, but she whose general appearance makes you forget to admire her single attributes.

Source: OCR scan of the Loeb edition at stoics.com

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

Great Lakes Special Report

Yesterday's Daily Grist included a link to a special report in Sunday's Detroit News: The Great Lakes: An endangered legacy -- about 29 articles and 4 interactive presentations on the environmental challenges facing the Lakes. A good reference for the Ghost Town Orange file cabinet.

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

On Situational Libertarianism

As a long-time left-libertarian, I am amazed at how many right-wing libertarians are really statists at heart. For example, read Charles Krauthammer's recent article Situational libertarianism [at Townhall.com]

Call it situational libertarianism: Liberties should be as unlimited as possible -- unless and until there arises a real threat to the open society.

[Who determines the reality of the threat? The government, of course.]

Mr. Krauthammer goes on to praise British Prime Minister Tony Blair:

Britain is just now waking up, post-7/7. Well, at least its prime minister is. His dramatic announcement that Britain will curtail its pathological openness to those who would destroy it -- by outlawing the fostering of hatred and incitement of violence and expelling those engaged in such offenses -- was not universally welcomed.

His own wife had made a speech a week after the second London bombings loftily warning against restricting civil liberties. "It is all too easy to respond in a way that undermines commitment to our most deeply held values and convictions and cheapens our right to call ourselves a civilized nation,'' declared Cherie Blair. You need only read Tony Blair's 12-point program to appreciate how absurd was his wife's defense of Britain's pre-7/7 civil liberties status quo.

To which Lew Rockwell and/or Kurt Kober respond: [at LewRockwell.com Blog]

Hey Chuck, how about if I call it situational fascism?

Point 11 of Mr. Blair's plan:

Eleven, we will consult on a new power to order closure of a place of worship which is used as a centre for fomenting extremism, and will consult with Muslim leaders in respect of those clerics who are not British citizens to draw up a list of those not suitable to preach and who will be excluded from our country in future.

How would Christians feel if the American government gave itself a new power to close churches that foment extremism? How would we feel if churches were forced by the Federal Government to consult a list of those not suitable to preach before calling a pastor?

Situational freedom is not freedom at all.

But American right-wingers can rest easy. The Fred Phelps-style 'God-hates-fags' churches are safe; the historic peace churches and mainline churches that oppose 'wars of choice' are more likely targets of government bans. After all, those that criticize the 'war on terror' support terrorists, don't they?

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988

Vacation Day 1

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation--A Ghost Town Orange Mini-series. [Click on photos for a larger view; e-mail me if you want higher-resolution versions for printing...]
We drove to Murfreesboro, Arkansas on the first day of our trip. We picnicked at Boggy Depot State Park, near Atoka, Oklahoma.

Turtle in roadway near Boggy Depot State Park,
May 30, 2005 12:46 pm

The boys kept a tally of roadkill [no, not run over by us!] for the first day of driving:

• Unidentified--11
• Armadillos--8
• Squirrels--5
• Racoons--4
• Dogs--3
• Mice--3
• Crows--2
• Cat--1
• Opossum--1
• Skunk--1
• Turtle--1

Note: we did not keep an accurate tally for the whole trip, but we think we saw more roadkill on this first day than on any other day of the trip.

Roadkill attracts vultures. Near home I am more used to seeing the larger Turkey Vulture, which has thinner-looking wings and a bare, ugly red head. According to the National Audubon Society Field Guide, Black Vultures depend more on their eyesight to find food; while Turkey Vultures rely on their sense of smell to locate carrion. Yum!

Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) in flight,

Southeast Oklahoma,
May 30, 2005 1:50 pm

(Unfortunately, the white patches on the Black Vultures wings are not visible in this photo.)

Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) on fencepost,
Southeast Oklahoma,
May 30, 2005 1:50 pm

We felt it was too wet for camping, so we stayed at the Queen of Diamonds Inn. Joyce and I took a window-shopping walk after dinner at a short-staffed catfish restaurant.

Diamond digging frog in store window,
Murfreesboro AR,
May 30, 2005 8:16 pm

(Notice the shovel-thermometer)

Sign in store window
Murfreesboro Arkansas,
May 30, 2005 8:20 pm

Tune in tomorrow for Day 2: Digging for Diamonds...

God our security,
who alone can defend us
against the principalities and powers
that rule this present age;
may we trust in no weapons
except the whole armor of faith,
that in dying we may live,
and, having nothing, we may own the world,
through Jesus Christ. AMEN
--Janet Morley, All desires known, 1988