Category Archives: Size Matters

The Long and Short of it.

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Saith Me… King of the Hill

Does the enemy attack when we are weak? When we are distracted? Yes, historically there have been attacks when we have been weak and distracted. But we are also attacked when we are arrogantly standing on a hill declaring our greatness to the world.

So when did arrogance begin replacing weakness and distraction as the invitation for an attack? It happened after the First Gulf War, when the US people had shown they supported a fight. After that war, it became clear that the US public had changed since the Vietnam War. Kudos to President Reagan for reestablishing a fighting mentality in the people.

So why is arrogance and the willingness to fight an invitation for attack? In simple terms, the Cold War was a war of economic attrition with both sides betting that military spending would weaken the other side first. Enemies of the US took note, and knew that if the US was drawn into a protracted conflict, it would further weaken the US economy. If the US could be drawn into a preemptive or unilateral fight, then worldwide public opinion would also turn against and weaken the US.

This is the strategy of terrorism, peck at the king on the hill until he is overtaxed, spread too thin. Not so that victory can be achieved in a decisive battle, but so that the king will fall; fall from his own inability to stop reacting to the threat. Fall because rather than sharing the target on his back with allies, he will want to stand on the hill all alone. His arrogance will defeat his kingdom and not the enemy.

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Why I write…

Why do we write in blogs, journals, or memoirs? Is it because we like to see our ideas take shape, or think our messages are profound or revolutionary? Or do we simply write with the hope that they will have value today or tomorrow, have value to or for someone we will probably never meet?

A few weeks ago, a professor asked the question of why should we study history, but the real question, for me at least, is why do we write history? Why do we write our own history in our blogs, journals, and memoirs, a written record of our thoughts and actions? I think we write for three reasons. The first, we hope we are interesting and hope our activities will be of interest to others. The second, we hope that by writing our experiences down, we will learn lessons from our experiences and maybe others will learn from us as well. Third, we do not want to forget our experiences or be forgotten.

These are all valid reasons to write, but a great man taught me one other reason to write. He taught me that we can serve others through our writing, through our research, and through our records. Not just through the lessons or experiences we share, but through the lives of others we preserve through written record.

This great man, great to me at least, passed away two days ago. He had dedicated his retired years to gathering and recording history; specifically the history of his ancestors. Through his work, volumes of information became available to his relatives and to the public. He was never famous and never sought fame, but in certain circles, he was well known and well loved. Most of the histories he wrote were the histories of others, but upon his family’s request he wrote of his own youth and of his experiences as a World War Two POW. When he wrote of his journey in life, it was not to gain fame or attention, but simply to leave a record; a humble record of a man who spent his life serving. Through his life, he served his family, his faith, and his nation.

He set the bar high for those of us who follow, but in doing so he taught us the value of service and the blessings that service brings to our fellow man, to our family, and to ourselves. For in blessing others, he was truly blessed; in loving others he was loved in return.

So why do I write, simply put, to emulate in my own way a great man – I write with an attempt to serve others.

A Great-Uncle and a Great Man!

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It isn’t a joking matter…

Presidents’ kids have a rough go of it, young or old, but the campaign family of the past was seen more than they were heard. If they could not advance the campaign, they stayed out of the campaign.

Tagg Romney’s comments go beyond “just being a son” and certainly beyond a “jest,” they play into the anger and frustration of a nation looking for someone to blame, to retaliate against for the suffering they feel. When we feel woe and strife, we tend to either hide or strike out. When the woe does not have a face attached, we look for a face to attach to it. This is the basic nature of the animal of man, to flee/hide or strike/attack. This campaign season highlights the very reality that man has not overcome his base instincts.

This is the nature of what Tagg Romney is expressing (even in jest), and the human nature he is pandering to in his comments. He has a right to “feel” and he has a right to “speak” but when he is part of the campaign, his feelings, if expressed, and his spoken words are part of the campaign. Bear in mind, Tagg Romney was born in 1970 and is old enough to run for president himself, so he is certainly accountable for the words he speaks, even under the pretense of a jest.

More importantly, Tagg Romney is part of his father’s circle and therefore his words are relevant to the campaign. A public representative, will be held accountable for their actions, and to some extent the actions of those in their circle.  After all the campaigning in which Mitt Romney has participated, he and his family should be aware that this is the reality.

I am disturbed that the Romney Clan has yet to understand this basic principle of campaign policy/strategy – what is spoken, joke, misspeak or open-mic, does matter to the public.  We see it as a peek inside the “real” person, whether it is or not.

The president, upon taking the oath of office, will no longer be the common man*, but will be held to a higher standard than the people he serves. The president does not need to be perfect, but he does need to understand the scrutiny will not ease up and the standards will always be high. If he, and his family, cannot handle this pressure in the campaign, they will implode when he is in the White House.  And that would not be a joking matter.

* or common woman

Tagg Romney’s apology

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Who is to blame for the sad state of affairs…

So Tagg Romney says he would like to punch the President for calling his dad a liar. The online comments then flow as to who would deliver the knock out punch to Tagg before the Secret Service reached him – The President or the First Lady.

But the real question is why it is okay for Tagg to be upset that the President called his dad a liar when his dad keeps calling the President a liar?

This President has been called a liar since before he took office, his very citizenship disbelieved.

Politics is all about spin, always has been, but have we crossed a line? Why has it become so abhorrent? Not the spin, but the mud-slinging.

At the end of the day, We The People had better take a long hard look at ourselves, because as much as we like to blame our politicians for the state in which we find ourselves, we cannot lay the blame for all the accusations and hatred at their feet.  The mud-slinging and the name calling and the horrid bigotry does not start with them, for they are just representatives of the people.

When we lose all respect for the office they hold, and the office is not separate from the holder as much as we might want to argue the point, then We The People, and not those we elect, will be the destruction of our nation.

Follow-up: Morning After:  When I shared this to my Facebook Wall last night I commented, “It really isn’t a joking matter…” and just now, the morning after, I saw the following ABC headline “Tagg Romney Jests That he Wants to ‘Take a Swing’ at President.”

But it really isn’t a joking matter, now is it?

Tagg Romney’s apology

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Saith Me… Liberal Arts Education

This morning one of my college alumnae Facebook groups asked how we have used our liberal arts educations.  This was my reply…

Well, I have worked for a few different states, in jobs I could never have imagined, when I was in school, occupying upon graduation, but it has been my sixteen year stint as a mom and my twelve years as a homeschool teacher in which my education has been most useful. Randolph-Macon Woman’s College taught me that there is intelligence and there is wisdom, and that it takes both to succeed. It certainly takes both to raise the next generation with any chance of survival. For it is clear they are smarter than we, but it rests on us to teach them wisdom.

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Age, Gender and Politics

I just read the oddest comment which asserts Secretary of State Clinton is too old for the job. Interesting opinion especially since she was born the same year as Mitt Romney. Even more interesting is that she has stated multiple times she is retiring this year. But Romney is campaigning for a new job.

Hmmmm…

In politics does age only matter when it is gender specific?  Does it only matter if the person questioning age is the same generation as those in question?  Does it matter at all?

Something certainly worth pondering…

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Saith Me… The Insanity of Illness

Possibly the worst thing about illness (besides the illness itself) is that while you lie in bed you feel as if you can take on the world. Then you stand up and reality sets in reminding you that you feel crappy. To add insult to injury, that is usually when your kids begin laughing at your patheticness and tell you to go back to bed.

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Embracing Identity Through The Written Word

To most of the world, my son seems sullen and distant, but he deeply loves mankind and mourns for their troubles. His sullen appearance is just the outward refection of his deep concerns for the sorrows of man and his passionate desire to assist the downtrodden.

To most of the world, my daughter is sweet and domestic, but she is the ferocious defender the weak. If there is a crusade to join, an injustice to correct, my daughter’s dimples and giggles are quickly replaced by a threatening growl and a merciless strike.

The world seldom sees my children’s true nature, for in their youth they still hide their identity, feeling it offers them protection.  But every so often they let down their guard and the world sees their nature. Often it is through their writings.

Teaching my children to write has been my goal, not simply for the normal communication reasons, but because writing is an outlet for them to freely express their nature. My son has learned to share ideas, life lessons, and words of compassion through writing. My daughter has learned to replace her fists with words. They are young and their skills are still in need of refining, but when their causes are just, their skills show a refinement beyond their age.

My job has not been to give them an identity, but allow them to find and embrace their own.  This week they have both proven they have learned from me, but are not restricted by me. This makes me at peace.