The Giuliani option

The president of one of the world's largest terrorist-sponsoring states wants to visit Ground Zero in New York City, ostensibly to "pay his respects" to the victims of America's worst terrorist attack. What to do? Fortunately, some have gone before us down this path:

In October 1995, Yasser Arafat arrived in New York for a 50th anniversary celebration of the United Nations. Arafat liked to masquerade as statesman, but as a U.S. Attorney, (then NYC Mayor Rudy) Giuliani had investigated some of his terrorist activities and refused to play along. When Arafat showed up uninvited to a concert at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, the mayor had him unceremoniously ejected.

The incident caused an uproar. Former mayor Ed Koch declared that "Giuliani has behavioral problems," and the Clinton administration was, to say the least, less than pleased at the resulting diplomatic firestorm.

Giuliani, however, was not swayed.

"My only regret," he told an aide, "was that I didn't throw him out myself."

Hmm ... yeah, that sounds about right.

Truly, this is progress

What was it Homer said? "Celebrities -- is there anything they can't do?"

Blanchett will have a few blessedly domestic weeks in Sydney, where Dash will
start the new school year and she and Upton will work on renovating their house. Green before it was hip—she cites Al Gore and David de Rothschild as heroes and believes that leaf blowers “sum up everything that is wrong with the human race”—the couple are trying to make the ecological footprint of the home as small as possible, installing solar panels and even a filtration system that will allow them to drink their own wastewater.

Being super rich and consuming your own filth -- how postmodern!

Best. Summer. Ever.

Our quest for the best summer ever is drawing to a close. The days are shorter; when I wake up for a morning bike ride, it's too dark to ride. Nights at the park are shorter too, as the sun takes its leave a bit earlier every night. Autumn is nigh.

But it's been quite a summer. Camping, long dinners and drinks at friends' houses. Grilling by the lake on Father's Day. Sleepovers for the kids, lots of hard work and hard play at choir camp, careening down the water slide at the Americinn in Appleton. A nice, cold, celebratory glass of New Glarus Spotted Cow at a little restaurant in Plymouth, Wisconsin, with my choir compatriots. I could go on.

What does a kid take away from a summer like this, I wonder? Maybe some memory, later in life, of a time when life was simpler, and pleasures more intense and purely felt. A feeling of being surrounded by a loving family, I hope. Maybe some melancholy, too. Early in the summer we spent a couple of nights at the rural retreat of a family friend. As we left after the second night of camping, there was one boy who ran practically a mile down a dirt path following our car. The party was breaking up, and after two days of play he was loath to let it slip away. I thought of Chesterton: "Why dreams are different from daylight, why dead things are different from live things, why he himself is different from others, why beauty makes us restless and why even love is a spring of quarrels, why we cannot so fit into our environment as to forget it and ourselves; all these things are vaguely felt by children on long empty afternoons, or by primitive poets writing the epics and legends of the morning of the world."

What will I take away? I'm not sure. But hopefully, 40 years from now, when my body has stopped doing what I ask it to do, my eyesight is growing dim and the ringing in my ears is even louder, I'll be able to look back at all this time spent with family, and friends, and see if for what it is -- a great, an untold, an undeserved blessing.

Facing a sort we've never seen before

More horrors in Iraq. Special effort seems to be taken to murder people doing mundane things like celebrating a soccer win. Maybe special glory is gotten from cutting someone down as they are enjoying some simple human pleasure, I don't know. I'm with Maggie Gallagher on this one -- who cares why people take joy in such things? The real question is, how do people who survive sickening atrocities like this manage to go on?

All of this was on my mind this morning as I read this passage from the second volume of William Manchester's biography of Winston Churchill:

There is a revealing vingnette in (Simone de Beauvoir's memoir) La Force de l'age. (Jean-Paul) Sartre and de Beauvoir are boating down the Elbe to the rock of Heligoland. Sartre strikes up a conversation with a fellow passenger, a forty-year-old German wearing a black peaked cap and a morose expression. The German tells Sartre that he had been a sergeant in the Great War, and, his voice rising, says: "If there is another war, this time we shall not be defeated. We shall retrieve our honor." Sartre thinks the poor fellow feels shamed because his side lost; being simple, the ex-sergeant needs reassurance that war's horrors lie in the past, never to return. He mildly remarks that there is no need of war; everyone wants peace. But he is facing a sorte he has never seen before: a real Kampfer (warrior), incapable of forgetting or forgiving. Glaring the man replies, "Honor comes first. First we must retrieve our honor." De Beauvoir wrote: "His fanatical tone alarmed me ... Never had I seen hatred shine so nakedly from any human face." She tried to reassure herself "with the reflection that an ex-serviceman is bound to hold militaristic views," yet added, "How many such were there, who lived only for the moment when the great day of revenge would come?"

Frank Fabiano Jr.

We're accustomed to reading about tragedies and horrors every day. But every once in awhile you come across a news story that just knocks the wind out of you:

Frank Fabiano Jr. should have been on a date Friday night.

But the 18-year Kenosha County sheriff's deputy couldn't keep the long-standing plans with his 7-year-old daughter, Angelina, to attend the opening of "Shrek the Third."

He died a day earlier after he was shot in the head during a routine traffic stop in nearby Somers.

Stuff like this reduces me to platitudes -- life is fragile, it's precious, it's often over too quickly.

All this happened over a month ago; I can only imagine what life has been like for that little girl and the rest of the family in the interim. May they be given the peace that the world cannot give, somewhere down their long road of sorrow.

Charlie Rose interviews John Burns

From Charlie Rose's interview with John Burns of the New York Times, who again speaks bluntly about the possible cost of a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq:

John Burns: You know, I don`t want to wade into the debate that`s going on in Washington because I understand that - that a very important element of that debate is weighing as everybody on both sides I think understands, the price of staying against the price of going. And there`s no doubt that the price of staying is very, very high in American blood, to begin with, and American treasure too.

But it seems to me incontrovertible that the most likely outcome of an American withdrawal any time soon would be cataclysmic violence. And I find that to be widely agreed amongst Iraqis, including Iraqis who strongly opposed the invasion. And especially amongst Sunnis, a minority who ruled here, whose power was usurped by the invasion and who now find themselves facing Shiite militias and 350,000 man and woman Shiite-led Iraqi security force, that`s to say army and police, which is overwhelmingly Shiite and would be likely, first of all, to disintegrate in the face of a civil war, but with its principal units falling on the Shiite, not the Sunni side of that war.

Having invaded Iraq, don't we now have a responsibility to its people to establish some kind of stability there -- a responsibility that we would be shirking through a withdrawal? (Hat tip: Captain's Quarters)

Another groundbreaking piece of journalism from Rolling Stone

Brace yourself. I'm about to say something very disturbing. According to Rolling Stone magazine, Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani is worse than Bush:

In the media age, we can't have a hero humble enough to actually be one; what is needed is a tireless scoundrel, a cad willing to pose all day long for photos, who'll accept $100,000 to talk about heroism for an hour, who has the balls to take a $2.7 million advance to write a book about himself called Leadership. That's Rudy Giuliani.

Did you hear me people? Rudy charges a hefty speaking fee, and accepted a huge advance from a publishing company to write a book! Other revelations from the article: Giuliani isn't especially good-looking, and once, during a public appearence, told a joke that bombed.

What the hell is wrong with this country.

Masada north

Driving through Minneapolis (or St. Paul, he doesn't specify which), James Lileks spies this. His comment: "Good luck to anyone who wants to turn it into condos, and sends out eviction notices."

4th of July redux

A few more pics from our 4th of July celebration here in Evanston:

A bit small, but the sign reads, "Powered by vegetable oil -- no wars required." I was not aware of this, but apparently cars that run on animal fat actually cause war. I have no idea why, but I won't make the same mistake again. No more lard-burning cars for me!

This is "Ricky Recycle," a former actor turned high-powered recycling advocate who sells his services at 200 bucks an hour to schools. His manic presentations on the Moral Imperative of recycling have made him the darling of the North Shore K-5 crowd. Representative quote: "It is unacceptable to throw out a can or a bottle." From an article on Mr. Recycle from the Daily Northwestern: "He hears stories of kids going home after shows and making their parents feel guilty about their recycling habits." You're getting paid two bills an hour to make my kids come home and make me feel guilty? Brilliant! Thanks, Ricky Recycle!

This nice old lady wanted only 50 cents for her "Troops out now" buttons, which, given the overinflated pricing at these sort of events (I paid $2 for a small cup of lemonade) was pretty reasonable, I thought. Has she thought through the possible consequences of said withdrawal? The Shiite-Sunni bloodbath that could very likely follow? The crushed hopes of people who finally have at least the glimmer of hope of a better life after years spent living in a ruthless dictatorship? Has she read this John Burns interview? Alas, one suspects not. But she sure seemed like a nice lady, and seemed to be collecting 50 cents from a lot of people.

Not voting is voting. It has a certain simple power, and I think might have some application in other areas of life. "Listen boss, not going to work is going to work, in a manner of speaking. If you catch my drift, and I think you do." "Honey, I've been meaning to talk to you about this, and I think this is a good time. Not taking out the trash is taking out the trash. I really need you to try and follow me here."

Douthat on Hitchens on God

While I have respect for Christopher Hitchens -- he's a great writer and a very sharp intellect -- his atheism is wearying. His pursuit of ideological purity causes him to make silly claims, such as the statement in his latest book, "god is not Great," that the Gospels "cannot agree on anything of importance." (No; only things like the central claim of the Christian faith that Jesus was the son of God, was crucified and rose from the dead. But nothing of real importance).

While I've read some reviews of "god is not Great" (subtitle: "How Religion Poisons Everything") that have done a good job pointing out Hitchen's inconsistencies, the definitive takedown comes from Ross Douthat of the Atlantic, who wields a sharp pen himself:

(Hitchens) is exhaustive but largely unpersuasive. I remain unconvinced, for instance, that religious practice has no significant effect on moral character, though all I have to support my intuition is a heap of academic studies suggesting that churchgoing boosts marital happiness, private generosity, and various other indicators of a life well lived, while Hitchens has the devastating rebuttal that Robert Ingersoll, the noted freethinker, was a better husband and father than the Catholic Evelyn Waugh. Similarly, I'm unpersuaded that the Catholic Church's stance on birth control has been a major factor in the spread of AIDS around the world, though again I'm merely relying on statistics—African infection rates, for instance, are highest in heavily Protestant countries; most studies suggest that serious religious practice correlates with lower rates of risky sexual behavior, even among people already infected with HIV—while Hitchens has the irrefutable power of anecdote on his side, specifically a few dumb statements about condoms from Third World churchmen.

The entire review is here, and well worth a read.

A righteous skelping

This guy, a cabbie present at the scene of last weekend's terrorist attack at the Glasgow airport, is my new hero:

Alex was dropping off a fare at the airport when the attack began.

He said: "I noticed a 4x4 sitting in the middle of the road. Then, as my passenger was paying and getting out, the Jeep rammed into the airport entrance right next to us.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"The guy in the passenger seat was wearing a white T-shirt. He got out carrying what looked like a petrol bomb and seconds later the Jeep was in flames.

"Then he kicked and punched a man to the ground before punching a policeman square in the face. That's when I saw red. That sort of thing just isn't on."

Oh, it's "not on," alright. Read the entire account here. And if you're ever in Glasgow, seek out this guy and buy him a beer.

Just a simple, old-fashioned 4th of July

At the 4th of July parade, there's always that little catch in the throat when the "Say no to Foie Gras" folks walk by. God bless 'em.

Canon Andrew White

Canon Andrew White is an Anglican priest, vicar of St. George's Church in Baghdad, and head of the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East, an organization I support. Canon White does heroic work in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. He's unusual among Anglicans working for peace in the region in that he does not fall into the trap of cheap anti-American, anti-Israel sentiment; in fact, he is unapologetically pro-Israel and pro-American, while being unafraid to criticize the policy of either country if he believes they have erred. He obviously has a very deep love for the Palestinian and Iraqi people as well. His is a very dangerous job that he discharges with dignity and grace.

Today in one of his periodic email updates he wrote:

Just over two months ago I wrote in my Update that I had the worst meeting of my life. I said I have seen the Devil today. I met this awful man in Amman prior to our last major meeting in Baghdad. I referred to him as the Devil and I even refused to continue the meeting and told the Sheikh who had brought him to me never to let me meet him again. He told me that they were going to start killing in the UK then the USA. One sentence I remembered but did not understand was "those who cure you will kill you". I did not understand this then but in the last two days since the terrorist activities in the UK were brought to head I was not surprised when there were reports that those arrested were all involved in the health services. Those terrible words "those who cure you will kill you" suddenly made sense.

The litany of planned killing was horrendous. I do not know why I was told this by an Iraqi Sunni living then in Syria. I passed on this information to our FCO. I then learned that this person was a senior Al Qaeda figure and so was indeed bent on the destruction of innocent lives. I will never forget this meeting. It remains the worst meeting that I have ever had. I hope I never have one like it again.

There is more about the medical professionals under investigation for the recent attempted U.K. terror attacks here. Truly chilling.

It is the rare churchman these days who shows this kind of moral clarity about terrorism, while still working for and believing in the prospects for peace. If you're a praying person, say a prayer today for Canon White and his work. And, if you're so inclined to support him financially, you can do so here.

And, lest I forget, happy Independence Day.

"I guess I acted on instinct"

A thief attempts to pick the pocket of a 72-year-old man. This particular septuagenarian is an ex-ironworker, Marine and Golden Gloves boxer. What happens next will probably not surprise you.

Laura Ingalls Wilder

As long as I'm talking about books for kids, I might as well give a little "shout out" (as if she needed one, or would know what one was if she got one) to Laura Ingalls Wilder. My older daughter and I are now working through "These Happy Golden Years," the last of the Little House books. (We haven't quite worked through all the earlier ones, but now we'll have the pleasure of going back and doing so). Here's the end of the last chapter we read tonight:

I would like to go West," he told Ma one day. "A fellow doesn't have room to breathe here any more."

"Oh, Charles! No room, with all this great prairie around you?" Ma said. "I was so tired of being dragged from pillar to post, and I thought we were settled here."

"Well, I guess we are Caroline. Don't fret. It's just that my wandering foot gets to itching, I guess. Anyway, I haven't won that bet with Uncle Sam yet, and we stay right here till we win it! I can prove up on this homestead claim."

Laura knew how he felt for she saw the look in his blue eyes as he gazed over the rolling prairie westward from the open door where he stood. He must stay in a settled country for the sake of them all, just as she must teach school again, though she did so hate to be shut into a schoolroom.

I've heard plenty about how reading Laura Ingalls Wilder to kids is not a good idea because, among other reasons, all the women in her stories are subjugated to the men. But note here how Laura identifies her own sacrifice -- she is willing to do something she dislikes, teaching school, so that her blind sister can continue in college -- with her father's relinquishing his desire to move further westward, because he knows it would be detrimental to family life. There is a very egalitarian sharing of burdens in these books, which I suspect was mirrored in the sacrifices made by the families moving west those many years ago.

Letting Swift River Go

Every once in awhile, you grab a book for the kids at the library that turns out to be a real pleasure. It happened tonight with "Letting Swift River Go," by Jane Yolen, with beautiful illustrations by Barbara Cooney. In the late 1930's, the Swift River Valley in Massachusetts was flooded to create the Quabbin Reservoir. Four towns, Dana, Enfield, Greenwich and Prescott, were lost, their residents displaced. The graveyards were dug up; centuries-old houses were destroyed. "Letting Swift River Go" is the story of one little girl, Sally Jane, and how she feels about losing the place where she grew up -- the backyard where she caught fireflies, the church where she was baptized, the roads where she used to walk to school.

In the end, years later, she goes out on the new reservoir on a rowboat with her now elderly father. He points into the water: "Look, Sally Jane, that's where the road to Prescott ran ... there's the road to Beaver Brook ... that's the spot where the church stood ... and the school, and the Grange Hall, and the Old Stone Mill." She feels the regret. But then, she remembers what her mother told her, years back, when she was catching fireflies: "You have to let them go, Sally Jane." And, she concludes, "I looked down into the darkening deep, smiled, and did."

There are no cheap political points, just a focus on how Sallly Jane deals with events beyond her control. When you love a place or a thing very dearly, and you lose it, how do you cope? How do you keep cherished things in your memory without allowing the loss of them to drag you into hopelessness? These are questions kids will eventually need to face, and this book provides at least a starting point to answering them. Not bad.