Joust The Facts

The 24th Anniversary of Pan Am 103

December 21^st  of 2012 is allegedly the date the world comes to an end, according to Mayan lore.  I know, the Mayans came to an end long before this date, but who's counting.  The date, however, has already been significant twice for my family and me.  In 1988 Pan Am 103 was blown from the skies by now-convicted Libyan terrorists, falling to earth in Lockerbie, Scotland and taking with it the lives of 259 people on board the plane and 11 on the ground.  One of those lives on the plane was my brother, returning from a semester overseas in London during his time at Syracuse University.  Then, in 2005 my father passed away on this date, taken suddenly from our family.

Annually on this date I have been reprinting my first post from the start of this blog, which I dedicated to my brother.  The plane disappeared from the radar screen,  7:03 PM GMT, the moment when all those lives, my brother's included, were tragically ended.  The post is timed here at 7:03 PM EST, the time when I arrived home from my residency training to discover the awful truth.  The irony - or possibly the design? - of the two dying on the same date has not escaped our notice.  This post now contains the original first post, from September 2004 and the material I wrote about my father when, after his death, I returned to this blog.

The original first post:

My Reason for Being

There are a lot of ways this weblog could begin. I think the best is with a brief history and explanation. You see, I lost a wonderful younger brother in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I miss him every day; he would be 38 now. I recall thinking back then that the attack constituted an act of war. I couldn't believe that there wasn't the moral clarity and certitude of purpose on the part of our government to prosecute a war against those who had attacked us. That lack of moral clarity persisted through the Desert Storm war, leaving Saddam in power, through the first bombing on the World Trade Center, through the embassy bombings, the USS Cole attack, etc., etc., etc. With the devastation of the attack on 9-11 finally, at long last, all Americans would see that we may not have thought ourselves at war, but an enemy was at war with us. The same America that fought World Wars I & II would surely unite to fight against an enemy that attacked us on our home soil - but I was wrong.

Even before the first strikes in Afghanistan many, particularly in the media, were questioning the action, opining that we would find ourselves in a quagmire. With the attacks in Iraq the same voices were heard. Now, as Iraq struggles to find a footing for democracy many who in the 1990's thought Saddam needed to be ousted and, if necessary, preemptive action taken have changed their mind, simply because it's not their guy doing the ousting.

President Bush is doing exactly what needs to be done - aggressively prosecuting the GWOT. The critics note that terrorists are flocking to Iraq to fight against Iraqi and US soldiers - to which I answer "Good. Get more of them together, rather than chasing them to the ends of the earth." To those who think Iraq is not part of the GWOT and that we should have left Saddam in power I ask, do you really think the world would be a better place with Saddam still in power?

This is the history that has influenced me. As Senator Zell Miller said at the beginning of his speech at the Republican National Convention [link]:

Since I last stood in this spot, a whole new generation of the Miller Family has been born: Four great grandchildren. Along with all the other members of our close-knit family -- they are my and Shirley's most precious possessions. And I know that's how you feel about your family also. Like you, I think of their future, the promises and the perils they will face. Like you, I believe that the next four years will determine what kind of world they will grow up in. And like you, I ask which leader is it today that has the vision, the willpower and, yes, the backbone to best protect my family? The clear answer to that question has placed me in this hall with you tonight. For my family is more important than my party. There is but one man to whom I am willing to entrust their future and that man's name is George Bush.

My family, and in fact all Americans, are too important to me. This blog will stray onto lesser topics regularly, my passions and interests. But it will likely always return to this vital effort.

Posted by Giacomo on 28 September 2004

Here are the Wikipedia entry on Pan Am 103 and the website for the Syracuse students.  The latter is very well done.

From my return post of December 29, 2005:

Lastly, I'd like to write briefly about my dad, who passed away eight days ago, on a professional level.  He was a remarkable physician, a cancer specialist in a way that really no cancer specialists are anymore.  He performed all manner of cancer surgery, soup to nuts, including the plastic reconstruction of any deformity created.  He guided the radiation therapy and chemotherapy for his patients.  He read their MRIs and CTs himself.  He looked at their pathology slides.  This was one-stop shopping cancer care, something that you need six or seven different doctors to provide now.  You might think that each of those six or seven physicians would be more highly informed in their particular area to optimize their portion of the care.  You would be wrong.  And you'd have to coordinate six or seven different physician offices to get anything done.

He retired four years ago, and had to be dragged kicking and screaming from his practice.  When he left, he spent the next two years staying in contact with his patients, and working with each of them to be sure they had the best follow-up care he could arrange.  That's something you don't see either.

I won't be writing here on a personal level.  That's something I did for his burial two days ago.  We miss you, Dad.  We all miss you very much.

If anyone is interested, here is the link to his obituary.

I know I haven't been around since the election, and I do have some items of importance I'd like to write about, but I've been exceedingly busy.  I'll be returning to the blog intermittently as time allows.

Giacomo

 

Rip Van Blogger

Okay, so I took a little nap.  Gimme a break, will ya?  I've had a lot going on over the last several months, from planning and executing Gwendolyn's surprise 40th birthday party (80's music and movie theme) to preparing for and testing for my 1st brown belt in Kenpo Karate ( I hope to test for black belt in September or October) to simply keeping up with life as a busy orthopaedic surgeon with three busy daughters and a busy wife.

But the party is now behind me.  That occupied a lot of my available time for about 6 weeks, through the end of May, planning every last detail.  Location.  Costumes.  Decorations.  Cake.  Music.  Guest lists and invitations.  Not to mention all the necessary deceptions to keep this event off the precision radar of my always-knows-what's-going-on wife.  I dressed as David Lee Roth (no, I'm not posting a picture of me in the zebra-print lycra pants - you think my last name is Weiner?), while my wife's costume, which she was given on arrival, was as the Girl In The Whitesnake Video.  You know the one.  And yeah, she can pull that look off.  By the way, thanks to everyone who came and made it a huge success.

And the 1st brown belt is now mine as well.  The test was three hours of essentially continuous exercise, including innumerable pushups and situps, forms, combinations, releases from holds, defenses against attacks, grappling, sparring, a mile run, stress positions, and so on.  The bad news is that the next test, for black belt, is 8 hours of the same thing.

And then there was the premature end of the Celtics season and the exuberant end of the Bruins season.  This has been noted by many, but Boston teams have now won seven championships since 2002 - 3 Patriots' Super Bowls, 2 Red Sox' World Series, a Celtics' NBA title and a Bruins' Stanley Cup.  The Patriots now have the longest drought, believe it or not, at 5 years. 

And now I'm going to ease back into blogging having awoken from my slumber, ending this drought.  Again, I don't see this as several posts a day, but more like several a week, with the occasional in-depth look. But I live in New Hampshire, which does have a little importance in Presidential politics, so ...

... Here I Go Again.

A Day Over 6, And No, I Don't Look It

I missed my own birthday this year.  Six years ago yesterday Joust The Facts was born.  In the wake of the forged Bush Air National Guard document controversy (remember?), with most of the heavy lifting done by blogs, I started my own.

After looking at the available options I chose to do it on Typepad, and getting started was as simple as it gets.  I'm pretty sure I'm not using all of the features and flash that I could - for cryin' out loud, I ought to be able to come up with a reasonable graphic banner - but that's fine by me.  Typepad does have a team that'll help, but it's pretty low on my list. It's the writing, and the ability to analyze and educate both myself and my readers that really counts.

Blogging gave me a forum to explore my own thoughts on topics ranging from politics to sports to medicine to culture.  It gave me a recreation away from the daily grind, a way to decompress, to unwind at the end of the day. It was intellectual recreation.  It was fun, so I did it.  I haven't done much original reporting, and I haven't had the chance of late to really do in depth analysis, which is a bit of a shame, though I'm still enjoying myself.  But the full-time job, the not-so-little-anymore Jesters, Gwendolyn, the rest of the family, and other recreations take up a lot of available time.

I don't have thousands of daily hits or boatloads of regular readers.  There are a few though.  There'll be times, due to my schedule and my energy levels when posts lag for three, four, five days or more.  Sometimes months.  For a little while I guest/co-blogged at The Right Place, but after struggling to keep up with my own blog the last thing I needed was an obligation to another blog.  I'm still listed as a co-blogger there, but it's been a while to say the least.  But I thank Mr. Right for valuing my work, and inviting me. 

Comments are few and far between, and when I do get them I might not notice for three or four days.  On the other hand, I have to do very little trimming of spam and trolls.  I get the occasional link from the bigger fish in blogging, but I'm not looking to make my living this way, and I'm not looking to be a regular on television, or to be signed by the major news outlets.  I'm not the type of guy who needs that level of exposure and fame, although I'm pretty sure there's more money in it than medicine now.  Technically I'm anonymous as "Giacomo," but not that anonymous.  Jay Tea of Wizbang once tracked me down stalked me and dropped his calling card at my desk in my office.  I went once to a Boston Moron meet-up for Ace and his gang, meeting Dave from Texas, Slublog and Laura W. among other luminaries.  It's probably not fair to compare Ace to an Ewok.  Probably.

So I'm here to have fun, and as long as this continues to be fun I'll continue to do it.  Thanks for stopping by.  Y'all come back now, ya hear?

By Way Of Explanation ...

Well, once again, it's been a while.  I've been reading stories, and keeping up with current events, but I ran into a roadblock near the end of February, and, although I'd posted a couple of times in March I found it tough to get back into the game fully.

You see, my family and I ski.  We rented a place for the winter for weekends that was very convenient to an excellent New Hampshire ski area, and we went there many weekends, as well as the entire February school vacation week.  And that condo had no internet access.  And, when many of your weekends are away, you spend a lot more time during the week doing things at home that would otherwise done on weekends. 

Okay, so ski season ended in late March this year.  Still, I was rusty, out of the routine.  Combine that with a fairly busy orthopaedic practice, three busy kids, a very active 18 month old Brittany, my recent progression to 3rd Brown Belt in Kenpo Karate (thank you, please hold your applause), and a wife who works two jobs (applause here), and more, and I spent about a month relishing the additional free-time at night that not-blogging afforded me.

I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things gradually, hoping to throw up a post now and then and steadily increasing the frequency.  I'd like to tell you that they'll all be thoughtful and erudite, but frankly some will be short and sophomoric.  I do have a notion for a series of lengthy posts that will require some research, but I'll want to have several of them written before I start posting them.

Anyway, those of you who have periodically found your way to Joust The Facts and enjoyed your stay here should be able to start doing so again, without fear of seeing the same two or three posts over, and over, and over.

Been Away, Haven't Seen You In Awhile...

...How've you been?  Have you changed your style?

Thought I'd throw a little entertainment your way, since you haven't seen that much of me.  I've been busy with Christmas/New Years/Daughter's Birthday/Brother Visiting/Unruly Canine.  How 'bout you?

Hopefully I can get back to a post or two a day pace, but it's a little tricky right now, as time is not all that plentiful.  After the mid December six and a half day power outage this past weekend we had 24 hours with no heat.  Lovely.

Still, there's a lot to comment on, and I hope to throw my two cents out there sooner or later.  What with the Blagojevich appointment denied, the withdrawal of Bill Richardson at Commerce, the Leon Panetta joke appointment to head the CIA, war in Gaza, and stolen elections in Minnesota, Celtic win streaks, Husky hoops and baseball's hot stoves, Patriot games and Philly as the new Boston, why, you'd think there'd be something worth writing about.

Well, there is, and I just haven't gotten there.

Incommunicado

Feeling powerless, literally, since last Thursday evening.  Thank the Lord the generator can run the boiler and water pump.

Did a little blog reading, to catch up on current events.  Some interesting stuff in the WSJ after I got to my office this morning.  But there will be no blogging until power is restored.*

*and Christmas preparations take precedence.

12/19/08 1615: Hurrah!!

After 6 days and 14 hours the power came back on at home.  The generator served us well, but we really needed to do laundry. I mean really.  And to finally take hot showers and baths without firing the darn thing up and waiting 30 minutes.

Cable/Internet/Phone returned today, another 24 hours later.  Still not quite business as usual, but we're close.  Real close.

Congratulations, Belatedly

I was perusing Wizbang! absentmindedly this Sunday evening, as the Patriots were losing blowing it against the Steelers, with way too many second half turnovers, dropped passes and soft defenses, and I noted an oblique reference to the "loss" of Jay Tea.  I've been terribly busy with work and a variety of other projects lately, and my blogging has been sporadic (and my reading of blogs even moreso.)  Still, I was puzzled that this news had gotten past me. Jay is a fellow Granite Stater, and a superb blogger, putting far more thought into his posts than any seven bloggers combined.  He once surprised me by dropping his Wizbang!calling card at my desk while, I believe, seeing one of my partners at the office.  While I don't agree with him on everything, he and I do agree on many things.  And even in those disagreements I certainly found that he gave a topic full and thorough consideration before discussing his conclusions.

Commentary Magazine's blog Contentions has snapped him up.  They wanted him exclusively, and so Wizbang is a much more empty place.  Congratulations, I wish you well in your new gig.  And remember, J.T., you're always welcome as a commenter at Joust The Facts.

Moved In, Still Lots To Do

The great Joust The Facts blog hiatus of 2008 is going to continue a little while longer.  While there's been much to discuss politically, particularly the two hollow shells of candidates remaining on the Democratic side of the aisle and their travails**, it's been good to focus on the things that are so important now in our big move out of the People's Republic of Massachusetts.  New Hampshire still has a gritty New England "Live Free or Die" attitude that, for relatively independent-thinking and self-reliant physicians, makes practicing medicine much more appealing than in the current (and likely future) environment in the neighbor to the south.

The new offices sparkle, but they need a bit of finish work, and we're still trying to get the neonatal ancillary businesses off to a strong start.  One is in the NICU, and the other is home but still dependent on Mom and Dad for everything.

I did attend the Big East Tournament last week, and was a bit disappointed in the performance of my Huskies of UConn.  They seem to give up big nights to good players; or maybe it's that the best players get themselves fired up to play a team that's won two national championships in the last 8 years.  In any event, they should beat San Diego but will have their hands full with Drake, unless the defenders can both defend the three and cut off drives to the hoop.  If they get to the sweet 16 they'll meet UCLA most likely, and that will be a very entertaining game.

I don't have the time to do a full pre-NCAA run through, but perhaps a bit of live-blogging the games tonight, tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday might be in order...

**See "Wright, Pastor" and "Clinton, NAFTA" for primers.

Almost Home

This is it.  This weekend my office moves from northern Massachusetts to southern New Hampshire.  The new building is ready ... I think ... and within about three weeks the new entities should be fully past the transition, up and running.  Well, two of the three anyway.  The third still needs a little work, but it's getting there.

My latest blog hiatus has been longer (since Feb. 10) than I thought it would be.  I've had a boatload of post ideas, but by the time I would have gotten to them they would have been stale, so well hashed out in the rest of the blogosphere that anything I could add would likely have been redundant.  I still won't be posting much until the babies are secure in their beds.  I am hoping to blog March Madness as I have traditionally.

I have been following the twists and turns of Mssrs. McCain and Obama and Ms. Clinton.  I do have to point out what I wrote in my last post, on Feb. 10, about Mr. McCain.

The McCain Media Honeymoon will be over soon.  The media has soft-sold him thus far because, of the Republicans, they clearly preferred the maverick-ness of the author of McCain-Feingold and McCain-Kennedy who voted against the Bush tax cuts.  But now that he's the presumptive Republican nominee, media outlets like the NY Times and Boston Globe that had endorsed him will find all sorts of reasons to attack him, the predominant one being that he still has an 'R' after his name.

The NY Times?  Eleven days later?  It was all too easy.

Blog Update

[originally posted 11/22/07 - scroll down for new posts that may, or may not, have been written]

I've been very busy in so many ways, primarily with meetings and preparations for our practice's move to New Hampshire, and as I've written before blogging will be sporadic - as in no posts for the last 5 days - for the next couple of months.  I hope I'm not killing my readership (you three or four know who you are), but I'm just re-informing everyone that I'll be writing from time to time, and while there certainly may be days with three or four posts, there will also be days with none.  This'll be the case for the next couple of months at a minimum.

On the other hand, I don't plan to shut down completely, and with primary season and a presidential election upcoming, and the continuing improvements in Iraq, and the Patriots producing an historic season thus far  there'll be plenty of material next year, and I'm looking forward to commenting on it.

But this'll just the way it is for now.

An Apology

Work and business travel and efforts to get our soon-to-move practice and businesses ready for the new location and to get the new building ready for our arrival and preparations for an upcoming certification exam have intervened, and I've not been able to read much or post at all for the last several days.

I would have liked to post on the agreement President Bush has to share intelligence with the Turks on Kurdish terrorists, something I suggested here.  I would have liked to post on Sen. Schumer's teeth-gritted endorsement of Michael Mukasey.  I would have liked to post on the Patriots remarkable win in Indianapolis this past weekend.  I would have liked to write on a lot of things.  Frankly, I haven't had the time lately.

Unfortunately those circumstances may not change much and my time will continue to be occupied excessively.  Once I get past a certification exam on Friday things may well lighten up, however, and give me a few more opportunities.

Disappointed, Yes, But Unrepentant

Okay, so Joust The Facts didn't make the cut.  The nominees for the ecosystem categories have been announced, and JTF was not a finalist this year, after reaching finalist status in both 2oo5 and 2006.  I'm not surprised,truthfully, as my life has been much busier this year, and as a result my blogging less consistenet.  In looking over the lists there seem to be quite a few newcomers, which is healthy for the blogosphere as a whole.  Have a look at the lists and vote for your favorites.  Voting ends on Nov. 8.

A Hat Trick?

Well, I made the final voting in the Weblog Awards in 2005 and 2006.  The nominations are now open for 2007, and in the Ecosystem voting Joust The Facts would be eligible in the "Best of the Top 2501-3500 Blogs."  (Yes, I know I was traveling in loftier circles last year, but the Truth Laid Bear Ecosystem was re-jiggered, and last year's "Best of the Top 501-1000 Blogs" was really the aberration.)

So, you know, if you feel so inclined, you may wish to, you know, wander over to the nominations page and put in a good word, if you know what I mean.  Or not.  I'm just sayin'.

Third Time's A Charm

Third birthday that is.  Joust The Facts turns three today.  I'm not going to bore you all with unwarranted self-congratulation or rhapsodize about the significance of this waste of time serious journalistic effort tertiary pastime.  There's also certainly no reason to extravagantly laud these meager efforts, so keep your dignity intact.

A simple "Joust rocks, dude!" will suffice.  Hey, thanks for reading.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Several blog updates:

• Sensible Mom commented that she's decided to give up blogging, certainly a loss for the blogosphere.  I had noticed, as with my busy life, that blogging had taken a backseat for her.    Then immediately a blogsquatter grabbed up her URL.  Sad.  We'll miss her, but she's certainly welcome to read and comment any time.

I'm going to try and get through my own slow period rather than give in to the demands on my time, so be patient, and ye shall be rewarded.  My own demands currently include starting three new businesses in a new state by early next year, three very busy children and their activities, a return to the workforce by Gwendolyn, piano lessons and karate, and sports game coverage for two high school football teams on weekends.  Oh, and then there's "on call" time and the busy orthopaedic practice.  I will write when I can and have the energy.

• In the right sidebar there is a new listing, "Who Would Be King."  This is a collection of links on the upcoming '08 election.  I've taken the liberty of listing only some of the candidates from both the Democratic and Republican sides with links to their primary websites.  The ones not listed are unlisted for a reason - they don't meet the "snowball's chance in hell" minimum threshold.  Sorry to you "Paul-ites" and "Kucinich-arians."  Currently I find myself agreeing with Stephen Green on the Democrats, aka Vodkapundit, with whom I've agreed often in the past.  I suspect I'll agree with him on the Republicans also, but that still won't make me stay home next November.

• I've gotten a little tired of Memeorandum, which seems to have been persuaded far more often than is reasonable to feature (and not simply link) far left diatribes and ad hominum attacks.  On the other hand, I haven't found Pajamas Media to be as easy to survey quickly regarding Big Media stories.  Can anyone suggest a more user-friendly daily aggregator?

I Beg Your Pardon ...

While perusing Mickey Kaus "Kausfiles" blog I came across this entry from August 14:

There are still people who don't follow the news--paging M.D.s!--and could use a print Cliff's Notes, something the main newsweeklies aren't anymore.

Ahem.  Cliff Notes?  I resent such a disparaging comment on the the current affairs knowledge of MD's. (note: not "M.D.s")  While blogging and current affairs are not my livelihood, I'd like to think I'm at least as well-informed as, say, your average TNR editor.

My Sentiments Exactly

Angevin13, writing at The Oxford Medievalist, discussing a desire by a loose "coalition of left-leaning bloggers" to unionize and demand benefits.  As if.  In any event, this paragraph provides a better summary of my thoughts on blogging than I could have written myself:

To me, the whole notion is silly. I can only speak from personal experience, but I started blogging because it's fun, it's interesting, and I enjoy writing. If and when blogging ever becomes any harder or worse than that, I'll just stop doing it. It's a lot of hard work and long hours to not get paid for or receive benefits from it. That's why I have a "real" job. So you'd better be doing it for personal pleasure and satisfaction. I guess, though, that if your real job is being a self-obsessed liberal activist, you might feel otherwise...

As for that real job, said liberal activist wrote:

I did think we deserved support as opposed to someone who blogs about, say, model trains, because after all, we raised lots and lots of money for Democrats last year and targeted it into [k]ey races... .

There have been moves (and subsequent pullbacks) by the FEC to regulate speech by bloggers under McCain-Feingold, efforts that have been apprpriately resisted.  However, if lefty bloggers think that their blogs should be avenues to funnel money to candidates, they may well be inviting such scrutiny.

Coincidence? You Decide.

The Godfather of Web Traffic turns six, and gives a glimpse back at that first week.  I noticed the dates, roughly one month before the attacks of 9-11.  Could there be a link?  Or was that event what drove him to puree puppies?

August

Sorry for the scarcity of posts lately.  Well, not really.  This has been one helluva week, and I've got a lot on my table for at least the next couple of weeks.  So if you think there'll be two posts a day through the rest of this month you're dreaming.  I do intend to post now and again through the rest of the month, but frankly I've just got too much else to do to give proper focus and research to my writing, what with the move to NH by my practice (and one of the few unfortunate ramifications of that decision), active children with lots of activities, and a house desperately in need of repair.

Again, there'll be posts this month, just not so frequently.  Enjoy what new stuff you find, peruse the archives if you wish, and visit the Friends of Giacomo, left sidebar, particularly.  You'll find more worthy thoughts at those sites.

Gone Tomorrow

When I wrote the title of the post yesterday, the second half referred indirectly to me.  I'm off for family time at the Cape for the next 10 days or so.  I'll probably head to a 'net hotspot for a post or two, but it'll certainly be sporadic.  This post will stay at the top; new stuff may or may not be below.

In any event, enjoy the archives.  I'll need to add a page with a "Best of Joust" so that, if you're bored and have no social life, you can relive the past.  Currently you'll have to scroll the archives (right sidebar) if you're so inclined.

Truth be told, I've sort of been dogging it most of this week, too.

See you.

Quote Of The ... 23rd Hour

From Joe Klein, blogging at Time:

"But the smart stuff is being drowned out by a fierce, bullying, often witless tone of intolerance that has overtaken the left-wing sector of the blogosphere. Anyone who doesn't move in lockstep with the most extreme voices is savaged and ridiculed—especially people like me who often agree with the liberal position but sometimes disagree and are therefore considered traitorously unreliable...

The spitballs aimed at me don't matter much. The spitballs aimed at Harman, Clinton and Obama are another story. Despite their votes, each of those politicians believes the war must be funded. (Obama even said so in his statement explaining his vote.) Each knows, as Senator Jim Webb has said repeatedly, that we must be more careful getting out of Iraq than we were getting in. But they allowed themselves to be bullied into a more simplistic, more extreme position.

Courage.

6/9/07 1600: I focused on a different aspect of this section, the spinelessness of the candidates.  The portion truncated form the tail of the first paragraph, however, points to another area of silliness.  Kim Priestap at Wizbang! noticed it, as did Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs.  From the latter:

Note to TIME Magazine columnist Joe Klein: suck it up, Joe. Some of us have been targets of the insane bile that pours out of the left-wing blogosphere for years. It didn’t just start recently, and it’s not unusual or rare. The left-wing haze in which you live parted for a second and you saw what the Nutroots are really like. Welcome to the reality-based real world.

6/9/07 1625: And a much longer, and perceptive, take at Right Wing Nuthouse, from Terry Moran's brother:

For Klein to blame the left’s historic, hate-filled rhetoric on the recent phenomena of talk radio and specifically Limbaugh’s broadly drawn (and at times, over the top) satire is fantastically ridiculous. The world did not begin in the 1990’s with the right’s reaction to the deliberate Clintonian strategy of personally destroying your opponent with outrageous smears and lies. It’s just that the left has now perfected the technique and uses the world of blogs to vastly amplify the tactic so that the target feels beseiged.

I Told You It Would Be Light

Posting, that is.  I've been traveling with my family, visiting London and Paris, and we'll be leaving later this morning on our return journey.  My youngest, now 3, celebrated her birthday in Paris.  I think the splendor of the Chateau de Versailles was lost on her, however.  On the downside, the weakness of the dollar against the British pound and the Euro was shockingly evident.

I plan to post some of the photographs periodically once home.  Of course, I'll also be resuming commentary on the usual topics.  Some of the things that took place in my absence were fairly remarkable, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's admission that he'd only believe General Petraeus if he said what Sen. Reid already believes.  There was the vote for a timeline that the Iraqi government doesn't want on a bill that is sure to be vetoed.  There was Sen. Reid's statement that the war was already 'lost', nearly instantaneously used as enemy propaganda.  There was the classified briefing by General Petraeus which was characterized completely differently by Democrats and Republicans present immediately following the meeting.  That classified briefing transcript is something that needs to be leaked.  It would be useful, certainly, to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who declined to attend.

In the overseas press I witnessed thoroughly biased journalism by the BBC and CNN international, particularly about the subpoena of Sec. of State Rice, during which the CNN lead in actually used the word 'bought' instead of 'sought', then during the more detailed report they reverted to 'sought' much further in than most would be paying attention.  The BBC anchor a couple of days ago badgered the witness during an interview with former UN ambassador John Bolton after the congressional vote, then softballed the Democratic congressman who appeared second.  The International Herald Tribune had an article about the unseasonably warm European weather, which the meteorologists interviewed attributed to weather patterns, but which the writers attributed to global warming.  Of course, it's been unseasonably cold and rainy this April near my home, also due to global warming.  I'll add some of the relevant links later if possible; it's not possible now.

As you can see, I haven't been completely out of touch, just absent from the blog.  That should change soon.  Bonjour, mes amis.  Au revoir, Paris.

Posting Will Be Light

Not that I'm a seven-post-a-day guy or anything, but we've got New Hampshire school vacation week, and posting will be really light, perhaps even non-existent.  I hope to have some great photos when I return.  Until then, however, enjoy the 'Friends of Giacomo' blogroll or explore the archives.  There's lots to read.

Brilliant At Breakfast

That would be DJ Drummond's piece this morning over at Wizbang, on the role of the media in the Va Tech killings, the killer himself, and what makes one worthy of this life we lead.

This particular monster wanted attention. He sent out photos, a "manifesto", a video comparing himself to every person he ever considered great, though he was - at best - a pathetic failure who wasn't man enough to accomplish anything more than to blame everyone and everything else for his failures. He is not worth remembering.

[...]

A man, a real man anyway, is the sum of the good he does, and he establishes his name through honorable and virtuous acts. Heaven is by the grace of God, but a man's honor and name is something he can build and know might have a chance of surviving him. Like Dr. Liviu Librescu, or Jacob Russell Ryker. Maybe like Todd Beamer or Paul Ray Smith.

Read the whole thing.  Please.

And you can add Jay Tea, who writes on the constant urge some have to give up more rights and freedoms and rely on the government when something bad happens.

But we do not wish to be burdened with the responsibility of caring for ourselves, so we call upon the government to make certain we make the right choices, and accept whatever punishment, fine, or sanction they see fit if we put ourselves at risk.

In the name of our own safety, our own security, and our own peace of mind, we, the undersigned, do hereby pledge our lives, our fortunes, our liberty, our judgment, and our own common sense.

Read that whole thing, too.

The End Of A Chain II: Revenge Of The Grouch

The Assistant Village Idiot has "tagged" me with an assignment, to write five unblogged things about myself.  The last time this happened it was the "ordinarily Sensible Mom" who passed me the rock.

Philosophical question: If you continue to get tagged to write things about yourself that you haven't written before, how long will it be before you run out of things to write?  Now, how long will it be before you run out of things that others might find interesting?

I politely decline while thanking AVI for the invite.  It's just not me.  Here's what I wrote last time.

• One thing you should know is that I don't propagate chain letters.  I find them a waste of time, and it pretty much doesn't matter how cute or fun they seem to others to be.  My daughters were sent a sticker chain letter a couple of years ago, where they were to add stickers to the envelope and put their name at the bottom of the list, and send the envelope to five friends, hoping to get back multiple letters and many times the number of stickers they sent out. Fun for the youth.  Fun, that is, until mean Daddy put his foot down.

  So this will be the last link on this branch.

I will, however, give you five sites on the blogroll you should definitely check out.  Go see what's being served at Wake Up, America, WILLisms.com, The Oxford Medievalist,  American Princess, and, of course, Assistant Village Idiot.  You'll be glad you did.

Sorry I Didn't Post An 'I'm On Vacation' Post, But ...

... I'm on vacation, and have been for several days.  I have a nearly complete post in draft form on the Nancy Pelosi/Dick Cheney and Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton skirmishes from a few days ago, one that's now quite stale.  Want to read it?

I may post briefly now and then, but don't expect much for a few more days.  Time away with the family, and all that.

The End Of A Chain

I was 'tagged' by the ordinarily Sensible Mom with a chain blog post, (Top) Five Things You Don't Know About Me.  Number one on the list was easy.

• One thing you should know is that I don't propagate chain letters.  I find them a waste of time, and it pretty much doesn't matter how cute or fun they seem to others to be.  My daughters were sent a sticker chain letter a couple of years ago, where they were to add stickers to the envelope and put their name at the bottom of the list, and send the envelope to five friends, hoping to get back multiple letters and many times the number of stickers they sent out.  Fun for the youth.  Fun, that is, until mean Daddy put his foot down.

So this will be the last link on this branch.

The others in the list should be a little more fun, and make me seem a little less like Oscar the Grouch.

• My roommates in college hated that I could concentrate on my homework while the TV and stereo were blaring.  As a result, I seldom had to isolate myself in a library carrel to get my work done.
• I'm allergic to nuts - but only tree nuts, not peanuts.  Go figure.  Yet none of my children have these allergies.
• Unlike Sensible Mom, I love to shop, particularly for clothes for my wife.  It's rare that I get her something that she doesn't like or that she can't wear.  And I know her sizes.
• Just like many other guys I've essentially memorized the entire Monty Python's Holy Grail script, which frankly should be a requirement if you have a Y Chromosome, and can pull quotes from it pertinent to most any situation.  Also Arthur.  And Die Hard.  And A Night at the Opera.  And Casablanca.  And Good Will Hunting.  And Young Frankenstein.  And On The Waterfront. ...

Well, that was more enjoyable than I thought it would be.  But the chain still stops here.

Family Time

Posting has been light of late.  The holiday season has been very busy, as you can imagine, what with celebrating with my family, traveling to visit various other family members and enjoying the company of friends, in addition to work.  The two most compelling stories, the execution of Saddam Hussein and the death of 93 year old Gerald R. Ford, are being covered extensively, and indeed repetitively, throughout the mediasphere.  I doubted that there's much more of substance I could add.  So I haven't.

I suspect that posting will continue to be sporadic until sometime next week.  I'll have a lengthy post at some point on a big decision my practice partners and I have made, and with which I've been occupied for the better part of the last 18 months.  And of course with the culmination of college football and the onset of the serious part of the college basketball season there'll be some sports stories tweaking my interest.  Then there's the new Congress, which should provide some "interesting" moments.

I've noticed a number of new readers and linkers have been frequenting the site.  Thanks for your patronage, and don't get discouraged, there'll be more soon, I promise.

In any event, as 2006 winds down, here's wishing all of you a happy and healthy new year, from Giacomo and Joust The Facts.   

Thank You All, Very Much

The Weblog Awards are over, and Blogs of War was the deserving winner in my category, "Best of the Top 501-1000 Weblogs."  That was pretty much the case from day one.  I jokingly said at the start that I'd be honored to finish last, but really, who wants to finish last?  The point was, it's an honor to simply be nominated.

Thanks for voting for Joust The Facts, if you in fact did.  And if you stumbled upon this place and think you might like to return, great, we're glad to have you.

Fair warning: I'm traveling this weekend, so there won't be a lot of blogging for a day or two.

I Guess I Should Be Flattered

Kim Priestap at Wizbang just linked a post from Saturday at Q & O Blog about Cynthia McKinney, entitled "Last Gasp of A Departing Loon," by McQ.  Hmmm.  That's an awfully familiar title.  I know I've seen something very similar recently...  I think it was Friday night...  Where was it...?  No, don't tell me, I'll have it in a minute...

Oh, that's right, I remember now. 

I'm quite sure that we came up with virtually the same title independently, though mine was a "Featured Post" on Memeorandum Friday night.

12/11/06 1155: I got a response from McQ over at QandO, and I thought I'd post the civil email exchange with perfectly innocent explanation.  First from McQ:

Giacomo:

I saw your post concerning the title I used on a McKinney post on QandO and wanted to assure you that it was indeed a coincidence.  I never saw your post or title prior to this morning on a Kinja linkback.

An explanation: I live in Atlanta and read the AJC.  Got it Saturday morning, read the McKinney story, went downstairs pulled up the AJC site and wrote the post.  The fact that we both came up with similar titles is remarkable and interesting, but I promise they were independent acts.

I prefer to think of it as great minds coming to similar conclusions (I’ve blogged fairly extensively on McKinney and called her a loon more than once).  I certainly understand how you could believe the title was stolen since they are so very similar, but wanted to assure you that it wasn’t.

Best to you
McQ

My response:

McQ:

Thanks for responding.  I actually didn't think that you pilfered it - it was a pretty obvious parody, and nobody, or rather only a few, read my site anyway.  I thought the title might have generated some traffic, but I was mistaken.

I was simply disappointed that a post with that title got linked by Wizbang! and it wasn't mine (sobs uncontrollably into keyboard).

I'm willing to buy the "great minds think alike" explanation if you will.

Thanks, and good luck in the Weblog Awards to you also.

Giacomo

Voila!!  Another blog war averted through diplomacy and understanding.

Vote Early, Vote Often

You've been itching to get started, so now here's your chance to help keep Joust The Facts out of last place.  Hey, I have limited goals.  Just click the image above and you will be magically transported, via those fancy internet "tubes," for your chance to cast a vote in the "Best of the Top 501 - 1000 Blogs" category.

Don't be shy or embarrassed.  I'm not vindictive, and even if I was I don't know where you live.

12/10/06 0845: Okay, as things stand I'm getting my butt kicked by Blogs of War and Decision 08.  Both are very good blogs, but seriously, I thought Americans rooted for the underdog.  I'm even behind Radioactive Liberty. I mean, what's with that?

On the plus side,  Joust is not in last place, but it's not comfortably out of it either.  You know you can vote each and every 24 hours, don't you?  Let's get going, or that vindictive streak that I've been supressing thus far will emerge, and believe me, you DON'T want that to happen.

Well, There's A Shock II

Sorry to recycle a headline so soon, but I was surprised to see Joust The Facts in the running for a Weblog Award for "Best of the Top 501-1000 Weblogs."  Knock me over with a feather, and thank you, Kevin Aylward and Wizbang! for considering Joust worth a mention.

 

I've had a brief look at the competition.  To be honest, I'll be further honored to finish last.  Still, the tallies will be amusing to follow.

Remember, lets do it the Chicago (and Philadelphia) way.  Vote early and often.

12/6/06 1810: Here's a list of the others in category.  Check 'em all out.

Radioactive Liberty
Vince Aut Morire
Merri Musings
Project 2996
Stones Cry Out
Darleen's Place
Hooah Wife & Friends
Blogs of War
Decision '08
Joust The Facts

There I am, at the bottom.  Foreshadowing?  Congratulations to you all.

 

The Weblog Awards 2006 nominations have been open for some time.  I was honored to be nominated last year in the "Best of the Top 5001-6750 Blogs" category, and finished fourth in a category won by "Army of Mom."  I'm in deeper doo-doo this year, having moved up to #998 in the TTLB Ecosystem as of today.

If you're looking for something to do on this holiday weekend, by midnight on Nov. 24th, in fact, you may consider heading on over to the nominations page for the "Best of the Top 500-1000 Blogs" category this year and ask them to take a look at Joust The Facts.  The RSS feed is at Feedburner.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Are You Ready For Some Football!

This weekend will be occupied by football, rather than blogging, so don't look for too many fresh stories until Monday.  Oh, I may be able to squeeze in a brief word or two.  At any rate, there's plenty of good stuff in the archives.  Pick a month and have at it.

Blog Post Of The Day

From Bryan Preston, at Hot Air, discussing the downfall of Republicans this fall.  His view: it wasn't Iraq.  It was

Katrina.  That storm turned out to be the hurricane that changed history.

The Bush administration felt the brunt of what turned out to be a perfect storm of horrendous weather, major disaster, bad luck, and more than the usual amount of dishonesty in Democrat politics, and media reporting that played up made-up tales of horror in New Orleans.

There's more than a little truth in this.  The media stories of blame on the Bush administration were unbelievable.  The Bush administration wasn't responsible for designing and building the Cat 3 levees that didn't hold up to the waters of a Cat 3 storm.  It wasn't responsible for Louisiana politicians siphoning infrastructure dollars into patronage and waste.  It wasn't responsible for unused buses, for obstinacy by Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco.  And there was not a single problem that was attributable to Bush administration racism.  But that didn't stop Democrats from making the accusations, and the press from reporting it that way.  And reporting it that way.  And reporting it that way.  Like this, for example.

Instead a little digging by the press might have gotten stories such as the ones linked here covered as the narrative.

My Apologies

Sorry for the absence, but I haven't had time to blog at work, and my home internet connection was out from Sunday evening until this morning due to the Adelphia changeover to Comcast.  Frustration ensued, but we are now back up and running.

Read 'Em, Please

Jay Tea at Wizbang! must have had some time on his hands last evening, for he produced two great posts that I wish I'd written.  The first discusses the reprehensible actions of Mike Rogers, indefatiguable warrior in the fight to keep all gays toeing the line.

The third thing I'd think of is I'd start remembering a bunch of the standard liberal talking points. President Bush and the Republicans want to wiretap everyone without search warrants, the NSA is secretly tracing and recording every single phone call in the US, the whole notion of privacy is being eroded in the "war on terror" -- so we should immediately support the party that has its people investigating and revealing details of people's sex lives? I think I'd PREFER that the government know about my phone bill than my sex life. (Such as it isn't, currently.) Hell, I'll gladly e-mail them a copy of my cell phone statement every month if they promise to stay out of my bedroom.

Iowahawk addresses this issue as only he can, in a letter from DNC chairman Howard Dean.  Best satire on the web, period.

Despite what you may have heard on Fox News, we Democrats know what issues are on the minds of heartland conservatives like you. We know that your number one concern of is the safety of  your children -- whether they are plucking their banjos on the back porch, speaking tongues to snakes at Jesus Camp, or torching crosses at your local Nascar racing contest. We also know that the number one threat to your children's safety is the scourge of international homo-ism. That's why we at the DNC have created "The Contract With American Hillbillies," a new multipoint investigation program to identify and root out conservative stealth homoism before it threatens you or your precious little inbreeds.

The second discusses the election shenanigans by Democrats in Florida and Texas vis a vis the historical context of the New Jersey senate race and Al Gore's Florida quest.  The title says it all.

It's all fun and games until someone loses a Constitutional right

Entering The "Terrible Two's"

Joust The Facts is celebrating its second blogiversary today.  Okay, okay, hold your laughs applause.  I thought about doing what most parents seem to do when their children turn two these days, and invite a bunch of other two year-olds, have a pizza and ice cream party, whack a pinata, and give out "goody bags" at the end, then spend three to four hours cleaning up smeared frosting from the walls, floors, table, chairs and my hair, but then how many of my blog friends would find their way to New Hampshire with it being only 2006?

Still, I was tempted.  There are all kinds of higher profile blogger parties going on.  One guy might have been able to make the trip by "Shaggin' Wagon." "Golden Oldie."   This girl seems to have one in the "City That Never Sleeps" three or four times a year.  A bunch of bloggers got the royal treatment at the White House yesterday at the signing of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act.  This guy even shook hands with The Man, now he's buying drinks.

Yep, life as a blogger is just one big party.  It's too bad that's not what I spend most of my time doing.  That's right, there is the 11 hour per day full-time job, the one with on-call time.  Despite that rather consuming primary responsibility I've managed to crank out a post on most days, sometimes squeezing them in during lunch, or while waiting for xrays.  Some of them even readable, and once in a great while the post gets linked by a bigger fish.  Occasionally I look back at a post and seven ways to improve it pop into my head.  I hope I've been thoughtful, and stuck to facts and logical conclusions.

Gwendolyn has been an angel in putting up with my efforts here, and my daughters, the little jesters, seem to get a kick out of "Daddy's blogging."  I'll continue doing this as long as it's enjoyable, and my family puts up with it.  It's always fascinating to me which of my posts gets linked and which get the most traffic - it's rarely the ones I expect.  This one got a ton of traffic (for me anyway) and when you read it you can surely guess why.  And here's a link to my first post, two years ago today.  You can see why I keep returning to this "War on Terror" thingy.

So, thank you to everyone who links, everyone who comments, and everyone who reads Joust The Facts.  Even though I wish there were more of you, I value the visits and the feedback.

I'll try very hard not to turn into a "terrible two."

Sorry ...

,,, for the light posting this week.  I'm in my busy season, and this week was particularly busy.  As a result of my practice in general, as well as some other developments that I'll be discussing in detail fairly soon, blogging has been limited.  When you're a one man show and occupied, then the show does not go on.

Tomorrow ain't looking too good, either.  Maybe a bit more in the evening.

Hey, Welcome Back ...

... to Sensible Mom.  She, quite sensibly, took the summer off from blogging to hang with her children, but, school in session, she's back.  As always, her thoughts are, in a word, sensible.

Posting Disclaimer

Adelphia is our cable/internet provider at home, and soon it will be Comcast, a change that can't happen too soon.  Adelphia is in the final throes of its demise and seems to care little for things like, oh, I don't know, service and support.  As a result my home internet connection has been down since Sunday AM.

Fear not: just before leaving for work this morning it came back online, and more productivity may follow.  There's certainly a number of items worthy of commentary.

This Is Just This Kind Of Thing ...

... that makes me think about giving up blogging.  Not because I fear becoming involved in such threats, but I find myself disgusted by such deranged insanity, and wondering whether I want to be associated with it even peripherally.

In Seixon’s case [link added], he has come up against practitioners of a special kind of sleaze – the kind that is common inside the beltway but never before seen in the blogosphere. It is a campaign of whispering, of innuendo, of threats, of casual utterances made to chill the bones. It is hardball politics of the worst sort and the cockroaches who are practicing it should have as much light shone upon them as is possible. Hence the reason for this post.

These are opinions, people.  These are arguments, wars of words, debates.  You win these by presenting your case with logical thought and factual backup that cannot be adequately assailed by your opponent.  Of course, there are people who when they find themselves losing the argument become unhinged, and resort to threats, and sometimes ultimately to violence.  Those individuals usually find themselves arrested after a bar fight.

It's a little like Godwin's Law regarding Hitler references, but on steroids.  Once you refer to your opponent as Hitler or as a Nazi you've lost the argument.  Except you can shrug off a Hitler reference.  It's a lot harder to shrug off an anonymous caller saying "You're a dead man," however that side has lost the argument.

The long version of events, with all the details, is here.

Not To Make Excuses, But ...

... a couple of days ago my laptop died.  Rather, the hard drive had a mechanical failure.  On the whole this is not a complete disaster, as I do have some backup, but not very recent, and not complete.   I need all my Outlook contact data and emails.

Anyone know how I can cost-effectively resurrect the data from this malfunctioning hard drive before chucking it?  The new laptop is on the way, but considering the options has been time-consuming.

Once the new computer comes I'll feel like Clint Eastwood in "In The Line Of Fire" after leaping into bed with Rene Russo, who gets called away before they can get started.  "Damn.  Now I gotta put all this stuff back on in."

Hi, I'm Giacomo. What's Your Name?

A more serious return to blogging tomorrow, I'm sure, but since I've been away I thought an introduction (or at least a re-introduction) was in order.

So ... what'd I miss?

Sane ... Insane ... Sane ...

Insane.

Insane?

Well, maybe just unbalanced.   Scary unbalanced.

Giacomo's On Vacation

Finally!!

Take advantage of your time here and blogroll Joust The Facts.  You won't regret it (he says, smirking presidentially.)

Sure, there'll be periodic posting over the next two weeks, but I can't promise after Saturday morning that I'll be on top of breaking news.  This post will remain at the top, so take advantage and peruse the archives or just scroll on down.

Or, you may wish to peruse some recent posts you may have missed - and judging by my traffic it's likely you did.  Here's a selection:

I Don't Know Why I Found This Amusing ...

... but I got a giggle when I saw the graphic Instapundit Glenn Reynolds was using to advertise his "Glenn and Helen" podcasts.

You'd think a, you know, tech-savvy guy might select an item that Apple is actually still producing and selling.  It is so 2005.

The iPod mini was a smaller version of Apple Computer's iPod portable audio player. It was announced on January 6, 2004, and released on February 20 of that same year. The device interoperated with both Macintosh and Windows PCs, with limited third-party support for Linux and other Unix workalikes. A second generation version was announced on February 23, 2005. The iPod mini line was discontinued on September 7, 2005, after being replaced by the iPod nano.

In Case You Missed It ...

I've been quite busy, and haven't had a lot of time to read other blogs.  Until today, that is, when a little window of time opened up and allowed some random perusal.  For your reading pleasure, links to some posts very worthy of your attention.

• Do you recall the furor over the news that the Army Field Manual was being modified with attention to the Geneva Convention as it applies - or doesn't - to "unlawful combatants."  Baseball Crank has a thorough look at the controversy, and takes the time to understand the problem in ways that, for example, Andrew Sullivan could only hope to.
• Iowahawk channels Orwell in presenting the "2 Minutes of Snark."
• If you want to see why that was necessary, read this.  Ace finds confirmation of his theory at the Daily Kos.
• A post both touching and inspiring, from Dean Barnett.
• Not a blog post, but if you have an interest in high level mathematics and like a good read, this book is right up your alley.  It made a good travel companion.  People would see it and stay away from me.
• Ann Coulter is not my cup of tea.  She is too blunt and too over the top in her barbs, and she was so in the quoted section that Matt Lauer discussed with her yesterday.  I prefer a more balanced and dispassionate examination of the facts.  That's not to say, however, that she doesn't have a point, which is that when someone takes a clearly political position, it is absolutely wrong to defend that position by claiming the moral authority to be immune from attack.  Maureen Dowd conferred such moral authority upon Cindy Sheehan, for example.  Tigerhawk presents commentary from a 9-11 widow worthy of examination.

The Quiet Man Returns

In the words of the immortal Carl Spackler, "I was unavoidably detained."

The Quiet Man

That'll be me this week.  I've had a very busy Tuesday, and I don't anticipate much time to blog tomorrow or Thursday until late (subject to change).  So, check out the Blog Scroll, and particularly the Friends of Giacomo.

By the way, the Wizbang! empire continues to grow, now with Wizbang! Politics launched.  They're like an amoeba, using their pseudopods to engulf and encorporate blogs and bloggers at will.  Somebody stop them!  Before it's too late!