"California Stars" - Wilco
Sorry for the absence. I just got back into town late on Thursday night and then my mother-in-law passed away the following evening after a lengthy illness. She was 91 and a lovely soul, who lived just a few blocks from us for the last thirteen years. She had 90 extraordinarily healthy years and one pretty lousy one, which if I could bargain for I know I'd take in a heart beat. She opted for in-home hospice care, which strikes me as the best of the crappy exit options in this world. (Well maybe a dead-before-you-hit- the-ground kind of heart attack has some virtues as well -- the lawyer in me likes the notion of a planned exit.)
I've barely looked at the newspaper or the intertubes over the last 48 hours as a result, but I did think this piece in the New York Times about America's increasingly uncomfortable yet idolatory posture towards the military is worth a read. I think it is especially true that in the post-Vietnam era a large segment of the liberal community is extremely reticent about criticizing the military. I am pretty sure that this phenomenon helps explain the absence of really large scale demonstrations against the Iraq War when it was at the very trough of its pretty limited popularity.
I've got to resume the chores once again. Hopefully get a chance to sit down and say hi this evening.
Tell me what's happening.
