My leaves aren't golden; silence isn't either, you know.

Greetings from persistently green though increasingly scraggly NoTex. 

I know you are out there, readers. I see your hits on Google Analytics although I have no idea who you are. 

My blogfriend, Molly, announced recently that her amazing site had garnered its 3000th comment. This fact has awakened the competitor in me, the one I have been secretly dosing with Ambien for a couple of decades. If you know me, you are aware that this could be a very scary situation indeed. Spending a fall afternoon walking near Dick Cheney with a bird dog and a gun will seem like a walk through Portland's Japanese Garden.

Perhaps I exaggerate. Or not.

Anyway, friends, I am comment hungry. Starved.  I refuse to believe that, of all the things I've written, something hasn't pissed you off or made you think. So flog me with your brilliance, even if it is anonymous. 

Don't make me resort to giveaways. 

A Sobering Clip

Thanks to Molly for this one.



I respect that everyone will make an individual choice in November, one that will reflect his or her beliefs and personal situation, and none of us will be 100% happy with any candidate. It should be no secret to most of you which candidate I support. While I may not change your mind by sharing this video, I do ask that you consider the implications of the opinions it presents.

Furthermore, I am fully aware that sound bytes and statistics can be cobbled together to serve just about any purpose...I'm a writer, after all. I'm posting this clip, rather than any of the other zillion available, because the speakers cited are all Republican elected officials, weapons inspectors, high-ranking military personnel, or Republican-associated figures. Perhaps that will give it a bit of cred with my more moderate to conservative readers.

If you've been following the news, you know that some pretty nasty things are happening between Georgia and Russia. While our obligations in this conflict are unclear, some believe we have an implicit if not explicit commitment to Georgia's defense. The fighting in and threats from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran are nowhere near a resolution. Large portions of Africa are a living hell (even though in this country one has to search international news outlets to learn of much besides celebrities' outrage over Darfur).

But when I saw this clip, all I could think of was children. Many of you have them. All of you love them. And to think that we can wage war on multiple fronts on multiple continents with a volunteer army and high-tech gadgets is, at best, naive.