Virginia William Gordon

Mom told me today that Virginia William Gordon passed away last Friday, February 22 (obituary from the Daily Progress). She occasionally cared for my brother and me when we were very young. I don’t have many specific memories, other than sitting downstairs with her by the woodstove. I remember my brother and I not minding a bit when she was scheduled to come watch us. Mostly, I remember her as an unusually kind and patient lady. She always seemed happy, and I remember her smile and heart warming laugh.

get well, Burt!

We certainly wish Burt Rutan well in his recovery from open heart surgery earlier this month.

Obama remembers what JFK said

Excerpts from Obama’s 2/19/08 speech in Houston, quoted from the Washington Post:

But part of keeping you safe is also deploying our military wisely. And the war in Iraq was unwise.

Not a war, but a battle.

Mahmoud the deranged tyrant

From Alalam News (2/11/08), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said:

Unfortunately there are some in this country who consider themselves to be the owner of the country and want to control everything in this country.

JFK’s Inaugural best remembered in its entirety

JFK’s Inaugural Address from Friday, January 20, 1961 is transcribed here, here, and here (the latter contains video). It’s well worth a full read. Here are a few notable excerpts from the American Rhetoric version:

[...]

And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe — the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.

VP Wallace unaware during his Gulag visit

Quoted from Anne Applebaum’s “Gulag, A History“*:

Henry Wallace, Vice President of the United States, made a trip to Kolyma in May 1944 – and never even knew that he was visiting a prison.

pacifism in 1934

From “The Second World War: Milestones to Disaster“:

It would be wrong in judging the policy of the British Government not to remember the passionate desire for peace, which animated the uniformed, misinformed majority of the British people, and seemed to threaten with political extinction any party or politician who dared to take any other line. This, of course, is no excuse for political leaders who fall short of their duty. It is much better for parties or politicians to be turned out of office than to imperil the life of the nation.
- Sir Winston Churchill

it’s over

I wasn’t born in ‘64 when LBJ enjoyed the second biggest Democratic electoral landslide win (90%*) of the 20th century – second only to FDR in ‘36 (98.5%*). 2008 will be the biggest electoral landslide for the Dems since 1964. Clinton, Obama – it doesn’t matter, although it’s looking more like Clinton after tonight’s California win. Whoever gets the nod, their victory will exceed Clinton’s ‘96 electoral performance (70%*). I believe somewhere in the 80-85% range.

The GOP establishment clearly didn’t get the message in November ‘06 or in summer ‘07. The GOP has foolishly thrown its weight behind a candidate who’s a non-starter for many, many Conservatives. Tonight, McCain secured second place for himself – perhaps he’s proud of that “accomplishment.” Democratic turnout crushed Republican turnout, all over the country, usually at a 2:1 clip. McCain will lose in the general election, and the margin of defeat will be huge.

* data gathered from infoplease.com