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So the final conclusion would seem to be that whereas other civilizations had been brought down by attacks of barbarians from without, ours had the unique distinction of training its own destroyers at its own educational institutions and providing them with facilities for propagating their destructive ideology far and wide, all at the public expense. Thus did Western man decide to abolish himself, creating his own boredom out of his own affluence, his own vulnerability out of his own strength, his own impotence out of his own erotomania; himself blowing the trumpet that brought the walls of his own city tumbling down. And having convinced himself that he was too numerous, labored with pill and scalpel and syringe to make himself fewer, until at last, having educated himself into imbecility and polluted and drugged himself into stupefaction, he keeled over, a weary, battered old brontosaurus, and became extinct.

Malcom Muggeridge, Hoover Institute at Stanford, 1979

I first heard this quote in a podcast by Ravi Zacharias. I like it because I believe it to be an incredibly accurate and concise summary of modern society or at least Western society.

Y'all do remember that the title of my blog is Smittie's Ramblings? Today, the emphasis seems to be on rambling or at the very least, randomness.

I think you're the greatest mother in the world. I think there is at least two more people who think so as well. I am very proud of you as the mother of my children. Thank you for being a wonderful mother to my children.

Crescenta Valley High School in 1978. One of the many things I will miss as a result of the upcoming deployment is my 30 year reunion. I'm actually rather bummed about that. I was looking forward to going. I was looking forward to talking to old class mates and hearing what life had done.

A few years ago I was talking to a friend who is some 10 plus years older than me. He had gone to all of his high school reunions, 10, 20 and 30. He had an interesting observation. At the 10 year reunion, most people were still trying to impress each other. Broad brush caveats apply, obviously, but for the most part that seemed to be true at my own reunion as well.

I did not go to my 20 year reunion. My friend said that he enjoyed the 30 year reunion the most but that the 20 was better than the 10. By the time everyone got to the 20 high school really was a thing of the past. When the 30 rolled around, many had children who were teenagers and thus were seeing the teenage years from the other side of time. It's funny but adolescence viewed from the vantage point of a middle age parent seems but a caricature of what it was when we were living it. This usually plays out in the form of an argument, the teen accusing the parent of never listening. Yeah, that's mostly true but the reason that parents don't listen is because we know the script. We're embarrassed at the realization of how ridiculous we sounded when we uttered the same words now being flung at us. The wise among us also remember how important the statements and the emotion behind them were as a teen and parent accordingly.

So, according to my friend, the 30 year reunion is far more relaxed. By the time people reach their late 40's, their pretty comfortable with whoever they've become. Even if they aren't yet comfort in their own skin, they realize that their old high school class mates probably can't help them.

I wish I was going to be there. I hope that I can somehow hear about it.

aloha

Wife @ The Chart House

My wife and I have been together for 22 years, married for 20.

Me @ Chart House

We celebrated the anniversary of our years together with a short vacation to the central coast of California. We visited Hearst Castle and the San Luis Obispo Mission. We drove along Highway 1, enjoyed each other's company. Talked about the past and our dreams for the future. The trip culminated with dinner at The Chart House in Monterey.

View From Our Table @ Chart House

Now we begin working on the next 20 years. They are going to be awesome.

aloha

[posted with ecto]

That's right. I'm with Fred. I've signed on as a Friend of Fred Thompson. And, in the event that he decides to run for president, I plan to vote for him. I am comfortable with Fred Thompson's political positions. More significantly, I am comfortable with the way in which Fred Thompson makes decisions and the way in which he communicates with the public.

At the core of Fred Thompson's political philosophy is the concept of Federalism, with strong support for implementation of government at the lowest possible level. Fred Thompson holds that the Federal government should not involve itself in issues that are really better handled at the State level. Education is an example. The driving principle in the decision of any issue is should the government be involved in this and, if yes, at what level. I am a proponent of smaller government. Government gets smaller by doing only that which should be done by the government and then only at the appropriate level of government. This makes sense to me.

I support Fred Thompson. I hope you will too.

aloha

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: philosophy, politics, imwithfred, Fred Thompson, sociology

Corporal Missile 47 years later

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently went to White Sands Missile Range for training. Well, 47 years ago, or there abouts, my father was at White Sands Missile Range to test fire the Corporal Missile. Here's the family standing in from of the Corporal missile displayed at the WSMR museum.

My Beginning

[posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: family, life, middle-age, military, parenting, psychology

I am an INTP.
I served in the military during the Cold War.
I spent 184 days serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom (so far).
I speak fluent Japanese though my wife would argue the fluent part.
I love my wife.
My two biggest heros are my children. I want to be just like them.
I like Country & Western music.
I believe in God, in fact I depend on Him.
I lived in Wyoming, Iowa and would like to live in a rural community again.
I prefer ranches to farms and farms to cities.
I home-school my children.
I have a MySpace page and know more about the web, the internet and computers than my kids.
I'm afraid of the DVD player. My wife has to start the movie.
I love my truck, it is the best ride on the road.
I'd rather have a conversation in iChat than on the phone.
I have been to Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Iraq, Kenya, Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines, Germany, Canada, Mexico and Singapore. And, of course, the United States.
I was a regular user of the internet before the web was invented.
I have been to California, Washington, Iowa, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Nebraska, Michigan, and Hawai`i.
I worked as a teller in a bank. I was working the day they got robbed.
I left Microsoft to go to work for Apple.
I went to school with Gary Trousdale.
I wear glasses.
I cuss like a sailor.
I like Mexican food even though it gives me indigestion and gas.
I don't like Chinese food.
I love the holiday season and long for White Christmases.
My wife and I have conversations on iChat while both of us are sitting at the kitchen table.
I went on a safari in Kenya.
I always wear a hat.
I was a Civil War Re-enactor and enjoy living history.
I like photography.
I sang in the high school men's choir and still enjoy singing.
I am a reasonably good barista.
I have a security clearance.
I smoked cigarettes for 15 years but have not smoked at all in eight years.
I have a drinking problem and because of that I no longer drink alcohol of any kind, ever.
I wore a hakama for my wedding which was in a church in Tokyo.
I believe that being a husband and a father are the most important things I will do in my life.
I believe that accepting Christ as lord was the most important decision I'll ever make.
I was 'held back' in the first grade which means I did the first grade twice.
I liked Navy Boot Camp and was sorry to see it end.
Of all the vehicles I've owned, the 1984 Jeep CJ-7 was my favorite. I wish I still had it.
I broke my arm at the age of 17 falling off a flag pole.
I suffer from a condition called BPPV.
I am left handed.
I miss Bing Crosby and Bob Hope.
I like singing hymns.
Two of my favorite authors are Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton.
I seriously considered joining the Australian Navy under a special program for foreign service members.

Aloha

[posted with ecto]