The Frozen Chosin

I saw a segment on Fox and Friends this morning about this new documentary coming out named "The Frozen Chosin". It is about the US's involvement in the Korean war, interviewing men who fought in that war. Not really knowing a whole lot about this particular war, but having a growing interest in all things American, including our battles, I found myself rewinding to listen closer to what the creators of the film were saying in the interview. I found it particularly interesting that the creators of the film were Iraq war veterans, themselves. This film not only covers the perspective of Korean war veterans, but it is projected in the film from a vantage point of understanding and truth that could only come from someone who has been in such a similar position. This film is definite on my list of must-sees.

From the website:

"As fellow Marines and combat veterans, we forged a unique connection with the men who shared their stories with us. We were proud to give them a gift 60 years overdue: an environment where they could feel comfortable unburdening themselves of the intimately sad, horrific, funny, and triumphant moments they experienced during the most defining experience of their lives. The story of Chosin goes beyond the history and enters a realm of mutual remembrance and healing."

View the trailer (and grab a tissue):

Are death threats acceptable if online?

Twitter has a new account, and it is dedicated to rewarding its followers with the assassination of radio / Fox News TV Host Glenn Beck.

The internet has reached an all new low. Really, society has. I am waiting for the liberal sect of America to condemn such a heinous act. What's even worse, are the people who are not only following this account, but ReTweeting the original message! I believe they have just as much responsibility as the one who created this account. Cyber crimes however, I do not believe are treated as severely as "in real life" crimes. It would already be on the news if some sicko posted a community bulletin somewhere for a meeting that says "If 10,000 people show up in support of my cause, I will kill this person". Perhaps it is time to raise the standards of behavior expected on social networking sites and the web, and the consequences of one's behavior. Death threats are not acceptable when put on paper, why should it be different online?

I know Megan Meier's parents would like to see laws more stringent towards the behavior of people behind online profiles...

This goes beyond free speech, as this new twisted Twitter sicko claims:

Any reasonable person can acknowledge this is wrong and unacceptable. There should be a bi partisan effort to condemn such acts of BIGOTRY.

Update:

As of 4:45pm ET, Twitter has removed the profile. I say Thank God. This still begs the question, will the person be back under another name? What about the people following that person? When will there be an outrage and the standards be the same for left and right wing? If there was an account that threatened anyone I disagreed with politically, I would still condemn the actions. I don't care what your political views are, right is right and wrong is wrong. There are still moral absolutes in this world, and those are things we can still come together to agree on.

Palin takes on Fox News

Watch out world!

Sarah Palin, ...will return to her broadcast roots and take her conservative message to Fox News as a regular commentator, the cable channel announced Monday.

"I am thrilled to be joining the great talent and management team at Fox News," Palin said in a statement posted on the network's Web site. "It's wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news."

Fox said that according to the multiyear deal, Palin will offer political commentary and analysis on the cable channel, as well as Fox's Web site, radio network and business cable channel.

I believe this is wonderful. Of course, I love her. Next week for spirit week, they are having "Superhero Day", and we just decided last night that Hannah could be Sarah Palin- the TRUE super-hero, that day. She thought it was a hoot.

Don't mess with my burger!

Some McDonalds employees caught themselves in a pickle when this woman entered their store one day. She brought her sandwich back unhappy with the way it was made, and becomes, story goes irate, after the employees would not give her a refund, causing some $3000 in damages.

Added January 7th:
She threw a water cooler, a wet floor sign, grabbed things off the counter and threw them at the employees. There was a video, but this is from the local Sheriff's blog:

We have received numerous tips since posting this video. Thank you. Detectives are following up on leads now and have requested the video be taken down while we investigate.

(Continued)

Of course there are holes in this story as in:

• Did she refuse a new, perfectly made, fresh burger (but they're all "fresh" now, right?)
• what exactly was wrong with the burger? (haven't we all received a double cheese with one patty off the side of the bun and the cheese melted on the other side)
• where was the manager?
• why wouldn't they give her a refund? (could it be a manager was not present, and that was why? after all, employees cannot give refunds!)

Despite the holes in the story, there is no reason for this kind of behavior. I don't care if there was a band aid in the middle of my burger, acting like a lunatic is not the way to go. Somewhere out there, there's a McDonalds cashier filing a worker's compensation claim for emotional damage from having a water cooler thrown at him/her for something that was surly beyond their control.

No resolutions for ten

I started blogging more regularly about this time last year. Needless to say the past few months I have not been very active but I promise dear readers I plan to change that. Not that blogging more regularly is a New Year's Resolution. That was last year's resolution. I succeeded until about October- with that resolution and a couple other ones. Then I have partially felt awful about not 'completing' the year, and I wonder why I'm allowing myself to feel such guilt. Typically, guilt is associated with conviction for me, but I know the Lord isn't convicting me of not posting more to the blog ... right? Of course not. I believe the guilt is more aligned with the typically "mommy guilt", guilt of not being able to do it all.

So, for 2010, in an effort to banish an attempt for mommy guilt to set in, I refuse to make New Year's Resolutions. Merriam-Webster refers to resolution as the "act of resolving"- or "to reach a firm decision about". Most anything you read on goals says to break your goal up into smaller goals, and work your way up. That is much more attainable, don't you think? Don't be surprised if you see posts from me referring to monthly goals. One thing '09 taught me, is to aim low and if you reach higher, then "yay!". In 2010, I shall have smaller goals each month, and by the end of the year, we'll talk about how they all laid the foundation for the more further out, higher end goal I see in the horizon of my mind.

With that, I realize what a blessed woman I truly am. I have seen numerous references about what a bad year '09 was, and I don't see it for us. 2008? oh yeh, that was bad. Jordan died in April, and I don't think I got out of bed much until July. We made the heart wrenching decision to pull the kids from our beloved private school and put them in a public / charter school (financial reasons only). We went through that heart wrenching transition, but God is good, even when your kids are not in the preferred school. We watched them struggle, but God is good, even when we struggle. He provided a way for us to get them back in private school by the end of the school year. The next month, Jay was demoted and the school funds were blown out. I spent the summer wondering how we were going to pay for school, but right as school was ready to start, Jay was offered a new job with a pay increase that covered the school bill. He took the job, and it has been the challenge of his career, but God is good. He carries us through.

He gives grace, where grace is needed. While I would never recommend public school to anyone if they have an option like ours, the trial we went through with our children was a "necessary trial" that I know God led us to- because we learned so much about our children. We ended school year '09 with a deeper relationship with our kids that we might not otherwise have had, if we had not worked through the trial together as a family.

My migraines have been more intense and frequent this year, but I have not seen that as a major issue necessarily- grace. This Christmas, our kids said it was the "best Christmas ever". Jackson doesn't like singing in children's choir, but his favorite day of the week is Monday night visitation when he goes out with a couple of early 20-something "preacher boys". I could not be more proud in that regard! Not only that, but for some reason he has busted out of his desire to dress casually for church, and is wanting to dress up now. While I realize it is the condition of the inside that is more important when it comes to worship, to see my soon-to-be preteen boy decide on his own now, that he wants to dress nice on Sundays is a HUGE blessing for me. (Now people will see we do buy him nice clothes!) The grief issues Hannah was experiencing regarding Jordan have passed. In '08 she was not able to hear his name much less see a picture of him without crying. In '09, she has worked through that. In '10, I plan to put his pictures on the wall. (That's big for her and me.)

2009 has presented its own challenges, but the blessings have far outweighed them. We've both done our own fair share of soul searching and pondering; there have been circumstances that, while it would not be big to others, was big enough for us- but we have been able to adjust to with the Lord's guidance. I believe 2009 has been a year of trust. For me, I have begun learning that if we trust the Lord first, and move forward second, life's trials are ten times more bearable. In my church-notebook (the diary sized journal I keep in my bible bag to take notes in Sunday School and during services...), last January I made my 2009 "theme verse":

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God" -- Psalm 20:7

I don't know what my '10 theme verse will, be, but I do know, if I continue to remember the name of the Lord MY God, 2010 will be just fine.