Category Archives: Blogosphere

Knoxville 1863

Posted on May 17, 2010 | Comments Off on Knoxville 1863

I’ve been fortunate in already having received two good reviews of my new historical Civil War battle novel.

Claude Cooper, a retired Army colonel and a former professor of military science at Appalachian State University, had this to say about the novel at Amazon: “Other writers and historians have touched on this battle, but I’m not aware of any who have addressed it in this depth. For that reason, and because it is well written, I believe that this is an important novel that will be appreciated by civil war buffs and enjoyed by anyone.”

Jim Miller, whose Civil War Notebook is a popular site with war buffs, concluded: “Mr. Stanley has certainly done his homework; his novel rests on a solid foundation of historical facts. It is well written & a joy to read.”

See the entirety of their comments here at the novel’s Amazon page.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Civil War, Library

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1950’s nostalgia

Posted on May 13, 2010 | Comments Off on 1950’s nostalgia

Much as I like Mike Cox’s books, I can’t resist skewering his paean to the 1950s:

“…so many of us who were there tend to look back at the 1950s as an idyllic time. You know. Safe streets. No TAKS tests or whatever they’re called now. Homemade Halloween candy. Life in the suburbs, at least in Austin, Texas, USA was generally good.”

Yep. Back when women, the minorities, the gays and the disabled knew their place. And it wasn’t in your face. And the bums that now stand begging on every street corner were rousted and told to move along.

But even some of us white males felt stultified and repressed.

Via Texas BookShelf.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Texana

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Gay, Schmay

Posted on May 13, 2010 | Comments Off on Gay, Schmay

While we get the usual media distractions, the courts are rigged.

We have equal justice under the law, as long as it’s from Harvard or Yale. How come Supreme Court nominees never graduate from state schools?

Via Instapundit.

UPDATE:  But, hey, it’s not easy bearing the burden of a Harvard entitlement. Not everybody wants you to run everything. No. You think?

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Posted in Blogosphere, Obamalot, Scribbles

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Israel-bound

Posted on May 10, 2010 | Comments Off on Israel-bound

Well, it’s official. I have bought the airline tickets for my solo trip to Israel in the fall. Planning to spend about ten days with my good blog- and Skype-friend STG who has offered to show me around. I’m looking forward to the visit, though not the trip itself.

Indeed, it brings to mind these lines from The Jade Owl, a good adventure yarn I recently finished: “He viewed the twenty-hour haul to China like a middle passage—voluntary bondage in the hull of a modern metallic slaver.”

Just so. Fortunately, the flight to Israel (counting the in-country one to the East Coast first) is only thirteen hours. But the principal is the same. Meanwhile, I am collecting the necessary documents for my first passport since I was a college student in Germany back in the Dark Ages. Hope to have that done by July.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Israel, Library

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Arizona law matches federal one

Posted on May 9, 2010 | Comments Off on Arizona law matches federal one

Bob Phillips, an OC-504 comrade who served as a San Diego assistant district attorney for many years says the allegedly-racist Arizona anti-illegal immigration law isn’t new:

“…at least as I understand it, doesn’t change the existing law at all, except maybe to encourage Arizona cops to be more proactive in doing what the Border Patrol is too understaffed to do effectively by themselves.

“When I was a cop way back in the 70’s, we used to stop and arrest illegal aliens all the time. A state cop (under the case law) is empowered to enforce federal statutes so long as it was Congress’s intent that they do so when the statute was enacted. There is case law that says that Congress intended local cops to enforce the federal illegal entry and illegal presence statutes. So we did so until it became politically incorrect to do so.

“So San Diego PD, and many other agencies, by policy, quit enforcing the federal statutes. Arizona did no more than eliminate the issue (if there ever was one) by making it a violation of state law as well to be in the country illegally. Being a victim of the illegal alien invasion myself at times, I’m all for it.”

Me, too, tired as I am of seeing my taxes rise to pay for the consequences of the invasion that our feckless politicians and president wish to ignore.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Infantry OCS, Obamalot, South of the Border, Texana

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The “papers, please” canard

Posted on May 4, 2010 | Comments Off on The “papers, please” canard

Blogger John Salmon and I are continuing our argument (when he’s not trying to change the subject to the “awful” Mexican War) about his favoring leaving the Southern border open and amnesty for all comers and, by-the-by, calling me and others who disagree with him racists.

One of his arguments against the new Arizona immigration law is the standard legacy media lie that, under its provisions, cops (presumably white fascists) will start pulling over every Hispanic Mexican-looking driver and demanding their papers proving their right to be in the country. Sounds likely to John and his fellow Northeasterners, who see precious few Hispanics Mexicans.

The flaw in the argument (which also has been made by none other than our feckless president) is the large size of the Hispanic Mexican population here in Texas (one-third of us) and the other border states. Not to mention the crucial fact that many of our cops are, themselves, Hispanics Mexican-Americans.

So no cop in Arizona or anywhere else in a border state is going to start picking on Hispanics Mexicans about their citizenship unless they are already suspected of violating the law. Otherwise, there’d be no time for said cops to do anything else but stop them, there are so many of them. You see what I’m saying?

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Posted in Blogosphere, South of the Border, Texana

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What is the purpose of America?

Posted on May 3, 2010 | Comments Off on What is the purpose of America?

Philadelphia, PA. blogger John Salmon, of Rene’s Apple, also known as “Father Brown At Leisure,” says the “purpose” of America is to uplift the world’s poor. Thus he’s all for as many poor Hispanics as want to swarm over our open Southern border as possible. Come one, come all, is John’s preference.

Because he sees it as our reason for existence to offer them citizenship and elevate their standard of living. And anyone who disagrees (that’s me), he says very explicitly, is a racist. John claims to be a conservative. I think he’s really a RINO. A big-government guy in conservative drag.

Me, I’m not sure what any country’s “purpose” is. What is the purpose of Germany? What of Italy, or Russia, or, shudder, Iran?

I thought our purpose, if you could call it that, was to be free. You know: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. What do you think?

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Posted in Blogosphere, Scribbles, South of the Border

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