Remembering a Refugee

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Wednesday February 01, 2017 · 6:45 PM PST

2017/02/01 · 18:45

All these years later I can still see it clearly, at least I tell myself that's true. A worn bit of yellow, worn felt, held in the hands of a woman who seemed old to me at the time.

One of the better professors at school was, you could say, a refugee. If you took enough of her German classes, the advanced courses, you might hear her tell about growing up in occupied Holland, near the far more famous Frank family. She talked of hardship, of what amounted to starvation, of her husband (who also was a professor) being a part of the resistance (and surviving in part because he started hiding early in the war), and after VE Day waiting to hear if any of the people you cared about had survived being hauled off to parts then unknown.

She was an avowed pacifist.

She’s on my mind frequently of late, as well as that Judenstern (Jew’s Star) she would take out and show her stunned students during the retelling of her family history. That bright symbol her father was forced to wear is haunting me these days.

I’ll admit that for all of the tactics and history I have been taught by disparate sources, I have no idea how we win this fight that appears to be before us. These days my thoughts often turn dark and return to that piece of cloth. Part of me hopes it’s just my pessimism.

Other times I think she would say now is the time to fight, because of what lies ahead if we chose to passively watch the future unfold.

Romney - improv Genius?

RMeister

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Sunday July 15, 2012 · 11:54 AM PDT

2012/07/15 · 11:54

Sure, we have been given aspects of Romney's life to consider: vulture capitalist, political opportunist, reed in the wind moralist, and perfect hair guy. I think we may be missing his true genius, which I will argue is improv comedian below the fold -

RMeister

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Friday May 22, 2009 · 10:46 AM PDT

2009/05/22 · 10:46

With so many meta diaries of late that it occured to me that was time to go beyond them.

Hence the need for the creation of 'Patadiaries."

More below the fold

RMeister

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Tuesday April 24, 2007 · 3:29 PM PDT

2007/04/24 · 15:29

A long time ago I took an oath which included these words: I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Watching the Tillman/Lynch hearing had me reflecting on that oath.

RMeister

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Wednesday June 01, 2005 · 3:35 PM PDT

2005/06/01 · 15:35

"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon." Attributed to Napoleon

Army announces new Combat Action Badge (CAB) Design.

Even if the Bush administration is denying that the situation in Iraq isn't going all that well, the evidence is still leaking out of the DOD. The Army Chief of Staff has approved a new device, which indicates that the soldier wearing it was in combat. New Army Badge

The significance of this below the fold. Read More

Is Reality losing out to Celebrity?

RMeister

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Wednesday May 04, 2005 · 4:36 PM PDT

2005/05/04 · 16:36

There is a legitimate question as to whether "reality based" is a sense of commitment to facts and figures, and not just expressing reactionary opinions, or if that phrase means we are trying gain a deeper understanding of what is going on around us.

There are always complaints here about the MSM: they don't care about providing an understanding of issues, only the need to show two opposing views; they don't differentiate between small errors and preposterous and deliberate lies; they refuse to challenge those in power.

If we are operating on the assumption that the role of the "news" media is to present the information necessary for an interested populice to determine the best direction for the nation, it's hard to understand why they are doing what they are doing.

If you see if all MSM, including the "news," as an extension of our culture's habit of idolizing celebrity so much more of what we see makes sense. Read More

Quick look at Sgrena report

RMeister

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Monday May 02, 2005 · 6:37 PM PDT

2005/05/02 · 18:37

So it was a last minute, night time mission. The car wouldn't stop after it had been warned. Too bad, so sad.

Looking at the Army report on the Segrina shooting ends up showing what we already knew, that the troops aren't adequately trained, and no one seems to know what's going on over there. This is just a quick reading, and I've not included any of the redacted classified information.

A clusterfuck in the making below the fold Read More

Dad vs the Bushies

RMeister

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Friday April 08, 2005 · 4:30 PM PDT

2005/04/08 · 16:30

Had a scare a while back. During a family vacation I was woken up at 4 am. Dad was having a minor stroke. He looked confused, scared and his speech was slow and slurred. He was okay after a short hospital stay, but the experience left me thinking about the influence he's had on me.
    My wife is always telling me how much I'm like my father. I take that as a great compliment.
    I think about the values he was instilling in me long before I understood what such ideas really meant. Those ideals have taken root in my heart, and even after seeing what seems to pass for acceptable behavior from people in power these days I can't find it in myself to accept that he was wrong.
     I see a struggle between achieving power and what I was brought up to believe are the larger truths of this life. It's Dad vs. the Bushies.
    I'll explain what I mean below the fold. Read More

Health care crisis (humor)

RMeister

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Sunday March 27, 2005 · 12:25 PM PST

2005/03/27 · 12:25

Due to the threat posed by the current political situation, President George W. Bush has sent an urgent message to the CDC in Atlanta, requesting that they immediately start work on a "Republican booster shot." Read More

After Faith

RMeister

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Friday March 25, 2005 · 3:17 PM PST

2005/03/25 · 15:17

This isn't a diatribe against the religious right. I was thinking about what we're asking when we discuss people giving up something they take on faith, believe in the absence of evidence, as opposed to what we know from critical thought and empirical evidence.

I am curious as to whether a PET scan, or some other device, could identify an organic difference between the mental processes of "true believers" (religious or from either side of the political spectrum) and ambivalent skeptics. I've never experienced the former's certitude, and am far enough along in my life to doubt I ever will.

Perhaps those of us who aspire to a critical, fact based sensibility don't understand that we have an certain quality. We expect our opinions to change over time. Trying to get over a shift from Newtonian to quantum paradigms doesn't change our lives that much.

Beliefs based on faith can also change. I've known people whose faith was deep, and on one occasion seen that faith fail. It wasn't very pretty to watch. The story is below Read More

One liberal's view on the draft

RMeister

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Wednesday March 23, 2005 · 10:14 AM PST

2005/03/23 · 10:14

I do have reservations about America having a large standing military. I know that the Constitution requires us to maintain a Navy and raise Armies. I do not think that the military life is for everyone, and that compulsory service could, and should, include alternative service options. I also understand that a draft hasn't gone over all that well in American history.

Regardless of my concerns I think we should seriously consider starting a draft. My reasons are below the fold. Read More

Frogs, heat, and passive voters

RMeister

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 21, 2005 · 9:19 PM PST

2005/03/21 · 21:19

Why aren't more people outraged about the current situation in Washington? It's something often fretted about at Dkos. Maybe it just hasn't been time yet. Read More

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Remembering a Refugee

Romney - improv Genius?

My 'Patadiary

Tillman, the Cover-up, and Duty

Is the Army conceding chaos in Iraq?

Is Reality losing out to Celebrity?

Quick look at Sgrena report

Dad vs the Bushies

Health care crisis (humor)

After Faith

One liberal's view on the draft

Frogs, heat, and passive voters