Synova

A couple days ago I posted about a note Michael Yon had sent to Instapundit about the arrest of an Iraqi General. Here's the whole fascinating story. I had talked about the importance of the rule of law and how those in government must be subject to it. I hope, very much, that as this goes into the Iraqi court system that it will be an example of fairness that will encourage the people in Iraq to trust the process and have confidence in their justice system. It's *important*.

... was our 20th wedding anniversary and *both* my husband and I forgot. I suppose that means we're meant for each other. ;-)

These are my chickens. They are even worse at holding still than the silly dogs are. The white rooster in the back and the little spotted hen in the front are Norwegian Jaerhon or "yard hens". There's a Welsummer in the middle and the white hen lays green eggs and the buff hen in front lays light brown eggs.

This post from Ann Althouse brought on the need to rant, but I resisted it! Well, not entirely, it's a "fat rant" on You Tube and I always rant about fat because even skinny people are made to worry about being fat and it's so stupid and I think about all my life thinking I was fat and how much of a waste it was not to *feel* thin and pretty even when I *was*. Grrrrr. So anyhow, later on I see this on Instapundit, which has nothing to do with fat women, and I followed Glen's follow-up link to this blog and I'm now looking at artwork by Frank Franzetta. I actually own the book with this on the cover. Just LOOK at the bulges. Look at the rolls! Isn't it glorious? Oh, in real terms Franzetta women aren't fat *either*, not really, but they aren't even slightly thin. I mean... they have butts! Big butts! And breasts and belly bulges and *thighs*. And they wear tiny little metal bikinis and prance about in naked primitive glory and aren...

This link from Instapundit about an Iraqi General arrested for murders and other crimes is important. I'm not sure if everyone will realize why. I've no doubt that to many this will just seem proof of how impossible things are over there. They aren't impossible. It's not honest to look at a difficult situation, call it impossible, and excuse ones self from any further corrective action. It's not honest at all. Democracy is a new idea in most of the middle east. Even more of a new idea, and many times more important than Democracy, is the idea of the Rule of Law. To be free a nation has to be ruled by LAW, not by whatever leader manages to get to be on top of the heap, even if he or she got there democratically. In order for democracy to work the people, all of them, have to be confident about what will happen when they don't win an election. The minority has to trust the Rule of Law. No, I'm not any kind of lawyer, and I may use words incorrectly b...

Not really a review, just wanted to say that I enjoyed this book, _Don't Look Down_ by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. I went to Amazon to get the link and noticed that it's getting trashed in the reviews by people who have been fans of Crusie's romance novels. I can see why they were upset but I hope she continues to collaborate with Mayer because all I can say is "your loss is my gain." I'm also going to be looking for Mayer's books written as Robert Doherty to check them out. _Don't Look Down_ is a silly novel that had me laughing or trying not to let the kids see I was crying... The laughs weren't belly laughs and the tears weren't heart wrenching sobs... It was just fun. And it *was* a romance. With guns. And knives. And Wonder Woman action figures with matching "wonder wear" underwear. And the items the international terrorist was shipping to the Russian mob boss? Pre-colombian jade penises. At least two people get e...

This is rather upsetting! How can such a fantastic show be in danger of being canceled? I suppose worse things have happened so I think I will at least send a post card or something to let the network know that I think that the Dresden Files is one of the best shows on television. I was just assuming that there would be a "next season" on this. If it is canceled, I will be desolate! Here's the Sci-fi channel website. There's supposed to be a link to watch whole episodes someplace on there.

IM I've got three windows up atm, chatting away with my kids who are at the other end of the house.

These were found growing in near full sun among the grass when my parents built their new house. My mom didn't move them, just cleared a garden around where they were growing. This is last year's picture.

As the authors explain, this is a draft . In some respects it reminds me of the Zorro book I have, which was also a serial and published a bit at a time. That was a rather "drafty" read as well. Once Theo's story is all done it will be gone over, edited, fixed up. As a writer I appreciate any opportunity to see that process and how it works. It's a fun read so far, though. Persons of a certain age should get a particular kick out of the emphasis on consensus and team building in the culture. Theo Waitley is a misfit because of the very things that will make her great. Someday. So check out Fledgling: A Liaden Universe Project . Tell me what you think. Theo appears at the very end of _I Dare_, which is available on e-books from Baen. Fledgling is previous to that, explaining how she got there.

I'm not sure why I keep doing stuff like this . It usually all turns out badly and I don't get anywhere fast. But I figure, what the heck. So... come June I'm going to write a script. Really. I am. As usual, I'm plot-less. As usual I have any number of unwritten stories that I could use for the project and as usual, if I like them enough to consider them I don't want to take the light, spew out crap daily, approach to my baby.

I can't figure out how to clean this up but I think it looks great anyhow. Hm... looks like I'm going to have to have another talk with my daughter about signing and dating her sketches.

These are pretty *and* smelly.

What color is that? Yes, I bought these. I have a bad habit of buying flowers that don't look like much. I've got some Iris that are pale greenish blueish, too. The sparklie gold edge to the upper ruffles on these is sort of fascinating but a person has to stick their face right down in them to see it. I moved these last year and I think this is the first time they've bloomed since I bought them. I do know *why* I picked these out of the catalog. They're fragrant. I figure, whenever possible, that flowers should *smell*.

See? At least twice as many as last year. (Last year's picture is about five posts down if you scroll.)

*This* war couldn’t have been won with diplomacy. Diplomacy isn’t peacemaking. Diplomacy is advancing your country’s interests. Our interests were not advanced. Simply put. Our interests were degraded and undercut during the 10 years of "diplomacy" with Saddam. Going backwards, even slowly, is not a win. Though we weren’t going backward slowly. By playing by the rules during Desert Storm, keeping to the immediate problem of pushing Saddam back but not going beyond that UN mandate, we failed our county’s interests. Following up with "diplomacy" did not even marginally advance our interests. It amazes me that no one seems to remember the hatred and accusations that the US got for it’s troubles during those years after playing nice and letting Saddam live. No one remembers, and it wasn’t that long ago. Oh how the world hated us! How many Iraqi deaths were laid at our feet, directly at the feet of the US, how many children there died in horrible agony because of Americ...

Uncle Jimbo takes exception to John Edward's tasteless bid to turn Memorial Day into an anti-war rally. Oh that's special John, we as a nation set aside one day to recognize the ultimate sacrifice made by so many better men than you, and you feel free to push them aside so you can grab some spotlight. You miserable empty suit, you pathetic, girly man, you lying, cheating, petty, little narcissist. I think that just about covers it.

As much as I love and appreciate my mother, the day has become focused outward rather than inward toward those personally dear to us. If my child says "happy mother's day" to me I feel warmed and happy. If someone else starts to go on about how noble I am to be a mother is just makes me cranky because it's such a foolish thing. It *really* doesn't take any more effort or virtue to be a mother than anything else. Have sex. Ta-da! Motherhood. It's not nobility, it's biology. It's not virtue except intimately between people who share share that relationship and bond. It's life.

Instapundit wonders if the scary guns in this picture from a Huffington Post post are Airsoft or not. Firstly, you can't tell by looking because Airsoft guns are replicas all the way down to the manufacturers stamp. It's one reason that they are sometimes used in movies. They look exactly like the real thing. (Other than the law mandatory orange on the muzzle, which can be removed like sofa cushion tags.) Which comes back to the picture. If real machine guns are illegal to have where that picture was taken *probably* those are toys. But I don't see orange on the muzzles, but that doesn't prove anything either. Oh what the heck, see what the commentators (I really hate that my spell checker thinks "commentors" is wrong) at Say Uncle have to say about it. (Perhaps it's just me, but wouldn't the "real thing" at a gun expo have a cable on it? Or do they really let people pick up the expensive stuff without supervision? I'd think...

There has been no military defeat, just a psychological one, and it is self-generated. And there is no reason that it has to be that way or *stay* that way.

... and got _The Sharing Knife_ by Lois McMaster Bujold. Update: And it's only the first half! Grrrrr... hate that. And I did like the story, over all, and desperately want to know what happens next and I *really* don't want to pay for the hardcover in July. It's mostly a romance though it doesn't quite follow the standard romance arc, it's more... realistic... if such a word can be used for a fantasy. I mean... the two people don't go about three quarters of the book believing the other person hates them. I also suspect that the girl lying about her age that she's 20 was originally much younger than what it finally gives as her "real" age.

... except there were about twice as many. I took pictures, too, but don't have the right software on my new computer to download the memory from my camera.

So Glenn Reynold's says this . Andrew Sullivan replies with this . And Glenn responds. And I have opinions. First, it's simply privacy. Someone doesn't have to be "in the closet" about something to not want it listed in the newspaper. If nothing else, people want to be in control of their lives and left alone. Then there's motivation. Why is a concealed carry permit list *interesting*? Why does it rate a published list? Going with the "closet" metaphor, suppose the newspaper published a list of "out" gays? To whom would such a list be interesting? Then there's the criminal element. Suppose someone published a list of women who kept expensive jewelry in their home. Lots of people do, lots of people don't. Some people routinely carry a wad of cash. Why publish a list of those who do? Now I suppose I could put a "neighborhood watch" type sticker in my window that said, "This household is armed. The childre...

Was going to post flower pictures... but... The gray monster is Ukiah. The black and white boy was supposed to be Indigo. But he's a boy so he's Inego instead. Messed up my naming scheme which was supposed to go with Miles and Ekaterin.

A fellow stopped by the house today to get new members signed up for an environmental lobby group to end global warming. They were going to get emissions limits on SUV's in New Mexico. I said no. I didn't explain myself. I suppose he figures I don't care about the environment. It's not true. I just don't care about global warming. Glenn Reynolds linked to someone today saying that people were getting tired of global warming. Makes sense, and the hype is part of the reason. Having to be emotionally engaged is exhausting and that's what the gloom and doom is about. It's about getting people motivated. Start to quibble about the "science" and you'll get the "better safe than sorry" argument. In other words, if it motivates people, it's okay to misrepresent the "consensus" as science. I do, however, give the young man credit for walking up and down these hills.

And right now I'm not in the mood for political arguments. I want to chat with my friends on EQ2 (on Crushbone server Synova is a provisioner) or read a book. Yesterday I got _Wolf Who Rules_ from the library and read it again. I actually own this book in e-book form but happened to see it and decided that it would be nice to read on paper. Wen Spencer is fabulous. _Tinker_ and _Wolf Who Rules_ are great but I have to say that the Ukiah Oregon books starting with _Alien Taste_ are even better.

I hope I can get this to work... A friend just sent this picture from White Sands. I'm trying to find out for sure who took the picture so I can attribute it properly. Update on the photographer. His Name is Ron Cooper. They were taken by Ron at White Sands Missile Range between 1300 and 1330 hours 2 May 2007.

That's all. I wish it would just disappear and no one would ever use it again. "You and your ilk." ARGH!