Heh, I’ve always wondered myself why the settlers, when they reached Minn., the Dakotas, Montana, etc., after “surviving” their first winter, didn’t just take a hard left and head due south as fast as those oxen hooves would take ‘em. Maybe your kin back in Norway were right. Maybe all that cold froze
their brains. “Insane in the membrane!”

The lutefisk was, I think, their idea of a joke.

When they learned that their kin had spent weeks on a leaky boat to reach America, only to settle in the coldest, flattest place to be found… Well, I think they regarded us as just a little insane.

– Max

What part of Norway? I only got to Bodo in the WINTER during a NATO exercise, and no time for fun and games. The Bartender at a local bar I frequent in NO has a blues band that tours the Norway circuit every summer–seems they’re big on Jazz and the Blues–he’s even played Bodo. I made a big mistake by not taking leave up that way in the summer–always thought I’d have the time later–but later never came.

Had a roomie for a while in DaNang who was a ground FAC with the Korean White Horse Div. down in II Corps prior to coming up to the big city–claimed there was NOTHING like nice, sun-warmed Kimchee after it had been sitting a few hrs fermenting out in the field during ops sweeps……

Gotta jet–if I don’t sign off and get to bed I’m going to be in “deep kimchee” with my wife myself…..

But MD, that’s exactly the point–the swine don’t know better. The shame lies with the fool who squanders his own treasure on them.

More baffling to me, though, is that you treat Shar’a, that divine immutable stain on human existence, as if it were a mere local custom, something that will change when something better comes along. You’ve treated it similarly in other posts. I don’t think you give shari’a the approbation and respect it deserves as a determined, ruthless and implacable enemy that will destroy you if it all it can. It’s that difference in understanding between us that is the nub of our disagreement.

Although I do heartily approve of your press statement on the events in Gaza!

This afternoon I had a green bean casserole, sans the tater tots. You know, saving the gourmet experience for later.

Local customs and conditions in food are no less illogical than local customs in government. We’ve extended an opportunity, paid for in blood. We can hardly complain if they elect the same local hero tainted with ties to Hussein than we can ostracize the people of Mass for continuing to elect Senator Kennedy.

Part and parcel of giving people freedom is giving them to freedom to choose un-wisely.

They’ll figure it out. We elected Nixon, we elected Reagan, Bush, Clinton, another Bush… Heck, if we haven’t figured out how to elect leaders in over 200 years, we ought to cut the Iraqui’s a little slack.

– Max

Does it matter? Well, as you can see from the stories I posted, neither of these “free mind” regimes are reliable allies against terrorism. And just how “free” are these minds, especially if, as you imply, the centrality of sharia to these regimes doesn’t matter much? Look up the case of Abdul Rahman in Afghanistan and then tell me what you think. There have been plenty of other similar cases, but his is as illustrative as it needs to be for anyone willing to understand.

As for the squandered gift, there is such a thing as pearls before swine. Who is the fool, the one who casts the pearls or the swine?