Opaque Lucidity

Welcome To The Hoosier State

Now shut up before we send you to the camps. You have to wonder.

The Unseen Hand

There has always been a conspiracy theory surrounding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Theorists claim that the Roosevelt administration knew of the attack in advance; not the exact date or the exact target, but they knew there would be an attack on an American outpost in the Pacific because too many Japanese carriers, battleships and heavy cruisers were away from their ports in late November and early December of that year.

Winston Churchill desperately wanted the United States to enter the war---this is undisputed. Could Roosevelt have allowed the attack to take place so that the US would have a pretext for war? It's a bold claim because in order to believe it, you have to believe that the Commander-in-Chief, a man who had been the Secretary of the Navy, would knowlingly sacrifice the lives of thousands of sailors and marines in order to sway public opinion. The thought of an American President doing such a thing is hard for me to believe, but when I remember that all the Pacific Fleet's aircraft carriers were gone and everything berthed on Battleship Row that morning was antiquated, it makes me wonder.

I thought of Roosevelt and Pearl Harbor tonight as I watched a History Channel documentary on Osama Bin Laden. There were many times in the 90's and early 2000's that the CIA had the opportunity to either capture or kill the man. The excuse for not doing away with him is that the American justice system needed a tighter case than it had against him. But "wet work" is nothing new for the CIA. Why were they suddenly worried about a court case?

To believe that Bin Laden was allowed to live on purpose, you have to concede that the conspiracy spans at least two, and possibly three, presidencies. Both Bill Clinton and the current President Bush knew of Bin Laden before 9/11. In fact, the CIA had teams on the ground in Afghanistan whose sole mission was to keep tabs on him. You can argue that the world was different then and that pre-emption was not part of the American vocabulary. Fair enough. But after the attack on the USS Cole in October, 2000, wasn't the plan clear enough?

In his book 'Vatican', Malachai Martin wrote about groups of multi-national businessmen who were global movers and shakers. They made money by promoting Communism in places like Poland, who in return built excellent ships that were cheaper than what could be had in democratic nations. They wanted to sustain the Cold War because money was made when two superpowers spent trillions of dollars acquiring weapons of all types. These men had no national allegiance; they deemed themselves above petty loyalties.

If Martin's view of the men behind the curtain is anywhere near accurate, then is it possible that the War on Terror was also encouraged? After all, this nation is spending money as if it's going out of style. If a group has brokered a deal with Islamo-facists, they have made a terrible mistake. The radical terrorists do not recognize contracts with heathens.

I know I shouldn't think like this. It's destructive and, frankly, I should have more faith in my nation and her leaders than this. But when I look back at the last 60 years of our history, it plays as an essentially non-ending series of wars requiring more and more capital, not to mention lives. If were are indeed pawns, then our patriotism and our belief in the spread of democracy is being used against us.

I'm overdue for an appointment with my pillow, me thinks.

Same Planet, Different Worlds

John over at Powerline posted two different newspapers' takes on the same story:

Here is how the Washington Times reported the judges' testimony, in a story headlined "FISA Judges Say Bush Within Law":

In a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the secretive court, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, several former judges who served on the panel also voiced skepticism at a Senate hearing about the president's constitutional authority to order wiretapping on Americans without a court order. They also suggested that the program could imperil criminal prosecutions that grew out of the wiretaps.

Someone's not telling the truth. Given the NYT's recent history, it is very possible that the story writer wasn't even in the same city as the FISA judges. And with the New York Times having such a vested interest in making the President look bad, one has to wonder.

Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate Judiciary Committee approved sweeping election-year legislation Monday that clears the way for 11 million illegal aliens to seek U.S. citizenship, a victory for demonstrators who had spilled into the streets by the hundreds of thousands demanding better treatment for immigrants...

...The most controversial provision would permit il legal aliens currently in the country to apply for citizenship without first having to return home, a process that would take at least six years or more. They would have to pay a fine, learn English, study American civics, demonstrate they had paid their taxes and take their place behind other applicants for citizenship...

Immigration is one of the things that helped to make this country the greatest nation on earth. I believe we need immigrants as much now as we did in the 19th century, but for different reasons. Then, we needed people to fill out the expanse of a new nation and make her economy strong. Today, I believe we need immigrants to stir the lifeblood of the nation, to remind us all of the opportunities that we take for granted because of our birth.

Anyone speaking publicly on the issue of immigration must walk gingerly or risk being called a xenophobe or, worse, a racist. Many on the left want a more open immigration policy, especially with regard to people crossing our southern border. While some may view this as compassion, I can't help but think the motivation is more political: bring them in and make Democrats of them. Many on the right want stricter immigration laws (or want to better enforce the laws on the books), but want to turn a blind eye towards companies taking advantage of the cheap labor brought by illegals. In my mind, both of these views are contemptable.

In all of this, I can't help but think of those who came here legally, jumped through the right hoops and became Americans. I know a few of you who read this blog regularly were born in another country and so I ask you: what are your views on immigration? Do we need tougher laws? Is amnesty the answer?

This will be one of the decisive issues this November. Without a clear, well-explained course, Republicans could very well kiss control of Congress goodbye.

Taking The Oar

Kelli and I go back to work in the morning. For the past three weeks, I have either been on vacation or on the road so I'm actually looking forward to being back in the office. I guess I crave normalcy. God bless the road warriors.

Looking The Gift Horse In The Mouth

The three Christian "peacemakers" being held hostage in Iraq were rescued yesterday by the Brits. Today, the Christian Peacemaker Teams released a statement about their co-workers' releases, but did not mention how there were freed AT ALL. Here's a sample:

We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.

God knows there was no pain and suffering when Saddam and his whacko sons were in charge. On average, the Iraqi government under Saddam killed 100,000 citizens a year. Lives are actually being saved because our forces are there; do the math. This is just another example of the type of ignorant thinking that is so common on the Left: since they weren't paying attention to Iraq before 2003, nothing that happened then mattered.

I'm glad that a so-called "Christian" group...forget it. Christian---yeah, right.

Sabotage At The Boutique

I used to enjoy the Beastie Boys' music; that is, until they started spouting off about politics. After that, they reverted to being three white punks from New York. Now, they have made a sort of indie film. They purchased 50 video cameras and gave them to fans to film one of their shows in 2004. Take a moment and read the Wired interview about the film, paying special attention to this gem:

What'd you do with the Hi8s when you were done filming?
We put them back in their boxes and returned them for a refund. This is low-budget filmmaking, after all. Plus, what the hell am I going to do with that many camcorders?

Niiice. His excuse? They didn't have a large budget. Whatever, asshat.

Both Sides Are Sharp

The struggling democracy in Afghanistan has run up against its first judicial hurdle: the case of a man on trial for his life. His crime? He converted to Christianity from Islam. Under the nation's Islamic laws, this is a capital offense.

Regardless of how the President and others talk about the new democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is important to remember that neither of these countries will ever model themselves after the United States. In the same way that our society is based on Judeo-Christian values (regardless of what the revisionists say), any Middle Eastern democracy will be influenced by the values of Islam. All we can do is hope that the influence does not come from radicals.

Democracy is not capitalism. Democracy is not Christianity. Democracy is not necessarily peaceful. It's still the way to go, but it can only succeed as part of a larger societal move away from theocracy and despotism. I hope the folks in Iraq and Afghanistan are ready.

March 22, 1976 - 30 Years Old

Podcasting Pro...Ummm, Yeah

Below is my podcasting mic setup. It's a Samson C01U microphone, a windscreen made from faux fur and a pop filter made from a knitting hoop and a pair of knee high hose. Very, very professional.

Pax Somebody

As I mentioned last night, I went to see the documentary "Why We Fight" and, as you can probably imagine, there was not much in the film that was not manipulated to prove the director's point. But there's something else I realized in that dark theater: many Americans, liberal and conservative, Republican, Democrat or other, need to wake up to the lessons of history and what they mean for us.

Through most of recorded history, there have been superpowers. Before modern times, most superpower states were regional because the slow travel methods of the day made governance of large areas impossible. Even the Roman Empire was limited to Western Europe and small parts of the Middle East and North Africa. The military and economic might of the superpowers ebbed and flowed and when one faltered for whatever reason, an upstart was there to fill the void.

We did not begin to see superpowers in the modern sense of the word until the 17th century. Spain, France, England and others fought for control of Europe and the Americas. Spain and France fell along the wayside as England became a worldwide empire that remained dominant until after the end of the Second World War.

The United States' rise to superpower status began early in the 20th century but did not peak until the Second World War. With the beginning of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the world saw for the first time a situation in which only two superpower states held sway over the entire planet and were capable of destroying each other. But the old rules still held sway: communism faltered for economic and other, more subtle reasons and the United States became, and remains today, the world's only superpower.

Even though the phrase is a bit overused, it is worth repeating: with great power comes great responsibility. There is much debate as to what our responsibilities as the world's most powerful nation are or should be and the fact that there is disagreement at home about this is healthy and shows that our democractic ethic is strong. But what is troubling to me is that so many otherwise well-meaning people in this country believe that we should shirk our responsibilities to the world at a time when we are needed most. They do not see their view as shirking, but that's what it is.

What I'm trying to say in my long-winded manner is that, for better or worse, we are the Rome of our age. Like Rome, our dominance is not perfect. Unlike Rome, we do not seek to occupy nations but to make them like us in terms of freedom and democracy. All people, everywhere, deserve to be free. There are elements on this planet who see freedom and democracy as a threat to their power. Take Iran, for instance: the ruling religious elite (if you think their asshat President really runs the show, you're not paying attention) knows that a free and open society would spell the demise of their oligarchy/theocracy. Why is Al Queda so interested in our fight in Iraq? Because a free Iraq would be a beacon of hope to those living under the thumb of radical (and sometimes mainstream) Islam in many parts of the world. It's like the domino theory for the free world.

You can argue about the steps we take as a nation, but you can not deny our place in the world at this time in history. If we do not seek to rid the planet of those who threaten us, we may not all be killed or conquered. Indeed, what will happen will be worse: we will die on the vine, choked off and replaced by another superpower. And next time, the world's lone superpower may not have our compassion or our outlook on freedom.

And do not be fooled: there will always be superpower nations. The fantasy "planet of equals" will never exist. And so, again, the question remains: if not us, then who?

Why We Fight

Kelli hosted a jewelry party tonight, so I made myself scarce for two hours. Not sure of what to do, I ended up seeing the documentary film "Why We Fight". The movie attempts to explain how the growth of the military-industrial complex (as termed by President Eisenhower during his farewell speech in 1961) affects when, why and how we get involved in wars around the world.

Nothing I saw in the film surprised me. It was, as much of this kind of stuff is, a textbook example of reverse logic: start with an assumption and work backwards, ignoring anything which does not lead to the conclusion. It's not a liberal or conservative practice---it's just a deceptive practice that many people do not understand and, thus, see these films as enlightening works of genius. Indeed, they are great works of propaganda. Nothing more, nothing less.

I have more I'd like to say about this topic, but that's for the morning.

Three Down

Today is the third anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war. The talking heads have been at it all day, either questioning the President's decision or defending it. Funny thing is, I believe that intelligent, well-meaning people can disagree on the war because, as with all things, there are good reasons on each side of the issue.

What bothers me is how those who disagree with the administration have conducted themselves since May, 2003. Yes, no WMDs have been found in Iraq (whether they were ever there or not is another issue). Yes, over 2,300 Americans are dead because of the war. Yes, the war is expensive. Yes, abuses have occurred. No one with a firm grasp on reality would question any of those facts. And every one of those facts can be seen as a logical reason to oppose the war.

But for many in the media, in Hollywood, and in those leftist enclaves sprinkled throughout the land, it is not enough to argue the facts. As has been demonstrated over and over again by the likes of Bill Maher and Micheal Moore, those who support the war must be made evil or stupid or both. Could it be because their arguments don't stand up to close scrutiny?

To add insult to injury, the same groups who claim some sort of moral/intellectual superiority over those who support the war also claim to be victims. They are being silenced and abused and they're very afraid. Remember George Clooney's Oscar speech? We know they are victims of "censorship" (although it is unlikely many of them could define the word) because they keep telling us they are.

Tonight, I heard for the first time someone say publicly what I have thought for some time: that the nation is in danger of becoming as divided as it was during the Vietnam War. Then as now, the people who caused the division were those who claimed to want peace and unity but who wanted nothing more than to be allowed to shirk responsibility on mom and dad's dime. The division they caused was not created by their divergence from leadership, but by their close-minded, short-sighted characterization of anyone who disagreed (i.e., conservatives) with them as bent on global domination and oppression.

35 years, and no one learned a damn thing.

Break Out The Blunderbusses

Here's a headline you don't see every day. Doesn't that seem like it belongs in 1804?

Back Among the Living

I arrived back in town last night. My lack of posting and podcasting was not a matter of bandwidth but a matter of time. Let's just say an office move for seven employees has never been so time-consuming. I could probably write a book.

I don't like to write too often about abortion here because a) it's a very divisive issue and b) most people find it uncomfortable for a variety of reasons. But I saw this linked on Drudge today and I couldn't pass it up. Once you read the article, please visit "Molly's" blog and read up on how to do an abortion at home. Well, the D & C type, not the kind that uses a vacuum hose to suck the baby (called "fetal material" by her) out. Here's an excerpt:

You will now need to remove small pieces of fetal material and membrane from the uterus with the forceps. Some of these pieces will be distinctly identifiable as fetal material. Save the material until the end of the procedure on a piece of plastic, so that you can be sure the entire fetus has been removed. If doing this sounds too ethically challenging, remember that fetuses do not have the capacity to feel actual pain until the third trimester. You are not "hurting" it, and it has no awareness, nor the capacity for awareness, that you are extracting it.

Yes, it's disgusting, vile action in the name of a woman's "right". What's worse, in my opinion, is how the old illegal abortionists talk about their glory days before Roe v. Wade, as if they were fighting some great evil by sucking pre-born children out of women's uteruses:

Another group was the Jane movement of the Chicago Women's Liberation Union. From 1969 to 1973, about 125 members counseled and educated women on abortion, learned to perform the procedure and ran surgical clinics in clandestine apartments.

"In the pre-Roe era there was massive, massive, massive civil disobedience," said Kaplan, who now lives in New York's Hudson Valley. "Breaking this law was something people did regularly, all the time."

No pro-abortion articles mention where the child came from. Evidently, he came from nowhere and just appeared one day as a symbol of a male-dominated facist society that wants every woman to be no more than a baby-making machine. Thus, the baby must be destroyed. Roe v. Wade is the only wall left between a civilized society and a world wherein men live in caves and rape women at will.

This gives the term "soulless" an entirely new meaning.

On The Road Again

I'm heading out in the morning for Norton, Virginia on business. I should be back on Wednesday night provided everything works like it should, but I probably will not have internet access. Be well and we'll talk later in the week.

The Bravery Gap

George Clooney is a true man for all seasons: handsome actor and political genius. Did you miss the genius part? Well, it's time you caught up, friends and neighbors. Here are some highlights:

And, for me, one of the things we absolutely need to agree on is the idea that we're all allowed to question authority. We have to agree that it's not unpatriotic to hold our leaders accountable and to speak out.

When has anyone called anyone else unpatriotic for speaking an opinion in the United States? Can you send me a link to a quote? This is a non-issue. Michael Moore makes a big deal of saying that it is very American to ask questions, as if someone said that it wasn't. For God's sake, let's see some evidence.

Bottom line: it's not merely our right to question our government, it's our duty. Whatever the consequences. We can't demand freedom of speech then turn around and say, But please don't say bad things about us. You gotta be a grown up and take your hits.

Clooney is correct about our freedom of speech, but it's a lesson that liberals don't understand very well: stating an opinion doesn't mean everyone will like it. And that is today's lesson, I think. In other words, liberals such as Clooney, Moore, Penn and others who are always talking about being silenced (despite the fact you see them everywhere) believe that censorship is what takes place when people disagree loudly with them. It's not enough to let them speak; you must love them as well.

There are many in Hollywood who seem to believe that voicing an opinion is a brave, bold thing. In the Soviet Union, it was. In China today, it is. At your comfy abode in the Hollywood Hills, it's not. Bravery is going on patrol in Iraq day after day, knowing that anyone with even a little skill could kill you. Bravery is boarding an Iraqi dhow in the Persian Gulf with nothing more than a sidearm and your shipmates to protect you if someone decides to open fire.

Clooney's sniveling cry for action is nothing more than the rantings of a child who has been shown too much attention and now believes everything he does is worthy of notice and praise.

Goodbye To The Tomcat

This will never happen again. The picture above shows the last active F-14D squadron launching from the USS Theodore Roosevelt as it prepares to return to Norfolk, Virginia. The Tomcat is being retired after more than 30 years of service. For a generation of sailors and civilians, the F-14 was the very symbol of naval aviation in the United States. She is being replaced by the F/A-18 Super Hornet, a highly capable aircraft that is not as nearly as expensive to maintain as the very expensive Tomcat.

The F-14 was the plane Tom Cruise flew in 'Top Gun', for those of you who care about such things. I had a chance to first see a Tomcat in person in 1991 during a post-Gulf War airshow at Daytona Beach, FL. For a fighter (later adapted to be a fighter/bomber), it was a HUGE plane; I read somewhere that it was as large as a World War Two B-24 bomber. Of course, it was not intended to be a dogfighter, but to carry the long-range Phoenix air-to-air missle. The Phoenix and the platform which carried it where designed to do battle with Soviet long range bombers that would've attacked allied convoys carrying men and machines to Europe in the event of another war there.

But like so many weapons systems built by and paid for by the American public, the war for which they were designed thankfully never came. Seeing these planes retire is yet another reminder that my time in the Navy is receding further and further into the past and that I am getting ever older.

Fred Phelps Gets A Seat Up Front

If this doesn't spin you up, you have no soul. Here's an interesting factoid buried in the middle of the article:

"While Westboro's congregation remains stable at around 100 people - most of whom are the extended family of founder Fred Phelps..."

If there was ever an advertisement for birth control, this is it.

Sounds Of Silence

During my lunch break at work today, I went back and read some of the old entries from the Dattblog. I was working nights during that period (June, 2002 to September, 2003), so I had lots of time to write. I also wasn't podcasting, which eats up so much of my free time now. Man, I really wrote some good ones, if I may blow my own horn for a second. Here's one of my entries from March 10, 2003 (pardon the language; there were only about 10 people reading in those days):

"If you've ever sat through the film 'Apocalypse Now', you know about the scene in which Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) finds Colonel Kurtz's (Marlon Brando) memoirs. Willard flips through the pages and stops to read a passage: "They taught men to drop fire from the sky but they wouldn't let them write 'fuck' on the sides of their planes because it was obscene."

This seems kind of trite today, but it is very reflective of the times: our boys could be warriors, but they better come home virgins."

I read things like that now and I can say that I'm proud of what I've written. Of late, though, it seems like my imagination and my thoughts have begun to run dry. Part of it is work in that I actually have to WORK at work now, as opposed to the numbing hours I spent waiting for backups to finish before. Also, the podcast takes up at least two hours a night, time that used to be spent posting my latest observations of the drive-by media.

So this is why more people don't blog. If we had children, there's no way I'd be doing any of this---those that do must be amazing time managers. I notice that, while the podcast audience grows steadily, the audience for this blog still numbers in the dozens a day. In fact, for every person who stops by here, 20 people download the podcast. How's that for a switch?

I will continue here, mainly because those who read this are most of the people with whom I am closest. This little white page has become our meeting place, our barber shop, our pool hall.

But I want to run something by all of you. If you are a regular poster here (or semi-regular) and would like to have the ability to post here like I do, please let me know via e-mail (mattdattilo@yahoo.com). I don't care what you talk about as long as the language remains PG-13ish. I don't care about your political perspective, but understand that if I disagree with you, I will say so. Come prepared to defend your point of view.

Think it over.

Back In The Saddle

I'm back from Chicago and in my usual mood after I travel---tired and annoyed by everything. A good night's sleep and a personal day home from work will put me back on track. In the meantime, here's a funny one Jerry Rae sent me this evening:

One day a fourth-grade teacher asked the children what their fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came up -- fireman, mechanic, businessman, salesman, doctor, lawyer, and so forth. But little Justin was being uncharacteristically quiet, so when the teacher prodded him about his father, he replied, "My father's an exotic dancer in a gay cabaret and takes off all his clothes in front of other men and they put money in his underwear. Sometimes, if the offer is really good, he will go home with some guy and make love with him for money."

The teacher, obviously shaken by this statement, hurriedly set the other children to work on some exercises and then took little Justin aside to ask him, "Is that really true about your father?" "No," the boy said, "He works for the Democratic National Committee and is helping to secure the nomination of Hillary Clinton, but I was too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids."

Model Parent

Madonna's daughter, Lourdes, is asking questions about gay people. In fact, she asked her mom if SHE was gay because she kissed Britney Spears in 2003 at the MTV Music Awards. Here was her answer:

"And I said, 'No, it just means I kissed Britney Spears. I am the mommy pop star and she is the baby pop star. And I am kissing her to pass my energy on to her."

That's so...healthy for a young girl to hear. "Pass my energy". I see some psychotherapy in this poor girl's future. Her mother should've said, "Honey, I'm a media whore who's approaching 50. Every six months or so, I have to do something to draw attention to myself. Britney was nearby, she's hot and nubile, so there you go. One day you, too, will be insecure and in dire need of attention, good or bad."

Uhuh.

Oscar Predictions

The Oscars don't start for another 20 minutes. Here's my take:

Best Film: "Brokeback Mountain" saddest movie I have ever seen.

Best Actor: Phillip Seymour Hoffman for "Capote". Haven't seen the film, but Hoffman's great, IMHO.

Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon for "Walk the Line". Was anyone else nominated?

Those are the only categories I know anything about. Place your bets now.

The Last

My grandmother passed away at 5:50AM this morning. She was 94 and was my mother's mother. She leaves behind two daughters, seven grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

My oldest sister, who had spent the night at grandma's bedside, called me at 6:00AM to tell me that she was gone. I got dressed and met my parents and sisters (both of my brothers live in other states) at the nursing home. She was still in her bed, looking as if she was asleep. She looked peaceful and pain-free for the first time in months.

Grandma probably never weighed more than 90 pounds, but the sickness which took her life left her 10 pounds lighter than normal. As I looked at her this morning, she appeared tiny and frail to me for the first time in my life. I began to wonder why I never paid attention to that quality before. It was then I realized that grandma was a giant to me. She was not loud, or boastful or talkative. She had nearly-infinite patience and never lost her cheerfulness, even when pain.

Her life was a study in sacrifice and perseverance. Born in 1911, she was a child during the First World War. Jeffersonville was home to thousands of troops in 1917-18 because of the Quartermaster Depot located here; the town only had, perhaps, 10,000 inhabitants then. It was not uncommon for people in the city to keep a cow in their small backyards. My great-grandparents were no exception.

One morning, the cow was gone. My great-grandfather and some neighbors went looking for the creature without success. However, word trickled back to them that one of the soldiers in a nearby camp had taken the cow and had it staked outside his tent (One can imagine how popular fresh milk was among the soldiers). When confronted, the young man confessed his theft and apologized. Thus ended the shortest bovine military career in American history.

I never knew my mother's father. He died of lung cancer about ten years before I was born. I only really know two things about him: he was in the Navy during World War Two and he was a severe alcoholic. My mother doesn't talk about her childhood very often, but she once told me that she never had friends over to spend the night because she never knew what her father would do or say while he was drunk, which was every day. I did not know until recently that my grandmother actually left him for a time when my mother was an infant; the how's and why's are now lost forever. Because of his disease, my grandfather always had low-paying jobs. Grandma was poor for her entire life.

Despite being raised as a Baptist, grandma followed her husband wishes and ensured that their daughters were reared in the Catholic faith. She took them to Mass, she took them to school, she did all the things a Catholic mother would do---so much so that everyone assumed she was Catholic. She did convert eventually, but only after a priest she knew asked her if she had ever considered joining the Church. In all those years, no one had ever asked her that question.

I am now without any living grandparents, something that is a sure sign of getting older. My siblings and I will relive this day again within the next twenty years, but then it will be our mom and dad. As I saw my mother standing over her mother, I was reminded that your parents never stop being your parents. For a moment, she was that little girl needing her mother, the only person who kept the peace in her world.

The Soviet Connection

In his novel 'Vatican', Malachai Martin intimated that the Soviet had conspired with the Bulgarian secret service to have Pope John Paul II killed. His Holiness was the worst thing that could happen to communism in Eastern Europe. He was Polish, hated communism and was very, very popular. In fact, the CIA contacted him early in his papacy to see what could be done to help the Solidarity movement that was then growing in the Gdansk shipyards.

Now, we have this. While we'll certainly never know the full truth, it makes me realize why Fr. Martin wrote "fiction" instead of non-fiction.

Brasso To The Rescue

After reading some forums, I discovered, surprisingly, that Brasso will remove plastic scratches. Last night, after a few hours work, I removed most of the scratches. It's not as good as new, but it's as good as it's going to get. I really need a night away from that machine.

Crass Emotional Appeal

I'm about to sound like a whiny baby---my iMac has little scratches on it. Not on the screen, but on the acrylic outside. You can only see them under the right lighting conditions, but it's bugging the hell out of me, like it's saying "I'm not new anymore." I know....I have nothing to complain about. You're right. But I wasted hours last night trying to work out the scratches. Then I made three of my own. I nearly cried. Quit laughing, you insensitive clod.

To make me feel better, please visit www.podcastalley.com and cast a vote for "Matt's Today in History". Just visit the site and do a search for "Matt's". I'll be right there. Please use a real e-mail address because you have to answer a verification e-mail in order for your vote to count.

I thank you, my wife thanks you and my psychiatrist thanks you. If I had one. Which I don't. But maybe I should.