Mount Virtus

As my first complete calendar year of blogging comes to a close, I decided for a little self-linking retrospective, featuring the two most momentous, interesting, illustrative, or off-the-wall posts from each month. Some summon memories of meetings and activities generated by my blog, a few by the general affairs of life, and most from the things I read on the Internet. The topics range from critiques of Democrats in the Colorado statehouse to observations of national & international events, from tiny trifles to happenings of great significance, with touches of humor and personal hopes dashed in to round things out.

This post is as much an exercise for me as for any of my readers. For the few of you with patience and interest, I give you Ben’s blog highlights from 2005 -

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The Denver Post might want to make a second attempt to get to the bottom of this story:

Forti’s counterparts at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee are not actively recruiting military veterans, spokeswoman Sarah Steinberg said.

“They absolutely serve a very good contrast against Republicans,” she said. “But in every district, our goal is to recruit the best possible candidate we can.”

To read Jim Hughes’ article in today’s Post is to get the impression that military veterans are spontaneously coming forward as Democratic Congressional candidates – as opposed to what has been documented as really happening: a purposeful national strategy to shore up the Donkey’s Achilles’ heels of national security and military strength.

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When you read in the New York Times that the governor of Michigan is aggressively courting a Japanese auto manufacturer to invest production and jobs in the Great Lakes State, you know the world is changing. For those who aren’t aware, such an action not long ago would have been like touching the third rail of Michigan politics (and still seems far from perfectly safe). Yet while the economy is recovering well across most of the United States, the land of my childhood lags behind in employment and other key indicators.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s efforts to woo Toyota are a healthy sign for the future economy and quality of life of Michigan residents. The Big Three aren’t quite able to protect their turf like they once did, and should welcome the benefits of increased competition on a global scale. (For a broader sense of the changing trends from the big corporate safety net to the hardening pressures of economic competition, there is an excellent chapter in a book I highly recommend: Michael Barone’s Hard America, Soft America.)

In a global economy so fluid and dynamic, the presence of a Japanese auto plant in Michigan seems somehow inevitable. Yet economic decisions merge and interact with political and cultural realities all the time. Now at last, it seems politically feasible for a sitting governor to court Toyota. And culturally, I suspect, more and more Michiganders are willing to forego the sort of blue-collar, chauvinistic pride that made possible many jokes I heard in my younger days. Such as… you know you’re from Michigan when “owning a Japanese car is a hanging offense in your hometown,” or some such variation. Here’s to better days!

Disclaimer: This post was written by a man who has only ever owned & driven General Motors vehicles; whose father & grandfather were employed by General Motors; who knows far too many jokes and insults about Fords and foreign cars; who only ever remembers seeing, riding in, and hearing about General Motors vehicles that belonged to the family; and who still is eligible for the General Motors employee vehicle discount pricing.

Does the Colorado General Assembly have any serious issues to tackle during the upcoming legislative session, or do our state lawmakers need to take their lead from the Michigan legislature and find something to crow about? Only a little more than two weeks to go before debates reopen in Denver’s statehouse.

Incidentally, as a native of the Great Lakes State, my vote is to stick with the robin. No need to swap state birds mid-flight. Do you think anyone out here in my adopted home state is that attached to the prairie lark finch?

Some people might chalk off my decision to post this as the result of repressed bourgeois greed and envy, or as a sign I’ve joined the Left-wing class warfare crusade, but I assure you it’s neither. As an ardent supporter of the benefits of a free-exchange capitalist system, I am content to know that companies manufacture expensive automobiles and that consumers are willing and able to buy them.

Yet there is so much that I despise about the televised ad campaigns depicting youthful upper middle-class people surprising their loved ones with a red bow-topped luxury car in the driveway on Christmas morn. Every year, my angst grows toward these commercials. And today the Washington Times reports how real people participate in the luxury-car-Christmas-gift-buying trend:

The Jaguar XJ8 is the most popular gift model and runs about $61,000 — at the low end.

Andrew Menditch, a salesman at Northwest BMW in Owings Mills, Md., sold two BMW 325XIs to one man last week — one for his daughter and one for his wife.

“He’s giving the cars to them for Christmas. For his daughter, it’s a surprise and his wife, it’s not,” Mr. Menditch said.

The bill: about $80,000.

Holiday presents are about 25 percent to 30 percent of December sales at the dealership, general sales manager Jon Orofino said.

Men typically are the buyers and give the cars to their wives or girlfriends, the dealers said.

About half the time, Mr. Orofino said, the recipient knows about the gift in advance to choose colors and styles. But sometimes, the men try to keep it a secret. They do some covert groundwork, trying to pick up hints on favorite colors and must-have accessories, sometimes rousing suspicion in their recipients.

“Even if they have an idea, when they actually get it, they’re surprised because it’s such a big gift,” he said.

I find it sad to think that people feel they have to buy such expensive toys to celebrate the Savior’s birth. The blessing is that the more I have considered this trend, and dwell on how much the commercials irritate me, the more it has convicted me of the material emphases I place on Christmas. Not that there is anything wrong with gift-giving per se… of course not. Though I have a hard time imagining the purchase of a vehicle with a price tag roughly equivalent to my annual household income as a holiday gift. And to the guys who try to surprise their wives with a Lexus or BMW: do you normally make unilateral decisions on major household purchases and face no reprisals for it? Or is it not considered a major household purchase? Either way, I must be living in a totally different world.

If you were going to buy a car anyway, you can afford it, and it happens to be December so you call it a “Christmas present,” well, that’s one thing. If the fact that Christmas is approaching means you “need” to buy a fancier car than you would otherwise, or that you buy a Jaguar because it’s an expensive gift to impress someone, what a sad commentary on what you truly value and worship!

While I tend to have a live-and-let-live attitude about many things (after all, so many people have to endure my quirks and eccentricities), the annual return of the “December to Remember” sale elucidates just how much of a crank I can appear to be at times. But if I appear as such, so be it. I will try to dwell on happier things, like the joyous True meaning of the Season.

There is no need for a new law or government regulation to remedy the situation. No, the Savior wasn’t born to institute a political kingdom. There is much more at stake. To those who cannot see past the holiday platitudes, or even past the commercial aspects of Christmas, I want to reach out with arms of compassion and say, “There’s a better way!” On the quiet of a dark Christmas Eve, find a good version of the following song – sit and listen and meditate on the profound personal meaning of the Incarnation – and rejoice:

“O Holy Night” by Adolphe Adam (1803-1856)
O holy night! the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till he appeared, and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
Fall on your knees; O, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine.

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand;
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend;
He knows our need, To our weaknesses is no stranger.
Behold your King, before him lowly bend!
Behold your King, before him lowly bend!

Truly he taught us to love one another;
His law is love, and his gospel is peace;
Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother,
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we;
Let all within us praise his holy name;
Christ is the Lord, O, Praise his name forever.
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!

Cal Thomas is the closest to a modern-day, old-style Christian prophet that can be found anywhere in American news pages. His recent column on the kerfuffle over public celebrations of the Christmas holiday is a must-read for every believer. While you don’t have to agree with every conclusion, he makes an excellent point:

The effort by some cable TV hosts and ministers to force commercial establishments into wishing everyone a “Merry Christmas” might be more objectionable to the One who is the reason for the season than the “Happy Holidays” mantra required by some store managers.

I have never understood why so many Christians feel the need to see and hear “Merry Christmas” proclaimed to them at stores by people who may not believe its central message. While TV personalities, junk mail letters and some of the ordained bemoan the increasing secularization of culture; perhaps some teaching might be helpful from the One in whose behalf they claim to speak.

Jesus – the real one, not the Republican-conservative-Democrat-liberal one made in the image of today’s fractured political culture – said His kingdom is not of this world. Why, then, are so many who claim to speak for Him demanding that this earthly kingdom celebrate Him and His Kingdom?

Determining where and how to draw the boundaries among the sacred and secular elements of Christmas is an important task to be undertaken by every follower of Christ. For one, I am still on the journey myself: trying to reconcile Mr. Thomas’s sage admonitions with previous thoughts that I have posted. As I get older (and I’m still not quite 29), the sacred part of Christmas becomes more and more meaningful to me each year. The family-related trappings and meaningful traditions are still quite important. But I have less and less taste for the commercialism, the spending orgies, and the emphasis on Santa & his 8 tiny reindeer. I’m still trying to negotiate these boundaries, and think every believer should take the time to do so thoughtfully as well. Any thoughts?

It’s finally come to this: an organized fan protest of the Detroit Lions and general manager Matt Millen. As a native of southeastern Michigan, I can sympathize with their plight. While there certainly are much worthier causes to march for – if marching is in your blood – you know the Lions franchise has lingered in the depths for too long.

When you read this account from the Detroit Free Press, however, you realize just how pathetic an attempt the fan protest was. All you can say is… wow. It’s embarrassing to think that Super Bowl XL comes to Ford Field in seven weeks. One might suggest the timing could hardly be worse.

Following in the spirit of this day’s post from last year, a happy 235th anniversary of the birthday of the great Ludwig van Beethoven.

This year, consider one of the master’s all-time great works, the bittersweet pinnacle of his composition career: the Ninth Symphony, and the theme of joy.

It’s a familiar tale: an aging Beethoven, ill and deaf, conducting the orchestra and chorus in the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, conducting even after they had ceased to perform, after they had reached the end of the stunning new work, after the audience had already begun to applaud, continuing to conduct until a singer turned him around so that he could see the thunderous cheers that were resounding throughout the hall. The image is deeply moving, so much so that more cynical historians would like to discount it; it is, they feel, too perfect to be true. Yet this once, however, the cynics are apparently wrong, for several eyewitnesses tell the same tale of that fateful performance in Vienna on May 7, 1824.

Sound and more text provided at the link above.

In a related vein, tonight on ABC (7 p.m. in Denver, check local listings) is the replaying of A Charlie Brown Christmas. What does this have to do with Beethoven, you say? Those who have seen the classic cartoon special may remember the following exchange:

Schroeder: This is the music I’ve set for the Christmas play.
[Schroeder plays Fur Elise]
Lucy Van Pelt: What kind of music is *that*?
Schroeder: Beethoven Christmas music.
Lucy Van Pelt: What’s so great about Beethoven? Everyone talks about how “great” Beethoven was. Beethoven wasn’t so great.
[Schroeder stops playing]
Schroeder: What do you mean Beethoven wasn’t so great?
Lucy Van Pelt: He never got his picture on a bubble gum card. Have you ever seen his picture on a bubble gum card? Hmmm? How can you say someone is great who’s never had his picture on a bubble gum card?
Schroeder: Good grief.

Good grief, indeed.

Something extra: In case you needed more reason to avoid ingesting toxic metallic substances into your body, scientists recently discovered that lead was the cause of Beethoven’s lifelong debilitating illness. And though the article’s author does not opine, dare we ask… also a contributing cause of his passionate musical genius?

Hat Tip: Coyote Gulch

Ouch… sometimes it’s hard to realize there is a whole other world out there. A new study from the National Assessment of Adult Literacy shows that 5 percent of 222 million American adults simply cannot read or write English. And of the remaining 211 million:

Some 30 million adults have “below basic” skills in prose. Their ability is so limited that they may not be able to make sense of a simple pamphlet, for example.

By comparison, 95 million adults, or 44 percent of the population, have intermediate prose skills, meaning they can do moderately challenging activities. An example would be consulting a reference book to determine which foods contain a certain vitamin.

I’m guessing that most of my readers emanate from the ranks of the 86 million whose prose skills are better than intermediate. As for the rest… well, would it be impertinent to ask what more the public education system could do to help remedy this problem? One more important educational trend shows flat, long-term results, despite vast amounts of extra money taxed and spent under the heading of “education.” Yet not enough education seems to be occurring for the price tag incurred.

How many more people will it take to stand up and point out that the proverbial emperor is buck naked before things change? Let’s get past good intentions – I have no doubt many in the teachers union genuinely care about helping kids learn – and get to curriculum and programs that really work. And get to putting the consumers in charge. It is extremely difficult for someone to appreciate music or the other arts, to do well in math and science, or to have genuine self-esteem, if they aren’t functionally literate or if they don’t have better prose skills.

Now, of course, the fault doesn’t lie completely within the educational establishment. But they certainly could be doing a lot more to help… mostly by getting out of the way. Smaller schools, decentralized authority, strong school leadership, reforming tenure and teacher compensation, vouchers or tax credits, empowering parents with choices and rewarding skilled educators for their performance. Can we envision such an education system? The unions spend vast resources to point fingers at those who dare call for change in the way schools are run and to label them “enemies of public education.” (I sympathize with Mike Rosen on this one.)

The comfortable educrats seem to lack all imagination. Public education should not be understood as limited to the structure of the system status quo but the societal consensus for an educated public. But certain forces have constructed many walls around the current educational delivery structure, ostensibly to preserve the interests of adults who work in that system.

Let me say it again, if I haven’t said it before: public education fundamentally exists to help kids learn, it should not be fundamentally a jobs program for adults. Until we get our priorities straight, the long-term trend of adult literacy in this country will not look any brighter.

Mike Antonucci’s Intercepts has the best off-the-wall take on the results of the national literacy survey. Check it out. After all, how often do you get to see a bunny with a pancake on its head?

On a day like today, I think it best to let my handful of readers listen to what people are actually saying from Iraq – eyewitnesses to the election and other activities. So enjoy:

For some perspective, start with Byron York’s analysis of an Iraqi poll downplayed in the MSM.

Bill Roggio observed the huge electoral turnout in the Sunni city of Barwana.

A reporter from Fairbanks, Alaska, visits Iraq and has her illusions shattered.

Mohammed of Iraq the Model reports through PajamasMedia that high turnout extended the election one hour.

Stay tuned…

If ever you’ve been inclined to dip your right index finger in purple ink, then my friend, there is no time like the present. Don’t forget that you can show your solidarity with the brave men and women building a peaceful, democratic government in Iraq as they go to the polls on December 15 for their first parliamentary elections. Check out the links below to find out more:

Purple Finger For Freedom
Bill Bennett’s open letter to store owners and managers
KNUS (710 AM) is gathering digital photos of purple fingers to send along to Iraq
Free Republic posts a collection of pictures from this week’s early voting in Iraq

Colorado did one of its best imitations of “Eskimo Summer” yesterday, leaving at least one blogger’s brain cells and fingers at a sub-optimal temperature for filing a meaningful post. As the mercury slowly rises today and tomorrow back to healthier daytime temps and less bitterly cold nighttime lows, expect Mount Virtus to resume regular blogging activities. So much to write about, so little time….

Meanwhile, if you know a Colorado public school teacher, please send them to independentmindedteacher.org, with valuable information on union political refunds, different membership organizations, and much more.

“Men Warm Globe, Women Feel the Heat, Group Claims”:

The debate over climate change evolved into a battle of the sexes Monday at the 11th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal. The spokesman for a feminist-based environmental group accused men of being the biggest contributors to human-caused “global warming” and lamented that women are bearing the brunt of the negative climate consequences created by men.

“Women and men are differently affected by climate change and they contribute differently to climate change,” said Ulrike Rohr, director of the German-based group called “Genanet-Focal point gender, Environment, Sustainability.”

I think we married men need to complain less about those things we do get nagged about and be thankful for the good sense that saves us from being nagged about things like – oh, causing drastic global climate change.

The RMA’s own Joshua Sharf has developed into a reliable source for the local mainstream media on issues related to blogging. Kudos to the Denver Post for acknowledging the credibility and value of this burgeoning alternative media – specifically, Jim Hughes’ article today on PirateBallerina‘s persistent pressure on Ward Churchill and the University of Colorado.

Most significant in the story is the contrast between an academic’s warped, myopic view (notably from a professor of journalism) and a blogger’s insightful comments from a clear and lofty perspective. First:

Johansen, who teaches journalism, said in an e-mail that Paine’s gotchas are baseless and that he walked away from the committee because of what he saw as a nasty media environment surrounding the Churchill story, he said.

“Some in the Denver media seem to have surrendered their critical faculties to the bloggers,” he said. “Paine steps up, rings his little bell and the dogs come running – or so it seems. From the outside, the level of hysteria is almost comical. As for myself, I wondered what has become of a sense of simple decency. … A blog can be a democratizing influence, for sure, but so is a lynch mob.”

And:

But Joshua Sharf, a Colorado blogger who follows politics at View From a Height, credits Paine with discovering important information that mainstream journalists have missed.

“It would behoove (journalists) to check out these guys who are on the committee on their own,” he said. “It’s not like Paine had to rifle through their desks to find this stuff. It was obviously out there to be found. To the extent that the reporters didn’t find it first, that’s where I think the process fell apart.”

Joshua has already followed up the story with some extended remarks. Both the story and his observations are well worth reading.

Now that I am beginning regular (hopefully) contributions to the new Holtzman v Beauprez Web site, I wanted to let you know where I sit so you can filter my comments and observations on the governor’s race appropriately.

Today seems like a good a time as any to announce my personal support for the gubernatorial candidacy of Marc Holtzman. About a month ago a couple other RMA bloggers and I sat down with Marc for an informal Q & A session. After that meeting I reported my many positive impressions. I also had positive impressions of Congressman Bob Beauprez during our earlier meeting. Recognizing that honest people of good faith and like principles can disagree in such matters, I wanted to make clear that I do not support Holtzman out of any animosity toward Congressman Beauprez but out of a sincere belief that Holtzman’s inspired candidacy will do more to energize and focus the party leading into the important 2006 elections. And Holtzman’s leadership qualifications and credentials make him an excellent fit for the Governor’s Mansion.

Marc’s latest adventures on the Eastern Plains demonstrate that this candidate indeed does have “fire in his belly,” as Jerry Kopel recently opined in the Colorado Statesman. The Colorado GOP needs the kind of leadership, dedication, and creative ideas to unleash our state’s economic potential and to strengthen our party’s organization and commitment to principles. Reasons like this have prompted me to join Holtzman’s Team Jeffco and to place the following logo on the sidebar of my blog:

Whichever candidate you choose to support, I encourage more Republicans to get involved and attuned to what’s going on, to jump on board with the plan to win back the State House and State Senate and keep the Governor’s chair. We can’t have you sitting on the sidelines. The energy and enthusiasm that is beginning to percolate this far out for Marc Holtzman’s candidacy needs to spread through all levels and regions of the party like wildfire.

(To find out more about Marc and his campaign, visit his Web site.)

Cross posted at Holtzman v Beauprez