Return of the Capitol Tree Cam

Last year, I wrote about the demise of the U.S. Capitol Treecam. It was a sad event for me to see the Treecam not come back for Christmas 2004, as it was a tradition that I was personally involved in starting.

But there’s good news this year, the Treecam is back. The picture isn’t so great. It’s too far back and very unclear. You can see reflections from within the Senate Chaplain’s office on the glass (that always has interesting possibilities). Still, I’m glad to see it back. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who missed it. And someone with enough authority told someone else, “Bring back the Treecam!”

And just so I’m clear about my position on this vital Washington issue. Compared to the Capitol Tree, the White House Tree just doesn’t measure up. It looks like something done by an interior designer. The Capitol Tree is bigger, and looks like it belongs in a family room, a very large family room. And I’m glad it is once again being called what it is, a Christmas Tree.

for further reading: Three Trees, but Only One Star?
The Washington Post, 11/30/05

Destroy the County to Defend It

Last Friday the New York Times broke the story that the Bush Administration has been eavesdropping on Americans without a warrant since shortly after 9/11/2001.

The Times had delayed reporting the story for a year, at the request of the Administration which claimed that disclosure of the news would be harmful to national security. More likely, such disclosure would have been harmful to President Bush’s re-election prospects. In early December of 2005, Bush summoned the editor and published of the Times to the Oval Office, to again attempt to halt the story

Has Bush’s arrogance and disregard for the Constitution finally gone too far? Calls for an immediate investigation of Bush’s warrant-less wiretapping are coming from Democrats and Republicans alike in Congress.

9/11 was a tragic day. But to George Bush and Dick Cheney, it was their golden ticket to justify any action, defend any failure, and disregard any law. The horrible losses of that day have been amplified to incalculable levels in further loss of life and the tearing down of America by these men who claim to be defending it.

Our Sleeping Watchmen

My Congressman, at least willing to state the obvious…

In an interview last week, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, said “it’s a fair comment” that the GOP-controlled Congress has done insufficient oversight and “ought to be” doing more.

“Republican Congresses tend to overinvestigate Democratic administrations and underinvestigate their own,” said Davis, who added that he has tried to pick up some of the slack with his committee. “I get concerned we lose our separation of powers when one party controls both branches.”

Democrats on the committee said the panel issued 1,052 subpoenas to probe alleged misconduct by the Clinton administration and the Democratic Party between 1997 and 2002, at a cost of more than $35 million. By contrast, the committee under Davis has issued three subpoenas to the Bush administration, two to the Energy Department over nuclear waste disposal at Yucca Mountain, and one last week to the Defense Department over Katrina documents.

read more:

Bush’s Fumbles Spur New Talk of Oversight on Hill
The Washington Post, 12/18/05

Christmas Tree, All Grown Up

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We are the third owners of a house that was built in 1982. You can tell by the cool date brick. Earlier this year, while I was out doing some yard work, a man that looked to be in his 20s approached and told me that this had been his childhood home. He was about to head on an extended trip to central America, and since he was in the area he thought he’d come by and pay the place a visit. As one that has been know to make pilgrimiges to previous homes myself, I appreciated his desire to drop by and was glad to show him around.

I learned something very special about the large pine tree in our yard from our visitor. It has been a wonderful climbing tree for our kids, and a place to hang our bird feeder. The family we bought the home from told us they used to decorate it with Christmas lights until it grew too large.

But what I learned was that during their first Christmas in our house, they had a live Christmas tree, and following the holiday they planted that tree in the yard of their new home. I love the fact that their 1982 Christmas tree became a gift to this house, and now it’s grown so large, our house almost looks like a gift beneath it.

The “War” on Christmas

You can skip the below rant it you’d like, and just watch this video. There’s little I can add to it to make it better. But if you’d like to read my attempt, then read on…

All this nonsense in the media about a “War on Christmas” is really beginning to bug me. It will soon be added to previous empty platitudes such as our ‘Wars’ on poverty, drugs and terrorism. It’s a slogan, not a war. It’s a war on nouns.

As my own recent blog entries attest, I am not at war with Christmas. I have embraced Christmas heartily, it is a wonderful holiday. I don’t care a bit if someone chooses to wish me a “Merry Christmas” or more generically “Happy Holidays”. In both instances, they are wishing me well and I would gladly accept it and return it in kind. Wish me a “Happy” Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Winter Solstice, New Year or Festivus, and I’ll wish you one too.

Thank heaven for those who will take on such nonsense. If you’ve read this far, treat yourself to another video clip, this one of the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart responding to Bill O’Reilly’s claim that he’s part of this ‘war’.

with thanks to Think Progress and Crooks and Liars for the vids

St. Nicholas Snow Day

st_nick.jpgAs a kid, there were a few holiday traditions brought over from the old world family roots in Bohemia. Some were food related, like the braided Hoska bread, or the Kolacky pastries. But the other meant gifts, and that’s why I enjoyed the fact that we celebrated St. Nicholas day in our house.

St. Nicholas of Myra lived in the 4th Century in what is today the country of Turkey. According to Wikipedia, he was known for secret gift giving and “is revered by many as the patron saint of seamen, merchants, archers, children, prostitutes, pharmacists, lawyers, pawnbrokers, prisoners, the city of Amsterdam and of Russia.” Happily, as a child, I fell into the child category and so was glad to celebrate his feast day on December 6th.

Although I’m not sure we really celebrated it as they did in the the Czech Republic. To me, celebrating St. Nicholas day meant an early visit by the historical predecessor to the coming visit by Santa which followed three weeks later. We’d get some toys and some candy (always a Lifesavers Sweet Storybook). That’s all that mattered.

St. Nicholas was known to travel with some less appealing companions. Good children would receive gifts from St. Nicholas, while bad once received beatings. My mother recalls that her Grandfather would dress as Black Pete to scare his siblings and later his children. Presumably they were beaten.

Yesterday we had enough snow that today the schools were closed and my wife and kids enjoyed a bonus day off. There was candy and gifts in their shoes (thanks folks), as there had been in mine. And while, like me, they know little more about the day than I did, I’m glad to carry on the tradition. Maybe this year I’ll try and make a Hoska. Next year, I’ll be Black Pete.

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