Boy is My Face Red!

Yes, my face is red.  The reason?  I went to the Hollister Air Show on Saturday and got a terrible sunburn.  I look like Lobster Man (a new super hero?).  It was a great show, however and I loved seeing a lot of vintage aircraft, especially several P51 Mustangs.

Meanwhile, while I rest up and rehabilitate, trying to regrow my epidermis, I am busily studying string bass.  An important goal now appears possible and within reach!  Yeah, baby!

Memorial Day 2011

Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery
Sculpted by Moses J. Ezekiel

Confederate Memorial, Arlington Cemetery

Dedicated 1914; Sculpture by Sir Moses Ezekiel, former Sergeant of Cadets, Virginia Military Institute, who is himself buried at the base of this monument.

Inscription:
NOT FOR FAME OR REWARD, NOT FOR PLACE OR FOR RANK, NOT LURED BY AMBITION OR GOADED BY NECESSITY, BUT IN SIMPLE OBEDIENCE TO DUTY AS THEY UNDERSTOOD IT, THESE MEN SUFFERED ALL, SACRIFICED ALL, DARED ALL, AND DIED 

See also jameswebb.com, Speech at the Confederate Memorial, 1990.

Moses J. Ezekiel was one of the VMI cadets who were called into action to plug a hole in the Confederate center at the Battle of New Market, and to repulse a Union Army advance.  Though young (17 to 21 years of age) and untested in battle, the VMI cadets prevailed, charging the Union cannon and sending the Yankees into retreat.  Ten of the cadets were killed outright or later died of wounds from the battle; fifty-seven were wounded.  Although Ezekiel later became a world-renowned sculptor, he chose to be identified on his tombstone simply as:

Sgt. Moses J. Ezekiel

Moses J. Ezekiel
Sergeant of Company C
Battalion of Cadets
of the
Virginia Military Institute

Ezekiel once wrote: "The VMI, where every stone and blade of grass is dear to me, and the name of the cadet of the VMI, the proudest and most honored title I can ever possess."

A detailed description of his life and works can be found here.  

Virginia never had a finer son. May he rest in peace.

****

For more of my views of Memorial Day, see my 2006 (updated to 2007) post, "In Flanders Fields." That story and the poem it created is unsurpassed in our remembrance of our war dead.

A list of several prior year posts on Memorial Days past can be found at this link.

Suspended Soquel High Student David Mine Speaks Out (Video)

David Mine, an Asian descent student at Soquel High, was suspended for being a member of a "White Supremacy" group of students. He states that he wore a white t shirt last week for the school's group picture, but that his shirt was randomly selected and had nothing to do with expressing "white supremacy."

Further, it appears that some of the accused students were merely pranksters, occasionally shouting "White Power" as a joke that was taken way more seriously than was ever intended. Now they have been indelibly linked to "racism" and "white supremacy" on the internet which could destroy their reputations, job prospects and acceptance at universities. Even so, David Mine was not part of these ill-advised jokes. He and his lawyer speak out in the video embedded below the fold (click on "read more").

The Band Loves My String Bass!

Ah, a personal goal at last accomplished.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the friends of my band, who also plays bass, was contemplating buying a string bass.  He asked if I could bring one of mine to our practice location in San Jose, so that he could try it out.

I own a couple of string basses that had been gathering dust in my music room at home, largely unused, as I rely on my bass guitar for practices and gigs.

I brought my Palatino laminate bass to the practice room.  It is a cheap bass, though constructed well and nicely set up for easy playing.  I also have a fully carved bass that I hope to play in future gigs.  It is much more expensive and has better tone, and I surely wouldn't want to leave that in the practice location.

My friend tried the Palatino bass and I haven't heard from him since.  I think he decided an upright string bass is not for him.  However, I decided to leave the bass in the practice room and use it for some songs.  The band was fascinated with its appearance and was keen to try it out.

My first attempt was to play the bass part to "Stray Cat Strut" and the wife of one of the band members videotaped it.  The band loved it.

Last night we practiced again and I played the string bass on several songs.  Again, the band loved it and felt that the string bass has a much better sound than the bass guitar.  We will use the bass at a party on June 11th, not for all songs but on several of them.

I am now practicing string bass daily at home, using my carved bass (a Calin Wultur Panormo), and I'm excited:  I have always planned to play string bass with a band...someday.

Someday has finally arrived!

American Culture is Being Slowly Erased and Replaced

With my breaking the story of the Soquel High School suspensions, I got my very first Memeorandum page, a blogging milestone.  That was nice.  Lots of local folks weighing in on the Soquel post, some saying the kids deserved their suspensions for past "sins" (like wearing American flag t shirts to school on Cinco de Mayo).

Apparently, someone has been putting Nazi symbol graffiti around the school, and this group of white students is suspected of being the culprits, and suspicion is good enough to want to suspend them.   They couldn't prove the graffiti guilt, so they had to prove something easier, i.e. that the students were wearing white t shirts.

It seems to me that the program and goal of many universities and high schools in America is to erase America, replacing it with something else.  In general, they do this by: 
(1) Supporting and celebrating the culture, traditions, language and history of "the other," that is, nonwhite minorities, while claiming that doing the same for the white majority is offensive and racist;
(2) Instilling in the minds of the white students that they and their ancestors are evil oppressors, and that by the very color of their skin they are suspect and untrustworthy, deserving of shame and repentance;
(3) Justifying anti-American and anti-white attitudes in minorities by giving undue credence to their grievances and prejudices, and by reinforcing their status as "oppressed victims" at the hands of Americans or white people;
(4) Instilling in the minds of all students that it is a crime for any white people to be proud of their race or their heritage, causing knee-jerk reactions against any alleged "thought crimes," e.g. that celebrating Cinco de Mayo may not be appropriate or desirable for a public school activity in America.  (Hispanic kids should be assimilated into American culture and become Americans, instead of encouraged to remain separate and apart from, and hostile to, America.)

As for the white kids who understandably feel alienated by the leftist culture that surrounds them on campus, they should find more effective means of resistance.  Shouting "white power" or adopting Nazi symbols (if that is the case) is absolutely not the way.  Also, being white is something many patriots have in common, but no one should be excluded from a pro-American resistance movement based simply on their race.  Attitudes and beliefs are more important.  We need all the friends we can get.

What is an effective way for alienated pro-American kids to resist leftist indoctrination on campus?  That is a question worthy of some serious thought.  I don't currently have the answer.  Suggestions?

Joplin, Missouri: More Incredible Pictures and Videos of Devastation

The UK Mail online has some incredible photos and videos of the devastation in Joplin, Missouri.

As I mentioned before, Bro and I lived there in childhood, and Joplin has many special memories for us.

I was concerned about the fate of my elementary school alma mater, Irving School. I googled it and was dismayed to learn that Irving School is one of several that are declared "a total loss."  After all these years, the quaint red brick school building is now rubble.  I attended 2nd grade into 4th grade there, until we moved to California in January 1954.

Since our former home was near Irving School, it is a good bet that it was destroyed as well.

See the UK Mail online photos and videos at this link.

Soquel High School Students Suspended for Wearing White T Shirts (They're Signs of "White Supremacy")

Soquel, California -- on the Central Coast:

Several high school seniors wore white t shirts to their class's group picture last Wednesday and were suspended for doing so.  The reason:  the school administrators suspect that white t shirts are a sign of "white supremacists."    This was a surprise to student David Mine, who is Asian.  He isn't sure how he could be a "white supremacist" because he's not white.

That doesn't seem to matter to the Soquel school administrators, who apparently can read students' minds and intentions.  High school senior Mike Donnelly explained the situation:

"All the girls wore pink, all the sports guys wore tank tops," says Soquel High Senior Mikey Donnelly. "We were all going to wear white so that was the plan. Just wear white t-shirts to identify ourselves and look back and say that was our group of friends right there."

Soquel High Senior Mikey Donnelly wore a white t-shirt for his senior class photo Tuesday. About 10 of his friends did the same. That decision may seem harmless. But Soquel High suspended Donnelly for three days because of it.

Donnelly said the school told him people were offended and intimidated by his group, claiming they're a white supremacist gang.

The school principal, Ken Lawrence-Emanuel explained the school's position:

"Safety is always first at Soquel High," says Lawrence-Emanuel. "We want to make sure we do everything we can to keep people from feeling and being safe on campus."

But, the students don't agree and are ready to fight it.

"It's a pretty bad feeling to be labeled something you're not," says Donnelly.

Donnelly said nobody's ever accused him of being a white supremacist before and plans on appealing the schools decision. He'll even take it to court if he needs to.

Personally, I am at a loss as to how a white t shirt can endanger anyone's safety.  It is absurd that a school principal could suspend students for such a lame-ass reason, in effect, acting as judge, jury and executioner.  It seems he has punished these students for "thought crimes," even though he doesn't know for sure what they were thinking.  He punished them "just in case" they might do something wrong in the future, and that greatly offends my sense of justice.  I do hope the students sue Principal Silly-Hyphenated-Surname and take away the school's budget for sensitivity training.

Read more about this disgusting exercise in PC madness here.  Meanwhile, watch the video:


Update: Student David Mine speaks about his suspension, with additional comments by his lawyer.  See video here.

Herman Cain Moves Up In Zogby Poll

Herman Cain

The ARRA News Service is reporting that Herman Cain is rising in the Zogby Poll as more Republicans begin supporting him.  Cain is a businessman and a radio talk show host; he is not a lawyer (thank God) nor a politician.

Absolutely none of the establishment Republican candidates appeal to me, and only Herman Cain is clear and unequivocal on the issues that are most important to me (revive the economy, start an energy policy that will lead to cheap fuel, support Israel, support our military, etc).

At this point, Herman Cain is my man.  Imagine, common sense, actual values over and above getting and staying elected -- I like it.

Why Israel Must Retain Defensible Borders

A couple of must-reads on Israel today:

Adrienne's Corner has a great video explaining Israel's defensible borders and why they must be retained.  See it here.

Robert Ringer has an excellent article on the history of the Israeli-Arab conflict, The Truth About the Israeli "Occupiers."  Read it here.

My opinion on Israel's future:

1.  Israel should reclaim control of the Gaza Strip and open the area to Israeli settlements.
2.  Israel should proclaim that all of its ancestral lands are under control of Israel and will remain so.
3.  Israel should remove the Muslim "Dome of the Rock" and rebuild the Jewish temple on its original site.  The Dome of the Rock could be moved elsewhere, out of Israel.
4.  Israel should expand its borders beyond its ancestral ones to include a broader defensive zone, incorporating parts of Syria, Jordan and Egypt.  The so-called "Palestinians" could be moved into these areas, thus creating their desired homeland, and getting the bomb-throwing cutthroats out of Israel. 
This should be planned for the next Arabic invasion, not implemented immediately.  (Whenever Israel is attacked, the price will be more Arabic land appropriated by Israel.)
5.  Israelis should start a Jewish educational outreach and missionary program, to open the religion to many more people, thereby increasing the numbers of Jews in the world, and more defenders of Israel.

God Bless Joplin, Missouri, My Childhood Home

Mom, Little Brother and Sister
Joplin, Mo 1952

Bro and I lived in Joplin, Missouri as children, and our little sister was born there.  I attended grades 1 through 4 in Joplin, mostly at Irving School.  We were cub scouts there and had a great childhood exploring surrounding woods, setting off firecrackers on the 4th of July and swiping our dad's cigarettes and smoking them in the woods.  We got our first television set in that house (it barely worked), and I learned of the death of Hank Williams (Sr) there, too, something I will never forget.

Now Joplin is very much in the news, having endured the destruction of a major tornado, or as we used to call them, "twisters."  Bro and I spent the night in a cellar on two occasions when a twister passed over Joplin; one of these did some damage to the town, but nothing like this new one.  Much of the city is rubble and the death toll stands at 122, but is rising, according to news reports.

We lived in a little gray, stone house on South Pearl street.  Bro went back to visit Joplin after a 50 year absence, and the current residents of our old house allowed him in to reminisce.  I hope that little home is intact and its current owners are safe.

Here's a picture of our home with our mom, kid brother and little sister in 1952.

Related Posts:  See the BlogProf's Harrowing 1st Person Video of the Joplin Tornado.  He also has an AP video of the twister tearing up the landscape.