Try shaking a box in front of the Queen

Well it's Flag Day once more. If, by now, I have to tell any of my loyal readers about proper flag etiquette, I'd just as soon punch either one of them in the throat.

What's really important to remember today is that Rachy and I have been blog-homies for two years now. So today I'm going to celebrate in the appropriate fashion - with alcohol that I'm going to be drinking anyway, but I'll pretend that it's in honor of her. Cheers, Rachy!

For if the road were easy, your faith would not be needed

Right off the bat, you'll notice that I've been fiddling around with the template tonight... assuming that this is even readable on your 'puter. I've got just the one monitor to test it out with, but I'm really happy with the way the blog's looking now. It seems so much more readable than before - all the way to eleven, as far as I'm concerned. (That is, naturally, subject to change as I have the opportunity to test-drive it on differing sizes of monitors.)

You mileage, of course, may vary. If the blog is just flat-ass broken for anyone, drop me a comment or email, and I'll dial it down a notch.

This all started because of my discovery today of Fred Thompson's exploratory committee's website: I'mWithFred. I tried to put up their donation widget in the sidebar, but it kept hijacking the text and turning it solid black. (which puts readability at around .8 if you must know) So instead of having a massive landslide of cash credited to my wicked communications network, I'll just have to settle for a button and a link.
I haven't really talked much about this weirdly-early start to the campaign, primarily out of apathy towards the current crop of candidates. Fred changes all that in a heartbeat. Can you imagine Fred at the next debate? Hell, he'll rip that wackjob Ron Paul's throat out with his teeth, then piss down his neck... and that's just his scripted introduction! Just wait until he really gets rolling with some questions. No matter who you eventually vote for, that's just good television any way you slice it.

One man stands hard as he waits for freedom's hand

Eighteen years ago was a seminal moment in the formation of my political ideology. It was really the trigger that started me thinking about politics and paying attention to world events, so I think it's fair to say that it laid the foundation for the political thought and writing that I have done since. primarily because as it progressed everyone could tell that if successful, it would be a miraculous triumph of the human spirit and will... Unfortunately, that was not to be.
In the aftermath the next morning, as information finally leaked out to the rest of the world, what we saw was such a clear-cut black-and-white depiction of good and evil, freedom and tyrrany; even a child could recognize it for what it was.

Today is the eighteenth anniversary of the Tiannamen Square massacre. Even after so many years, the full count of the day's victims - which many estimate to be in the multiple thousands - is unknown but to God. Even after so many years, thinking about that day is one of the things that can make me tear up.

For a more "historical" write-up, here's the Beeb, courtesy of Gateway Pundit. Wikipedia has a rather good article about it as well, with lots of background for those of you who might not be familiar with 20th century Chinese history. (at the least, read up on the Democracy Wall from the late 70s) There's some powerful video coverage at the Beeb - well worth watching to the end. A haunting reminder from the demonstrators that day, and what they said, literally begging the foreign journalists: "Tell the world!"

Hug your kids today. Call your Mom just to say "hi." Go check out a book from your library. Stop in at a church on your lunch break to say a quick prayer. Cherish the doing of these simple little things that we take for granted, because so many people in the world still don't have the luxury to do them.

One other thing to do? TELL THE WORLD.