Long May She Wave

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

“When we honor our flag, we honor what we stand for as a Nation — freedom, equality, justice, and hope.”

Ronald Reagan

On this day in 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the Flag of the United States.

It’s still a grand old flag.

It still represents freedom and the best country in the world.

It still represents a people who have provided more military, diplomatic, and

Mugshots
(click the pic)

humanitarian aid around the world…without expecting repayment…than any other nation in the history of the world.

Wrinkles?

Yes.

Problems?

Of course.

It’s still the best.

I’ll still always be moved then I see it flying in the breeze.

I’ll still always stand to pledge allegiance and take my hat off when we sing of the rockets red glare.

My hope, and my prayer is that she, and the country she represents, will remain strong, remain good, remain free.

Heck yeah, I’m proud to be an American.


BORN ON THIS DAY

1811 – Harriet Beecher Stowe, American author and activist (d. 1896)
1909 – Burl Ives, American actor and singer (d. 1995)
1916 – Dorothy McGuire, American actress (d. 2001)
1931 – Marla Gibbs, American actress and comedian
1946 – Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States
1949 – Harry Turtledove, American historian and author
1961 – Boy George, English singer-songwriter and producer

THINGS YOU SHOULD READ

‘Jeopardizing People’s Lives’: McCarthy Fumes At Pelosi For Blocking Bill After Would-Be Assassin Came For Kavanaugh
Daily Caller
House Democrats have stalled the Supreme Court Police Parity Act, sponsored by Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, to provide around-the-clock security protection the justices and their families following the majority opinion draft leak reportedly set to overturn Roe v. Wade. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously May 9.  Read More.

GOP Rep. Jordan says Jan 6 committee altered evidence, ‘lied to the American people’
Just the News
Calling the entire primetime presentation of the committee Thursday “choreographed,” Jordan, an Ohio lawmaker, said he does not trust what the panel is presenting and wants to “see all the depositions.” Read More.

Should Biden Run in 2024? Democratic Whispers of ‘No’ Start to Rise.
The New York Times
Midway through the 2022 primary season, many Democratic lawmakers and party officials are venting their frustrations with President Biden’s struggle to advance the bulk of his agenda, doubting his ability to rescue the party from a predicted midterm trouncing and increasingly viewing him as an anchor that should be cut loose in 2024. Read More.

Official Timeline Of Events On January 6th
The Babylon Bee
11:32 AM — AOC dies tragically in a coal mining accident. Read More.

BENEDICTION

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:15-17

 

When A Challenge Isn’t a Challenge

Photo by Daria Kraplak on Unsplash

Write relentlessly, until you find your voice. Then, use it.

David Sedaris

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, or if you’re a regular reader, all three of which would be good for you (and better for me), you know that I recently completed the 100 Day Challenge to do something creative for 100 days. I did 100 days of drawings. I’m not done with them, but don’t ask me about them…yet.

So, the other day I got an email about a writing challenge. It gave great promises of how to make you a consistent writer.

The challenge? Write a thousand words a day for seven days.

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Pfffff!

I’ve been doing that, almost without fail, for nearly seven years.

Way back in 2015 at a particularly dark time with the day job, I determined that I was going to build the writing into a paying career. I started a commitment then to write, initially five-hundred words a day, that quickly morphed into a thousand words a day.

I called the project “How I Wrote My Ass out of Hell.”

Here we are seven years later and, while I’m not out of what was calling hell at the time, things are much better.

I’m just still not bringing in the big bucks as a writer.

But with all due respect, I’ve already established a solid writing habit for every morning. Some days I even write things that might be worth reading.

And, let’s face it. It’s not like I needed to jump into another challenge anyway.

So, I didn’t.

Except I win the challenge by default because I’m already writing at least a thousand words a day…that doesn’t include this blog, or other projects I’m working on.

So, yeah. I’m a writer.

I have a writing habit.

Sometimes I write good things.

Sometimes I write crap.

But, I write.


BORN ON THIS DAY

1865 – W. B. Yeats, Irish poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1939)
1892 – Basil Rathbone, South African-born British-American actor (d. 1967)
1893 – Dorothy L. Sayers, English author and poet (d. 1957)
1910 – Mary Wickes, American actress (d. 1995)
1913 – Ralph Edwards, American radio and television host (d. 2005)
1926 – Paul Lynde, American actor and comedian (d. 1982)
1943 – Malcolm McDowell, English actor and producer
1951 – Richard Thomas, American actor, director, and producer
1953 – Tim Allen, American actor, comedian, and producer
1962 – Ally Sheedy, American actress and author

THINGS YOU SHOULD READ

MSNBC Barely Covers Kavanaugh News As Media Cries Of Mob Violence
Daily Caller
The network’s shows, ranging from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., spent more time in total covering former President Donald Trump, AR-15s, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell than the assassination attempt on Kavanaugh’s life. Read More.

Dr. StrangeFed or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and (Sorta) Love Inflation
Shaun Kenney in The Republican Standard
Combine these two and you’re going to get more money chasing fewer products, which results in inflationary pressures. The same $1.00 widget becomes $1.10 — but not uniformly across the board, mind you. In some things, we manage to produce more; in others, there is simply less of it to chase. Read More.

JAMES: Lincoln Memorial Anniversary Recalls Description of African-Americans as People of ‘Industry, Integrity and Thrift’
Kay Coles James in The Washington Informer
The Lincoln Memorial dedication took place exactly one year after the Tulsa Massacre, and the once-prosperous community known as Black Wall Street was leveled by hatred. Read More.

Conservatives Call For Return To Traditional Strip Clubs With No Kids Or Drag Queens
The Babylon Bee
Republicans in Congress are proposing legislation called “The Traditional Strip-Club Values Protection Act” which will require all strippers to be women, all attendees to be over 21, and all congressmen who attend to get a free private dance. Read More.

Polls & God’s Elect
Mark Tooley at Juicy Ecumenism
Polls like George Barna’s often ignore this distinction and assume that self-identified Christians who fail a theological litmus test are maybe something less than claimed. Read More.

BENEDICTION

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:15-17