To wit's end and beyond!

After reading an op/ed piece by Mac Obenshain in today's Times (read it here), I am curious as to when Valley Forward will sponsor "Gallop 4 Literacy."

This letter takes spin far beyond the "O’Reilly Factor," far beyond the Hillary Clinton campaign.

This letter goes so far as to twist the words of the Oxford  some Dictionary, J.B. Fishburn, and the commonly understood meanings behind words... and not just words.

Words strung together into a phrase! Which, for the benefit of the woefully under-educated, he dissects into it's raw parts - and explains in brutal detail what you fail to comprehend!

Lucky us!

J.B.F. said that Mill Mountain should be"... developed and forever preserved, improved and maintained for the use and pleasure of the people of the City of Roanoke, Virginia, and vicinity as a public park."

Now "developed," his dictionary states, means "to bring a more advanced, effective, or usable state" AND "to cause to grow and expand." But.. but... that's just one definition of it, among at least 7 main, and upwards of 20 sub- definitions all dependent upon it's context.

Oh wait - context. Hmm... context. What possible context could J.B.F. have had in mind when writing these words?

Well, not being as apparently historically accurate as this individual (who, by the way, still thinks Rockledge is up on Mill Mountain - and crumbling as we speak. "The former Rockledge Inn should not be discarded to the side like some broken-down old thing.") I happen to know that at some point in his life, J.B.F. either witnessed or heard about the debacle of Woodland Park - or possibly the abandonment of Mountain Park & Casino.

Not wanting this gift to befall the same fate - he wisely included a blurb about the expected use and future of Mill Mountain.

I forgive the absolute ignorance in regards to the Hotel Roanoke, the H&C and Dr. Pepper signs, and the Star. I am guessing he is on the young side of "twenty-something" and does not know about the lights, stars, and hotel's checkered past. Well, all except the Star - which was a commercial venture graciously maintained by the Chamber of Commerce for many a year.

But this individual, with his twisted dictionary, does not receive pleasure from Mill Mountain. So let's all change it so he does.

That is basically the entirety of his argument, minus the spin.

So all you people who enjoy the mountain, the zoo, the activities at the Welcome Center (yes, the building which rests on the site of the former Rockledge) - tough kitties! He knows more than you do! He can selectively use a dictionary! Possibly multiple!

And am I mistaken or did he attempt to invoke the "Scooby-Doo" rule by stating we will continue to "defy Fishburn's request instead of granting it." Does this mean the ghost of J.B.F. will begin appearing atop the Star, until the Valley Forward Mystery Machine comes to investigate - and build an Inn to quell the evilness?


Ahh... perhaps Valley Forward needs a Propaganda Minister to better control the message and it's disbursement.

Oh - and as a point of clarification: The definition of "forever preserved."

1,001 - thanks Mac!

1000

Well, that's another milestone gone and buried.

Thank you to everyone (and everything) that makes all this possible on a daily basis. And you - the readers - a major thanks.

Enjoy the 4th folks - be safe, eat BBQ, have a beer on me.

Out of the box

From time to time I have to step outside of the Roanoke-area mindset, and look on a larger scale. Worldwide.

We occasionally need to be reminded that Amphitheaters, Stadiums, and parking issues are only a small trivial annoyance in life.

After 9/11, the London Bombings, Madrid, and any number of smaller terrorist attacks and "near-misses," I found this article over at The Daily Mail out of London. It's one mans story of being your worst nightmare. A radical terrorist who believed in what he was doing.

It begins: "When I was still a member of what is probably best termed the British Jihadi Network - a series of British Muslim terrorist groups linked by a single ideology - I remember how we used to laugh in celebration whenever people on TV proclaimed that the sole cause for Islamic acts of terror like 9/11, the Madrid bombings and 7/7 was Western foreign policy.

By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair's bombs" line did our propaganda work for us."

You can read the rest here.

Eventually, and I'm sure if I was as widely read as some bloggers I'd get a ton of hate mail about this, you folks out there who try to blame Bush and try to infuse politics into the conversation might just realize that it's not politics. Not even close to being about politics.

It's about religion, theology and theocracy, and fear. And that's fear on both sides, thank you.

Anyway - it's a fascinating article - and much more important than a $2 parking fee, Darlene's latest hair cut, or playing "Where's Nelson?"

And lest you think we are sheltered from the rest of the world here in lil' ol' Noke..

A "Terrorism Expert" yesterday on Your World with Neil Cavuto was talking about how you expect attacks on the larger cities, the larger airports. But it's when you are not looking (and he said this specifically) that the smaller places like Roanoke, Virginia get hit - then we all have a problem.

Now why would he single us out like that? Makes you think.

First - 2 weathermen on drugs. Now this?