Christmas Wednesday: Golfing Day! Books: Blackwater and Jesus

Should be able to get out and unbend, meaning play some golf, a little today with the temperatures getting into the high 40's. Might be a little wet but we don't care, it will be good to get out 'neath the blue sky and feel the wind on our cheeks and the good earth beneath our feet. Not to mention hit a ball or two.

Hope your Christmas was jim dandy. At our place, Diane was the only one to make it through the day unscathed by ill feelings, that would be in the literal sense of the phrase. Marty brought a cold down with him with hopes of feeling better; he did feel very good about being the agent of change with his mom and pop with the hook up of broadband; but his body failed to improve in any measurable way, felt worse in fact. And then I came down with what looks now as if it was a bit of food poisoning, a very uncomfortable headachy nauseous trembly condition that thankfully only lasted for about four hours. Fine now, thank you. Diane sailed on through the day, spending most of it taking advantage of the high speed internet connection.

Have started a new book (surprise there, right?), one which has done a pretty good job of keeping my hackles raised from the very get go. Blackwater: the rise of the world's most powerful army by Jeremy Scahill. It's the story of Eric Prince and Blackwater, that security firm which has received so much attention with it's wild and unruly actions in Iraq, the firm without oversight and seemingly operating outside the law of any country with zero oversight from its employer, currently the State Department. Briefly, if you're in need of a right thinking, God fearing, mercenary group of guys to go fight a crusade for you, this may be the out fit for you. Of course, at the moment it is busy putting down the infidels in their own back yard but am sure that some sort of arrangement could be worked out. But you had better have a lot of money; it's pricey getting a security force theses days especially with a blackwater name attached to it.

And then there is PBS News last night closing its report with an interview with Peter J. Gomes, the author of The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus. Among the questions: just who would Jesus be hanging out with if he were among us today? According to Gomes, it wouldn't be with the Christians but rather with the same people he hung out with 2000 some years ago, the Mary Magdalenes (read prostitutes), the poor, the downtrodden. Hmmmm... Food for thought, especially on a Christmas Wednesday.

Best hie myself hither and get ready to head to the piece of green up the road and around the corner. Guess it will be ok to leave the turning of the orb called Earth to others for the moment. (Which reminds me - caught the NOVA broadcast of the December 25th tsunami of 2004 again last night; one of the scientists said that that undersea earthquake that brought on the tsunami actually sped up Earth's race through the universe, what with the tectonic plates collapsing into each other a bit, getting closer to the core which resulted in an action similar to a skater doing a twirl with her arms extended and then dropping them to her side which, as you know, makes for a faster spin (which reminds me of Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and that marvelous spin I'm in, or going to be in if I ever get out of here...)).