The Daily Detour

The Death of Integrity

Baseball legend Roger Clemens is in the news, but this time it's not for his baseball heroics. He and his former trainer, Brian McNamee, went before a Congressional committee yesterday to testify in the latest steroids scandal. The problem with their testimony is that each man's story directly contradicted the other's, and "...as ranking Republican Tom Davis of Virginia, put it: 'Both can't be telling the truth.'" So who's right and who's wrong? And how do we know?

Meanwhile, closer to home, Indiana University's men's basketball coach, Kelvin Sampson, also came under increased scrutiny yesterday for intentionally providing "false and misleading information" to the university and to NCAA officials who have been investigating alleged recruiting violations. Coach Sampson's reputation has been called into question before, ever since similar violations occurred during his previous tenure at Oklahoma.

And yet, when the NCAA first began to investigate alleged recruiting violations last year at I.U., Coach Sampson referred to the violations as "mistakes". It now appears they were must more significant than he originally suggested. But even last night, when asked about it, he responded, "I have never intentionally engaged in providing false or misleading information." Again, who's right and who's wrong?

Whether it's sports, politics, the church, or any other venue, the idea of truthfulness and integrity seems to have faded with time. Attempts to hide the truth and abdicate personal responsibility are becoming more common in our culture today to the point where moral relativity is the virtue of the day.

It seems our collective conscience has begun to atrophy concerning issues of truth and integrity. Why does the truth matter? Because with truth comes trust, and vice versa, even if the truth brings one into a bad light. We are much more forgiving toward those who willingly own up to their sins and take their punishments accordingly, than we are toward those who try to hide within the shadows of deceit.

Camp Clinton: "Remember the Alamo"

As we speculated on yesterday's comment board, Ohio and Texas seem to be the final firewall for Hillary if she is to have a chance at securing the Democratic nomination. The imagery that comes to mind to describe Hillary's current situation is the small remnant of Texans under siege at the Alamo, fighting until the last man (or, woman, in this case) against increasingly overwhelming odds. The pressure that the Obama Effect has put on Hillary's campaign is vice-like in its intensity.

Given that Obama is on an 8-state winning streak, and has now officially passed her in the delegate count, the inevitability of her nomination is long since gone. What is she going to do? That is the question being bandied about in political punditry circles.

As I've suggested in this past, I contend that she is going to do whatever it takes to win this election, and like it or not, the Clinton Machine has a very sordid history when it comes to playing hardball politics. Many are those who have attempted to stand in its way, only to be crushed under its weight.

David Knowles over at AOL's The Political Machine blog poses a very interesting (and alarming) question, "Is Hillary [going] to steal the election?" As he points out, there are already reports that Hillary is going to try to have the delegates from Florida and Michigan included in the count (even after publicly concurring with the DNC's previous decision to disqualify those delegates because of moving their primaries up). As I said yesterday, she, unlike Romney, will not go quietly into the night. For her, there's too much at stake. We'll watch and see how this unfolds.

UPDATE: A landlord finally received a check from the Clinton campaign and gave it to directly back...to the Obama campaign.

UPDATE: It appears the attempt to take back the Michigan and Florida Democratic delegates is already under way.

"Mitt Romney for President in 2012"

Apparently, the unofficial campaign for Romney's election in 2012 has already begun. I'm not sure who originally posted this video montage, but Matt Lewis over at Townhall has it up, along with some different scenarios which may present themselves at that time. He speculates along some of the same lines we've brought up here in the last week or so. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how this next presidency unfolds.

Obama continues to sweep Hillary

Heading into today's match-up, Obama did a 4-state clean sweep over the weekend. (And, to top it off, he even won a Grammy on Sunday night, beating out President Bill Clinton for the award.) This surge has many of Hillary's donors and super-delegates questioning their continued support of her candidacy. I think the Grammy's what did it. :) And despite her attempts to reassure her supporters that everything is fine, everyone knows otherwise.

But, you Hillary supporters out there, have no fear. For she will not go quietly into the night. (Of course, that reality may very well bring about her eventual demise. We shall see...)

UPDATE: As Gary Varvel points out, the cigar of inevitability seems to have blown up in Hillary's face. It will be interesting to see how she adjusts to that new reality.

The Bucket List

This past week during the evangelism class I'm teaching on Thursdays nights, the emphasis of the discussion was to evaluate the different worldviews represented in our culture (through movies, T.V., the media, conversations, etc...). As an example, a couple of the members of the class mentioned that they had recently seen the movie, The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. At their recommendation, Jean and I decided to go see it this weekend. We were not disappointed. (Thanks for the recommendation, John and Karen.)

Unfortunately these days, there are too few movies that can be wholeheartedly recommended. And even the ones that have a profound message worth considering (like Ben Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, which presents the complexities of moral relativity in real life as well as any movie) are so filled with vulgarity, violence, and sex as to overwhelm the positive contributions of the movie as a whole. That said, The Bucket List is a must see.

It follows the unlikely relationship between Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman). They become roommates on the oncology ward of the hospital owned by Mr. Cole. Each is diagnosed with brain cancer in various stages of advancement and have been given only months to live.

Mr. Cole is a self-made millionaire, while Mr. Chambers is an auto mechanic with a mind for history and philosophy. It is from Mr. Chambers that the idea of "The Bucket List" is introduced, the list of life goals that he wants to reach "before he kicks the bucket." With Mr. Cole's wealth and Mr. Chambers' vision, the remainder of the movie chronicles the weeks they spend together traveling the globe and gradually checking off each part of their list.

Through that journey comes an awareness that changes them both. And along the way, we see the contrasting impact of their respective worldviews. Mr. Cole is an unashamed atheist who cannot fathom that their is some kind of Supreme Being who created the world and to whom we should give allegiance. His wealth seemingly provides for every need he has.

Mr. Carter, on the other hand, is a man of simple, yet profound, faith. And he challenges Edward Cole's perspective on life throughout their journey together. As the movie progresses, the pendelum swings between their respective worldviews, and by the end, one of the two sojourners has clearly moved in the other's direction. (I'll leave it to you to determine which one.)

The Bucket List does a fantastic job of distinguishing certain implications of the two contrasting worldviews, and their is clearly an uplifting message presented. The caliber of the acting and the chemistry between Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman is at its finest. And the content in this film is better still. The Bucket List is well worth the investment of time and money.

Marines kicked out of an American city

As long as we've put the Marines front and center, I wanted to share this "heartwarming" story. Though it's not really that surprising, it still continues to confound my understanding that the City Council in Berkeley, CA recently voted 8-1 to tell the Marine Corps that their downtown recruiting station is no longer welcome.

Faced with the opposition, the Marines did nothing new. They stood their ground. FOX News reported, "...a senior Marine official tells FOX News that the Marine office in Berkeley isn't going anywhere."

They don't stand alone. U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. is advocating that Berkeley no longer receive federal money. As he put it,

This is a slap in the face to all brave service men and women and their families. The First Amendment gives the City of Berkeley the right to be idiotic, but from now on they should do it with their own money...If the city can’t show respect for the Marines that have fought, bled and died for their freedom, Berkeley should not be receiving special taxpayer-funded handouts.

People have also responded to this outrage from all across the country. In fact, Michelle Malkin provides a more indepth commentary on "Berkeley v. America", as well as, the latest pictures and videos on what has become the siege at Berkeley.

For those of us in the heartland, it is hard to imagine that such people live in this country. To such subversives, I want to ask, "Why stay? Why not move if you don't like this country?" However, that is what makes this country to unique, that there is room for everyone--even those who would undermine the very foundation which provides them the freedom to protest against America. But as I shared with Stephen in my most recent letter, the Marines don't pick and choose whom they protect. The protect all of us without distinction or discrimination, even those who would have them eliminated. Theirs is a noble cause indeed.

UPDATE: Here's some additional video of the situation.

UPDATE: According to the latest reports at FOX News, the Berkeley City Council has decided to revisit the issue after massive protests against their original resolution.

UPDATE: Here's the latest from Michelle Malkin. 

Letters from the Front: Introduction to OCS

As I shared with you all a few weeks ago, my youngest brother Stephen just headed off to OCS in the Marine Corps. I've been keeping in touch with him regularly and told him that we'd love to hear how he's doing (though I wasn't expecting him to write back, given the demands of the program). Well, we were pleasantly surprised to get a letter from him on Friday, so I decided to add a new category entitled, "Letters from the Front" as way to keep you all updated on how he's doing. Also, I wanted to share portions of it with you, to give the uninitiated among us a better sense of what our military men and women face in training. "Candidate Crane" writes,

Tues, Feb. 5, 2008

Hey John!

How is it brother?! First off, thanks for the letters. It's nice getting a taste of home in this wholly other existence. The only other chances to get grounded are during chapel services (which is always moving, in a surreal sort of way), during the 5-second prayer before meals I say to myself and during the couple of minutes of "evening devotions" we have while standing at modified attention w/ heads bowed in front of our racks, all lined up the length of the squad bay.

It's interesting how there's a palpable undercurrent of old-fashioned faith, as well as, a more obvious emphasis on the principles that follow. Notions of honor and integrity are as important, if not more so, than physical or intellectual ability. We already lost one guy from our platoon for, what I believe, was an honest-mistake fib. But they booted him the next day after calling a special review board about the incident.

For me, the biggest adjustment has been the control I've been forced to relinquish, and I don't mean just following orders, I mean total control! For 16 hours a day! I can't look anywhere unless they say. I can't scratch my face unless I sneak it. I've been forced to eat with my right hand for the past two weeks and will have to continue the practice for the duration. It's about uniformation, lefties be damned! They do feed us well, though I think they put something in the food cuz my gas, which is normally pretty mild, has started a brass band, along with the other guys in the platoon. We'll be marching and you can hear bombs being dropped throughout the cadence. It's funny, or at least, I would have said so in my former life. Smiles and smirks are not allowed.

Punishments range from push-ups (mostly for letting your M16 hit the ground), to bag holds in which backpacks are held straight out at various angles for various amounts of time. Those are the worst, particularly cuz the reason we're generally doing them is because of the actions of one guy. That's been a surprise...seeing some of the other knuckleheads that have been accepted into the OCS. Mind you, they're the exception, but we certainly have a handful that keep us with our backpacks readily available. I now understand why you see recruits in the movies soaping the weaklings in the middle of the night. Ya know, similar to our rocks in the socks from the U-Haul, only with soap! HaHa! Nah, but it is frustrating, though the point of it isn't lost. The whole "only as strong as your weakest link" stuff...unit cohesion, etc...

As far as the other punishments, they give us "chits" on the regular too, which are pretty much a half page citation for some violation of some rule that may or may not have existed prior to their accusation. The bottom half is where we give an explanation of our actions (or inaction as the case may be). I've gotten a number of them already but am excited that I've only received 1 in the past 3 days. That's a record for me. Mind you, everyone gets them on a fairly regular basis, so I ain't alone in that. I've also had to write one essay for not "sounding off loud enough" during a particular drill movement we were trying to learn. But shoot, it was all I could do to figure out the steps, let alone the ditty that accompanied them. That stuff ain't easy and is a totally foreign activity for me. It's all good though, and I can see the importance of that too.

Anyway, I"ll probably sign off for now. Gotta wake up at 4 a.m. to pack for an overnight bivouac in the woods tomorrow night. It's our first, so it should be cool.

Keep the lil' prayer warriors prayin' for Uncle Stephen's body. I'm rollin' on a strained hamstring, a pulled calf muscle, some weird bump on my elbow, and a numb big left toe (don't know what that's all about, but it doesn't hurt, so whatever). Other than that, I feel pretty good! Nah, but pray for God's continued hand and guidance. That's all I ask. Give the guys a BIG hug for me and thank Jean for the photo of course! I love you all. Oh, I heard about the Super Bowl! I was 'lovin' it! Either Manning works for me. Anyway, I'll talk to ya soon.

Love, Candidate Crane

I'll leave the commentary to him, except to say it's always valuable for us civilians to get even a small glimpse into the kind of training that equips our military men and women to protect the way of life we so often take for granted. God bless you, "Candidate Crane", and all of those who train with you tonight!

UPDATE: Speaking of Marines, tonight's edition of Extreme Makeover Home Edition provides a home for United States Marine, Daniel Gilyeat, and his four children. He volunteered for a second tour of duty in Iraq and lost his leg. (You can read more about this inspiring Marine hero here, as well as, this blog post from EMHE's Paige Hemmis. Also, don't miss this emotional video.)

UPDATE: Here's another Marine commercial video (which debuted this past Sunday) you don't want to miss. An inspiring image that confirms the bumper sticker slogan, "Sleep well, America, my Marine's got your back."

Speculation on McCain's running mate

It didn't take long for the pundits to kick in to full gear speculating on the potential running mates for John McCain, now that he is the presumptive GOP nominee for president. Pat Toomey, of the WSJ, put forward a very interesting list, including Indiana's own conservative Rep. Mike Pence. Also, AOL's Political Machine blog expands on that list further.

As most political experts recognize, McCain needs to shore up his support among conservatives by looking to add a Veep with strong conservative credentials. Punditry aside, it will be interesting to see whom McCain finally settles on. That decision itself will be very revealing about McCain's potential as a president.

UPDATE: Here's the video of Mike Pence's speech at CPAC.

A potential "train wreck" in the making

The Democratic party leaders see the "train wreck" coming. That train's been running for awhile. Haven't we been talking about this since last March? In fact, Mandy, in her comment to that post, was even more prophetic than I. We'll wait and see if this coming democratic implosion bears out as predicted. My hunch has always been that the answer to that question lies with no one but Hillary.

UPDATE: The train is gathering speed as Obama and Clinton compete for delegates in three states today.

Should Hillary be worried?

Yesterday, the news reported that Hillary had to loan her campaign $5 million of her own money. That maneuver revealed that her campaign is hurting for money, while the latest projections show that Obama is set to raise $30 million in February. She can only shake her head and continue to wonder, "Where did this young whippersnapper come from?"

Should Hillary be worried? That's an understatement according to a very interesting article over at Politico. The very revealing acknowledgement, "Her team is girding for trench warfare..." underscores the point I've been raising for a while now, that Hillary's relentless ambitions combined with the Obama Effect will create a political environment that could ultimately prove disastrous for the Democratic party. The only way that scenario might change is not because Hillary is going to let up (or Obama, for that matter), but actually because of the latest developments on the GOP side of the aisle. If the Republican party had a solid conservative candidate who was bearing the GOP mantle, the Democrats could very well be in trouble. As it is with McCain being the standard bearer, they have a legitimate shot of making history. The only question will be, as in any game of chicken, who will flinch first? I'm not betting on Hillary... :)

UPDATE: Peggy Noonan over at the WSJ confirms the perspective we're highlighting here. A must read.