Corrections and amendments

I've made some amendments and corrections to my earlier rant and provided some hyperlinked references, if anyone's interested.

Shouting the battle cry of Freedom

The better angels
Why Americans are still fighting over who was right and who was wrong in the Civil War

Who won the Civil War? You'd have a hard time finding out at Gettysburg. Sure, there are plenty of artifacts in the dilapidated vistor center: cases full of gray and blue uniforms, fading regimental flags, and rows of shining rifles. Step outside, and you'll learn about the flanking movements and angles of fire, the storied charges and tactical gambits that decided the momentous three day battle. The 1,320 monuments, markers, and memorials that dot the fields of Gettysburg National Military Park pay special attention to troop movements and casualty lists, emphasizing the valor and courage of those who fought. Only a few mention the preservation of the Union; none celebrate the end of slavery.

For almost 2 million visitors each year, the Pennsylvania battlefield confirms everything they know from documentaries, Hollywood, and popular fiction: that the war was America's epic, a heroic conflict both sides fought for freedom. The same tale is told at battlefields across the country. And it's wrong.

In trying to honor the soldiers who died, Civil War battlefields have historically avoided referring to what the two armies were actually fighting about. As a result, say scholars and park service officials alike, the message of most Civil War parks is subtly pro-Confederate, alienating many people who should find the parks compelling. What's missing, they say, is a moral element, what Abraham Lincoln referred to as "the better angels of our nature." The Civil War was a fight over slavery. The South was for it, the North against it. Not talking about slavery, they say, erases right and wrong from history–not only in the parks but in the national memory itself.

Red Sox Deathwatch Game 1

Boston Red Sox @ Chicago White Sox 4-2
Anaheim Angels @ Texas Rangers 1-2

Still alive.

There's always next year.

Excellent Red Sox article, pointed out to be by autographedcat:

Red Sox just didn't have it this year

Since it's late-September, you know what that means ... that's right, it's time for my annual Red Sox eulogy! As a die-hard Sox fan, sitting down to write this piece always feels like stretching out on Dr. Melfi's sofa. It's almost a cathartic experience, a chance to gather all the accumulated pain and agony from the six-month season, then inflict it on you, the unsuspecting reader. Isn't that why they created sports columns in the first place?

Looking back, Boston's 2002 baseball season was weirder than most, a year when the Sox trotted out seven All-Stars, including two 20-game winners, a potential batting champion and a shortstop on pace for 200 hits and 120 RBI ... and yet they weren't even one of the best five teams in their own league. How does that make sense? Usually, when a baseball team falls short, you can always latch onto something -- shaky managing, injuries, shaky chemistry or whatever else. Not this year.

As usual, my dad summed it up best. About six weeks ago, we were talking on the phone for the first time in days, gabbing away about anything and everything. As the phone call wound down, I wondered, "Hey, we aren't even gonna talk about the Red Sox?"

Dead silence on the other end.

Finally: "Nahhhh. They don't have it this year."

Best piece of analysis I heard all season.

New Military Medical Status

The Singapore Armed Forces has seen fit to classify me, permanently, with a PES (Physical Employment Status) of C9L2. That means I am no longer required to take the yearly physical fitness test (IPPT). However, I am fit for field duties, but only at the Unit HQ or rear areas. Guess I'm finally an REMF until I hit 40 and get rotated out of the Reserves. Hoo-ah.

Maybe it's time to ask if I can get transferred to the Court Martials program for my Reserve service...