Exaggerations

In today’s Christian Science Monitor: “Reports of America's decline are greatly exaggerated.” Excerpts:

Norfolk, Va. - Is America really in serious decline?

Hardly a day goes by that I don't hear someone say so. Even President Obama captured this anxiety in his inaugural speech, pointing to a "nagging fear" that America's "decline is inevitable."

Of course, America's problems – from banking and debt crises to foreign security threats – are very serious. But, as bad as things are, here are six reasons why America's starring role on the world stage isn't over.

1.The United States still has the most competitive economy in the world. Despite the recession, the US still has the greatest potential for cutting-edge economic growth. It ranks atop the World Economic Forum's latest global competitiveness study. And its companies remain the best.

According to the most recent Fortune Global 500 report, the US hosts more of the world's major companies (153, to be exact) than any other country. Even Japan lags way behind with just 64, while China is home to a meager 29.

The percentage of US companies in the Global 500 has averaged about 30 percent for most of the years from 1992 to 2008. That doesn’t suggest decline. [Editor's note: The original version included an inaccurate percentage of US companies that make up the 2008 Fortune Global 500 report. Accidentally, the author's revision was not implemented.]

[…]

3. The US military is without parallel. To be sure, it has been stretched thin by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But it remains the strongest fighting force in the world.

As just one indicator of its high-tech advantage, it has mastered stealth flight, while the Russians and Chinese are still in the theoretical planning stages for such technology – far behind America.

4. America's competitors lack good allies. Russia and China are suspicious of each other. Iran is at odds with key Arab countries. North Korea is a pariah. Libya is still in political rehab. Syria is trying to find itself in a globalized world. Meanwhile, the US has cautious but real allies in NATO, the European Union, the G-7 industrialized countries, and elsewhere that help it meet its national and international goals.

Three more reasons at the link, of course, and the article ends with the de rigeur reference to Mark Twain’s famous quote: “reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” The brief article cites six reasons to believe in America, and I most certainly do… in spite of my trepidation concerning Our President’s wrong-headed policies.

In the same vein… I note with considerable pleasure that the Dow Industrials are up over 100 points as we go to press. This is the third consecutive day of gains on Wall Street (as I cross my fingers and touch wood); Good News, indeed.

―:☺:―

I joined the Facebook group “I judge you when you use poor grammar” last evening at the invitation/recommendation of Blog-Bud Barry. For stuff like this:

HATE MAIL:

"Hey, maybe later you can change my spellings and put this in you hate mail or something. Your pretentious group is pretty silly. There are much bigger issues at stake, and if you love America you should examine your motives for making this group and maybe try to do something about its problems that in a less one demensional manner." -- Jordan Blakey

"ur group is so gay and i dont see why is it ur prob that other ppl make mistakes in their shit...btw some of the stuff in the pics wasnt even wrong dumbass...hope this letter bugs the shit out of you...i was trying to misspell half the shit alrigh
get a life and quit making fun of ppl who cant spell cause sum ppl jus cant" -- Courtesy of Roman Rogers, Rabun County Mid / High School '08

"hye abooout yor group aboooutt u judjin poepl woh cnt spel, fcuk u! im vrey dislxeic" -- Garrett Lindenmann

"dear superior supervisor of "I judge you when you use poor grammar", it's "BAD" grammar, not "poor" grammar. just so you know, judgey." -- Emma Morris


FAN MAIL:

"I'm pretty sure you're some kind of deity or something." -- Fabian Bonfy

"Yes, yes. You are my idol because of your group. You can have, like, your own 'Sharonettes.'" -- Evyn Rossi Sparkk

"Would you like to have my babies?" -- Ishan Ramdewar

"I would love to talk dirty to you in bed... with perfect grammar, of course." -- Alan Borowsky

"'I judge you when you use poor grammar' is my mecca. I come at about 5 o'clock every day and pray in whichever direction the nearest computer is in." -- Remer Rietkerk

While I don’t necessarily judge folks who make grammatical errors (in the most literal sense of the word), misuse of the Mother Tongue has always been a hot button of mine. I’m a pedant… pure and simple… minus the condescension. I’m also of the opinion that it really doesn’t take a whole helluva lot of effort or formal education to become proficient in the language; it’s simply a matter of paying attention and caring.

―:☺:―

A correction: Last week I mentioned SN2 is on his way to his new assignment as the commanding officer of Naval Recruiting District Pittsburgh. While that is technically true, the reality is Sam will not assume command until the Fall of 2010; he will be NRD Pittsburgh’s Executive Officer (XO) in the interim. That’s the way the Navy does things, and I stand corrected. Please accept my apologies, Gentle Reader.

Guest Post

I received a note from The Second Mrs. Pennington this afternoon (02/25) which said, in part…

He (Robert) handed me a scrawled 4-page story he wanted typed this morning for his writing class. I've attached it. He picked the cover design. … he said you could post it on your blog if you wanted to.

Sooo…

Gravitational Pull

By

Robert Pennington

Chapter 1

“Waaa Boom!” a whistling “grape” cannon shot exploded behind me in the frozen wasteland. Shrapnel pelted out of the crater created by the shot of the cannon. Then the silence came, deafening. Dark wet snow flakes started to fall as the blizzard came. I wondered what I was doing in this god forsaken white piece of frozen desert, as I continued to run farther into the howling storm. I looked behind and saw something that chilled the marrow in my bones. “The train,” I muttered. The train carries uranium in cars glowing with radiation. In the front, the driver, half-dead from the radiation, was chained to the controls. The cars seemed greenish-black , and the rust was eating up the iron wheel attached to the back of each car, which held death for anyone foolhardy enough to open the car.

The train raced closer and closer. Suddenly, Crack! A screeching sound came from the middle, as a car disconnected, tipped over, and the uranium spilled, cascading over the snow staining it with the green mineral. “OOHH, watch it!” I thought, slowly trying to open my eyes, but I couldn’t because they were sealed shut by something heavy, wet like snow. I struggled to move my arms but the force of the snow was holding me down. I willed the snow up and “Wham!” the snow vaporized right above me. A dot appeared and then the snow landed, with a force to topple an elephant, pounded the ground and pulverized a very tall and enormous, barren, frozen tree. When this happened, I scrutinized myself, I wasn’t nearly strong enough to lift that pile of snow, which nearly weighed a ton.

“Wh-aa-tt ha-pp-en-ed-dd?” I chattered, as the cold closed in like a pack of hungry wolves. I looked far into the distance. I was looking so hard I didn’t see the uniformed soldier sneak up on me. The next thing I knew, I was facing the sky. Then something covered my face and everything went black. “Look T29840’s awakening!” a filmy voice sneered. I forced open a heavy eyelid and saw the old mug of the Russian sergeant, warden of the imprisoned souls in a Russian “focus” camp. “Hmmm,” I thought. If I could focus my will again, maybe, just maybe it can happen again. I grimly pleaded to myself.

“Crack! Crunch! KAABBBBOOOOMMM!” then silence. I cracked open one eye and then the other snapped open in surprise. The warden of souls was gone, and a gaping hole had replaced him. “Umm,” I thought, stunned, while his partner leaped for the hole, screaming that a psycho-manic person had killed Sir Pent, by not even lifting a finger. While I, on the other hand, shifting my focus again to the chain holding my hands and “Kablam!” it disappeared. Then, oh so suddenly, the whole wall collapsed, nearly squishing me.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor as Russian troops charged the door, flinging it aside. While this was happening, I was glancing around, my sight falling on the hole. Galloping for it, bursts of pain racked my brain as shots bounced off the wall and pelted me with rubble. Seeing no way out I sprinted into the black abyss of a grotto of radiant energy of unfathomable proportions. Turning around, I saw miles of, or what seemed like miles, troop cars mowing down trees, animals, and snow alike. While I tried to summon the force of gravity to my side again, an ominous grinding sound reverberated in my mind; I looked up and saw stalactites raining down onto me. One thought roared in my mind as red fog replace the blackness. Is this what it is like to die?

Not bad, eh? Even considering the fact my opinion just might be biased. Maybe.