Where to begin? It seems that war is just too big of a topic for Hollywood to handle in 90-110 minutes. Go figure. I know I can’t do it justice in 300-plus pages, either, but it will be more accurate than anything Hollywood can dish up.

I suspect what people want from Hollywood is to take the viewer from innocent civilian to battle-hardened soldier and back again. Do we really want Hollywood to tell us about Charlie’s war in Afghanistan or are we more interested in the conflicts within the soul of the Lion of Panjshir?

Modern war movies seem to be more about telling the story within the story. The other problem with movies is that there is no smell, except of popcorn and spilled fountain drinks. Try to imagine the real smells of war. Then smell the “imagined” ones of fear and death. Do death and fear have…

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry:hold not thy peace at my tears; for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.” (Psalm 39:12)

Lately we hear people sanctimoniously intoning that it is unChristian if we don’t open our borders (and our purses) to these economic migrants storming the Southern border. So I began thinkin’ on the theme of migration in the Bible.

As a Bible-thumping Prot, I’ll wager I have more of a fascination with the OT stories than many Jews. I do know them better than any Catholics of my IRL acquaintance, who actually do not believe me when I relate certain stories—even though the Catholic Bible contains several quite fantastic books the KJV doesn’t have. (Now, I know Chaps and JAC probably know more than I do; this ain’t directed at you Ettes!)

It occurs to me…

In my attempt to enlighten a colleague concerning the joys of conservatism, have been pleased to discover that I am actually a hypocritical, conservative Christian, to name the only name he called me which is suitable to be read in mixed company. Also found out that Affirmative Action was designed to help white women break through the glass ceiling; and I couldn’t really follow this one but as best as I can tell, the Civil War was fought to maintain the North’s economic supremacy over slave states. I had no idea.

Until fairly recently believed that race relations had generally improved over my lifetime and that the Great Society programs, while good intentioned, had failed the black community miserably. Apparently my belief system, whether I realize it or not, is a social contract between white men only; and according toCharles Mills’ 1997 book, The Racial Contract, there exists an almost…