Comments for Uncle Wiggily's Heartland Notebook

Comment on “Ayn” … as in “pine” by Uncle Wiggily

Uncle Wiggily — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:22:06 +0000

I agonized for a bit over approving the above comment since it appears to be spam-tease for the author’s website, but eventually elected to edit out the link and post the comment since it contains some “interesting” points.

1) Maybe it’s just too early for me, but I cannot make sense out of the first two sentences – is the writer addressing Rand admirers or critics? Further, selfishness is the beating heart – the sustaining core – of Rand’s objectivist thinking, so to rebuke those who point it out seems naive at best.

2) I instinctively mistrust the thinking of those who get their facts wrong, even small facts … first of all, the name of Rand’s heroine in Atlas Shrugged was Dagny Taggart (not “Dabney”), and secondly, it was Dagny’s father (“Nathaniel”), not Dagny herself, who was based loosely on the famous 19th century railroad baron, James Jerome Hill. If you’re gonna sing to me, at least get the lyrics right.

3) And finally, to dismiss 2000 years of salvation history as “that which is spiritual” by blithely positing equivalence between “a great idea or vision” and the entire body of ecclesiastical belief is simply to misunderstand (or ignore) the concept of religious faith. Whatever else can be said about her, it is beyond argument that Rand was overtly and truculently anti-faith, and many of her ideas, I would contend, are indeed “inconsistent with Christianity” (and most other organized religions).

Comment on There’s a reason for the season … by Pipsisewah

Pipsisewah — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:16:49 +0000

Merry Christmas, Unk. Its been 6 days, and still haven’t seen a maintainer or snow plow on my road. Luckily, my neighbor has a big articulating front end loader and is keeping the road open. Its gonna be a lot of gift certificates to Chances R.

I had to tow my son to the road with the War Wagon. First time he’d ever been pulled. I told him when the Pip was a lad, most of his cars got towed on a regular basis. Except my 52 Dodge when it got chained up. Glory Years!!!!!!

Comment on “Ayn” … as in “pine” by Clay Barham

Clay Barham — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:08:46 +0000

SELF INTEREST OR SELF-CENTERED
This is directed at those who admire and criticize Ayn Rand’s beliefs about people who stand on their own feet. Most who criticize Rand say she promoted selfishness, thereby greed, which is self-centered and anti-individual creativity, therefore, anti-Rand. Rand admired the creative individual, such as James Jerome Hill, on whom she was reputed to have based her character Dabney Taggart in Atlas Shrugged. If we look at Howard Roark’s summation to the jury, from Fountainhead, we do not see a self-centered individual destroying his work. Were he greedy, he would have simply accepted his payment. We see a self-interested, other- and outer-centered individual in love with his own dreams and creations, as one would love a spouse, child or family and refuse to allow them to be assaulted. Though love for anything spiritual may be missing, a great idea or vision also measures up to that which is spiritual, and that view is not inconsistent with Christianity.

Comment on There’s a reason for the season … by One Out In The Third

One Out In The Third — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:17:12 +0000

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Comment on The Squandering of Sarah Palin? by Uncle Wiggily

Uncle Wiggily — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:38:41 +0000

DM:

Your point regarding the potential danger to Mrs. Palin is well taken – establishment political forces, both from the left and the right, will cheerfully immolate her in pursuit of their own jaded goals. It is up to those of us who still care about being free to see that this does not happen.

I have no idea if Sarah Palin can or will deliver this tottering old nation from what appears to be certain disaster, but this much I am sure of … the current power elite, left unchecked, whether Democrat or Republican, will assure its destruction.

Our time is short and the danger is real.

Comment on The Squandering of Sarah Palin? by DM

DM — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:36:19 +0000

I certainly agree that Sarah has struck a note. Unfortunately, as you note as a risk for Sarah, Joan de Arc was burned at the stake to get her out of the way.
Even so, She does have a freshness we have not seen for a while.
As a life long member of the Democratic party, we do not have an example of freshness in our current Democratic Senator from Nebraska. Sadly, he is making a name for himself as the type of person who would have thrown a torch into the tinder at Joan’s feet. I will enjoy not voting for him when he runs again.

Comment on The Squandering of Sarah Palin? by Uncle Wiggily

Uncle Wiggily — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:38:29 +0000

OOITT:

Could be … I’m not so sold on her executive/administrative abilities – but I sure do think she’s got that undefinable somethin’ that people follow without even knowing why.

She could make next year’s election cycle a LOT of fun to watch … depending on how she plays it.

Comment on The Squandering of Sarah Palin? by One Out In TheThird

One Out In TheThird — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:30:20 +0000

Unc…

Sounds like you are in love…don’t let the Missus catch on to your infatuation. I think the woman has great potential. Give her time she will be a front-runner. I hope if she is the real deal she won’t be too late to fix the mess we are in now.

Comment on Olbermann, Limbaugh and Maddow – oh my! by Conservative Indendent

Conservative Indendent — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:36:46 +0000

Hmmmmm. Read your post on the newest third-district runner, then found my way to this post. It would seem that everyone with a forum and an opinion is from hell itself, “evil” I believe you said; except you and your opinion? Your caricature of each of your examples seems no less venomous than their portrayal of those they disagree with. Seems as though being a “non-partisan” simply affords you more targets. Maybe you should just pick a side like the rest of the world.

Comment on An Old Man’s Winter Night by Pipsisewah

Pipsisewah — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:34:14 +0000

Thank-you Unk. A hunting buddy and myself just returned from Stuttgart, Ark. We knocked off another line on our bucket list, and hunted Mallards in the flooded timbers. Much like OOITT, it is a memory etched in my mind forever.

Folks down there don’t readily admit the Civil War has ended. We stayed in a little spot in the road called St. Charles. Other than the best duck hunting in the South, they are known for sinking a Yankee gun boat on the White River with one nine pounder that hit the powder hold. 134 Yankees died. The other point of interest is a mass lynching of 8-13 blacks. The Sheriff got back to town with the subject who confessed, and no one had much else to say about it.

The other thing etched in my mind and belly…….country smoked ham, okra, grits, fresh fried catfish, steaks, cajun crawdad tails and Gulf Creole Shrimp. Pecan pies, cakes, and desserts that could give a man second hand diabetes at 200 yards.

My Holiday season is complete. The Pip