Your Business Blogger's(R) misspent youth involved a number of all-nighters in college.

No, not studying.

Dancing.

So if the night was to be wasted and the students wasted, then it was thought that perhaps it all could be done for a good cause.

Your (much younger) Business Blogger(R) at the MDA Dance Marathon, 1978

We put on a dance marathon, the first Superdance, to raise money at ODU (aka Over Dose University). Back in the day, we raised some $15,102 for The Muscular Dystrophy Association and Jerry's Kids.

Maybe it wasn't such a waste of time...

It is not too late to make a pledge. Our family did.

It was easier than dancing all night.

MDA TELETHON RAISES RECORD $63.8 MILLION

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 3, 2007 -- Jerry Lewis today made good on his annual promise to raise at least "one dollar more" for the fight against Muscular Dystrophy.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association's 42nd Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon set a record of $63,759,478 in contributions and pledges, which will fund research, services and information for people with any of the neuromuscular diseases under MDA's umbrella.

"I'm deeply grateful for the incredible generosity and support of the American public," MDA National Chairman and Telethon star Jerry Lewis said. "Each year they outdo themselves in supporting our quest for cures for diseases that steal the strength -- and the lives -- of 'my kids.'"

The first MDA Dance Marathon fund raiser at Old Dominion University was held in 1978.

From MDA,

The Telethon derives drama from the ever-increasing fundraising total posted on the "tote board" - operated originally by hand in 1966, now electronically. Jerry's goal of raising "one dollar more" than the previous year's total has been more than met almost every year, thanks to the generosity and compassion of the American public. Last year's [2008] total was $65 million.

See The Anchoress "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"

Follow on Twitter.

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Jesse Brown This is a re-post of Your Business Blogger's(R) first entry on Yoest.org. Merged with CharmaineYoest.com a few months later. Business Blogging continues at www.Yoest.com.

Jesse Brown, 58, passed away some three years ago. He was my friend and business partner. This inaugural post on Labor Day 2005 is to honor his memory and his work.

He was wounded by enemy fire in Vietnam leaving his right arm and hand partially paralyzed. This never slowed him down.

I once asked him when he was at the pinnacle of his career what drove him to work so hard. Money, I thought; status, celebrity? No. "I just want to help my friends," he said.

His passion for service helped him become the Veteran's Affairs Secretary for Bill Clinton.

And yet he helped me, a nobody who worked for a Republican governor.

Jesse is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, not far from my dad. Two warriors to whom I owe so much.

See Reasoned Audacity for more on the ANC.

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The Judiciary Committee has requested CVs from the witnesses providing expert testimony for the Sotomayor SCOTUS hearings.

Here's Charmaine's:

YOEST_CHARMAINE_CV_july_2009_.doc

Charmaine and Your Business Blogger(R) will be Tweeting -- micro blogging -- from the hearing chamber, tomorrow, Thursday 16 July 2009.

And be sure to check out Charmaine's new Tweet page: designed by Hannah Yoest. World Class presentation.

Follow us on Twitter: @JackYoest and @CharmaineYoest.

And see the Americans United for Life blog for live blogging during the hearings.

Posted at 8:24 AM | Permalink
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Charmaine sends this out to the AUL good-guy list,

It's nearly Independence Day, and, here in the Yoest household, that means a road trip!

Friday afternoon, Jack and I are filling up our black Suburban and taking our 'Penta-posse' -- our five kids -- to Charlottesville, VA, for our 14-year-old son John's all-star baseball tournament. How wonderful to spend July 4th in a city steeped in American history near the University of Virginia (my alma mater!), which was founded by Thomas Jefferson just a few miles from his Monticello home.

John Yoest, age 14
[Pitched a no hitter on his JV team -- as an 8th grader]
Photo Credit: Hannah Yoest

But although the calendar -- and the heat index -- says it's July 4, in my heart it feels like late November.

Independence Day has always been a kind of early Thanksgiving for me. I think about the sacrifices made by the Founding Fathers and their families, and of the blood shed by patriots so that America could be free, and I am so very thankful to be able to raise my children in the greatest country in the world.

The Founders wrote in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

In naming three inalienable rights as endowed by humanity's Creator, the Declaration's authors were recognizing something unique and beautiful about being human. Taken together, those rights enable all the goods necessary for human flourishing.

More than that, the order in which the Founders listed the rights carries special meaning; it reveals the way one right flows from another. The right to liberty -- the freedom to thrive -- flows from the right to life, and from that liberty flows the ability to seek the happiness that will give one's life meaning and purpose.

I'm so honored to be working with the AUL team to further the understanding that the right to life enshrined in our Declaration extends to all humanity and includes the unborn.

The right to life is the foundation of all the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. This is what we must teach our children on this family holiday, so that they and their children and their children's children may continue to live in a free country long after you and I have left this world.

My friend and AUL colleague Bob told me today about a wonderful Fourth of July tradition in his family. Every year, he and his wife host a barbecue that is highlighted by having one of the children present, usually his own daughter, read out loud the entire Declaration of Independence.

Jack and I like that idea so much that we are adopting this as a Yoest family tradition. I think we'll have Helena, our 12-year-old who has a dramatic flair, read the Declaration of Independence before we watch the fireworks after John's baseball game. If you'd like join us in that tradition, click here for a printable copy of the Declaration.

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy Fourth,

Charmaine, and the Yoest family

P.S. On Monday, the AUL team will be back at the job of defending the right to life, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. For the latest news on President Obama's high-court nominee, visit Sotomayor411.com. It's a one-stop resource we've created to share in-depth background and analysis from our legal team on Judge Sotomayor, including detailed information on why she is worse on life issues than retiring Justice David Souter.

Join Fight FOCA

Thank you (foot)notes:

Follow us on Twitter.

Pro-Abortion Hispanic Group: Sotomayor Set Policy, Not Involved in Legal Briefs, by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor, July 1, 2009,

"Although the Senate will have a significant amount of materials to wade through, Charmaine Yoest, the president of Americans United for Life, has seen enough to say Sotomayor is pro-abortion and worse than Justice David Souter, whom she would replace.

Yoest points out that, during Sotomayor's time on the PRLDEF's board, its efforts "included no less than six briefs in five abortion-related cases before the Supreme Court -- pushing aggressively for an interpretation of abortion rights that would eliminate most or all state and federal abortion regulations while requiring state and federal funding of abortion."

In two of the legal briefs, "the PRLDEF's briefs took positions more extreme than those of Justice Souter, who joined with the court's majority to uphold restrictions the fund wanted struck down," Yoest added.

Ultimately, "Justice Sotomayor has never disavowed any of the PRLDEF's briefs, which are packed with the kind of extreme rhetoric more typical of left-wing blogs than of serious legal documents." "

U.S. appeals court upholds Virginia's ban on partial-birth abortion, By Catholic News Service

RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia's ban on partial-birth abortion is constitutional, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 6-5 decision June 24.

"The head of Americans United for Life, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case and assisted the state with the litigation, said the "ban protects not only the unborn, but also the health and welfare of women."

"We are thrilled that the 4th Circuit followed clear U.S. Supreme Court precedent and upheld Virginia's ban on partial-birth abortion - which is more accurately called partial-birth infanticide," said Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO.

"It is a law that the vast majority of Americans are justified in supporting," she said. Opponents of the ban are expected to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the appellate court's decision.

The 2003 Virginia law makes it a felony to perform a partial-birth abortion, but it never went into effect because its constitutionality was challenged by a Richmond doctor who said the procedure can be necessary to protect the life of the mother. He also said the ban could prevent doctors from performing legal procedures for fear they would be prosecuted. "

From PA Pundits - International
"the relentless pursuit of common sense" - A Variety of Opinions From Various Writers -
"Only the pro-life group Americans United for Life has made a significant campaign against Sotomayor's ascension to the high court, calling her record on abortion rights "worse than [current Justice David] Souter's." Still, the fight should pick up once Sotomayor's confirmation hearings begin July 13."

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Each year in May Your Business Blogger(R) remembers the Cold War loss of submarine Scorpion. We are so lucky to have such brave men. And their families.

Our prayer is that our current Commander-in-Chief would know the culture of our warriors.


In Remembrance of
those in the
Submarine Service Some 40 Years ago the USS Scorpion was due in my hometown, Norfolk, VA. She never returned.

She is, as the veterans say, on Eternal Patrol.

Your Business Blogger(R) wrote an article for National Review Online about those left behind from the loss of the USS Scorpion.

Five Days in May: The loss of the USS Scorpion.

By Jack Yoest

Yolanda Mazzuchi was about the prettiest girl in our school class. Our dads were in the Navy, often gone for months at a time. And they would be welcomed home at dockside with cheers and homemade signs. These gatherings at the D&S Piers at the Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia, were a regular part of our lives growing up. Families often took children out of school to celebrate a ship's homecoming.

At 1 in the afternoon on Monday, May 27, 1968, at the height of the Cold War the USS Scorpion was due in port.

Yolanda didn't know it then, but her dad was already dead....

Continue reading here.

John Howland at USNA-AT-LARGE has set up a group for the boat,

Dedicated to and in honor of the 99 U.S. Navy submariners who perished in the loss of SCORPION in May 1968. The 40th Anniversary of that tragedy ...[is] (May 2008), yet the cause(s) of the loss remain a complete mystery.

USS Scorpion
40 Years on Eternal Patrol

This lack of clarity and closure has created a void into which charlatans now have full play in creating bogus theories for profit.

This unsatisfactory situation may result in the SCORPION 99 going into history forever at the mercy of the unscrupulous.

The solution that this group will work toward will be to encourage the U.S. Navy to, at the very least, put to rest the loss scenarios which have MINIMAL TO NO PROBABILITY of having actually occurred.

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

Follow Jack and Charmaine on Twitter: @JackYoest and @CharmaineYoest

More from BubbleHead.

And read about the Loss of the Bonefish.

Your Business Blogger(R) of Management Training of DC, LLC, is a licensed agent for the William Oncken Corporation, presenters of Managing Management Time(TM) fondly known as Monkey Management.

Remember Me at the jump.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 9:43 AM | Permalink
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Jack and Charmaine This is wedding anniversary week in our household: We celebrate for 7 days.

Men's Health magazine reminds us why marriage works. The April issue from last year has six compelling reasons to marry, by Anna Maltby.

Anna is a woman.

But the advice is still good,

If you are susceptible to vice, find a wife. She'll save you from yourself -- and improve your life -- in a variety of ways...

1. Increase your pay A Virginia Commonwealth University study found that married men earn 22 percent more than their similarly experienced but single colleagues.

[VCU is a terrific school located in Richmond, Virginia. Usually Conservative. Good.]

2. Speed up your next promotion
Married men receive higher performance ratings and faster promotions than bachelors, a 2005 study of U.S. Navy officers reported.

[If the Army wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one, goes the old joke -- it looks like the military is a-changing its perception of the value of a helpmeet.]

3. Keep you out of trouble
According to a recent U.S. Department of Justice report, male victims of violent crime are nearly four times more likely more likely to be single than married.

[Your Business Blogger(R) has not been in a bar fight since getting married. But every few years I got to get the caps replaced on those cracked up front teeth from an altercation back in single days. And I wish that ringing in my ears would stop...]

4. Satisfy you in bed
In 2006, British researchers reviewed the sexual habits of men in 38 countries and found that in every country, married men have more sex.

[Don't go there...]

5. Help you beat cancer
In a Norwegian study, divorced and never-married male cancer patients had 11 and 16 percent higher mortality rates, respectively, than married men.

[Charmaine is forever pestering me to get a(nother!) physical. Goodness, I had one back in the 90's. And the colonoscopies every 5 years are her idea too. Such a pain in the ...]

6. Help you live longer
A UCLA study found that people in generally excellent health were 88 percent more likely to die over the 8-year study period if they were single.

The accountability and friendship of marriage works.

Excuse me now, I've got some yard work to do.

As one academic studying the men-marriage-maturity transformation wrote, "A rake, now out raking leaves,"

Thank you (foot)notes:

But we actually celebrate two anniversaries.

Two constants every man needs.

His car.

His woman.

Jack and Charmaine 1990 (Order may not be important to some.)

Even as Charmaine and I are moving into our 20th year of marriage toward that death do us part part; the other anniversary is a milestone of over two decades.

Alert Readers are thinking, I know Jack -- how did he do it?

Without a coffee cup holder...?

The Germans do not believe that people should drive and drink...coffee. Ergo, no coffee cup holder in that old model.

So the ride has been a series of spilled hot fluids. And I would do it again.

Kisses Sweeter Than Wine - Andy Williams, Peter Paul & Mary

20 years; one owner
Your Business Blogger(R) and The Dude

Financial Expert Larry Burkett believes that a man should own but one car and run that car 'til the wheels fall off then repair and repeat.

Replacing is poor stewardship of resources.

It is also Biblical and is based on the Babe Bargain: A man should be the husband of but one wife.

Replacing is poor stewardship of resources.

A car and a girl. What more could a guy want?

Larry Burkett continues,

Let's face it. The majority of new automobile sales in America are made because of the buyers' wants, not needs. Often they are just tired of their cars; they look old and out of date, or they need repairs to put them back into top condition, or their neighbors or coworkers have acquired new cars.

Lyrics to KISSES SWEETER THAN WINE here. My favorite version is by Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt.

In May of 1987 Your Business Blogger(R) bought a new car from American Service Center in Arlington, Virginia from former Redskin football player Joe Tereshinski.

My two investments; my two May anniversaries.

Follow us on Twitter: @JackYoest; @CharmaineYoest

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Alert Readers know that Your Business Blogger(R) advises students and clients to memorize important presentations.

Brute memorization is mocked by educracrats, the union thugs well-meaning liberals who run public education.

Brute memorization is loved by home-schoolers, the brilliant parents and students who are get education right.

There are some facts that must be learned. Must be memorized.

Our Penta-Posse was home-schooled for a season. And have now moved into the public school system. (High school sports beckon.)

The idea for this YouTube comes from The Dude. His elementary school teacher once asked about the presidents and who followed who. The Dude knew the answer, and volunteered a bit more.

"It seems that you know all the presidents," says The Dude's teacher. "Can you name them in order?"

"Sure," says The Dude. "How do you want them? Forwards ...or backwards?"

Here are the presidents in order Washington to Obama:

And reverse order Obama to Washington:

What to learn the State Capitals and the presidents in order? Then order States and Capitals and the Presidents by Jerry Lucas

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Helen:
GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE™Every business should have a mission statement to help focus staff, benchmarks, resources, results.

Every business could benefit. Every silo, in the business; on the farm.

Even your garden.

A business going to seed, so to say...

My favorite 'plant manager' is Helen of Raleigh who runs the premier gardening business in central North Carolina. She writes for Better Homes and Gardens and blogs at Gardening With Confidence™.

Helen is also a Garden Scout and Stylist. In her work as a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and their Special Interest Publications such as Country Gardens and Nature's Garden, she scouts great gardens for their publications.

When a garden is chosen for publication, Helen works with photographers to style the photo shoot.

Just as every manager needs a business coach, every gardener needs a gardening coach.

Who knew?

Helen helped create this market niche. She is in great demand as a Garden Coach.

In her former career as a Vice President of an environmental company she learned how to shovel manure.

Good management training.

Carrying a rifle in Pakistan didn't hurt either. (Working for an environmental client. Really.)

Here is Helen's gardening mission statement,

If you have a garden statement, send it along to Helen. She will be posting the collection.

Thank you (foot)notes:

For the backstory see, Women, Work and Family: One VP's Solution,

"How do you it all?" Accomplished women with kids constantly get this question.

Helen Philbrook, married and mother of three, from Raleigh, NC, has the answer.

Your Business Blogger(R) recently sat down with Helen and her husband David to learn the secret.

She's a former Vice President of an environmental testing firm, and perhaps the world's first female "Smoke Stack Sniffer."

Full Disclosure: Helen is the sister of Your Business Blogger(R)

Posted at 10:50 AM | Permalink
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This is this year's Christmas Card from our house to yours. The card may not be as interesting as the out takes.

Or, as The Dude says, the 'ruined pictures.' See more on The Dude's Facebook page.

See

See Christmas 2006.

And like shadows they will be gone, off to college, off to their own families. Soon -- too soon. See What to take from a burning building, or Christmas by the Numbers; 16 Each

Posted at 8:27 PM | Permalink
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The Dude broke his hand in a football game for the Yorktown Patriots. Charmaine and Your Business Blogger(R) and Baby Boo sat with him yesterday as a cast was applied and immobilized his hand.

The Dude was not in especially good spirits. And friends rallied around him to encourage and commiserate. To lightly cheer him on.

Teenagers who showed compassion?

Lots of adults, too showed real interest -- and not just the coaches....

Lyndon LaPlante It seems that The Dude was indeed lifted up. But Charmaine and I noticed something more. The giving, the compassion, the caring did more for the giver than the getter.

The Dude was injured and would play again in a few weeks. However, we were able to get the briefest glimpse of the good, the Divine that is seen in small acts of charity.

Life's real challenges are designed, it seems, not for the afflicted but for those who surround the sufferer. Life's pitfalls, large and small, reveal the character of the bystander.

Does the onlooker render care or complain? What does the Good Samaritan do?

Another football story, a few years ago, came out of Texas. It's the story of Lyndon LaPlante who scored a touchdown. Lyndon has Down syndrome . The Dallas Morning News reports:

Keller Senior with Down Syndrome Fulfills Dream

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News

The home crowd at Keller ISD Stadium rose to its feet as soon as Lyndon LaPlante jogged onto the field during the fourth quarter Friday night.

The fans went wild during LaPlante's 99-yard touchdown run, which ended with him being mobbed in the end zone by his Keller teammates.

Never mind that the pre-arranged play didn't count. It fulfilled a dream for LaPlante, a senior who has . . .

Watch the video clip here.

Continue reading at the jump.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 11:42 AM | Permalink
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In the Yoest household kitchen Answer: She's not married to Todd Palin.

On CNN yesterday Charmaine reinforced the point that women can succeed in any position at any level, if she has a deep support system. Beyond the government safety net.

The best support system is to marry a guy who will embrace the family mission, the family business. A husband who is not distracted by interns at 2am.

And will lift up his wife when her time comes...

And I'm not just talking pregnancy.

About half of all women who enter into a Ph.D. program do not finish. When Charmaine was working on her disertation at the University of Virginia, Your Business Blogger(R), MBA, and Charmaine's parents, Mom, Ph.D; Dad, Ph.D; Brother, Ph.D. and Penta-Posse gathered together and strategized on the path to make sure that Charmaine was in the half that got 'hooded.'

The extended family decided to invest in Charmaine.

Money was key but not the entire issue. Wisdom and logistical support were the real needs of house hold and five little ones.

Extended family and a hubby who will sacrifice for the family mission is the solution to whatever success the family, the mother, the mission will achieve.

Todd Palin is my kind of guy. Like me, he married way over his head and is not afraid to let the world know.

We are both married to CEO's who advance the family mission. Our extended families have made sacrifices and investments to advance very talented women, very talented wives.

If more feminists had devoted husbands, maybe they'd enjoy more success. As well as the other benefits of marital bliss (re Five Children...).

And this is the real reason the liberals hate Sarah Palin. She is normal.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Fish on a bicycle by Ray Troll Feminist icon Gloria Steinem can be blamed for a lot problems these days in verbiage and communication in the battle of men vs women.

But not this phrase.

Gloria Steinem writes to Time Magazine,

"In your note on my new and happy marital partnership with David Bale, you credit me with the witticism A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. In fact, Irina Dunn, a distinguished Australian educator, journalist and politician, coined the phrase back in 1970 when she was a student at the University of Sydney."

Credit should go to Irina Dunn, graffiti artist and Australian Senator from the Nuclear Disarmament Party.

And made popular more by U2.

Posted at 10:31 AM | Permalink
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Alert Readers will recall that Your Business Blogger(R) was raised in the traditions of the Catholic Church.

After some study on issues on the omniscience of the Creator and the authority of tradition equal to scripture I joined a religious tradition rooted in Calivinistic teachings.

I resolved my conflict, I didn't have the political concerns that Biden has.

On the core issue of the Catholic Church's teachings on Life I remain an enthusiastic supporter, even though not Catholic. The Catholic Church gets this right.

VP pick Joe Biden has real differences with his chosen religious tradition, the Catholic Church.

The Church supports the sanctity of LIfe.

Biden supports abortion

Daniel McConchie from Americans United for Life has these Biden quotes,

I strongly support Roe v. Wade. I wouldn't have a specific question but I would make sure that the people I sent to be nominated for the Supreme Court shared my values; and understood that there is a right to privacy in the United States Constitution. That's why I led the fight to defeat Bork, Roberts Alito, and Thomas. Source: 2007 South Carolina Democratic primary debate, on MSNBC Apr 26, 2007

Biden recognizes the disconnect between his faith and reason,

Well, I was 29 years old when I came to the US Senate, and I have learned a lot. Look, I'm a practicing Catholic, and it is the biggest dilemma for me in terms of comporting my religious and cultural views with my political responsibility.

There is a solution to the Senator's dilemma,

Accept science and the teaching of his Church that life begins at conception, or,

Find a church compatible with this core issue, abortion -- what Catholics call a Cardinal sin -- and understand that Life Begins at Conception

Biden should address his inconsistency.

Many people who might attend church regularly complain that the churches are full of hypocrits.

Maybe this is what they are complaining about...

Americans United for LIfe has Biden's Abortion voting record.

See more at Catholic Fire.

Be sure to vote at Jill Stanek.

See Fidelis, Catholic group denounces Obama's pick of Biden for V.P.

Posted at 8:11 AM | Permalink
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Friday was Charmaine's last day at FRC. They gave her a nice send off. It was less like a funeral and more like a celebration -- a celebration like many funerals should be: She's going to a better place, but we wish she were here.

Later, Your Business Blogger(R) returned with the Penta-Posse to her office to gather up the pictures and files and stuff and stuffed all into the monster-SUV. We left no action, email, paper, or child behind.

It took 'til 9pm to clear out. This is how job changing is different from death:

Crossing over to eternity: Your inbox will be full.
Crossing over to another job: Your inbox will be empty.

The only thing she took with her were the memories and the comfort that she would be seeing all of her old friends again somewhere, sometime again.

Some things don't die...

Friendships endure: Relationships in the Body are eternal.

Then again, maybe job-changing and death are exactly alike.

From the Family Research Council,

Our Loss is AUL's Gain

It is with mixed emotions that we announce that Dr. Charmaine Yoest, VP for Communications, has accepted the presidency of Americans United for Life.

While this is great news for Charmaine and even better news for AUL, it is a deep loss for us.

During Charmaine's time at FRC, we have gained a whole new level of visibility in the national media, developed an excellent new web site, built out the first video studio in FRC history, overhauled our media center to make it state-of-the-art, obtained record op ed placements, and maintained quality radio programs heard on hundreds of stations nationwide.

Charmaine and her entire team can be justly proud of these accomplishments. It's good to know that her gifts will now be deployed at the helm of one of best-known and most successful pro-life groups in the country.

We wish her and her family well in the weeks and years to come, and we're confident our paths will cross many times as we work to protect innocent human life.

Posted at 8:26 AM | Permalink
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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Matthew Eppinette
Matthew.Eppinette@AUL.org
312.568.4701

Chicago, Illinois -- Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D., a well-known pro-family leader, author, and media commentator, takes the helm of Americans United for Life (AUL) as president and chief executive officer on August 11, 2008.

Robert Harvey, Chairman of the AUL Board of Directors said, "Dr. Yoest's experience in pro-life issues, in political strategy, and in organizational communications make her the ideal person to lead the team at AUL in taking on challenges and capitalizing on opportunities in the present legal and political climate."

The U.S. Supreme Court's 2007 Gonzales decision upholding the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act marked the beginning of a new era in the battle over life issues. In short, the decision dramatically opened up new doors for protecting life through the law.

In striking contrast, the U.S. Congress and five states this year considered Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) legislation, which would wipe away virtually every law on abortion nationwide, allowing abortion-on-demand in all nine months of pregnancy for any reason, without any restrictions.

"It is a great honor to join AUL, an organization with a remarkable reputation for excellence and achievement," said Yoest. "AUL has been involved in every pro-life case before the U.S. Supreme Court since Roe v. Wade, and AUL-authored legislation is in place all around the country, saving lives every day."

Yoest added, "I look forward to exciting days ahead, building on this rich legacy and working to increase the legal protection of human lives."

Most recently, Yoest served as vice-president of communications at the Family Research Council, one of the largest pro-family public policy organizations in the country.

Her political experience spans working in the Reagan White House to serving as a Senior Advisor to the 2008 Huckabee for President Campaign.

A regular political commentator, Dr. Yoest has appeared on all of the major networks and cable outlets. In print, she is quoted regularly and has been published widely. She is also the author of Mother in the Middle (HarperCollins), an examination of work/family and childcare policy.

Yoest holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. She lives with her husband, Jack, and their five children in the Washington, D.C. area.

Dr. Yoest succeeds Clarke D. Forsythe, Esq., a 22-year AUL veteran who served as interim president and who will continue in senior leadership of the organization.

About Americans United for Life

Americans United for Life (AUL) is a nonprofit, public-interest law and policy organization whose vision is a nation in which every human being is welcomed in life and protected in law. The first national pro-life organization in America, AUL has been committed to defending human life through vigorous judicial, legislative, and educational efforts at both the federal and state levels since 1971. The Wall Street Journal has profiled AUL, and PBS's Frontline program chronicled AUL's successful efforts in Mississippi.

Website: http://www.AUL.org

Blog: http://Blog.AUL.org

Media Contact:

Matthew Eppinette

Matthew.Eppinette@AUL.org

312.568.4701

Posted at 12:44 PM | Permalink
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Charmaine calls early morning from Edinburgh. "I'm having trouble flying into London," she says.
I'm still waking up -- I didn't see the news. I ask, "When can you come home?"

"I don't know," she says, her voice unsteady, "They're still clearing the bodies."

Three years ago Your Business Blogger(R) sent the Little Woman to the G-8 with the B3: Bono and Branson and Bush.

We here in the US of A have not been attacked on our soil since 9.11. We must be doing something right.

Bush must be doing something right. Would Obama be able to protect us as Bush has? As McCain would?

Charmaine on the plane with Richard Branson

Following is an edited cross post from Reasoned Audacity, July 1 - 7, 2005.

Charmaine calls early morning from Edinburgh. "I'm having trouble flying into London," she says.

I'm still waking up. I ask, "When can you come home?"

"I don't know," she says, her voice unsteady, "They're still clearing the bodies."

A wake up call.

London, welcome to the war.

It started, as most things these days do, with Powerline.

Following is original posting from London as Charmaine called it into me, when her site went down. Any inconsistencies may be due to transcription overload.

This is Jack, the husband: Charmaine called. Her site is still down, but she wanted to file a report to Powerline.

"Flew into Heathrow airport and took a $150 cab ride into north London to conduct interviews and document the bombsites. Bobbies cordoned off area around the sites sealing the scene of the explosions. I got to within a block or so of Edgware Tube station entrance with Londoners sitting calmly, relaxing in pubs. Everything is strangely calm, business as usual. I interviewed a woman, an interior designer, expecting some emotional display. There was none. "We don't do a lot of group hugging in England," she said, making me think of the stiff-upper lip. "We are not sentimental."

And she seemed to reflect the mood of the London population. Not for what they were doing but for what they were not doing: No candles, no out-pouring of grief, no hoards of gawkers milling around police tape, no teddy bears, no bouquets of flowers. No movement. No tears. Everything normal, except, maybe for that bus with the top blown off. Workers cleared and cleaned up the area real well. Spiffy. And got back to their pints.

I visited hospitals and learned that 'only' 37 were confirmed dead at that time. More confirmations were expected.

There were no moms with little children in downtown London. I interviewed middle-aged businessmen on cell phones and kids with Mohawks, none who were surprised.

Londoners gently reproached me about my concern over the bloodshed, "You Americans get sentimental over silly things. We're used to getting bombed." The IRA Troubles had hardened hearts as well as the London infrastructure.

I expected some grief, at least as much as there was when Lady Di died. And grief I got. I interviewed three very ordinary, normal teenaged English Muslims, one with short spiky hair (dressed not unlike my 10 year-old-dude). All three seems to be parroting Muslim talking points. "The bombings were a conspiracy by Blair to generate support for the war," they recited in a charming British accent.

The bombers were quite indiscriminate. Edgware is not far from the heart of Little Beirut, a Muslim ethnic neighborhood.

A young British black woman told me, "The bombings are Tony Blair's fault -- they killed a 100,000 Iraqis -- and it's like a boomerang [coming back at the British]." Most everyone I talked to believed that the British caused the bombing or had it coming.

Of the dozen or so people I interviewed only white males in business attire expressed surprise that anyone would think the British were at fault in anyway.

But these gentlemen were the minority. Most felt that the Brits were complicit. The people at London's ground zero were sounding like the "wobbly" Spanish after their train bombings.

The day is a cloudy, cold, rainy 7.7."

Charmaine is still out on the streets -- 9pm local London time and will be sending pictures soon.

Read the entire story at My Wife Flew off with Bono and Branson; Bombed in London 7.7.05 .

Posted at 12:54 PM | Permalink
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Following is from a Naval Aviator. The Dude, pictured on left with Baby Boo a few years ago at the Air Force Academy, loves jets and jet noise and wants to fly.

Charmaine is not so sure.

The Air Force crashes about 75 jets in routine training accidents apart from the war zones. The Navy budgets two jet losses per carrier per deployment.

Producing a number of widows, orphans and grieving families.

Even training is dangerous.

Our cousin Will was an F-18 pilot after graduating from Harvard.

He assures us that Naval Aviation is safe.

Except when it isn't.

Subject: Oyster Here . . I Think We Need To Rig The Barricade [ To Catch This Thing ] !

Here's a personal story of an F-18 pilot's . . at o'dark thirty . . with the carrier's barrier in place. The barricade's an impressive 20 foot high stiff net, that can be stretched across the deck to ' capture ' birds during extreme emergencies.

" Oyster, here. This note is to share with you the exciting night I had the other month. So There I was .

. . manned up with pins pulled on the hot seat for a 2030 night launch on the Hornet about 500 miles north of Hawaii. I taxied off toward the carrier's island where I did a 180 and got spotted on Cat number 1. They lowered my launch bar into position and the take-off routine began. On the run-up, all systems appeared to be ' in the green.'

After waiting the requisite 5 seconds to make sure all my flight controls were OK, I turned on the exterior lights, then shifted my eyes to the catwalk to watch the deck edge dude move his head while clearing me, left and right.

With the back of my helmet, I touched the head rest for...what was coming.

The Hornet cat shot is pretty impressive. Particularly at night. As the cat fired, I clicked in both afterburners...and I am along for the ride. But just prior to the end of the stroke there's a huge flash with a simultaneous B-O-O-M ! ...

continue reading at the jump.

This article has been circulating on the web. Credit to John Howland's USNA-At-Large.

Be sure to read Your Business Blogger(R) getting bested by his pre-teen Diva. And no, this is not a case study for women in combat. Read The FireDrill: Practice Success to Avoid Failure,

Your (Army) Business Blogger[R] had no business in the cockpit. My instructor was a Vietnam vet with MigKlr license plates on his truck.

He said the F-14 was a "Man's Plane." He sounded sexist. He explained that the old-generation hydraulics required real strength -- after a couple of hours, even the manliest studs needed two hands on the stick.

No place for girls.

Or so I thought.

But I was wrong, again.

I bring the Five-kid Penta-Posse to Oceana Naval Air Station to show them how macho military men (like their father) defeated Communism.

We get invited to some F-14 training. I climb in the simulator. No photography is permitted. And a good thing, too...

Alert Readers know that the F-14 is now retired.

Continue Reading »

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The Dreamer scored in the 93rd percentile in Math for her grade in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I promised her a reward night out -- But a daddy-daughter-dinner-date at Subways won't be happening.

A good deal of her education was in homeschooling where Your Business Blogger(R) worked with her on that topic that counted: Counting. The hard sciences that "girls don't do well."

Not good in Math? Not my girls. My expectation was that they would do well in the quantitatives. (Parent and teacher expectations are the biggest variable in the success of students.) My wife is a genius with SPSS and regression analysis . The Dancer and The Diva are rabid readers and love 'rithmatic -- and are bloggers.

The Penta-Posse are outliers on the bell curve of school age young'ums.

So. I promised The Dreamer a night out. But not at Subway. The restaurant is off the good-guy list for two reasons:

1) The company doesn't care for homeschoolers, and

2) They can't spell.

Our friend Don Wildmon at the American Family Association sends this along,

Subway tells home schoolers: We will not allow you to participate in our contest. Subway discriminates against home schoolers.

Subway, the sandwich restaurant, wants to hear your child's story – unless he or she is home schooled.

The national chain's "Every Sandwich Tells a Story Contest" offers prizes and a chance to be published on the Subway Web site and in Scholastic's "Parent & Child" magazine but specifically excludes home schoolers. Subway's website states:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Contest is open only to legal residents of the Untied (sic) States who are currently over the age of 18 and have children who attend elementary, private or parochial schools that serve grades PreK-6. No home schools will be accepted.

Subway will probably say they excluded home schools because of the main prize ($5,000 worth of athletic equipment to the winning child's school). But Subway could have given it to a local park, church or school of the winning home schooler's choice.

Subway's Web site promotion not only misspells "Untied (sic) States," but offers the grand prize winner a "Scholastic Gift Bastket (sic) for your home."

Subway's leadership clearly does not understand the value of homeschooling. In addition to learning how to spell, we are keeping our kids clear of the public schools' Family Life Education: Which is, as is commonly known, Sex Ed taught by liberals. When almost 20% of teens have herpes -- one would hope that this objective fact might persuade our feminist free-lovers that the condom classes might not be working.

Nope. The public payroll sex trainers are working even harder.

Here's some of what appears in Family Life Education for grades six through eight,

6.1 The student will learn that there are many health care and safety agencies in the community.
No need to talk with mom or dad, or aunt Sally or uncle Joe. The Planned Parenthood abortion clinic is just around the corner.

6.7 The student will be able to describe the etiology, effects and transmission of the HIV virus.
Clean needles for drug users? Contaminated blood supply? This is more important than spelling or math? The school will not reveal the detail of homosexual sex acts in the spread of the HIV virus. I did see a very nice man who teaches the course, however.

6.8 ...[E]valuate ...sexuality, and gender stereotyping...
The feminists are determined to get women in combat in the armed services.

7.7 The student will recognize that sexual behaviors are conscious decisions...
The public schools are a bit confused even about their own world view: homosexuality is a conscious decision; a preference -- not an orientation. FLE lurched into the truth.

So Subway supports only public schools, can't spell and doesn't like homeschoolers.

Dinner at Subway? No sirree -- We all are a-going to Chick-fil-a.


Chick-fil-A

Thank you (foot)notes:

Tom Peters once remarked that excellence should permeate an organization, especially for managing the perceptions of the customer. This is why managers make so much money. Airlines, in the consumers' mind, must understand that if the tray tables are dirty, the airline doesn't do engine maintenance.

The Army taught if boots were not shined, the soldier couldn't shoot straight.

If Subway can't spell, their food will make you [sic].

Send an e-mail to Subway President Frederick A. DeLuca. Tell him you will not eat with them anymore until and unless they allow home schoolers to participate. ©2008 Doctor's Associates Inc. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor's Associates Inc.

This is an unpaid endorsement of Chick-fil-A.

See some commonsense at The sexual ‘revolution’ that keeps on turning

This is a cross post from Pro-Life Unity.

Posted at 10:36 PM | Permalink
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Launching area for the crew regatta
click on image for live feed web-cam Building Teams and Teamwork is the mantra of the modern manager.

How does a manager take a group of talented individual contributors and motivate them to, well, pull together as one unit in the same boat?

Last year The Chronicle of Higher Education lurched into the truth in an article All for One.

It was a story on rowing.

And in it Your Business Blogger(R) read a business lesson.

For both my business practice and The Dreamer's crewing at her high school.

Race Course
Click on image for live feed
web-cam The Oak Ridge Rowing Association and the Scholastic Rowing Association of America is sponsoring the 2008 National Scholastic Championships in Oak Ridge, TN. Several thousand visitors will go down to the river and pray for blue skies and flat water.

We are packing up the monster Huck-a-truck and the Penta-Posse (minus The Dreamer traveling with her team) and will gas-guzzle our way to the Volunteer State to watch our girls compete at the regatta.

With a monster carbon footprint.

Listening to the Oak Ridge Boys .

(Ain't America great or what?)

The Women's Freshmen Eight will row at 10:15am on Friday the 23rd. Please check the schedule.

The Women's coach was able to persuade decision makers to allow his team to use the Invictus. A new and faster boat used by upper class men at their high school.

Where tenths of a second determine winners, the perception of crewing a world-class shell can make the difference. If the women think they are faster, they will be.

Rowing is 90 percent mental, the other half is physical.

Apologies to Yogi Berra.

Scholastic Rowing Association
of America
Regatta 2008
Which brings us back to Notes From Academe, in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Writer Scott Smallwood visited the Cambridge University Boat Club in the UK to write about the yearly Oxford-Cambridge competition.

Alert Readers will recall that Charmaine and Your Business Blogger(R) read at Oxford and attended our first rowing event on the narrow creeks that pass for rivers at ox ford.

Duncan Holland, the Cambridge coach with some 20 years experience, helped Dutch rowers to an Olympic medal. He well understands that even though he's got winning seasons, only one race matters as a condition of (enjoyable) employment:

Beat Oxford.

Picking eight rowers seems like an easy task for a coach,

With rowing machines that can spit out reams of numbers about how fast and hard every rower can pull, what's so hard about choosing a team? Why not just pick the eight strongest guys and be done with it? It turns out...that team dynamics are trickier than that. The eight who are eventually chosen will be not necessarily the fastest individual rowers, but the best combination of rowers.

Smallwood continues,

Quintus Travis, a past president of the boat club and now treasurer, puts the mystery more bluntly: "There are always a couple [of rowers] who are stunted, but somehow they make the boats go faster."

The Brits can be brutal.

Mr. de Rond is a professor at Cambridge's Judge Business School and is studying the Cambridge athletes and the team and the coach,

...de Rond sees the answer [of the faster boats] in how team members bond. He draws a comparison from a 2005 paper in the Harvard Business Review by Tiziana E. Casciaro, of Harvard, and Miguel Sousa Lobo, of Duke University. The pair studied likability versus competence. Their work boils down to this: When choosing whom to work with, do you pick the lovable fool or the competent jerk? People, especially managers, often say they value competence above all. But in practice, they'll often trade some of that competence for likability. And that may not be so dumb.
Mr. de Rond doesn't think any of the Cambridge rowers are incompetent. No matter how lovable you are, you can't get in this boat unless you're a top-notch rower.

But here the Cambridge rowers become a self-directed team. Something business managers talk about but seldom see,

When the tentative roster was chosen," says [de Rond], Dan wasn't originally on the list." The other men successfully lobbied the coaches to put him in the varsity boat, even though by the numbers he was a borderline choice. Now, he says, [Dan's] social skills -- he's the class clown, really -- have improved the psychology of the entire team.

Like the coaches, this is where managers work their magic. To assemble a team that maximizes strengths and minimizes weaknesses, as Peter Drucker said.

So the women's coach got a better boat for his team. Coaches and managers get paid to figure out the immeasurables; the intangibles that go into building a winning team.

This Freshman Women's coach has got it figured out.

If he reported to me, I'd get him a raise...

Yorktown Crew Boosters Thank you (foot)notes:

On April 7, 2007, in the 153rd match-up: Cambridge beat Oxford.

This is a cross post from Management Training of DC, LLC.

All for One by Scott Smallwood was published on May 4, 2007 in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

See video from the Stotesbury Regatta.

From The New York Times, From a World-Class Rower, Tips to Sharpen Technique. Watch the video on how to film a rower's movement and a slide show on training.

Mix It Up

“There’s this saying that ‘Miles make champions,’ ” Michelle Guerette said. So she spends up to five hours a day on the water, doing a variety of workouts. Mix these pieces into your own sculling training:

BUILDING BLOCKS A base training session “addresses fitness, feeling and rhythm,” Charley Butt said. As with a runner, he said, what matters is “how a rower gets in the miles.” He advised rowing for 25 minutes at 75 percent of full pressure at a stroke rate of 16 to 20. Then, he said, paddle for 5 to 10 minutes and repeat. Maintaining a low stroke rate allows you to concentrate on technique.

Stan Hudy will not be at the races. A loss for us all.

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The Diva's root canal
credit: Dr. Eric Arbuckle Our family has endowed a chair -- not at the local university -- but at our dentist's office. You can use it if is not booked. We treat the chair like a fractional ownership of a Gulfstream G4.

The Penta-Posse has busted out more front teeth than an entire hockey team.

Your Business Blogger(R) is also minus a front tooth due to a basket ball mishap. Non-stop dental work is required to correct alterations caused by various bar-fights from decades past.

Dentistry, however modern, builds character...in parents.

I never really trust a man until he's had a child in a dental chair.

The Diva's tooth trials began with a base ball bat. One of The Dude's team mates was out of the dug out.

"Don't swing that bat in the stands...!"

When contact was made there was a mess: the crying, the wailing, the gnashing of teeth...

And that was just me. Not The Diva. She's got a high tolerance for pain. She might have even have more testosterone than me.

She also got smacked with a field hockey stick.

So. After a few years of patch work her tooth nerve has been removed, the canal filled, my wallet emptied.

And it still hurts. Me, not The Diva.

This is what passes for suffering in our soft times.

The Diva and Your Business Blogger(R)
on set at the Leadership InstituteThank you (foot)notes:

And this is why the country should vote for John McCain.

He knows real suffering.

Obama knows nothing.

The Diva at a piano recital circa 2004 Sports have been very good to our household. We are looking forward to the benefits of Title IX.

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Charmaine giving a lecture
on abortion at Princeton Rakes, Cads and leering Don Juans -- that is to say: all normal men -- have been attempting to seduce women for 4,000 years.

Our institutions of higher learning have noticed this and are helping out. No, not helping the parents, not the girls, not our culture.

Nope. Your local college administrator, acting in place of the parents, has now made it possible for the young women to undress in front of the young men in the privacy of their own (parental-paid) room.

This is not the No-Tell Motel. It is the college dorm room.

Higher Education has been working for decades to help separate not the women from men, but women from their clothes in front of men. And now the colleges and the men have succeeded.

The colleges, Your Business Blogger(R) would suggest, are acting less loco prarentis but just plain loco.

Charmaine recently appeared on CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck Show Monday, May 5, 2008 to discuss the emergence of co-ed dorm rooms on college campuses.

Watch the clip here at the Family Research Council. Sorry for the extra clicking.

"Professor" Diana York Blaine
Womyn's Studies

Normal people think co-ed dorm rooms are lunacy.

But the "professor" on the left is a typical Leftie that passes for normalcy on the local college campus.

Womyn's Studies Professor and lunar worshipper Diana York Blaine offers Alert Readers Full Disclosure on helping college men in learning all about the modern womyn. The nutty professor Blaine teaches at USC. It is not known if clothing is optional.

Higher Education at its best.

Research Institutions pride themselves on 'advancing scholarship.'

These days, Higher Ed is advancing an agenda.

And it is not a pretty site.

Thank you (foot)notes:

But sure to catch Charmaine's recent appearance on FOX News March 1, 2008 where she debated the prevalence of shock-style -- nasty -- advertising in the media. Click here to view the video -- please forgive the extra click on thru on the FRC site. Now that's a Pretty Woman.

Full Disclosure: Charmaine has taught Politics and the Family at the University of Virginia; Your Business Blogger(R) teaches Business at the Northern Virginia Community College.

Blaine tells us on her site that,

Dr. Diana Blaine is a PhD philosopher, writer, adventurer, bon vivant and buttkicker. She's read and studied how gender dynamics function in our culture...

Emphasis mine. Some lady. Email us your comments.

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Jack and Charmaine This is wedding anniversary week in our household: We celebrate for 7 days.

Men's Health magazine reminds us why marriage works. The April issue has six compelling reasons to marry, by Anna Maltby.

Anna is a woman.

But the advice is still good,

If you are susceptible to vice, find a wife. She'll save you from yourself -- and improve your life -- in a variety of ways...

1. Increase your pay A Virginia Commonwealth University study found that married men earn 22 percent more than their similarly experienced but single colleagues.

[VCU is a terrific school located in Richmond, Virginia. Conservative. Good.]

2. Speed up your next promotion
Married men receive higher performance ratings and faster promotions than bachelors, a 2005 study of U.S. Navy officers reported.

[If the Army wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one, goes the old joke -- it looks like the military is a-changing its perception of the value of a helpmeet.]

3. Keep you out of trouble
According to a recent U.S. Department of Justice report, male victims of violent crime are nearly four times more likely more likely to be single than married.

[Your Business Blogger(R) has not been in a bar fight since getting married. But every few years I got to get the caps replaced on those cracked up front teeth from an altercation back in single days. And I wish that ringing in my ears would stop...]

4. Satisfy you in bed
In 2006, British researchers reviewed the sexual habits of men in 38 countries and found that in every country, married men have more sex.

[...]

5. Help you beat cancer
In a Norwegian study, divorced and never-married male cancer patients had 11 and 16 percent higher mortality rates, respectively, than married men.

[Charmaine is forever pestering me to get a(nother!) physical. Goodness, I had one back in the 90's. And the colonoscopy was her idea too. Such a pain in the ...]

6. Help you live longer
A UCLA study found that people in generally excellent health were 88 percent more likely to die over the 8-year study period if they were single.

The accountability and friendship of marriage works.

Excuse me now, I've got some yard work to do.

As one academic studying the men-marriage-maturity transformation wrote, "A rake, now out raking leaves,"

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This is a guest post by The Diva. The script was written by The Diva. Really.

Talent on screen, The Diva ; Camera-Direction, The Dude;
Grip #1, T-shirt, clapper, The Dancer;
Grip #2 ALL paper, Baby-Boo
My name is Helena Yoest, and I was harassed by the principal of my school because of a shirt.

Ok, so I went to class, just like a regular school day, I had the shirt on, no one was offended or anything by it.

Then my teacher- Mr. Young- says "Mrs. Schaffner wants to see you"

I walk over to her in the hall, she was talking to some other teachers with one or two students flocking around her.

She stops talking when she sees me, pulls me over to a corner, and says plainly

"you can't wear the shirt"

Wow. 5 minutes into the day and I've been caught in this t-shirt. (say sarcastically) Shoot.

I say very politely "may I go get something from my locker?"

Mrs.Shaffner says, "eh, yes"

So I go down to my locker to get a piece of paper, it's a magical piece of paper that gets me out of trouble.

National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day From the American Life League.

Actually, it states my civil rights and how I CAN wear the shirt, no harassment.

I hand over the letter and she hands me a t-shirt with the school name on it. Oh joy.

So I head to the bathroom to change and I hear her say, "were going to have to visit the principal about this."

So there I am, in the principal's office. Mrs. Annan (the principal) reads the letter Mrs. Shaffner is babbling about how they've never had this happen before, while Mrs. Annan is reading.

Mrs. Shaffner gets called away to do vice principal stuff and

Mrs. Annan pulls up a chair to sit beside me. "How do you know about this political issue?" she asks. "My mom" I say.

"What would you think if a kindergartner went up to you and asked you what it is?" she says pointing at my shirt.

"I would say 'it's where doctors and hospitals kill babies'"

You should've seen her face when I said that. "I just don't want you to be uncomfortable."

She leads me to a bathroom "you can turn it inside out, or you can change, whichever you want" so I change into this ew yucky t-shirt with the school name on it, so they would be happy and quit bothering me.

This is how it was in the classroom:

"Whydya change your t-shirt?" my classmates ask.

"She made me" I say, which isn't stretching the truth.

I went to art, and my teacher came in the middle of it and said

"walk with me" so I walk with him and he says "you can change into your shirt now, or after art, what do you want?"

I changed after lunch.

Can you believe that?

The principal of an elementary school, pressured and manipulated a 5th grade student to do her wills.

The principal, of all people! Wow.

Growing, Growing...Gone Pro-Lifers are the new Progressives.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Please send us your comments!

The Penta-Posse L to R: Baby-Boo, The Dancer,
The Diva, The Dude, The Dreamer
The Roe Effect
The American Life League sponsors the annual trouble-making event. The Dude was also spoken to by school officials. But no action was taken against him.

The "magical piece of paper" from the American Life League.

See The Roe Effect

The Diva protesting at the Afghan Embassy, 2006
She is no stranger to controversy

The Diva making phone calls for Mike
at the Huckabee for President headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa
Video Credit: The Dreamer See The Dude's post on the Abortion T-shirt at Panzer Commander.

Posted at 7:01 PM | Permalink
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Dr. Mom has written extensively on women in management. I appreciate her writing: it keeps her and Charmaine out of Nordstroms...

Here is a speech she gave some 20 years ago -- it seems that mom was on the cutting edge.

Note her use of 'alliances' used by managers to get things done. Your Business Blogger(R) was using the term "networks." Bill Oncken uses "support" both as a verb and as an adjective describing 'system' in his "molecule of management."

Dr. Crouse has the better word, I believe.

The Managerial Woman
SETTLING IN, BRANCHING OUT, MOVING UP

By JANICE SHAW CROUSE, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs,
Taylor University

Delivered to the Career Women’s Council, Marion, Indiana, August 19, 1986

It is with a tremendous amount of gratitude and to be honest just a few pinches of regret that I stand here today and officially close the first year of the Marion-Grant County Career Women’s Council. I hope that you all share in the sense of satisfaction at what has been accomplished this year. There is a summary of the year’s activities at your place setting. Here you see the joint product of the hard work of this year’s officers and committee chairs as they worked to launch this organization and to plan challenging and interesting programs. I am proud of the growth and development that has occurred in our founding year and I know that you join me in expressing appreciation to each person who made this year such a success. Further, I look forward to the coming year since I know that the new officers whom we installed today are well-qualified and the plans which they have already begun laying out for next year are exciting. I look forward to seeing the continuing progress and growth which is sure to come under their leadership....

Continue Reading »

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UPDATE: School Officials direct student (our Diva!) to remove Pro-Life T-shirt. DEVELOPING...



The Penta-Posse L to R: Baby-Boo, The Dancer,
The Diva, The Dude, The Dreamer
The Roe Effect Today is the Sixth Annual National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day.

The bright blue t-shirt shows a baby growing and growing then black -- nothing. So simple even school age children understand what abortion does.

So compelling that even the teen-aged Dreamer donned the shirt.

Our five wee-ones will be wearing the garment-billboard today at school and around town.

Here comes trouble.

Our public school system is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democratic party, Planned Parenthood and the teachers' union.

(The only debate allowed is who would be better for the country, Obama or Hillary. And how awful Ronald Reagan governed and when global warming will kill us all. War is not the answer, etc and etc...)

National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day So our city is our mission field.

The schools will not be happy to see Pro-Life T-Shirts. We will be setting up a legal defense fund when the sheriff comes a-calling. Details to follow.

The American Life League sponsors the annual trouble-making event. The legal eagles at the ALL non-profit have provided a helpful handout for the students if they are confronted with the intolerant abortion lovers.

Free Speech in the public schools? We'll see.

Growing, Growing...Gone Pro-Lifers are the new Progressives.

Thank you (foot)notes:

UPDATE: It took 8 minutes before one of the Penta-Posse principals called -- comparing abortion to the disruption of "liquor, cigarettes or guns..." The school is really unhappy with the Pro-Life T-shirt. Your Business Blogger(R) was most polite. DEVELOPING...

UPDATE: The school leadership has made The Diva turn her shirt inside out -- Charmaine found out and lost her sense of humor -- the t-shirt is right side out, we think. A school official asks The Diva, "What will you say when the kindergarteners ask about your t-shirt?" The Diva doesn't miss a beat, "That doctors kill babies..."

The Diva hits the mark.

From the American Life League,

Harassment

The Diva protesting at the Afghan Embassy, 2006
She is no stranger to controversyIf you are a student at a public school, you have a right to wear a pro-life shirt to school. Our experience is that most young people who wear a pro-life shirt to school on National Pro-life T-shirt day do not have any problems. Occasionally a misguided school official may ask you to remove the shirt. This is a violation of your rights.

Read more at the jump from the good-guys at the ALL.

The Diva making phone calls for Mike
at the Huckabee for President headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa
Video Credit: The Dreamer

Continue Reading »

Posted at 7:20 AM | Permalink
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Governor Huckabee and Charmaine
In the background, Princella Smith and our Diva-girl Watching the Huckabee concession speech and leaving the race Tuesday night made for an emotional evening in the Yoest household.

Charmaine sent short emails to the Huckabee team -- their responses were each measured and even-tempered, almost upbeat, having fought the good fight.

Today's Washington Update, from FRCAction notes:

Despite his exit, no one can deny how influential Mike Huckabee was in championing values issues in this crucial race. While yesterday was clearly a victory for McCain, the Arizona senator acknowledged that his work is just beginning.


To succeed in his bid for the White House, McCain must consolidate his support among conservatives, including social conservatives, which will not happen just because he is the Republican nominee.


In the wake of the Republican scandals that began to surface in 2006 and the failure to advance most of the social conservative agenda, unqualified support for the GOP has diminished.

David Huckabee and Charmaine

A poll released last month by George Barna revealed that if the election were held then, only 45 percent of Evangelicals would vote for a Republican candidate.


That number is down from 85 percent of Evangelicals who voted for George W. Bush in 2004.


John McCain will have to convince social conservatives that their issues matter and that he can talk about them as a candidate and act upon them as president.

Conservatives/evangelicals still have questions about McCain's stand on the major issues of family values, immigration, campaign finance and women in combat. But McCain is our guy.

Obama-Clinton is not.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Read Mike and Janet Huckabee's email at the jump.

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Posted at 7:24 PM | Permalink
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Before beginning a dissertation, you have to put together a committee to review your work. Three of the members come from your own department; one must be from an outside department. There's not a whole lot of benefit to faculty members in serving on dissertation committees. It mostly represents extra work. This is quadruply true for the outside reader. Why take on the reading, reviewing, advising for a student who isn't even in your department?

With this knowledge that the benefit would be entirely on my side of the equation in mind, I approached the door of Steve Nock a few years ago to ask him to serve as my outside reader. I remember the apprehension I felt: while universally acknowledged to be a friendly, nice person, Steve was also a highly-regarded scholar with a national reputation for his writing on family issues from a sociological perspective. He had also managed to champion marriage and family in his research and writing -- even defending "covenant marriage" -- while maintaining his reputation within the liberal academic establishment. A not inconsiderable feat.

Exactly the person I would most like to have on my committee as the outside reader. Hence the butterflies in my stomach as I knocked on his door.

I still remember the warmth and friendliness he greeted me with, instantly setting me at ease. He expressed interest in my research project and, much to my relief, agreed to serve on the committee.

An outside reader isn't really obligated to do much on a committee -- as long as they show up at the defense and ask a few cogent questions to demonstrate having actually read the dissertation. Steve, however, gave me the benefit of real input and advice as the project went forward. He read early drafts and critiqued my research methodology very thoroughly.

At his memorial service this past Saturday, all these thoughts were going through my mind. Of the great contribution he made to my professional development. Of his great graciousness to me, going above and beyond what he was obligated to offer.

But most of all, what drew us to drive to Charlottesville on such a sad trek was to pay tribute to Steve Nock, the man.

He died suddenly last week of complications from diabetes -- he was only 57. Long-term he had struggled with his health in ways I was only marginally aware. Several people mentioned this quality about him at the service: he lived a life of such joy and enthusiasm that very few people outside his family knew of his health challenges.

What a wonderful way to be remembered -- as a person who spread joy and made others around him happy. Certainly Steve's many articles and books create an important intellectual legacy. But what those of us who were fortunate enough to have known Steve Nock will really remember about him was his wonderful smile. . . and that he shared it so readily.

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Huckabee is surging. Watch why. From The Washington Briefing, hosted by the Family Research Council.

And be sure to support your favorite candidate. Your Business Blogger will soon be a-sporting bumper stickers.

Alert Reader PB writes,

I am a graduate student at the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University. I am doing a research project on the effectiveness of the bumper sticker in political campaigns. You have a note on your blog from last year that says research shows that a bumper sticker can be worth $250 to a candidate. Can you please direct me to this research. I would truly appreciate your assistance as I have not found anything this specific in the literature. Thank you so much

The Alert Reader is referring to Steele for Senator and the Roe Effect, from November, 2006,

After an evening of lit drops, the Penta-Posse poses for their candidate, Michael Steele for Senator for Maryland.

Research shows that a bumper sticker has an in-kind equivalent value of $250 to the political candidate. Smart campaigners will also put the bumper sticker on the driver's side front bumper to greet on-coming traffic.

The Roe-Effect will take effect sooner or later.

Our Iowa grad student is correct: the research/data is difficult to uncover. I use the $250 amount from memory of a lecture I heard somewhere. But I have no solid citation other than from Matt Lewis & The News, writing Congressman Says Bumper Sticker = $250 and good friend Todd Zywicki at The Volokh Conspiracy with A Curious Claim:

Senator George Allen routinely reminds us that a bumper sticker is worth $200 in free advertising or $300 if on a pick-up truck or S.U.V.

But as Charmaine reminds me, I must always cite a source -- even on the blog.

If another Alert Reader can email me a citation, we will send you a copy of Charmaine's book Mother in the Middle...with Bill Maher's finger prints.

Bill Maher, Politically Incorrect

Thank you (foot)notes:

Tomorrow, the first of December, Your Business Blogger and the Penta-Posse will be putting Charmaine on a plane to Little Rock.

And check out Alert Reader Patti Brown's well researched work on political advertising.

Posted at 3:24 PM | Permalink
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Your Business Blogger and me
running the Richmond Marathon We are training for our third marathon. And this year The Dreamer will be able to join us.

She has done a triathlon, so she knows training and preparation and, well, pain, I think. A child's pain, is always more painful to parent than child.

Which makes this marathon doubly painful. I got mine. I got hers.

Jack is a pain...sometimes. And sometimes not.

So we have the hurts and the runners' high at the same time. Highs and Lows. Contradictions.

Except I'm not sure just how much pain she's in. The Dreamer has not been running for a decade yet. (One track coach said she had natural talent. The only thing her parents could do was mess her up...) At the track, she laps her parents with ease.

So we don't really know her pain level, but we do know ours. And knowing the pain will be a-coming, the hardest part is getting started. We are using the Jeff Galloway training program and he has advice for GETTING STARTED,

Those who run for 20 years or more tend to have the following things in common:

They enjoy most of the miles of almost every run.

They take extra days off from running to recover from aches, pains and burnout.

They don't let goals (and training schedules) interfere with running enjoyment.

Or any of life's enjoyments. With all of its contradictions:

Life is solidary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

And,

Life is Good.

On our New Balance we've had more of the latter than the former.

Thank you (foot)notes:

This is an unpaid advertisement/endorsement - From Running Getting Started by Jeff Galloway.

Nasty, Brutish and Short is not a law firm. But there is a very good blog Nasty, Brutish & Short, Penned by legal counsel, of course. Jack and I share a passion for ellipitcals with the lawyer at NBS. Both the trainers and reasoning, I guess.

Continue Reading »

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Today, 27 July, marks the end of the live fire hostilities of the Korean War. Flags are to be flown at half-staff until sunset.

The Korean War began on 25 June 1950 when North Korean attacked South Korea.

And ended in a stalemate.

And a lesson. During the negotiations, the UN forces in US Army jeeps would drive the delegates under a flag of truce to the North Koreans.

The flag of truce was flying from the front fenders -- it was, of course, a white flag.

The white flag was reported by the Communists as a flag of surrender. A tremendous propaganda victory. It took the UN Forces a few days to catch on to the 'misinterpretation' that gave aid and comfort to the enemy.

Which is what will happen today if liberal Democrats have their way and retreat and withdraw from our current war in Iran. It will not be 'misinterpreted.'

It will be more than a white flag. It will not be a stalemate. It will be a surrender.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Your Business Blogger's father fought in the Korean War.

The citation reads, in part,

Pearl Harbor, March 20 [1951]...Boatswain's Mate Yoest received this medal for, "meritorious service as a member of a motor whale boat crew on board the USS CONSERVER, a rescue and salvage vessel, during the sinking of an allied mine sweeper in densely mined areas, subjected to enemy gun fire off Wonsan, Korea on 17 October 1950. He volunteered and took his boat on two successful trips at great personal risk, into the mined areas to rescue survivors, thereby minimizing the loss of life and contributing to the successful clearance of mine free channels and anchorage off Wonsan...

Chief Yoest now rests in Arlington National Cemetery.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 7:51 AM | Permalink
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Boo, The Diva and The Dancer
with Your Business Blogger's
Mao Man Bag (for diapers) I asked the woman why she wanted to work for us.

"The Terrorists are trying to kill me."

I knew this was not to be an ordinary job interview.

Charmaine and I were hiring a housekeeper in the early 90's, and Mrs. C was referred to us, because she was well qualified. She used to own a day-care business.

In Peru.

And her husband was a manager for a manufacturer for a US based company. The rebel communists, the Sendero Luminoso -- or Shining Path -- had picked up the local company organization chart and began picking off the managers in quick order.

A well executed plan.

Like a good org chart shaped like a pyramid, the terrorists started at the bottom and were working their way up the corporate ladder fast.

The hierarchy of the career path was easy to follow for the Shining Path. The communists are nothing if not consistent. Just as they were in Stalin's day, the communist's were executing the managers, killing their way up the org chart.

Mr. C thoughtfully decided to leave the company, wanting to spend more time with the family...in another country.

So Mrs. C packed up her two girls and hubby and moved to America and was given earned asylum. I admired her resilience. Her ingenuity. Her gumption.

Her green card.

Filled with compassion, as is my nature, I hired her and her valid status.

We learned a bit about Peru and the kind of terrorism that kills immediately and immediate family. The terrorists, with the accent on the last syllable. We learned that the people of Peru loved freedom, hated communism.

Cameron Diaz
with Mao bag in PeruSo we were surprised that the well-briefed commie babe Cameron Diaz would go to Machu Picchu, Peru with her trendy, yet practical, Mao Bag with bold Red Star and well-placed slogan Serve the People in the ever- popular military drab olive green.

Peruvians did not appreciate her "style."

The nation of Peru is still healing from the almost 70,000 murdered by the Shining Path. Not quite the head count of Stalin or Mao, but still a not-too-shabby benchmark in the Commie Accounting.

Cameron Diaz did apologize for her thoughtlessness.

But it is not just the thoughtless commies in Hollywood who are insulting the people of Peru. Our very own (elected) commies Democrats in Congress are insulting Peru.

Democrats are insulting the government of Peru by modifying trade deals. Not content with attempting to run our lives here in the States, the Dems are micro-managing in Peru. And are screwing up a good trade deal.

But Your Business Blogger wants to assure our friends in Peru that the American People are not represented (so to say) by the Democrats in our Congress. That our government really wants free trade and free people to do business.

So we put The Dreamer, our first born, on Copa Airlines this morning out of Dulles Airport with a suitcase full of new shoes for children in Lima.

The Peruvians fought communism and are now fighting Democrats, the least we can do is support these freedom fighters.

The Dreamer, being brighter than Cameron Diaz, did not take her Mao bag to Peru. She is taking our good will and a big heart and a suitcase full of shoes.

To make a difference one child to one child.

The Penta-Posse minus The Dreamer
at a Potomac Nationals minor league game in
Northern Virginia. We won beating the Salem Avalanche,
farm team for the Houston Astros.

Thank you (foot)notes:

The Dreamer blogs at A Different Kind of Drama. Visit for another shot of the Mao bag.

Last year, when our church went to share Jesus with the people of Peru, they found many children arriving to Bible studies in bare feet. . . this year, our group from McLean Bible Church will arrive with over 500 pairs of shoes so that they can practice "Feet-First" evangelism.

Your Business Blogger bought the Mao bag on a trip to China. It was, I believe the only item in the entire country that was not violating American intellectual property.

Continue Reading »

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Happy Fourth of July! Your Business Blogger is a Flag Waver. And got college course credit for the effort.

One of my Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) responsibilities was as a member of the Color Guard. Our job was to present the colors at various functions on various holidays. For the singing of the National Anthem or the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Rather patriotic displays.

This morning the Penta-Posse carried The Flag on their bikes in the local Fourth of July parade in our neighborhood.

Fire trucks, police motorcycles, pancakes.

Because he had the biggest flag, The Dude got to lead the parade. And we look forward to the fireworks tonight.

Pure emotion. Respect. And celebration for the American Revolution.

The American Experiment.

Your Business Blogger with the flag of the
Commonwealth of Virginia Kevin Emdee, on left with weapon would later be in my wedding. He attended without the M-14.

Yes, the state standard is not vertical. The photographer insisted that I move the flag as to not obscure my visage.

I readily complied to his reasonable request.

And breaking protocol for a greater good.

Happy Independence Day! From Your (insufferable) Business Blogger.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Listen to Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance. Credit to Bob Miller via John Howland.

I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG,

OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS,

ONE NATION UNDER GOD,

INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY

AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

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Every misstep captured will by the camera,
or today, YouTube The Dude was having a challenge getting the moves right for his team. -- everyone noticed and criticized. He was a bit depressed.

So Your (compassionate) Business Blogger offered gentle counsel, "Don't worry about it son. It will get worse..."

The Dude was not amused.

To paraphrase General Douglas MacArthur, what counts is the Team, the Team, the Team.

No matter our individual contribution, the only thing that counts is that the team wins.

To make the boy feel better, I show him how Your Business Blogger got the snot kicked out of him in high school. Which the camera caught. Of course.

The Dude wonders, So why is it they will take pictures of the losers and not the team?

Losers? This is not going quite the way I planned. Father/son lectures seldom do. I soldier on, "Well, son, no matter how well the team does an individual can still screw up -- remember, if it bleeds..."

"...It leads." The Dude is a fast learner.

The moral of the story: When fighting in the arena -- sports or ideas -- all eyes watch your every move. And in the end, there is no substitute for victory.

Charmaine Cheering Whatever the camera caught during the game, I still got the prettiest girl after.

Hey Dude, sometimes things do work out in the end.

Thank you (foot)notes:

My game mentioned above and the girl-getting were years apart. I was having enough trouble explaining the story to The Dude without this minor detail.

General Douglas MacArthur's Farewell Speech at the jump, and his love for the Corps, the Corps, the Corps.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 10:53 PM | Permalink
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I have had a horrific number of strike outs, on and off the field. And it hurts.

But, only one thing hurts more.

To watch your boy strike out.

The Dude was playing for the Yankees, the local little league. Saturday before last, his team was in the District playoffs for the championship. Charmaine and I and the Penta-posse were all in attendance.

Please forgive the day in the life reflection, but we have always thought that life should not be too easy for kids -- that anything worth having has a fence around it. (Like a base ball diamond.) And they should learn to deal with overcoming obstacles.

So we are forever designing small age-appropriate challenges to stretch the young ones thinking, reasoning, and physical dexterity.

Alert Readers will remember that we allow our children restricted use of power tools to teach self-reliance. And to get some work done around here.

I wanted start early and teach our infant children about the harsh world outside their cribs... by placing barbed wire along the top rail. Charmaine did not think this amusing.

The Dude swings for the fences So The Dude had struck out.

But like most things in life, it was not his last time at bat. He had another chance.

He came to the plate and confidently stood his ground in the batter's box. Faced the pitch.

And swung and hit. Sending the ball over the fence ending the game.

A home run.

There is nothing better to have your son beat you at your own game.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Credit to Don Suber for citation for Rick Lee Photo.

See Rich Galen's similar experience of having a son surpass.

Full Disclosure: No barbed wire is used in our Management Training classes. Unless requested.

Posted at 10:24 PM | Permalink
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A post from last year and the year before by Charmaine.

Every time we've made the left turn onto Eisenhower Drive, and passed through the imposing brick gates of Arlington National Cemetery, I've been overwhelmed with emotion. Family members of those buried at Arlington National Cemetery are given a special pass and may drive onto the Hallowed Grounds to visit the grave of their loved one. It's an enormous honor which makes me feel humbled.

The Penta-Posse
at Arlington National Cemetery

My husband's father served thirty years in the United States Navy, and died the year I married into the family, so I didn't know him well. And the fact is, after a lifetime of nine-month Mediterranean tours, wars, and rumors of war, there is a lot my husband doesn't know as well.

However, over the 15 years that we've been married, I have gotten to know my mother-in-law well. She doesn't talk either about the sacrifices she made, but there is one story that she has told me several times.

Once, when my father-in-law was out on tour, and she was home with three small children, the car broke down and, of course, she had to take care of it. My husband marched up and said, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll fix it." He was about five years old at the time.

My mother-in-law laughs. . . the little man, takin' care of things. But it makes me cry.

We owe a lot to our military families.

When we visited Arlington this past week, we passed at least three funeral ceremonies on the way to Section 64. I lost track of the fresh graves and the still-standing tents, either just vacated by other grieving families, or awaiting the afternoon's fresh, raw sorrow.

As we pulled up on Bradley Avenue, an Air Force honor guard was marching precisely back to their bus after a ceremony for an airman who had been a POW in Korea. While we searched for my father-in-law's headstone, an empty horse-drawn caisson lumbered past, and settled briefly in the shade nearby, awaiting their next assignment. . .

We found my father-in-law's headstone: The front has the Christian Cross with the old Chief's Curriculum Vita. Chief Yoest cut high school to catch World War II. He retired with rows of ribbons and a "v" device, and pinned butterbars on his boy. He now has a grandson, The Dude, who bears his name and wants to be a Navy pilot.

The reverse of the stone is blank, awaiting the inscripton for Chief Yoest's high school sweetheart, his wife, Jack's mom, "Babcia" (Polish for Grandmother), who is still with us. In the end, they will be buried together, an honor she earned.

As we turned to go, the Diva took her jingle-bell necklace from around her neck, and left it on the headstone. A fitting tribute for a warrior.



Sailors, rest your oars.

We drove back down Bradley Avenue -- past a fresh grave covered by a tarp. In front of us, sparkling in the bright sunlight of a gorgeous day, stretched row after row of white marble markers, orderly, peaceful, some weathered, others new and crisply chiseled . . .

I turned to the Penta-Posse. "I want you to look," I said. "I want you to understand, that each one of these headstones represents someone who gave their life so that you could be free."

They were quiet and solemn. The weight of it is beyond measure.

The Dreamer said, "Don't cry, Mom."

We made the right turn onto Eisenhower. We drove slowly toward the exit, passing the drive to the Tomb of the Unknowns to our left, until we came to a crosswalk thronged with tourists. The guard on duty motioned to the crowd to stop, and we drove through, passing through the gates, back to a busy day, leaving behind -- the curious crowds, the chattering school children. . . and the silent stones.

More on Arlington National Cemetery at the jump.

Memorial Day fine time to visit historical sites.

Other Memorial Day Links from years past:
Blackfive with "Opening the Gates of Heaven."
Intel Dump

Marine Corps Moms

LaShawn Barber's Corner

See Traffic Jam

Jo's Cafe has Specials.

Mudville Gazette has Open Post.

Michelle Malkin has Memorial Day Links.

Wiz Bang has links.

LaShawn has tributes.

California Conservative has Memorial Day Tribute.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 10:20 AM | Permalink
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Five Days in May: The loss of the USS Scorpion.

By Jack Yoest

Yolanda Mazzuchi was about the prettiest girl in our school class. Our dads were in the Navy, often gone for months at a time. And they would be welcomed home at dockside with cheers and homemade signs. These

USS Scorpion gatherings at the D&S Piers at the Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia, were a regular part of our lives growing up. Families often took children out of school to celebrate a ship's homecoming.

At 1 in the afternoon on Monday, May 27, 1968, at the height of the Cold War the USS Scorpion was due in port.

Yolanda didn't know it then, but her dad was already dead.

The families gathered on Pier 22 and huddled together in the wind and rain. And looked out over the storm, over white-capped waves.

They waited for the USS Scorpion without any word for five days.

Women for millennia have waited by the sea for their men to return. In bygone eras, a hand-railed walkway was built along the rooftop of sailors' homes. So that the wives and mothers, and daughters and sons could look out for returning ships. Sometimes the boats didn't come back. But the women and children would still watch and pray and hope.

In those days, like Penelope, they often waited for months, even decades.

Frank Patsy Mazzuchi, QMSC, a senior chief quartermaster, was looking for a berth teaching at nearby Fort Eustis. The chief and his Navy wife traveled to the Pentagon to work out a deal on his next duty station. The Navy assignment desk persuaded Chief Mazzuchi to take a last submarine tour in the Mediterranean.

The senior, experienced chief was needed on the USS Scorpion: A capstone to his career before retiring. He would make the last voyage. Then shore duty with normal hours, normal life. Instead, the capstone became a headstone.

The submarine "silent service" is an elite, intimate sea-duty. The Scorpion was not a big vessel for her day with 99 men in tight quarters. She was 31-feet wide, powered by a nuclear reactor and armed with two nuclear-tipped torpedoes.

The Scorpion carried Russian-speaking experts for espionage to fight Soviet subs in the Cold War. The Scorpion had just finished its three-month deployment in the Med and was headed home when new orders arrived. The nuclear sub was diverted from its trip home to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa for a spying mission on Soviet ships.

A high-speed run to the Soviet fleet. Then silence. It is believed that an accidental internal explosion doomed the boat. Questions remain on maintenance.

Without closure.

She was overdue in Norfolk on 27 May and probably sank on 22 May. The Navy declared the sub "presumed lost" on 2 June, 1968.

Finally, in October of that year, the Scorpion's final resting place was discovered some two miles beneath the surface, west of the Azores. The sub became a coffin to the 99. She will not be raised.

Yolanda says, "Before he left, we had a big argument and I told him that I wished he would go to sea and never come back."

And he never did. Those departing words haunted her for years. "It took a very long time to get over that remark," she says.

Her son, the grandson Chief Mazzuchi never saw, joined the Navy. He serves now on the USS Washington in the Caribbean. And doesn't write as often as he should.

But Yolanda has already forgiven him. As she is sure her father had forgiven her for a little girl's thoughtless final words.

She says, "In fact, it was not until my children became teenagers that I understood that my father forgave me as quickly as I said it."

Forgiveness and loss; sorrow and hope and sacrifice. Even today, the Cold War long past, the warriors remain on eternal patrol and the Widow's Walk continues on Navy Pier. Tracing the steps of those who waited in vain for five days in May, so many years ago.

Penelope and Telemachus, awaiting the return of Odysseus.

Jack Yoest, is president of Management Training of DC, LLC and a former Army Captain. His father served on the submarine Bonefish in WWII and in the Navy for 30 years.

Thank you (foot)notes:

The article originally appeared in National Review Online.

See USS Bonefish, Lost June 18, 1945 originally published in the Virginian Pilot.

USS Scorpion (SSN 589)

Spectre of the Scorpion

Local author exposes Cold War cover-up And see the correction.

Silent Steel: The Mysterious Death of the Nuclear Attack Sub USS Scorpion

John Howland has advice at the jump.

Continue Reading »

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Jamie Allman Your Business Blogger will be interviewed on the Fox radio affiliate in St. Louis, Missouri. Host Jamie Allman would like to talk about my experience as a "member" of the White House press corps at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

But it wasn't my first experience with the, well, habits of the White House press corp.

White Press Corps
Reserved Seating
Your Business Blogger
took the sign and
took a seat Charmaine and I were dating during her tenure in Reagan administration. She would often take me back to the White House press briefing room (built over Franklin Roosevelt's swimming pool) to fetch a press release or some such.

I expected the press room to be as immaculate and awe-inspiring and dignified as the rest of the rooms at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

But no.

The place was a dump. Yes, the podium and backdrop were spotless. But that was it. Trash was everywhere, waste cans overflowing. Cables, equipment and crumbs underfoot. I thought that the cleaning service was lax. (In the White House?) But no, they all, from Dan Rather on down lived in the squalor. The cleaning crew could barely keep up with the waste-management.

Those guys didn't pick up after themselves.

They made a mess and depended upon others to clean up after them.

Things haven't changed much from the 80's. Which is why people read blogs today...

Hit time is Thursday 19 April at 7:45 CST – 8:45 am my time here in Eastern.

If you live around St. Louis, tune in and let us know what you think. If you are outside the area, not to worry:

Launch the Live Stream.

Join up and listen up. I did.

White House
Press Pass Credentials And learn what the White House press corps will never do.

White House Press, on left
covering President Bush
at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

Thank you (foot)notes:

Host Jamie Allman is a 14 time Emmy winning and five time Edward R. Murrow winning TV reporter in St. Louis.

Posted at 10:26 PM | Permalink
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Charmaine, Your Business Blogger
Penta-Posse at the Grand Canyon
Easter 2005 In this political season, every Presidential Candidate will be in church on Easter.

A photo op, if nothing else.

Two Easters back we traveled west on business and celebrated Easter in Arizona.

Your Business Blogger had the Family celebrate our Faith with tax supported Freedom at the government owned and operated Grand Canyon.

I remember asking the officiating pastor at Sunrise Service if liberals were attempting to shut down the event at Mather Point. Church/State and all that.

He said, "We've been having [Easter sunrise service] for decades. No one has bothered us." Preaching on public land. Imagine.

Alert the (main stream) media. Call the ACLU.

The sponsoring church secures the permit and 1,600 people show up well before dawn. To watch the sun rise.

Which makes for the perfect photo op.

Be sure to visit Pro-Life News. To see this Faith in action.

Pro-Life News TV

See the press release at the jump.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: Peter Shinn at Pro-Life News TV is the tech-guru for Your Business Blogger.

Easter at the Grand Canyon? Maybe not necessary...Finding God in a Technical Memo.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 9:17 AM | Permalink
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The President and Charmaine During this political season, politicians are noisely claiming the philosophy of The Great Communicator.

And that's just the Democrats...

On April 18, 1986 Ronald Reagan outlined his bedrock principles on how government should work. This is the measure of Reagan the president. And should be the measure of any conservative aiming for the White House.

(For conservatives only. As liberals lack principles, they are most welcome to borrow ours.)

One. Federalism is rooted in our knowledge that our political liberties are best assured by limiting the size and scope pf the national government.

Two. The people of the United States created the national government when they delegated to it those enumerated governmental powers relating to matters beyond the competence of the individual States. All other sovereign powers, save those expressly prohibited the States by the Constitution, are reserved to the States or to the people.

Three. The Constitutional relationship among sovereign governments, State and National, is formalized in and protected by the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.

Four. The people of the States are free, subject only to restrictions in the Constitution itself or in constitutionally authorized Acts of Congress, to define the moral, political, and legal character of their lives.

Five. In most areas of governmental concern, State and local governments uniquely posses the constitutional authority, the resources, and the competence to discern the sentiments of the people and to govern accordingly. In Jefferson's words, the States are the most competent administrations for our domestic concerns and the surest bulwarks against anti-republican tendencies.

(Liberals being anti-Republican -- Your Business Blogger.)

Six. The nature of our constitutional system encourages a healthy diversity in the public policies adopted by the people of the several States according to their own conditions, needs, and desires. in the search for enlightened public policy, individual States and communities are free to experiment with a variety of approaches to political issues.

Seven. Acts of the national government -- whether legislative, executive, or judicial in nature -- that exceed the enumerated powers of that government under the Constitution violate the principle of federalism established by the Founders.

Eight. Policies of the national government should recognize the responsibility of -- and should encourage opportunities for -- individuals, families, neighborhoods, local governments, and private associations to achieve their personal, social, and economic objectives through cooperative effort.

Nine. In the absence of a clear constitutional or statutory authority, the presumption of sovereignty should rest with the individual States. Uncertainties regarding the legitimate authority of the national government should be resolved against regulation at the national level.

Ten. These principles should guide the departments and agencies of the national government in the formulation and implementation of policies and regulations.

Ronald Reagan and Charmaine

Thank you (foot)notes:

Thank you to the editors of The Insider, Winter 2007, The Heritage Foundation.

Posted at 10:27 AM | Permalink
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How Abortion Harms Women
Princeton University Charmaine and Your Business Blogger will be a-traveling with the Penta-Posse (minus The Dreamer at crew camp) to Princeton University over the spring break.

Charmaine will be giving a talk on abortion/women/work/life. Alert Readers will remember that she used to teach a course The Family and Politics at The University of Virginia.

From the Princeton Campus Announcements,

Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.

A lecture titled "How Abortion Harms Women" is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, in 16 Robertson Hall.

The talk will be delivered by Charmaine Yoest, [Ph.D.] vice president for communications at the Family Research Council, a nonprofit lobbying organization that promotes socially conservative views.

Yoest also is project director of the Family, Gender and Tenure Project at the University of Virginia, a nationwide study focused on parental leave policy.

She is the author (with Deborah Shaw Lewis) of "Mother in the Middle" and is working on a new book, "A G.I. Bill for Moms: Mothers, the Market and the American Way."

The talk is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.

The event is free and is open to the public. Come by and join us and let us know what you think.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Special thank you to Andy McCarthy at The Corner at NRO for "How Abortion Harms Women" -- a forum sponsored ... by Princeton! Andy says that he has,

...duked it out before (in an exchange at Commentary on international law) with Anne-Marie Slaughter, the Dean at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. She is, though, a fair-minded liberal in the great but dying academic tradition of allowing all thoughtful voices — including, yes, conservative voices — to be heard on campus.

Thank you also to Tiger Hawk for the announcement and poster pic.

See also Princeton to allow Charmaine Yoest to speak about abortion! at RealChoice: The reality of "choice" in America. In a breathtaking, courageous example of fostering real diversity of thought...

And note Abortion foe to lecture at Princeton University from The Princeton Packet.

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"What about the baby?" asked The Dreamer.

Charmaine and our first born, The Dreamer, ventured to an academic venue to answer "What is Feminism?"

Charmaine was joined on the panel by Carrie Lukas, from the Independent Women's Forum.

The Dreamer was aghast at the harsh feminist literature on abortion.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: Charmaine served as an Advisor to the Independent Women's Forum.

Continue Reading »

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Ronald Reagan
addressed the 1984
NRB Convention Charmaine and The Diva flew south to Orlando, Florida this morning for the annual NRB convention and exposition. Charmaine's team will be manning the Family Research Council's trade show booth.

President Bush at a previous
NRB convention
Reagan and Bush appreciated the NRB. And so, it seems, some of the current (GOP!) presidential candidates also appreciate the gathering of Jesus-loving media professionals. Charmaine is scheduled to link up with Mitt Romney on Sunday and John McCain on Monday. She'll do updates here and at the FRCBlog.

If you are anywhere near Orlando or at the convention -- go visit the FRC booth!

Thank you (foot)notes:

See 7 Steps in Making Money at Trade Shows
Which answers the following issues for trade show attendance:
Why are we here?
Get professional help.
Logical Logistics.
Center of Attention.
Propaganda.
Follow Up.
Return on Investment.
I am an enthusiast for Trade Shows. But remember, the purpose is to sell.

See Charmaine at last year's convention Lawyers and Good Books for the Middle Kingdom.
Blogging from NRB: Calm Before the Storm.

Is John McCain Courting the Religious Right?

Charmaine Debates the Mitt Romney Presidential Bid on FOX

Continue Reading »

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Charmaine appeared on C-SPAN's Saturday Journal opposite Jodi Longo from the Blame-America-First-communists at Amnesty International USA. This was taped about a hundred years ago, back in the days of Fax Machines and horse cavalry -- see a much younger Charmaine in action.

Timothy Leary
1920 to 1996 The segment starts with a remembrance of Timothy Leary. Timothy (never "Tim") Leary died in 1996. He's best remembered for the phrase "Turn on, tune in, drop out."

And nothing else.

The debate continues with the news that the PG County school supervisor thinks that "it is in the best interests of the children" to disinvite Justice Clarence Thomas to speak to the predominately black school district. A decade later, PG County schools still stink have the lowest test scores and highest rates of violence than any county in America. PG County is located near DC in bluestate Maryland. We lived there and moved away to Virginia. Fast. As most people are.


Mother in the Middle
Searching for Peace
in the Mommy Wars
published by HarperCollins There is an extended debate on Hillary Rodham (!) Clinton and working women. As usual, Charmaine's predictions have come true.

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Cybercast News ServiceA new book Homeland Insecurity... American Children at Risk says yes.

I think not. Red States are better than Blue States. Permit me one anecdotal statistic. Your Business Blogger packed up kith and kin and moved from the blue, communist "Free State" of Maryland and headed south, back to our beloved "Old Dominion." (Home of the University of Virginia and George Mason.)

My car insurance instantly dropped 30%. My personal property insurance dropped.

So I asked USAA Insurance why the huge savings by my merely moving a few dozen miles.

Short answer: Lower risk.

Seems that Maryland is full of terrible drivers and home invaders, criminals and crappy schools. Insurance companies assess rates accordingly.

A citizen is more apt to be a victim of a car wreck or have his home burned down and personal property stolen living in Maryland. My former county in Maryland had horrific public tax-supported education, forcing the Penta-Posse into private alternatives.

A citizen is safer in Virginia. The (apolitical) (profit-motivated) insurance market proves it.

And coincidentally, Virginia is aggressive with criminals. The Commonwealth of Virginia is prompt in emptying death row with Dead Men Walking. Maryland is more "compassionate" with crooks walking...or running for office. Murderers get a pass in Maryland. Murders are executed in Virginia.

So I moved to Virginia. Safer.

Tom McMahon And I'm not the only one. Tom McMahon originally pointed us to the United Van Lines Migration Study showing what states people move out of and into,

Maryland ... continued its 15-year outbound tradition... the United Van Lines study, through the years, has been shown to accurately reflect the general migration patterns in various regions of the country... real estate firms, financial institutions, and other observers of relocation trends regularly use the United data in their business planning and analysis activities.

The only thing United Van Lines gets wrong are the colors. "Inbound" states should be red; "outbound" blue.

Which, as Alert Readers have noted, align with blue state/red state political leanings.

Business and citizens understand the market and benefits and safety of red states.

But not liberal elites. Like Michael Petit.

Monisha Bansal, a CNSNews.com Staff Writer writes in Children More at Risk in Red States, Book Claims,

(CNSNews.com) - A family group voiced deep skepticism Thursday about a new book charging that children in Republican-leaning states are at greater risk than their peers elsewhere because of conservative policies.

Based on that measure, he said, nine of the top 10 states with "the best outcomes for children today" are the Democratic voting blue states of Wisconsin, New Jersey, Washington, Minnesota, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire, with Iowa being the sole red (or Republican voting) state in the group.

Reasoned, seasoned voices challenge the claim. My favorite political scientist is quoted,

Charmaine Yoest, vice president of communications for the Family Research Council, said she was "really skeptical" of Petit's findings....

"The overwhelming evidence has proven that the two-parent family - a mom and a dad, committed for life and caring for kids - provides the best outcomes for children," Yoest said.

Charmaine, as usual, gets it right.

Thank you (foot)notes:

My endorsement of USAA insurance is unpaid.

Full Disclosure: Your Business Blogger served Jim Gilmore, former governor of Virginia. Whenever the courts sentenced death in a capital punishment case, Gilmore always, "Declined to intervene." Virginia has good courts, too.

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Academics disdain "the shouting shows" as they call them. Dismissing the rapid fire debate of the 8-second sound bite. University professors sniff at ordinary talk shows.

Until they are asked.

Then the professors instantly love the glare of blinding lights and lust for a producer's call.

These days, even the academy is interested in the power of mass marketing through the mass media. As the best channel of distribution to sell ideas and to sell books.

Bill Mahr holding up
Charmaine's book on
Politically IncorrectHere's a back story on Charmaine.

The University of Virginia school newspaper did a very nice piece on Charmaine a few years ago.

Some might call it a 'puff piece.' But Your Business Blogger only saw it as journalism that finally got it right and lurched into the truth.

Yoest makes appearances on talk shows

by Laura Schmoyer, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

While perusing her research in Alderman Cafe on Wednesday, Charmaine Yoest is interrupted by her cell phone. It's the producer of CNN's "Greenfield at Large," and she wants Yoest to appear on the show that night to discuss the current state of American patriotism.

"Producers call me at random times and if I don't take the call, then I might lose the chance to be on the show," the young, bright-eyed Ph.D. candidate said.

[Charmaine has since earned her doctorate.]

Yoest, a Bradley fellow in the department of government and foreign affairs, is accustomed to receiving calls from television producers without any notice.

She has appeared on a variety of political talk shows, normally invited for a conservative viewpoint.

Her most recent appearance was on Wednesday night's "Greenfield at Large," but she also has been a guest on "Hardball" with Chris Matthews, "Crossfire" and "Politically Incorrect."

Frequently called upon to speak as an expert on family or women's issues, Yoest rarely turns down an opportunity to voice her opinions on-air.

"It gives me a chance to talk about issues that I really care about," Yoest said.

Some of Yoest's colleagues are impressed with her composure on television.

"I am amazed at how calm she is in front of millions of people," said Steven Rhoads, Yoest's advisor who is a government and foreign affairs professor. "Most would be more nervous in her situation."

Yoest fist was asked to appear on television 10 years ago after a producer spotted her work in Policy Review and USA Today.

Because of her lack of experience, Yoest was canceled five times in a row before she spoke for the first time on "CNN & Company."

Continue reading at the jump

Thank you (foot)notes:

The following article first appeared on Friday, February 08, 2002 in The Cavalier Daily.

Continue Reading »

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No ‘cookie-cutter’ solutions: Family expert Charmaine Yoest says creativity, flexibility are keys to resolving work/family issues

Charmaine Yoest acknowledges that creative solutions to juggling work and family are never easy. “That’s part of why I study it as an issue.”

By Elizabeth Kiem [from May 14, 2004]

Charmaine Yoest, a doctoral candidate in U.Va.’s Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics, is an up-and-coming young expert on family policy issues.

Charmaine Yoest
Photo by Andrew Shurtleff By normal counts, her 10 years at the University have been hyper-productive: Her papers on the subject are prolific, as are her media appearances, congressional testimonies and academic presentations. She has written a book on working mothers and is completing a second on parental leave policies.

But Yoest's career must be viewed in the context of a not-so-typical doctoral student’s family life -- she is the 39-year-old mother of five children, ranging from age 10 to infancy.

"I hope it’s inspirational to some," she said of her ability to pursue her studies and career even with a full capacity mini-van. "Obviously I couldn’t do what I’ve done unless my husband was willing to live a nontraditional life as well."

Yoest acknowledges that her domestic situation, with close family near by to step into the child-care breach and a husband willing to reduce his workload significantly to help raise children, has been unusually conducive to her career. Nonetheless, she would like to see more families adopt a "nontraditional lifestyle" to accommodate childrearing and professional equality among the parents.

There is such an emphasis on work and family that sometimes the family gets lost because people are so focused on ‘how can we facilitate work? she said.

A regular on the political talk-shows, Yoest is careful with her words, aware of just how politicized the debate has become. She is quick to emphasize that her pro-family stance in no way negates her advocacy for women to pursue careers and advanced education, as she has done. The mission, she says, is to find creative ways to do both -- and women require the participation of spouses and employers to do so.

Continue reading at the jump.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Originially published by UVA Insider May 2004.

Continue Reading »

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If you would like to be added to our good-guy Christmas Card list please email us.

Read about London's John Calcott Horsley and the business of the first Christmas card at the jump. And the original meaning of "merry."

Continue Reading »

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The Diva on Piano The Baptist Convention of Baltimore and Delware is sponsoring a music camp. Starts this Sunday and spaces are filling up.

Cost $99 per child -- We'll be sending our Penta-Posse.

Call Bryan at 410 -dot- 695 -dot- 5374 to reserve a spot. Reservations can also be made at the door at First Baptist Church in Laurel, Maryland. Or email Bryan at BPatrick AT FirstBaptistLaurel dot org

Or email me.

Was this helpful? Do comment.
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Thank you (foot)notes:

Cross posted at Jack Yoest.

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From the archives, from last Cinco de Mayo. . .I still do.

* * *

May 5, 1990

Those two didn't know what they were getting into did they?

May 5, 1990: The day dawned dark and dreary. . . but, then -- midway through the service, the sun broke through, a single ray of light piercing the chapel windows, illuminating the altar. . .

No, we had no way of even imagining the hurdles and challenges that lay ahead.

But then, no way of even dreaming of the joys either.

The Penta-Posse
Four Corners Monument, April, 2005

May 5, 2005: another dark and dreary day. . . just take-out dinner on folding chairs at the ball-park, . . .but there, still, rays of light, piercing our hearts, illuminating the future. . .

I do.

* * *

Update: April, 2006

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With Elaine Donnelly, Christopher Buckley and Jack

Jack has a hilarious post up entitled "Walking the Red Carpet in 7 Easy Steps." I love the part where he points out the two tennis poles growing out of his and Chris Buckley's heads in the pic above. . .

Morgan Fairchild

My favorite story from the event comes from one of the pre-dinner parties. At one point I was standing next to a beautiful woman who turned, put out her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Morgan Fairchild." Very friendly. I think I'm going to have to forgive her for being a Democrat.

We started to chat when I felt Jack pulling my elbow. "Come on. Quick," he whispered.

I wondered what could possibly be pulling us away from chatting with. . .Morgan Fairchild. But ever the dutiful wife, I hurried away with him. . .

Lt. Gen. Bernard Trainor
"Hurry," Jack says, a star-struck sound in his voice: "We've got to meet Bernie Trainor."

Kid. You. Not.

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Cross post from Jack Yoest with Savage.

Vince Lombardi once said, "The Green Bay Packers never lost a football game. They just ran out of time."

Coach Scott Grebenstein must be saying the same thing. Running out of time and innings in the final championship game Sunday afternoon with the Maryland Cardinals. Score: Savage behind Cardinals, 11 to 12, to place second.

He led the Savage Spirit baseball team this weekend on a series of wins and a "slaughter rule" upset over the Maryland Mud Hens.

It started Friday nite. Your Business Blogger packed up Charmaine and the Penta-Posse into the monster SUV for two nites in Aberdeen, Maryland. Home of the Cal Ripken Stadium complex. Opening Day Tournaments.

We saw old friends from Charlottesville baseball allstar days. Charmaine teared up. Not me. Although it was windy andblowingdustgetsinyoureyesandwateruptogetdustout.

(Hint: moving 11 times in 15 years of marriage is too many good-bys. Too many hellos.)

Anyway. The team played well. The Dude played well.

The Dude pitching

Wind up

Delivery: 3 up, 3 down

The Dude can hit The Dude got his first over the fence home run on Sunday.

Congratulations Savage Spirit on a great season's opener!

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Cal Ripken Baseball

Posted at 10:52 AM | Permalink
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. . . on Concerned Women for America's end-of-year Evangelical Women of the Year 2005 list. Jack has the story. (Of course!)

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And speaking of my grandmother. . . among the many remarkable things I could tell you about her: she has a blog. Check out this post about cooking from scratch in the 1930's.

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I had big news in my life this week . . . I took a new job as Vice President of External Relations at the Family Research Council.

My portfolio now includes all of their web and new media activities and the radio productions. I'll also still be involved with policy issues -- iIn particular I'm working on a book about women and work. A subject near to my heart, of course.

Well, actually, my work is a passion, but my heart belongs to my kids, the Penta-Posse. And so I am most grateful that I get to tackle this exciting new project, but still maintain a flexible, home-based schedule.

Stay tuned, 'cause I've got some fun projects cooking that I'll let you know about in the days ahead.

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A song for the Penta-Posse. . .

(Thanks for the wreath.)

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We heard yesterday that my husband's uncle, Joe Carr, had died. He was 88 and had recently been hospitalized for heart problems, so it was not unexpected. And he died in his sleep at home, so that is a blessing.

Uncle Joe's wife, Helen, died in 1986, but her ring was still on his finger when he died. When we saw my mother-in-law this afternoon, one of the first things she said to us was: "Joe is happy now, he is with Helen."

Cross-posted at Yoest.org.

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We crossed 100,000 at 8:11:29 tonight with a reader in Fairfax, Virginia. If that's you, shoot me an email at charmaine-at-yoest-dot-org and I'll send you your "I Think, Therefore I Blog" t-shirt!

Hey, thanks for reading Reasoned Audacity!

Cross posted at Jack Yoest.

Posted at 11:25 PM | Permalink
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We're at 99,973 -- we'll hit 100,000 some time this evening. Come on back and see if it's you!

Remember: the 100,000th visitor gets an "I Think, Therefore I Blog" t-shirt.

Thanks for reading Reasoned Audacity!

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Reasoned Audacity is quickly approaching a major milestone: the 100,000th visitor!

Right now the sitemeter is reading 99,555. Less than 500 visitors more . . . we need a cyber-celebration!

I really want to thank all of you who stop by here regularly, even those of you who disagree (yes, you, Eric!)

So here's the plan -- when we hit 100,000, I'll let you know the city and state of that visitor, and if you want to claim the distinction of being that person, I'll send you one of the in-demand "I Think Therefore I Blog" t-shirts!

Thanks for reading!

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My husband got tired of bugging me to write "the WalMart post." Finally, when I said: "you know, you really ought to start a business blog and write it yourself. . ."

He did.

And now I love the WalMart post, and wish I had written it! I've always wondered about the left-wing vendetta against WalMart, and Jack explores why the Left hates the mega-store so much.

Mary Landrieu
Although my favorite post of his from this week is one on Tears and Leadership. I know as a woman I am supposed to think that tears are okay -- that Pat Whats-her-name got a bum deal for crying in public -- but I think Jack makes a very strong case for No Tears among leaders.

He cites Mary Landrieu's teary tour of New Orleans as a case in point. And, honestly, can you imagine Margaret Thatcher crying in a situation like that? When we finally do have a female president, it will be a woman who successfully navigates these treacherous shoals of handling personal emotions publically.

Kanye West
New Pepsi Spokesman
And lastly, for those of you who followed the Indra Nooyi story here at Reasoned Audacity, Jack examines the wisdom, or not, of Pepsi's marketing decision to hire Kanye West as their new spokesperson. . .

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Woke up yesterday facing a drive to Philadelphia to check on Jack's uncle who is in the hospital . . .

Checking email before leaving -- (punctuated by: "Your shoes are in the closet. . . get them on and get in the truck!)

And found a message from one Cotillion member to another about the "chaos and mayhem" of being a mother. . . ("C'mon, let's get going, gang. Get in the truck!")

But her conclusion really hit me:

Right now it just LOOKS like choas and mayhem, but it's just love dressed up as life.

Thanks to Rightwing Sparkle for a thought that stayed with me through a long, weary day full overflowing of love and life.

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Shazam! I woke up this morning to discover I had become a Large Mammal.

(From Population: 3
A Comedy Theatre Troupe)

Just call me the Elephant Woman!

Some of you may remember the excitement around here when I moved up to become a Marauding Marsupial. Others of you are saying: Mammals, Marsupials. . .What?? Has she lost her mind?

N.Z. Bear, over at The Truth Laid Bear, ranks blogs by the number of links other bloggers have given them. The TTLB Ecosystem starts out at Insignificant Microbe and travels up the food chain to Higher Beings.

So this is a really fun milestone here at Reasoned Audacity and . . .

However you made your way here to this site, I'm grateful for your time. I'm doubly grateful for those of you who have made my day with your kind comments and emails -- and those links.

Do keep coming back!

I want to say a special thank you to the Ladies of The Cotillion! A quick check of Technorati confirms my happy suspicion that you gals put me over the top.

Updated July 14: Kevin Drum at The Washingon Monthly has an interesting reading list,

...the women I read are considerably more liberal and considerably more anti-Bush than the guys.

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Monday morning . . . bumping this Father's Day post from Friday to the top of the page. I've also added more links below . . . Hope you had a good weekend, and Happy Father's Day! More later.

* * *

My prince and his boy

I have a Father's Day piece up today over at the Independent Women's Forum site. Here's how it begins:

I wonder how long it will be before Father’s Day is relegated to the remainder bin of history.

Ironically, when the end of fatherhood is written, the title will be: In Pursuit of Pleasure. Gay and defiant, confident in its indictment of the patriarchy, the culture dances unheedingly away with the playboy replacement. The arbiters of cool nod approvingly; the guardians of the gifted grant their blessing.

When midnight strikes, she wakes up alone. A baby cries. Full consciousness reveals no prince. No slipper. Only shards of glass mark her broken dreams.

Sadly, this is no apocalyptic vision of some dystopic future. It is today’s reality for many women and their children. Father’s Day may still have some kick to it: this weekend, cards will be bought; burgers will be charred on the barbecue. Meanwhile, our culture is dancing with the drummer...and relentlessly undermining the very heart of fatherhood. . . .

Read the rest over at Independent Women's Forum!

And Happy Father's Day.

To the thoughtful Princes at Mudville Gazette writing on Open Post.

Thank you to James Joyner controlling traffic, if not culture Outside the Beltway with quality contributors on Beltway Traffic Jam.

See alternative thoughts and lifestyles at Shakespeare's Sister on Friday BlogRolling.

Update: Read more from the vast right wing on My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and good writing at Weekend Open Trackbacks

Thank you for a wiz-bang good blog at Wizbang with Carnival of the Trackbacks XVI

Salute to Dad lifting up his son on 365 and a Wakeup, see Happy Father's Day

Little BlackFive scores on Happy Father's Day

Pro-Life Blogs has a link to remind us about fathers and their aborted children at Father’s Day 2005 - 48 Million Killed

IMAO has (a funny) (or maybe not) (or is it?) Happy Father's Day (somebody let me know).

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Thank you for clicking through to the Independent Women's Forum and to Reasoned Audacity. It is an honor to have you visit.

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We were all headed out in the Black Rocket. I was reviewing with the Penta-Posse what they could expect from the day.

Some of the details were not received with enthusiasm.

Anarchists. Clearly.
Election Night 2004

The Dreamer decided she had some better ideas, and offered them. In a tone of voice which was, shall we say, ill-advised.

"And what," said I, "makes you think [the part she didn't want to do] is up for discussion?"

"I was just trying to offer a compromise," she replied. (Still with the 'tude.)

"Well," I responded, "This isn't a democracy." (Okay, so that was a little snarky. . .)

Jack decided to clarify: "No, this is a benign dictatorship."

Then, from the far back, the Dude (lovin' the fact that his sister was in trouble) chimes in:

"No, this is ANARCHY!"

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Thank heaven for little girls for little girls get bigger every day! Thank heaven for little girls they grow up in the most delightful way! Those little eyes so helpless and appealing one day will flash and send you crashin' thru the ceilin'. . .

George Stephanopoulos
and Ali Wentworth
Credit: Andrea Renault/Globe
Shortly after she became engaged to George Stephanopoulos, Alexandra, "Ali" Wentworth and I were riding the elevator up to tape Politically Incorrect. George was, at the time, one of Washington's most eligible bachelors, so the engagement was a Big Deal here in the Nation's Capital. Just to make conversation, I asked Ali if it was weird for her personal happiness to be such a big media event.

She looked at me quizzically, shrugged, and replied: "Well, it would have been the same if I'd married a rock star."

Oh. Right.

Well huzzah for high expectations. She was actually quite pleasant, so I'm glad to see that my cynically low expectations for their union appear ill-founded. The Big News now is the arrival of a new Stephanopoulos: their second daugher, Harper.

You can read all about it at the Celebrity Baby Blog, which is a hoot. But they missed the news of another important recent baby girl arrival, blog baby: Caitlyn King!

Caitlyn King

But she's a celebrity here: look at that cute face. Caitlyn is the daughter of Jeffrey King at [defunct blog]Three Fingers. Daddy and daughter and mom are doing fine.

The years go by too fast . . . we're thanking heaven for our first baby girl, who turned twelve this week. Before you know it, you turn around, and they look like this. . .Happy Birthday, baby, I love you.

My sweet Dreamer
Photo credit: Helena Yoest

So Congratulations George and Jeffrey! And welcome Harper and Caitlyn.

While I am all teary over my baby girl's birthday, my husband, Jack is gearing up for battle with the boys. He insists I send along to you new fathers his battle-plan -- W. Bruce Cameron's 8 Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter, a must-read for every dad with a daughter. He thinks you might want to keep it handy. . .

Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure as heck not picking anything up.

Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.

Thank you to Mudville Gazette for Open Post

(** And if this trackback belongs to you:» http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/2576807, please contact me: I owe you a link! **)

Update: Thanks to Wizbang with Carnival of the Trackbacks XV for helping to celebrate.

Update: Big Congratulations for another girl-baby blogger! June 6th, 2005 “BORN” Lillianne Grace Ransom. Newport Beach, CA. 8 pounds, three ounces. Posted by Greg Ransom at PrestoPundit, alerted byMusing Minds at Congratulations to the Ransoms

The world is a better place.

28 June 2005, Up Date on another baby girl alerted by Marla Swoffer.

Continue Reading »

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Every time we've made the left turn onto Eisenhower Drive, and passed through the imposing brick gates of Arlington National Cemetery, I've been overwhelmed with emotion. Family members of those buried at Arlington National Cemetery are given a special pass and may drive onto the Hallowed Grounds to visit the grave of their loved one. It's an enormous honor which makes me feel humbled.

The Penta-Posse
at Arlington National Cemetery

My husband's father served thirty years in the United States Navy, and died the year I married into the family, so I didn't know him well. And the fact is, after a lifetime of nine-month Mediterranean tours, wars, and rumors of war, there is a lot my husband doesn't know as well.

However, over the 15 years that we've been married, I have gotten to know my mother-in-law well. She doesn't talk either about the sacrifices she made, but there is one story that she has told me several times.

Once, when my father-in-law was out on tour, and she was home with three small children, the car broke down and, of course, she had to take care of it. My husband marched up and said, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll fix it." He was about five years old at the time.

My mother-in-law laughs. . . the little man, takin' care of things. But it makes me cry.

We owe a lot to our military families.

When we visited Arlington this past week, we passed at least three funeral ceremonies on the way to Section 64. I lost track of the fresh graves and the still-standing tents, either just vacated by other grieving families, or awaiting the afternoon's fresh, raw sorrow.

As we pulled up on Bradley Avenue, an Air Force honor guard was marching precisely back to their bus after a ceremony for an airman who had been a POW in Korea. While we searched for my father-in-law's headstone, an empty horse-drawn caisson lumbered past, and settled briefly in the shade nearby, awaiting their next assignment. . .

We found my father-in-law's headstone: The front has the Christian Cross with the old Chief's Curriculum Vita. Chief Yoest cut high school to catch World War II. He retired with rows of ribbons and a "v" device, and pinned butterbars on his boy. He now has a grandson, The Dude, who bears his name and wants to be a Navy pilot.

The reverse of the stone is blank, awaiting the inscripton for Chief Yoest's high school sweetheart, his wife, Jack's mom, "Babcia" (Polish for Grandmother), who is still with us. In the end, they will be buried together, an honor she earned.

As we turned to go, the Diva took her jingle-bell necklace from around her neck, and left it on the headstone. A fitting tribute for a warrior.



Sailors, rest your oars.

We drove back down Bradley Avenue -- past a fresh grave covered by a tarp. In front of us, sparkling in the bright sunlight of a gorgeous day, stretched row after row of white marble markers, orderly, peaceful, some weathered, others new and crisply chiseled . . .

I turned to the Penta-Posse. "I want you to look," I said. "I want you to understand, that each one of these headstones represents someone who gave their life so that you could be free."

They were quiet and solemn. The weight of it is beyond measure.

The Dreamer said, "Don't cry, Mom."

We made the right turn onto Eisenhower. We drove slowly toward the exit, passing the drive to the Tomb of the Unknowns to our left, until we came to a crosswalk thronged with tourists. The guard on duty motioned to the crowd to stop, and we drove through, passing through the gates, back to a busy day, leaving behind -- the curious crowds, the chattering school children. . . and the silent stones.

Other Memorial Day Links:
Blackfive with "Opening the Gates of Heaven."
Intel Dump

Marine Corps Moms

LaShawn Barber's Corner

See Traffic Jam

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I have a very distinct memory of hearing a speaker, prior to my marriage, offering advice to married couples and suggesting that they introduce themselves as "we." As in: "Hi, we are the Yoests. Nice to meet you."

Over at the Volokh Conspiracy, Eugene asks married women why they changed their names, if they did.

I changed my name so that together the two of us could become "we." Now, we two have become seven, and the idea of "we" is even more important. Nay, essential.

Charles and Ruth Shaw
My Grandparents

Actually, I can't express it any better than does one of my favorite poems, written by my Grandmother . . .about being "we."

We

I was I and he was he
A ceremony made us 'we.'
When in the sight of God and men
We pledged our troth and kissed our kin
And set our sails ... breathlessly
On the matrimony sea.

My handsome prince
... he held my hand.
My every wish
... was his command

Until one day
... I said, 'I think we
Should see my friends
... more frequently.'

He said, so loud ... it shook the house
That he was man ... and not a mouse
And furthermore ... he said we should
See his friends more ... he said we would.
He said, we would ... most certainly
I said, we won’t ... we both said 'we'.

Strange, when we do ... or don’t agree
One thing is clear ... we both say 'we'
Now that’s the secret ... for love to grow
Through Summer’s sun ... and Winter’s snow
Through diaper rash ... and teething ills
From P. T. A. ... to college bills.

Through three-point circuit ... and inner-city
And Pastor Parish Relations Committee
Through Conference moving time ... again
When you’re not one ... of the bishop’s men.
Through covered dishes ... well, thick and thin
Love like this ... will never end
For when we do ... or don’t agree
We still find joy ... in being 'we'.

Sarah Ruth Baird Shaw and Charles Shaw were married nearly 50 years before his death in 1986, and had seven children together. Baby Boo was her 15th great-grandchild. (My truly amazing grandmother has a website, and more poetry here.)

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Howard Kurtz quotes our review of the new blog, the Huffington Post today in Media Notes Extra.

Howard begins: "A rather mixed reception in the blogosphere:" Then quotes, American Mind, Jack Shafer at Slate, Nikke Finke at LA Weekly, Boi from Troy, and Reasoned Audacity, following:

"[Huffington's] blog is a strange disconnect for me: in person, Arianna is strikingly beautiful, quite engaging, and her accent, so distracting on television, is charming. By contrast, the blog, named after her, is strangely none of those things."

I thought one of yesterday's most interesting comments on Arianna's venture came from Jim Geraghty:

Attention, Arianna: We already know what celebrities think. They're telling us all the time. . . this has "Tina Brown's Talk magazine" or "John F. Kennedy Jr.'s George magazine" written all over it.

Today Arianna has one recognizable conservative female, Danielle Crittenden along with Joe Scarborough. Then for "balance," Tina Brown, and a whole gaggle of male liberals: Rob Reiner, Bill Maher, Andy Stern, Gary Hart, Jerry Brown, Larry David, Walter Cronkite, Jon Corzine, Ed Markey. . .

Actually, come to think of it, that looks like a fair fight.

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A Marauding Marsupial Mom?

As the mother of five children, for Mother's Day, let me offer a cautionary tale. The context -- this week marked a major milestone in my life: I became a "Marauding Marsupial." Which makes me, I figure, a Marauding Marsupial Mom! M-cubed!

How blogging has changed my goals in life -- not only am I excited about being a marsupial, now I want to be a "Large Mammal." Large not being an adjective I have heretefore wanted anywhere near me. . . Previously, I had been an "Adorable Rodent," so you understand my excitement -- even as an adorable one, I do much prefer marsupial to rodent. (If you're new to blogs, rodents and marsupials are categories in the rockin' TTLB Ecosystem thanks to N.Z. Bear.)

So, I was checking my progress in the Ecosystem one day this week, when the Dude walked in.

"Hey, guess what?" I said. "I've moved up! I'm a Marauding Marsupial now!"

"Cool," said he. "What's Instapundit?"

(Instapundit??!! The kid is 10 years old. How does he know about Evil Glenn?)

"Well, frankly, he's pretty much at the top. A Higher Being, I think."

"So how long will it take you to be as high as him?" he asks with sweet earnestness.

I snort. "The chances of that are basically nonexistant," I said.

"Mom!" the Dude exclaimed, "you can't say that! You wouldn't let me get away with that. You can do anything you want to do!"

Oh. Right.

The moral to this story: Be careful what you teach your kids -- it will come back at you sooner than you think.

So, okay, people. The mission is now clear: tell a friend about Reasoned Audacity. . . and visit often. A ten-year-old's faith in the Mom Who Can Do All Things is riding on it.

No pressure though.

I'm a Marauding Marsupial Mom on a Mission, and on the Move. . . Watch your back, Glenn Reynolds!

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In his ongoing attempt to get me to: a) take my vitamins, and b) give up my Diet Coke addiction, the Chairman has sent me an article on aging (aarrrgggh) from Scientific American.

Apparently, he thinks my brain is functional here at the end of the week. Because the article includes words like "catalase" (very important) "hydrogen peroxide," (bad, very bad) "free radicals" (even worse) "mitochondria" (I'm thinking, I'm thinking) "organelles" (connected to the mitochondria?). Insert random verbs. Your choice.

Dorian Gray: For Perpetual Youth,
What Would You Do?

But hey, I'm on the job, to figure out what all this means! So, I dug out the original article, "Extension of Murine Lifespan by Overexpression of Catalase Targeted to Mitochondria":

To determine the role of reactive oxygen species in mammalian longevity, we generated transgenic mice that overexpress human catalase localized to the peroxisome (PCAT), nucleus (NCAT), or mitochondrion (MCAT). . . Cardiac pathology and cataract development were delayed, oxidative damage was reduced, H2O2 production and H2O2-induced aconitase inactivation were attenuated, and the development of mitochondrial deletions was reduced. . .

Okay, okay. Basically, it says: take your vitamins. (Better approach than Dorian Gray. . .)

But I'm not giving up my Diet Coke.

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May 5, 1990

Those two didn't know what they were getting into did they?

May 5, 1990: The day dawned dark and dreary. . . but, then -- midway through the service, the sun broke through, a single ray of light piercing the chapel windows, illuminating the altar. . .

No, we had no way of even imagining the hurdles and challenges that lay ahead.

But then, no way of even dreaming of the joys either.

The Penta-Posse
Four Corners Monument, April, 2005

May 5, 2005: another dark and dreary day. . . just take-out dinner on folding chairs at the ball-park, . . .but there, still, rays of light, piercing our hearts, illuminating the future. . .

I do.

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A prayer for our soldiers. . . and most especially, for the families today who grieve. . . our debt of gratitude is unbounded.

Eternal Father, Strong to Save, "The Navy Hymn," Fourth Stanza

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If you are coming over from LaShawn's Corner, welcome!

With the writing I've been doing on women in combat, I've been thinking a lot about the differences between men and women, moms and dads. A lot of people want to argue that there isn't much difference.

But my friend and mentor, Steve Rhoads, wrote a book this last year Taking Sex Differences Seriously which lays out all the evidence that, in fact, moms and dads, while equally important, are not interchangeable. (You can find a direct link to get this important book on the left sidebar!) For example, moms are better able to hear their baby's cry than dads are. Strange, but true.

This week was the Dude's tenth birthday, so we had the cousins over last night. The Penta-Posse plus Two were camped out in the family room, including the Dancer, who hasn't been feeling very well this week. The physical space separating us included stairs and a door. . .

In the middle of the night, I woke up, for no obvious reason, so started trying to go back to sleep. But I couldn't. Something felt wrong. I listened carefully. I heard nothing. Or was there something faint?

I decided to check on the kids since I was awake, and as I opened the door to head down the hall toward the family room, I heard the Dancer crying as if her heart would break. She was curled up in a ball on the couch, the blanket on the floor, her body cold, her head hot.

Why didn't you come to me, baby? I asked.

It was dark. . . I was scared. . .

I got her some medicine, took her to our room, and got her settled in snugly. She burrowed in and went to sleep immediately. With the commotion, Jack woke up. What's going on?

Over the years, with five kids, we've had our fair share of multiple kids throwing up, so he's been a part of plenty of night-time traumas.

But, usually, mom is the one who hears the first cry. It's just what moms do.

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This afternoon, on a grey and rainy day, several hundred people gathered at Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia to say farewell to our friend, Diane Knippers. Her husband, Ed, is an artist, and one of his remarkable paintings graced the cover of the bulletins handed out at the sanctuary entry. This one was of Jesus, hanging on the cross; underneath, it read, "By his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:56

Faith McDonnell and Diane,
protesting Chinese President Jiang Zemin

As we sat waiting the beginning of the service, the storm clouds were clearly building outside the windows. How appropriate I thought. A grey day. A sad day.

Even so, the bulletin was entitled, "Celebration of a Life," and indeed it was. It was such a day of sorrow -- losing someone like Diane so young; she was only 53 -- but the service was so beautiful, and God was so very present, that it was, in a way, Diane's last gift to those of us privileged to have known her and to have been there today.

Continue Reading »

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The Dude was singing to himself in the back seat: "There's a hole in the world tonight. . . "

He didn't know it, but it's true. With the loss of Diane Knippers, after a brave battle with cancer, at 2:00 this afternoon, there is a hole in the world tonight.

Diane Knippers

There will be a lot said and written about Diane in the coming days -- as President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, she was recently named as one of the nation's top 25 most influential evangelical leaders by Time magazine.

But I just knew Diane as my friend.

She so deserved that honor from Time. And I'm sure she was pleased about it. But that kind of recognition was not what Diane was about.

When I first moved to Washington D.C., straight out of college, Diane took me out to lunch. She was a busy woman, everyone in Washington is, but I do remember that she asked a lot of questions and let the lunch go long. It was the kind of lunch that you leave feeling a little chagrined that you talked too much . . . because she listened, and she cared.

That's who Diane was. She wasn't about landing in Time magazine. "The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." (Samuel Johnson) That was me -- no gain for Diane. I was young, and needed a friend, and she was one. Even in a town where they say there is no such thing as a friend.

In a city marked by ambition and compromise, Diane modeled conviction, dediction to purpose and a purity of faith.

Truly, there's a hole in the world tonight. . .

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We made it into the Marine Corps Marathon! Jack, me and my dad will be wearing Reasoned Audacity t-shirts and running (well, if you can call it that) 26.2 miles in October. . . Jack and I ran the Richmond Marathon a few years ago, and also the Country Music Marathon (very fun) in Nashville.

I have always wanted to do our "hometown" run here in DC with the Marines, but haven't been able to get in in the past. The first time I tried, I sat for hours hitting the refresh button for the online registration, but the server had crashed. But this year, we made it!

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