Photos and More

Clovis tornado damage…photos here; pictures and narrative here. The damage appears to be more extensive than yesterday’s initial article in the Clovis/Portales News-Tribune seemed to indicate. I haven’t been over to the Big(ger) City^TM since the tornado and likely won’t be over that way until the middle of the coming week. So…no personal reports. I prefer to stay out of the way while people clean up and get their lives back in order.

There are more t-storms in the forecast today. Let’s hope today’s storms are more of the garden variety than the exciting variety. Excitement doesn’t rank high on my list of favorable emotions these days, especially when it’s paired with weather.

Speaking of photos: Iraq, thru the eyes of an American Soldier. Excellent photography, and a well-done site. (h/t: Chap)

George Will has a column in today’s WaPo that’s drawing a lot of comment throughout the ‘sphere: Anger Is All The Rage (nice play on words, that):

Many people who loathe George W. Bush have adopted what Peter Wood describes as "ecstatic anger as a mode of political action." Anger often is, Wood says, "a spectacle to be witnessed by an appreciative audience, not an attempt to win over the uncommitted."

Wood, an anthropologist and author of "A Bee in the Mouth: Anger in America Now," says the new anger "often has the look-at-me character of performance art." His book is a convincing, hence depressing, explanation of "anger chic" -- of why anger has become an all-purpose emotional stance. It has achieved prestige and become "a credential for group membership." As a result, "Americans have been flattening their emotional range into an angry monotone."

Anyone who’s ever visited any of the prominent Lefty blogs recognizes the truth in Peter Wood’s statement about anger as “spectacle,” and the appreciative audiences the spectacle attracts. Not that the Right is immune or refuses to play the anger game. There are several prominent Right-Wing blogs I rarely frequent because I don’t like their tone…and my key reasons are anger and its close associate, insult. Both are counter-productive to rational discourse and (in my opinion) are off-putting.

So. I’ll give you three links to further thoughts on Will’s essay…the first being EIP fave Ed Morrissey, the second is moderate voice Joe Gandleman, and the third is moonbat extraordinaire Maha. All three are worth the read. And it’s no coincidence I listed them in order of my personal preferences. Captain Ed made me think, as did Gandelman, and Maha just made me laugh. But Hey! Laughter is good, nu?

Today’s Pic: More from the archives. This time it’s YrHmblScrb and his great-grandmother standing next to Dad’s pride ‘n’ joy: The Fabulous Hudson Hornet.

During 1952 Hornets driven by Marshall Teague, Herb Thomas and Tim Flock won 27 NASCAR races driving for the Hudson team. In AAA racing, Teague drove a stock Hornet that he called the Fabulous Hudson Hornet to 14 wins during the season. This brought the Hornet's season record to 40 wins in 48 events, a winning percentage of 83%, a remarkable feat for a six-cylinder car.

I come by my gear-head tendencies naturally, or put another way, “it’s in the genes.” My father was a BIG Hudson fan, owning three of the things. And he drove them hard. So much so, in fact, that the words I remember most from my childhood motor outings with my parents are these: “Buck! Slow down!” It’s amazing just how varied in tone that simple admonishment could be…ranging from a dry statement to a cry of sheer terror. Meanwhile, in the back seat, my sister and I just held on…

(Yeah, Dad was Buck, too.)

Sacramento, CA. Circa 1951.