With it now being a short time to Christmas, I thought I would list my five favorite Christmas Movies. All of these movies I can recommend as great entertainment. I know many are in "Black and White"; but they are all worth watching!

1. Miracle on 34^th Street (1947; Rated G): This is my favorite Christmas movie of all time. Edmund Gwenn is convincing as Kris Kringle; and Maureen O’Hara is believable as a woman who has lost her faith in the "wonder and magic" of the "real" world. (When I was twelve years old, I knew I was no longer a child because my parents allowed me to stay up Christmas Eve night and watch this wonderful movie.)
2. The Lemon Drop Kid (1951; Rated G): I have always had a fondness for Bob Hope. This movie is very funny; and the singing of "Silver Bells" by Hope and Marilyn Maxwell is worth watching this movie if only to see this rendition of this song.
3. Three Godfathers (1948; Rated G): John Ford and John Wayne are at their "Western Story-Telling" best. The photography is beautiful; and this is Director John Ford’s best movie concerning redemption.
4. Christmas in Connecticut (1945; Rated G): Barbara Stanwyck is a "fake" housewife who writes "homemaking" articles for a nation-wide magazine. Her boss invites himself and a WW2 veteran to her non-existent home for Christmas. Then the fun begins. Hollywood is missing a bet in not re-making this movie with a returning Iraq war veteran. (By the way, this is my wife’s favorite Christmas movie.)
5. A Christmas Carol (1984; Rated PG): George C. Scott is magnificent as Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge. His "Scrooge" is not some money-grabbing miser; but a man who has lost faith in everything. To me, this version of "A Christmas Carol" is the best made in the last sixty years.

                          Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Patrick Cleburne immigrated to the United States of America from Ireland approximately eleven years before the start of the War Between the States. He settled in Helena, Arkansas, on the Mississippi River to the South of Memphis, Tennessee. In Helena, he became an attorney, and was a highly respected citizen.

Cleburne had military training, having served in the British Army. At the start of the war, he helped raise an infantry regiment in Eastern Arkansas for the Confederate States of America. His "baptism of fire" during the war occurred at the Battle of Shiloh. His leadership qualities were quickly recognized by the Confederate States Army; and by 1864, he had risen to the rank of major general and was a divisional commander in the Army of Tennessee.

Patrick Cleburne was also known for his bravery. Confederate newspapers during the war called him the "Stonewall of the West". In the Confederate Army (both in the Eastern Theater and the Western Theater), his by-name was the "Ney of the Confederacy, the bravest of the brave". (This comparison to Marshal Ney of Napoleon’s Army was a high honor for the day and time. Marshal Ney was literally "worshipped" by the Confederate Military.)

At the Battle of Spring Hill on November 29, 1864, due to confusing orders by Confederate General John Bell Hood (and in one case, the absence of any order), a small Federal Army was allowed to escape. This small Federal Army consisted of two corps (under the command of Major General John M. Schofield). During the night of November 29^th and the morning of November 30^th, Schofield and his little army fell back to Franklin, Tennessee. During this small affair at Spring Hill, Cleburne’s favorite mount (a chestnut colored horse named "Red Pepper") was wounded, giving General Cleburne a bad fall.

Early the morning of the 30^th, when General Hood realized that Schofield had escaped, he severely reprimanded his corps commanders. This included Cleburne’s corps commander, Confederate General Benjamin Cheatham. Cleburne, and fellow divisional commander Major General John C. Brown, tried to defend General Cheatham with General Hood, but to no avail. General Hood was so mad (and probably not thinking correctly due to his liberal use of opium based painkillers) that he called both Cleburne and Brown a "pair of mincing toe-dancers". (In 2007 this would be the equivalent of calling a US Army Ranger a "limp-wristed p*ssy". In 1864, duels were fought for less.)

The affair almost went to pistols, as both Cleburne and Brown were both known for their courage. However, in the end both sides just let everything pass. General Hood moved on Franklin, and ordered a "Pickett’s Charge" type attack on the Federal Army. Again, one has to wonder if General Hood was thinking straight. Intelligence reports by no less than General Nathan Bedford Forrest showed that Schofield’s flank could be easily turned. A quick flanking movement by Hood and his army could capture or destroy the entire Federal army. For whatever reason, Hood decided on a massive frontal assault, with no artillery preparation against the Federal lines.

Cleburne went into the battle on a new horse; but he expressed anxiety about the attack orders with his staff. Almost to the Federal lines during the attack, Cleburne’s new horse was killed. He again received a nasty fall. A staff officer (Lt. James Brandon) dismounted and gave his horse to General Cleburne. As Cleburne tried to mount, this horse was also shot and killed. Cleburne was last seen on foot with his sword drawn and moving towards the Federal lines.

After the battle, General Patrick Cleburne’s body was found directly South of the Carter family’s cotton gin, about 50 yards East of the Columbia Pike. He had been shot once in the chest. The bodies of Confederate soldiers from his division surrounded his body.

His remains were first buried, after the Battle of Franklin, at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Columbia, Tennessee. A short time later, his remains were moved to the cemetery at St. John’s Chapel in Ashwood, Tennessee. In 1870, they were finally moved to the Evergreen Cemetery in Helena, Arkansas. His loss was a severe blow to the Confederate Army of Tennessee.

On a personal note, in early November of 1989, a Pizza Hut and its parking lot were located in Franklin, Tennessee, on US Highway 31 (formerly the Columbia Pike). The site of this restaurant was the exact spot of General Cleburne’s death. The writer and his best friend had eaten supper in this restaurant. While the writer was paying the bill, my friend walked out to my automobile, parked in the parking lot. When I got outside, I saw that my friend was noticeably shaking. I asked the reason for this (the night was chilly but not cold). My friend said that he had seen a "misty figure" walking besides the parking lot. This apparition walked towards the North, and slowly vanished.

My friend later said that when this figure was very close to him (no more than ten feet), he felt a profound sadness and a feeling of deep impending doom. (Others, who have visited the Franklin Battlefield, have voiced similar stories.)

It should be noted that my friend’s entire knowledge of the War Between the States could be expressed in three words: The South Lost. He had never heard of General Patrick Cleburne, much less knew where he died. I do not believe that he made up this story that he told me almost twenty years ago.

For several weeks, I have been trying to understand what actually happened on September 6, 2007. The Israeli raid on Dayr AZ-Zawr in Syria was breath taking. Even more breath taking has been the lack of talk in all the major newspapers, main stream media, and news organizations of the world. This news "black-out" would appear to be significant. Something big happened.

Since the second week in September, I have been examining all the data I could find. I have looked at reports from such varied sources as: The Washington Post, the Pakistan Daily Times, the Jerusalem Post, the IMRA, the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control, the AXIS Global Research and Analysis web site, and the Global Security.org web site. I have "haunted" such sites as the "The Middle East Media Research Institute" trying to find any shreds of information on what happened. Sadly, I could find little.

As an engineer, I was trained to look at a problem, acknowledge the facts, and postulate a solution that meets the facts. Here are the Facts that I have:

1. Israeli aircraft, with US help, destroyed a Syrian military facility at Dayr AZ-Zawr.
2. The freighter, Al-Hamad, (flying a North Korean flag) had recently docked at a Syrian port. It was supposedly loaded with cement. What it actually off-loaded was not clear. The freight it carried originated in North Korea.
3. The Syrians have at least 50, North Korean "No-Dong" missiles. These missiles were obtained in the last 7 years, and are capable of striking deep into Israel.
4. North Korea is facing all types of sanctions if it does not stop its nuclear arms program. Some type of inspections will probably be a part of any agreements reached in any settlement.
5. In the last 2 weeks, the top 3 Democrat presidential candidates for the 2008 presidential race have changed their position on the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. (They do not see withdrawing all troops until at least 2012.)

I didn’t include Fact #5 in my list until a few days ago. I didn’t include it because I didn’t believe it was relevant to the problem. However, what if this fact is related to this problem?

Assumption: Let’s assume that the cargo delivered by the Al-Hamad was either nuclear bombs or radioactive material. With North Korean technical help, Syria could arm its "No-Dong" missiles and become the 2^nd nuclear power of the Middle East. Suddenly, the current US Middle East policy (and Israel) becomes untenable. Syrian nuclear strikes on Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi oil fields would cause a worldwide economic nightmare. Syrian nuclear strikes on Israel would cause World War IV to begin.

I am a Conservative, and do not support or agree with anything the top three Democrat presidential candidates say, do, or support. However, these three people are not stupid. If my Assumption is correct, perhaps Fact #5 is the proof.

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It so refreshing to see an older actor, at the end of his career, find a part that he has been waiting on for his entire life. In 1961, Rather Delusional hit the "idiot box" like a breath of hot air; literally, as he reported the forces of Mother Nature in Hurricane Blowhard, while tied to a tree. This made-for TV, low budget, mini-epic almost didn’t make it into the "can" as there wasn’t enough money to buy ropes for the camera crew. Never the less, higher management recognized that Mr. Delusional would sacrifice anything (or anybody for that matter) for the advancement of his craft. He got a chance at the center ring of the circus.

For the next seven years, Rather Delusional appeared in a number of low budget TV dramas; and except for a re-occuring role in a CBS war drama series (similar to the more popular TV series Combat!) he appeared to be at loose ends. His next big break came in 1968 in a political farce named The Chicago Clowns. This short-lived comedy only lasted three days, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. But in these few minutes of celluloid, the entire country saw the wide range of emotions he was capable of, including his cat-like abilities at taking a fall.

For the next thirteen years, he starred in one hit series after another (CBS Sunday Night Follies, CBS Reports What They Decide To, and The Clock is Ticking). It was in this last hit, The Clock is Ticking, that Mr. Delusional’s unique ability to sacrifice anything and anybody (including long time fellow actor Dodge T. Middle) that allowed him to truly become the legendary actor that we all know and love.

On March 9, 1981, he became the star of the long running CBS soap, The Evening Spew, replacing CBS icon Walter Crankcase. Even though very busy during the next few years, Delusional found time to star in a mildly humorous adventure mini-series (Gunga Dan) and to help write a piece of pop music ("What’s the Frequency, Kenneth"), later recorded in 1994 by REM. His "short fuse" temper lead to a now famous incident, when he walked off the stage of The Evening Spew after a disagreement with CBS executive management. The dropping of his costar (Ms. Conus Chug) in the long running soap was further attributed to this temper.

By 2004 Rather Delusional was bothered by the ratings of The Evening Spew versus the soaps on the other two networks. Wondering if his acting was the fault of this continued last place status; he helped write and produce a large budget spy thriller, Memogate. Unfortunately, poor writing and a contrived plot lead to a short run. CBS executive management canceled the series on September 20, 2004, after only twelve days.

Stung by the "arrows of outrageous fortune", and an even poorer thought process, Rather Delusional remained in The Evening Spew for over a year and a half. But his heart was not in it. On June 20, 2006, he left the cast of what was now called by fans everywhere as "The Spew". He took a few bit parts during the next year on small budget comedies on other networks, but he wanted back with his old friends at CBS where he got his start.

Pressing his credibility to the maximum, Rather Delusional convinced a fellow producer and writer from the ill-conceived Memogate, Ms. Mary Marblehead, and the CBS executive management to give him one more chance at the big time. When Liberals Eat Their Own promises to be an epic, courtroom drama of biblical proportions. Taking up where Memogate left off, Delusional’s hand written story will be a Psychodrama in every sense of the word. Playing an aging egotist, Rather Delusional will explore the nooks and crannies of his own mind as he tries to expose his ultimate truth: it’s not the facts, it’s the seriousness of the accusation. Along the way, CBS executive management will have to decide whether or not they embrace his ultimate truth and face oblivion, or do they throw this raging lunatic to the wolves of the FCC and alienate the entire Liberal Establishment?

With budget estimates running as high as $70,000,000.00, When Liberals Eat Their Own promises to be not just some cheap melodrama, but a freethinking rabble-rousing spectacular as one man explores the notion of how much money will it cost to buy his soul?