Hidden Gift

It Lingered on the air, a belated gift. The one he will cherish most.
More then the letter, the pictures, or the tin of cookies. A sweet rememberance, a piece
of her that will never leave his mind.A simple thing, a small pleasure to ease the stresses of war and ravage. His toils, which he must endure; each day more numbing then the rest.

It is his duty that keeps him from her, away from her loving arms and sweet
soft fragerance. He strives on, to spite his longing for her. A man must keep his
word, or so he tells himself. Even with his reassuring words he longs to go to her. To hold her close and touch her face, the price is too high and yet he considers it. He cannot go to her, for she is a world away in body, yet never further then a moment from his thoughts.

He often thinks of duty. Duty to his family. Duty to his God, Duty to his country. Its the last that keeps him from her. In this desolate place, enduring these horrors. Of which he will always recall. He wears his noble uniform, proud and strong. Yet he resents it in some small part. For it keeps him from her and the life he longs to live. To spite the resentment he soldiers on, donning his uniform and setting to his tasks.He is with her in his thoughts, and in his dreams.

Far from the battle fields, and muster call. Beyond the horrors, past the death and disfigurement. She awaits, in her comfortable life, she goes on. Day by day waiting for him, for
her love. With open arms and a full heart. On the air lingers her scent, a simple perfume. With a pleasent scent and pithy name. It is that scent, lingering on a letter, the one she wrote a short time ago, it is that scent that will bring him home. To her heart, to the home they will build and the life they both dream of. Her on cold midwestern nights, and him under the suns of eden whenever he can find some simple sleep.

Supreme Court ...grumbling

Upon the announcement by Justice OConnor of her pending retirement much speculation began about who would be choosen to replace her. Would the President choice a moderate like Alberto Gonzales or would he choose a conservative in the mold of Justice Scalia?
Well several weeks ago the dye was cast and the President made his choice. John Roberts Jr a man who's experience, legal writings, and education, not to mention his vast government experience and his postion as an appeals court judge make him extremely qulaified to serve on the high court.
I must admit that as an astude observer of american politics I was pleasentl y surprised at the luke warm reception he got from democrats. I being a rational human being expected history to repeat it's self, and hear senate democrats fain opposition to Judge Roberts be cause he was after all appointed by President Bush a man that democrats loath every fiber of their being.
For a while I thought that maybe this man would get a fair hearing. That possibly the Senate democrats could look past there hurt feelings and bruised ego's concerning there electoral defeats over the last decade and give this good, highly qualified man a fair hear.

Recently I have began to hear grumbling from Liberal giants in the senate such as Ted ( drown her in the river ) Kennedy and Charles Shumer of New York that some how Judge Roberts is not fit to serve. I claim that if this man who attended Harvard, suma cum Laude mind you, who served in the Justice Department under President Ronald Reagan and who was confirmed to serve on the U.S . Court of Appeals for the D.C. district. If this man is not qualified then no one is!

I ask any who read this, have we become so partisan, so ridgid in our views that we would punish a man who is obviously deeply qualified simply because we don't like the man that appointed him? I would also remind Democrats that President Bush was reelected with over 59, 100,000 votes, defeating Senator Kerry by more then three million five hundred thousand votes. This aside it is his right, not Ted Kennedy, or Chuck Shumer, or Bill Frist but President Bushs right to nominate this man. So lets give him a fair hearing. After all isn't that right thing to do. The democratic thing, the American thing?