I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this here before, but my dog is perfect.  Her perfection isn’t always obvious to the uninitiated.  Those who don’t know what’s really important might think that, because she’s a mutt, she’s a little goofy looking.  They may feel that her habit of slipping on the kitchen floor and crashing into kitchen cabinets bespeaks a lack of that grace and elegance that the best dogs should have.  And maybe, just maybe, there are some who think that, because she doesn’t do tricks (no rolling, no shaking hands) she’s not too bright.  As I’ve said, the people who see only those traits — traits I find endearing — are missing her essence.

My dog is perfect because she is quite possibly the nicest dog in the world, which is exactly what one wants in a family pet.  She adores people, but in a diffident way that precludes aggressive friendliness.  She stands there, face smiling, tail wagging gently, signalling to people that she would be very happy to engage with them, but allowing them to make the first move.  No wonder the little girls in the neighborhood are her biggest fans.  She’s tidy, obedient, cuddly, playful, etc., etc.  Where it matters, she’s the best.

What does this have to do with Tim Tebow?

Well, Tim Tebow didn’t win his last football game.  It was a biggie, and his team had a fairly ignominious defeat.  That allowed the usual crowd to talk about the fact that, as a quarterback, he’s still immature (which, given his age and short career falls into the “well, duh” category), that he’s got a bizarre playing technique, that he’s too slow to react, etc.  He is imperfect and, the naysayers imply, unworthy of the attention lavished upon him.

These naysayers, of course, are missing the point.  Well, I agree that Tim Tebow is not perfect, because no human being is, he is an exemplary young man in all the areas that matter.  He is deeply kind, humble, generous and, as we learned today, truly stalwart.  Despite sustaining very painful injuries after this weekend’s game was already good and lost, Tebow did not give up and, instead, played through the pain:

“I just wanted to show character. You just continue to fight and it doesn’t change who you are, how you play, how you go out there, you should be the same at all times,” Tebow said. “That’s what I wanted to show, it didn’t matter if it was the first play or the last play or you were down by 42. I was going to be the same player and I was still going to give everything I have. Because that’s all I have to give.”

There is a fundamental decency in that statement that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with whether Tebow ever wins another football game.  It is enough that this season placed Tebow in the public eye so that as many people as possible can hear his message.  Certainly, his message his about his faith, and I don’t want to belittle that core component of his personality.  To limit what he offers to faith, however, is to do him disservice.  His approach to his faith means that, in his conduct, he sends a larger message about the human spirit, and this is a message that should reach all young people, whether they share his faith or not.

Certainly, I want my children to know that you can be famous, good-looking, talented . . . and courageous, kind, generous, moral, chaste, and all the other good stuff he is.  In a world saturated with Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, Gansta Rappers, and all the other foul people polluting pop culture, what a tremendous gift Tebow is to our young people.  He uses his bully pulpit, not to tell people to use one sheet of toilet paper, buy $100,000 electric cars, or have sex, but, instead, to lead by example in the purest sense.  His is a doctrine of love, not just for God, but for human-kind.

It is this last point that makes a mockery of those anti-Tebowists who claim that they fear criticizing him lest his fans become violent.  No, I’m not kidding.  Max Lindenman, who feels as I do that Tebow has become an important symbol in the culture wars, caught a liberal columnist make precisely this point:

Yesterday in the Atlantic, I read a blog post that really turned my head. Robert Wright warns non-religious people, especially those he calls “liberals,” that “dissing” Tebow is a bad idea…because it might make the other guys really mad. Extreme “religious conservatives,” who “consider themselves to be at war with the prevailing culture,” will take cracks against Tebow as cues to “reject the entire liberal agenda, ranging from gay rights to uncensored science education in the public schools.” Liberals, he advises, should be as discreet regarding the Broncos QB as the Jyllands-Posten wasn’t regarding Muhammad, prophet of Islam.

Unlike the Islamists, Tebow is the Abou ben Adam of faith, one who manifestly loves his fellow man as part of his faith in God.  No one who respects Tebow is going to use violence as a means of expressing that support.

There are others like Tebow — Marine Lance Corporal Donald Hogan, for example, who earned was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross — who have this abiding love for mankind.  What they lack, however, is Tebow’s prominence.  There are too many heroes whose work is done in the quiet and the dark.  Tebow brings their ethos into the light.

I don’t care that Tebow is a somewhat ungainly quarterback.  As a parent, and as someone who has watched our pop culture decay for too many years, I care deeply that Tebow is almost perfect in the areas that matter.  He is a gift to our culture, and I hope that as many people as possible appreciate this gift.

If you have a good monitor, watch this video at maximum size.  It’s stunning:

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Or, if the embed code doesn’t work, go here.)

I just have to pat myself on the back here, because I came up with a genius idea.  We bought our Christmas tree (er, pardon, Hanukkah bush) today.  Prices this year have been surprisingly low, so I ended up purchasing a 7′ tall tree for all of $40.00.  It’s a gorgeous tree.

Getting a 7′ tree in the house, in the stand, upright, and watered is a daunting task.  Here’s where my genius idea comes in:  I took an old king size sheet with me to the tree lot, one that I bought years ago for the kids to make play houses with.  I put the sheet on the ground, rolled the tree onto it, and then tied the sheet together at both the bottom and the top of the tree.  The tree slid in and out of my minivan effortlessly, and left no needles.

When we arrived home, and while the tree was still wrapped up and lying down, I put the tree stand on.  The kids and I then carried tree (with stand) into the house.  All of the needles remained neatly in the sheet.  We got the tree upright, adjusted the stand, added water to the base — which was easily accessible — and only then let the branches down.  A hail of needles followed.  Since the tree is in excellent shape, I assume it was the one at the bottom of the truck, and that the needles came from every other tree in the truck.

I shudder to think what the mess would have been like if it hadn’t been for my excellent idea.  As it was, I vacuumed around the base of the tree, and everything was perfect.  I’m really quite pleased, both with myself and with my tree.

You guys have probably already thought of this idea (and I’ve heard of Christmas tree bags, although I’m sure that only excessively well-organized people think to buy those), but I’m still pretty pleased with myself.  The fact that no one at this busy, busy lot had either sheet or bag tells me that this wrapping technique isn’t common.  Indeed, the Christmas tree salesman was very impressed and said that, henceforth, he’ll bring a big sheet for his own tree.

Sorry for being the boastful rooster, crowing on my own dunghill, but it’s so rare for me to have these light bulb moments that I get ridiculously excited.

There’s a distinct possibility that this is the best half time show ever, combining heartfelt patriotism, pitch perfect music, and marching the likes of which most of us haven’t seen outside of a Busby Berkeley movie.  Even better — no wardrobe malfunctions.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(If the video doesn’t show, go here to watch it.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

I got the following in an email from a good friend:

Meghan Kinney’s achievement-packed life took a bit of a turn recently, offering a up a tough, new challenge, which she’s faced with her typical determination. A member of the 2008 US Olympic Synchronized Swim Team, and the captain of the current team in training for the 2012 London Olympics, Meghan was diagnosed last summer with a rare form of bone cancer.

Shortly after her treatment of chemotherapy ended in July this year, her boyfriend John, an US Air Force Lieutenant, asked her to marry him.

Without telling Meghan, John, a recent Air Force Academy graduate, entered the two into a contest sponsored by Operation Homefront called, “Salute to Love,” which is for young members of the military in which the contest winners have their wedding paid for.  It’s a pretty cool idea.

Anyway, if you have the time, would you please vote for them?

You can do it here, in the video John put together.

But first, read their story, told by John in his submission for the contest.

Also, here is the message Meghan’s mom Ann sent out today to family and friends.

Looking  at the other submissions from engaged couples, I wish all of them could win — but that’s not how life works.  One of them will win, and I think Meghan and Johns’ story is compelling enough to deserve our votes.

The happy video for today:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hat tip:  Hot Air

(P.S.  Remind me, please, how bad we Judeo-Christian westerners are with our racist modern medicine and charitable acts.  When I see videos such as this one, I tend to forget all the lessons of my two minutes of anti-Western hate.)

During WWII, too few in Nazi occupied areas extended help to beleaguered Jews. In the aftermath of the war, the State of Israel recognized those righteous people. The criteria for those who achieve the honor of “Righteous among the Nations” are few and demanding:

Since 1963, a commission, headed by an Israeli Supreme Court justice has been charged with the duty of awarding the title “Righteous among the Nations.”

The commission is guided in its work by certain criteria and meticulously studies all pertinent documentation, including evidence by survivors and other eyewitnesses.

In order to arrive at a fair evaluation of the rescuer’s deeds and motivations, the commission takes into consideration all the circumstances relevant to the rescue story, including the following:

• How the original contact was made between the rescuer and the rescued.
• A description of the aid extended.
• Whether any material compensation was paid in return for the aid, and, if so, in what amount.
• The dangers and risks faced by the rescuer at the time.
• The rescuer’s motivations, in so far as this is ascertainable; e.g., friendship, altruism, religious belief, humanitarian considerations, or others.
• The availability of evidence from the rescued persons (an almost indispensable precondition for the purpose of this program).
• Other relevant data and pertinent documentation that might shed light on the authenticity and uniqueness of the story.

In general, when the data on hand clearly demonstrates that a non-Jewish person risked his (or her) life, freedom, and safety in order to rescue one or several Jews from the threat of death or deportation to death camps without exacting in advance monetary compensation, this qualifies the rescuer for serious consideration to be awarded the “Righteous Among the Nations” title. This applies equally to rescuers who have since passed away.

I think when you read this story, you will conclude that Darwish Darwish passed the righteousness test.

Some in the town of Grand Rapids took umbrage at being tagged as a “dying” American city in some magazine or another.  One man, who has a reputation for showmanship, raised $40,000, and got 5,000 people to participate in this amazing ONE SHOT video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.