Ali turns 8!

Now that it's exactly one month past her birthday, I thought it might be a good time to post the festivities. Ali is my first born girl and as such gets all the benefits of being of the female persuasion. We did things big this year. She didn't want a party. Ali's not into crowds and noise and stuff, so Grandma Ellis, Ali and I spent the day together. Our first stop, Claire's Boutique. Ali's been begging me to let her get her ears pierced for longer than I care to remember and I finally caved. She was a trooper--not a single tear and the result: one very happy 8 year old. Next stop, the long awaited pedicure. Now, I didn't get a pedicure till I was over 30, but this was our girl day and how can you have a girl day without a pedicure? She loved it. We went shopping and bought some summer clothes and then met dad at Wildflower Bread Company for lunch. It was a really great day, but the highlight of the birthday was definitely the whipped cream fight! This sweet, feminine child felt that her day just would not be complete without being completely covered in whipped cream. A happy ending...

The truly special event of course, didn't take place until Saturday. Grandma and Grandpa Ellis, several relatives from the Phoenix area and good friends came to celebrate Ali's baptism. It was a beautiful service. Only one glitch--John forgot all about the plug when he went to fill the font. Oh well. We just imagined a beautiful waterfall instead of a running faucet and didn't mind the background noise so much that way. She did end up getting baptized though and was absolutely beaming when it was all over. Everyone joined us at our house for a barbeque after the service. We so love our friends and family and felt really blessed to be share this day with them.

An Open Letter to Janet Napolitano, DHS

Secretary Napolitano:

I read the entire (U//FOUO) text of the Department of Homeland Security Assessment on Rightwing Extremism today.

I am struck by a number of things.

First, the department is completely out of touch with what constitutes a threat to the United States of America. Citing millions of Americans applying for criminal background checks so that they can purchase weapons LEGALLY is not evidence of an increased threat. Criminals and terrorists do NOT register their weapons or submit themselves to the law when acquiring the tools of their violent trade. This is the TRUE threat, and one that is impossible to measure.

A preoccupation with the domestic political "right" will make mitigation of the threat of terrorism even more difficult, as the Department of Homeland Security is barking up the proverbial "wrong tree."

Second, the department fails to recognize that supporters of the 9th and 10th amendments to the US Constitution do not pose a threat to the United States of America. An increase in a movement supporting those amendments should be no more threatening than a surge in 1st or 5th amendment support.

One would do well to recognize that the true threat to our Constitution, and subsequently to the American way of life, comes from those who despise its principles and would overthrow it; not from those who read, interpret, and agree with it.

Third, the "right" or conservative part of the population of the United States are proportionally less likely to be involved in criminal activity or terrorism than are the "left" or the apolitical. Witness the leftwing "anti-war" movement of the 1960s and the gang activity among those who are uninvolved in the political process.

All who work for the security of our nation need to work hard to overcome personal and ideological prejudices and to focus on the threats to our country and our way of life in a rational and prioritized manner.

Fourth, linking a person’s moral or religious views on abortion or same-sex marriage to extremist ideology espoused by “white supremacists” is supremely offensive. There can be no rational or logical connection between private morality and activities aimed at toppling the government of the United States or harming its citizens.

The authors of this Assessment have let their morality color their views of all other belief systems. The prejudice is glaringly apparent in this part of the report. It will serve to blind the authors to the real threats to the nation’s security.

And fifth, to imply that returning war veterans as a group are weak-minded and susceptible to recruitment and exploitation by an extremist group on either end of the political or ideological spectrum is patently repugnant and infinitely small-minded. As a veteran of the US Army and National Guard (1988 – 1999) I take personal offense for myself and professional offense for the fine people I served with. We swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.

If the authors think that such a person, willing to lay down their life for the rights of people they have never met, is a threat to their idea of what government should be, perhaps they should reconsider their views.

This Assessment has painted conservative citizens of the United States as "terrorists" while the Department of Homeland Security has whitewashed true terrorism with the euphemism of "man-made disasters".

I understand that this is one in a series of reports on terrorist threats to the United States. Please make the other reports public and available.

I would appreciate your reply.

Respectfully,

John N. Ellis