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The Very Best of Varifrank: 2004-2005

Submitted as part of the "Varifrank Blogiversary":

Again, I want to thank all of you for the encouragement I have received over the past year. Writing does not come easy to me,I've had a lot to overcome to get this far, and to have received praise from as many people has I have comes as the greatest gift I could ever receive.

For those of you that have just started visiting the site, I have compiled this list of essays that were the best received in terms of emails and linkage from other sites.

If you feel that I've missed one of your favorites, or if you feel that one of these should not be on the list, let me know in the comments section.

Again, thanks to you all.

Our war for Liberty and Survival

Essays on the subject of war, past and present and the challenges we must accept if we are to survive.

Whos Winning.
An essay that helps the reader understand how to listen to the opposition.

Guantanamo in Perspective.
For a short time this summer the left attempted to turn Guantanamo into the shame of the country. It backfired badly. When news that the inmates had translated copies of Harry Potter to read, and that it was quite popular, it ended the debate.

The case for torture.
A small reminder of the stakes in the war, and how decency for an individual may mean death for millions.

Dignity.
What’s at stake in Taiwan and why the Chinese want it so badly.

Contrails.
A reminder of one of the things I missed on September 12th 2001 and what people around the world miss all too frequently and how we are all inspired by the same simple sight in the sky.

Today the boogeyman died.
Free Elections in Iraq? Just saying those words makes me smile.

My Friend Masooma.
I think about this woman all the time. I feel shame at her loss and how little my country has done to ensure her freedom until recently.

Blood Red Fury.
The story of Iraq that the leftists will never discuss unless to say its our fault.

Reflections on History

History does not teach us how the future will go, but we can learn from those who came before us to see what might happen. Each of us stands on the actions of the people of our past, we own them all a great deal for the world we have today.

For Junior.
My father once told me that the one thing I had to remember about World War II was that no one knew how it would all turn out until it was over. This is my attempt to put the look on some men’s faces at key dates of the year into perspective.

And now a word from General McAuliffe.
Where one of my heroes returns from the great beyond to smack some sense into the White House press corp.

1989 – A Pivot of history.
This is a year that they should write books about in bulk, but there is precious little about the year where everything changed and hardly anyone noticed that it had fundamentally changed.

What would you say?
General Mattis said something that the leftist press found offensive. I reminded a few people that historically he's in very good company. The man still has my support.

The Camera Never Lies.
The next time someone throws this picture in your face to show you the true evil of America in Vietnam you can at least know the rest of the story.

Earn This.
We all have duties in this Democracy. Now shut up and vote.

The Left: A Force that stands against the people

The left and the media are a constant source of wonderment to me. Here are a few essays that discuss the ideas and ideals of leftists and their main political arm, the Western Media in the context of our times.

Babykiller Redux.
Dick Durbin thought it was ok to link our troops to the Nazis. Well, that was a mistake now wasnt it.

I’ve got your desecration right here pal.
A real hero shows us what desecration really means, and it doesn’t mean a book getting flushed down the toilet.

Jungle Drums.
Why does the press want to lose so badly? Who side are they on?

Nostalgia is a mental disease.
Ladies and Gentleman – It's Gary Trudeau!
Once upon a time many people in the left were poor college kids struggling against “the man”. Now they are multi millionaires living the high life. Unfortunately they still think they are the oppressed college student instead of the ones doing the oppression.

Compare and contrast.
What does and does not constitute unflattering stories about Islam.

The LA Times is not your friend.
Do you think 'Media Abuse' is new phenomenon? HA! Boy, have I got a story for you.

The Grand Unified Theory of Vietnam.
Why is a war fought over 30 years ago such a fetish with the left? el Salvador is Vietnam, Nicaragua is Vietnam, Granada is Vietnam, Panama is Vietnam, Lebanon is Vietnam Iraq is Vietnam (both times!). It just never stops.

Iraq: It’s not for us.
Iraq is not about us. This essay is to remind us who it really is for, and why they should care.

The Secret Weapon.
I ponder the deep mystery of why George W. Bush can be hated by so many people yet receive more votes than any elected president in history.

Signal To Noise.
Why do leftists insist on visiting my site and trying to convince me that I’m wrong?

I’m questioning their patriotism.
How the people on the left reminds me of Star Trek Conventioneers.

Farewell, John Kerry!
Ah, the post that generated 900 emails, 850 promising to kick my ass, 3 that wanted to kill me and 40 that were people genuinely laughing with me at a man with utterly no chance of winning anything outside the state of Massachusetts. My first “insta-lanche”.

How some see the world.
Just in case you thought for a second that the left was on our side.

Blogging: How I found my voice.

I learned how to blog by reading and commenting on other peoples blogs. I watched blogs for about a year before I started my own. I owe them all a great debt of thanks.

A bloggers tale.
How I got started as a blogger and some of the people that influenced me on the road to writing my own blog.

Ready for your close up?
Norma Desmond or Maureen Dowd? How can you tell the difference exactly where do you draw the line?

Changing the world, one cable modem at a time.
Tired of paying $3.00 a gallon for gas? Then stay home! This essay is not just “how to do it” but “how I did it”.

The World rotates under your feet, and you don’t even know it.
Another essay on how the internet has already changed things for us, and we don’t even realize it.

What does a blogger look like?
This picture says it all to me. I did notice that the man in the picture is able to speak without getting trackback spam or getting death threats, but I suppose its because there are no leftists in his town.

Discourse.
How to disagree without being disagreeable and why its such a rare commodity these days.

Travelers Tales. How I came to be who I am today.

These were the hardest to write, but they were also the most therapeutic. When I started blogging, it never occurred to me to write these stories, but I’m glad I did.

Road Warrior.
The loss of a friend and the emotions that came from deleting his last voicemail.

Robert the Counter.
How a kid with cerebral palsy taught me how much my life was worth.

Lance is finished.
Sometimes, you just have to stop and fight, no matter the odds because sometimes walking away just costs too much.

Today I was unprofessional.
Sure, people say stupid things all the time. They just shouldnt say it in front of me when I’m tired.

Leaving Roseton.
The recognition of the loss that comes with moving and my attempt to forgive my parents for making the move.

The Way You Look Tonight.
I found a picture of my mother in law standing in front of the World Trade Center, and that wasnt the only thing in the picture that moved me to tears.

A reader asks about my stance on “utopia”.
Utopia is the most destructive idea the human race ever invented. I explain why.

A week in Hooverville.
I grew up in the Carter years. I’m very sensitive to the phrase “worst economy in 60 years”. Kid, I’ve seen double digit inflation, NO gas, 18% mortgage rates and 9% unemployed. Don’t tell me that this is a bad economy.

Posted @ August 20, 2005 03:31 AM | Category 2

Posted by: VietPundit at August 20, 2005 12:09 PM

Posted by: VietPundit at August 20, 2005 12:11 PM

Posted by: Hudson21 at August 20, 2005 06:32 PM

Posted by: bothenook at August 25, 2005 10:42 AM