The Results Are In

Each week, the members of the Watcher's Council nominate one of their own posts and a second from outside the Council for consideration by other council members in a contest for best post. The Watcher publishes the results each Friday. The nominations this week, as well as the four honorable mentions, were all very strong posts. And the results of this weeks voting are in:

In the Council category, coming in first place was Obama Fails His First Test As Commander In Chief - my analysis of the President's decision, announced in his speech from West Point, to send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, but then to begin a withdrawal in 18 months. I am supportive of his decision to send the troops, but have a very jaundiced view of all else.

Second place this week was a tie among four very worthy posts, two of which I voted for as best post of the week. Gerard Van der Luen of American Digest made his debut in the Council with Drain Bamage: I Guess It’s Going to Be “All About Soul” Forever, a humorous look at a descent into Billy Joel inspired madness. I really cannot say enough about Mr. Van der Luen. He is highly intelligenct, a first class writer in a class far beyond most of us, and he possesses a finely honed sense of humor. If you are not familiar with his blog, American Digest, I would strongly recommend you start paying regular visits. Mr. Van der Luen's writing is emotional, thoughtful and philosophical. For example, see this from his latest composition, The Star:

To see something special. To see something beyond yourself and your imaginings. To follow it wherever it leads. To always remain prepared for miracle. That is the inner music of the story of The Star. Like all stories that survive, it is the music of the heart and not of the head, and like the heart, it will endure.

Do read the entire post. It is a profound essay written in brilliant prose.

I write for the head in disjointed, verbose fashion. Mr. Van der Luen writes for the head and the heart with the brevity and effortless grace. What I would not give to be able to write with such eloquence.

As I mentioned above, there was a four way tie for second place. All are excellent essays. Bookworm Room's Reason to be grateful Obama appointed gay porn-purveyor Jennings as Safe Schools Czar is by far the most disturbing. I had no idea that Obama had employed, as his safe school's czar, Kevin Jennings, "a career gay man who is devoted to ensuring that children as young as five or six are exposed to a steady stream of sexual information that may help them get in contact with their homosexual side." One, I am not surprised that someone of this ilk was chosen by Obama for a schools czar. I am surprised, however, that this despicable piece of excreta still occupies that position after these revelations.

Also tied for second was Right Truth's We must do something about … Leprechauns, an essay suggesting, accurately I think, that taking action to fight AGW is on par with taking action to fight Leprechauns, particularly in light of the Climategate regulations. Lastly, tied for second was Mere Rhetoric's West Point Speech – Rhetorically Sublime Modern Day Lincoln Said “I” 40+ Times, “Win” Or “Victory” 0. Omi did a stylistic look at Obama's speech and was left wondering how our CINC ever earned a reputation as a first class orator.

On the non-council side, the winning post was on the same topic as Bookworm Room's - the utterly disgusting Kevin Jennings. It was Gateway Pundit's Fistgate II: High School Students Given “Fisting Kits” At Kevin Jennings’ GLSEN Conference ( Photo). This sob should be in jail, not attempting to sexualize underage children and draw them over to homosexuality.

Coming in tied for second place were several fine posts, one of which was the piece I submitted by from The Plum[B] Bob Blog (sorry for the misspellings Plumb Bob Blog). His is another great blog that I highly recommend to all readers. It is invariably informative, well written and well researched. His post, 56 World Newspapers: “Scandal? What Scandal?”, is an excellent summation of many of the aspects of AGW and the Climategate scandal.

Also tied for second was another of my favorite blogs, and really the only other writer that I know on the net who, like Gerard Van der Luen, writes to both the head and the heart with eloquence. That would be Robert Avrech, and I could not recommend his blog, Seraphic Secret, any higher. Robert, an award winning screenwriter, often does a post or two a week on the lives of the famous stars of yesteryear. His post, tieing for second this week, was Lupe Velez: When Shame, Abortion and Suicide Collide.

Lastly, also tied for second was an essay by a West Point cadet, View From West Point: We Are Not The Enemy, taking well founded umbrage at the inanity uttered by Chris Matthews. The money quote: "My role is not to advocate policy but to execute it."

We also had some honorable mentions this week, all of which were quite good. They were Pond’rings' An Encounter With Terrorism, Dinah Lord's A far grander vision: an Islamic center near Ground Zero, Shyspeak's A Letter to Obama From “The Greatest Generation”, and Common Cents' “Hide the Decline” – The Great Global COOLING Coverup. I highly recommend them all.