Lumberjack Down

J.R. Salzman, the blogger behind Lumberjack in a Desert has been wounded in Iraq by an IED.

"it is hard for me to tell you all this but i was hurt by an ied here. my right arm has been amputated below the elbow, my left has four working fingers. my legs are fine so l can still logroll! i am on my way to the hospital in germany, then back to the states for more care. i am in high spirits. i am going to be ok, but i will have a long road to recovery. please remember me in your prayers, as well as those who were injured with me. i will let you know more as time passes."

I never read J.R.'s blog before today, in fact I never knew about it, but I'm a big fan of his from the Great Outdoor Games.  I knew he looked familiar.


The Good news is that J.R. is already at Walter Reed, doing the every-other-day surgery thing until the doctors can get his wounds healing appropriately.  His wife and parents are with him.

The Better news is that The Usual Suspects are already at work getting JR a Valour-IT laptop so that he can continue to communicate with the world at large.

Please keep J.R. and his family, and all the men who were wounded with him and their families in your thoughts and prayers

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Gerald Ford Dead Today....

President Ford died today at age 93.

Of course, this means that yet another of my favorite jokes goes by the wayside.....

Rest in Peace, Mr. President. You were always loved for your grace under fire, your candor, and your humility.

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Light a Candle for Hope

Hanukkah is a time to light candles and celebrate victories of the past, but it's also a time to remember those lost or left behind.

Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were abducted more 5 months ago.This Hanukkah - the holiday of lights, Ynetnews, in coordination with the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization, invite you to light a Hanukkah candle in their honor.
As individuals our light is weak, but together we will shine brightly and light a huge flame to express our common concern and hope that Gilad, Ehud and Eldad return safely home.

Remember Gilad, Ehud and Eldad. Help bring them home


Clicking either of the pictures will take you to the Candle Site. More than 10,000 have been lit so far. Let their families know how many people out there remember and care.
h/t Linda SoG

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Two in a row

PBS gets it right this time with a great story about Project Valour-IT on their MediaShift blog:

...While most of the bloggers who supported Valour-IT have been on the conservative side of the political spectrum, FbL notes that the project cuts across ideology by focusing on helping out wounded veterans.

"Doing a program like this is so beyond politics," FbL said. "You have someone here who is hurt, and you have the ability to make their lives better, why wouldn't you do that? That's part of our success with this. How do you say no to this without looking like a total jerk? [laughs] You can say, "It's all George Bush's fault." Yes, it is, but how are you going to help? It's beyond politics and it's so human. It's a winning concept and I am lucky enough to know brilliant people who have made this project work."

Valour-IT is another result of average folks banding together online to make a difference, getting beyond petty politics and government bureacracy to get something done and do it right. It's one of those classic holiday stories of people giving of their time, their money and even the bully-pulpit space of their blogs to help others in need.

Go read the whole thing, and maybe leave a comment telling PBS how much you appreciate the story.

h/t BethD

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