Between Friday morning and Saturday morning, about a foot of snow came down around these here parts. Saturday morning, I peaked out my front window and noticed one of the largest SUV's on the roads in North America parked right in front of my driveway. This four wheel drive monstrosity didn't have a flake of snow upon it. I didn't pay it much thought, figuring that it was driven by one of the crews some of the elderly folks in the 'hood had hired to clear their walks, driveways, etc. But morning turned into afternoon and me and my daughters went outside to shovel, starting at the back of the driveway and moving closer to the big, black SUV with each shovelful of snow. After about an hour and a half we neared the end of the driveway and the big, black SUV was still there. From that point forward, we through every shovelful of snow up on the hood and windshield of the truck that was blocking in our driveway. Not satisfied with the two to three feet of snow on top, we also threw on all the snow we shoveled from the sidewalk. If I had a snow blower, I would have blown all the snow from the whole dumb driveway right on top.

Certainly not a very Christian thing of me to do.

After finishing the shoveling of our driveway and walkway, my youngest daughter and I walked over to our Church and shoveled the walkway along one side of it. I had plans to do it all but my arms eventually gave out and we walked home. Two days later, my arms still ache. So does my back. Not my lower back. My shoulder blades and sides. If I had that much to snow every weekend, I think I would lose the weight I want to lose very quickly. Either that or I would buy a snow blower and remain fat.

After returning home, and soaking in the tub, I pounded out the above referenced piece on why I'm not a Republican. I'm not really comfortable about the fashion in which I used Kant and Hegel. But its interesting to see just how Madisonian their thinking in some ways. The other interesting thing is that while poking through the Federalist papers, I found no small amount of tension between the ones written by James Madison and the ones written by Alexander Hamilton on the subject of liberty in the face of death. In places Hamilton seems to be arguing the point that self preservation is the first and foremost civil right. If he isn't actually arguing that, he's at least explaining about how, in face of danger, people do tend to willingly give up their civil rights. The clearest example of this is in Federalist number 8.

The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free.

One of the most interesting bits of this is that Hamilton was directly addressing the issue of a nation such as the US having a standing army rather than relying on state militias for a collective defense. A standing army itself, Hamilton argued, is a threat to liberty. I don't know that I believe him on that particular point. But I do think that he is spot on with the observation that  when constantly in a state of fear, many people tend to be willing to give up their liberties. That is a tendency of the masses far too often abused by those in power.

It's also why Clinton's present run at fear mongering drives me up the wall.

Anyway, I'm debating on whether to cross post the bit about why I'm not a Republican to dKos. It might drive up traffic a bit. But I'd feel so unclean.

After finishing the first draft of my essay, I walked back over to the Church for Vespers with both of my daughters. Walking through the snow while slipping, sliding and laughing merrily was fun. The service was nice. Afterwards, our friend Dorian walked with us back to our house and we feasted on beans, cheese and friendship.

Come the next day, we walked back to Church for a third time to attend liturgy. The streets were still mostly not safe to drive on, but slowly getting better. The problem was mostly local. The story I heard third or fourth hand is that the check written by the city to buy more salt bounced and we missed out on our last shipment for the year. Without even sand, all the city trucks could do is plow. Except for the high traffic arteries, all the city streets ended up with three to four inches of solid ice as the plows and other traffic packed down the snow.

After liturgy we had the service of Forgiveness Sunday. Everyone in attendance lines up and asks, one at a time, for forgiveness from everyone else as the people in front of the line work their way towards the back. Depending on my state of mind, I usually find this service moving, amusing, or irritating. This time, I found it moving. Regrettably, the people I've offended the most this past year weren't there, some of whom (like my sister) because they don't attend any Church at all, some of whom (presumably like the driver of the SUV above) don't attend my Church, and some of whom simply weren't there for the service for one reason or the other yesterday.

After walking home, I went grocery shopping. Dinner was frozen pizzas followed by ice cream. Being Cheesefare Sunday, its no more milkfoods going forward through the forty days of Lent and Holy Week until Pascha. Dorian came over for dinner one last time before he moves out of state to be closer to his ailing mother. After dinner, I header over to Cooper's house to help tutor him in  compsci-fu. We fixed a problem with java paths and Tomcat. I think I also fixed the portable fixed disk of Cooper's friend from Hungary. If the problem is really fixed, Pournelle's Law wins again.

All of which brings up more or less up to today. We shall see what the day shall bring.