The Christmas Letter 2012 (As Edited By Family)

Soooo... for those of you who do not appear on my wife's Christmas Card List (this is normally because we don't get a card for you but otherwise is through my omission) we present the edited Christmas card for 2012.  The unedited version was destroyed by progressives who are turning our country into a socialist state.

Well, it has been a good year to be a Becker.  Let’s do it in reverse order.  Mike and Sandy who are enjoying their time as “empty nesters” took Lily and Lola and entered them in the Westchester Kennel Club show.  The dogs did fabulously, with Lily biting several other dogs and Lola, who never stopped her sobbing whine, was given a Blue Ribbon just for leaving.  It was an awesome experience for the dogs and we have high hopes for next year.

Laura is in the midst of her 2nd year at Valparaiso, in what she hopes to be a 4-7 year plan.  She has majored (in no particular order) in Communications, Room Mate Abnormal Psych, Education, Communications, Bread Company Consumption and Business... and Communications... again.  She is currently Facebook official with a nice young man named Jon.  She worked up at Camp Arcadia this summer and worked in the Kitchen and as a server with remarkably little drama.  We are most proud.

Pat GRADUATED! from Truman with a degree in Psych.  It was approximately 117 in Kirksville on the day of the graduation.  The graduation speaker had expertise in human trafficking.  It was a hoot.  After making us very proud Pat decided to think really hard and upset his parents in ways we had not yet imagined and he has proceeded to Lawrence, Kansas to get his masters In Social Work.  A Jayhawk!  Imagine our family shame. He and Kyle have been together for going on 4 years.  Sadly, they both love Lawrence, Kansas.  Maybe it is the liberal politics of Kansas, who knows? Rock Chalk?  You never think it will happen in your family.

JON AND LYDIA GOT MARRIED!  Jon did the nicest thing he could have done for his parents by marrying the beautiful Lydia Schaftenaar and making her Lydia Becker. The setting (Camp Arcadia’s Chapel on the Beach), ceremony,  day and the weekend were all perfect and it was a storybook wedding that even I cannot be cynical or snarky about.  We  are so grateful for the many family and friends who traveled a long way to celebrate with us. Jon and Lydia purchased a house in Shrewsbury and are raising our grandcat, Henry David Thoreau ,and granddog, Schafly.  Henry is evil. Schafly is adorable. The Schaftenaars have graciously allowed us their daughter’s continued presence here and we are hoping they will be frequent visitors.  We couldn’t feel luckier that God brought our families together.

Sadly the first paragraph was a lie and Sandy and I continue in our jobs.  My life has been really tied up in a call committee for a new Pastor at our church (going on two years and people are starting to think that I am the problem) and Sandy really just works a lot during a big chunk of the year.  But is was a great year for us. Perhaps the best ever and as I said at the beginning, a good year to be a Becker. Tragedies touched several families we love this year humbling us and making us ever more grateful for the friends and family who never fail to be there for us and share our sorrows and our joys, but this year a lot more joys.  We go into 2013 feeling blessed with all of you by our sides.

Wishing you a blessed Christmas and 2013!

The Becker family,
Mike, Sandy, Jon,Lydia, Pat and Laura

Any Limits On 2nd Amendment? Not Today

Soooo.... Guns.  Sandyhook, Aurora, Portland, Milwaukee, Jackson.  According to the Nation 88  people died in mass shootings but I cannot tell you how they define that.  http://www.thenation.com/blog/171774/fifteen-us-mass-shootings-happened-2012-84-dead#
But so what?  300 million guns in arguably the safest country in the world. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_gun_owners_are_there_in_the_United_States_of_America
Were number one!  Once again we are exceptional Americans.  Exceptionally frightened Americans.  I have no answers and no pearls of wisdom.  We cannot put 300 million guns back in the bottle.  We cannot take back the assault weapons (whatever that means) that have already been sold.  We cannot reinstate the mental health funding which is the first thing cut at every budget impasse.  We cannot remove with the stroke of a pen the violence in videos, movies , games and TV that Hollywood enshrines.

But we should think about it.  And we should be ashamed.  Not just for Newtown but for the people killing each other in Chicago without headline or national comment.  I don’t promote any answers but the one thing that has to be clear is that removing funding for mental illness along with dramatically increasing the availability and number of guns makes things like Newtown a natural result.  We reap what we sew.  The chickens do indeed come home to roost.

So, think about it.  Think about the 2nd Amendment that called for well regulated militia. And what had become of it with high powered weapons available for every household.  Are there ANY limits to the 2nd Amendment as currently interpreted?  If so, what are they?

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.-2nd Amendment of The United States Constitution

Under our current interpretation of this language, what would it not allow? Below is my idea for a movie, or more likely a Saturday night live skit.  I did it on December 3rd, well in advance of Newtown.  It could be funny... and really, really sad.  

***
Mohammed, Aarif, Abdul and Hamdan are in Tehran working on the Iraqi nuclear bomb project.  They are constantly beset by poor working conditions, unreasonable Mullah’s, and UN Nuclear Inspectors.  They cannot get work done.  They cannot build the bomb for Islam.  They are denied the working materials they need and have constant saboteurs (Israeli and American provocateurs) who are constantly undermining their work.  It is a disaster where they have to work each day and the dream of better labs and equipment and materials.

They have a conversation about where they could go to make the bomb for the Jihad.  They consider Afghanistan and immediately disregard it after disparaging comments regarding camels and thieves.  They consider briefly North Korea and then they make disparaging comments about the food and the little dictator that runs the place.  

They go home and in their cramped apartment are watching Al Jazeera’s coverage of the American Election and see the NRA shouting about the second amendment and the right to bear arms...they see southern Senators talking about standing their ground and every man’s right to defend themselves.  Then they see the Republicans on the floor of the house decrying bans on automatic weapon sales and speaking about it being a violation of rights for Americans not to have their own mortars and tanks and bombs.  An idea is borne.

They move to America and with funding from their government open a new nuclear research program at Millsaps or some other small piece of shit southern college.  They start to build their bomb and they defend it against all objectors as they build the bomb.  When people express concern Wayne La Pierre of the NRA goes on meet the press and suggests that every American ought to have access to nuclear technology.  Boeing announces a partnership with Colt to start research to introduce tactical nukes to “defend” your home.  They are defended as they make their bomb and they and others, state that every American should be entitled to have a nuclear bomb.  Why shouldn’t an American citizen be entitled to a nuclear bomb?  It is right there in the Constitution!  During a press interview Hamdan gets carried away shouting “Alluah Akbar” and then catching himself in the dead silence that ensues screams “I mean DON’T TREAD ON ME” to raucous applause.  Fade out to a mushroom cloud over Birmingham.

I don’t know how it ends.  It might be funny.

***

Think about how you should react to gun violence. With fear?  As a Christian... I ask you to find something in the New Testament or something in what Christ said that justifies shooting another human being... Show me where Jesus tells us to “stand our ground”. There are no easy answers or quick fixes but thoughtful Americans should be thinking about these questions.

Best Becker Music 2012

I cannot necessarily vouch for the excellence of this list. I really loved the top three. The fact is that there is so much music available now that finding a meaningful filter to pick the good stuff is hard. But, here it is and to the extent meaningful, my favorite CD is a local band it rocks rather than twangs. Enjoy or don't. Peace.
1. Sleepy Kitty: Infinity City. new, bold, outstanding, St. Louis.  Great vocals, crunchy guitars, Lou Fest, Cherokee Street, graphic art and prints, clever lyrics, break up songs, life lessons, cover of “She Was Just 17”, St. Louis references, smart, pretty, funky, I like it, looping and tricks, but solid tricks, I listened at least 50 times to every song, Dykula, buy it, NOW! What is next?

2. Mountain Goats: Transcendental Youth.  Cry for Judas, deep introspective, three minute songs, John Darnielle, Smart, sad, dark, joyous, raucous, Harlem Shuffle, some guys are just too talented and tortured, an album like a live Twitter feed... that doesn’t make it right.  “Do every stupid thing that makes you feel alive.”, I love this music, will buy everything he makes. Tortured, brilliant, sad, tortured, brilliant.

3. Elizabth Cook: Gospel Plow. EP, just as advertised, some Gospel Music, for Christians. or not, listen, cry, br grateful, but don’t mock it, beautiful voice, her husband Tim Carrolls sweet alt guitar, picking her spots and he references and her Gospel, but smile, daughter of lounge singers, she might have a place for Jesus, or not, but you must listen. This is shit that will just make you smile and if your lucky...think and maybe think about God.

4. Counting Crows: Underwater Sunshine.  Adam Durvitz, August and nothing too much thereafter, epic voice, our generations Sinatra, inturpreting other peoples work, brilliant selections, Madonna, Gram Parsons, The Faces, Bob Dylan.  Brilliant and charming and touching and... to quote “Ooh Lah Lah”, “I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger.” Buy this just to smile, feel a little much needed joy. He can sing and they play so tight.

5. Joe Pug:  The Great Despiser. Religious, but not, seems like he keeps making the same album, but a great album each time, writes like Dylan, mewls like Dylan, does not need my approvel, searching and making me search, asking questions observations with hooks, interested to see if he breaks out of this mold but this might be enough.  Become a fan.

6. Steve Earle: I’ll Never Get Out Of Here Alive. Buy him, just out of respect, heroin addict, recovered, brilliant, political, SIRIUS DJ, New York, Nashville, there and back again, over and over again, plays with the best sideman or at least the coolest, thinks about every word and so should you.

7. Neil Young and Crazy Horse: Psychodelic Pill.  The man, the myth, the legend, with the Horse, raucous again, best since “Ragged Glory”, tapping on 70’s door and can still kick that door down, seems unafraid, familiar territory that rocks, 7 minute songs that do not seem 7 minutes, don’t sppok the horse and you don’t need to be high to rock... but it might help.

8. James Iha: Look To The Sky. Smart Pop, unexpected, Smashing Pumpkins Guitarist, disappeared, etheral, Fountains of Wayne like, the good stuff though, lacking crunchy guitars, painfully tuneful

9. Tame Impala: Lonerism.  Beatleseque, Australian, compter effects noodler, Radiohead, pretty, sometimes raucous, often pleasant, (hate that), sometimes relentlessly pleasant, (intriguing), ultimately I don’t know but...

10. Rhett Miller: The Dreamer.  Old 97s, pretty boy, whips is hair, covered great american songs last year, solo stuff all tend to sound the same, this good, slightly over produced, but he can write, worth it for the line “You were not like the rest, till you left.” from the song “Lost Without You”.  That kind of brilliance deserves to be bought and treasured.  I’m just saying ya’ll.

Everyone Loved Them:
Japandroids
Shins
Fiona Apple
Dirty Projectors
Mumford... again
Lumineers
Beach House
Alabama Shakes

Whiskey In The WInter Review

Sooooo.... I have friends.  Not many friends and not good friends but friends never the less.  These friends are sometimes very nice people.  Sometimes they like to drink... perhaps that is why they are my friends...who knows.  The main thing is that I sometimes like to do things with friends.  So a couple of months ago I am reading that fabulously shabby and only occasionally marginally useful Riverfront Times.  But I read it all the time.  I read it every week.  There are sometimes good reviews and it is a nice place to get concert listings but mainly it is a place to look at adds and see if there are no restaurants opening or advertising that you have not heard of.  Sometimes their are events being publicised and thus it was that i saw an add for “Whiskey In The Winter”.

It led me to the website http://www.whiskeyinthewinter.com/

I forwarded it to my wife expecting her to shoot it down and instead it was met with hearty approval.  I forwarded to my friend and he immediately was in with his lovely wife as well.  So tickets were purchased and on December 1, 2012 we were picked up by our friends and headed to down to The Hyatt (the Old Adams Mark Downtown.

Surprisingly the even was sold out.  There were people all over the place and it was an eclectic mix of folks from middle aged men with their girlfriends and second wives to old couples (like us) to a lot of pretty single people, and some people who are just serious bourbon drinkers.  You walk into the main ballroom on the 2nd or 3rd floor (whatever) and you just see tables set out in rows and at each one is a different distiller or producer and each one has 3,4 or 5 different products which you can sample.  Some serve a swallow, some pour a slug and they will give you as much or as little ice as you require.

So we went to the first table and started.  And then we went to another and sampled, just a little.  Then we went out to the buffet which was ample and somewhat opulent with gumbo, carved meat and potatoes and various sides and a lot a choice to drink some girly fruity bourbon drinks in case you have brought someone with a less serious addiction than you might have.  It was a nice spread and there were a few tables to sit down at if you waited and poached.  They did have some bag pipers which people love... and I hate.

Then we went back.  I could wax poetic about all the bourbons but when you have a few the tatses go pretty numb pretty quick.  There was scotch too (though not as much) and some locally distilled spirits as well (Four Square) but more than anything else there was bourbon.  Rows and rows of bourbon.  Kentucky sour mash and rye and canadian and small batch and big producer.  I got to taste several that I had never heard of and my big discovery of the night was Willet out of Bardstown.

We had a designated driver but we had over served ourselves.  Next year we stay at the hotel and we hope to see you there.