I think I’ve a new favorite Civil War artist. My new reenactor friends in Forth Worth told me about him. A site I found says this about him: “John Paul Strain was born in Nashville, Tennessee, has studied American history and the War Between the States all his life. He captures the color, drama and heroism of the Civil War with a vivid realism that is unique among the nation’s top-ranking historical artists.” I would encourage you to go to his site and view his wonderful art. I’ve included one below that is entitled, Vengeance at Okolona. http://www.johnpaulstrain.com/

World News: The hypocrisy and inconsistency of political leaders astounds me. For example, Kosovo’s secession from Serbia is applauded and supported by President Bush and others. One political theorist asks that if Bush and his government government “can sanction the secession of Kosovo—a tiny and poor Muslim enclave in the heart of the Christian Balkans—why can’t it sanction the existence of an independent South Carolina?” I wonder what our government would do if South Carolina seceded today? Probably invade or try to blockade the state again like Lincoln did. You can read the whole article that the quotes comes from here. http://dixienet.org/New%20Site/pressrelease02182008.shtml