Daily Ramblings

Scam? - Investor Protection Association for America (Update)

2009-07-04T20:56:00.004-06:00

It seems our friends at IPAoA have up'd the anti a little. Here are a few more updates to this ongoing scam.

http://rodgerv.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/investor-protection-association-for-america-dont-do-it/

http://stockideas.org/content/view/1949/86/

Just remember folks; if it sounds too good to be true, most likely it isn't. Their message has been updated to reflect our current problems but their goal is the same, they only want your data so they can sell it. If you get one of these information mining letters, just throw it out and ignore it. The only way to stop these type of people is to prove thier tactics won't work. Stay informed folks!

Jury Duty

2009-06-28T19:04:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow I get the privilege of doing my civic duty by participating in jury duty. Now I will be wearing my uniform, which I think is the reason why I always get excused, but it doesn't mean I don't want to sit on a jury. When I was 19 I sat on a jury in Colorado to try a case where a Dentist was accused of shop lifting. We ended up as a hung jury but it was a fun 5 days none the less. I hope tomorrow I get to experience this again and for almost the same reasons. Participating in a jury is one of the unique things a democracy offers their citizens. I will enjoy the fact that I get to help out in our system and preserve the freedom we have to be tried by a jury of our peers. I don't have any peers I know of that are criminals but you know what I mean. So whether my service to our community is long like it was the last time, or short since they don't want an active duty person on a trial, I will do my duty proudly and to the best of my ability.

Flaunting my straightness

2009-06-09T07:33:00.003-06:00

Last week we took the family vacation in Disney World. We had a great time enjoying the various theme parks down there especially Epcot. On the last day we hit Hollywood Disney where they had a Star Wars thing going on. A lot of the guests were dressed as their favorite Star Wars character and it was kind of fun. One girl had on the white skin tight outfit that Natalie Portman wore in Episode 2 and I have to say it was a little risque for a family venue. Other than that though it was fairly tame except for one thing, the overt flaunting of heterosexuality.

While at the park I saw many "couples" holding hand, hugging, kissing and carrying on without any regard for how the gay community felt. Married couples were there flaunting their ability to have children naturally, many of which had a lot more than they should. It's really a shame that the gay folks that were there had to endure such a blatant display of the sexual choice those couples were displaying. Of course I was right there in the thick of it holding hands with my wife and taking care of my family. I guess it was rather shallow of me to do this in front of them but it's so natural for me since I'm straight. It's hard for me to hide my straightness especially when I'm out in public. So to the gay community out there, please forgive me for being straight. I only wish I could hide my straightness like you hide your gayness.

Okay, enough sarcasm. You know, I could care less what you are but don't rub it in my nose. Is being gay an excuse to act like a deviant? Effeminate men, butch women, all acting, dressing, and generally displaying themselves to the world that they are gay. Do you see heterosexual couple out there doing these things? No, because in a social atmosphere it's considered inappropriate behavior. Just because your gay doesn't change the rules of decency and everyone would appreciate it if you would practice them. I really don't need to see two women wearing six foot rainbow colored wings on their back groping each other as I'm trying to enjoy my vacation. It would be different if I was going to a venue or community that was for this, but Disney World? Since when did Disney World become Market and Castro? I know this is a free country and being gay is a choice you make but don't make me a part of your lifestyle.

You know there is a gay stereotype out there. If you remember the TV show Will and Grace they had characters that were molded and shaped to fit this stereotype. Stereotypes are created to display the negatives of a trait and in this instance they show a side to homosexuality that is laughed at. You would think that as a person who wants to "just be accepted and fit in" you would want to shed these stereotypes and be upset when they're portrayed. Right now the homosexual stereotype promotes the weaknesses of the person and not their strengths. I don't think your sexual preference makes you weak so why do you want to display weakness to me? Here's a simple rule; you men act like men, and you women act like women. Think about that next time you look into your wardrobe and consider wearing those rainbow wings. Do you want to be looked at as a normal person or laughed at as a deviant?

Mediterranean Shrimp Salad

2009-03-28T05:51:00.010-06:00

With it being Lent I try to come up with some unique and interesting ways to cook on Fridays. Yesterday I concocted a very nice dish that I would like to share with all of you. It is very simple to prepare and was a big hit for the family. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Mediterranean Shrimp Salad

1 pound medium to large shrimp (peeled and cleaned)
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup sun dried tomato, chopped
1/4 cup klamata olives, chopped
1 cup feta cheese
1 bag baby spinach
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare a few plates or pasta bowls with a few handfuls of baby spinach to act as a bed for the shrimp. Saute onions and garlic in approximately 1 cup of olive oil. When the garlic starts to brown add the shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, and olives. When the shrimp is finished cooking (make sure you don't over cook them), pour over the beds of spinach making sure to include the some of the hot olive oil. Do not stir the spinach once the shrimp and oil is added. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar and crumble the feta cheese over the dish. Serve with a glass of chilled Chardonnay.

There are many additional things that can be added to this dish. If you like things spicy, sprinkle a little crushed red pepper into the shrimp while it's cooking. You could also add some bacon bits for flavor.

For a nice side dish for the shrimp, try slicing some Roma tomatoes and soft mozzarella cheese. Arrange on a plate then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with garlic salt and fresh ground pepper. If your familiar with Caprese Salad then you will recognize this dish.

This was a hit at my house, hopefully it will be at yours as well. Enjoy.

Stimulus Plan Reap Scams A-Plenty

2009-03-04T08:53:00.002-06:00

You know it's always been said that there is never a free lunch. With the government making it very well known they are passing out all this money for the stimulus plan, scammers are jumping at the chance to take advantage of this publicity. Check out the PC World article "Scam Alert: Don't Fall for Bogus 'Stimulus' Checks".

Most likely there are several reasons we're seeing this upturn in on-line scams. First, people are in a bit of a panic; panic being fed by the over abundance of financial doom and gloom stories in the news. It's not surprising that average folks are looking at any way possible to get a leg up in this time of uncertainty so they're more prone to getting involved in a get rich quick scheme. Throughout history, frauds and carpetbaggers have taken advantage of times like these to line their own pockets by preying on the uninformed or panic stricken populous. In the news we hear about how bad the credit market is yet in the commercials we see someone who will fix all our credit problems. It's like they are the miracle cure for the problem I've just been told I have. Do I really have a problem? Most likely no. Hey, I've got an idea; why doesn't the government tell AIG to go over to one of those companies who advertise that they can boost my credit rating? After all if they have the ability to fix my problem why can't they do it on a larger scale?

I'm not saying we don't have problems, it's obvious that with the downturn on Wall Street and the decline in the job market that something is going on. There are tons of indicators out there that point out that we're in a real mess but the problem is that we also have all these folks out there with seemingly miracle cures to our financial woes. Do you realise that most of the folks out there saying they can fix your credit score are going to do nothing more than what you can do for yourself? The companies that tell you they will intervene with your creditors to lower your payment are doing nothing more than the same thing you can do for yourself. Although perfectly legal it's still a scam because they're charging you for a service you don't need to buy.

Another reason scammers are becoming more prevalent is the anonymity of the internet. The article at PC World outlined a few scams that were targeting ads posted on Facebook. These ads are simple, cheap, and can be done from anywhere in the world. The very thing we love about computers and the internet help us create the illusion of security. We go to a website looking for some tidbit of information and the sites are saturated with advertisements. Here's what I'm talking about; go to your favorite search engine and do a search for Disneyworld. You'll find many websites with information but only a few that are actually run by Disney. Click on one of the ones that looks like a site from the Orlando tourist bureau and you are suddenly on a site that surrounds you with ads for hotels, travel agents, car rentals, everything but information on the park. These sites have now become a revenue generation device created by folks that have no interest in providing you what you want. All they care about is that you click on one of their ads.

Google is getting into the ad fray as well. With AdSense, you can allow Google to place ads on your blog or website and you will supposedly get paid if people click on the ads from your site. For a blog like mine I'm sure they potential for revenue is very small but what about some of the more popular sites? I'm sure a site like PC World or Disney generated millions in ad revenue just by allowing someone else to advertise on them. Facebook is becoming replete with these types of ads. Along the right sidebar of Facebook is a column dedicated to ads like the one that was outlined in the article. Are they scams? Well I'm sure some are but they're not going to be removed unless people complain. The key to AdSense and Facebook is that they need to look legitimate but they don't really have to do anything. The cost and effort is low but the rewards potential is great; a "perfect storm" for scamming. When you click on one of these ads they activate their counter one more time so someone can claim their advertisements work. Someone is getting paid with every click but we are the ones that are paying. Advertisement revenue is at an all time high and we users are the ones paying for it. And on top of everything else, the folks generating income from illegal activity are advertising right along with the legitimate ones.

Both Facebook and AdSense have people dedicated to fighting fraud in their advertisements but they only focus on the ones people complain about. This is how we get involved. If you see one that is a fraud, something that looks too good to be true make sure you report it. In Google you can contact AdSense but in Facebook you have to click on the "thumbs down" icon below the ad. It's a short and simple process either way but could potentially have huge rewards for all of us. There's nothing wrong with either of these advertising service but they are being preyed upon by the scamming community just like us. In order to reduce the scammers success though, we all need to get involved and tell these companies about the frauds. As a rule of thumb, if it's too good to be true, too easy to do, or just flat out false we should report it. The other way we help fix the problem is to simply not click on the ads. A little "mouse discipline" will go a long ways in reducing the income of the criminals and they will go elsewhere to peddle their fake wares.

It's All Post Apocalyptic Training

2009-02-27T18:02:00.004-06:00

Now I finally understand why we have the games we do. Oh and just in case you're worried, I've got us covered if Tiberium really exists :) http://www.theonion.com/content/video/are_violent_video_games?utm_source=a-section

Sony's latest product

2009-02-17T06:57:00.000-06:00

A-ha, their evil plan is finally revealed.

What would you do with a trillion dollars?

2009-02-14T06:24:00.004-06:00

It's hard for many of us to fathom the amount of money the government is talking about when it comes to the stimulus plan. We all grew up thinking millionaires where the aristocratic upper tier crowd seeded with a few billionaires; but a trillion, who has that kind of money? Think of the wealthiest of the world (i.e. Bill gates, Donald Trump, Oprah, ect.) and none of them even come close to this about of money even if you where to combine their income. It's such a large amount of money it's hard to think about how big it really is. If you think of a trillion dollars in terms of weight and put it in simple terms people understand, say $100 dollar bills... well a trillion dollars would weigh 22,026,432 pounds or about 11,000 tons. To put this is something you can grasp, the Eiffel tower weights 10,500 tons. So a trillion dollars weighs more than Paris's most famous landmark, but not by much…

I've often wondered what I would do if I came into a large sum of money. I pass the billboards advertising the local lotteries and they spark thoughts of "what if". What if I won the money, what would I do? Being that I'm naturally lazy, of course I would “retire” from working but what would I do after that? Would I become a philanthropist, entrepreneur, or miser? Well here's my "what if" plan:Since I have children my first thought would be for them. All three of my kids are in collage and are creating their own debt via student loans so I'd have to erase these loans and then make sure they would continue their education by creating some kind of annuity for them to draw from. I'm not real big into giving out money "just because" but by making sure they have an education I'd be setting them up for success throughout their lives so they can find their own path in the world without the burden of finding the funding. I'm not a materialistic person but I do like being comfortable so I would also make sure they have a reliable car and a comfortable place to live during their college years. That way they would only have to focus on studying and not where their next meal is coming from or having to go out and get a job to make rent. One of the main things I would do is to establish independence for my kids by encouraging them to choose their own path in life. College is an important aspect in this process so by giving them this opportunity without limitations I'd be setting them up success throughout their life. This wouldn't end with my own children however; I would establish some kind of scholarship for all my nieces and nephews so they could enjoy the fruits of a good education as well. Education breeds success, and success breeds happiness.

Family is one of the most important parts of my life. We look at brothers, sisters, and parents who struggle with the day-to-day burdens of life and want to help any way we can. One of the things I would like to do is to have a large ranch or farm with several homes on it open for my immediate family to live in when they need to. It's not going to be an open checkbook however; I'm a firm believer in establishing one’s own destiny not through charity but through pride and a sound moral center. I would not want my brothers and sisters to piggyback their success off mine nor depend on me, but I would like to give them a leg-up so they could establish success within their own family. Nothing brings more pride in someone than becoming successful in life and providing for your family.

Business... If I had an unlimited amount of money what kind of business would I create? I don't know really because it's hard for me to describe what I like to do. One thing I've learned about myself during my military career is that I like to help people out. I look at myself as a fairly good leader but I have very few skills that apply to a particular trade. I have a brother in-law that is a talented machinist that can create almost anything you could imagine with a CnC machine. He's had several businesses but for one reason or another all of them has had their problems and now he's selling machines (and being very successful at it). I've never had a marketable talent like this but one thing I do have is an ability to manage and lead people. If I was going to create a business most likely it would be a family business exploiting each of the talents of the family. Here's the individual talent I could draw from just within my siblings; a computer guru, an office manager, an accountant, a visionary, a social worker, a marketer, 2 natural salesmen, and me, a leader. We have all the attributes we need to create a successful business but we lack the funding or vision to initiate it. I still don't know what we would do but whatever we decide, with a talented force like this how could we fail.

One of my favorite things to do is to travel and see the world. I’ve been blessed with having a career that fed this desire but I’ve had about enough of traveling the globe just to see the confines of the airport we land at. I want to travel to the far reaches of the globe and see all those things that most people only experience on the Discovery Channel. Machu Pichu, the Antarctic, fishing for Arctic Char above the Arctic Circle; these are then things I want to do and see but I want to do them with the people I love and care about. I did a search one time for a cruise and found one that originated in Australia and ended in New York, It would take about 6 months and cost about 50 grand but the port of call were all once in a life time locations. New Leland, Easter Island, the Panama Canal and many others, all of those dream places we only hear about. Now that would be an experience of a lifetime and all from the posh comfort of a 5 star cruise ship. Now that would be a definite thing to do but I would want my family to come with me. With 11000 tons of cash I think I could afford it.

These are all things that having unlimited cash can allow people to do. Right now I don’t have an unlimited amount of cash but I do have my dreams. One day I will be able to do some of my “what-ifs” but right now I do what I can. I have a wonderful family that no money can buy and we are all happy in our lives. Money can’t buy happiness but it can sure make a life less of a burden and more of a dream. We can all do a little dreaming now and then, it keeps us hoping and keeps us interested in living. So go out there and do a little dreaming and if you are lucky enough to come across a butt-load of money, share it with the ones you love and fulfill their dreams as well.

February Surgery - Not a reason for Universal Health Care

2009-02-11T09:37:00.040-06:00

Monday, I finally got some problems fixed that has been causing me many problems. At least that's what we're hoping. It all started several years ago when I was on a C-5 mission in Puerto Rico. It was raining slightly and I slipped when leaving the airplane while carrying a suitcase. I fell about 10 feet to the tarmac but at least I had the presence of mind to try to roll into the fall rather than just smack the ground. At the time the only problem I incurred was a broken wrist but as time went by a few more problems came up. About 4 years after that I started losing strength in my left arm and went to see a neurosurgeon. The MRI found that I had a herniated disk in my neck that was impinging the nerves in the arm causing the problem. He went in and opened up the nerve conduit in the spine and relieved the problem but in the process weakened the vertebra. At the time we didn't realize this but recently I fell again but this time the impact was on my right arm. The transfer of the impact reinjured the weakened disks and I started having the same symptoms again but this time centered in my right arm and wrist. The MRI revealed another impingement and herniation which required another surgery. Also the Doc identified a carpal tunnel problem in my right wrist so back under the knife I went and now I'm in the recovery phase. Here are some pics of the results:

A few points I'd like to make here. First, the quality and expediency of the medical coverage we in the military get is almost unequaled in the civilian world. Of course being an crew-member covered under the flight medicine program helped out but still from the time the problem was diagnosed until the surgery happened was only a few weeks. We in the military are taken care of very well although I know there are a few folks out there that would disagree; for me I'm pretty damn happy with them.

The other point I'd like to make is how even though I'm in a government run health care system this should not be a statement as to how a system would be beneficial for the rest of the country. We in the military reap the benefits of an affluent private medical system that augments our own. When I first joined almost every base or post had its own hospital with its own cadre of doctors. Since then the government decided to shift the care to an insurance based system (Tricare) with referrals from our primary care physicians at the base. This system uses the local medical infrastructure to support the base population so we get top-notch care at no cost to us. It's pretty much transparent compared to what we used to have. While this process works for us it only works because we have a local civilian medical team to feed off of. If the government decided to take over the health care system we would be back to what we had before with long waits, poor service and endless amounts of red-tape and bureaucracy. As far as medical care goes I'm almost in a perfect world right now, why would I want to go back to an antiquated system that had problems supporting the very people it was there to service? No, don't equate what the military gets when you try to argue for government run health care, its apples and oranges since we still depend on the strong prosperous medical system our country enjoys.

By the way, I'm doing fine now and with luck, should fully recover. :)

Myopic?

2009-01-30T07:46:00.014-06:00

Some of you may think my opinions are rather myopic but I do a lot of reading of other folks opinions. Here's an example of something I found during my readings which supports why we need to continue to be vocal. http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/29-01-2009/107030-Europe_Obama_tongues-0

This op-ed writer obviously doesn't look at the world the same way I do but some of his points are interesting. His opinion is formed just as mine is by the events and perspectives of our world. I hope that your opinion is formed the same way and not just a regurgitation of what your told.

Oh, but wait, this is the same place that posts this fact-based article

http://english.pravda.ru/society/anomal/17-12-2008/106840-weird_females-0. :)

Funny Condom Ad

2009-01-23T09:02:00.001-06:00

A New Blog

2009-01-10T16:18:00.001-06:00

I have created a new blog to cover the political aspects of my writing. My original idea of this blog was a place for me to ramble on about personal thoughts and ideas but it has become a dumping ground for my political frustrations. So I have decided to create a stand-alone place for my political issues.

This idea came to me the other day one my way to work as my mind wandered around and my body focused on driving. It sounded like a great idea however I told myself I needed to come up with an interesting name for the new blog that would capture the intent of the blog but be unique and easy to remember. A name that people could identify with. I came up with Polithobbyist (pronounced Polly-thoby-ist) or political hobbyist. The blog is about politics and my understanding of politics is nothing more than as a hobbyist. I figured it fit and it was definitely unique.

I have copied over all the political posts from this blog and have added some new ones so lease check it out. Plus the comment part works over there. Check it out; I think you will be pleased.

Governments Role in Freedom

2009-01-03T14:01:00.002-06:00

What is the role of government when it comes to our freedom? Do governments manifest freedom for their people or do people manifest governments once they've achieved freedom? The answers to these questions are the very root of who we are as a country. I was watching Braveheart today and became intrigued with the story of the people fighting to become free men. One quote from William Wallace that I found most telling of their struggle was when he was discussing with the other Scottish nobles why they needed to fight. "You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom." What a powerful statement on the role of government. Have we lost sight again on what a government is supposed to do? During that day and age, government was a feudal system run by ruthless nobility who had lost sight of the need to allow men to be free. The ruling class pushed peasants to the verge of slavery through overtaxation and subjugation. When peasants tried to fight for their freedom the nobility called them traitors and dealt with them swiftly and brutally. This same series of event has been repeated through human history and is still continuing today. Look at civil wars around the world and they can all be diluted down to this simple formula; governments start forgetting why they exist and the people rebel.

In a webmemo published at the Heritage Foundation, Ryan Messmore asks ten questions regarding the role of government. His answers outline what the role of a government supporting free people should be. Governments created by free people support and defend the rights and freedoms of the people. The rights and freedoms the people have defined, not what the government defined for them. When governments forget this basic fundamental they forget what put them there to begin with. It's like putting the cart before the horse; you just can't get anywhere. In Braveheart the nobility had forgotten what their role was and the people responded.

Today we have a government that has engorged itself into a money sucking behemoth who has a hard time remembering the freedoms we have defined for ourselves. This situation is fed by career politicians that have become comfortable taking a very long drink from the taxpayers teat. Many of them report to Washington at our request and soon become sucked into the corruption and decadence just feed they're own re-election. When are we going to stop this cycle? When are we going to fix the problems in Washington by instilling the corrective actions we know are needed. Corrective actions such as term limits and citizen oversight.

In the Declaration of Independence it states; "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed". In other words people create governments and give them the power to enact laws to protect them. Farther on in the preamble it states; "(W)hen a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

While I don't think we're close to having despots in power, we do have some that take advantage of the role we have given them for their own gain. Many of our politicians have abused the position we have given them and usurped their power limitations of their office. We sent them to Washington to do the business of the people and they end up doing business for themselves. This is what I think is the biggest problem we have in Washington right now and I can only think of one way to correct the problem; TERM LIMITS. Instilling term limits will stop the cycle of corruption we see today. The term "career politician" was never in the Constitution and goes against the intent of the Declaration of Independence. When the founding fathers started our country they did it with the intent of everybody being equal and refused the notion of royalty. Today politicians have successfully reinstalled this concept. Look at the case to put Caroline Kennedy in the Senate. Is she being considered by the voters or being considered because of her lineage? There's already talk of how long she's going to be in office and how easy it will be for her to fund a reelection. Are we making a new career politician? Is she going to be a representative of the people or one thrust upon the people by the government?

What about the mess in Illinois for Barack Obama's seat. Are we seeing a massive corrupt government machine instilling yet another crony to do their bidding? Yes, the appointment of a senator or representative to a vacated seat is a state affair but that doesn't mean that the rules are right. The people of New York and Illinois should be outraged at the total disregard of their rights by their own state. What happened to a government of the people, by the people and for the people?

So what is the role of government in regards to our freedom? It is to protect it, to support it, to defend it, but never to get in the way of it. Let's take back our government. Vote to support term limits. Vote to support new blood in government and not the tired, corrupted people that have long taken advantage of our hospitality. When you see government buffoonery such as the exploits of Governor Blagojevich, the bailing out of failed businesses, or the by appointment people to represent us without consulting the represented, take note of the culprits involved and respond. We still have our ballot boxes to speak for us so take advantage of the voice they give us and vote the idiots out of Washington. We have fought and died for our freedom so lets all do our part maintain it.

2009-01-02T11:05:00.000-06:00

Updated my Picassa site with some new pics and face tags. http://picasaweb.google.com/thebass25

Corruption in America - It's our own fault

2008-12-17T06:03:00.000-06:00

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." (Lord Acton, 1887 )

I've used this quote before (see "Looking Forward to the 2010 Election" ) but in a different context. In that post I used the quote to emphasis the need for term limits and a more active role of the populous in our government. In today's news you'll find how true the wisdom of this quote really is. Corruption in our government at almost all levels is rampant and entrenched in our political process. I've outlined a few times how certain members of our government (Barney Frank and company) twist their own actions to focus the blame for our current financial mess to their opponents while their own pockets are lined with the ill-gotten-gains of the true backers who steer the votes of our representatives. I'm sure Mr. Frank isn't the only person doing this, after all, this is a proven political tactic legally pursued by lobbyists to promote the agenda of the organizations providing them money. This is how things get done in Washington. The bottom line is that money talks, unfortunately the ordinary citizens voice is lost in the process but I'm sure the congressmen and senators think their doing the right thing... right?

If we know that no matter where you look in Washington your going to find some level of corruption, why is it such a surprise when this mess about Senator Obama's senate seat hit the news? Why should this be such a surprise that the seat doesn't got to the highest bidder? After all, don't most politicians make decision based on the highest bidder? When we vote a person into the government a process starts to temper their polly-anna views towards right and wrong. This tempering makes the elected official realize that their constituents are morons who really don't know what good for them. They mindset matures to the fact that only they (and the lobbyists who provide clarity on issues) know what is best. Since dollar amount's are indicators of correct decision making I'm sure Gov. Blagojevich was only trying to make the choice he felt was the best for his people, right?

When is America going to pull their heads out and fix this problem? This isn't going to go away until the people make it stop. We as a people need to make our voices heard on how outraged we are about the corruption in our government. We need to take back our voice and stop the insanity happening in Washington and around our country. My suggestion is that more and more of us get involved with what is happening and when corruption is found, shout it to the world. We need to clean the halls of Washington and then put the processes in place to prevent corruption from re-emerging. Term limits, oversight, proper candidate vetting, and continual citizen involvement are the only true way of keeping everything above board. Get out there and do your part folks and help clean up this mess.

Basis of Racial Slurs

2008-12-06T07:02:00.002-06:00

Where do racial slurs start? We all know about the "N-word" and how derisive it has become, but how about all those other words used around the world that are race based? While the "N-Word" has basis in the Spanish, French, and Latin words for black, it was transformed into a slang word to by slave traders in the 1600s to identify the goods they had to sell. Since then it has taken a life of it's own with meanings dependent upon the speaker or the receiver. In other words; I can't use the word without it being derogatory, however a black person can use it to identify a comrade or friend. Very few words in the English language hold this wide a spectrum of definition but this is a testament to it's dubious beginnings. Why do words like this come about though? As with the slave trade these words created a dehumanized depiction of a race of people allowing the speaker to apply less than human status to the slave. Calling a slave a "negger" makes them less human and thus able to be sold as property the same as a farm animal or a pet. It's a form of social engineering that allow despicable acts to be done on other humans and has been going on for as long as humans have been on the planet.

Another way these terms develop is due to military conflict. Two examples of this are the terms Tojo and Kraut. These words were used by Allied GIs during World War II as derogatory slurs to identify enemy forces. I know that sounds like a fairly benign definition but rest assured when said during the WWII era, the tone was definitely with hatred. But what was the basis of the words? During WWII, Hideki Tōjō was the Prime Minister of Japan and General of the Imperial Japanese Army. His name was used to identify all Japanese combatants by the soldiers and was picked up by the civilian populous as a racial slur towards all Japanese. Hideki Tōjō was thought to be the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor so a lot of hatred toward him boiled over to the rest of Japan as a result. Kraut was a term derived from the German food sauerkraut. The common theme here is the use of nicknames and slurs that dehumanize our enemy. Allied soldiers weren't sent into battle to kill people, they were sent to kill an sub-human nameless enemy. All Japanese where Hideki Tōjō and all Germans where Himmler and Hitler. These were serious motivating battle cries that were extremely effective at encouraging ferocity in battle and solace in the aftermath. You can look at almost every conflict around the world and find similar slurs being used by both sides to dehumanize the enemy. It makes killing easier.

Even in todays "politically correct" world we still see these terms come around. If you where to walk into a military camp in Iraq or Afghanistan and use the term "hajji " or "raghead" every GI would know exactly who you are talking about. These words are rapidly becoming racial slurs even though they have benign beginnings. The real definition of Hajji is a honorific title giving to a Muslim that has completed the Hajj and in that region is considered a good thing. "Raghead" refers to the headdress worn by the locals. When these are uttered by a GI however it's spoken with disgust and disdain and takes on a whole new meaning. During one of my recent deployments a co-worker of mine said he was going to the "hajji-store", meaning he was going to the shop run by the locals. One of our other co-workers happened to be of Indian heritage and took offense to him using the term. Both of them knew the origins of the word but it was the way the word was used to made it offensive. It ended up getting pretty ugly and finally the commander had to get involved finally deciding that it was a racial slur, not in the definition but in it's contextual usage.

This ability of humans to dehumanize our enemy will not go away. If a superior race from another planet came and invade, we would come up with a derogatory term for them. I'm sure if the Zaphoids from Zaphod landed today the term "Zap" will have a whole new meaning. Our ability to dehumanize our enemy allows us to do things to them we can't do to other humans. Sometimes we use this for good but, as in the case of slavery, it can become an evil thing. If the slur is conflict based, we need to be able to turn it off once the conflict is over. You will still hear people referring to Japanese and Germans as Tojos or Krauts and this is truly terrible. Pick a racial slur and most likely it had a legitimate meaning at one time but it's relevance has long since passed and the only thing left only creates pain now. No matter if you use these words as a positive or a negative we need stop using them so their derogatory definitions only exist in our history books.

American Fighting Words: Zawahiri refers to Obama as "abayd al bayt"

2008-11-21T19:57:00.006-06:00

The term "abayd al bayt" translate to English as "house slave" or "house servant". Terms such as these have been removed from the average American vernacular by our civil rights movements deemed as unacceptable and demeaning language. It seems though that our enemy has not yet been enlightened to what is acceptable conversation and what is not. But who would ever imagine that it would? Al Qaeda's rhetoric show's their true side on this subject but not as you would imagine. No matter who we elected as our next president they would have attacked the person; I'm sure they had a litany of comments regarding John McCains POW status ready just in case. Comments like this are expected but what do they say about our enemy? Who frack'n cares? These people have attacked us outright and threatened to attack us again. They have threatened our way of life, attacked our religious beliefs, even gone so far as to call us the "Great Satan". They threaten our allies, and bolster our enemy's. Who really cares what they say about our present or future leaders. Well actually we all should. Every one of us should look at these comments for what they are; real and credible threats to our very existence.

As I said earlier; it wouldn't have mattered who we elected. Al Qaeda was waiting until we decided to make a statement on the newly elected. They are our enemy so a comment like this isn't any surprise. The surprise to me is the reaction of some of our media about concerning these comments. Some brilliant commentators act surprised by these comments stating how these racist remarks have undermined Al Qaeda's standing in the world. What the hell are they thinking? Are they thinking that Al Qaeda are these nice respectable mainstream people? Damn it folks, these people are THE scum of the earth. They want to kill you and your way of life; they have said so! Don't ever think they have the same morals we have, they don't. They're religious beliefs state that if you don't believe as they do then you should be put to death. How can anyone equate a belief system that allows these type of ideas as mainstream and thus apply mainstream reactions to them? We believe is equality and freedom of belief, to them this is a totally foreign and threatening attitude. They will kill you if you decide not to "believe". If Al Qaeda really was concerned with our election system (which they're weren't!) wouldn't you think they would have put up they're own candidate? Not really, they don't believe in a public voice so this is a totally unknown concept to them. They abhor what we hold dearest, our freedom. Our freedom of speech, our freedom of religion, and most importantly, our freedom of choice. They never cared who we chose, they wanted us to choose so they could attack our choice. So what do we do? Do we react to this lame attempt to make us react? No, it's a hollow threat, it's just a little more rhetoric to add to the steaming pile of rhetoric they've already spewed. Nope don't let them get our goat folks, however there is one aspect to this little attack that we shouldn't ignore. Never attack our leaders.

With the power of freedom of choice and our right to vote comes our responsibility to our leaders. Sometimes we don't get our person voted into power but that shouldn't mean we stop supporting those that are elected. As individuals we stand by our individual ideals but as a community we stand by the decisions of the majority. In other words, if you put this in family terms, parents may disagree about a decision regarding the kids but when they confront the a united front is always the most successful front. Al Qaeda looks at our pre-election divisions as a weakness and tries exploit this. What they don't realize is that as a nation we will defend to the death our right to have these disagreements. They can't fathom a world were difference of opinion flourish as they do in our world. They don't hold dear the right to dispute the decisions of the government. They also underestimate our ability to unite behind the defense of these beliefs. These are free choices we hold dear. Freedoms that we have defended in battle in the past and will in the future. These are beliefs that they do not, nor ever will agree with; these are basic human rights of free men and we should and will always defend them to the death.

I think we need to bring back the "Don't tread on me" flag but re-name it to "Don't threaten me." In other words; don't threaten my lifestyle, my beliefs, or my freedom. If you do, you define yourself as my enemy and I will kick your ass. Pass this on folks, this needs to become out mantra; this needs to become the words we live by. Always defend your freedom because their end may be only one defeat away.

Bailout Bill 2 - "Operation Rescue Detroit"

2008-11-19T07:13:00.002-06:00

Wow, another round of bail-outs. I am so glad we have all this money to bailout our largest corporations. Wall Street, Detroit, what's next? Now I know they are planning to take this money from the $700B of the original bailout bill but what are they actually planning to do? The bill is very long but here are the highlights :

-- $25 billion in 10-year low-interest loans, charging 5 percent interest for the first five years and 9 percent for the remainder of the loan terms.

-- Parts-makers as well as the Big Three would be eligible.

-- The money would come from the $700 billion rescue/bailout plan.

-- A prohibition on bonuses for automaker employees making more than $250,000 per year.

-- Fast processing: Eligibility for loans will be determined within 15 days of application.

-- Fast turnaround: The loans would be distributed within seven days of approval.

-- "Clawback" provision: Bonuses can be taken back by the government if executive statements are found to be inaccurate.

-- No golden parachutes of any sort.

-- Companies receiving these loans cannot pay dividends for the duration of the loan.

Do you notice what's missing out of this bill? How about a reliable, marketable car? Something that can compete with the imports? No, there's nothing like that here but what else would we expect from the "Big Three". All three of the US auto makers have been making cars based on a warranty life span. It's been a scam they've been pulling on the American populous for many years. They build a car that will make it just until the warranty is up then small things will start failing. It starts with little things first then progresses to larger things until you're in a no-win situation and decide to buy another vehicle. This process makes sure there's a constant market for cars and a constant demand without the car makers having to make any real progression in fuel economy, technology, or safety. There are two reasons people buy cars; need and desire. Car maker's recognized early on that desire is too unpredictable so they have forced need on us. Hmm, here's a coincidence; factory warranties are three years and the normal car loan is four years. How convenient.

Ok, back to the bailout; back in 1979 the government did bailout Chrysler. I know a lot of you weren't around to remember this event but I do. Do you know what we average citizens got out of that bailout? The K-Car. One of the biggest piece of crap vehicle ever created by Detroit. This line of vehicles was created by Chrysler as a cheap vehicle who's mass sales generated the cash flow to get Chrysler back on it's feet. One aspect of that bailout was the government was supposed to buy their fleet vehicles from Chrysler so what did they buy? That's right, K-cars; which, due to their low quality had to be replaced within a few years. So we gave Chrysler the money they needed, they produced a cheap piece of crap so they could become solvent again, then we all had to buy new cars within a few years. Do you notice a problem with this scenario? It's a repeated fleecing of the American people to fund a failing business model. What is the reason Detroit is in the place their in today? They produce crappy cars that are low quality, over priced, and get poor fuel economy. Wow, it's history repeating itself.

There's a lot of talk about how Chrysler paid back their bailout early and that we actually made money on the deal but in reality did we? If Detroit had really learned their lesson they wouldn't be in the world-of-hurt they are now. We as American need to ask ourselves if we want to go down this road again. Do we want to bailout yet another company just so they can continue to fleece us by providing us crap. When are we going to stand up for ourselves and say NO to this type of treatment? One of the best advice that has come out of all these bailouts is to "not throw good money after bad". The Detroit big three bases their business on bad practices and we should not be supporting them. I'm all for "buy American" but I'm no fool. If buying American means we're wasting money then it's un-American. You know the old adage "fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you"? Well Detroit is trying to make fools out of us again and we all need to say NO. Just say NO Washington, do us all a favor and just say NO!

Don't take things too serious

2008-11-14T12:32:00.000-06:00

When you think life is getting a little too tough check this out. :)

Scam? - Investor Protection Association for America

2008-11-13T20:48:00.000-06:00

I got a letter the other day soliciting me to fill out a survey and mail it back. The survey had a cover letter outlining this groups idea to use my inputs and many others to lobby congress on our part regarding our responses to questions surrounding tax cuts, energy, and the economy. Sounds good right? Well it sounded a little too good too be true for me so I did a little research. I found this website called STATLISTICS.COM which had a very nice outline of who intended target audience is for this letter. What the hell! This letter may be a legitimate request for information but then they turn all your information into a commodity for junk mailers and spam artists. What a SHAM!

Folks, if you want Congress to know your opinion tell them. It's very easy; all Senators, Representatives, the President, and even the 1st Lady have e-mail addresses, web sites, and snail-mail addresses. They also have phone numbers that are in the public record so if you want to let your opinion known, take advantage of those venues, not an unsolicited request that comes in the mail. This is a perfect example of something being too good to be true; it's nothing more than a con-artists scheme to mine for your information. The unfortunate thing is that many people will fall for this and millions of dollars will be made at their expense.

So what do we do? A bi-product of my research may have found a suggestion; a blog called "Nerd on a Plane " has a great suggestion that you use the pre-paid envelope to send back an anonymous letter outlining your rage at this fishing scam. This is a great idea, but I like the less time consuming approach; throw the crap away. Oh, and since it has your address all over it I'd make sure and shred it first though.

American Thinker: Old Habits Die Hard

2008-11-12T18:01:00.000-06:00

This appeared at the American Thinker website. Some things will never "change"...

cartoon by Sean Sullivan

Red State? Blues State? How about Purple State?

2008-11-08T12:09:00.004-06:00

We've all seen the red-state/blue-state electoral maps but do those images really portray how America really voted? Check out this map which depicts the 2008 elections results at a county level:

This image really intrigues me. As you can see there are pockets of people voting one way and it transitions into area's voting another way. Most of the solid blue area's center around highly populated urban area's and the more red around the more rural area's. If you think about the contrasts between the parties this makes sense. Liberal voters tend to congregate around area's that support their ideals and conservative voters towards areas that reflect theirs. This goes right along with a normal human tendency of wanting to be around people that think like you do. Pundits like to talk about transitioning the voter base towards their candidate but compare the image above with this one:

This is county level results for the 2004 election. Other than being a tad more red it's almost identical. So where is this transitioning of the voter base? The two maps clearly indicate the same deep blue and red areas but its the change in the purple areas that reflect this transition.

One thing I noticed was a blue area in southern Texas and central New Mexico. These area's aren't normal liberal hangouts, they're not urban, their not tree-hugger hang-outs, so they had me wondering why these area's fell so heavily Democrat. When I was discussing this phenomenon with my wife she reminded me that this area is mostly inhabited with lower income hispanics who normally vote for the Democrats. This year the Republicans thought they would be able to swing this group thinking that their stance towards abortion would swing the Catholic vote. As you can see they where not only wrong, the area actually increased for the Democrats. This is just one example on how the Republicans misled themselves on what people though was important. As with almost every election this is an indicator of why people vote one way versus the other, and the number one reason is their pocketbook. If Republicans learned anything after this election I hope it's that we need to have a platform that attracts this type of voter. Learn the lessons of Reagan and hold true to fiscal conservatism, this will do it every time.

So what do these maps tell us? First off you can tell that no matter who is the candidate and what is happening in the world you will not be able to swing the hard core Democrat or Republican. Second, you must have a platform that appeals to the moderate but holds true to your own values. Fiscal conservatism does this; it puts money into the workers pocket as well as protect corporations and small businesses; this in turn expands our economy thus generating more revenue. We are the most powerful nation in the world and it's about time we re-adopted the values that got us there. This is how we move the map more red, put the money back into the people pocket. Not by giving it to them (such as with a stimulus package) but by real tangible prosperity that people can rely on. In other words; don't give a hand-out, give a hand up. That's how you win elections.

Looking Forward to the 2010 Election

2008-11-08T08:34:00.002-06:00

I was checking on Wikipedia on the next general election and ran into an interesting list. Here are the Senate seats up for grabs in 2010:

- Democratic Incumbent Race
- Blanche Lincoln, Democrat Arkansas
- Barbara Boxer, Democrat California
- Ken Salazar, Democrat Colorado
- Daniel Inouye, Democrat Hawaii
- Evan Bayh, Democrat Indiana
- Barbara Mikulski, Democrat Maryland
- Harry Reid, Democrat Nevada
- Chuck Schumer, Democrat New York
- Byron Dorgan, Democrat North Dakota
- Ron Wyden, Democrat Oregon
- Patrick Leahy, Democrat Vermont
- Patty Murray, Democrat Washington
- Russ Feingold, Democrat Wisconsin
- Republican Incumbent Races
- Richard Shelby, Republican Alabama
- Lisa Murkowski, Republican Alaska
- John McCain, Republican Arizona
- Mel Martinez, Republican Florida
- Johnny Isakson, Republican Georgia
- Mike Crapo, Republican Idaho
- Chuck Grassley, Republican Iowa
- Jim Bunning, Republican Kentucky
- David Vitter, Republican Louisiana
- Kit Bond, Republican Missouri
- Judd Gregg, Republican New Hampshire
- Richard Burr, Republican North Carolina
- George Voinovich, Republican Ohio
- Tom Coburn, Republican Oklahoma
- Arlen Specter, Republican Pennsylvania
- Jim DeMint, Republican South Carolina
- John Thune, Republican South Dakota
- Bob Bennett, Republican Utah

If your a follower of my blog you should know how I feel about certain things, one of which was the Wall Street bailout bill. The highlighted names above are Senators that voted for this bill. Prior to the election I posted the names of the Texas congressmen that voted for it and specifically left out the rest of them because then I would have had to include senator McCain. At that time I felt that it was more important to look at the short term goal of electing Senator McCain to the presidency and dealing with this issue on a smaller scale. Especially since both Obama and McCain voted for this useless, pork-laden, government inflating bill. Now however, we need to look at the long term and the next election. We need to look at everyone that voted for this bill and get them out of office. We need to make the people that created this problem and then tried to line their own pockets at our expense to pay the ultimate political price; VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE.

While I know a lot of you out there may be caught up in the Obama-Mania syndrome please try to remember one key thing; fiscal conservatism is a bi-partisan concept. No matter which side of the aisle you fall remember this list, remember who did the right thing and who screwed the public sector for their own gain. There are some pretty long term and famous names on this list, some folks have been in the senate for some 30+ years. That is most likely the very problem. The 1770 quote by William Pitt , "Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it", is a perfect example of why we need to limit the time people can hold office. These senators are out of touch with the desires of the voter and are voting not for their constituents but for their own gain. They have become corrupted by their own little bubble of greed. We need to remove those that are camping out in Washington lining their own pockets with our tax dollars. We need to remove them before their corruption can create more problems for us. They are not doing the business of the people, they are doing business for themselves and need to GO.

I'm working on a House list and will post it when I can.

Congrats are in order for Obama, but...

2008-11-06T19:46:00.000-06:00

Our country has a new president; congratulations Mr. Obama. As many of you know I am not a Obama supporter, however this doesn't mean that I will not support our future president. As with all good citizens out there I will continue to support our country and it's leaders. Support is one thing but that does not mean that I'm not going to voice my opposition when I see something going wrong. I ask all of you that read this to support our new government but be vocal when you see something going awry. This is what true Americans do, we support our government by using our right to free speech to voice our opinions. One of the best ways to support our new president is to tell him which way to guide us. I encourage all of you to follow me in the next two years to assist Mr Obama, Mrs. Palosi, and Mr Reed in guiding this country down the road in the direction we want it to go. Voice your opinion loud and often to help these three misguided souls lead our country. We all know they have agenda's we disagree with so it's our responsibility as good citizens to correct they're errors in judgement before they happen. Use any possible means to make sure your voice is heard; e-mail, call, write letters, or even create a blog. Whichever you choose, rest assured your voice will be amongst the millions that can not be ignored. Congratulations President Elect Obama, and trust me, we'll be keeping in touch.

On-Line Gaming Fanatics

2008-11-02T06:38:00.000-06:00

Well this is the first post in a while that have nothing to do with politics. If you're not aware I enjoy playing some on-line games on Facebook. These small applications are fun, have a huge global following, and a nice distraction in the evening. As with everything in life, some people get way too wrapped up in these worlds they create for themselves and end up ruining it for the others. If you've seen the commercials about World of Warcraft you can see how people can get very involved to a point of becoming fanatics and this isn't necessarily a healthy position.

When I was younger many of my friends played Dungeons and Dragons. In case you're not aware this is a fantasy based game with wizards, clerics, fighters, dragons and monsters. It's a game that allows the players to create a imaginary character and go on adventures with other friends all being guided by a dungeon master (the person controlling the adventure). The rules of the game are extensive and come is many books but are mainly just guides since everything is in people imagination. Some people became so wrapped up in the game that they tried to actually live the game using it as an escape from reality to a point that they couldn't differentiate the game from reality. These incidences became well knows in the news media which was then picked up by some fundamentalist religious type who tried to tie the game to satanism and demonic worship. The makers of the game and the players who enjoyed it where ridiculed and many parents become concerned of their children descending into deviancy because of it. It got to a point that people even tried to ban the game, forgetting that it was just a silly game being played in the imaginations of the players. All this fantastic reaction because a few unstable people took the game too serious and the other end of this spectrum reacted in kind. Today D&D is accepted by most but not played that often by people since now we have the internet to stimulate our imagination.

So last night as I was playing one of my favorite games (Homeworld) I had an encounter with an individual that is taking this game way too serious. Homeworld is a space based game which you build your character through training and attacking others, making yourself stronger and smarter. Early on in the game people realized that if you attack others too often all you do is upset people. No one wanted this but they also didn't want to put an official limit on it so they adopted an un-written rule to not kill each other more than twice in a period of time. As new players started to play they quickly found out about this un-written agreement and for the most part adhered to it. As with any rule there are those out there that don't adhere to it and those folks develop reputations for nasty play and are ostracized by the other players until they change their way. This works well with the majority of players but some folks just don't get it that it's just a silly game. They take things personal when they;re attacked and retaliate with scathing e-mails telling the attacker how much of a low-life they are for attacking them. This is what I ran into last night.

While we put out warnings to parents about these games concerning age I don't think age has a lot to do with it; I think it's mostly a maturity issue. No matter how old someone is they'll never gain the level of maturity to be able to allow their imagination to take over for a while and then turn it off when they're done playing. As with D&D some folks just can't let go. Last night this guy killed me 6 times and when I asked him why he stated that I'd killed him repeatedly over the past few months and he couldn't retaliate due a limitation in the game. Now he was just giving me a little payback. So he had saved up a load of funds and was repeatedly attacked everyone who had attacked him. Obviously this person is holding a grudge and unable to accept the fact that this is just a silly game. I've ran into many folks like this on-line and I have to say it's a little scary knowing they're out there. What trigger would it take for this guy to start taking it out on people for real? This is thinking of a serial killer not a mature stable individual. He looses the ability to have fun in a game and takes game-play as a personal attack rather than just a little fun. Most likely this type of person is reclusive with few friends because if they show these traits in a fantasy world most likely it shows in the real world as well. If you where a friend of this person would you allow him to treat you this way? It's an abusive personality and not tolerated by many people.

So next time you play a game on-line and run into this type of person don't tolerate the behavior. Tolerating this type of behavior only encourages them to continue. What we should be doing is telling them repeatedly that it's just a silly game, let it go. Just let it go...

More on redistribution

2008-10-29T08:20:00.000-06:00

Here's a very interesting article that tie's into what I discussed in my last post. Please take a gander and let me know what you think.

Obama's 'Redistribution' Constitution

One question asked in the article is whether Senator Obama could say an oath stating he would "support and defend the constitution of the United States". What a powerful question which indicates a profound doubt cast on this person. What other person in the race could this be asked of? Mr Obama's reputation and actions have brought about this question not political election-year wrangling. The relationships or Mr Obama that I have outlined in previous posts, and several other that have come up recently, really makes this question a huge concern. Can a "President Obama" take actions that would defend those very things that he's stated he disagrees with? We're all wondering. Without knowing what that answer is, how can anyone truly support this person?

Wealth Re-Distribution? Here's what to expect

2008-10-28T03:54:00.001-06:00

Wealth distribution; sounds like a good plan right? What would it take to make everyone in America equal? We all want equality right, and we sure want to "stick-it" to those dirty rich people right? So what are we going to have to do to make that happen? And what can you look forward to if it does?

According to Wikipedia the average (mean) income in the United States is $60,528. This is a pretty good income level for many people in fact I'm very close to this level right now. In my past, my wife and I strived to make it on a lot less and we were happy but we always strived to make a little more so our life would be a little better. But $60K a year is pretty good right? To some that would be a huge income increase but for other that would be a huge income decrease it's all checks and balances right? If we take that $60K and expand it to a window of $50K to $70K it would be reasonable to assume that this would still keep everyone across the country fairly equal; taking into consideration differences in cost of living due to shipping costs this would be a very fair window for a mean point. So where does this put every one? How many people would get a pay raise and how many a decrease? Well, using the same Wikipedia site, 22.54% of American households are in this bracket so there would be any change for these folks. 24.88% of American households are below this bracket so they would get in increase with 6.76% almost doubling their household income. That's pretty good right, I mean, we all want people to increase their income; we all want to help people "get a leg up", right? But did you notice the missing figure? That's right, 52.58% of American households will take a pay cut in order to make this happen. The number don't lie, over half of American households will have to give up a portion of their hard earned money to make true wealth distribution. Is this where we want to go?

In all societies there are a group of folks that call themselves the "have-nots". Those folks that look at people more wealthy than them as evil just because they have more. They look at the wealthy and wonder why they don't give some of their money to them so they can get ahead. The problem is they don't look very far ahead, they look at all income levels and feel that everyone "owes" them something since they are the "have-nots". Before I get too far I have to say that there are a lot of very hard workers in those lower income lever that don't have their hand out and are trying to work out of that level but they are a very quiet majority. The screaming minority in those lower levels are the ones creating this societal class war. But what if they get what they want? Would they be happy with $60K a year?

One of the fallacies of wealth equality is that it creates a cap in income. Once people get to the average level than every above that goes to some one else. If people know that once they get to a certain income level what incentive do they have to get there? Why should they work hard to that point when they know that they're not going to get any farther. In reality they won't even have to worry about that, they will already be there since the government made sure of that by giving them someone else money? Do you see a problem here? Lack of incentive, a salary cap; how does this promote growth?

Here's another side of this problem; to get this started the government will have to take away money from 52.58% of the households. So 52.58% of the people are going to loose money. Do you think they're going to roll-over and say "ok, no problem, here you go mister president". Really, do you think so? It may be tough at first but I'm sure Warren Buffet, Ted Turner, and Bill Gates are true patriots and won't any problems giving up 99% of their money.

Let's look at military pay scales; you all know I'm a military guy so what would this do to them? When someone starts in the military their income level is relatively low. As people become more proficient in their job they get promoted which always means more income but also means more responsibility. I recruit with a few weeks in sure doesn't have the same experience level as a general with years and years of service so we pay those generals more as a way of recognizing that fact. Under wealth equality that recruit would make the same amount of money as the general with a whole lot less responsibility, so why should he try to move up? Wouldn't human nature and common sense take over to tell the recruit there no reason to move up? At some point in time pride in wanting to advance is stripped by wealth re-distribution. One would ask why someone would even join the military, why not just stay home and collect our $60K. No one said you had to work to get it.

Wealth re-distribution is a scheme that will destroy America as we know it. It will kill worker incentive, stifle growth, and ruin our economy. In the onset, anarchy would ensue as over 50% of Americans would have their money stripped from them which would probably create massive immigration to other countries. Total decimation of our military forces would be experienced which would eventually lead to the destruction of the United States as we know it. Those of us that would try to fight it would most likely be left with nothing. Our country we are so proud of, the country we fought and died for would be gone just because a few people were too lazy to get ahead on their own.
I know these ideas are pretty far fetched but they could become reality if they're not stopped. How do we stop them though once they start? I don't know how they will stop but I know where they will stop. They will still in the ballot box. People don't want this type of America and will stop it by voting in people who will stop this slippery slope. We'd better stop it quick though before things get too bad; after all, who wants to be President when it only pay's $60K a year?

Barney Frank - Typical Liberal Democrat

2008-10-25T08:00:00.002-06:00

Check out this article: They Said It! Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) On Increasing Taxes And Cutting Defense Spending

Just another example of why Mr. Frank needs to resign in shame. The tried and failed Democrat practices of tax and spend would be a little more palatable if they spent it where we need it. Nope, these idiots would rather put it in some welfare project thus encouraging people to rely more and more on them. Their power is based on their constituents laziness.

Who's more ready, Palin or Biden?

2008-10-24T09:02:00.002-06:00

"Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he's gonna have to make some really tough - I don't know what the decision's gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it's gonna happen. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate. And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you, not financially to help him, we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right. Because all these decisions, all these decisions, once they're made if they work, then they weren't viewed as a crisis. If they don't work, it's viewed as you didn't make the right decision, a little bit like how we hesitated so long dealing with Bosnia and dealing with Kosovo, and consequently 200,000 people lost their lives that maybe didn't have to lose lives. It's how we made a mistake in Iraq. We made a mistake in Somalia. So there's gonna be some tough decisions..."

"But he's gonna need your help. Because I promise you, you all are gonna be sitting here a year from now going 'oh my God, why are they there in the polls, why is the polling so down, why is this thing so tough? We're gonna have to make some incredibly tough decisions in the first two years. So I'm asking you now, I'm asking you now, be prepared to stick with us. Remember the faith you had at this point because you're going to have to reinforce us.” Joe Biden, October 19, 2008

And they talk about Sara Palin not being ready… Wow where do I start? I know that many folks have tried to read into this comment as some kind of prophecy by Senator Biden on what will happen if Obama is elected. In reality almost every newly elected President faces some kind of international crisis early in their administration, so I’m not going to go there. What I do find troubling is the numerous references to people not seeing the decisions they plan to make as valid. “Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right.” Ok, so we already had concerns that they don’t know what they’re doing and the VP candidate says it’s not going to be apparent that they’re right? After the events of 9-11-2001 President Bush put into place several reactions to the attacks and with very few exceptions people looked at those reactions as correct. Who didn’t? The most left of the flaming liberals! So what would a President Obama done different? Would he “turn the other cheek”? Would he tell the country and Al Qaeda to show “restraint” as he did with Georgia and Russia? Had that happened your damn right I would has questions what they were doing. Is this the type of reaction Senator Biden was warning his supporters of? Thanks God we had decisive and clear leadership during that crisis that rallied the country; a leadership whose decisions were not questioned and seemed sound by the majority of Americans.

Another point I had problems with is that he used some examples as failures in our foreign policy as examples of what we should not do. Folks: Bosnia, Kosovo, and Somalia all where Clinton issues! Is he saying that his party mishandled those crisis’s? That’s pretty ballsy to bring up your own sides failures as examples of how NOT to be. Failures that were directly affected by the Senators own inputs to the administration. So I guess by his own admission the failures in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Somalia are all a direct reflection of his own decisions and influences. And they say that Sara Palin isn’t qualified! Joe Biden has proved numerous times his own level of incompetency and, of the four candidates, should be the LAST person to say he’s qualified to be president. The way I see it, if Obama is elected we can look forward to 4 years of questionable decisions and international failures. In this day and time with all the other looming issues we’re dealing with do you really think this is the way the country should go? I don’t.

Scared of Sara Palin? Are you or are you just scared of what she brings to the table?

2008-10-23T17:07:00.003-06:00

This is a repost of something I’d written a few days ago. I had pulled it when a friend of mine pointed out that the website I used had some rather extreme views towards conservatism; things that I don’t agree with. While I’m still using my original cite, this does not in any way mean that I support the rest of the information on the website. The only reason I’m linking it is because I didn’t write it. So as you read it don’t try to tie anything in except what is written here.

Recently I received an e-mail from one of my nieces regarding the upcoming election. Now my niece is a staunch Democrat who loves to have spirited conversations regarding politics. Since her and my political ideas differ... well lets just say we agree to disagree on many topics. However; in this e-mail she made a statement I found intriguing; she said "McCain really isn't that bad. It certainly wouldn't be the end of the world if he won. It's Gov Palin I have the problem with". It made me think about how many times I had heard this and thing similar regarding our Alaskan Governor, some folks even gone so far to state that they are scared of Gov. Palin becoming the VP; how interesting.

Why someone would be scared of the VP choice but not with the President? Could it be that it's not the individual they're scared of but the ideas they’ve publicly stood for? It's no shock to anyone that Senator McCain isn't the most conservative of Republicans but Sara Palin is a strong conservative. This made me wonder if maybe what people are really expressing fear of is the adoption of conservatism and conservative values. Most likely this is the case since these values go against many of the liberal ideas the Democrat party has adopted even though conservatism isn't limited to any single party. What are these enigmatic values people are scared of? When someone says they are conservative, what are they saying about themselves? The answers to these questions are the reason people are scared of Sara Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and the late Ronald Reagan. Not because enacting these values will cause doom and gloom for the country more that they will end the lifestyle they have so lazily adopted. Let’s take a look at what conservative values are and then I will explain more what I'm talking about.

According to the “Conservpedia”, conservative values are defined as follows:

1. Placing ideas and principles above personal desire, weaknesses, fears and regrets

This is called personal responsibility.

2. A never-ending quest for the truth, despite obstacles based on emotion and personal experience, and spreading such truths for the benefit of all

Sometimes the truth hurts, especially when the truth is that your lazy

3. Recognizing and utilizing the benefits of competition and hard work

Hard work is not defined as a handout, welfare, or government entitlement.

4. Emphasizing charity, with its unexpected benefits, rather than compulsory tax-and-spend programs

Charity begins at home, NOT in Washington

5. Teaching self-help rather than dependence on government and others

While conservatives don't like handouts we do know that sometimes people need help. What better way to promote conservatism brings to the table than to teach someone to be self sufficient?

6. Supporting self-defense

On a grand scale; promoting a strong military, on a small scale; supporting the right to bear arms.

7. Recognizing the media for its bias, bullying, deception.

This goes back to something I've said many many times. Be an informed voter!

8. Frugality and efficiency

This is pure fiscal conservatism. Can you say "blue dog" democrats!

9. Rejecting the deification of government officials

We're all humans folks, no one is any better than anyone else.

10. Downplaying significance of wealth, disparities in wealth, and materialism in general

This is a hard pill for liberals to buy into but some people are going to be more well off than others, don't make people pay publicly for their private success.

11. Emphasizing self-reliance and being able to keep the fruits of one's labor.

Work hard for what you have so that you can make yourself better, not to share with someone who isn't working as hard.

12. Emphasizing self-restraint against hurtful activities

Stop the politics of personal destruction and recognize people for who they are.

13. Recognizing the power of the free market

Don't confuse Wall street with this concept. Free market in regards to promoting competition and ingenuity to promote growth.

14. Understanding that a rising tide lifts all boats, e.g. tax cuts benefit all.

This is a tried and true philosophy that Reagan called "trickle-down economics". Taxes burden everyone no matter how you slice them. Fewer taxes promote more growth which ends in higher revenue. Too many times people confuse revenue with taxes, we want maximum revenue with minimal taxes.

15. Self-control as opposed to a self-indulgent search for instant gratification of desires.

Basically this is greed. Too many times people let greed and instant cash guide their decision making and loose they're long term vision. It's a slippery slope that only discipline and clear headiness can forestall.

Have you noted folks that I've not mentioned the differences in the parties when I explained what these values mean? That is because they transcend political parties. Sure there are conservative Republicans but there are also conservative Democrats. So the next time someone says they are scared of Gov. Palin ask them why. Most likely their going to spout out some tripe about being against one of these conservative values thus proving themselves nothing more than liberal mouthpieces. Democrats don't need to be scared of Sara but I would say that liberals should be shaking in their shoes.

I not raising hogs...

2008-10-22T19:00:00.003-06:00

I got this e-mail from a friend and I know it's fiction but if our more liberal officials get their way, some savvy farmer may take advantage. Read on... :)

Dear Sir;

My friend, Ed Peterson, over at Wells Iowa, received a check for $1,000 from the government for not raising hogs. So, I want to go into the "not raising hogs" business next year.

What I want to know is, in your opinion, what is the best kind of farm not to raise hogs on, and what is the best breed of hogs not to raise? I want to be sure that I approach this endeavor in keeping with all governmental policies. I would prefer not to raise razorbacks, but if that is not a good breed not to raise, then I will just as gladly not raise Yorkshires or Durocs.

As I see it, the hardest part of this program will be in keeping an accurate inventory of how many hogs I haven't raised.

My friend, Peterson, is very joyful about the future of the business. He has been raising hogs for twenty years or so, and the best he ever made on them was $422 in 1968, until this year when he got your check for $1000 for not raising hogs.

If I get $1000 for not raising 50 hogs, will I get $2000 for not raising 100 hogs? I plan to operate on a small scale at first, holding myself down to about 4000 hogs not raised, which will mean about $80,000 the first year. Then I can afford an airplane.

Now another thing, these hogs I will not raise will not eat 100,000 bushels of corn. I understand that you also pay farmers for not raising corn and wheat. Will I qualify for payments for not raising wheat and corn not to feed the 4000 hogs I am not going to raise?

Also, I am considering the "not milking cows" business, so send me any information you have on that too.

In view of these circumstances, you understand that I will be totally unemployed and plan to file for unemployment and food stamps. Be assured you will have my vote in the coming election.

Patriotically Yours,

P.S. Would you please notify me when you plan to distribute more free cheese.

Predator Pilot Video

2008-10-20T19:37:00.002-06:00

I saw this on Chairforce. Hilarious!

Palin for President?

2008-10-15T05:47:00.003-06:00

We all need to sit back and laugh at ourselves sometimes. Check this out and remember to click on all the little things. :)

http://www.palinaspresident.com/

Originally posted at IBD Editorials (Funny)

2008-10-12T13:36:00.001-06:00

O'Reilly was right, Barney Frank is to Blame!

2008-10-11T18:26:00.002-06:00

While we’re not out of this mess yet, the investigative dust is starting to settle. In the Wall Street Journal article “Blame Fannie Mae and Congress For the Credit Mess”, Charles W. Calomiris and Peter J. Wallison do a great job outlining how we got into this mess. It seems that back when we had a Republican controlled congress some fairly savvy congressmen saw this looming disaster and tried to enact legislation to stop it. Well they were unable to pass the proposals due to staunch partisan Democrat opposition centering around their socialist attitude towards financial equality. The Democrat scheme to increase sub-prime loans as a method to create “affordable housing” would have been stopped by this bill or at least would have added some sanity to the lending practice. After the power swap as a result of the last election, the Republicans concern on this matter was squelched and the impending Democrat created train-wreck that we’re dealing with now is the result.

As I said in my earlier post, there’s little we can do at out levels to make a difference in how we proceed. The one thing we have, the one thing we should cherish is our vote. You cannot imagine how important your one vote is. We need to vote these idiots out of power so we can get some sanity back in our government. Who voted to create this mess? Who sat there in those hearings a few years ago and said there wasn’t a problem? As the flashlight of blame focuses its beam who will be highlighted the most? Those are the folks that we should be removing and the first one to leave should be Barney Frank. I ask you right now Mr. Frank, resign your position and take responsibility for your action. You should be in prison for the mess you have created for the rest of us in this country to clean up.

In the article they talk about folks on both sides of this fight. Yes, both candidates are mentioned; John McCain tried to get the legislation passed, Barack Obama did his normal and sat on the sidelines doing nothing. There’s a few other names mentioned but I would assume that all of the current Democrat leadership is responsible as well as some Republicans. I haven’t had time to research the names but when I find them I will post them so we can boot these folks so they don’t ruin our future any more. Fiscal conservatism is bi-partisan and an attribute claimed by both sides of the fence. We need that attitude back in Washington.

Bailout Bill Voting Record

2008-10-11T07:28:00.005-06:00

We all here about the votes in Washington but do you really know who voted which way? Recently we had a vote on the Wall Street bailout bill; something that I was against. You might find it interesting who voted for or against the bill (I know I did). Below are the results for Texas but you can check out the complete list at the Senate and House website.

Senate overall vote: Yea - 74 Nay - 25 Not Voted - 1

Cornyn (R-TX), Yea
Hutchison (R-TX), Yea

House overall vote: Yea - 263 Nay - 171

Yea: Republican – 6 Democrat - 9

Kevin Brady (R)
Michael Conaway (R)
Henry Cuellar (D)
Chet Edwards (D)
Charles Gonzalez (D)
Kay Granger (R)
Al Green (D)
Ruben Hinojosa (D)
Sheila Jackson-Lee (D)
Eddie Johnson (D)
Solomon Ortiz (D)
Silvestre Reyes (D)
Pete Sessions (R)
Lamar Smith (R)
Mac Thornberry (R)

Nay: Republican – 13 Democrat – 4

Joe Barton (R)
Michael Burgess (R)
John Carter (R)
John Culberson (R)
Lloyd Doggett (D)
Louie Gohmert (R)
Gene Green (D)
Ralph Hall (R)
Jeb Hensarling (R)
Sam Johnson (R)
Nicholas Lampson (D)
Kenny Marchant (R)
Michael McCaul (R)
Randy Neugebauer (R)
Ron Paul (R)
Ted Poe (R)
Ciro Rodriguez (D)

Repeatedly in this blog I have urged you to be an educated voter. While I do care which way you vote, when you vote I think you should be informed as to what your voting for. Your vote is your decision but make that decision for the right reason. Now in case you didn't figure it out I normally vote Republican but sometimes I vote outside of the party for various reasons. This bill is one of those reasons. I cannot in good conscience vote for someone who voted for this bill. The bill pushes us closer to the precipice of socialism while I think we should be decreasing government involvement in our life. We are a free market economy, we tout that philosophy around the world as the best way to be and punish those that disagree with us. One of the prime tenets of a free market economy is that the value of the market is a direct reflection of the true value of it workers and businesses. With us bailing out all these businesses we’re telling the world that our plan works “most” of the time but when it doesn't governments should step in. Is this the message we want to tell the world? Isn’t this what happens in a socialist society? A strong government is an indicator of a strong economy but a government can’t create a strong economy, we do (the people). I disagree with the doom and gloom forecasts that we were warned of. I think we had some “chicken little” leaders who failed to correctly read the tea-leaves of markets. Now we’re stuck with even more debt, even more government controls, and even more foreign influence in our country. We should have let the market do what it was going to do and picked up the pieces when it was over. That’s what we’ve done before and we were stronger because of it.

If you agree with me then look at who voted for this socialist regulation and get them out of office. Our country can recover but we need sound and strong leadership to do it, NOT the cowards who forced this crap onto us.

Obama + Odinka + Ayers + Wright + ????

2008-10-08T15:40:00.004-06:00

On my way home from work today I caught a snipit from Hannity regarding the ousting of writer Jerome Corsi from Kenya. Mr Corsi was in Kenya researching facts for his book "The Obama Nation" and apparently stepped on a few toes and was "asked" to leave. So what was the problem? What was mr Corsi researching? Well during the interview Mr Corsi went on to tell Sean that he was researching the connection between Senator Barack Obama and Mr Raila Odinga, the Prime Minister of Kenya. Sounds legitimate enough right? Well as usual once you peal the onion, things start getting a disconcerting. Here is a Youtube video of a CNN broadcast regarding Mr Odinga:

The video explains fairly well that Mr Odinga reputation isn't the best in the world but that's the way things are in some parts of the world. You have to ask yourself though, do we want that type of action here in the United States? Check out Mr Odinga's own website: Don't worry to much with the rhetoric but look at what's written, doesn't this look eerily like Obama's campagn adds? Change Change Change! Mr Corsi told Sean Hannity that there where high level communications between Mr Odinga's 2007 campaign and Senator Obama's campaign. I think it's probably so, the proof is all over both of their slogans and talking points. So what else did Mr Obama learn from Odinga? How about the aftermath when Odinga lost the election? There's already talk of this possibility; after last nights debate James Carvel on CNN expressed this very concern.

Between the connection with ex-Weathermen Bill Ayers, wanna-be dictator Raila Odinga, and whacko preacher Jeremiah Wright; Barack Obama has some pretty radical friends. It makes me wonder who else is waiting in the wings. What other radical group does Mr Obama have connections with? In one of the debates Mr Obama told us that he would meet the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea with out preconditions. Why would he do that when he knows these are self expressed enemy's of our country all of which seek the downfall of our country. This country does not and should not conduct a foreign policy that legitimizes governments hellbent on our downfall. But based on all these other associations Mr Obama has had in his life why wouldn't he also seek out the guidance of the rest of the worlds radicals.

This is a track record that needs to be explored in Senator Obama. His past actions and associations are indicators on how he will lead our country and with whom he will seek guidance on how to do it. I've said this before and I will say it again. Don't vote on passion, vote on facts. Do the research on the person you want to vote for and let your conscience be your guide.

Is Posse Comitatus Dead?

2008-09-24T16:02:00.005-06:00

I ran into a few articles today regarding an upcoming deployment of the 1st Infantry Division. Apparently their destination is the United States. This will be the first time since the Civil War that a military unit will be "deployed" within the U.S. borders with a mission other than training. Is this a conflict with the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878? I'm sure not the person to say one way or another; that will be left up to the smart folks in the Justice Department. However; I do have an opinion on it.

What is the problem with deploying forces within the U.S.? Well there's the obvious reason that initiated the Act after the Civil War but those reasons aren't in existence in today's world. We have a standing police force that is well equipped to handle any civil disturbance if it was to rear it's ugly head. But what of the real mission of the Army defending the U.S.? Yes, folks that's why this is coming around. In today's world of terrorist imposed micro-conflicts, it's a smart idea to have a force ready to go in a moments notice to defend us if a terrorist was to try something here at home. Suitcase nukes, dirty bombs, and chemical and biological weapons can devastate our homeland while our Army is focused overseas. Wouldn't it be smart to have someone providing defense at home for these threats? The time of large standing forces threatening our country is pretty much over but that doesn't mean we're not threatened. We need to adapt our force to handle these new threats; threats that do exist, threats that we live with every day.

Police forces are there to enforce the law but are being asked to do more and more defense type of missions. Terrorists don't normally break laws until they blow something up so the pursuit of this enemy by the Police could be construed as a conflict. Yes, I know we have laws about planning terrorist acts but they're pretty broad and hard to enforce. Although these people have declared war on us, we still treat them as criminals and they're not, they are enemy forces in our country to bring down us. The ultimate goal of terrorist forces is the same as if we had an enemy countries army within our borders; the downfall of our way of life. Defending us against this type of threat IS the mission of the Army folks.

Posse Comitatus isn't dead folks. The law has evolved just is our country has evolved and does still have some relevance however the law does have two sides. While it does limit the involvement of the Army in criminal enforcement it also somewhat defines the role of the Police. So let's do what Posse Comitatus intended and let the Police do their job of enforcing our laws, and let the Army do it's job of defending the country.

2008-09-23T12:38:00.001-06:00

There's a ton of new pictures at my Picassa site. Check them out.

What's my Palin name?

2008-09-23T05:39:00.008-06:00

Yes, the Palins have a strange way of naming their children. If I was named by the Palins my name would be:

Falter Locust Palin

If you want to find out what the Palins would have named you check out the blog. :)

Book Banning! Holy Crap it's Fahrenheit 451 all over!

2008-09-22T14:00:00.004-06:00

So what is the temperature at which liberals burn? Well it seems that it's pretty much whatever they want it to be. In their latest attempt to bring down Sarah Palin, they've resulted to creationism. Creating lies that is; read on...

As I watched FOXnews this afternoon they had a few talking heads on to discuss the election. And, as usual, the discussion turns to how bad Gov Palin will be for the country and how her track record supports their point. This time the brought up an event early on in the Governor's Mayoral stint in Wasilla when she asked a question of the city librarian concerning some books people had had "issues" with. This story originally ran in the Anchorage Daily News on Sept 4th, 2008 and outlined events that had happened 12 years earlier. The story tries to repeatedly find a connection between a discussion at a city council meeting between then Mayor Palin and the librarian and a supposed request from the Mayors office for the librarians resignation. Well as I've said many times there's a lot more to this than what this left wing rag wants you to think.

After more research I found an article from a more conservative Blog regarding the incident. Michelle Malkin wrote an opposing article concerning the incident and it seems did a better job of putting the events in a more balanced light. She even went so far as to post the list of the supposed planned books to be banned. Here's the problem; some of the books on the list weren't even published at the time the events happened. Wow, how could that be? I'm sure that ADN.com couldn't have been that gullible to be taken in like this. Well they never actually posted the list, this was found out later on when some of the original sources where pressed a little harder. It seems the lists is from a group at the Florida Institute of Technology and has nothing what so ever to do with Governor Palin. Yes it's a group against banning book but I don't think there's a FIT-Wasilla, AK connection.

So what is the bottom line here? I suspect that this all started because someone got their feelings hurt because she was asked to resign. Then, the anti-McCain/Palin crowd latched onto it trying to twist it somehow to make the Republican candidate look like a jack-booted Nazi thug. This is a tired tactic that doesn't work on the educated voter. The writers use fear mongering to create a disingenuous account of events and their actions are downright despicable. Shame on them.

No, Ray Bradbury's vision of the future isn't coming. No, we don't have a new Hitler running in the election. No Mrs. Palin isn't the anti-christ. And no, the apocalypse isn't going to happen if the Republicans get elected. So don't let the chicken-little liberal get away with this smear campaign; be an educated voter, do some research and make up your own mind.

Pork Invaders

2008-09-17T20:09:00.006-06:00

Check out this McCain game:

And who says he's out of touch with America? Using an '80s video game to make a point! Brilliant!

Have fun with it but please go to his website and get the truth about the campaign.

2008-09-17T12:06:00.003-06:00

Saw this on the internet today: July 11 2008 JONES, EUGENE Eugene (Gene) Jones of Westminster, 86, husband of Frances (Fran), father of Pamela (Pam) Jones-Gonzales, grandfather of Andrew Jones-Gonzales. Visitation Friday 4:00P-7:00P at Horan and McConaty Mortuary, 9998 Grant St., Thornton. Memorial Mass Monday 11:00AM at Spirit of Christ Catholic Community, 7400 W. 80th Ave., Arvada. Inurnment Ft. Logan National Cemetery. Gene was a damn good man; he'll be missed by all that knew him. I wish I would have known about this earlier. :(

Political Hay or a Real Problem?

2008-09-16T18:31:00.005-06:00

As I was watching Fox news today they ran a story regarding how much the Political Action Committee (PAC) representing Fannie May and Freddy Mac had contributed to certain Democratic members. They're stance was the top recipients of this money was all Democrat specifically the number 2 person, Senator Barak Obama. Well folks, this isn't my first rodeo so the news wasn't any surprise to me; however I thought it was interesting so I did a little checking myself. Yes it was as it was reported, the top 6 folks are Democrat but guess what; there are over 350 names on the list. I found the website they had cited as their source (OpenSecrets.Com) and found the entire list and it became very obvious to me that while they had reported correctly they hadn't told they whole story. Here's some data I thought you'd want to see:

Place	Name	Office	Party	Grand Total
1	Dodd, Christopher J	S	D	$165,400
2	Obama, Barack	S	D	$126,349
3	Kerry, John	S	D	$111,000
4	Bennett, Robert F	S	R	$107,999
5	Bachus, Spencer	H	R	$103,300
6	Blunt, Roy	H	R	$96,950
7	Kanjorski, Paul E	H	D	$96,000
8	Bond, Christopher S 'Kit'	S	R	$95,400
9	Shelby, Richard C	S	R	$80,000
10	Reed, Jack	S	D	$78,250
62	McCain, John	S	R	$21,550
217	Biden, Joseph R Jr	S	D	$3,300

Now I only put in the top 10 and then McCain and Biden but do you notice something interesting here? The game is tied folks! 6 Dems, 6 GOPs! So what does this tell us? Well since I downloaded the entire list I did some number crunching to see what other truths I could gleam from the data.

If you broke of the money by party it comes out to 42% GOP, 57% Democrat, and 1% Independent. If you changed it around and looked to see if there was a difference between the House and Senate; House 55% and Senate 45%. Hmmm, it looks like the PAC knows how to do math too; remember, Democrats are the Majority right now and, as we all know, the House has more people than the Senate. So do the Democrats have a larger problem, does the house? Nope, they're all equal opportunity leaches.

Now I do have to say it is rather troubling to me to see Senator Obama's name so high on the list considering his time in the Senate but that's not really the point to all of this. So what is the point… None of us should take what we hear on the news as gospel. If we want to know the real truth we need to look for ourselves especially if it's particularly damning towards one person. Don't follow the hype folks, become free thinkers, take responsibility for your own knowledge.

Upcoming Election

2008-09-16T10:23:00.003-06:00

Just in case ya'll are wondering, I'm voting for McCain this November. Why? Well for one I've been a Republican for a long time now but mostly because of his track record and some things he's done recently. McCain's track record speaks for itself; his service in the military, his service in the House, and his service in the Senate has all portrayed this fine American as the true leader he is. While Obama talks about needing "change" McCain exudes leadership in way Obama can only dream of. McCains TV add on the day of Obama's nomination congratulating him on reaching this point was profound. It shows McCains ability to put politics aside and do what's right. Was there any response like that from Obama on McCains nomination? No, only more tired democratic rhetoric. When it came to selecting a running mate Obama thought it was correct to choose an entrenched liberal Senator, McCain selected a fresh face. Look at Bidens stance and track record on the important issues of our times ad you'll see the same failed Democrat positions of the past. Granted Palin is a much more conservative Republican than McCain is but she has been fixing the problems in Alaska that mirror our nations problems. She brings to the plate new solutions to old problems, not the tried and failed Democrat solutions of Biden and Obama. So who is the better candidate? Who is showing leadership and not just talk? Who is really demonstrating an ability to facilitate change? You know my answer; do the research and make up your own mind. I welcome your responses.

On-Line Life

2008-08-03T13:24:00.003-06:00

So what is your on-line life? With the advent of on-line gaming, social networks, chat rooms, and surfing there's so much on-line now that we use to define ourselves. Currently I've got a Facebook account, MySpace account (that was on the wane though), and a couple of blogs. While I've created all these things I do realize that there's a lot of information out there that people can read or see about me. If you're a frequenter to those site you know that I'm married, have kids and even know my dogs name. I've made friends all over the world, and yes, some enemy's but have never actually met any of them. So what did I do before all this? What has access to the internet created in me that I didn't have before? Not much actually, read on... When I was younger I always had a hard time making casual friends. I always had one or two that I felt close to and their still friends of mine today. Folks like JC Tallman, David Day, Dave Stock, Jay Fox, and Tim Strickland are some of the ones that have been my closest friends and I still keep in contact with many of them. The level of friends that I'm talking about is the casual friends, the ones you had because you where a member of a group, or organization. Those are the ones that I've always had issues with. There's probably a few reasons for this, first tend to shy aways from groups because I don't feel I need them to identify myself, and secondly me devotion to the people I felt where close to me. That's a little vague but let me explain using a different type of relationship. Being that I'm a guy I have real problems having girls as friends without wanting the relationship to turn sexual. Whenever I have a girls as a friend, there always reaches a point in the relationship where I want more than mere friendship. Even as a teenager I wanted girls as girlfriends not casual friends. Those that I did have as girlfriends I wanted to become even more; in other words I fell in love with every girl. This inability of mine to see what the relationship potential actually was caused me to drive a lot of very nice girls away. For guys however I have this same desire to be the best friend possible but since love isn't in the equation there's no desire to make it any more than that. So what does that have to do with my on-line life? I now have more casual friends than I know what to do with but it's been difficult to realize what type of friend they really are. Lately Facebook has been occupying a lot of my on-line time. I really like the game applications like Homeworld, Mob Wars, and Knighthood. I never got involved with other on-line gaming schemes like World of Warcraft, so this is rather new to me. What I've found though is a whole world of casual friends. Maybe one or two might turn into the close friend category but chances are thin. I'm liking things the way they are though, here's a group of people whom I have something in common with but there's no responsibility to any of them for anything other than playing a game. I know that last sentence seems shallow on my part but this type of relationship is the norm on the internet. When I was younger (before the internet) friends where made be meeting people. Normally this was by working with them, going to school or church together, or living next to someone. We also used to have "pen-pals" that could have been anywhere in the world but only the most outgoing people put the time in to write the letters. Now we have a world wide web of users that have replaced the "pen-pal". social networks like Facebook and MySpace have created an easy way for anyone to meet folks from all around the world. I now have friends in Australia, Great Briton, Hong Kong, Japan, and elsewhere. You name it and I've probably have talked with someone from that country. 30 years ago when I was in high school, to have this level of world wide contact was unfathomable. Even if you had a few pen-pals it wouldn't be anything close to the variety on-line social network give us. Yes there's some whack-O's out there but for the most part people are what-you-see-is-what-you-get. I know that most of these people I'll never actually meet but I sure do enjoy their company. I also know that if I travel around the world that I at least know someone. So what's in the future for us? In 20 years are we going to have virtual relationships that are taken to the next level? Will we have virtual marriages between folks that never really meet? I don't think it'll get that bad but I will say your on-line life will probably play a bigger part in your social life as the internet matures. Who knows maybe you will meet the love of your life half a world away. Not me however, my best friend and the love of my life is living with me now. we didn't meet on-line we met in person, shooting pool in a bar, like normal people do.

Leadership Funk

2008-06-27T19:58:00.004-06:00

For those of you that where wondering, I've been in a little bit of a funk the past year. Last June I deployed for 4 months; during that deployment I had to deal with the death of a co-worker which made for some of the worst times in my professional career. While I realize now that the deployment was going poorly from the start, at the time I felt that his death was the catalyst for all the bad karma we experienced. What I've come to realize is that it was poor leadership at all levels, including mine, that let the deployment go sour. While I do put the majority of the blame for all the problems we endured on our commanders shoulders all of us in leadership positions had a hand in the declining moral. Even though we had a bad apple, it took a team to make us all feel like failures. Where I failed was not recognizing where the problem was and therefor was not able to help in fixing the problem. I'm not sure what the solution to that problem was other than time but now if I ever see it happen again I'm going to do my damnedest to stop it. This spring I was able to experience a deployment with a different leadership package. Initially I wasn't supposed to go but at the last minute I had to go to replace someone with personal issues the prevented him from going. I was very concerned about having to go and re-experience all those problems again but I really didn't have a way to "not go". This time however the experience was totally different. First; we didn't have a traumatic loss to deal with so that was one huge issue we didn't have to deal with. Secondly; we had a much more charismatic commander who had the best interest of each of us and the mission in mind. His leadership abilities and skills trickled do to all of us an the lower levels empowering all of us to do our job better. The entire experience for me was a 180 degree difference for me with respect to the previous deployment. I actually came home feeling better than I left and the experience changed my attitude about whether I can continue doing this job. It pulled me out of the funk I was in and has motivated me to stay around a little longer. The moral to all of this is simple; if you are in a leadership position you must be a leader. Don't let your team fail because of outside influences, and no mater what, maintain your strength. I know that we had some huge influences that created our problems but had we all handled them better we could have turned them into positive influences instead of allowing them to be negative results.

The American Flag

2008-04-25T23:21:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure where this came from or who wrote it but I thought it was nice.

I am the American Flag. I have flown over every conflict since my inception into this world. I have seen the grassy fields of Gettysburg, the waters in the Pacific, the sands of Iraq, the skies over Yugoslavia, and the mountains of Afghanistan. The mere sight of me invokes tears of joy, pride, and dedication to those who believe in what I stand for. I also provoke fear into the heart of nations of those who oppose me. I know no gender or race, and accept all who will accept me. I am no God, but hold a bond over men and women who serve under me that is equal. I have no voice, but people listen. I cover a nation with hope and vision, and sadly blanket those who have given us the same. Of all the nations and all the flags, none makes it’s presence known as I. I am a leader among leaders. I encompass the lives of friends and family, brothers and sisters, the living and the dead. I will continue to give hope to those who do not understand, and meaning to those who do. In return for all I can give, I ask for but one thing. This I cannot tell you, it is something that only you will come to know. I do ask that you be patient for I am young…and yet stern for I am old. Proudly display me for all the world to see, and look to me, and I will show you the past, the present, and the future. I am committed to you, the children of my country. I am the American Flag.

Starting College

2008-03-09T18:42:00.004-06:00

Well I've finally and officially started college. I'm registered with the American Military University pursuing a BA in Human Relations. The university is all on-line and geared towards the military. I chose this degree because one thing I think I'll enjoy this type of work once I'm a civilian. I feel that it's close enough to the First Sergeant and Flight Chief work I've been doing that I should enjoy it very much. I've done my first essay, here's what I wrote: ___________________________________________________________________ Why did I decide to attend college now? I’ve done a lot of thinking about this question and have come up with several answers; broadening myself as a senior NCO leading to a possible promotion, preparing myself for my upcoming return to the civilian job market, being a positive role model for my college age children, and lastly, to rid myself of this feeling of incompleteness since I haven’t gotten my degree. There are a myriad of other reasons but these are the ones I feel are most important to me. Let me take a closer look into each of these reasons to better explain my motivation. There are many responsibilities associated with being a senior NCO but none are more important than being a positive role model and mentor. We are expected to give career planning guidance to the young the NCOs to include education expectations regarding promotions. The Air Force has recently changed their promotion criteria for the top two enlisted ranks to include a CCAF degree requirement. Without this degree Master Sergeants (like me) will receive such a low promotion score that it takes them out of the running. Some folks don’t care about getting promoted but the point is to be able to show the folks that are working for you how they can be successful in the Air Force. The “do as I say and not as I do” mentality doesn’t work very well and doesn’t make successful Airmen. Another door a degree will open for me is that certain jobs within my career path are offered only to the most promotion eligible NCOs. Jobs such as Chief Instructor, Chief Evaluator, and Flight Chief don’t open up too often and when they do you need to look good on paper in order to be considered. So as you can see not only will the degree make me more competitive for promotion, but it also bolsters my credibility when I’m counseling one of my young Airmen about their education goals. There are several other advantages to having a degree while in the military but the military is only a short phase of my life. Let’s take a look at what college will do for me after my military career is over. The civilian job market isn’t anything new to me; I didn’t join the Air Force until I was 25 years old so I had a lot of experience prior to my military enlistment; but that was several years ago and I’m a much older man now. Knowing that I’m soon going to have to complete a resume to search for a job, I need to make myself look better on paper in order for me to get an edge for a job that pays well enough to support my current lifestyle. If I hadn’t joined the service, more than likely, I would have worked my way up through a company towards a middle management position similar to job I have in the military now. Unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of working my way up the corporate ladder; I need to start in the middle. With a degree and my military experience, I should be able to start at a job as a manager or some type of supervisor at a higher than normal pay grade. Without it, I’d be lucky to start at an entry level position at the lowest pay bracket; a position that would put a lot of pressure on me and my family. This would also put me closer in line with my civilian peers in my age group and life experience level rather than having to start at the bottom. For me though, the most important thing having a degree will give me is allowing me to actually do something that I enjoy rather than just getting whatever job I can get. I’ve gone 22 years now doing something I really enjoy and I don’t want to have to go back to doing something just because it’s the only thing I could find. Work and career is only one aspect of why a degree is important to me. As you can probably figure out I’m not a very young person, In fact I’m 47 years old and have three children. Andrew, my oldest, is a senior at Denver University studying Computer Science, Isabella is 19 years old and pursuing a Political Science degree at West Texas A&M, and Krystina is graduating high school this year and will be attending Angelo State University this fall in pursuit of a teaching degree. I mentioned earlier how important it is for me to be a positive role model to those that work for me and I also feel this is important when it comes to parenthood. I don’t think I’m going to beat Andrew to a degree but he doesn’t need any motivation, my daughters on the other hand look to me leadership in all aspect of their life so I want to show them that attaining a degree is important and achievable. They’ve heard me talk about going to college and how important I feel it is, but I’ve not demonstrated this to them with my actions. This is a problem I need to fix. I mentioned several reasons why I’ve decided to start college mostly pertaining to my career or my family, but what about my internal reasons? What inside me finally motivated me enough to take this step? The answer is simple; I’m tired of procrastinating. I need to get this monkey off my back and get it done. It sounds so simple but I know how difficult it’s going to be, which is why I procrastinated so long; I was dreading the work. I have successfully put up a roadblock to my advancement; I’m not talking about promotion in the military but advancing me as a person. For a long time I was comfortable with who I was but I’ve reevaluated my purpose in life and found that this roadblock has to go. No longer am I going to sit around and blame other people for my inadequacies. This is just the first of many steps I’m taking to make myself an even more successful person. Why did I decide to attend college now? Very simple; I’ve reached a point in my life both professionally and privately that the reasons to start, outweigh the reasons to wait. Having a degree will help me professionally, help my family, and help me during my transition to civilian life. The most important reason however is because it’s something I’ve been putting off for a long time and I want to finish it so I can work on the next challenge life throws at me. We all have to find our own motivation to overcome the roadblocks in our lives, hopefully now you better understand mine.

Manna from Heaven??

2008-01-28T10:18:00.001-06:00

So how many of you out there actually think this rebate scheme the government is planning will do any good? My wife and I haven't really discussed what we're going to do with the money but with all our recurring bills I doubt if we're going to be buying anything with it. No, with tuition for two daughters, home upkeep expenses, and property taxes, we really can't afford to go out and spend extra money on anything. For most of the population we live on a payday to payday basis so when extra money comes along we use it to reduce our existing debt, not for to expand our wealth. So if my hypothesis is correct will this scheme really do what it's intended and promote growth in our economy? Makes one wonder... The last time I checked the government is supposed to act as a non-profit agency. If they have money to send out all these checks why do we still have a national debt? Have we been able to create this much extra money to be able to fund this boondoggle? I think not. I've heard the figures surrounding the cost of this plan and I know they're not enough to really make a difference but we're still incurring more debt every day due to Washington's spending habits. Instead of sending out all these checks and increasing our debt even more, why don't they actually try to pay off some of our debt? Wouldn't that help our economy? Our country is slowly eroding it's social benefits because of it's increasing inability to live with it's means. Increasing our debt won't help in that situation. I'm not a big fan of social programs due to their abuse but some really do make a difference in people lives. Increasing our debt will eventually require those programs to be cut even farther. So with all these issues why is the government doing this? The answer is that it's an election year. In reality this plan is no more than voter pandering; and it is some of the most despicable I've ever seen. And it's not just one side that's doing it. Both the Democrats and Republicans have their hands in this one so they can both take credit for it. They've advertised this as a plan to boost our economy but I suspect it will eventually have the opposite effect. What are they going to do next year when we're still in the same boat? How deep in debt will our government go to hide the truth about the economy from it's people. No this plan isn't the answer and has the potential of having some serious long term affect for all of us. I'm not an economist so I won't pretend to have all the answers but it seems to me that if we pay down this huge debt the country, as a whole, would be better off. A few years ago my wife and I where is a similar position; we owed a large amount of money to several agency's. This was mostly because our income level was fairly low and we needed some things just to get by. Due to some changes in my job we found ourselves with the ability to pay off most of our debt and have been able to keep it at bay since then. We still take out an occasional loan for big ticket items but for the most part we're living within our means. What a liberating feeling we've enjoyed since we've become financially free; I can only imagine what it would be like if our country was in this position. Incurring more debt isn't the answer, removing our debt is.

Herk Video

2008-01-28T08:17:00.001-06:00

Here's a cool video I hope ya'll enjoy.

Want to make a change?

2008-01-22T08:38:00.001-06:00

As I watch the market upheaval today I wonder why all this is happening. Lately there's been a lot of discussion in the world about increasing prices and the devaluing of money. What there isn't one simple solution to any of the worlds woes, one huge contributor is our own inability to accept change. Here's an example of what I'm talking about: How many of you remember your first car? I remember mine, it was a 1977 Chevrolet Chevette. The Chevette was one of Detroit's answers to our desires for cheaper transportation. It was overpriced, underpowered, and unrealistically small. In the 70s Detroit was still the king at making large comfortable cars so when they tried to downsize their efforts were lacking. The Chevette, Vega, Pinto, and Omni all pretty much sucked. You'd be hard pressed to find any of them on the road today but if you look around you'll still see LTDs, Caddies, muscle cars, and pick-ups built in that era still being driven. Why is that? Could it be that people actually like the look, the comfort, or the power these vehicles offered? I think so. Yes these are gas guzzlers but in reality their mileage isn't that much worse than a lot of the new cars coming out now. At it's prime my Chevette would get almost 20 mile per gallon, with a 12 gallon tank I could fill it up on about $10 bucks. Now I have a Honda Civic that gets about 20-25 MPG around the city and it costs me $25 to fill it up. But neither of these cars are comfortable doing a 3-4 hour drive. So what have I gained? Not much. Now my Honda isn't the only car I have in fact it's actually my daughters car now. I have a very nice pick-up, it's very comfortable, but it cost's me a lot to operate it. My wife have been looking at buying a replacement for her mini-van, we really don't need a car that big now but we do enjoy it's creature comforts. When I go out to buy this new vehicle will gas mileage be my #1 concern? No not really, I'll be looking for a comfortable car that I can drive around the country safely and comfortably. Good gas mileage will be a bonus but won't play much into my decision making. I thin that for the majority of the population that will probably ring true. So how does all this play into the markets? Well my theory is this; people don't purchase based on global concerns, people buy things based on their own needs. When I buy my next car I'm not going to fall prey to this malarkey about how I can save the planet if I buy a piece of crap car. I know that in the cooperate world it's all about how to make a profit. Right now corporations aren't seeing the benefit to their profits to create things that will help the global economy or environment. Detroit is still creating gas guzzlers because gas is the easiest way for them to make a profit. It's easy because it's a proven technology. They don't really have to do anything to convince me that there's a better option. If all the auto makers in the world suddenly said they would no longer build gas powered engines what do you think the out come would be? Well other than a collapse of the oil business that I think would be short-lived, they would have to sell something else right? Gee I wonder what that would be, we have car makers that have a demand but they don't make cars? Come on folks, we have existing technology they could use to make large comfortable cars we would be willing to buy. I saw a show the other day called "Future Cars". A manufacturer in Japan had created a car that looked like a mini RV. It had six wheels, all independently driven, and a huge interior that could seat 6. they said it would easily do 200 mph, but who want to go that fast. If this car was built in the 70s it would have had to have a huge engine in it but this car was electric. Now I'm not sure of the range but I do like the way this was going. A large powerful comfortable vehicle that all I have to do is plug it in to recharge it. Wow what a concept. And on top of it all, a 4 (ok 6) wheel drive. Put a bed and a lift kit on it and you've got a monster truck! Ok, probably not but it's got potential. So why isn't this car being driven? Oil, that's why. As I mentioned earlier, if we quit making gas driven vehicles the oil market would initially be hurt. I said I felt this would be short lived because the initial shock would cause a lot of gasoline centered oil companies would be hurt and even fail but there are a lot of other products that can be created with oil. At our current consumption our oil reserves aren't going to last much longer, maybe 100 years (I'm speculating of course). If the demand for oil was reduced by a drastic change in the gasoline market many of the small companies would fail but auto's aren't the only consumer of oil so a market would still be there. Also, it would take time for all of us to get these new cars so it would be a tapering effect at the worst. In the long run we would in reality be extending our reserves enough that technologies that couldn't be converted could be extended even farther into our future. Since less oil would need to be converted to gasoline, more would be available for conversion into jet fuel, diesel, and other fuels thus resulting into eventual lower costs for these products. If the cost of commercial transportation is decreased a ripple effect of lower prices for everything would result. So next time you decide to "go-green" and "reduce your carbon footprint" (whatever the hell that crap means). Think about if your actually making a real affect. One vehicle isn't going to make change, but a massive change to the vehicle market will. And I'm not talking about environmental change, that's a liberal sympathy ploy, no I'm talking about real change, more money in your pocketbook. And strengthening our pocketbooks strengthens our global economy.

Latest Knee Surgery

2008-01-19T12:11:00.000-06:00

Well yesterdays knee surgery went well. Dr DePrange found a tear in the meniscus that was easy to repair. I'm not sure how it happened since I'm not that athletic but I'm pretty sure it happened while I was deployed. One thing I know contributed to the problem was getting knocked around during an approach into Baghdad. We were trying to land and I was standing behind the pilot scanning for threats when we flew through the wake turbulence of a departing IL-76. I got slammed into the circuit breaker panel and ended up on the floor. My knee was the first thing I noticed but that's also when the back problems started. I think I posted a few things earlier about this incident so I'm not going to repeat myself. I'm glad though that we found something and it's now fixed. Next week I see a new doctor about the back, hopefully we get that fixed as well. I'm going to be on leave for a few weeks to help with the recovery of the knee. My plan is to start walking as much as the back can endure. Since I've been back I haven't exercised much and it's showing. I've got to loose this excess weight so I'm going to take advantage of this time off to work on it. Athena is going to be my walking partner; I'm sure she'll love it. I know this isn't my normal type of post but I've found that by writing things out helps me focus and prioritize my thoughts. It's kind of funny how that works; I've never been the type of person to keep a journal or diary but I'm really enjoying this. What's really interesting is that I'll have an idea in my head but when I try to write it out it changes and evolves into something better. It's like I take a bunch of random thoughts and writing it out channels them into a workable plan. If you you find your that type of person you might want to give this "blog" thing a try, it may help. (If you do let me know, I'll enjoy the read).

Another Surgery

2008-01-10T20:37:00.002-06:00

Well the Doc's going to hack me open again. He needs to go into my left knee to fix a problem that's developed form last years surgery. Nothing major, just a quick "scope job". Oh well, I could use the time off from work. Now if we could just figure out what's going on with the back...

New Years

2007-12-31T09:01:00.000-06:00

Tonight 2007 ends and '08 begins. While I don't have any specific plans for this year I will say I'm looking forward to it. 2007 has had it's share of ups and downs for me; my family, my job and my health have all been areas that have seen the most extreme fluctuations in the past year. Other than my Dad's health which has been in decline for a while now, the biggest upheaval in my family has been the reemergence of my son back into it. I've been estranged from my son for many years now due a decision I'd made a long time ago. At the time it seemed like the right thing to do but as the years passed, deciding to limit contact with my son was something I'd increasingly regretted. Earlier this year I had finally been able to locate him on the internet (a high point) but when I attempted to reestablish a relationship with him he rejected me (a low point). While I understand his animosity towards me and see that it's a huge uphill battle, I'm hoping that in the upcoming year I can make progress in creating some type of relationship with him. As for my job, well here it was more about image that anything else. Earlier in the year I was filling in as the Squadron 1st Sergeant. As the top enlisted member of the squadron I was able to positively affect the career of many of our folks. This is something that I take personal pride in because I feel that unless you recognize the successes of your folks your not really leading them into success. During the year I deployed for four months and experienced some of the most challenging experiences I could ever imagine, some I did well, and some... not so much. The death of Joey during the deployment was tough but we banded together and pushed through it to get the mission done. While this time was a personal low point for me I think professionally it was more a high point. Although I could have handled things better, I kept focus on my guys making sure they dealt with the loss but also understood the importance of completing their mission. I remember taking pride in the fact that we didn't loose any missions due to this event, I think more than anything it was strong leadership from the entire squadron staff that kept that from happening. The low point of the deployment was the second half. It all started with me getting a little too big for my britches and made a few decisions that upset some of the leadership. When they put me in the "penalty box" it didn't set well with me and I started pushing back; its never a good thing when you try to push around your boss. This was some very poor judgment on my part and the repercussions reinforced my dependency into depression. All of it came to a head when the commander said I was a failure as a SrNCO, citing the fact that since I'd been unsuccessful in getting any of my guys recognized with awards I had failed them. While now I totally disagree with him, his comments hurt and made me re-access my entire career. I've since discovered that while my guys didn't get recognized I did gain their respect and admiration and that my ex-commander was totally oblivious to how his people felt towards me. The year ended on a high point though when I was successful in getting some well deserving individuals recognized and promoted. I also was able to secure some highly sought after assignments for a few of my guys so I may have slipped a little I've proven to myself that I am the SrNCO I should be. Some of the problems I had in the desert stemmed from my increasing health problems. Between my knees surgeries and my back problems I'm now always in a constant level pain. The pain varies greatly in intensity but it's always there. I never really understood how pain could be such a debilitating issue for people but now I have a totally different insight on it. I'm trying very hard not to use pain medication at all since I feel this will only cause other dependency issues I think would be worse so we're trying to use physical therapy to help reduce the pain. It seems to be working but the road is tough and frustrating. Pain can cause depression, moodiness, and laziness; all of these areas I noticed an increase in during the past year so hopefully in the upcoming one I can reverse this trend. As soon as I can get the pain under control things will get a lot easier for me. So as you can see I'm looking forward to the upcoming year but I'm sure t will have it's own challenges.

STEP Promotion

2007-12-20T06:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I got a chance to see the results of some very hard work, one of my NCOs was promoted to the SrNCO ranks via the STEP program. Last year we submitted him, and even though we thought he had a very strong package, he had a huge hole in his career that we couldn't cover up. This year however we was able to complete those items and in fact did a lot more. We in the Air Force use the STEP (Stripes for Exceptional Performers) to recognize those that stand above and beyond and work at levels way above their pay grade. Some time this is used to promote some long in the tooth guy that's had difficulty testing, other times it's used for folks that truly stand-out above the rest. When the program is used for the former, the promotion may be well deserved but it lacks the ability to motivate others. However, when it is used for the later, it not only highlights a star performer but it also highlight all the core values we in the military hold dear; Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do. Twice in my career I have seen people STEP promoted that truly epitomized these values and their promotion fit exactly in-line with the reasons the program was developed. This time with my troop, and when my brother in-law was promoted. In both incidences the individuals stood above the rest doing jobs their peers shy'd away from. Both times theses individuals sought out the hard things not to highlight themselves but because "that's why we wear these stripes". Both times these folks had displays what true and natural leaders they are and in both cases the Air Force responded. Yesterday was Kelly's day but in reality we're all going to benefit.

DNIF update and other stuff

2007-12-06T23:17:00.000-06:00

OK, so the physical therapy isn't going so well. They have me in traction 20 minutes a day 3 days a week and each day I feel worse than when I walked in. One of my favorite movies is 12 O'clock High and one of the story lines in the movie is of Gately being a slug but having back problems. As I'm laying there in the machine I'm thinking of General Savage (Gregory Peck) sitting at Gately's bedside trying to comfort him but realizing that maybe he was a little premature on his assessment of him. Well I'm no slug but when I'm laying there I sure feel like one, especially since I feel worse afterwards than when I started. My next appointment is Tuesday so hopefully the weekend off will help the back feel better. I'm not feeling like a slug because of the back pain but I am feeling bad for not being able to fly. Since I've returned from Qatar I've been DNIF and have not flown at all. Granted I have been very busy getting the office in order but I get paid to go out and fly airplanes, and I haven't been able to do that. So no matter how many times I restructure the office, write evaluations, or create a new medal package, I still feel I'm not doing my part since I'm not flying. That's the drawback to being a career aviator! Speaking of recognition, my boss wants to put an awards package in for me. After all the bad stuff that happened while I was in the desert I am very hesitant to put anything in for myself. After all I am the first SrNCO that deployed with a group of guys and didn't bring all of them back. In my mind I know that I couldn't have done anything about Joey's death but in my heart it really hurts that I couldn't do anything to stop it. All of the 15 engineers deployed relied on me to make sure they returned safely and I failed in this one. I thought I was past all these feelings but when he asked me about the submittal this week it brought back all those feelings of failure that I've been trying to suppress. I'm going to give my boss what he's asking for, even though I don't think it'll go anywhere, but if it does I hope that Windy and Joey understand. I will tell you this that whatever package is submitted for me, there will be no references to Joey or any of the memorial stuff that's happened since. If I do receive an award I sure don't want that tragedy to contribute at all. Hopefully everyone understands.

Wanna be Doctors! Yuch

2007-12-04T17:02:00.000-06:00

I've been having some back pain recently so my doc recommended for me to see a physical therapist. After doing an MRI he found that I had a couple of bulging disks, remedy... traction. Today was day one of the traction; instead of relief, my pain was so bad I couldn't hardly get up off the table. We'll see how day two goes tomorrow but if it's the same I think I'd prefer a surgeon to fix the problem. Between chiropractors and physical therapists it's a wonder I can still sit up straight.

Anti-War Attitude Explained

2007-12-01T16:47:00.001-06:00

I heard a theory the other day that's made me do a lot of thinking about "anti-war". Did you know there's a huge anti-war movement in the United States? Or so the liberal media wants you to think. Yes there are a lot of people and groups out there wanting the war to stop but their on the fringe of society and can be easily rebuked. No, according to the media the majority of Americans are anti-war. What a load of hooey! Yes there's a large displeasure in the current state of the war (or at least the pre-surge era) but most people aren't anti war. Saying that you're anti-war means that you are a pacifist, someone how abhors conflict and feels that peace is the only just course. Do you really think that the majority of Americans are pacifists? I don't think so. America was founded by war, sustained by war, and will continue to proper because of war. To make a general statement that the majority of Americans are anti-war (pacifists) is an insult to me, you, and every person that has fought and died to get us where we are today. I really feel that most Americans feel frustrated with the way the war is going, that's okay. The average Joe has a hard time understanding why we've been at war for over 7 years and have no clear end in sight. We are the most powerful nation in the world but a ragtag bunch of criminals seems to be getting the upper hand. It's a slap in our face and doesn't reflect the strength of the America people want to be a part of. Mr. John Q. Public sees everyday the frustration of the U.S. Military as it's being portrayed by the news and has no other choice but to feel beaten and weak. Nobody likes that so they become, not anti-war, but anti-"getting our butts kicked". News organizations and people with an agenda feed on this attitude by asking vague or leading questions in public opinion poles then twisting the results to fit their point of view. It's a self perpetuating cycle, the more people say they're frustrated the more they hear how frustrated they are but they're words are being twisted so support real anti-war organizations. A perfect example of this is the Code Pink crowd. Expressing dissent based on frustrations does not mean you're anti-war, it just means you don't like how things are going. So stop supporting those that are twisting your words to make this nation seem divided. We must stand together to defeat this enemy, but it's okay to voice your opinion on how we do it. Be careful though, the enemy could be that pollster calling.

Haven't Commented in a While!

2007-11-30T18:35:00.001-06:00

This wasn't a line I wanted to use but it's appropriate since I haven't written here in a while. I've been very preoccupied with a lot things happening at the home front. Right now things have settled down a little so I thought I'd try to write something. I have another blog that I use to talk to my son and I've been writing on it fairly consistently. Last I checked the other blog has about 70 entries and, well you can count the ones here. When I first started this blog I wanted to use it as a venue to opine on social matters and offer ideas and concepts I thought up. I didn't think there needed to be yet another blog saying "well the weather today was crappy". With all the turmoil my life's been in lately I find it hard to get time to put these things down in writing but I will try to be more consistent in writing here. If you would like to read the other blog I mentioned, it's not publicly advertised. The blog is there as a venue for me and my son (Andrew) to communicate and the contents aren't necessarily for public consumption. If you're interested, you can leave a comment and we can discuss it but if your not Andy then I'll be very hesitant to send it to you.

My son has a new name

2007-11-09T07:29:00.000-06:00

As some of you know I have a son from my previous marriage. His Name was Andrew Hunt but he has legally changed it to Andrew Jones-Gonzales. His reasons for changing his name are his own and I don't want to speculate as to his motives. If you know about my previous marriage you'll know the basis of the new name and can formulate your own opinion on this. Andrew had informed me of his desire to change his name earlier in the year. At first I was wondering if he'd go through with it but based on the reasons he gave me I was pretty sure he would. I had know idea what new name he was planning on and expected something more obscure or even from a foreign language. I was pleasantly surprised that he decided to keep his first and middle name and only changed his last. What's in a name? Is a name just another word or is it an identifier that defines us? Can a name do more than just a identify your lineage? Some people take a lot of pride in all the names they've been given. Take Hillery Clinton for example. For several years she wanted to be called Hillery Rohdam-Clinton. She wanted to honor the lineage of her premarriage name by including it into hers. Many young ladies upon marriage decide to hyphenate their names for this very reason. This bucks tradition but who cares it's what make them happy. I'm sure Andrew's reasons fall somewhere in this but as I said his reasons are his own. So if you happen to run across Andy congratulate him on his new name. Hopefully he take pride in his new name.

2007-10-21T04:06:00.000-06:00

Deployment now over Life sure sucked I'm glad to be home now Life improving

Affecting world events

2007-09-05T08:09:00.002-06:00

Not many people get an opportunity in their life to affect world events. I'm not talking about the "Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes." Andy Worhal type of affect, but real and tangible things that will affect the world for years to come. Recently I've had two events in my life that have the possibility of having that long lasting affect I'm talking about. A few weeks ago I had an opportunity to transport an investigative team to a refugee camp in northern Africa. They here there to see first hand the effects of a long period of strife in the region and how it's affecting the population. The people in the area used to be mostly agricultural based but recently a guerrilla war has forced the people to concentrate around semi-secure camps and have stopped farming. Basically they have stopped producing for themselves and become totally reliant on government and foreign aide. They're economy has taken a downward spiral from total self sufficiency to total dependency. The team I took in was there to see first hand the effects of the war and hopefully a means to reverse the process. The teams approach to the situation was fairly unique in that it was not singularly focused but in fact took into consideration three basic human needs; defense, self sufficiency, and a feeling of community. One of the head guys referred to it as the 3D approach but other than defense I can't remember what the other two Ds where. Defense is pretty straight forward, but the other two where more difficult for me to comprehend. In a nut shell the where trying to build self sufficiency by providing a defense thus encouraging the families to go back out to the farms and out of the refugee camps. Also, the team was trying to get the government to allow us to go in to do more civil engineering project, road, bridges, rail, that kind of stuff. The feeling here was that if the people saw that the rest of the world felt strong enough to come in to do these types of things to improve their quality of life they would feel more like a part of the global community. The total goal of this project was to encourage people to want to be part of the global economy and not part of the terrorist network that seeks to undermine the free world. I'm not sure how this will all turn out but I know it's a work in progress and hopefully we'll all benefit from it. Secondly, recently I was on a crew that took the President of Iraq to a meeting with our President. I have no idea what they talked about but I'm sure it wasn't a social call. Iraq and the whole middle east is so much in turmoil these days, hopefully the meeting enabled a quicker end to some of the conflict over here. Any time there is conflict it destabilizes the entire region. As I've said before conflict is a necessary thing for humans, but in order for us to become better we also need to resolve our conflicts. Hopefully this meeting resolved something so this war/occupation can end sooner rather than later. Everyday someone out there is doing something that affects the world as a whole. Most of the time it's something small such as transporting a VIP. While these things on themselves are nothing, the end results could be everything. We all do this everyday, it could be the bank teller making a transaction for a global relief organization, a taxi driver taking an important underling to a back room meeting, or a world leader making nice with another leader; all of us do our part to affect everything else.

I've lost a friend

2007-08-30T16:39:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I put a friend of mine on a medi-vac flight to Germany. That was the last time I saw him; he lost his battle with the illness he was suffering from shortly after his arrival. His passing has created a hole in me that only time will heal. I'm not sure if the hole will ever fill all the way, in some way I don't want it to. The grieving process really sucks but it's a process we all have to go through. In this day of the virtual world our lost friends are only one Google search away. It's a strange thing to see my friend now plastered all over the net and now I know his memory will live on forever on some server somewhere. The story's will never replace my friend but they will always remind me of him, my friend, my co-worker, husband and father, TSgt Joey Link. I'll miss you brother. http://www.reporternews.com/news/2007/aug/07/family-still-has-no-answer-on-what-caused-death/ http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/08/airforce_dyess_death_070806/ http://www.reporternews.com/photos/2007/aug/06/5018/ http://www.patriotguard.org/Forums/tabid/61/postid/601702/view/topic/Default.aspx

Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.

2007-08-30T16:37:00.003-06:00

"Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Translation: "Therefore, whoever wishes for peace, let him prepare for war." (Vegetius in De Re Militari) This is a very interesting comment that most pacifist fail to comprehend. War, although unwanted, is what happens when peace breaks down. If you have peace then guess what, at one time you had war. I know there will always be those that feel war should be avoided at all costs and to some point I agree, but to not prepare for war, that's opening yourself up to conquest. How many of us out there have not benefited at some level from war? The United States would still be British if it hadn't been for the Revolutionary War. For that matter we wouldn't have country's at all if we didn't have war. People tend to get wrapped up in the minutia of war and not the results. Yes the atrocities associated with destruction are horrible but the outcome may be worth it. In every war people are fighting for what they believe in, what they feel passionate about. We have wars because not everybody feels the same way about all things. True peace can only be achieved by the removal of free thought or the eradication of man. Anything else and the best we can hope for are long periods of peace. Peace can only be assured by strength. Sometimes your strength is restraint but many times you have to show the bully on the block that your serious. We use all means to prevent war, diplomacy, negotiations, treaty's, and yes, ignoring are all tactics we use to avoid conflict, but those tools are only useful if your enemy knows you'll take things to the next level. Empty or hollow threats have never and will never protect you, they're as transparent as air. Vegetius has it right but here's my take on it: Thrust peace on your enemy, or they will thrust theirs on you.

Baby killers?

2007-06-04T20:22:00.001-06:00

For those of you in the non-American world; don't believe what your seeing on your local news. The US military isn't the baby killing murderer's they're portrayed as. Come on, do you honestly think this to be true? These are human beings that have volunteered to support they're country. Get a clue folks, educate yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Here's a rule of thumb for you, if it sounds to convenient then it's probably not true. Instead of taking what you hear as the gospel do a little research and dig for the truth. When I'm overseas I watch Fox New, Sky News and CNN; this gives me a pretty clear and objective viewpoint to almost anything happening in the world. Try this next time you hear that we're "evil" so you can make up your own mind. Stop letting yourself be brainwashed by someone else agenda!

Lurking or what!!

2007-06-04T20:20:00.001-06:00

You know, reading the blog without commenting is rude in my opinion. If the post intrigues you then leave a comment and let us all know what you think.

2007-05-25T12:09:00.000-06:00

What to do with all your junk.... A funny R-vs-B PSA More Red vs Blue videos can be found here.

News Junkie

2007-05-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

They say that the first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting you have one so, yes I am a "News Junkie". I wake up in the morning and put on FOX News, listen to talk radio throughout the day, keep news feeds up on my web browsers, and watch a few hours of news at night. Two things I've figured out; there's a lot of problems in the world, and there's a whole bunch of crap being reported as news. News channels and have a tendency to sensationalize stuff that isn't really news. OJ Simpson, Natalie Holloway, and Anna Nichole Smith are all examples of stories that should have had 5 minutes on the news, not the years of coverage they've gotten. Yes, murder's, young girls disappearing, and celebrity deaths are tragic but the continual reporting and over emphasis on these types of stories trivialize all news reporting. I realize that sometimes there are slow news days and they need to come up with some "filler" and these stories would be fine for that. What I've seen though is the coverage becomes the news, it's no longer about the actual story, it's about the masses of people outside the courthouse, or the minute by minute coverage of an investigation that becomes the story. This level of attention can't be helpful in getting to the bottom of anything and it numbs people to that actual atrocities that had happened. I do like talk radio, especially now that I've started listening to several shows with differing opinions. I feel I'm getting a more balanced portrayal of important issues, or at least the issues they want me to hear about. I listen to Michael Savage in the evenings and he discusses issues that most other news organizations ignore. But here again, I only hear about stuff he feels supports his agenda. There is nothing out there that will give me a full spectrum report on what I think are important issues. I think that if they merged CNN and FOX into one news service, took out all the conservative-liberal labeling. You would get a fair and balanced report on whats going on. Fox has Hannity and Combs, which is supposed to be a balanced show, but in actuality is Sean Hannity's vehicle to demonstrate to the idiocy of the liberal point of view. Alan Combs does nothing but throw up softballs for Sean who is the dominate voice on the show. Fair and Balanced does not mean marketing news by using two extreme views, it should be a non-biased, non-sensationalized report on news reporting. As Joe Friday said; "Just the facts, Ma'am"! I'll continue to be a news junkie though, it does give me some idea of what's going on. I'll just have to keep in mind that I'm only hearing one point of view.

Immigration

2007-05-18T20:45:00.001-06:00

I really don't know if immigration reform is needed in the country. On one hand we have all these people here illegally but on the other hand there here illegally because of the laws of the country. We Americans are a proud people, sometimes too proud though; these "illegals" do the jobs we don't want to do. I remember when we had a huge migrant worker population that consisted of people from all over the country. They did all the jobs most of us wouldn't, and did them dirt cheap. The problem was that they're pay was so low and they're living conditions so poor all the "do-gooders" felt it was they're mission to help them out. We still have migrant workers but now they're called illegal aliens but they're still doing the same job. Do you think these people will continue doing this type of labor once they're legal? Hell no! They going to demand health care, social security, and better pay; you know, all those things that we as citizens enjoy. As soon as you legalize them you open the gates to our benefits. Now I'm not saying to stop them either; as I said, we need these people, but the status-quo works fine right now. One thing I would change is to hold them more accountable for they're actions. Deportation for a crime should be an exception, not the rule. We may even think about increasing punishment for crimes for these people. In other words, toe the line or your going to pay! No, amnesty is the wrong thing to do; let them come in to work, but keep a tight leash on them. And if they screw up, hammer them HARD! No anchor babies, no second chances, and tax the hell out of them. Hey, here's a novel idea... Start an American Foreign Legion like the French have starting with all our able bodied illegals. That way next time we want to go into the world to nation-build; our boy's go in first to secure the place and then we can send them in to do the occupying afterwards. Think about the scapegoat potential with that one! Oh the liberals would have a field day with that one!!!

In Memory of Blase

2007-05-15T20:00:00.000-06:00

I just found out that a friend of mine, Blase Gaude, passed away last year. I swam with Blase while we where in the Philippines with the Clark AFB Flying Dolphins. Blase's mom coached the team and he was the best swimmer in my age group. He played almost any sport there was but at 17 he was paralyzed from the neck down from a football injury. He died at 44 years old and from what I can tell he never gave up on anything while he was alive. While I didn't keep up with Blase after we moved, when I think about my time swimming he is always in my memory. Blase will be missed by everybody that knew him.

Cows

2007-05-12T06:25:00.000-06:00

A cow walks into a bar. The Bartender asks; "Hey Mr. Cow what would you like?" The cow says; "Moo" The Bartender replies; "We only speak English here. Now what can I get you?" The cow says; "Moo" Now the Bartenders getting a little miffed and say; "Look Cow, speak English or get out! Now what would you like" The cow says; "Moo" again... As this was happening, a cowboy was watching what was going on from outside. The trail boss comes up to him and says; "Hey, are you going to go in and get that cow out of the bar?" The cowboy replies; "Yea, I was just waiting for the punchline to develop..."

Have you forgottten or just become accustomed to things?

2007-05-09T18:44:00.000-06:00

I was listening to Michael Savage this afternoon and he was going on about how Americans are a bunch of head in the sand ostriches. His claim is that we're being lulled into a false sense of security by the "liberal media" and the government. He backs up his claim by interpreting the governments response and the media coverage of the latest terrorist plot foiled at Ft Dix. Also today I got the pleasure of listening to one of our top enlisted leaders today and he spoke on this subject as well but from a different point of view. His was a warning to us that before this war is finished it's going to get a lot more unpopular. So twice today I was reminded that America has a short memory; initially strong and patriotic but then wanes towards acceptance of the status-quo. Does America have that short of a memory to accept the tragedy of 9-11? Have we become complacent in our false sense of security thinking we've won becaus we we foiled one small terrorist plot? God I hope not. Folks, terrorist are real, our country's enemies are real, and the need for this war on terror is real! There are bad people out there in the world, people who hate our way of life, who hate our freedoms, people who hate the fact that we exist. I'm not talking about the religious zealots, these are nothing but pawns in the this war. I'm talking about terrorist who use religion as a masquerade for their hatred or us. This isn't about religion it's about our enemies using any and all methods to wage war against us. The terrorist goal is to destroy us, we can not let this happen. You know I live in a very pro military community, people are always saying thanks for doing what I do. I really appreciate it but why do they do it. Are they truly appreciative for me going and off to war? Maybe they say thanks to make themselves feel better thinking I need to hear it? I don't know why but it does make me feel like I'm making a difference. I know that in a lot of other places in the country our military folks aren't being treated like this. They are being spit upon, being called government stooges, or worst of all "losers" by their own government representatives. This behavior is unforgivable. Folks, these Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airman are doing their job. They joined to defend your freedoms; please show your respect for at least that! I don't care what your political affiliation is; I and many like me do our job because we said that's what we would do, defend YOU!. It's called a sense of duty and if you haven't been in the military you'll never understand it. Many other countries in the world have a mandatory military service requirement for their youth. Once you've finished high school you're required to do 2 years in the military to learn basic soldering. While I don't want to go back to a draft I would support this idea. After two years you could go off and do whatever you wanted, further military service would be totally voluntary as it is now. Military vets are sought after commodities in the work force because of the discipline, integrity, and sense of duty that's been honed over years of military service. Our youth could sure use that type of training. The byproduct of this training would be a greater sense of patriotism and government involvement. It's a win-win scenario no matter how you look at it. So next time you see a military person don't go up and say thanks, turn to your child and say how much you'd like them to be like that. Patriotism is contagious, spread the word!

The Ugly American

2007-05-06T20:51:00.001-06:00

I just finished watching the season finale for "The Amazing Race". I love the show but it does highlight one aspect of our nation most of us don't see; that's the ugly American. The ugly American is arogance and niavity all rolled into one person. The person who thinks that in order for them to be understood by someone who doesn't understand English all they have to do is speak English with an accent. The person who acts like an ass in public because the place he want's to go is closed for siesta. The "I'll get you to do it by throwing a few US dollars around. People who get drunk instead of drinking socially. People who can't eat anything but hamburgers. The bermuda short wearing flowered shirt fat guy taking picture of locals because THEY look different! In all my travels I contantly strive not to be that guy. Sometime's I'm the tourist which is ok, but I'm never the ugly American. Please, if your traveling outside the country, take a little time to enjoy the culture you're visiting, be respectful, be patient, try to blend in.

Understand your heritage

2007-05-05T07:31:00.000-06:00

Caught this on my Google Jokes page thought it was interesting. The History of Cinco de Mayo Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico. But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day. The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo. :)

Retreat

2007-05-04T17:33:00.000-06:00

My unit participated in retreat today; for you civilian types, this is a ceremony to show respect to and lower the flag as well as to signify the end of the duty day. We all form up in formation at the flag pole, the national anthem is played, we salute, they lower and fold the flag, and we're dismissed. It sounds simple and actually is but it means so much. Retreat is a ceremony that signals to all the the duty day has ended, before everybody had a watch this told all the soldiers that work for the day was over. It starts with the "To the Colors" bugle call which used to summon the troops the the flag pole. Then the Anthem is played as the flag is being lowered; the flag details goal is to lower the flag at a rate so it reaches the bottom of the pole on the last note of the anthem. From the first note of the anthem till the flag is off the pole all the troops are at attention, rendering a hand salute in respect to the flag. After the flag is off the pole, the troops drop their salute and go to parade rest. At this time the flag detail commences folding the flag in the traditional triangle fold. Once the flag is folded, the flag detail marches off with the folded flag and once they're out of sight the troops on formation are dismissed.

I know this ceremony is a military deal but it does indicate our respect in the flag. Our flag is a symbol of our country, our people, and our freedom. We in the military hold a lot of respect for our flag. Even though it's just a few yards of cloth it is our battle standard and the blanket for our dead; to us it is our country. If you feel flag burning is right, well that's your choice, just don't do it in front of me.

American Idol

2007-05-01T19:00:00.000-06:00

Each week this show takes a well known artist and has the contestants sing those songs. This week we got to hear 6 ways to make Bon Jovi suck even more!

Smelly Butts Save the Planet!

2007-04-23T05:34:00.000-06:00

According to Sheryl Crow we should only use 1 square of toilet paper when we use the bathroom. So while we may save a few trees we all now get to put up with noxious butt residue. Nice job Sheryl! How about we all stop showering as well? Oh wait; that and not wiping would make us.... FRENCH! T/P companies are under siege by environmental groups on this issue. They attack manufactures on two front; first they don't like the cutting of trees and second they don't like the use of bleaching agents. I've found out that even though most T/P is made from virgin paper (not from recycled) it is made from a renewable resource. According to science.notes.com, almost all manufactures have their own forests they managed to provide the woods required. Some companies do use recycled paper as well but it's a small percentage of the total paper production. As far as the bleaching, it's a part of the paper making process. Non-bleached paper is fine with me but remember what your wiping, at least with white you can tell when you get it all. Manufacturers are listening though, they are working several methods to reduce they're bleaching agent impact. Extremists are extremist though, they're not happy until they get their way without compromise. So if you abide by Sheryl's request T/P manufactures will see a decline in sales, not need to replenish their forests, which would result in a decline in tress reforestation. Wait; aren't trees supposed to be helpful for the environment? So please do your part to help environment (and people around me) and keep your butt clean.

Thank god for the moderate!

2007-04-22T12:07:00.001-06:00

What makes one group think they’re right, or think your wrong? No matter what you believe or what you do someone in the world thinks just the opposite. So who’s right and who’s wrong? We are living in a world being molded by extremists, is this bad? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, it is reality though. If you go back and look at history extremists have made profound changes on the world that still affect us today. Martin Luther King, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, even Jesus could all be extremists in there own right. Is extremism bad, no not always but it sure isn’t accepted well. Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement in the 60s took hold and today even mentioning his name bring reverence from both white and black people around the world. Genghis Khan brought the “Silk Road” to the west feeding the European culture for centuries. Alexander the Great laid the framework for the Roman Empire resulting in all they’re technological advancements. And lastly the life and teachings of Jesus still affects the lives of billions of people to this day. During they’re time they where all considered extremists, in these cases though these were extremists we’re all reaping the benefits of now. Are we living today with an extremist like this? Who is our next Alexander or King? Today people label anyone who opposes their point of view as an extremist. There are Radical Republican’s, Liberal Leftist, Creationists, Evolutionists, Muslim Extremists, and Christian Coalition. There are pacifists, war mongers, eco-warriors, and realists. No matter you believe people have created a label for it. If you where to ask any of these groups who’s right they’ll vehemently say they are (and in some cases kill you for questioning them). For the rest of us 98% of the population we fall somewhere in between all of these groups. I’m a Republican but I agree with the right to choose group, I’m a warrior but I really don’t like war, and I’m a Christian but I respect your right to practice whatever religion you want. You can look at yourself and probably same something similar. So I’m guessing that since 98% of the world in somewhere in the middle we must all be moderates to some degree (there I go again with a label). We live in a world of moderates reaping the benefits of, and having to fix the problems created by, extremists. Thank god for the moderate!

O Captain! My Captain!

2007-04-18T20:39:00.001-06:00

I ran across this poem while my daughter was researching a project for school. It's pretty cool that someone thought highly enough of Lincoln this close to the time of his death to commemorate him like this. The reverence portrayed reminds me of how people are now starting to remember Ronald Regan's presidency. Read and enjoy!! __________________________________________________________________ (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) "O Captain! My Captain!" is a poem by Walt Whitman. It was written in homage to Abraham Lincoln after his assassination in 1865, and was first published the same year in an appendix attached to the latest version of Whitman's continually expanding anthology, Leaves of Grass. The poem consists of three stanzas, its layout appearing like a ship approaching its destination, and begins with the famous O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won; Full poem I. O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring. But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red! Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. II. O captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up! For you the flag is flung, for you the bugle trills: For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths, for you the shores a-crowding: For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning. Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck, You've fallen cold and dead. III. My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done; From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won! Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

"Imus-ized"

2007-04-12T17:02:00.000-06:00

I have been a listener of Don Imus off and on now for several years. He’s entertaining but I’ve never felt he was a political commentator like Rush or Hannity. I started listening to “Imus in the Morning" in Tucson because the station I listened to had Rush on in the afternoons; I guess I became a listener due to my own laziness (those radio buttons are so hard to push). Several times while listening to his show I was surprised by the comments he would make about a person or people. Some comments where in poor taste, some where degrading, and some where just plain ole mean; but all in all you had to take what he was saying with a grain of salt. I mean after all Imus was a hit because of his grittiness and provoking nature so this was expected. Many times he’d say something that was shocked to hear over the radio and I thought he’d be in some kind of trouble but nope, the 1st amendment protected him, after all he was nothing like Howard Stern. Well today things changed a bit for Mr. Imus. No he didn’t get in trouble with the FCC, no it wasn’t anything he said about some political figure; Mr. Imus got in trouble for saying something about a group of women. Granted what he said was crass and degrading; it had a racial undertone, and yes he should be in a little trouble over it; but the FCC didn’t do anything. You see the FCC is a bureaucracy whose wheels are slow to turn. They would hear a complaint, do an investigation, and issue fines if they saw a reason too. Nope Mr. Imus was fired today not two days after the incident; the FCC didn’t have to do a thing. It makes you wonder a bit who’s right here. Was Sumner Redstone right in directing the termination? Was MSNBC correct in canceling his show? Or should this all have been chocked up to entertainment, and let it be handled between the two parties involved. The “offended” women received and accepted an apology from Mr. Imus today. They accepted it but never demanded his firing. Why, did these women who had been so maligned by his comment not want to have his head on a platter? Could it be that they weren’t necessarily offended by the comment? Maybe they had been desensitized to this type of characterization because they had heard this many many times from other sources of entertainment? In today’s entertainment rich environment there are many artists out there that use this type of language in songs and they’re own image. I don’t know if these women listen to this type of music but being that they are young and in college it would be surprising to me if they didn’t. I would even venture a guess that many of them are frequent listeners to this type of music. Why is this comment from an aging over the hill “shock jock” so much more offending the lyrics of “Ludicris” or “P-Diddy” (if that’s what he calls himself today). It’s called hypocrisy. During one of the “acts of contrition” appearances Mr. Imus did to try to defuse the situation was on Rev Al Sharpton’s radio show. During the interview Mr. Imus was going on and on about how people should just let it go but one thing he said was that he was just an “Old Cracker”. To which Rev Sharpton quickly rebuked him say that “while he was on his show he was to show respect for all races even his own”. Does Rev. Sharpton say this to the rap stars that say these types of things in they’re songs? Nope! He feels that the 1st Amendment protects those artists. Why doesn’t the 1st Amendment protect Mr. Imus? Actually it does, remember the FCC? They can’t touch him; but the private citizen and sponsors of his show are a different matter. Mr. Imus has been demonized by his own speech. I really think he deserves what he’s getting just as Howard Stern did. But what I would like to see is for this to come around full circle and for those that are getting away with this type of behavior to get what they deserve too. Hate speech is hate speech; punish them all, or punish none! But stop making this a race issue!

Defendor of the Idiot

2007-04-11T19:59:00.000-06:00

I watched a video yesterday that was extremely disturbing. It was titled "The Most Hated Family in the Country" and was about the church group that’s going around the country protesting at military funerals. I have to say based on the reactions of the people driving by they’re definitely in the minority but that’s not what this entry is about. Yes I can sit here and tell you how bad it makes me feel, or how angry I get when I see that type of thing, but that's expected. No, what I would like to talk about is my pride in these idiots being able to do what they where doing. You see, this exceedingly misguided group is allowed to do these despicable things because of the very people they're protesting. It’s kind of ironic if you think about it; if these folks where actually to succeed in what they’re preaching they couldn’t protest. It’s like people protesting farmers because they kill the plants during the harvest, but without the farmer the protesters would starve. We that are in the military are dedicated professionals here defending the freedom that allows people to protest the very thing we do. Please understand that I, in no way, condone the tripe these idiots are spewing; they are probably the most misguided cult I have ever seen. With our luck they’ll go the way of the Jim Jones “kool-ade” cult or those idiots that thought the comet was coming to take them away. No, these people are terrible, but what I am saying is that I will continue defending they’re right to be the ignorant stooges they are.

My Geek Code

2007-04-10T21:47:00.000-06:00

Here is my geek code: Here is my geek code GG/IT/O/U d->+ s+,s+ a+ c++ U-- P L-- E- W++ N+ o? K? w+$ O--- M-- V? PS--- PE++ Y+ PGP- t+ 5++ X-- R tv++ b+ DI++ D++ G++++ e+ h-- r+++ y++++ For those of you that have no idea what a geek code is, check out this website for a translation Interesting and geekish all rolled into one... If you'd like to decode the geek code of my son here it is: G/CM/CS/ED/FA/IT/MU/P/S/SS/O d>- s:+>: a-- C++++$ UL*++++$ P+(-) L+++>++++$ E--- W++ N>+ o? K? w++$ O? M-()$ V? PS++ PE-- Y+ PGP++>++++ t+ 5? X? R- tv@ b- DI++>+++ D+++ G(-) e>++ h!>--- r-->+++ y>+++ Fun and revealing:

Global Warming Crap

2007-04-08T21:03:00.000-06:00

It snowed this weekend; something that happens when it gets cold. Those of you that know me, you know that I listen to Rush Limbaugh a lot (almost daily). I’m sure tomorrow’s broadcast will have some smart remark as to how this latest cold snap is somehow proof that global warming is some kind of Democrat plot. But if I was an Air America/Al Franken listener I’d hear how this was due to global warming. Curious how both sides seem to be so sure about they’re correctness, while ignoring the most obvious, hmm…. Here’s my thought’s, global warming is a communist plot to undermine us as a democracy. This would sure explain the extreme positions each side is taking. Think about it; who’s the most interested in driving a wedge between the two sides of our politics? Who want’s to ostracize us from the rest of the world? Whose countries have the most polluting economies? And lastly, who signed the Kyoto treaty knowing full well they would never have to adhere to it? It was the communists (look it up). They have the most to gain by our capitulation to those treaties. They have the most to gain by our inner conflicts. All the evidence points to this but nobody want to see it. Are we tired of fighting communism on every front? Has our recent focus on terrorism blinded us to this insidious enemy? Only the commie’s know…

Uberfag and today's telivision

2007-04-08T19:56:00.000-06:00

What’s with today’s obsession with the “Uber-fag”? What’s an “Uber-fag” you ask? An “Uber-fag” is a character that over-emphasis’ traditional, popular homosexual traits (i.e. limp wrists, lisps, high squeaky voices, over-emphasized feminist traits). I watched a television show today with my wife called “Top Designer”. It’s a very good reality show about interior designers. I don’t have a problem with the show itself but each and every male on the show was so effeminate it was distracting. As I watched it came to me that all of these types of shows show males in the same light. Shows like “Top Chef”, “Project Runway”, and the “Janis Dickson Agency” all have male contestants that may as well be female the way they are portrayed. It seems that if these shows want to be popular they have to have these overly feminist male characters to be successful. Look at very successful shows like “Amazing Race” and “Survivor”, both of these have participants that are so obviously gay it’s got even the most tolerant “GayDAR” pinging relentlessly. Is the “Uberfag” so popular that a show can’t get by with out it? What is this saying about us as a society? I’ve never had a problem with homosexuality; I really feel that it’s a fact of life. Some feel it’s a choice, some feel it’s predestined. I don’t agree with either of those points of view, I think it’s more a phase of life. Throughout time homosexuality has floated from one end of the spectrum to the other; either accepted, rejected, or somewhere in-between. I really don’t care one way or the other. What I do have a problem with is the cartoonish portrayal by “Hollywood” that there’s only one way to portray people, gay that is feminine, lesbians that are butch, and straights that are homophobic. Why make the people appear so stereotypical? I don’t understand why this happens or why the gay community allows it to happen. Whether you’re gay, lesbian or straight; “Hollywood” will only portray you in one light, whatever they feel is correct. Is this the definition you want? So here’s a challenge for everyone. If you’re gay be a man, if your lesbian be woman, if your straight well be whatever your sex should be. In other word I really don’t care what you are, I just don’t want it advertised. Please, keep it to yourself, thank you!

Good times with the girls

2007-04-07T18:51:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had an opportunity to take my daughters to Six Flags Arlington. We had a wonderful time! With us we took Patrick (Isabella's boyfriend), John (Krystina's boyfriend) as well as Tyler and Andy (friends of both girls). I call this an opportunity because it's not too often a parent gets a chance to do something like this. We as parents are mentors, disciplinarians, and teachers, and on rare occasions dream fillers but rarely are we looked at as friends. Amusement parks are nothing new to our family; we have gone to Disneyland, Fiesta Texas, Sea World, and several others, even parks in Europe. This trip was different though, different because this time it was only me and my daughters (and a few friends). At first I thought I would have to give them their "space" since all their friends where there, so I told them to go on by themselves to ride the rides with the boys. After about an hour of wandering the park we happened to run into one another. They asked me how many rides I had gone on and when I said none, both of them decided to fix this (I like rides especially roller coasters). I spent the rest of the day with the group and had a wonderful time connecting with my kids. I thought I was going to be a detriment to their fun so I gave them the opportunity to have their freedom, I never realized fun for them was to be with me. When they get older, both of my girls are going to find themselves in a positions like this with they're own children; I pray their children make them as happy as mine make me. Many parents find themselves shunned by their children when they get to adulthood, mine (I hope) will be as much a part of my life then as they are now. They need to go off and develop a life of their own, create their own family, and be their own person; But no matter what, they will always be my daughters, and will always be welcome in my home (just as they welcomed me into their world). It was "good times" this weekend; "Good times" in the park, and "good times" with the girls. Thank god I have them.

Isabella's Birthday

2007-04-04T11:17:00.000-06:00

Today is Isabella's 18th birthday. She is entering a tansition phase of her life from total dependance on Rosa and I to an independant woman. This fall she is planning on going away to college, yet another milestone in her life, and sometime in the near future she'll be marrying and having kids. All of these things will be challenging milestones in her life. I have all the confidence in the world that she will attack these challenges, as well as anything else life throws at her, with the determiniation and tenacity she's known for.

Tim for President

2007-03-31T21:52:00.001-06:00

For those of you that don't know, a very good friend of mine (Tim Strickland) is running for president. He can use all the support you can give him. Please visit his web page to get more insight into his political ideas.

Trip to Austin

2007-03-31T19:48:00.000-06:00

Rosa and I took off to Austin today to see her Dad. It was nice trip, 4 hours down - 4 hours back, and we had lunch with Hillery. The trip was pretty uneventful but the scenery was amazing. With all the rain we've had recently and the warm weather the Bluebonnets where in full bloom. As we got closer to the Hill Country they became thicker and thicker until it transformed into blueish-purple carpet lining the edges of the road for as far as you could see. This was the Texas I fell in love with when I moved here 22 years ago. It sure was a sight to see. The visit with Hillery was nice. We took him out to lunch at Smokey-Bones restaurant and did a few things around the house for him. Rosario is in Spain right now visiting her family so he's by himself for a few weeks, he sure enjoyed the company. We only where able to stay for a few hours but it was nice. When Rosa and I are on trips like this we get a lot of time to talk. We talk about a lot of things, mostly what's been happening lately but sometimes we get off on tangents about how our lives are, based on decisions we've made in that past. With the recent events surrounding Andrew, he became a large topic of the conversation. I was telling her how blogs have given me an insight into our children (Andrew and Isabella) that I would not have had before the internet. I've never been a person to keep a diary which is what a lot of blogs are. These "public" diaries offer a unique insight about someone you know as well as complete strangers. It's a very interesting concept. Anyway back to our discussions; Rosa and I are both ones who feel fate plays a big part in our lives. What kind of person would I be had I not divorced Pam? What if I wouldn't have joined the Air Force? All of these are interesting things that spark reasons why we're happy together now. Everything I've done in the past has gotten me to the point I'm at now. Am I happy? Unequivocally YES! But had I chose a different path I may have been happy with those outcomes as well. One never knows. I think the most important thing is to be happy now and be happy with how you got there. Overall the trip today was wonderful. We did nothing but we did what made us happy.

Weather

2007-03-30T13:43:00.000-06:00

Well the weather's pretty crappy today. Rain, hail, tornado warning, all kinds of cool stuff. Fitting for my last day of leave.

Originally posted @ MySpace as "I went fishng today and caught a cat..."

2007-03-28T10:51:00.000-06:00

I got up early this morning with the intention of going fishing. I have a lake close to my house but it's been pretty lean on fish lately so I decided to try Ft. Phantom lake north of Abilene. I got to the lake just as the sun was coming up but the wind had also picked up. I found a good spot anyway, north of the dam around one of the boat docks and started trying to cast into the wind. About five minutes after I got there I heard a "meowing" behind me, as I turned around I saw an orange kitten making it's way down the rocks towards me. She looked about three to four months old and seemed very friendly. She came right up to my feet and sat and watched the waves hit the shore as I fished above her. Needless to say the lack of a fish bite and the abundunce of cuteness at my feet changed my plan for the day. I had petted her a few times she took right to me, when I turned to return to the truck she followed me I'm sure hoping for a bite to eat or something. I searched the cab but no food for a kitty, but while I was doing this she found a comfortable spot on the passenger side and fell asleep. It seemed pretty obvious to me the she found my presence comforting and was lying there contemplating adopting this stry she had found (me). So I did what any big kid would have done, I took her home with me. On the way I stopped and got her some food and shampoo (she did need a bath) and when I got home introduced her to Athena. By this time I had decided to name her Tiger (for her orange color and subtle stripes). Athena was her normal happy self and VERY happy to see the new thing I brought home, Tiger on the other hand... was a little less enthused. After a few times pulling her out of the trees in the back yard she finally resigned herself to the fact that Athena was here to stay and she was going to have to get used to her. Athena, quickly figuring out Tiger needed space (about a paws length as demonstrated by a few sharp claw swipes across her nose). Both animals got baths, Tiger ate heartly and then it was nap time. At this time I figured it was about time I told Rosa about our potential new family member. Rosa has never been a pet person. She's has accepted Athena to a point where you couldn't tell but to push this to a second pet was a little more she could endure. She never told me no but I would have really made her uncomfortable had I pushed to keep Tiger. This was an unacceptable situation for me so I was going to have to find another solution for Tiger. We found out that the local Humane Society is a "no-kill" organization. They agreed to take Tiger and if she had a good temperment and not deseased they would keep her until a new owner could be found. Rosa and I discussed this and agreed that if Tiger was bad tempered or ill we wouldn't want her either. And I wouldn't allow her to be killed just because nobody wanted her. So this situation was acceptable for all of us. So I took her down to them and said my goodbye's. I've never been one to pick up "strays" but I do believe in fate. A lot of things happened this week to put me at that lake at that time so Tiger and I could meet, so I think whatever made all this happen has a plan for Tiger. I'm sure God will provide a good home for her.

Originally posted @ MySpace as "Kraftwerk- Autobahn / Partition 36"

2007-03-27T14:21:00.000-06:00

For those of you that have known me for a while you know I've always liked electronic music. Here's a video featuring one of my favorite groups.

If you like this type of music check out Partition 36 (DJ Haruko) at http://www.partition36.com/ .

Kraftwerk- Autobahn

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Originally posted @ MySpace as "Crutches Yuck"

2006-12-16T10:42:00.000-06:00

Yesterdays surgery seemed to go well, now comes the long recovery. I'll be in crutches for about 12 weeks, 6 weeks for the right leg another surgery around my birthday and then another 6 weeks. This time the doc put me in a brace that prevents me from moving my leg. Now those of you that know me know that I like to take things apart, well I figured out how to make it so I can bend my knee. Needless to day Rosa chewed my butt out for that. One thing though, thank God for pain killers. He gave me hydrocodone; nothing major but a few of these and I feeling pretty damn good. That and Motrin and I'm feeling no pain.

Here are before and after pictures:

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k283/TheBass_25/JWHUN026.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k283/TheBass_25/CMHUN014.jpg

He drilled out the defective part and put in a plug that will eventually grow over with scar cartilage. The right knee was harder for him to do because of the shape of the defect. The left knee will be easier. The hope is that after the scar tissue forms it will be a permanent fix and the meniscus tears will stop. I'm just looking forward to being able to go to the gym without being in pain. Not sure if that's going to happen but it's my best shot. If this doesn't work then I'm probably going to have to retire. We'll just have to wait and see to have to retire. We'll just have to wait and see.

Originally posted @ MySpace as "Shirt Love"

2006-12-10T14:15:00.000-06:00

Well I had the pleasure of spreading a little "Shirt Love" tonight. My base decided to stop everyone coming in the gate for two hours and perform urinalisys testing onthem. You know on a Saturday night most people coming through the gate between 0000 and 0200 had been out drinking? Nothing is more fun than pissing off a bunch of drunk people!

Originally posted @ MySpace as "Knee Surgery"

2006-12-10T10:49:00.000-06:00

Well I'm having yet another knee surgery. Funny how after the Air Force decides to make running a more important part of the fitness program that all us old guys are having knee problems. I wonder if the VA has been consulted about all the orthopedic issues being created for them?

Originally posted @ MySpace as "I like cigars"

2006-08-09T10:26:00.000-06:00

Ok, in my never ending search for a nice cigar I've stumbled across a new one. The Drew Estates"Natural" Root Deluxe is by far one of the best cigars I've ever had. Its different than some of the other D/E cigars in that it's not flavored. I started with this brand smoking the Acid Kuba Kuba and really enjoyed it but sometimes I get a little tired of the sweet flavoring, not a problem with the Root Deluxe. It has a nice draw and the smoke flavor is mellow but unique. If your a new smoker or and experienced one you'll enjoy this cigar.

Originally posted @ MySpace

2006-08-01T10:04:00.000-06:00

We had a nice visit this weekend in Denver with my family. My Dad's not doing to well and it was good to see him. My leave's almost over and I didn't go fishing enough. Hopefully I'll go tonight and then some more this weekend.