Affecting world events

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

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.

"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?

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!!

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.

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

News Junkie

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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"

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

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.